Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bicycle and biking

Impervius!

Salvor Hardin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:33:14 -0800

Underground in a secret lab, the hive mind works feverishly and with a single purpose: to create...the perfect Boston bicyclist! Impermeable to wind, water, ice, slush, and mud, there's nothing Boston can throw at him that he can't handle! We had our first really miserable, blinding drenching ice/slush/rain-pelting-down days in Boston. My SO and I have decided that we're going to make ourselves waterproof.

We'd like suggestions for picking out some waterproof bad-weather bicycling gear. I imagine we'll need:

jacket, pants, shoes, eyewear, headwear, handwear, etc (anything else that you've found helpful?)

to combat the nasty winter weather that Boston can dish out. Specifically I want something that can keep me some close approximation of dry during a 4 mile bicycle commute. Let's say we each have up to $200 to throw at this (hopefully it won't take that much).

I'm a 6'2" male, she's a 5'2" female.

Here are my priorities (in approximately descending order):

1. Keeps me DRY! I'm talking hermetically-sealed/space-worthy.
2. Flexible (i.e. suitable for bicycling-type movements)
3. Stops the wind
4. Simple/fast to remove (I'm usually behind schedule, so speed of operation is desirable)
5. Not too many pieces (I'm terrible about losing accessories)
6. Not too much $$
7. Doesn't accumulate too much sweat

Any ideas are welcome! My SO already has a normal set of rain gear, and she still ends up completely drenched by the end of the ride, so I think we need something a bit extraordinary.

I've seen this question, but brands and products change a lot, and I didn't see the fervent testimonial I was hoping for. My favorite from that was the deep-sea fishing gear, but I'm not sure if it'll be flexible enough for biking, or if it'll interfere with the chain.

Thanks!

Biking in the rain

rabbitrabbit — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:19:51 -0800

Questions about bike gear for the rainy season. I live in the Portland, OR area and I've been biking to work since April. So, I'm about to hit my first rainy season and I would like to arm myself to successfully continue biking at least into the fall and hopefully through winter, too.

SHOES: My main question is about shoes that make biking in the rain not a chore. I have been using toe clips and Converse all-stars this summer, but that will absolutely not work with the rain, so I'm going to need to either get waterproof shoe covers, or buy waterproof shoes. And if I buy waterproof shoes, maybe I ought to just upgrade to clipless pedals and shoes? Also, I think I like the velcro straps so I don't have to deal with laces, but I'm not entirely sure what the pros/cons are there.

JACKET: I have a chartreuse bike jacket that has been good for cooler mornings, and it dries fast so it will be good for early on in the fall, but I am going to eventually need some kind of heavier jacket, I think. But I'm afraid that anything heavier will = more sweat, which I don't want (no shower at work). Is there something warm, waterproof, breathable, AND visible that I can get?

FENDERS: I ride a Specialized Crossroads, so it has the overlap. I kicked out my front fender early on in the summer and haven't yet replaced it because it's been unnecessary so far, but I'm going to need a new front fender or maybe one of those things that attaches to the front tube (not sure what it's called exactly) to deflect water. If I get a new fender, I guess it will need to be super-tough since I don't 100% trust myself not to kick it by accident again. Do those things that attach to the bike instead of the wheel work well, would that be a good option?

What other things do I need to bike in the rain? Waterproof gloves? A helmet liner? Goggles which don't let rain bead up on them? Etc.

I've seen this and I've seen this, and both were helpful though they're a bit old now; is there new stuff out there that is awesome?

Also, any recommendations for a bike shop to buy this stuff at? I've heard River City is good. I would love to be able to try out the clipless pedals before I buy, is there any shop which would let me do that?

Fat guy on a little bike?

bluejayk — Thu, 22 May 2008 01:30:54 -0800

Is this bike sturdy enough for a 280lb man? I am buying a new bike in the next few days. I want something for city/suburban use, 99% of my riding on pavement. I'll be commuting (no more than 5-10 miles) and occasional weekend rides of (I hope) 25-30 miles.

Previously I owned and loved a Trek 7200 hybrid, but I noticed that my arms and hands started to get numb or painful after rides of about 20 miles. So I'm looking at something more 'fitness oriented'.

I tested this Schwinn Le Tour GS yesterday and I loved the feel, very responsive and zippy. I really prefer having drop handlebars so that I can switch hand position.

However, I'm a big guy (280, give or take) and I'm wondering if this kind of bike might be a bit delicate for someone my size. The salesperson didn't seem to be worried about it, but I figure worst case for them is that I have to pay for lots of extra maintenance. My understanding is that the frame will be plenty strong, but the wheels and/or spokes may get bent out of shape and need to be trued more often. Is that likely?

Also, I'm confused about what category this bike would be in: road bike, cyclocross, touring bike, etc. The category itself is not that important to me, but understanding what aspects of a bike make it better or worse for different uses is important to me.

I need bike pants!

Mid — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:52:59 -0800

I'm looking for winter biking pants So I'm new to this whole bike commuting thing. I've been at it since the summer, but now it's getting cold and my usual outfit of shorts and a fleece isn't working. I need some pants. But, I don't want to be that guy who shows up at work with all kinds of crazy bike-racing spandex on. Suggestions? Here are some more particulars:

--Need something warm. I don't ride when it rains (at least not on purpose) so waterproof is not that important.
--Would prefer not something super-spandex style, unless you tell me that tights are much better for some reason.
--I ride home at night, so visibility is a plus
--Would like to order it on line for less than $100.
--I have to ride up an elevator to my job with lots of people in suits, so an old pair of sweats would be less good than something that looks kind of "nice" in a sporty kind of way.

