A Topic of Bike Interest??

The other day I was in NJ. fueling my truck and another Driver came up and noticed my bike on the back of my truck and asked if I rode.  I told him I had just started and was really trying to get into it.  He told me he raced and he had a suggestion, he noticed when I stored my bike it was on the largest gear, he told me to always store the bike in the smallest  gear that would help save the dérailleur spring from stretching and getting weak.  Never knew that, its probably common knowledge among you old hands.  My favor, question, topic? Take your pick, you old pro' like Chad, Boner and others I can't think of right now, it would be helpful to me and I'm sure other newbies on little daily bike tips. Like Boner did with his daily exercise info. I know Boner took a sabbatical of sorts but we have such a collective group of knowledge anything would help.  I'll start with the first stupid question why don't street bikes have kick stands I hate leaning my bike afraid of scratching it up.  Well let's see where this takes us.  C'ya Bob

Hi Bob.  I am a true beginner when it comes to biking.  I live a block away form a state park that is known for being mountain bike friendly , has tons of trails, and plan to start riding once I get up enough nerve to cross the street. I had read somewhere that the reason there are no kickstands are to reduce weight.  I guess every bit helps when you ride competitively. Great post! Tom

 

I don't know how it's done, but my brother said there is a way to use your pedal as a kickstand.  You may want to ask about it at your local bike shop.  If you do get the chance to cycle in NJ, I suggest that you try any section of the tow path along the Delaware & Raritan Canal.  You can follow it from Princeton North to S Bound Brook and then South to New Brunswick (or the other way).  If you look at MapQuest, you can see many bridges where you can start or stop.  There is also a feeder canal along Rt 29 in Hunterdon and Mercer counties.  There is a State Park along the whole length of both of them which is 65 miles long.  Another good place to ride in NJ is in the Pine Barrens.  The Shore area is also good but it's crowded in the Summer.

Thanks for the info I'm in NJ a lot sometimes over a weekend so I'll be checking them out. I'l be in Hainesport, NJ tonight. C'ya Bob

Bob (and everyone)  ..  please be very careful when riding bikes on city streets, if you do ..   Our own Eric on the Texas Message Board almost got hit the other day by a motorist while driving around one of the lakes here ..   And this a.m. I heard on the news a driver plowed into two bicyclists in Arlington (Dallas' largest burb), killing them both.   Don't forget also that drunk driver plowing into that group of racing bicyclists in Mexico, that was posted about earlier.      It's getting dangerous out there.    &:-/)

Paul thanks for the reminder being new I'm very cautious but you can't predict what the other guys going to do. I see some crazy stuff out here on the road. C'ya Bob

As far as positioning the derailleur, it won't matter. Sure, the smallest gear is the most relaxed position on the spring, but any of them are within the normal flex range, so you're not going to into any serious metal fatigue. You're going to snap a lot of shifting cables before you ever get close to wearing out a derailleur spring, so says this engineer and rider. Keep the cables lubed. I've put some serious miles on several bikes over the years, and the 2 most common items to wear out-break are shift cables and spokes. When I've had to change derailleurs, it's been because I've bashed them on something and wrecked them, not worn them out..  My present bike I got before surgery, and I had the back wheel relaced with tandem spokes. Haven't broken one since, but then I'm also 100 lbs lighter, too. Oh, and you'll find squash-happy idiots out in the middle of the sticks. In town, there's just more of them. Be careful no matter where you ride.