I think you’re doing it wrong…

Found today on Craigslist (here’s the link but it won’t last)

Unfortunately I think this chap has raised the stem above the minimum insertion mark, not a bright idea

As much as I dearly want to hate everything Walmart, especially their sorry excuses for bikes (or bike shaped objects), this bike, the Mongoose Paver, actually seems halfway decent!

It doesn’t have any of the typical heavy worthless suspension, has 700C wheels, nice swept back bars, simple drivetrain with single chainring up front and a rear rack. For a little over $100 bucks, this may be a good choice for extremely frugal bike buyers; whatever it takes to get someone on a bike I say.

Despite this bikes advantages over previous bike models sold by the big box stores, this bike will still suffer from the drawbacks. The first glaring deficiency of this bike is that it will still be assembled by minimum wage cashier jockeys at your local Walmart store who, in all honesty, have no CLUE how to put together a bike properly. I’ve serviced bike shaped objects at my shop that have had forks put on backwards, fasteners mysertiously missing, brake pads that are a mile apart and derailleurs that cant even shift because the limit screws are all wrong. Although this bike has potential, it ultimately is only as good as the lackie at Walmart who is putting it together.

Link to Walmart product page for Mongoose Paver

Article: Walmart opens a “real” bike shop in Texas

Discussion about this bike on Bikeforums.net

The Economist magazine has written a print article taking notice to the rise in bicycling’s popularity as fuel prices have hit their record highs. The article also makes mention of recent altercations; one at Critical Mass in NYC and one in Portland.

“After years of federal and local spending on bike routes and other amenities, most cities are ready to handle more cyclists. But many motorists simply don’t see their two-wheeled brethren or, when they do, find them aggravating. Managing more cyclists is going to take more than new bike paths or fresh stripes on the roads. It looks as though there is a need, on both sides, for a revolution in manners.“

To the point, we may be seeing an increase in the desirabilityof riding a bike for transportation but we still have not overcome the problems of motorist interaction.

Read the article here. The Economist - Bicycles, Bumpy Roads

This thought dawned on me today while preparing a big hulking cruiser for sale today: Have “cruiser bikes” turned into the proverbial SUV? Oversized, slow, inefficient, they do have a lot of similarities to the ubiquitous sport utility vehicle. And now with gas prices at record highs, SUVs are finally being tossed aside for more fuel efficient and sensible vehicles (some even choosing bicycles, whodathunkit). As I see the migration away from SUVs, I also see a migration away from the cruiser bike. The cruiser was THE bike to have, something to look cool on, something to leisurely jaunt upon on for recreation only. But now, in the zenith of oil production, bicycles are at long last being considered as a viable means of transportation for the masses. Then the realization comes: “Wait…my cruiser is slow, I can’t use this, screw that”.

So maybe I’m alone in this but I do believe that cruiser interest has greatly waned and will continue to taper off in a similar downward curve to SUV interest. People now prefer a bike that is useful and practical, someone pinch me I must be dreaming!

…cobwebs on cars. I don’t know if there’s anything more wonderful than a good mess of spider webs connecting a car to the pavement. It also seems like my sick obsession with stationary cars is about to get fulfilled much more often: people are driving less! Saw two cars on my ride today plastered with webs and it was great. I hope to see many more

http://urbanvelo.org/share-the-road-is-this-a-positive-message-for-cycling/

“The sign

I was riding yesterday and started thinking about internally geared hubs (AKA gear hubs). I’m a huge advocate of the gear hub and run a Shimano Alfine 8 speed as my daily rider. There are however clear ups and downs for the gear hub. Here is my list of pros and cons:

Pros:

• Chainline - perfect chainline no matter your gear choice
• Chainguards - ability to use chainguards and even better, chaincases like the Hebie Chainguard
• Ease of Maintenance/Tuning - easy to maintain, turn barrel adjust until yellow marks line up, couldn’t be easier. And once the shifter cable stretches to its max, no further adjustment is needed
• Shifting from a stop - incredibly useful feature for commuting in traffic (stop and go). I got into the habit of coming to a stop and just shifting all the way down and its great, saves my knees from a lot of unneeded stress.
• Reliable - no exposed parts to damage unlike the ubiquitous problem with derailleurs. The internals of the hub gear are damn near indestructable too; just look at Sturmey Archer 3 speeds still on the road today after 50 years of service.
• Instant, crisp shifts - shifts feel responsive and crisp without noise or mechanical hesitation
• Water and grime resistant - fully enclosed gears means water and gunk doesn’t get in

Cons:

• Limited shifter options - you have greatly reduced shifter options when using a gear hub. You basically are forced into using what the manufacturer tells you; no aftermarket solutions. The limited shifter options then also limit your choice of handlebars.
• Weight - gear hubs have some pretty hefty weight
• Cost - cost is generally higher but of course it depends

I can deal with weight and cost but the limited shifter options really gets to me. I would prefer to ride drop bars but because no shifter exists to facilitate mounting on drops, I am forced to use a MTB style bar.
At the end of the day though I still love the internally geared hub. It is the most elegant drivetrain solution for bicycles and the best solution for the common cyclist especially those simply lookig to get from point A to point B.