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Vehicular biking - 2018

cantunamunch

Meh
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Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
21,912
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Behavioral sink
Yeah I was just rereading! :)

Bonus points for Quoc-like classic footwear styling.

Here is a shot from underneath of the Lake:

Screen Shot 2018-06-17 at 2.22.14 PM.png
 
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JohnnyG

Getting on the lift
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Joined
Nov 1, 2017
Posts
274
Location
Ottawa, ON
The correct term is Silly Commuter Racing. What's your number?

OK, I mentioned Silly Commuter racing earlier in the thread, but I don't think many people here have heard of it, and the website, itsnotarace.org no longer exists, so here are the rules, and how to figure out your Food Chain Number (FCN):

Silly Commuting Race - The Rules

The Game:
Dropping / Pulling anyone higher in the Food Chain Number makes you stronger and more attractive to burds*. Getting dropped / trying to keep up with anyone lower means your soul hires a kudos remover to lower your self worth. If you scalp someone you have to maintain or extend your lead for such a time as to have the dude you passed admit to themself "I was done". Nipping by, then running into a side road / hiding in traffic won't wash, Be honest with yourself. *Not strictly true

Rules:
1/ No Dangerous Manoeuvres (Don’t be a danger to any other road users or yourself) Falling off causes pain to you and others around you, don’t do it! (oh and you loose yer points)
2/ Don’t ride like a c0ck, we’re all just trying to get somewhere!
3/ No passing at Lights/Junction/Crossings, if you do, it doesn’t count
4/ All passing on open road ONLY. Filtering in traffic is null and void (you know whether you’ve dropped someone fairly, and haven’t turned off straight afterwards)
5/ Pavement passes, either you or the target is void
6/ Show no pain, unless, like me your face is just like that

FOOD CHAIN NUMBERS:
1. Scooters
2. Roadies with shaved legs - like girls *
3. Proper rapid Single speed (real men, messengers, tarty shiny fixies) *
4. Roadies with hairy legs - like men *
5. Faux Single Speeds (fakengers, dirty/functional bikes, silly egg beater gear) *
6. Touring Bikes (Mud Guards) *
7. "Fast Hybrids" *
8. MTBs on Skinnies *
9. MTBs on Nobbies
10. Bromptons / collapsing bikes
11. MTB full sus on Nobbies
12. Shoppers
13. Shoppers wicker baskets
14. Electric bikes
* Pedal Adjustment +1
• ONLY FCN 2-5 gain points for overtaking the same FCN and Higher Chainers
• Recumbents, Tandems and Segways are worth +2 points as a rare bonus
• Sinclair C5 +20 points as a hens teeth bonus

FCN Adjusters:

CLOTHING:
None:+3
Non-Cycling: +2
Baggies: +1
Lycra: 0
Team Kit: -1
TDF Jersey: -2

BAGGAGE:
Panniers: +1
Back Pack/Courier: 0
Nothing: -1

HEAD GEAR:
Face Mask +1
Helmets/Nothing/Sunglasses: 0
Bike Caps / Wrap arounds: -1

ACCESSORIES:
Herman's Safety Wing" (orange plastic lolly-pop): +2
Trailer:+2
Beard: +1
Child seat (each): +1
Power meter: -1
Aerobars: -1
Coloured tyres -1

PEDALS (If you can identify) FCN2-8 see note above:
Flats: +1
Toe Clips: 0
Evidently Clipless/spds (cycling shoes): -1

If it sounds complex Fury21 has come up with a FCN Calculator ...If you get confused on the road, think of it this way if you drop anyone who looks faster that you +1. If you get dropped by anyone that looks slower than you -1..Couldn't be simpler! You'll also get to work, or get home faster...Or your subscription money back...Ps it's free to join and take part, but negative totals should make cheques on your soul out to: Greg T c/o Bike Radar


It's too bad the website and facebook group no longer exist, but it's not a race, I'm just riding to work!
 

