Bicycles!

[Thief]

I just realized that in this thread you're....

Now we know what happened to @Saint Frankenstein's bike!

I confess....and I traded it for a pack of cigs...

 

[Penumbra]

Of course they'd know more than those of us not in the industry.
But they also make compromises for mass marketing, so there's
much opportunity for the geek to customize one's own bike to
suit one's own preferences.

Since I specialized in advanced design for various vehicles, I'm
I'm compelled to keep improving something until it no longer works.

I do electronics engineering and financial stuff, so mechanical optimization of a bicycle is out of any real area of knowledge I have. With your background, bike tinkering would make more sense, particularly if you enjoy it. But then again, I don't honestly do any electronics tinkering outside of work either, so maybe it's just a personality thing.

It's true that bikes are mass marketed. But like, when you buy a bike from a place with knowledgeable people, they can make sure you get a good fit, modify it a bit, etc. Beyond that initial quick customization, I can't really think of any way I'd improve my bike. It was hard enough trying to figure out what kinds of shocks I want and whether I want them on both wheels or just the front, what size wheels I should have, and whether to go with a women's specific design or not.

Btw I'm not a geek with my car either. The inside of a car is like a foreign language to me, so I just let others deal with it. I can check oil, jump start, or change a tire, which is about all I'll do.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

May things improve so that you can get your ride on again!

Would be nice. But it's been about a dozen years and I'm over the weight limit for a bike.

 

[Revoltingest]

Would be nice. But it's been about a dozen years.

It hasn't been too long.
Riding a bike again is about as easy as....well.....riding a bike.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I confess....and I traded it for a pack of cigs...

That's not funny. That was a $500 bike and I'm still angry about it.

 

[Quagmire]

Every year when the kids graduate here at the university a few hundred of them always leave their bikes behind.

I haven't had to buy a bike or pay for bike parts in years. And I ride a bike every day.

 

[ShivaFan]

I have 3 bikes (not gasoline burners). One I am told, which I purchased probably 20 years ago, is worth a lot of money. But my favorite was a five speed I got in 1966. Today, the computer has totally destroyed my life in the sense that my eyes are always being burned alive from the computer monitors - I even have dual monitors, and of course there is the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus that burns my eyes. It has been about 1 year since getting on a bike, now that my daughter is at school in Berkeley. But I need to enjoy it again.

But of course, there are the gas burners, too. I remember the days going around the "expensive" houses in the Berkeley Hills on something not much bigger than a scooter, I think it was one of those original Honda's (motor "bike"). Then going over the SF Bay Bridge on it with two people on the same burner and getting yelled at by cars. But then one day, I dropped a Harley in the Haight. It was horrible. About a month later, I dropped a Harley in the Polk. I haven't ridden on a gas burner for a while, either.

There is something about both. Long live the Angels of Hell, the Ghost Riders in the Sky.

 

[Thief]

That's not funny. That was a $500 bike and I'm still angry about it.

sorry dude....I was just kidding....

 

[Thief]

It hasn't been too long.
Riding a bike again is about as easy as....well.....riding a bike.

unless you're over 60 and haven't done it for a decade.
I tune my men's racer (Schwinn) once in a blue moon....
new tires, trim the derailleur....
but the 1/4 mile test seems the limit!!!!!!!

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

sorry dude....I was just kidding....

Nah, it's cool. It's not your fault. I'm just touchy about it.

 

[Revoltingest]

Every year when the kids graduate here at the university a few hundred of them always leave their bikes behind.
I haven't had to buy a bike or pay for bike parts in years. And I ride a bike everyday.

It works that way here too.
When the students move out, it's time to go curbside shopping.

 

[Wu Wei]

my new bike...and new hobbie

 

[Revoltingest]

my new bike...and new hobbie

It is absolutely criminal that I'm the only one to have fruballed this so far!


=== Update! ===
The best bike for me is one I can take everywhere....indoors, in airplanes, in cars

I placed an order for the finest folding bike around.....
Helix - The New Standard In Folding Bikes
Bigger wheels than most....24"
Titanium frame....cool bare metal color, corrosion proof, strong
Made in Canuckistan....no Chinese junk
Folds smaller than most....fits in 24"x24" suitcase
Easy fast folding....no tools or special order of folding required

And folded.....

 

[Thief]

It is absolutely criminal that I'm the only one to have fruballed this so far!

=== Update! ===
I placed an order for the finest folding bike around.....
Helix - The New Standard In Folding Bikes
Bigger wheels than most....24"
Titanium frame....cool bare metal color, corrosion proof, strong
Made in Canuckistan....no Chinese junk
Folds smaller than most....fits in 24"x24" suitcase

And folded.....

saw this item just last weekend in a demo on You tube

so.....you penny pinching Scotty......

how much haggis for the barter?

 

[Revoltingest]

saw this item just last weekend in a demo on You tube

so.....you penny pinching Scotty......

how much haggis for the barter?

I ordered the 10 speed derailleur version, which is $1600.
I expect that to increase as accessories become available before the delivery date (July).

Tis a bunch'o money, but it's a great value, & perfect for me.
It took me about half a year to decide to buy.

 

[Wu Wei]

I ordered the 10 speed derailleur version, which is $1600.
I expect that to increase as accessories become available before the delivery date (July).

Tis a bunch'o money, but it's a great value, & perfect for me.
It took me about half a year to decide to buy.

And "when" Mr. Van breaks down you have a way to get home

Cool folding bike, a bit pricey for me, but it is a pretty awesome idea

You should also get Mazda’s suitcase car

 

[Revoltingest]

And "when" Mr. Van breaks down you have a way to get home

Cool folding bike, a bit pricey for me, but it is a pretty awesome idea

You should also get Mazda’s suitcase car

That's nuthin!

 

[Revoltingest]

I picked a trailer for me new folding bike....

 

[Wu Wei]

I should belittle and make fun of you for that...but the fact you bought one and then posted about it..... well...even I'm not that cruel as to hit a man while he's down...especially after he knocked himself down so completely....a self-KO if you will

 

[Revoltingest]

I should belittle and make fun of you for that...but the fact you bought one and then posted about it..... well...even I'm not that cruel as to hit a man while he's down...especially after he knocked himself down so completely....a self-KO if you will

I spent months researching trailers to replace my Bob Yak.