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I rode a bike today...


Randomguy

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...you can post more if you don't use up valuable internet time riding around on your bike.:) Hey @Randomguy, did you ride to Coney Island ?

​Short ride, just a couple of loops of Prospect Park, so about 7 miles and change including the to/from segment.  There was a rare opportunity to ride with RW, and she wanted me to explain shifting to her, which is incredibly frustrating.

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Good for you, RG.  Do we get a ride report. What were the hilights?

One lap around Prospect Park and he was toast. He walked the hill.  ;). :P 

Come on man. Give us a report.

​Ok, here goes...

RW took the day off, so we had the rare opportunity to ride together, so we did.

The wife wanted another explanation of how to shift and when, this kills me.  I don't know why certain people need this explained after having ridden a bike before, but some do, it is freaky.  I used all kinds of analogies, but stuck with the two-choices aspect because of the simplicity of it.  "Geez, if you want to change gears, just do something, and if it feels wrong, just do the opposite".  Again, not sure why it is so hard for some to grasp, wtf don't people just start shifting for fun and curiosity until it is second nature?  I also used the analogy that doesn't really work here, but illustrated the simplicity of it all.  "If you are unsure of your sexual orientation, just pick one.  If it doesn't work, pick another.  If you try dick and don't like it, try pussy.  If you try pussy, and it doesn't work for you, try dick".

She also is scared of hills, and is also scared to shift weight on the bike, standing up, riding to/from the park clipped in, and this also drives me apeshit.  "Just fucking stand up already, it isn't hard."  "Unclipping on the street is exactly the same as unclipping in the park, just fucking do it and don't be a puss about it.  Yeah, there are cars, but they are like bears, they don't want anything to do with you, and the only time there is trouble is when you surprise them".  The lone downhill in the park is completely trouble free, in that it is wide open, no obstacles, gradual scrub of speed at the bottom, no trouble at all.  She rides the brakes.  "This is a baby hill, don't touch the brakes, you don't need them".  Death grip on the brakes and slower speeds than what she does on the flats follows.   I also asked her to look at her chainrings so she could see which one she was in.  That worked, but I asked her to look at the cassette to see which cog she was in.  She said she couldn't, I told her she could.  "I don't want to hear any excuse, this is like sales.  Quit fucking around and you find a way.  Trying doesn't count, the only thing that counts is the result.  Look down and tell me where the chain is".

Anyway, I just wanted to spin, but did a couple bursts for fun and blasted the little downhill to catch some people that passed me when hanging with the wife.  My left knee hurts, but it always hurts.

 

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​When is the divorce final?​

​Ah, I have fun with her on the bike, but these little things are mind-boggling.  I just don't get the reluctance to try straightforward things on the bike, but she has never really been primarily a rider.  She just needs a lot more time on a bike and some real terrain.

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I would love to take the wife out and help her. I think the dynamic between a couple is tough with teaching sports.  This is why they have ski instructors to teach kids.  You don't teach your own, it leads to anger, frustration and fights.  It is better to let a third party do it.  My husband is a fantastic cyclist.  Usually, he can't tell me things.  I get mad.  Only recently have I been able to let him to this again.  i seem to be in a very happy place on the bike and my mental state is more willing to accept criticism.  i used to have crazy performance anxiety.  Now, I know i am a much better rider, and i can take his comments in stride.

it sounds like your wife just needs much more pedal time.  She probably feels scared and unstable.  

 

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​When is the divorce final?

​Can you ride to work?

​It's only two miles to the studio and not a road I would want to ride on, plus I often carry a lot to work.  But I did get out this afternoon, made a point of shutting the computer down, saving emails I need to answer and getting my bike out of the basement which is where it has been since I moved here at the end of May!

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​It's only two miles to the studio and not a road I would want to ride on, plus I often carry a lot to work.  But I did get out this afternoon, made a point of shutting the computer down, saving emails I need to answer and getting my bike out of the basement which is where it has been since I moved here at the end of May!

​Can you circumvent the route? come in from a side street of a busy road?

You would be surprised how much you can carry in saddle bags.  My bike is crazy heavy sometimes.  2 pairs of shoes, clothing, lunch, presents for people.  It's hilarious when people i meet on the road and they try to lift my bike.  HAHA

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You would be surprised how much you can carry in saddle bags.  My bike is crazy heavy sometimes.  2 pairs of shoes, clothing, lunch, presents for people.  It's hilarious when people i meet on the road and they try to lift my bike.  HAHA

...and I'm told you can save on space and weight if you don't wear panties.:)

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