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Comments? Questions? See your posts here!

If you would like to post a comment or ask questions, just go to our Contact Us page and send it in. If it meets our guidelines**, you'll see it here in the "Mail Box." But please be patient as it may take us some time to post them.....we do have day jobs ya know. Thanks for visiting.

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(Posted 05/11/09) Eric from the Phillipines comments:

"Congratulations for having this great website...cool! I have no knowledge in bikes, I somehow got an educational trip in your website... Regards! che =)"

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(Posted 07/23/09) Ken from the United States comments:

"Pretty awesome webpage and lots of information. Kinda makes me want to start biking again if I weren't so tired already....."

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(Posted 07/25/09) Dennis from the United States comments:

".....Nice site you guys got here....."

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(Posted 08/09/09) John from the United States asks:

"When I was about 15 years (about 1953) old, I visited a nursing home in Fresno, California. I met an old man who told me he set the world bicycle speed record. He showed my the bike he said he rode. I cannot describe the style (Italian etc). But the front 'ring' was pretty large. He told me it took him about an hour to get 'up to speed'. If my memory serves me right, he stated he road on a highway (it might have been on old HWY 99, I'm not sure) along side a train. I'm not sure not how fast he said he was going. I want to say 100 mph but am not sure my memory is right. Any ideas? Thanks John"

(Posted 08/10/09) Answer:

Hello John. Great question. At first, we thought it was Charles "Mile-A-Minute" Murphy, who set his speed record back in 1899 (60 mph...not quite 100 mph), but he passed away in 1950. Plus, he didn't ride along side a train, but directly behind it. After a little research we came up with Frenchman Albert Marquet who set a speed record of 85.3 mph in 1937, but he paced behind a motor car. After more research, the closest we can think of is Alfred Letourner who set a speed record of 108.92 mph in 1941 riding a Paramount bicycle with a huge chainring. He, too, paced behind a car, but he set his record near Bakersfield, California.....pretty close to Fresno if you ask me. Hope that helps. If anyone out there has any other info, we'd like to hear from ya.

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(Posted 08/09/09) John from the United States asks:

"I have another question. I've got a TREK road bike I bought in 1984. It's a good bike still. Even though the gear shifts are on the down bar and it is clumsy shifting. For several years, I competed in the Northwest Police and Firefighter Olympics. I rode the TREK road bike and swam 50 meter and 100 meter free style Through the years, I won several gold, silver and bronze medals. Now, I'm almost 72 and have signed up to be a part of a team for a 1/2 Iron Man. My part is to ride the 56 miles - yes, on my old TREK. My team mates are about 20- 30 years younger than me. My TREK has been a 12 speed for several years. But, is there anything I can to make hills "easier". My TREK is not geared for "old" men. Also, any training tips you can pass along? I'm never too old to learn. Thanks !"

(Posted 08/10/09) Answer:

Hello again John and thanks for another great question. I, too, love keeping a classic bike alive....I used my 1988 Bianchi and upgraded it until 2005 when I broke down and bought another Bianchi (The 88 still works fine, just wanted some new technology). There are a few things you can do (we'll start from the cheapest method to the most expensive)....

#1 Depending on what you have on your bike now, upgrade your cassette/freewheel to one with a wider/lower gear ratio (bigger cogs in the back end). Will make climbing easier.

#2 You can also change from 6-spd to 7-spd. 7-spd down tube shifters are still available, but you have to look hard for them (actually you have to look hard for almost ANY 7-spd stuff nowadays). Check with your local bike shop, online auctions and internet retailers. If you can't find the down tube versions, consider bar-end shifters or early generations of Shimano STI shifters (RSX model for example). If you can't find a 7-spd shifter, you can substitute an 8-spd version...just make sure you lock out the rear derailleur so that it doesn't shift on the 8th click.

#3 Change your crank to a "compact" crank or "triple" crankset for lower gearing. If you do this, you'll also need to change your front derailleur and bottom bracket as well.

#4 You can upgrade your ENTIRE drivetrain (i.e. rear wheel/hub, shifters, derailleurs, cassette, chain) to a 8/9-spd setup. Older bikes are usually spaced to accomodate 130mm rear hubs, but you can fit a modern rear wheel with 135mm hubs....I installed a new set of Rolf wheels to my 1988 Bianchi Sport SX with no modifications. If the wheel you bought doesn't fit right in, you can make it fit by replacing the washers/bolts on the hubs or by "stretching" the frame wider. Check with your local bike shop about this if you are unsure how to do this.

#5 Lastly, use the Trek for training and purchase a new/used bicycle that has more modern specifications and equipment. You may find this more cost effective and of course less work than trying to upgrade your Trek. Today's mid-priced road bikes are far superior to anything consider cutting edge back in the 1980's. On a sidenote, you can learn more about your Trek at a site called www.vintagetrek.com .

As far as training tips, try doing "hill intervals." Find a nice, long stretch of uphill road (preferably one that has little vehicular traffic), not too steep and after properly warming up, climb the hill on your bike for about 1/2 mile (max 1 mile). Once you've reached your point, turn back around and go down the hill. At the bottom, cool down for a minute by spinning on your bike then, when you're ready, climb back up the hill.

Do this a few times and then call it the day. Take the next day off and on the following day after your rest day, ride on the flats or do weights. Take another day off and resume "hill intervals." Keep following the pattern as often as your time permits. As your strength increases, so will your confidence and you can go farther. However, don't push yourself too hard, always hydrate and always check with a professional trainer or Doctor before starting any kind of strenuous training. Check out our Health section for more information. Hope that helps.

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(Posted 08/11/09) Harold from California comments:

"I was looking for a website that could show me how to replace my fork and your site was perfect. The information was very helpful. Thank you and keep up the great work!"

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(Posted 08/20/09) Allen from Ontario, California comments:

"Very Nice Website, lots of helpful hints!"

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(Posted 08/23/09) Nic from Santa Monica, California comments:

"Liked the pic's and originality."

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(Posted 08/24/09) Rodney from Alhambra, California comments:

"Great site! I liked the online store attached to the site. It's like one stop shopping! Thanks!"

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(Posted 09/01/09) George from New Mexico comments:

"Very easy to navigate and contains information about LIVING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. Thanks guys!"

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(Posted 09/29/09) Hector from Los Angeles, California comments:

"A friend recommended your site to me and I find it very useful especially since I am new to cycling. I look forward to reading the different segments in the future as I get more into cycling."

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(Posted 10/15/09) Cassandra from Utah comments:

"Thank you for the article on changing a tire and emergency tire repair. I've already put it to practice while out riding on the trail."

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(Posted 11/12/09) Kyle from the United States asks:

"I would love to see an article on how to convert a bike to a single speed or fixed gear. They are gaining a lot of popularity. Not much to maintain. Sounds like a dream to someone like me who "just wants to ride." Let me know if you have any plans."

(Posted 12/02/09) Answer:

Hello Kyle. Thank you for the great request. As a matter of fact, we have converted several of our own bikes into single speeds so we would be more than happy to show our readers how we did it. It's not really hard at all, so stand by for a future segment on this popular trend in cycling and we'll show you how we converted an old 10-speed into a single speed. And the best thing is, you'll be able to use the techniques on other styles and speeds of bikes as well. Thanks again for asking.

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