# Dropped by a guy wearing Chuck Taylors on a Fixie...



## socal-k (Feb 21, 2012)

Lord I need to get into shape- ever happen to you? Confess...:thumbsup:


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## krisdrum (Oct 29, 2007)

Sure. Got beat by a guy in cargo shorts and old school sneakers on a single speed at Livestrong Philly a few years back. Both of us did the 45 miler. He was right behind me in line at the start. saw him after I finished at the party as I walked in. His buddy did the century on a fixie.


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## jlamb (Jan 28, 2011)

Prior to owning a proper road bike, I had an old mtb that I put some commuter tires on and started riding around my town. One day I was just starting up a hill and I looked back to see a guy probably in his 70's with a neon green vest quickly approaching. I had a good head start on him, but he passed me, made some small chit chat, then pulled away and left me in the dust. That is when I convinced myself to get a road bike, not that it would have helped much but I told myself it would.


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## thegr8bambino (Feb 23, 2012)

My first year on the bike I was riding a route that is popular and sometimes crowded. I saw a family pass me and then turn around and begin coming back towards me. I was passed by the Mom, Dad, Little Brother, and Little Sister and I felt so embarrassed.


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## Antonelli (Jul 4, 2004)

thegr8bambino said:


> My first year on the bike I was riding a route that is popular and sometimes crowded. I saw a family pass me and then turn around and begin coming back towards me. I was passed by the Mom, Dad, Little Brother, and Little Sister and I felt so embarrassed.


It's ok. They were probably team-trialing... and the little girl had carbon fiber training wheels... and...


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## jswilson64 (May 20, 2008)

There's a kid who lives in my neighborhood who rides an old yellow Trek road bike with red white & blue graphics (not sure of the model). Anyway, I routinely see him on my usual training route and I always have a hard time catching him and putting him away. He rides with "street clothes," and pedals his sneakers against the bottoms of the Look pedals on the bike, and usually wears a ball cap with the crooked-flat-bill look. He's always cranking in some insanely large gear while I spin 90+ rpm. Youth is wasted on the young.


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## tystevens (Jul 10, 2008)

By a guy on a fixie? Nawww....

But I was passed by a guy who was running up the canyon (but that dude was seriously in shape, running over 7 mph up a 9+% grade). And by a guy with one leg another time (same canyon, different ride but what a leg it was)! And by a young woman on a cheap mountain bike in gym clothes and jogging shoes while on the steepest part of a very steep climb (but I probably had 120# on her, and she had more gears, so no fair, right?). So I had pretty good excuses for all of them.


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## w-g (Mar 9, 2006)

I've discovered never, ever to judge a rider by the bike or the clothes. Its the engine that will kick @ss.


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## eekase (Nov 10, 2009)

Last summer our club had a last minute ride pop up. I suggested a hilly ~45 mile route. One guy showed up in croc's, t-shirt, and cargo shorts....on a fixie. He looked like Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws. He hung with us the whole time. 
Never judge a book by it's cover...or a rider by his appearance.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

w-g said:


> I've discovered never, ever to judge a rider by the bike or the clothes. Its the engine that will kick @ss.


This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^......

I have a friend that regularly competes in 200K, 300K and 600K Brevets..... He has a very nice road bike for these events...

He commutes on a fixie and wears jeans.....


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## Waxbytes (Sep 22, 2004)

I've been dropped by every type of rider on every type of bike at one time or another. 
I like to think of it as "keeping it real". It's too easy for me to get caught up in the carbon fiber and aero hype. Getting dropped reminds me that riding is where it all counts.


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## shokhead (Dec 17, 2002)

Since I don't race I've never been dropped. Only way to get dropped is if your racing and everybody knows your racing, right?


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## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

And if you're ever challenged to a hill climb by a 1-legged cyclist, don't take the bet!
Chances are he's got a 300 watt FTP _and_ he's 10-15 lbs lighter from the missing limb! ;-)


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## PoorCyclist (Oct 14, 2010)

eekase said:


> Last summer our club had a last minute ride pop up. I suggested a hilly ~45 mile route. One guy showed up in croc's, t-shirt, and cargo shorts....on a fixie. He looked like Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws. He hung with us the whole time.
> Never judge a book by it's cover...or a rider by his appearance.


OK, that's obviously *trolling*


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Who is Chuck Taylor?