Bicycle Needs Repair, Badly

god particle — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:01:05 -0800

After riding today, a couple things started going wrong with my bike, and I'd like to fix the problems myself, if possible. I ride a somewhat old Trek mountain bike and use it as my main form of transportation. Today I took it on an relatively long ride and started running into some problems.
When I pedal, there is a very loud creaking noise; it can be felt throughout the entire bike. I usually pedal standing up, so I'm thinking this is probably a result of me putting too much pressure on it. However, sometimes the creaking noise comes up even if I am just coasting. Can anyone diagnose exactly what is wrong with it? Could I fix this problem myself, and if so, how?
The second problem is that the back wheel has started to become wobbly. If I lift up the bike, I can shake it back and forth a bit. How do I go about tightening the wheel (or doing whatever needs to be done)?
If possible, please direct me to some online repository of bike repair information so I know where to start in the future.

Planning a California Road Bike Trip

salvia — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 23:55:29 -0800

California or southwest geography buffs -- a great 200 miles of travel, starting within a day's drive of San Francisco? Road bike tourers -- tips on preparing for and planning a bicycle tour? I've never done any sort of touring before, so please excuse the scattershot grouping of questions here. Any kind of feedback or tips you can give me are great.

CHOOSING A ROUTE
I'm taking a week off, so I'll be leaving San Francisco on Day 1 by bus, train, or my own car. I want to get myself somehow out of the Bay Area. From there, I'll road bike for about five days, then get back to San Francisco by Day 7 to return to work the next day. I hear that a good travel estimate is about 40-50 miles a day? So, I'm trying to find around 200 miles of nice travel. Any suggestions you have on a route would be great.

My best idea for the route so far is this, down the eastern side of the Sierras -- start in the South Lake Tahoe area, head south on 395 to Mono Lake, past Lee Vining (just east of Yosemite), to Mammoth, to Bishop, to Lone Pine, then spend a day tooling around Death Valley -- July's the best time to visit, right? ;) What do you think about that? Too far to go in 5 days? Stop earlier and take side trips (like what)?

A better stretch of road? I really like being in sagebrush country, and the open views you get in the desert at night, so I wouldn't want to be nestled in the woods the whole time. (My total dream ride would from Moab to Taos via Shiprock. But I can't pull that off in 7 days -- the nearest airports are in Salt Lake and Albuquerque.) I thought about something in the Mojave, if there were anything high altitude enough to be tolerable (??), or something headed north on the eastern side of the Sierras... but I don't know much about those areas. I don't mind heat, but obviously, there's a certain limit where everything is too baked and glaring to even be tolerable. I'm not really interested in the coast, the Bay Area oak woodlands, the Central Valley, or the Trinity Alps / Mt. Shasta area.

Good sources for non-highway road routes? How have you planned your camping locations for bike trips? The best I've found so far are these journals.

PULLING THIS OFF.....
Route aside, I'm trying to pull together a touring setup and the gear I'll need super quickly. I have a road bike without those eyelets for pannier racks, so I'm choosing between alternative rack setups or a bike trailer. The trailer seems dorky and unwieldy, but the bike store clerk thought they were great.

I'm planning to go as light as I can while still camping out -- no cooking gear (almonds, dried fruit, whatever I find at markets); a sleeping bag, ground pad, and tarp in case of rain; basic clothes; and basic bike repair stuff. I've done a lot of camping, but no bike touring. Any especially helpful bike gear I might otherwise forget?

I don't know much about bike repair and am going alone, so I'm going to learn what I can between now and then, and otherwise stick to roads where I could probably hitch a ride to the next town in the back of a pickup if something else breaks. My bias is that things aren't as hard as they seem -- I completely over-prepared the first time I went camping, so I'm thinking I could pull this off. But I would like to hear cautions or tips on how to keep myself out of hot water.

I've been told that before I go I should practice fixing flats and that the number two priority is to learn to adjust brake and derailleur cables. Anything else? In the way of repair, do you think I need to bring anything besides a patch kit, a few spare tubes, tire levers, and hex wrenches?

Any other thoughts?

How can my bike survive NYC?

hooray — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 08:10:09 -0800

How do I make my bike less attractive to thieves? (Plus, other NYC biking questions.) Someone just gave me a great bike. It's shiny, red, has front suspension and is very eye-catching. The problem is, I live in New York.

I've been keeping it in my apartment, but eventually I'm going to want to lock it outside. I got skewer locks for the wheels (this kind), but they still make me nervous. Has anyone had these locks, and do you think they are worth it? I also have to buy a bike chain lock, though I'm tempted to get thisKryptonite New York U-Lock instead. Is this a bad idea?

I also want to disguise the decals all over the tube, but what's the best way to go about this? Stickers? Paint? Tape? Something else?

Lastly, I'd appreciate any tips on how to brave the car traffic here. All the drivers here freak me out.

Mapping Better Bike Routes

benjh — Sat, 01 May 2004 19:47:09 -0800

I'd like to bicycle more, and would love to commute to work on bike. However, the most direct route to work is up a 35-40 MPH road. Are there any software packages for mapping that allow me to make routes that exclude certain roads, so I can exclude the heavily traffic routes.

advice for a budding bike commuter

dicaxpuella — Tue, 13 Apr 2004 16:43:31 -0800

Need advice on bike commuting (more inside)... I finally live somewhere where its feasible to commute by bike (relatively short distance, good roads). I have a good bike, but I'm sort of clueless what's important for a safe, fun commute. What's the important equipment/gear to have? Any special considerations for traffic, or biking home at night (I often work late)?