tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18676999.post4459417411941950010..comments2024-02-27T01:52:06.519-08:00Comments on Kent's Bike Blog: Strong and StrangeKent Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12906603746565831689noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18676999.post-9619858695074569492013-03-25T20:27:40.540-07:002013-03-25T20:27:40.540-07:00One bike? I had a 4-speed Peugeot in college that ...One bike? I had a 4-speed Peugeot in college that would have been pretty sweet with alloy rims. Would have stopped in the rain, too. Sam Jhttp://16incheswestofpeoria.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18676999.post-72253764262028895312007-04-20T15:15:00.000-07:002007-04-20T15:15:00.000-07:00Owning just one bike???!!! Who are you people???I ...Owning just one bike???!!! Who are you people???<BR/><BR/>I wish I had the restraint to have just one bike. In the last two years, my wife and I have acquired five bikes for ourselves (well...four for me). I now have a bike to go with any outfit.<BR/><BR/>We always talk about getting rid of a few, but as we go through the list, each bike's value becomes clear. I have a folding bike that doesn't do much except look funny under me, but the value of that humor is worth keeping it. Or the bike I run the dog with? Well...the dog needs his exercise (or we come home to a torn up yard). <BR/><BR/>I could probably dig up some discipline to live with one bike...many people live with less. But I figure I'm somewhat ahead of the game. My wife and I are down to one car, which I use maybe once a week. Collectively, my bikes probably don't cost more than a compact car. I get an immense joy out of tinkering with them.<BR/><BR/>To those of you with the monk-like ability to be satisfied by one bike, I admire and salute you. I'm now at the point where I *think* I don't need anymore bikes. That's the first step right?<BR/><BR/>My name is Tai...and I'm a bike-aholicTai-pohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03596045923737883547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18676999.post-38621569127211073312007-04-20T13:24:00.000-07:002007-04-20T13:24:00.000-07:00My bikes usually look like crap, but are actually ...My bikes usually look like crap, but are actually carefully engineered and assembled for specific functions. None of them are cheap, but none of them are "desireable" to most riders or (I hope) to most thieves. I did lose one such to a theif, though, so I tend to lock the ones that are small enough to be carried. The Dreadnought (current favorite) cargo machine weighs 100 lbs before payload, and anyone who looks at is usually too bewildered to think of stealing it. ValAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18676999.post-34565352860947264322007-04-20T10:01:00.000-07:002007-04-20T10:01:00.000-07:00My custom road bike is 8 years old, has badly mism...My custom road bike is 8 years old, has badly mismatched touch-up paint all over it, and a loose headbacge which will be allowed to fall off in its own sweet time. It also had a bent fork for the longest time but I finally had to deal with that this spring.<BR/><BR/>When I first ordered it, I wanted it all the same color, no window infill or whatever, no decals; I was afraid of having too pretty a bike. The seller/designed insisted that I get it with the infill paint and decals and that if I was that nervous I could cover up the logos with duct tape when I got the frame.<BR/><BR/>In retrospect, if I had known more about the custom frame world eight years ago, I might have taken my money elsewhere to get what I wanted. Having such a pretty bike has forced me to carry a much heavier lock than I like, and I haven't enjoyed that vibe at all.<BR/><BR/>On the bright side, I do not plan to ever have the frame repainted, even when it looks like crap. Especially when it looks like crap. It's beginning to head in that direction.<BR/><BR/>I finally resorted to a silly step last year when, after locking my bike in a bad neighborhood several weeks in a row (for reasons I can't remember now) and having strangers eye it suspiciously, I took a ball-peen hammer and carefully placed a small but obvious dent in the top tube, at a place where I knew the bike's strength wouldn't be compromised. Doing that has, oddly enough, reduced the number of curious folks coming over to smell my bike...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18676999.post-70848220429022704342007-04-20T09:06:00.000-07:002007-04-20T09:06:00.000-07:00Right on!I have been riding sub-$30 bikes since my...Right on!<BR/><BR/>I have been riding sub-$30 bikes since my C'dale was stolen four years ago. The peace of mind is priceless.<BR/><BR/>An odd side-effect: I started maintaining my own bikes around the same time. As a result, my technical skills are stuck in the '80's.<BR/><BR/>Splined bottom bracket? Free-hub? Threadless stem? I have no idea.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18676999.post-59964427468997583572007-04-20T05:15:00.000-07:002007-04-20T05:15:00.000-07:00Agreed. Great post. My 'saved from salvage' commut...Agreed. Great post. My 'saved from salvage' commuter gets locked up and I take a train 1 hour away from there. I could not stand to leave an expensive (or nice and shiny) bike there while I was so far away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18676999.post-55151522067721877892007-04-19T15:30:00.000-07:002007-04-19T15:30:00.000-07:00Peter's stolen bike never got a name. Smokey wound...Peter's stolen bike never got a name. Smokey wound up back with Wayne. Wayne's shiny replacement Lightspeed was just slightly different in geometry from Smokey and I could tell the bike really belonged back with Wayne. He's riding it as a fixie these days.Kent Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12906603746565831689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18676999.post-32497097623946605982007-04-19T15:18:00.000-07:002007-04-19T15:18:00.000-07:00Great post, as always, and I'm honored to have bee...Great post, as always, and I'm honored to have been quoted in it! Smokey was a great bike with an awesome, fitting story...I was sad to see it go, but hopefully it's at another good home now. Did your son's stolen bike earn a nickname?jim ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02161517903295268167noreply@blogger.com