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

PoorCyclist said:


> OK, that's obviously *trolling*


maybe it was not the fixie riders capabilities that was referred to


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

Waxbytes said:


> I've been dropped by every type of rider on every type of bike at one time or another.
> I like to think of it as "keeping it real". It's too easy for me to get caught up in the carbon fiber and aero hype. Getting dropped reminds me that riding is where it all counts.


This, unless training for racing counts. I've been noodling along on recovery rides and gotten passed by many Freds. I sure hope it makes their day to pass a young fit-looking guy :thumbsup: like he's standing still


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## socal-k (Feb 21, 2012)

eekase said:


> Last summer our club had a last minute ride pop up. I suggested a hilly ~45 mile route. *One guy showed up in croc's, t-shirt, and cargo shorts....on a fixie. He looked like Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws.* He hung with us the whole time.
> Never judge a book by it's cover...or a rider by his appearance.


Almost spit out my coffee reading this...


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## Jett (Mar 21, 2004)

Special Eyes said:


> Who is Chuck Taylor?


Shoe salesman.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

eekase said:


> Last summer our club had a last minute ride pop up. I suggested a hilly ~45 mile route. One guy showed up in croc's, t-shirt, and cargo shorts....on a fixie. He looked like Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws. He hung with us the whole time.
> Never judge a book by it's cover...or a rider by his appearance.


You're gonna need a bigger gear . . .


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## DonDenver (May 30, 2007)

w-g said:


> I've discovered never, ever to judge a rider by the bike or the clothes. Its the engine that will kick @ss.


I see that DH earlier gave a plus to this post as well. 

Yes, no matter how good one may think they are it will be that moment you are humbled. For example, I have massive respect for the *commuter* crowd. Here I approach someone on the way home from their day job only to be short on the watts to maintain their dogged rpm. And they're often fighting the wind with a side bag or backpack. 

It is indeed the engine. And the truth of the matter is when I read around here folks so focused on wheels, weight and gear inches I know they're short in the legs and lungs. The best I've seen can ride rusty steel up City View climb here in Deer Creek past CTS or TP athletes. 

God bless 'em...keeps us humble and full of excuses as we exclaim "my active recovery day" as they pass us


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## DonDenver (May 30, 2007)

JCavilia said:


> You're gonna need a bigger gear . . .


That was an awesome use...best moment in that movie IMO


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

A couple of years back, me and my riding partner got dropped on a long climb by an older woman at about the 75 mile point of a century. Try as I might, I could not keep up. I was all over my bike and she was seated the whole way displaying some of the best climbing form I have ever seen on a bike.


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2012)

nOOky said:


> This, unless training for racing counts. I've been noodling along on recovery rides and gotten passed by many Freds. I sure hope it makes their day to pass a young fit-looking guy :thumbsup: like he's standing still


This is what I tell myself when I get passed by people, "I'm just doing a recovery day" 

The humbling moment for me came when I was doing my own mini time-trial (ie just timing a ride over a known stretch of road) and felt like I was having an amazing day too -- I was pushing about 23-4mph into a strong direct headwind (road was a slight downhill but not enough to completely make up the headwind). Then all of a sudden two guys on time trial bikes zip right past me. 

I sprinted a bit to match their pace just to see how fast they were going -- 27.5mph -- then I quickly died and they just kept going at 27+ despite the wind. I know that riding in the aero bars in a two-man paceline is an aero advantage into a headwind compared to riding in the drops on a roadbike solo, but also knew that that alone wasn't enough to explain the difference. Those guys had to have way better fitness than me to keep that pace up.


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## carlislegeorge (Mar 28, 2004)

Special Eyes said:


> Who is Chuck Taylor?


...and what the heck is a fixie...i thought we only ride real bikes


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Uh oh, I have a fixie (actually set to single speed now). I don't have any Chuck Taylor shoes, whatever they look like.


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## iclypso (Jul 6, 2011)

PoorCyclist said:


> OK, that's obviously *trolling*


We're going to need a bigger gear.


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## iclypso (Jul 6, 2011)

JCavilia said:


> You're gonna need a bigger gear . . .


Dang it! Beat me!


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## socal-k (Feb 21, 2012)

Converse Chuck Taylor high tops...old school.


