Climbing the steepest streets in San Francisco on a folding bike

[luv2climb]

Well, maybe I wouldn't have had to respond negatively if Veronica would stop being so negative to me. Like I said in an earlier post, she only speaks up in my threads to criticize me. Why should I be nice to someone who obviously dislikes me? Yeah sure, you can "kill them with kindness", but that doesn't always work. Some personalities clash no matter what.

For those who wonder why I talk about climbing more than anything else, I have a lifelong condition that I was born with. Cycling, especially hard climbing, is very therapeutic. If I couldn't ride I would be in much worse condition, believe me. That's as much as I'm willing to disclose in a public forum.

[snapdragen]

Let's all step away from our keyboards for a while.

Luv2 - your first mistake was even going to BF.

Now, if any of you think there is a problem with another poster, you can put them on ignore. Then you don't have to worry about misinterpreting what they say, and vice versa. There is another handy feature here on TE - the ignore thread. It's awesome, you can completely block threads you don't want to see.

[luv2climb]

Yesterday I apologized to Bostic in the thread on BF (start with post #17). After that he posted the Strava data I was looking for, in case any of you are interested. And yes, he seems very nice. This is the first time I've had any communication with him. Like I said earlier in this thread. I'm not familiar with him or his posts.

So if any of you are interested you can follow the thread over there. It is a prime example of why I love BF so much. I've been a member there since July 2006, and there are a lot of nice people over there. I ignore the BS threads now and just click on the ones that look more "genuine", if you know what I mean.

I have learned a valuable lesson from all this drama, and that is to keep any doubts I have to myself. I now know that the NorCal regional subforum is not full of the same BS as some of the other subforums on BF.

Here's another reason I don't spend a lot of time on TE discussing non-cycling stuff. My father has told me several times that the internet is a "huge time suck". Like most of us, he loves his computers and keeps them updated, but he balances his time on the net with books and other hobbies (he's retired).

It is possible to waste a tremendous amount of time on the internet. Just the process of editing and uploading videos and photos is time-consuming. First you've got to copy it from the memory card to the computer, which takes several minutes. Then you've got to sift through all the footage and figure out what clips are worth keeping in the editing software. If I use DashWare to overlay the Garmin data onto the video, that's another long process. Then the video has to be rendered and uploaded to YouTube.

Photos are much quicker to edit and upload, but it still takes a few minutes.

I will make it a point to post more often around here, but there's only so many threads I can contribute useful information to. If I don't know about a subject, I'm not going to offer advice or an uninformed opinion.

[Veronica]

I now know that the NorCal regional subforum is not full of the same BS as some of the other subforums on BF.

Yep, the NorCal group is a great bunch. I know you've had a chance to ride with Joel (gawd he's a fast climber!) LanceOldStrong and CCorlew are great to ride with too. If you can, you should join in on the Christmas Eve Diablo ride. It is a beautiful climb and they're a fun, nice group to ride with.

Veronica

[luv2climb]

Yes, JoelS was fast! If you saw that ride video I put up on BF back in June, you get to see me get dropped by him. I ran into him at the bottom of Indian Hill Road as I was reaching the top of Newcastle Road. His riding partners were very friendly too.

Not going to be able to make it to Mt. Diablo, as I have no truck until January. Old one got totalled last month, so I've been car-free all this time. I kind of like it, except that I'm somewhat limited in climbing locations.

[Veronica]

Not going to be able to make it to Mt. Diablo, as I have no truck until January. Old one got totalled last month, so I've been car-free all this time. I kind of like it, except that I'm somewhat limited in climbing locations.

Well, that's a bummer. Not hurt I hope.

NorCal BF seems to have an informal group ride most weekends, so maybe once you're vehicle enabled again.

Veronica

[shootingstar]

It is possible to waste a tremendous amount of time on the internet. Just the process of editing and uploading videos and photos is time-consuming. First you've got to copy it from the memory card ...............I will make it a point to post more often around here, but there's only so many threads I can contribute useful information to. If I don't know about a subject, I'm not going to offer advice or an uninformed opinion.