Pumba

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Jan 21, 2016
Posts
713
Location
Brooklyn, NY
OK, I mentioned Silly Commuter racing earlier in the thread, but I don't think many people here have heard of it, and the website, itsnotarace.org no longer exists, so here are the rules, and how to figure out your Food Chain Number (FCN):

Silly Commuting Race - The Rules

The Game:
Dropping / Pulling anyone higher in the Food Chain Number makes you stronger and more attractive to burds*. Getting dropped / trying to keep up with anyone lower means your soul hires a kudos remover to lower your self worth. If you scalp someone you have to maintain or extend your lead for such a time as to have the dude you passed admit to themself "I was done". Nipping by, then running into a side road / hiding in traffic won't wash, Be honest with yourself. *Not strictly true

Rules:
1/ No Dangerous Manoeuvres (Don’t be a danger to any other road users or yourself) Falling off causes pain to you and others around you, don’t do it! (oh and you loose yer points)
2/ Don’t ride like a c0ck, we’re all just trying to get somewhere!
3/ No passing at Lights/Junction/Crossings, if you do, it doesn’t count
4/ All passing on open road ONLY. Filtering in traffic is null and void (you know whether you’ve dropped someone fairly, and haven’t turned off straight afterwards)
5/ Pavement passes, either you or the target is void
6/ Show no pain, unless, like me your face is just like that

FOOD CHAIN NUMBERS:
1. Scooters
2. Roadies with shaved legs - like girls *
3. Proper rapid Single speed (real men, messengers, tarty shiny fixies) *
4. Roadies with hairy legs - like men *
5. Faux Single Speeds (fakengers, dirty/functional bikes, silly egg beater gear) *
6. Touring Bikes (Mud Guards) *
7. "Fast Hybrids" *
8. MTBs on Skinnies *
9. MTBs on Nobbies
10. Bromptons / collapsing bikes
11. MTB full sus on Nobbies
12. Shoppers
13. Shoppers wicker baskets
14. Electric bikes
* Pedal Adjustment +1
• ONLY FCN 2-5 gain points for overtaking the same FCN and Higher Chainers
• Recumbents, Tandems and Segways are worth +2 points as a rare bonus
• Sinclair C5 +20 points as a hens teeth bonus

FCN Adjusters:

CLOTHING:
None:+3
Non-Cycling: +2
Baggies: +1
Lycra: 0
Team Kit: -1
TDF Jersey: -2

BAGGAGE:
Panniers: +1
Back Pack/Courier: 0
Nothing: -1

HEAD GEAR:
Face Mask +1
Helmets/Nothing/Sunglasses: 0
Bike Caps / Wrap arounds: -1

ACCESSORIES:
Herman's Safety Wing" (orange plastic lolly-pop): +2
Trailer:+2
Beard: +1
Child seat (each): +1
Power meter: -1
Aerobars: -1
Coloured tyres -1

PEDALS (If you can identify) FCN2-8 see note above:
Flats: +1
Toe Clips: 0
Evidently Clipless/spds (cycling shoes): -1

If it sounds complex Fury21 has come up with a FCN Calculator ...If you get confused on the road, think of it this way if you drop anyone who looks faster that you +1. If you get dropped by anyone that looks slower than you -1..Couldn't be simpler! You'll also get to work, or get home faster...Or your subscription money back...Ps it's free to join and take part, but negative totals should make cheques on your soul out to: Greg T c/o Bike Radar


It's too bad the website and facebook group no longer exist, but it's not a race, I'm just riding to work!

I’ll play along! Good way to get me to try harder:P I read this before I left work today and decided to keep track of how many people I passed on my way home. 16.....there are a looot of bike commuters here. Based on the numbers above, tonight’s fcn number is 24....

This is a joke game right? Did anyone ever “play” and keep track?
 

JohnnyG

Getting on the lift
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Nov 1, 2017
Posts
274
Location
Ottawa, ON
I’ll play along! Good way to get me to try harder:P I read this before I left work today and decided to keep track of how many people I passed on my way home. 16.....there are a looot of bike commuters here. Based on the numbers above, tonight’s fcn number is 24....