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## carbonconvert (Apr 12, 2009)

*Don't let it happen....*

Every now and then I get into these strange/odd non verbal "I'm gonna pedal as fast as you and pass you" challenges. There are faster, stronger and younger (I'm 50) fixie riders out there, I'm just able to withstand the hurt longer and have managed to pull away from my encounters. It won't last forever, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts! Besides, my 6k way overpriced toy would want it that way


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Chucks*









It's no wonder people haven't heard of them. I mean, they only sold like half a billion pairs.


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Like probably to the like half billion people like under like 30. I certainly like recognize them to be like Converse All Stars. Like been around like a long time. Like what now makes them Chuck's?


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## maxfrm (Jan 15, 2012)

Hey you guys found my shoes, Thanks.... lol


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

socal-k said:


> Converse Chuck Taylor high tops...old school.





JCavilia said:


> It's no wonder people haven't heard of them. I mean, they only sold like half a billion pairs.



Man; those sneakers take me back 40 years!


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## WTFcyclist (Jan 17, 2012)

I've been dropped by every type of rider. I'll get an electric bike.


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## chambers (Jul 9, 2009)

Special Eyes said:


> Like probably to the like half billion people like under like 30. I certainly like recognize them to be like Converse All Stars. Like been around like a long time. Like what now makes them Chuck's?


Is this a real question? What do you mean by "now" in your question? If it is then here is a real answer. What makes they Chuck's "now" is that in the year 1923, Converse put his name on the shoe and called them the Chuck Conner All Star.

Oops, I meant Chuck Taylor, not Chuck Conner.rong basketball player.


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## batura (Jan 4, 2012)

Antonelli said:


> It's ok. They were probably team-trialing... and the little girl had carbon fiber training wheels... and...


You both made me lough like mad. And it is not proper to do it now as I am sitting alone at Starbucks.

Is this girl starring at me? Ok got to go!


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

chambers said:


> Is this a real question? What do you mean by "now" in your question? If it is then here is a real answer. What makes they Chuck's "now" is that in the year 1923, Converse put his name on the shoe and called them the Chuck Conner All Star.


Who's Chuck Conner?


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## JustTooBig (Aug 11, 2005)

eekase said:


> Last summer our club had a last minute ride pop up. I suggested a hilly ~45 mile route. One guy showed up in croc's, t-shirt, and cargo shorts....on a fixie. He looked like Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws. He hung with us the whole time.
> Never judge a book by it's cover...or a rider by his appearance.


I know (of) the guy you're talking about -- surely there aren't two guys in town who wear crocs and cargo shorts on the bike! He rode several of the early-season rides with the BCC about three years ago. His bike looked like hammered schitt too, but that guy had a serious engine!


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

Couple years ago I did a 30+ mile group ride - on my mtn. bike. Two of us pulled away from the group and were chatting in the parking as we waited for the group to arrive. He said "Man, that's strong - riding like that on a mtn. bike." I said "Dude, you're on roller blades!" 

Rewind a bit... It was very odd, drafting at 20 mph behind a guy on skates... and trying to hang on!


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## BostonG (Apr 13, 2010)

What a sorry bunch. I've never been dropped  

Maybe he just ate some Nutella on toast and an espresso?


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## qatarbhoy (Aug 17, 2009)

On a recent group ride (120km with a break in the middle) I was struggling to keep up with a guy on a MTB. In my defence, he _had _put slick tyres on it.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

chambers said:


> Is this a real question? What do you mean by "now" in your question? If it is then here is a real answer. What makes they Chuck's "now" is that in the year 1923, Converse put his name on the shoe and called them the Chuck Conner All Star.


Chuck Connors? The Rifleman?








Different Chuck. Chuck Taylor was the shoe guy. 

Though coincidentally Chuck Connors did play in the NBA briefly, as well as dong a brief stint in Major League Baseball.


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## lbkwak (Feb 22, 2012)

I know where he was rushing to go........He must heard a rumor about new iPhone 5 coming out that day.


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## pianopiano (Jun 4, 2005)

*this thread is very funny*



lbkwak said:


> I know where he was rushing to go........He must heard a rumor about new iPhone 5 coming out that day.


Or maybe he wanted to get himself a pair of Nike Foamposite Galaxies (the ugliest shoes that I've ever seen people rioting over!)


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## foofighter (Dec 19, 2008)

i remember not too long ago having a hard time keep up with a long haired hippy on a beach cruiser...


