2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

I'm still holding up the top end of that list. No wonder none of my "old friends" want to ride with me.

George W. Bush

I'm an American so…

"New" Coke

The Edsel automobile

The Schwinn "Klunker 5" bicycle, modeled poorly after the first California off-road hybrids. Followed closely by the first Schwinn MTB attempt, the "King Sting."

Speaking of which, the "hybrid" bicycle.

Like some of the others here I wear lycra bibs under my off-the shelf cargo shorts. Lycra for the comfort, canvas outer for a tough hide and lots of pockets.

I keep the shorts up with braces because I don't like the crotch catching on the nose of the saddle. I wear a regular bike jersey over all that because it's comfortable and it's what I've been wearing for bike rides since before I rode the dirt. I keep a handy kit of ride essentials that fits neatly in my jersey pockets.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

My life is blissfully free of any accusations of being a poser. It's probably the 30-year old jersey, the ragged sweatpants over my lycra shorts, and the general absence of cycling fashion awareness.

Whoever wrote that is more of a poser than the people he describes. Jealous much?

So many rules.

High five

I'm the mirror image of sailor74. I have one of each, the GD with remote on my old bike and the no-remote Crank Brothers on the new one.

The trigger on the bars is great, and you use the function more often than when you have to reach under your saddle (WITH YOUR FRONT BRAKE HAND).

I like the fact that I can set the Crank Brothers anywhere, but in practice it is either top or bottom of the travel. The Crank Brothers started to sink at the top of the travel, and I had to send it back to be rebuilt. Using a solid SP for a couple of weeks was torture.

The cable routing on the GD for the remote is STUPID.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

Thanks for the compliments. I'm still holding down the top of the age spectrum on this thread at 63, 64 in about a week. At one time in my life I would have said that was old, but I can still get to the top of everything around my regular riding grounds, and and I can still drop a fair number on the other side.

Forty years ago, I never would have guessed that, and I could never have imagined what incredible equipment I would get to do it on. I have always said that I would die in perfect health, wrapped around a tree.

I'm probably one of the oldest on the board, 64 in two weeks. These days I move pianos, but I used to work in the bike industry.

US currency is made with silk, and it it tougher than any other form of paper. I have seen (small denomination) currency used to shore up a rip in a sidewall.

I was riding near Crested Butte in 1981 when a friend had the alan-key end bolt come out of his front hub. Not much material around to work with, a few stunted evergreens, but lying near the road was the broken end of a shovel handle, a tough piece of wood if there ever was one.

Using his Swiss Army knife, my friend whittled the end to the same size as the missing screw, and used the rest of the handle for leverage to thread it in. Then using the saw blade on his knife he cut it off cleanly, and we got back to town. Later he mounted the makeshift piece on a plaque for his wall.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

I'll be 64 in a couple of weeks, and there are still a lot of younger people I can drop on the climb as well as on the descent. I have some sweet bikes and a great place to ride them. That seems like a good reason to be happy.

Of course, the percentage of riders who pass ME seems to be growing. When it reaches 100%, I guess I'll hang 'em up.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

Since I took up cycling in 1970, too many to count. My Colnago road bike, which replaced my Peugeot PX-10, lasted from '71 to 2003, replaced by a Lemond when the frame finally broke.

Since I took up off-road around 1974, I have had two Breezers, four or five Ritcheys and I still own a couple, and have added a couple of newer FS bikes.

I don't remember how many other shattered hulks I left in my wake, but it's quite a few. I hold the distinction of having broken at least one of every part that can be found on a bike, as well as a dozen frames of varying quality. I'm a big guy, I've been riding for 40 years, and I don't hold back. Stuff happens and then you get new stuff.

Manson doesn't really qualify, because he didn't get his own hands dirty and because the body count was less than a dozen.

Jeffrey Dahmer gets my vote.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

As an American and a big fan of Darwin, I apologize for the fools who have exported our worst cultural aspects to the Mother Country.

I have read "On the Origin of Species" several times. There are reasons why this is one of the greatest science books ever written, one being that Charles Darwin used logic and observation that we are all capable of to make his case.

Later discoveries showed that Darwin was off the mark in a few places, but in general had shot the centre out of the "ten ring." He made a bold prediction that took 90 years to be proven, but it shows why he laid the cornerstone of modern biology. He said that if his theory was correct, there had to be a physical embodiment of heredity, an actual substance that passed it along. 90 years later, Crick and Watson identified the chemical DNA which confers heredity.

In order to confront Darwin, creationists must isolate short passages without context, but the argument for his theory is continuous and must be read from first to last in order to be complete.

This is the ride I took yesterday. Two of the best downhills in our area on the same ride. But of course you also have to climb them.

I'm going to bump this back up with a course profile of our big ride. The nearly vertical line on the right is where the first mountain bike races took place, starting in 1976 before the sport even had a name, the famous "Repack" downhill racecourse.

