Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Any bicyclists here?

I was a cyclist fanatic up until I had a massive heart attack a year and a half ago while riding my bicycle. I was logging 200 miles per week. Keeping my weight down and fleet footed for my job as a LEO. Since the heart attack I rarely ride anymore. I do ride a few miles every now and then but riding lost its luster. There were many days I rode my bike from sunrise to after sunset and couldn’t wait until sunrise again.

.......................Good for you
.....Keep up the good work. I was an avid but part time cyclist at one time, but my biz time and commitments keeps me from doing more.

If you keep on pedaling, then you may want to upgrade either your current Trek bike or buy another because you just might wish to engage in a few longer ranged rides such as some 100 milers or centurys (bike club rides) as they call them.

Your Trek 820 IIRC is a hybrid (a cross between a roadie bike and a mountain bike).. You mention premium components on your Trek. Guessing that you already have the original good shifters and rear derailluers that came from the Trek factory?

So if you want to make the miles go easier and faster, then upgrade your wheels and tires by removing as much (REVOLVING) weight as possible.

Several years back I bought a new 2013 Specialized Sirrus Comp hybrid with the flat handlebars (easier on my back for longer rides) for $750 on sale. I swapped out the OE much heavier rims for the Bontrager XL racing rims (about $350 each) and swapped out the OE heavier tires for a pair of the much lighter 700x23 Continental Grand Prix 4000s ($50 each)....A HUGE difference. The rim and tire swap alone took about 2 lbs off the weight of the bike. Also swapped out the OE pedals for a lighter set of Xpedo pedals.

And then,,,,,LOL,,,,,,I swapped out the OE rear 10 speed gear cog to a 10 speed 12 tooth/36 tooth gear ratio for them hills along with a lighter White Industries titanium rear hub.

All in all, I took nearly 4 lbs of revolving weight off of the bike. From a 24 lb hybrid to a 20 lb roadie with flat handlebars. Including the original purchase price and upgrades I am into it at about $2700. Well worth it for an avid rider imo.

The OE shifters, front and rear deraillers which I did not swap are SRAM components.......

Good luck...Have fun!

Great job with the weight loss!

I love to mountain bike. I have a 2014 Trek Fuel EX and just bought a Banshee Spitfire for tighter trails and more aggressive riding. If you start to like mountain biking too much, it gets expensive.

For forums, tale a look at https://forums.mtbr.com/forum.php

Just had my 25 YO Trek 8000 tuned......

used to ride it lots & lots......

just have to get motivated........

Ya, bikes are a cheap hobby compared to most other endeavors....

This is my main bike, an '89 Schwinn Voyageur gifted to me new in '89, spent the better part of 24 years hanging on a wall. I brung it back to life in the fall of 2013 and, after several upgrades rode it to NY State in the summer of '14. Rode it around the British Isles and France in '16.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/MxBjdW]

Alla that and its my daily driver too....

...fixing to hit the road again in a bit, dunno how far yet.

Lets see:
700c 36 spoke wheels: $500
Trekking Bar: $40
Paul Cantilever Brake: $110
Chris King Headset: $120
Tubus Front Rack: $100
Two sets Ortlieb Panniers: $500
RD Bottom Bracket: $150
Nashbar Mt Bike 44-32-22 Triple Crankset: $60
9-speed 12-36 tooth cassette: $40
Nashbar Verge Platform Pedals:$60
Brooks B17 Saddle: $120
Racktime Rear Rack: $80
Bontrager Fenders: $70.

...ballparks to about $2,000 in parts so far

Only thing original is that great steel touring frame and, strangely enough, the derailleurs/shifters. A friction shifter set-up allows any number of chainring/cassette combinations.

i can still ride a wheelie on any bike.

Nope.
I'm not even going to apologize.
I live up in the hills about 30 miles from town and from April through October have to dodge the packs of 2 wheeled, spandex  sporting pedal pushers contending for the limited road space.
In the summer, there are lots of big ski boats on trailers going to the lake up here and there is always road construction and in September, there are 18 wheelers loaded with grapes.
Bicyclists just love this road even there isn't a shoulder in many stretches.
When a big rig is in one lane and another large vehicle in the opposing lane, there is simply no room for a bicycle.
Things get pretty tense and every years there are some injuries and worse.

Certainly this won't make you guys too happy, but I get a little chuckle every time i see this...🤣

https://youtu.be/ZdDxjge5hmY

bikeforumsx2 Good place to go. But don't even mention a gun. Stormcrowe who runs it will erase your gun comments. You might even get banned. An anti-gun useful idiot. Be Well. Rusty

I have encountered bicyclists on all manner of roads in all traffic conditions. They are slow. They are not hard to pass. While riding a bicycle, I have been held up by autos for longer than any bike has ever held me up while driving an auto. Your protestations are petty and you need to learn to drive.

................Yep! Besides the frame, the components are really at the heart of any bicycle. I chose the lesser expensive bike to then upgrade route. That way, you have the options of tricking out the bike the way you want.

I have a couple bikes, try to ride as much as I can.













[img]https://i.postimg.cc/FKjH3gPM/AA3-D6849-A3-E7-4-B4-B-9-AD6-E95-E194-F0802.jpg[/img]

Nice bikes

Thanks Birdwatcher I wish I still had the Clark Kent F-16. Still riding all the others.

Everytime I see those grown men wearing spandex shorts and those silly shoes I assume they are liberals and Democrats.

Kind of like how a lot folks act like how anyone living in California is a Liberal Democrat.

I don't have a problem with being rude to someone who's been rude to me, but that rolling coal on those bike riders was a dick move. The driver obviously wasn't being held up he was just being a dick.

Ya, I would never wear spandex, and especially not them padded-crotch shorts, but I will say like with any group of people, some of them spandex-clad guys coulda beat up that pickup driver in a heartbeat, if'n the guy had the 'nads to stop.

Is that on Shawangunk Mountain near New Paltz? We used to travel that route when our son went to the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park. Beautiful drive.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/MxBjdW]

this pic.........Sept 1990...me on the left & four of my sprocket head buds at the time

Trail started at 8000' and has an elevation gain of over 2000'...about 9 miles of single track

Total of 31 mile loop.....including US Forest roads......man I wish I was in that same physical

condition today...... Still have the same Trek 8000 bike !

yep.......even wore Lycra padded shorts.....chic's loved 'em...........

No spandex here.

Your assumption would be erroneous.