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## tystevens (Jul 10, 2008)

socal-k said:


> Converse Chuck Taylor high tops...old school.


What makes 'em Chuck Taylors? That little signature on both sides of the star is the signature of none other than Mr. Taylor. Of course, I have no idea who he is ...


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## BostonG (Apr 13, 2010)

Was it a Cervelo frame?


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## ClancyO (Mar 20, 2011)

*Google is your friend..*

Made me go look it up. Must just be the young whipper-nappers here that never owned a pair of chucks... 

Chuck Taylor All-Stars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

_In 1921, a basketball player by the name of Charles “Chuck” Taylor joined a basketball team sponsored by the Converse Company called The Converse All Stars. Taylor held basketball clinics in high schools all over the county and while teaching the fundamentals of the game, he sold the All Star shoes.[4] As a salesman and athlete for the company, Taylor also made improvements to the shoe he loved. His ideas for the shoe were designed to provide enhanced flexibility and support and also incorporated a patch to protect the ankle.(See Chuck Taylor) All Stars were soon worn by a variety of professional basketball players and became the envy of all aspiring basketball players. Soon after, All Stars were being worn by athletes in the Olympics and during World War II, American soldiers began to wear All Stars while in training.[5] In the 1960s Converse began to expand their company and open more factories and by that time, Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars were being worn by 90 percent of professional and college basketball players_


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## MattintheCrown (Jul 6, 2011)

I ride trails in the area regularly, and on two occasions I've been destroyed by this old guy with long white hair and a big pot belly. Looks like Santa Clause on a bike. Rides @ 21+.


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## jnbrown (Dec 9, 2009)

This was a long time and I was in pretty good shape.
Was riding up a hill that is about 300 ft climb in 1 mile.
Guy on mountain bike was on my wheel. I kept cranking up the speed thinking he would drop off.
Just before the crest of the hill he sprints past me. Very humbling.


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## socal-k (Feb 21, 2012)

jnbrown said:


> Just before the crest of the hill he sprints past me. Very humbling.


...should have blocked him.


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## steel515 (Sep 6, 2004)

*dropped by fixie*



socal-k said:


> Lord I need to get into shape- ever happen to you? Confess...:thumbsup:


Were you a) left in the dust (not going 100%), or b) were breathing heavily trying 100% to catchup?
If the second, you need to get in shape.
But in your defense, fixed bikes much lighter... no brakes, derailleur, shifters, (cables) which add up to X pound. You would have to much better shape to drop him. Once I tried to catchup to these fixies. It took a while but eventually


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*bogus defense*



steel515 said:


> Were you a) left in the dust (not going 100%), or b) were breathing heavily trying 100% to catchup?
> If the second, you need to get in shape.
> But in your defense, fixed bikes much lighter... no brakes, derailleur, shifters, (cables) which add up to X pound. You would have to much better shape to drop him. Once I tried to catchup to these fixies. It took a while but eventually


That "X" pounds, if everything else is the same, is about 3 pounds. Assuming rider and bike total 160 pounds or so, that 2% is not what I'd call "much lighter." 

The guy was just stronger. No excuses. There's always somebody stronger than you, and sometimes you encounter them.


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## rider9 (May 27, 2011)

I don't race, so I've never had anyone hand me my butt on a ride. Oh, I've been passed plenty of times. The family, the old guy, the old lady, a little kid on a tricycle... a slug...


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## carlislegeorge (Mar 28, 2004)

JCavilia said:


> It's no wonder people haven't heard of them. I mean, they only sold like half a billion pairs.


Those are the winter bootie version of Chucks...for Michigan and Canada. A true believer would only be seen riding a bike in these...


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## EHietpas (Feb 9, 2012)

I have. :cornut:


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## 8toes (Feb 28, 2010)

Whenever I ride along the lakshore here in Burlington (Ontario, Canada) I get passed by a tall kid in sneakers on his fixie. It seems. almost, as if he is stalking me. The kid is bloody fast....I am not. I am out riding and happy so its all good. I get passed so much, it seems that my rides are faster because of the tailwind from other riders whizzing by me.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I had a broken leg & hadn't ridden for a long time. I was riding on a MUT as I was recovering. A slightly overweight college girl rode up beside my on a MT bike with knobby tires. She was wearing flip flops & jean shorts. We rode together & chatted for awhile then she said, "Well, I gotta go, I need some exercise." She then proceeded to drop me like I was a bowling ball falling from a tall building. I went home & hid under the bed for 2 weeks.