Hey luvtoclimb, I don't have a tv and don't plan to get one. So the Internet is my "timewaster". I also blog..um across 3 blogs. (actually there's a 4th blog.) Another time-waster or whatever. But thank goodness, it is about cycling...the Internet as advancing the cause of cycling and fun, whatever else.

As for being expert on other subjects....we just think we are about: materialism, pets, Christmas, career changes, etc.

[luv2climb]

Got very lucky. No serious injuries, no blood. Just a few bruises that have all healed except the one at the bottom of my shin near my foot. It's better than it was, but there's still a slight lump there that hurts if I push on it.

The truck sacrificed itself to save me. I've got to hand it to the designers of modern automobiles. That safety equipment really does work!

[luv2climb]

Hey luvtoclimb, I don't have a tv and don't plan to get one. So the Internet is my "timewaster". I also blog..um across 3 blogs. (actually there's a 4th blog.) Another time-waster or whatever. But thank goodness, it is about cycling...the Internet as advancing the cause of cycling and fun, whatever else.

As for being expert on other subjects....we just think we are about: materialism, pets, Christmas, career changes, etc.

I don't watch TV either. When I was growing up, my parents always made it a point to make sure I led a "balanced" life. They didn't even like it when I played with toy cars more than dolls, although they didn't raise me to be a delicate "fembot", as I used to call giggly teenagers years ago.

Good thing they both live many miles away. They don't need to know how obsessed I am with cycling and climbing! They do like the fact that I climb all these hills though, and they encourage me to keep doing it.

[luv2climb]

Well, that's a bummer. Not hurt I hope.

NorCal BF seems to have an informal group ride most weekends, so maybe once you're vehicle enabled again.

Veronica

I forgot to ask you how fast most of these rides are. I'm not going to waste other riders' time and hold them up if they're faster than me. Not to mention it would be demoralizing to be the slowest rider up a mountain.

I take back what I said a few days ago about putting me on ignore. I think I probably gave a few people here the wrong impression of me so the damage is probably already done, but now I'm glad you didn't put me on ignore. I can be a bit hot-headed when I think I'm being misunderstood or ganged up on.

[Blueberry]

So....how does the Friday compare climbing? I prefer mine for climbing (except for the weight!), but find that other bikes descend better....

Same experience for you?

[luv2climb]

It climbs great! It is sold as a touring bike, so it already had low gears. I made them even lower by replacing the 30t small chainring with a 24t (16" low gear).

With the higher bars I don't descend as fast as I would on the road bike. I've only gone 44 mph downhill on this bike so far. I did the same descent on the road bike at 50 mph once, but I was pushing it because I had a camera on the handlebars recording video.

[Veronica]

I just don't put people on ignore. I ignore threads, but there isn't a single person on TE that I want to completely ignore.

The group NorCal pace varies. Generally 16 - 18 on the flats and climb at your own pace. The last ride I did with them, I bonked hard and I was the last one. They were great waiting for me until we told them that I was pretty much done for the day. That'll teach me to go for a run and then ride without taking in enough calories.

Veronica

[luv2climb]

That's pretty close to a typical JoelS ride, so I might wait until I'm stronger and the last 20 pounds are gone before attempting any group rides. I'm not interested in holding anyone up. Many of these people have kids and are much busier on the weekends than I am, so I'll continue to ride solo.

For those who may wonder if I only ride solo and why, there's your answer.

[jobob]

The BF Nor Cal gang used to have a very fun, very loosely-organized Slowpoke ride series, led by Bikingshearer & Bigbossman.

I went on a few of them and had a grand time. I was supposed to go on one the day after the crash that kept me off my bike for several months. I never did manage to go on another one after that. Over time the slowpoke rides faded away, no idea why.

Here's a thread with a bunch of photos from BF rides past -- not just the slowpoke rides, though they are well represented.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...tos?p=11945089

Many TE denizens appear in these photos.

Oh, and Bostic shows up from time to time too.