MS150 - any cyclists on the forum?

[rmr1923]

anyone here taking part in the MS150 from Houston to Austin next weekend? i recently got into cycling and plan to participate next year.

and on a related topic, does anyone know of a good cycling forum that's (mostly) free of snobs and elitists? i tried a couple cycling forums but rather than receiving constructive advice on training and places to ride, i just got bashed on my poor choice in a starter bike.

[Thomas]

No, but this will be my first year to volunteer as a Breakpoint Entrance Controller.

[KRM45]

I used to be a cyclist. I rode in the Hotter than Hell 100 a few years ago in Wichita Falls.
We talked about doing the MS150 here in DFW, but we never did.

Bikes vary in price kind of like guns. You can buy one for a reasonable price that will function well for you, but that really fancy one with all the bells and whistles will cost many times more.

The few things I was glad to have on mine for the long ride were clipless pedals, aero bars, and I added a carbon fiber front fork.

I've not been on my bike in over a year

[Kirk]

I'm not a cyclist but I'm one of the Motorcycle marshal for the MS150 and my son did it for 4 years.

Find a good team to train with. Most have good training program and if you don't like one go to another there are many out there with different levels of riders. I have seem bikes out there that run in the thousand of dollars and others that were from a tight budget. No doubt the top end bikes will have benefits but you can still ride with the others. Thinner road tires make a difference also.

[Kirk]

No, but this will be my first year to volunteer as a Breakpoint Entrance Controller.

Thank you and good luck!!

[karl]

I'm not fond of the National MS Society for two reasons: (1) they make you raise a lot of money to participate and (2) not a whole lot of that money is used for research. If my calculations are correct (I'm no accountant, feel free to correct me) they donated $0.34 on the dollar to finding a cure in 2009.

This year was going to be my entrance into road riding but for now I'll stick to mountain. What are you riding?

[rmr1923]

What are you riding?

Forge CTS 1000, it retails online for around $400-ish, bought it from a friend for $100 who was upgrading to a Trek something or another (can't remember what model). i figured this bike will serve the purpose of letting me see if i enjoy cycling enough to drop $1000+ on a bike, and so far i have no complaints... but then again i have no frame of reference, i've never ridden a "nice" bike before. i've also been told that as long as the frame is in good condition, i can always upgrade the other components. would that be worthwhile or would i just be better off buying a bike with all the "good" components to begin with? one upgrade i do plan on making is clipless pedals.

[texanron]

When you do ride and find forums to discuss riding will you remind those in the cycling community that they must obey all traffic laws just like a driver of a MV does. On the back roads of Harris, Waller and Montgomery County they seem to think that once the lead rider stops at a stop sign the entire pack has the right of way to proceed through the stop sign.

[karl]

The Forge will last you through the MS ride but I would not recommend upgrading components on that frame, it's not worth the money you'd spend having the parts installed. If you end up liking the cycling (I hope you're training a lot, the ride is fast approaching) I would recommend buying a name brand bike (I'm partial to Specialized) a little higher than entry level, $12-1400.

The pedals are a worthwhile investment, the most popular are Shimano SPD's and LOOK Keo's. My advice to any beginner cyclist: cheap gear is bad gear.

[rmr1923]

The Forge will last you through the MS ride but I would not recommend upgrading components on that frame, it's not worth the money you'd spend having the parts installed. If you end up liking the cycling (I hope you're training a lot, the ride is fast approaching) I would recommend buying a name brand bike (I'm partial to Specialized) a little higher than entry level, $12-1400.

The pedals are a worthwhile investment, the most popular are Shimano SPD's and LOOK Keo's. My advice to any beginner cyclist: cheap gear is bad gear.

thanks for the advice, and one of my friends has a Specialized bike and just sitting on that thing without riding it i can tell a day and night difference between it and the cheapo i'm currently riding. he won't let me ride it unfortunately, he's afraid i won't be able to get my feet out of the pedals and fall over which is probably what would happen

i'm actually not riding this weekend's MS150.. partly because it's my sister's b-day and we're spending time with the family, and even if it weren't for that i know i'm not nearly ready for that long of a ride. the longest i've done is 20 miles and my legs felt like they were going to give out on me at 15... not sure how i made the last 5.

what price range am i looking at for a good pair of cycling shoes and clipless pedals? i've searched online a little this evening but information overload has kicked in and i can't tell what's what. if the shop you work at is open on weekends i may stop by sometime next month when i have a little cash on hand.

just responded to your pm too

[karl]

Whoops, misread the OP. I toppled over on my mountain bike probably 3 or 4 times until I started getting used to my pedals.

Specialized has entry level road and mountain shoes from $90 (I have had a mountain pair for 4 years) so I imagine other brands will be in that area. Don't buy online unless you've tried them on, these tend to run a little small. Decent LOOKs will run about $100 and SPDs about $50.

[Griffen]

I've been approached about riding the MS150 from someone in my office. However I declined due to my schedule includes riding in the Shiner GASP 100 the following weekend. That is a ride I highly recommend starting in Austin, and ending at the brewrey in Shiner. Its a healthy century ride through some very scenic Texas countryside.

I wouldn't mind meeting up with any other forum members who may be planning to do that ride.

BTW, clipless pedals are the only way to go on longer rides. It does take a bit of getting used to, but like any other aspect it becomes second nature very quickly. I use the LOOK Keo myself and find them very comfortable.

My forum name by the way is taken from my bike brand - Griffen. I highly reocmmend that brand due to the unique material the frame is made from.

Ride Safely....

[rmr1923]

i was checking out the LOOK Keo pedals too, seems like a good quality product for the price (under $100 online). here comes a noob question... i'm looking at a set that come with cleats, if i get the pedals with cleats, will i need anything other than a pair of cycling shoes?

[hangfour]

I'm a cyclist. I've ridden my whole life (commuting to work). Now that I'm retired I ride every day (and I carry while riding). I even have an NRA sticker on my bike ... not that many of those in Austin. Don't worry about the 'negative' comments about your first bike. After you have ridden for a while you will know more about what you need and what makes you happy (while riding) than anyone on any bicycle forum. Glad to see that there are other cyclists on this site.

[Griffen]

i was checking out the LOOK Keo pedals too, seems like a good quality product for the price (under $100 online). here comes a noob question... i'm looking at a set that come with cleats, if i get the pedals with cleats, will i need anything other than a pair of cycling shoes?

That's correct. If you get the pedals, and they come with the corresponding cleats, then all you need is the shoes to mount the cleats on.

EVERYONE will hit the pavement at least once geting used to the clipless pedals. Most just simply forget to unclip when coming to a stop. I hadn't fallen after riding for several months, and I thought "this ain't so hard". The next day, I was arriving in my driveay turning (leaning) left, unclipped my right foot, and BAM - kissed the pavement. I just unclipped the wrong foot and was leaning the other way. At least no one was watching, so I saved myself some embarassment.

On longer rides or going uphill, you'll eventually learn to appreciate those pedals when you find you can pull up as easily as mash down. Thus you're saving your quads and using your hammys to equalize the load. Its all Fun!..

Ride Safe....