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

I've been passed many times by people in jeans on mountain bikes, etc.

The most perplexing and disheartening pass I got was about 10 years ago. I was going on a short ~7 mile check out ride after doing some work in my bike. I was just starting to get into it after many years off the bike, but I wasn't in horrible shape.

I'm going up a signifant hill and there was an older guy (I was in my 40s, he was probably late 50s, 60s?) on what looked like a very old "10 speed" of the department store variety. Jeans, sneakers, flannel shirt, and he actually looked like he might be a homeless guy, pretty scruffy. So I ride past him and say hi and go on my merry way. About a minute later he passes me like I'm standing still. I tried to keep up, couldn't and then decided to pretend I wasn't trying to keep up. After about 3 miles, I saw him stop his bike and go into the woods, kind of near where I was turning. When I went past there, I couldn't see him or his bike.

I think he worked so hard he had to hide in the woods to puke and lay down. Or, he was just finding a place to sleep that night. Or he was fresh as a daisy and was just taking a pee.

I'm used to it and what the hey, I still like riding my expensive modern bike.


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

Oh, and in my day, when they were actually used to play basketball, we called them "Converse All Stars" or "Cons" or "All Stars" but never Chuck Taylors or Chucks. I don't think I ever heard them called Chuck Taylors until I met my wife in the 80s. She's from the east originally, I'm from the midwest. Now we live neither.


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

*Chuck Taylor low-cuts.*

Yep.

I was about 65 miles into a 100-miler. I had hung with a couple packs, but had dropped out of one cuz it was just too fast for me. A bunch of us were spread out all over the course solo.

A young guy on a normal road bike past me. He had the low-cut chuck taylors on. Black, of course (it is the Euros who like all the colors). I can't remember the rest of his wardrobe.

I thought for sure I can hang with him, and we could draft off each other for a while. I could not catch up with him to see if I could hang on his wheel. It was a long flat stretchof the course, so I know he did not just speed up temporarily.

Plenty of ppl passed me that day, and I have forgotten them all. But those shoes are stuck in my memory.


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## QQUIKM3 (Apr 20, 2008)

*Agreed. .*



shokhead said:


> Since I don't race I've never been dropped.


I don't get this whole ". . .Dropped by. ." thing at all. I'm not hammering in February, so getting passed is common, and it doesn't mean anything. What about if you're 40 miles into a ride on a hot day and some dude just left his house 5 miles ago (and obviously very fresh) and passes. What does that really mean? Getting "passed", unless you are in full time trial mode, is really meaningless IMO.


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## MattintheCrown (Jul 6, 2011)

QQUIKM3 said:


> I don't get this whole ". . .Dropped by. ." thing at all. I'm not hammering in February, so getting passed is common, and it doesn't mean anything. What about if you're 40 miles into a ride on a hot day and some dude just left his house 5 miles ago (and obviously very fresh) and passes. What does that really mean? Getting "passed", unless you are in full time trial mode, is really meaningless IMO.


I guess it depends on where you ride. Where I ride, there's not a ton of cyclists, and I rarely get passed. When I do, it's notable, especially if the rider looks like a bum.


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## 13thcyclist (Jan 23, 2011)

I'm sorry, but every time I see this thread title I just have to :lol::lol::lol:


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## cyclusaddictus (Dec 8, 2011)

In the best cycling shape of my life I used to ride around town on my old Marin moutain bike in jeans and hiking boots. Point was, I was riding ALL the time, everywhere I went. Now I'm sitting on my @$$ posting on this website.

ut:


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## ldotmurray (Jun 15, 2009)

While riding a MUT, which was downhill, I was caught and passed by a young hipster on a fixie. I had a huge weight advantage on him so my mass should have pushed me along faster. What made it so bad was that he was riding with no hands and texting. I should have started cycling 10 years ago.


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## jerrycan42 (Aug 18, 2010)

I pass plenty of roadies when I'm on my commuter MTB with slicks... but the road group I ride with when I'm on my road bike would make short work of me on my commuter...so there you go...


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## Winters (Dec 4, 2011)

Just watched a fixie documentary movie on Netflix 
.
... To Live & Ride in L.A.
.
Some interesting skillsets there ...