This is a joke game right? Did anyone ever “play” and keep track?

It's just for fun, there used to be a fb group, but then I believe it got a bit toxic, and now it's no longer. It's still fun to challenge yourself though. I wear baggies and have flat bars to look slower.
 
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jmeb

jmeb

Enjoys skiing.
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4,490
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Colorado
More UPS drop offs, but a different bike.

If I was told I could only own one bike, this would probably be it. Though I am much more emotionally attached to my Trek 620, this thing is crazy versatile. At heart it's a Surly Cross Check, but has S&S couplers to fit inside a standard-sized piece of airline luggage. 38mm tires with plenty of room, mtb drivetrain, stout wheels (Velocity Dyads to DTSwiss 350s), and plenty of braze ons for whatever I need to carry. I could commute, ride semi-pacy rides, tour on everything from the street to gravel to light single track.

o3uXSMC.jpg
 
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Thread Starter
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jmeb

jmeb

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^know what works great for carrying loads like that? Triangular Profile Design bars :D

There are actually jones H-Bars under there. My first time trying it, as my SO asked if i could take it when I'd already selected todays bike. Worked a charm.

Carbon_HBar6__99586.1412708201.jpg
 

coskigirl

Skiing the powder
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Posts
4,591
Location
Evergreen, CO
Bike to Work Day today. I had a fun morning taking a couple hours to ride 16 miles and stop at 9 breakfast stations. No, I didn't eat at all of them but I have plenty of snacks for today. I snagged a Radiant 125 bike light from the Night Ize station, socks from Pearl Izumi, a couple of smaller bike lights from the City of Louisville and the Boulder County Sheriff, free beer coupon for a nearby brewery I haven't tried and a few other things.

Oh, @kimmyt I got a 1 day pass to Evo. I won't use it but if you want it so a friend can use it when you go I'd be happy to give it to you.

It is going to be brutally hot this afternoon with a high of 95 (it's already 91 at 10:45 am) so I'm freezing a water bottle and will put ice and water and a packet of Skratch mix I picked up in the other to start home. Boulder Center for Orthopedics gave out mini gel ice packs so that might get stuffed down the front of my jersey to start. Oh, and I think I'll dampen my jersey before I put it back on.
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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Breckenridge, CO
Back when I raced MTB in ME, a wet jersey was a real lifesaver. It was easy when the hand-ups were water. You only make the mistake of using kool-aid once, though. It wasn't sugar free. :roflmao:
 

coskigirl

Skiing the powder
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Evergreen, CO
Back when I raced MTB in ME, a wet jersey was a real lifesaver. It was easy when the hand-ups were water. You only make the mistake of using kool-aid once, though. It wasn't sugar free. :roflmao:

That's a danger in running races too and many people I know have done it. Thankfully not me. Yet. My bottles today will have stuff in them but there are 4 bike parties at breweries or taprooms and a water station in a neighborhood on my way home so hopefully some or all of them will have fresh water for dousing. I may be a bit childlike and ride through sprinklers if I find any.
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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Breckenridge, CO
That's a danger in running races too and many people I know have done it. Thankfully not me. Yet. My bottles today will have stuff in them but there are 4 bike parties at breweries or taprooms and a water station in a neighborhood on my way home so hopefully some or all of them will have fresh water for dousing. I may be a bit childlike and ride through sprinklers if I find any.

Woo hoo!

'I was older then, I'm younger than that now.'
 
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jmeb

jmeb

Enjoys skiing.
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Trying to justify getting a cargo bike. But vintage touring bikes do a decent enough job moving ~40# of groceries.

ks0GbwV.jpg
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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I haven't been reading the local paper lately so I totally missed out on this.

UrBike has come to Breck. This is the e-bike version. I didn't take any more pictures, this was just to remind me. Load your app with tokens and take a bike for a ride. Pick up where the app says there are bikes, leave any place that is public. They don't require a station, it is all self enclosed. They track them with GPS, they have built in locks and a cup holder.

