sore-ass ass

[chieur]

this faggot has a sore-ass ass.

and you know it ain't from *that*.

no, mommy and daddy gave me a brand new bike for my birthday. and by "gave," i mean, are gonna write me a check to help me pay the credit card bill

Comments

[redbeard]

Make sure your bike has a rear fender. If you don't, you will learn why the first time it rains. At UCD, we called it 'freshman stripe'.

[chieur]

thanks. that's like third on my purchase list. (1) pump; (2) new bike shorts (ow ow ow); (3) rear fender. i need to take it back to the shop, anyway; the derailleurs are already out of alighnment (new cables stretch, and the front ones were slightly iffy to begin with). i'll check out how much a cheap plastic one costs & have them install it.

pump and new bike shorts are on the way from the internets.

somebody once defined a boat as "a hole in the water into which one pours money." i feel approximately the same with the bike.

and the tithe doesn't help. (chicago's sales tax is the highest in the country at a whopping 10.25%.)

[fibonacci]

hehehe.

there's a lot of stuff i say i'll do with my bike (including trading it in for a nice one) & don't.

crucial,however:

lights ,like they say. brighter than you think you'll need(don't get the cheapest ones).

touring tires better than road, so i hear. (i still have big knobby tires)(but the road bicyclists are always by the side of the road changing their little tires and this is relatively rural ground up where i live. i don't have time for that shit.)

at least some system by which you're not wearing pants that will get caught in the chain. (rolling up pantlegs works. capris works if you're me : ) .)

good lock like eric said.
i assume this goes without saying ,but: HELMET

oh! gloves without complete fingers. they don't have to be special pricey biking gloves. but fingertips are good for gripping.and no gloves = numbness in cold mornings.

and... a waterproof cover for your bag. that lives in your bag. can't tell you how many times that's saved my laptop/ papers/white coat : )

[froggoddess]

Panniers for carrying stuff. Also, I've heard that you want to put sturdier tires on your bike, even on a lightweight roadbike. Apparently, cities are full of nails and broken glass that make short work of skinny tires. Otherwise, I have no idea! Once I get around to getting a bike, I will be asking you questions. Also: ask Taod. She has been commuting by bike for a few months now. :)

[chieur]

yeah, i don't know about the panniers. maybe someday. for now, i have enough capital sunk into a variety of pretentious courier bags that i can't really countenance more money on carrying devices.

sturdier tires and/or kevlar strips are indeed in my future. but those'll have to wait. they are sadly a nontrivial cost. see above on money-sink.

here's hoping that the lakefront trail is cleaner and less prone to puncture-detritus than your average city street...

[emblemparade]

Stay on the lake path and avoid roads. Chicago drivers kill bikers for fun.

[imminently]

OK, well, I'm glad you've got bike shorts on the list. Mim and I bike commuted when we lived in NYC (she did 10 miles each way, I did 6) and the one thing that made my life better was decent bike shorts with padding. Also, get lights. Even if you're riding at dusk, they make it much easier for cars and other cyclists to see you. Some folks also recomend a reflector vest, but I never got around to that

[martini_corona]

Also, get a seat lock. Friends of mine have had their seat stolen while parked in front of my house.

Most people don't bother locking the back wheel as long as they lock the front wheel and frame -- but I once had my whole back wheel (and gear system) stolen when my bike was parked in my back yard in Providence. Boo to that. So I'm totally paranoid now.

[chieur]

I have locking skewers; my wheels are *already* locked to my bike. The thing I keep hearing is that nobody's going to steal your seat if you don't have a quick-release seat (which I don't). The seat locks I've seen (eg the seat lock I bought with my old bike) look like they can be cut with a pair of good kitchen scissors; who knows.

Of course, the most sound advice I've read is that you'll never have foolproof locks; you just need to make your bike more annoying to steal than the one next to it. (All other things being equal.)

[martini_corona]

Right -- I have the quick-release seat with the good-set-of-scissors lock, so I'm hoping you're right about the annoyance factor. :)