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## SFTifoso (Aug 17, 2011)

Pro or Pro-ish cyclist don't always ride their race bikes. You never know. There's a video of lance riding a fixie with a bunch of hipsters.


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## BlueGrassBlazer (Aug 4, 2009)

A buddy of mine used to ride centuries in the Livermore/Pleasanton area of CA. He and his buddies were all 'high tech' riders with the latest gear and an attitude. One particular century, he and his buddies got buried by "an old Italian guy on a beat up old steel bike wearing street clothes and loafers". 
That took him down a couple of pegs.


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## PoorCyclist (Oct 14, 2010)

BlueGrassBlazer said:


> A buddy of mine used to ride centuries in the Livermore/Pleasanton area of CA. He and his buddies were all 'high tech' riders with the latest gear and an attitude. One particular century, he and his buddies got buried by "an old Italian guy on a beat up old steel bike wearing street clothes and loafers".
> That took him down a couple of pegs.


while it sounds like your buddy probably had it coming, riding a century avg speed is usually slower than a casual ride. 
I don't know how many miles other riders are doing either, I have had people "race" me while I am out on those century rides with 8k to climb. They looked fresh.


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## danharp (Mar 4, 2012)

Jaws themed races would be good.


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## Lelandjt (Sep 11, 2008)

You never know, it might be a pro on his rest day. I have a beach cruiser with a basket and low seat that I sometimes ride the 3mi down the highway to a beach. I'll be wearing boardshorts and flip flops but if I see a roadie in front of me I can't help winding it up (25mph is spinning your legs off) and passing them. Right as I go by I stop breathing hard and give a casual "hello" but keep the tempo up so they can't hang on.


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## Guest (Mar 6, 2012)

Lelandjt said:


> You never know, it might be a pro on his rest day. I have a beach cruiser with a basket and low seat that I sometimes ride the 3mi down the highway to a beach. I'll be wearing boardshorts and flip flops but if I see a roadie in front of me I can't help winding it up (25mph is spinning your legs off) and passing them. Right as I go by I stop breathing hard and give a casual "hello" but keep the tempo up so they can't hang on.


What sort of gearing do you have on your beach cruiser? ie, how many RPMs at the cranks is 25mph? My singlespeed cyclocross commuter (which I actually use for riding trails as well) has really low gearing. 39/16, or 130RPM at 25mph. My normal riding speed on flat tarmac is actually ~20 (I like to spin). 

Only problem is it doesn't look like a "sleeper" bike like a hipster fixie or a beach cruiser, so no roadies are impressed when I "beat" them in the middle of my uber-short 5-mile short trips and they're cooling down from 2+ hours of riding. From a distance it actually looks like a normal road bike -- I even have the bar positions basically the same as my geared road bike.


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## MoPho (Jan 17, 2011)

A couple of years ago when I was just getting back into cycling after a long hiatus I was cooking along nicely (22-23mph) on the local MUT and some guy in jeans, a button down shirt, and loafers on a beat up POS mountain bike with bags on the side blows past me like I am standing still. So here I am on my fancy pants expensive road bike all spandexed out and now my ego is kicking in the red mist, so I give chase. I got up to 30mph to catch up and then was just able to keep him in my sites, that is until I completely blew up after nearly a mile of this pace, and had to give up and let him go.

I was gutted, I got home and told my wife (she laughed at me) and I had been telling everyone how I got blown away by what had to have been an Olympic Cyclist on his way home from work or something .

Well a couple of weeks later I was at a BBQ, I tell the story, and a friend says, "did the bike have two bags?"... 

Yes.... 

"Did it have what looked like a drum brake on the front wheel?"... 

Err, yes...

"That was an electric motor you dolt!"

.


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## Guest (Mar 6, 2012)

MoPho said:


> A couple of years ago when I was just getting back into cycling after a long hiatus I was cooking along nicely (22-23mph) on the local MUT and some guy in jeans, a button down shirt, and loafers on a beat up POS mountain bike with bags on the side blows past me like I am standing still. So here I am on my fancy pants expensive road bike all spandexed out and now my ego is kicking in the red mist, so I give chase. I got up to 30mph to catch up and then was just able to keep him in my sites, that is until I completely blew up after nearly a mile of this pace, and had to give up and let him go.
> 
> I was gutted, I got home and told my wife (she laughed at me) and I had been telling everyone how I got blown away by what had to have been an Olympic Cyclist on his way home from work or something .
> 
> ...