These are some gnarly downhills, two of the best in our area on the same ride.

Joe Kid on a Stingray

Not sure about RV parking, since I live here and don't have to do that. There are several state parks and private RV campgrounds in the area.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

Repack Rider – I am going to be going your way on day 1/2 of the trip….we were planning to go to China State Park, but if you have something better to show us in your area, a detour ain't going to matter!!

China Camp is totally tame. (BTW, used as a shooting location for a John Wayne film, "Blood Alley," 1955.)

I live about five miles from China Camp, and I would take you to Tamarancho. Go on YouTube and do a search for "tamarancho." Seems like everyone who rides there puts up a vid. Nine miles of gnarly singletrack, members only and I am a member. And when you are done, you can retire to the Iron Springs brewery to sample GOOD American beer!

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2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

Toured in Canada's NorthWest Territories, where the nearest other people were days away.

Story and photos on my website.

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2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

There is lots of good stuff all over California, but of course everyone is partial to their local trails.

If you get anywhere near Marin County, let me know and I'll show you my favorites.

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I was the chief roadie for a SF rock band from 1968 to 2007, the Sons of Champlin.

The first show I ever worked on was in June, 1968 in Los Angeles, and Canned Heat was the headliner over Sly and the Family Stone and The Sons. They played very loud.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

In 1979, my best friend and I rented a garage and started building and selling custom bikes assembled on frames that another guy we knew built in his own garage.

My friend's name is Gary Fisher and we called our business "MountainBikes." The guy building the frames was Tom Ritchey.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

I moved Andre Agassi's piano. He and Steffi Graf were home at the time, and Andre was very interested in how two guys could move something so heavy. He was very friendly. Meanwhile, Steffi was scrubbing the floor tiles near the front door of the $22 million house.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

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2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

All my MTB injuries are ordinary. Worst was a broken bone in my hand, or possibly lying unconscious on a dirt track for ten minutes before recovering my wits and finishing the night MTB ride to the local pub.

The road hurts more.

I rode my road bike to the top of the mountain on a beautiful spring day. It was so warm that I took off my jersey and tied it under the saddle with my spare tubular. I started coasting down the mountain, faster and faster. I was doing 40-45 kph, and then…

The sleeve of my jersey caught between the brake and the rim and stopped my rear wheel without warning. In effect, the bike was jerked right out from under me.

I went OTB and skidded on my bare chest down the road surface, honing off a major chunk. I was 30 km from home, I was alone, and now my bike was damaged also. It took a while, but I made it home in pain and thought I could tough it out, but later had to report to the hospital for bandages and pain meds.

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I haven't read any of the recced books, but I have built a lot of wheels. One tip that may not be in the book is that if you use alloy nipples, grease the spoke threads first.

The first set of wheels I ever built got me less than five miles. Build 'em, ride 'em, and see how well you did.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

The bad news: the rules are you have to stay on the singletrack.

The good news: there's a lot of it and I can ride to it from my house.

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Another vote for The Hitcher because there is nothing supernatural about it that requires suspension of disbelief.

Also, Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

True story: I pulled my own wisdom tooth when I was 24 years old.

My friends have been citing that as an example of how tough I am ever since.

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2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

The first time it doesn't work the second time is not nearly as bad as the second time it doesn't work the first time.

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Orwell was a f#@king optimist.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

My Gary Fisher HiFi in its natural setting.

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Orwell was a f#@king optimist.

How could anyone leave out American race car driver Dick Trickle?

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

Tomac

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Orwell was a f#@king optimist.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

Very wet, but incredible trails. In the boggy areas they put down plank paths with chicken wire for traction to keep the trail from being churned, and in the higher ground the trails are crushed rock and nicely drained. Turns on even the lower elevation trails are banked all the way up to vertical.

And then there is the downhill course…
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Orwell was a f#@king optimist.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

I wear bibs under a pair of cargo shorts. I like something a little more rugged on the outside. Sitting on a rock in lycra feels like sitting on it naked, and a fall can shred lycra.

I wear suspenders under my jersey to keep the cargo shorts from snagging the saddle.
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Orwell was a f#@king optimist.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

This is my job.

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Orwell was a f#@king optimist.

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

Just saw this thread. I have a remote GD on my old bike, a manual Crank Bros on the new bike. It doesn’t matter how I operate it, I like the effect of being able to lower the saddle. The Crank Bros can be stopped anywhere along the travel, while the GD only stops at each end.

The Crank Bros is a much cleaner design. The cable routing for the remote switch on the GD is bogus, and I have not had any trouble reaching under the seat to trigger the Crank Bros. Neither has ever failed me. Both have let me down, but only when I wanted them to.
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Orwell was a f#@king optimist.

The guy with the white beard looks like he has enormous feet.

The guy with the white beard has the biggest feet of anyone I know, something like size 16 American. I wear 11.