Exercise R Us

Question:

… > : Your precautions sound good, but I question your choice of bicycle…the Trek 930 is a > : mountain bike, but there are no mountains in Florida. > Hmm, obviously someone that hasn’t been to central Florida and climbed Mount Dora.

I have to admit I used to think the same thing about mountain bikes in FL, when I lived there before.  The MTB’s take a lot of abuse, do well in sand, do well in mud, jump curbs well and seem to suffer less flats due to sand burrs.   The road bikes are very quick but the MTB’s will last and work best. Grenadyr

Response:

>… > : Your precautions sound good, but I question your choice of bicycle…the Trek 930 is a > : mountain bike, but there are no mountains in Florida. > Hmm, obviously someone that hasn’t been to central Florida and climbed Mount Dora. >I have to admit I used to think the same thing about mountain bikes in FL,

when I lived there before.  The MTB’s take >a lot of abuse, do well in sand, do well in mud, jump curbs well and seem to

suffer less flats due to sand burrs.   >The road bikes are very quick but the MTB’s will last and work best. >Grenadyr

You haven’t learned to appreciate the wide tires on a mountain bike until you’ve done an endo into sandspurs because someone has forced your ultra-thin tired road bike off the road and into the soft sand next to it.  Hitting a drift of sand on the road with that kind of tire is no joke either. I rode a road bike in Western PA for years and rarely used my lower gears.  Here, climbing a sandy trail, I’ve dropped into lower gears than I ever used in PA.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > : > > : > I getting a new TREK 930 soon and will be moving to Daytona Beach, where I hear > : > crime is something to watch out for.  Anyway I’m trying to get my bike set up so I > : > can commute to school and work and not have to worry about the bike or any of the > : > parts being missing.  I’m already planning on getting a U-Lock and a cable to go > : > with it, and I’m going to replace the quick release on the seatpost with a bolt. > : > Is there anything else I should be doing?   > : Your precautions sound good, but I question your choice of

bicycle…the Trek 930 is a > : mountain bike, but there are no mountains in Florida. > Hmm, obviously someone that hasn’t been to central Florida and climbed

Mount > Dora. I got quite a kick out of the Mt. Dora ride…. I was expecting something like K2 by the time all the hype was done.  I was warned continually that I’d never make it up with a 42×19.  It’s a nice steep hill, but not much more than that…. I’ve done centuries with dozens of similar hills. Still, one speed does not fit all.  If you’re going to commute on a bike, it makes sense to put a few bucks into making it a more enjoyable experience, IMHO… hills or no.  Multiple speeds will help you do that, and give you the option of spinning or mashing, depending on your mood. Mark (multi-speed) Hickey Habanero Cycles

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>Your precautions sound good, but I question your choice of bicycle…the Trek 930 is a >mountain bike, but there are no mountains in Florida.  You would probably be better off with >a good-quality one-speed bike, given the terrain.  Florida roads tend to be well paved, and >are not subject to the freezing/thawing cycles that create potholes, so a bike with such >slow, heavy wheels would really be a slug, for no good reason. >Sheldon "21 Speeds On In Florida? I Don’t Think So!" Brown

Sheldon, I will disagree because …. It can be windy in Florida, especially during the Spring, Winter and Fall and with summer storms. I rode in a strong wind today and it was as bad as any hill I did. A single speed these days is a beach cruiser and guess what, the tires are just as fat as an MTB so your fat tires are slower argument is moot. Furthermore, in case you haven’t noticed, beach cruisers these days are expensive …. not to mention highly desirable (read steal bait) in Florida! There is great mountain biking in nearby Gainesville …. though no mountains, there are hills steep enough that I guarantee you would cry for a 21 spd! I recomment that he get a low priced $500 bucks or so MTB and put some Fat Boys on it for an Urban assault weapon. Save the Knobs for the beach or a trip to Gainesville. Give the inside of the frame the Linseed oil treatment if it happens to be steel. Have fun! Wes

Response:

> I getting a new TREK 930 soon and will be moving to Daytona Beach, where I hear > crime is something to watch out for.  Anyway I’m trying to get my bike set up so I > can commute to school and work and not have to worry about the bike or any of the > parts being missing.  I’m already planning on getting a U-Lock and a cable to go > with it, and I’m going to replace the quick release on the seatpost with a bolt. > Is there anything else I should be doing?  

Your precautions sound good, but I question your choice of bicycle…the Trek 930 is a mountain bike, but there are no mountains in Florida.  You would probably be better off with a good-quality one-speed bike, given the terrain.  Florida roads tend to be well paved, and are not subject to the freezing/thawing cycles that create potholes, so a bike with such slow, heavy wheels would really be a slug, for no good reason. Sheldon "21 Speeds On In Florida? I Don’t Think So!" Brown Newtonville, Massachusetts |   And the end of all our exploring         | |   Will be to arrive where we started       | |   And know the place for the first time.   | |            –T.S. Elliot, Four Quartets    | http://www.sheldonbrown.com/biz/hub/ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts (617) 244-1040  FAX  244-1041

Response:

I getting a new TREK 930 soon and will be moving to Daytona Beach, where I hear crime is something to watch out for.  Anyway I’m trying to get my bike set up so I can commute to school and work and not have to worry about the bike or any of the parts being missing.  I’m already planning on getting a U-Lock and a cable to go with it, and I’m going to replace the quick release on the seatpost with a bolt.   Is there anything else I should be doing?  Any comments on securing my bike or opinions on Daytona would be greatly appreciated…

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