Comments on: “To Do” List

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 14:32:03 +0000

Mate stairs are easy. Think of it like this. If you are going moderately fast the wheels only touch the edges of the stairs and it’s just like riding down something flat.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 03:11:12 +0000

whoo hoo. almost 1 week into this. not eating stupid quantities of food : easy. making time to exercise: less easy. I wish I could do that crazy trackstand, but it’s hard. I’ve tried a unicycle. Really fun. Good luck with that.

By: none

none — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 20:13:17 +0000

So, I found into your Space following the featured Space for the week on MSN. (As if nobody already told you that, but it’s honestly true)I have to tell you that I really liked your caustic sense of humor and the tone of your writings. I’m still wondering if your friend who is selling the super-duper bicycle got some kind of response on his e-mails. I like your attitude and your everlasting love on bikes (I’m really a lazy one…I love bikes, but I haven’t ridded on one for years).Well, take good care, and keep ridingBye!

By: Zed

Zed — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:57:09 +0000

The downstairs one is pretty simple. Good luck on the rest.You just hang your bum behind your seat while descending, and make certain to use a set of rims you just don’t care about.I was taught this by a scrawny girl. That makes it so much more embarrassing.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:47:50 +0000

I learned to ride a unicycle in 1974, when I was 14. It was an interesting experience. I learned to do a trackstand on a road bike in 1977. The two have little or nothing in common, but the trackstand is a useful thing. I do it at red lights all the time. Not only are you poised for a quick start when the light turns green, but you don’t wear out your cleats, and you are also providing acrobatic entertainment to the cars, so maybe they’ll be less prone to run you over after you’ve entertained them. For learning, I recommend using the road bike. The lighter the bike is, the easier it is to do. Find a slight uphill and point the front wheel up it. Roads usually slope up to the left, so turn the wheel that way. Of course, I only learned to do this on roads with a left camber, so I can’t do it on a track, where the slope is the opposite way.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:04:38 +0000

I haven’t done it yet, but every cyclist must think about doing a transcontinental ride, right? I didn’t do it when I was young and untethered but hopefully someday. I’d probably consider going east-west because I’d be unmotivated after crossing the Rockies and would probably turn around and head back.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:10:41 +0000

for dan’s comment, on terminology used where one puts his/her bike up on the front wheel while maintaining forward momentum- here is something i have learned over the years across different sports and living in both NY and CA (dan, i’m not saying you’re wrong, i’m just saying i’ve heard things used differently depending on where i lived and what sport we were talking about):• "nose wheelie": suitable for MTB, sport motorcycles, skateboards. skaters also call it a "front manual" or "nose manual", or just "manual". it seems to be a west coast thing, too.• "endo": i have mostly heard this on the east coast by sport motorcycle riders and in freestyle bmx.• "stoppie": i have heard this on the west coast by sport motorcycle riders and MTBers.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 14:57:34 +0000

i qualify this by stating i started on a mountain bike, and branched out to bmx, road biking, dirt jumping, and urban/trials. i have been reading your column since the TDF.here’s my 2 cents:• Trackstand: indespensible. find a very slight incline, point the front wheel uphill. it’s the best way to learn. i’d try it on the MTB first. i always feel less bad when eating it on my MTB vs. my roadie… even if it’s just falling over sideways. strike that.. i haven’t dropped my roadie yet.• Nose wheelie: i know you ride rim brakes, but consider disc brakes. you can still do them with linear-pull style brakes, but it’s way safer with discs. plus a disc brake will allow you to ride the nose wheelie further, rather than an short one with an abrupt stop at the end. good luck.• Ride a unicycle: this WILL help the trackstand to a certain degree. plus it helps with core strength if you take it off road. your abs and back will be singing the first few times you do longer rides on one. learning is way easier than most people think, as well. • Ride a BMX course: rent a 20-inch bmx bike to try this. don’t use your MTB, even though most tracks allow it. the aggressive sprinter-type single speed bmx bikes are a blast. your wheelie skills improve instantly, as you are forced to manual (wheelie without pedaling) through dips.• Do a wheelie drop: learn this. how have you ridden so much technical terrain and not died yet as a result?• Ride a wheelie: the easiest learning tool is the 26" hardtail dirtjumper MTB that has gotten popular lately. if you know anyone with one, try on that first. i suggest the giant STP2 or STP1, or the specialized P series. the geometry is perfect, and with practice, wheelies can be done further and steadier. then try on your MTB after you gain some confidence.• Ride down a flight of stairs: easier than walking down stairs. to start, lower your seat and just go. check out a local college at night. i have found that colleges have long, wide steps that are less steep (and often only 5 or 6 steps long). this allows for a slower/smoother ride down to boost confidence. keep away from the front brake initially.• Develop a smooth pedaling cadence: let me know what you come up with. my excuse is that bmx and dirt jumping has ruined my road/x-c pedaling cadence. in reality, i justhave horrible technique. i have to think "circlescirclescirclescirclescirclescirclescircles" while pedaling to get anything resembling good form.good luck!

By: Unknown

Unknown — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 05:31:39 +0000

Kiddo, I can ride a unicycle, so get that off your list pronto. Piece of cake, your kids will love it, and so will you. BUT… to stay upright on a unicycle, one pedals backwards and forwards and I’m last on the list as a cycling expert, but I think that might not be how trackstands are done. Oh, yes, and then there’s the part about waving the arms wildly about, twisting the body, etc. Again, possibly not trackstand behaviors.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 03:57:04 +0000

Ahem… ignore that empty posting. Did you know that "enter" equals "post, even if your comments are empty?"At any rate, I’m going to do the Round & Round 24 Hour Race as a solo in Spokane next year. It’s a great course to solo; not terrifically technical, fairly low-key, and a good-sized crowd. I did it more or less "truly" solo last year (I was sharing a campsite with two of my friends who were also soloing, and a 5-person team, so I had some ad-hoc support, but nothing official) If you feel like doing two solo 24 hour races next year, it’d be fun to have some ’softie company.