My New Toy

While in a Circuits forum thread I mentioned that I was distracted by a new toy I just bought. Stew1954 wanted to know what it is. So......

When at my last checkup with my GP he informed me that I gained 25 pounds since I retired a year ago. I was overweight when I was still working, so I needed to reverse this trend. I have a nice USA made Huffy mountain bike but over the years it seems to have stayed fairly young while I aged. The only thing on my mind, while riding it, was getting the hell off of it.

So the wife and I went bike shopping. I told the young man at the bike shop that I didn't like the look, handlebars, frame or rider's height off the ground of any of the cruiser or touring bikes I've seen tooling around town. I told him I wanted a posture that mimics motorcycle (not Crotch Rocket) posture; like a Harley Sportster. He says that knows what I want and brings us to the cruiser section of the store. As I approach it he didn't have to point out what he was going to show us. She stood out like a diamond in a pile of coal. It was love at first sight and I rode it around the parking lot until the young man got concerned that I wasn't bringing it back!

This is a bike seemingly designed for seniors but I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't love riding this. This is a 7 speed, forward pedal (Trek Pure LowStep) unisex bike, designed to put your feet flat on the ground when you stop. It also keeps me comfortably vertical while peddling. The crankshaft on the Pure is positioned about six inches forward of the seat post line.

Check out that seat and the motorcycle..esc handlebars!! It's so comfortable that I can damn near nod off while riding it. The entire bike is made from aluminum alloy except for bearing assemblies and such.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/town/recreation/pure/pure_lowstep/#

We're giving our mountain bikes to charity.


Chris

 

Yes guys, I'm fortunate to have great biking weather, flat terrain and sidewalks just about everywhere. My bride and I ride mostly on sidewalks but intersections can be deadly. In fact I've come to the conclusion that it's safer to cross a divided roadway anywhere but the intersections! Whether we attempt to walk the or ride the bikes across an intersection equipped with walk buttons, painted walk paths and those dopey walk lights that Steve Austin couldn't out run, the cars try to run us down like it's a sport!

We've also learned that even when riding on the sidewalk it's imperative to be on the side street that has us moving with traffic. This is because drivers exiting a shopping center never look in the opposite direction of on coming traffic. Roadway bike lanes are a joke too. With idiot motorists texting and constantly drifting into the bike lane you'd have to have a death wish.

Chris

 

Do yourself a big favor. Don't buy any bike until you've mounted a Trek Pure. I've had this beauty for only 12 days and have logged 80 miles on it! The geometry and ergonomics of the Pure are unique. Riding a bike should be fun and she is one fun party girl!

This is the first bike I've owned, since I was a child, that I would consider viable transportation. I love the fact that my upright posture allows me to see God's world instead of the front wheel like on my mountain bike.

Before I ordered the LowStep the salesman put me on the male specific Trek Pure.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/town/recreation/pure/pure#

This is a 16" version with the crotch bar. It has the same forward pedal design as the LowStep but 2 extra inches of seat post frame length. I never did understand why we have the testicles that require a bar to threaten them! Besides the testicular issue I chose the LowStep because of my age and my Bontrager rear bike rack. It's virtually new so I removed it form the mountain bike and installed it on the Trek. This black rack holds a detachable black aluminum basket that when full with groceries can become a hazard when mounting and dismounting a male specific bike. You have to have the agility of a gymnast for your leg to clear the basket. Problem is you forget it's there,... because it usually isn't. More than once I came close to going down when dismounting the mountain bike when I forgot the basket was attached. The Pure LowStep cures that problem.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/town/recreation/pure/pure_lowstep#

I've been outfitting our bikes with lights and bells but there are all kinds of stuff out there. This is too cheap for me to even consider but it has brake, turn signal, horn, siren and other features. There's a youtube video but I lost the link.

http://www.amazon.com/Westlake-Bike...354992781&sr=8-9&keywords=bicycle+brake+light


"Happy trails to you"... Roy Rogers

Chris

 

Yes, road water streaks up one's front and back are certainly an issue. I almost bought fenders for my wife's Pure yesterday but without actually seeing them installed on this bike I was reluctant to commit. The Pure has beautiful lines and I don't want to corrupt them with something that looks pimped. So, until I see a Pure with fenders I'll probably wait.

My wife is very forgiving and understanding about male proclivities. She will probably forgive me if I occasionally chase a rare species of Double Breasted Mattress Thrasher.

Chris

 

CC, the other day the wife and I rode over to our bank's drive through window. The talking head on the monitor told her she has to come inside the bank. When my wife inquired how the bank handles motorcycles the talking head said they're different! What the hell is that?! While inside the talking head explained that it's a liability issue.

Chris

 

Today I was searching for available light mounts that would accept those small aluminum LED flashlights (torch) that Harbor Freight and others sell. Well, I found quite a few handlebar mounts but none that will swivel laterally.

While searching I found something else that's disturbing. That would be handlebar iphone mounts! Yeah, that's what's needed. Texting while cycling! I think that rehab centers should have programs to dry these people out. If they can't give it up while biking they have a serious problem!

Chris

 

I can't imagine why I forgot to mention this yesterday but here's one of many iphone incidents that I've encountered. My wife and I were riding on the sidewalk, single file. I'm the lead bike and I see two kids riding abreast heading toward us. One is on a BMX and the other is on a skate board. I started hugging the curb side of the sidewalk thinking the kid on the skateboard will acknowledge me and slip behind his buddy to my left. As the distance between us began to close I could see that the skateboarder was looking down. I thought his friend on the bike would alert him, but apparently not. Of course, there's always the possibility that they both saw us and thought it would be fun to see the old farts spill off the curb. At the last moment before collision the skateboarder looked up from his iphone and avoided impact.

I think what bugs me the most about this high tech age is this.. This technology has put a world of knowledge in the palm of your hands. Science, history, grammar, math, geography, you name it, it's there. Has it made the average citizen smarter? Hell no! They're dumb as a box of rocks! My guess is that most of these folks download an app called 'Flush It' that screens and dumps any data that's deemed educational, instructive or informational.

The saddest result of technology to the masses is that it seems to have created an Idiocracy. It's a generation of idiots that consider all who came before them as Neanderthals. They seem to be under the impression that knowing how to use technology, that someone else created, somehow transcends them as well.

This is why EP and other tech forums are a cranial oasis in a sea of rectal orifices.

Chris

 

CC, thanks for the input and the links. Wow, the stage lighting clamp pricing is in the ozone! Doubtful that they're Chicom imports unless someone is really inflating the cost. I thought it odd that items priced this high would have such a minimal description. "Black Anodized" isn't much of a description. Black Anodized is usually followed by Aluminum but there are many grades of aluminum. I would think prices like these would deserve a description to match.

The Dawn Patrol headlight is cheap enough but I can't use any lights that don't swivel. There's a price to be paid for the wonderful motorcycle style handlebars on the Trek Pure. The problem is compounded by my wife's handlebar mounted hickory basket. I need a bit of elevation and swivel capability to point it forward, down and for the beam to clear the basket. We already have a water resistant headlight/flasher that works OK but not with her basket.

Chris