Interesting. Sounds like that electric-assisted bike is illegal in most states -- maybe modified to eliminate speed governor. In order to not need registration plates, motorized bicycles must supply no more than 746 watts (ie one horsepower), and the motorized drivetrain may not legally contribute any power if the bike is already going at or above 25mph. 

that said, a guy recently passed me in one of these:








while I was pushing a decent pace on my roadbike into a headwind. These fully streamlined trikes are so aerodynamic they can really hit high top speeds, especially if powered by a good "engine". 

I'm not sure I'd want to take one down a technical descent in heavy crosswinds though... it would have a huge drag cross section to crosswinds and I'd expect to go airborne. I think I'll stick with the roadbike.


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## MoPho (Jan 17, 2011)

PhotonFreak said:


> Interesting. Sounds like that electric-assisted bike is illegal in most states -- maybe modified to eliminate speed governor. In order to not need registration plates, motorized bicycles must supply no more than 746 watts (ie one horsepower), and the motorized drivetrain may not legally contribute any power if the bike is already going at or above 25mph.
> 
> .


I didn't get a good look at the bike, but I remember specifically that the bike was ratty in appearance so perhaps it was something he built up himself.


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## broxxor (Mar 5, 2012)

You can't judge a book by its cover. There was a guy that did the Kona Ironman wearing sandals and was on a beach cruiser. I dont remember how he did, but I recall it being pretty well.


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## JamesinIT (Jul 24, 2010)

Hehe, during the MS150 here in central Florida last year a buddy and I were cruising along around 21-22mph when we hear what sounded like an old woman yelling out "on yer left". Sure as could be, looked like a lady in her 60s or 70s, just cruised right on past us 30somethings...We both looked at each other and lol'd at the old lady leaving us behind.


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## Lelandjt (Sep 11, 2008)

PhotonFreak said:


> What sort of gearing do you have on your beach cruiser?


Yeah, it's not stock but it appears stock so it's a total sleeper. I dropped 2 teeth on the cog and put 180 cranks on (still 1 piece so you don't notice them) so I can still pull away from a stop with that tall gearing. I put a decent alloy seatpost and more normal shaped seat on cuz you can't spin on those wide seats. I cut the bars just before the last bend and rotated them flat like cafe racer bars. They look cool, let me make more power, and narrow my aero. Also, I can rest a surfboard on them. Riding next to my friend on a motorcycle I can get up to 31mph for a hundred yards but can hold 25mph for a mile or so. Comfortable cruising rpm (maybe 70?) results in 18-20mph.

Besides catching the occasional roadie I pass a lot of cars and scooters and get funny looks. I had an old Phillipino guy on a scooter gassing it to keep up with me once and he was shocked how fast we were going down Front St.


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## Cni2i (Jun 28, 2010)

Waxbytes said:


> I've been dropped by every type of rider on every type of bike at one time or another.
> I like to think of it as "keeping it real". It's too easy for me to get caught up in the carbon fiber and aero hype.* Getting dropped reminds me that riding is where it all counts.*




So true!


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2012)

Lelandjt said:


> Yeah, it's not stock but it appears stock so it's a total sleeper. I dropped 2 teeth on the cog and put 180 cranks on (still 1 piece so you don't notice them) so I can still pull away from a stop with that tall gearing. I put a decent alloy seatpost and more normal shaped seat on cuz you can't spin on those wide seats. I cut the bars just before the last bend and rotated them flat like cafe racer bars. They look cool, let me make more power, and narrow my aero. Also, I can rest a surfboard on them. Riding next to my friend on a motorcycle I can get up to 31mph for a hundred yards but can hold 25mph for a mile or so. Comfortable cruising rpm (maybe 70?) results in 18-20mph.
> 
> Besides catching the occasional roadie I pass a lot of cars and scooters and get funny looks. I had an old Phillipino guy on a scooter gassing it to keep up with me once and he was shocked how fast we were going down Front St.


That actually sounds pretty cool, preserving the looks of a beach cruiser but with some mods to make it a bit faster/more practical. Plus it sounds like you're actually using it as intended to actually go to the beach (holding surfboards and all) That's more than I can say for most beach cruiser owners I see in Arizona


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## Aggdaddy (Jun 18, 2010)

I've been dropped a few times, but this time was due to lack of water or fit on the bike. I was pushing into a headwind pretty strong just to get past people. Ended up getting passed right back, because I had to get off of the bike and relax my legs before they cramped up.