20180825_170247_Rodeo Drive.jpg


I stole this image from their site:

Ebike_Orange-300x150xc.png


The tires are not pneumatic which probably aids reliability. I think I'm going to use my free 100 tokens for signing up and grab one of these. They've been there for days.

Screenshot_2018-08-28-11-21-50.png


Screenshot_2018-08-28-11-23-43.png
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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I took a UrBike out for some errands. The one for 100 tokens per hour (tph) was gone so I hopped on a 300 tph bike.

20180828_170153_Rodeo Drive.jpg

My steed.

I had loaded the app with 1000 tokens ($9.99) in addition to the complimentary 100 I got for signing into the app. I unlocked the bike and then struggled with the kickstand for a minute. You have to press a lever for it to operate.

The seat is adjustable with a quick release. I started moving it up until I hit the zero (highest) point. It was still an inch too low, but what the heck. I don't have to pedal hard, right?

I hopped on and the resistance was pretty high for a few feet until the 'e' part kicked in. Once it started to be assisted, riding was a piece of cake. The brakes work well, one brake lever was slightly askew but tight enough that I couldn't push it back where it belonged. It worked but was just a little uncomfortable to keep a finger on it. Pedalling pretty lightly on the flat I achieved 25 Kph (it's metric, you know). Not exactly fast, but as fast as I'd go on my townie single speed which is deliberately geared low to make it up the hill I have to ride to get home.

Speaking of hills... I went down the hill I usually ride home and was able to coast pretty much all the way. I hit 45 Kph simply coasting. The bike was steady and stable. The non-pneumatic tires were solid, both figuratively and literally. They transferred minor bumps to the saddle which did a good job of cushioning my derriere, but my hands did take more of a beating than I'd like. I'm not sure but I think on the worst bumps the 'spokes' actually flexed a little to provide a little more cushion.

The head and tail lights turned on automatically. It was daylight so I couldn't say whether they were up to night riding or not. First stop was the shop to drop off a cable for Chuck but he wasn't in and I hadn't brought my key, so I was off to my next stop, the bank. I parked it outside without locking it. It wasn't clear if I'd end up paying more if I locked and unlocked as I did errands so I just trusted that no one would take it during my brief stops.

Then it was off to the Post Office. Just a solicitation from AARP. Again. Everything was hunky dory and I had 40 minutes left on the clock so I took the long way home. Mostly to spend more time on the beast but also to climb a more moderate hill as I had already done a mt bike ride earlier and didn't feel like more exertion.

Since e-bikes are prohibited on the rec path in Summit County, I stayed to the road. North on CO 9, through the roundabout and up Huron at the 7-Eleven. The climbing speed was about 18 kph. I would make it with plenty of time to spare, so I stopped at a job site to check the state of the CAT6 wiring I was hoping might be nearing completion. It wasn't. Then back to the place I picked the bick up.

I got it on the kickstand and used the app to lock the bike. To my surprise, my 40 minute ride cost 400 tokens, not 200 as I had expected. I'd have been pleased if it was clocked to the hour and only 300 tokens. So much for advertising. I've placed a support request to UrBike to find out why I was charged so much.

All in all it was a pleasant experience. People looked askance at me and one cute lady in a Jeep was clearly laughing. I gave her a polite nod and a smile. I think that as a mode of transport it makes sense. If I could get half an hour of errands done for 50 tokens (1/2 of 100 tph), I'd use it a lot. It is quicker than the bus which takes a minimum of an hour excluding the time for errands. Even at 150 tokens for 1/2 an hour, I'd be likely to use it some.

I'll report back on what I feel is a billing discrepancy. Right now it's :thumb:. If the price becomes what I expect, it'll be :thumb::thumb:

Relive Afternoon Activity <-- click for the exciting video!

And who knew Strava has an e-bike activity option. Just not an e-bike bike option. I chose crossbike.
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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UrBike just responded (less than 3 hours) and refunded my tokens completely. They are looking into what happened. The 'sticker' price should have been the price I paid. It looks like I might be doing a little more e-biking after all.

I'm impressed by the customer support, so far. :thumb::thumb:
 
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