Car free!

[ribbin]

Good evening, Bike Pirates!

Yesterday, I sold my pickup truck. The only vehicles I now own are my bicycle and an old skateboard behind my friend's couch.

Comments

[grandwazooo]

Endura Humvee's - great shorts (about all I wear on the bike) that come in at £45 (about $60 I think) - last years (my first pair are still going after 7, and I slog through proper mud and dirt - not just traffic) and come with a perfectly adequate, and removable, pair of lycra shorts - they also do 3/4length and longs with the same fit as the shorts for a similar price(sans liner). the sizing is on the small size - I take a 36-38waist in jeans, but I need XXL Humvees.

[ribbin]

Woah, this finally got posted! I think this is from September or so! I actually have a car again now, but it doesn't fit bikes:(

Thanks for the info! Those look really good- I'll have to check into them.

[rebeccmeister]

Those Humvees *do* look like some fantastic shorts.

I have had two pairs of the Swrve knickers for about a year now - for the women's models, they call one the "wwr" knickers, the others are the cotton knickers. Both pairs are still going strong. My only complaints with them are that the waistband is way too big, and the "wwr" ones have some pilling. But I bike every day and most of the other pants I've owned recently have completely worn out in the seat after about a year. The Swrves look like they'll last at least another year, so twice as long. They also both look reasonably professional. And Swrve seems like a decent company to support.

[ribbin]

OK, thanks, sounds like a strong word of support for Swrves. Will check into those guys.

[whitegato]

Ive got a friend who love's his swrve but a different model, those dont look very good for wet.

swrve is not in my price range and i got a pair of swobo knickers off a deal site for $25, which i still groused about and is more than i usually pay for a clothing item, but they turned out to be awesome. kinda goofy looking (like all knickers but thats just my opinion) but made of magic material thats way more comfortable and faster drying than dickies (which dry quicker than all my other pants) and so far i suspect longer lasting too.

[ribbin]

I've heard good things about Swobo. How's the fit? I'm a dude with an ass and thighs, which shouldn't be an issue for cycling gear but apparently is sometimes.

[en_ki]

I rode year-round in Boston. What sufficed:

- quick-dry travel slacks of a synthetic material
- long underwear if it's below freezing
- rain pants if it's wet
- if it's below freezing and wet, don't ride (black ice will kill you)

[ribbin]

Yeah, screw that, not riding when it's freezing out! But that doesn't really happen around here, so I think I'm good.

[en_ki]

If you grew up around here instead of somewhere with weather, it might start feeling like "freezing", but yeah, I'm not expecting to need the long underwear this winter. (I'm currently in Santa Clara.)

What I rode to work in today:

- regular underwear
- black lightweight synthetic slacks (no need to change for work if I don't sweat much); somewhere like REI will charge you like $40-60 for similar ones
- bike jersey for core warmth
- T-shirt

[ribbin]

Oh, yeah, I was a kid in San Diego and Fresno- cold as snot, yes, but not freezing in the sense of black ice :)

[opheliaheart]

nice ride!

[ribbin]

Thanks! 2008 Kona Padywagon with SPD clipless pedals, aftermarket bullhorns and Conti Gatorskin kevlar tires. Quick, fast and responsive as all hell.

Damn, now I wanna go ride.

[en_ki]

Have you ridden a few hundred miles on the street with the Gatorskins? I got a Pista and my first-ever set of genuinely skinny slicks when I got out here, and I keep getting punctures from random tiny pieces of glass (Bay Trail to work) or goatheads (Guadalupe trail to SJ). This thing can't accommodate the chunky tires I'm used to, so I'm looking for alternatives.

[ribbin]

Dude, these tires are three years old, completely threadbare, and total bears when it comes punctures. So far, I have:

-Blown one out that wasn't seated correctly.
-Pinched one when my fat ass went all cyclocross.
-pinched one when I was lazy and didn't top off the tires, and
-Punctured one with a tack.

So that's four flats, two and a half caused by stupidity, in three years and probably close to a thousand miles. I love 'em. I scoff at glass, goatheads, street sweeper bristles, bits of wire, etc, etc, etc. Highly recommended. You can get 'em on Amazon for cheaper, I think I aid $60 for the set.