The only people I usually see on my commute are old mexican dudes on beat mountain bikes with rear wheels so out of true that the vbrake has been disconnected to stop it from rubbing.
But the other day I was passed by a cute short haired lady in a billowy skirt who said my Traffic was a “really awesome setup” as she pulled around me. She was riding this bike:
It’s very very rare that someone passes me but it happened the other day. I was riding to the coffee shop in jeans and a tee shirt, chewing gum and casually tapping out a reasonable pace up a climbey kind of twisting road. Once I was getting towards the top of a hill and slowing down for a stop sign some dude on a BMC in a full BMC kit rides past me through the stop sign standing out of the saddle and breathing super hard. I lol’d especially since it was in a random neighborhood and I have no idea where he could have been going.
dat map, unf
today sweet fixie bro on a leader track with aero bars/track drops/no braks and headphones in was weaving in and out of the bike lane around cars like he was in a movie on one of the major 3-4 lane thoroughfares. i swear to god that kid is gonna get pancaked.
Lulz
Had some sweet Cat6 commutes with Chris King bros
Normally my commute is rather boring if I take front avenue, or I go through downtown and its stop sign city
I don’t see other people but it is great getting dropped
I am full cat 6 as I ride a race bike in spandex erryday
i don’t see anybody at 530am. occasionally i’ll see an old teammate on my way home, as we live 1/4 mile away from eachother. then it’s on. he’s on his race bike in spandex (coz has shower at work/works at prada so they wash his clothes) and i’, om the smoothie in cutoffs and tshirt.
cat 6 fail today on my ride through downtown to get home with 85 miles in my legs. college kids on disk cross bikes with flat pedals and no dirt be giving me the look and riding away. I be pulling over and yelling at food carts “who can give me food right now for five dollars” Kid be lookin back as hes locking up before going to experience the third wave coffee and ive thrown the caad 10 into the bushes rather then set it anywere while I eat. I gave him the look.
^^^ Doin it rite.
FIVE DOLLARS FOR THE FOOD!!!
I know that feel.
Cat6 in the city is all about running reds, timing lights, and passive agressiveness.
I get beat by 10% of the riders there. Most of the time even if they get the jump on the light I just motor along and pass halfway down the block. Then, everyone turns right at the Duboce bike way and I head on up 17th/Corbett.
closed the gap on the breakaway, hung on the back at around 12mph, clinging for dear life, raceleader taps his brakes at the rail crossing on cortland, I see my opening, put the hammer down and never look back. took first place by a long shot I’m pretty sure.
Was hammering along on a MUP yesterday thinking I was running late to meet babbymatt for a ride. Ended up behind some train of MTB dudes being towed along by a guy that was obviously pretty fit at around 18mph or so. They were hauling ass for dudes on mountain bikes, but not really going fast enough for me to want to sit behind them.
Dudes didn’t want to let me passed, so I kicked pretty hard and got around them. Then carried too much speed into a sharp turn onto a little footbridge and promptly crashed right in front of all three MTB dudes.
Pretty sure I lost that one.
racing is crashing is racing
So, I crashed, jumped up, passed the guys again, eventually stopped to fill my water bottles. All three passed me and the third was shaking his head. That made me mad. I wasn’t the one running a paceline on the fucking MUP.
^ lulz
I was time trialing my way past a signature Seattle Tiny Roundabout when my front wheel lost traction on some gravel/shatteredavement. Freaked, then yanked the shit out of my front end and pulled through. Felt pretty good about myself.
Lulz, nice save Doug.
Man, being the only ‘serious’ cyclist at work is getting annoying. So many awkward/funny conversations from fellow coworkers about bikes. Constant questions about stuff.
I’m down to get people into bikes and stuff, but it just gets kind of annoying after awhile.
One coworker, who owns and rides a recumbent, asked me the other day if I wanted to go to a police auction this weekend to buy cheap shitty ratted out bikes with her. I just told her I didn’t need another project.
Also was scoping out a new loop a few days ago when I caught onto two dude’s wheels. They were going about the same pace as I was, and I was already 40 miles into the day, so I just sort of jumped on. No helmet, wearing vans, generally NGAF.
I am a quiet dude, so I didn’t say anything til we got to a light after a few miles. Just said “sorry for jumpin’ on you dudes like that!”. They were cool though - brolined together with 'em for another 10 miles or so until they go to their car. Cat 6 success, in my eyes.
with you on that kevin. i have a coworker who wants to start commuting 14 miles one way to work and constantly asks me for bike advice. this would be fine, but she’s very argumentative. she doesn’t understand why fenders might be a good idea in massachusetts and doesn’t think they’re worth the money. she thinks shimano 2300 will be fine (which it will be, she weighs 100 pounds and will never do her own maintenance) but disagreed with my statement that higher levels of components have a better feel.
i’ve given up. i know she’s going to buy the cheapest thing out there regardless of whether it fits. what i don’t understand is why she asks for advice if she doesn’t want to hear anything that counters her uninformed opinion.
I owned the middle of the pack today. Road up on 2 dudes racing over the West Seattle bridge this morning. We all took the loop around rather than playing chicken with a semi truck. As we entered marginal way I got the advantage on one of them (the kid in jeans) and we proceded to marginal way. I quickly dropped the dude in my peer group (geezer clyde) and made my way happily tords work knowing I could not let off for a second or I would get droped. about half way thorugh this straech I am thinking shit I am out of shape just as the kid in jeans drops me like I was on a big wheel. Relieved I let off and own the middle of the pack.
My mom did this to me. She rode a road bike 40 years ago to get around, and hasn’t ridden at all, since. Obviously, the best bike for a 60 y.o. person who hates exercise and who is terribly out of shape is a road bike and not one if those “old lady” bikes I recommended. At least you can return it at REI
