if you could keep within hearing distance of me when we ride, i'd say those things...

*prepared for what's coming*

wow. guess i can tell betty to cancel that shipment...

too bad.

whatever. i'm slow. i don't want to be, but i can't keep up with you when you sprint. i've tried.

oh, c'mon! you're not even slow. you burn a lot of people out there, but i really do think you need to work on your shifting. when i ride behind you, i notice that your pedaling doesn't seem to match what your speed should be. we'll work on that this weekend.

thanks. friends helping friends. that's what this is all about.

i agree about the pedaling, though. i feel like i'm getting nowhere.

katie -
well...i dont think it's the tattoo. are you gearing down to where yr really spinning but making little fwd progress? i do see that on the manhattan bridge quite a lot, it looks like people are making mixed drinks with their pedals but not really moving anywhere.

mothereffer. it has to be the bike's fault. i have a hybrid, too. we're not slow. the bikes are slow.

and you don't look like a fatty in your pictures, so shush.

i try to emulate whatever setting the speed demons are on, which isn't spinning fast at all. no matter, i still feel the burn more than i should. maybe my seat's too low and i never notices...

if yr riding at a pace that feels good to you, dont worry about other people. i see a lot of people on bikes who look like they have something to prove and damn near kill themselves just to climb a hill faster than the next guy. it isnt a race! unless yr running alleycats & you just dont realise it?

i hate that shit too
blame lance

I used a heart rate monitor for a while to determine how fast I should be going. I found out that the ideal "fat burning" heart rate was actually slower than I had been pedaling. I don't wear it anymore, now that I have a handle on my heart rate vs. effort, but it's good to try it.

I'm a pretty serious rider too and I have a lot of gear (shorts, jerseys, gloves, wicking this and that...) but I never was one for the matching outfits. That seems way too goofy to me. Black shorts and a white jersey are good enough. I actualy wear baggies all the time.

If anybody is looking for a good deal in baggy padded bike shorts, I highly recommend the Ponderosa shorts by Hoss. For the money, they are outstanding. You can find them for about $40 if you shop around online.

Tell me about it. Running at my usual (pretty damn slow) rate, I'm at around 180 or higher, versus the 160 I'm supposed to be at. But if I ran any slower, I'd be walking.

The only negative I've heard about these shorts is that there are too many pockets (6, I think). All else has been very positive, and for that price you can't go wrong. Good group of guys shilling them, too.

Good call.

i usually keep my bike in the highest gear most of the time, unless i'm going uphill and then i take it down a gear or two.

fwiw, my husband wears baggy shorts too... he's partial to Nemas.

Yeah, you don't need so many pockets to ride a bike but the material is pretty light weight, so it's not so noticable.

man i miss my bike.

and dana... nice gams.

Coupla things...

A: Yes, Dana, nice F'in legs.

B: About getting passed... I know when I ride with the Mrs, she friggin laps my ass. It's humiliating. Then one day I put slicks on my mountain bike (thank you Busty), and things got much, much better. Even so, there's a real reason why serious riders don't ride heavy, cumbersome hybrids. They slow. They heavy, they have lotsa rolling resistance, they slow. I get on First Mate's bike (80's alu Trek 1400 roady), and use half the energy to go the same speed. If speed is what you care about, suck it up, condition your taint (or FEMtaint) to the new seat / position, and get goin', girly.

C: I sometimes wear the skin-tight biker shorts, but ONLY under proper carhartt shorts. Nobody wants to see my balls, and I don't wanna show anybody my balls. It works out perfectly. Meanwhile bike jerseys rock. The zipper is your best friend when it's hot, the shit stretches, and it breathes sooo well. Jerseys and gloves, every time.