Tried once again to pass someone up on the MUT and this time it was a recumbent. I think they were doing like 16 to 17mph and the wind was on my back this time. Waited for my turn to get in the passing lane then bam off I go. Feeling the speed sensation, cranking along and all of a sudden, left hamstring starts to notify me its about to lock up on me. I had to jump off the bike real quick this time before having a 'situation'.

Once that leg calmed down I just chilled out and rode a soft pace back to the car. I caught up to the no standing still on side of MUT recumbent group and I'm pretty sure I could see a smirk on their face as I rode slowly by.


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

eekase said:


> Last summer our club had a last minute ride pop up. I suggested a hilly ~45 mile route. One guy showed up in croc's, t-shirt, and cargo shorts....on a fixie. He looked like Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws. He hung with us the whole time.
> Never judge a book by it's cover...or a rider by his appearance.


Assuming this is true, it makes you wonder if the guy was doing it to show off. Why would anyone purposely ride wearing crocs? I would think that comfort was not his goal. I could understand the t-shirt and even the cargo shorts but crocs?


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## Bosplya (Mar 25, 2008)

jlamb said:


> Prior to owning a proper road bike, I had an old mtb that I put some commuter tires on and started riding around my town. One day I was just starting up a hill and I looked back to see a guy probably in his 70's with a neon green vest quickly approaching. I had a good head start on him, but he passed me, made some small chit chat, then pulled away and left me in the dust. That is when I convinced myself to get a road bike, not that it would have helped much but I told myself it would.


Same here but I was show boating prior to the hill by passing him. When I got to the hill, he caught up half way and left me staring at him as he made it to the top. I bought a road bike shortly after.


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## antonlove (Sep 30, 2009)

These are funny!!!:lol:

Back when I was riding my 40 lb behemoth, I got dropped all the time by old men and ladies. As a result, like others mentioned, I bought a road bike. I started cycling with a group and thought we were moving along pretty fast. Then, one day, this old man (who I now know was 68 at the time) passed us on a recumbent bike wearing army fatigues. Because we've seen him out so many times, we call him Napalm. We gave chase and Napalm left us. So I started riding with a new group. The new group is a group of racers. We were out on our regular Sat morning ride, motoring along at about 22-23 mph into a headwind when we get passed by a woman...on a mtb. The good news is that she was really good looking. The bad news is that I could feel my testicles shrinking as she passed us. We did chase her down but it made me wonder why in the world did I spend all the $$ on a road bike if it's possible for a woman to ride a mtb that fast. Surely I could've ridden my behemoth faster. Right?


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## batura (Jan 4, 2012)

I guess I know one of these women. Her name is Anni. She was the secretary at our lynx office in Bern, Switzerland. She was a triathlete at the age of 60+. She even got a degree at her age class at Zurich IronMan and won a vacation to Hawaii, or elsewhere with sandy beaches and far from bloody cold Switzerland.

Even at her age, she was extremely fit, really good looking and very social. I remember I was very pissed off when she told me that she only had two sons but no daughter. Damn! Here I am pissed off again! Arrgh!


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## Dunbar (Aug 8, 2010)

You can race hipsters on fixies, girls on beach cruisers, commuters etc. literally _all day long_ on Venice Blvd in Venice, Ca. It's very easy to find yourself caught up in a wolf pack fighting for first place. I find most of the _gear challenged_ bikes don't have a chance against a road bike. But every once in a while somebody surprises you. I had a brief encounter with a girl on a beach cruiser who I just couldn't reel in (she turned off pretty quickly though.)


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## Chris-X (Aug 4, 2011)

Special Eyes said:


> Like probably to the like half billion people like under like 30. I certainly like recognize them to be like Converse All Stars. Like been around like a long time. Like what now makes them Chuck's?


Yeah, we never called them "Chuck Taylors." They were always Converse All-Stars. And we wore white hi-tops or the Carolina Blue ones that Phil Ford wore.

Low ones were on the level of skippies.


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## JapanDave (Mar 11, 2012)

I don't get dropped , I drop them!
i,Robot Converse Product Placement - YouTube


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