Dear So and So

[withm]

I think I will. I found out last night they sold me mtb shoes, when I asked for road. Too late, they do not except returns or exchanges. They did not show me how to put the shoes together and told me nothing about cleats. Everything I know I learned here and from hours on MSN with Cari. I am heading out to where I bought my bike and they are going to set everything right.

Jennifer - don't discount those MTB shoes too quickly. Lots of us use them with MTB pedals on our very expensive road bikes. Think about the kind of riding you are going to do - are you EVER going to walk in them? I was constantly fighting wearing my road shoes/cleats and having to walk in dirt to get from my street to my shed to put the bike away, or walk around at a rest stop, or want to walk on the boardwalk, or just walk into a restaurant for a coffee or snack - road shoes will make you miserable (unless you get "coffee shop covers" - IF they are available for your shoes). Plus they are very hard to walk in more than 50' or so. And if you should by chance walk in grass or dirt, they will pick up gobs of the stuff, then when you try to clip in (or worse, out) of your pedals you may have extreme difficulty. Been there done that.

I made the switch to MTB shoes (Sidi) and Speedplay Frog pedals. They are WAY EASIER to clip in/out, more comfortable for walking, and infinitely better riding. Don't let any stuffy shop try to intimidate you from putting MTB pedals on your road bike. It's ok, and I doubt that anyone will give you a hard time about it.

On the other hand if you really want road pedals, I have some practically new (400 miles) Speedplay Xs, cleats, AND coffee shop covers, that I will happily sell. And a pair of Specialized Road shoes size 43. (Shoes were great, but I eventually decided they were actually too big for me - part of my problems with the whole set up....)

Martha

[Nanci]

Dear Sidi Road Shoes,

I can't help it, but I hate you. I hate how you slip off the pedal and make me rack myself. I hate how I am afraid to cross in front of cars which would be far enough away if I was sure my foot was going to stick. I hate how I can't unclip and just ride unclipped in uncertain situations, momentarily, because my feet will slide off. Why did you have to look so pretty on the website? Some day when I am not lazy, I will try to find a new home for you. I love your MTB sisters, though...

Nanci

[oxysback]

To Whom it May Concern,

The weather here in the Willamette Valley area has been beautiful. Please, if you could just keep it this way for the rest of the summer I'd be very happy.

Yours truley,
A Biker That Hates the Heat


~~~~~~~~~

Dear Road Pavers,

The road that you recently repaved near Champoeg Park is WONDERFUL! So nice and smooth. I got up to 29 mph last night at one point! Now, if I could direct your attention to French Prarie Road...

Keeping My Fingers Crossed,
Ellen

~~~~~~~~~

Dear DH,

Thank you so much for riding with me. By "with me" I mean close enough so we can talk, not 1/4 mile ahead of me. I know I'm slower than molasses flowing up a tree in winter compared to you, but it means so much that you are willing to ride at my pace. Thank you for being a supportive husband!

Your Loving Wife,
Ellen





That is all.

[KSH]

Dear Sidi Road Shoes,

I can't help it, but I hate you. I hate how you slip off the pedal and make me rack myself. I hate how I am afraid to cross in front of cars which would be far enough away if I was sure my foot was going to stick. I hate how I can't unclip and just ride unclipped in uncertain situations, momentarily, because my feet will slide off. Why did you have to look so pretty on the website? Some day when I am not lazy, I will try to find a new home for you. I love your MTB sisters, though...

Nanci

Dear Sidi Road Shoes- Part II,

I hate you too. When I first bought you, it took me like 2 months to break you in. Unfortunately, I had to suffer through 2 days of pain at the MS150, where the tounge dug into the front of my foot. Yes, it HURT to put you back on, for the second day.

I also hate the way you are made for REALLY SKINNY FEET. Sure, I have narrow feet. But dang, if I get the least bit hot, or if I need to put on thicks socks... you don't fit me anymore... and your to too tight.

Finally... why don't you have comfy padding in the bottom of the shoe? Yes, I put new padding in, but that sucks too.

And, my toes go numb when I wear you, but I won't blame you for the numb toes... although maybe I should.

One of these days, IF I have enough money, I am sure as hell going to replace you with shoes that I like.

Sincerely,
Karen

[Bikingmomof3]

Dear Women's Clothing Manufacturers,

Is there a logical reason behind every brand being sized differently? I mean, would it be so difficult to have a uniform sizing? I know that with men's clothing the sizes are uniform. Men do not have to ponder whether a small in one size is really a medium in another and my all time favorite, one brand is a small and the next is a large? What is up with that?? I cannot speak for all women, maybe some like to try on a bazillion sizes until they find what fits. Me, I prefer to know my size and go from there. I hate trying on clothing, but would be willing to if the LBS stocked womens cothing-that is another letter. Please, please try to make sense of womens clothing.

[chickwhorips]

dear annoying people i work with,

please be quiet and let me work. you stay on your side of the building, not mine.

thank you,
your admin person

ps - friday... come soon! i can't take it anymore.

[Nanci]

Dear Chris- stay away from me!!! I had enough with Charlie, Francis and Jeanne. I am not kidding!!!

Nanci

[SadieKate]

Dear Handsome Hubby,

I just want to say thank you because you're the one who popped up with "I know you need to train for such and such ride so what do you want to do this weekend? We should be out the door really, really early."

You're a gem.

SK

[Lise]

Dear People Who Live Across the Street:

Please explore the neighborhood! Your kids will love the great playground 1/2 a mile away! They can run and scream and play lots of places! They do not need to be restricted to the 1/2 block in front of your building! Yes! Take a walk! Take the kids! Everyone will be happy! And lower your voices, please. If I can hear you over here, surely you can hear each other just fine.

Signed,
Your cranky neighbor who works nights sometimes and really needs to sleep during the day.

[Tuckervill]

Dear Pat from Michigan:

I don't know how clueless you have to be to get on the internet and Google Tuckerville and believe that Tanya's producers would be so careless as to leave the "E" off the name of her show in her email address. Why would Tanya use AOHell, anyway? Wouldn't she just have her very own website and her very own email address, like Tanya@tuckerville.com or something like that?

Even though you're clueless, I've enjoyed getting your misdirected fanmail. Thanks for not complaining that your emails are never answered. That would push me over the edge of temptation to pretend that I actually AM TT, and that would not be nice or fair. I don't know if Tuckerville has been renewed for another season, but if it is, feel free to write me again after every episode.

Signed,
Tuckervill

Dear Tanya Tucker:

I've had this name at AOL (and yahoo and hotmail and many, many online locations) for over 10 years. Yes, it was so long ago that allowing more than 10 letters in a screenname for thousands of people would have taxed the storage capacity of even the best servers in the world at the time. Even though I don't have the "e", I am still the original Tuckervill, and I expect the royalty checks to start any day, now.

Signed,
The Best, the Original, The Superfluous E Non-user, Tuckervill

[Bikingmomof3]

Dear Irresponsible Man Who Owns the Madone SL 5.9,

I realise your bike is expenisve, so does everyone else in the bicycle store, so it is really not necessary to park said bike in the doorway of the store. Surely you must realise when an excited 11 year olds run through the doorway to pick up their brand new Trek 3700- mere pocket change I realise to you- and your gorgeous and yes expensive bike is parked inside the doorway, you really should not be too shocked when your bike is *almost* toppled, thankfully 11 year olds have brilliant reflexes. Okay, it was funny watching you in your road shoes try and run across a concrete floor to reach your bike in time-really,you must admit now, that your bike is safe, how funny you looked. Next time, please park your ride out of the way of other patrons. We will all feel better.

[Brandy]

Dear new Spinning Instructor,

I'm sorry that when you yelled WHERE IS YOUR AAAAAAAAAAASSSSS??? during a standing climb, that I had a giggle attack and couldn't stop. I'm also sorry that I made Tiffanie start giggling. Welcome to the gym.

Love,

The bad student.

[Kitsune06]

Dear Guy Who Drove Into My Car:
I don't know what frightens me more- the fact that you were so preoccupied looking for an address that you turned right out of the center lane, into my car, then parked and didn't even look for me, or the fact that when I approached you about running into my car, you were still asking some biker guy on the sidewalk where this address was, then turned around when you saw me and asked ME where this place was, and seemed totally clueless about the nature of the situation when I told you you hit my car.

You don't have a phone, and your insurance doesn't have a phone number for you. You're the type if idiot driver that scares the h*ll out of me biking, and God knows, if you'd have hit me while I was on my bike, I could probably be laying there bleeding and you'd get out of your car and start asking me for directions.

I hope you lose your license- you're obviously totally unaware of your surroundings, and if I tell people this story, they'd never BELIEVE you were SO out of touch with reality.

Please go somewhere and lose your license, but don't start biking because you'll hurt yourself and others. Just walk.

Regards,
Kitsune-
A P.O'd fox.

[chickwhorips]

dear bf,

i appreciate you giving me a new training program to help me out, but i do not appreciate you telling a friend my speed. i told you i was very embrassed and how hard it was to tell you about how "fast" i was going. when you said i can walk faster than that and told the friend how fast i was going and he said the same thing it really HURT!
i will tell you this in person shortly, but i wanted to tell you now also so i dont rip your head off in a bit.

your gf with very hurt feelings.

[Lise]

your gf with very hurt feelings.

CWR: Sorry to hear about it. I hope he had no idea how that would hurt you, and that he loves you up to make it up to you. L.