# first commute at new "good ole boys" ******* shop



## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

So I moved back to my small home town w/ my wife and currently doing some contract work for my dad's shop that builds parts for big tractors. Parking lot is full of jacked up 4x4 Fords w/ hunting dog boxes and I've got 3 free camo hats already, 2 CAT and a Kelly Tractor. I do most of my cad work at home but i have to come in and sketch/measure parts at the shop so I biked in today. Got more than a few looks of disbelief as I rode in full lycra but i changed into my boots and wranglers and donned the workshirt w/ "Earl" on the patch and now i'm gettiner done w/ the rest of the good ole boys, might be alittle high yet from all the diesel fumes i sucked in on the way.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

they used to make demin-look lycra bibshorts


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

There is no reason you have to ride in lycra.


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

Keep us posted, this sounds like it's going to be a source of amusing stories of stereotypes being disproved, etc.


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## tomk96 (Sep 24, 2007)

lx93 said:


> Keep us posted, this sounds like it's going to be a source of amusing stories of stereotypes being disproved, etc.



gutfiddle is full of amusing stories. if this is your first glance at that, you've missed some great stories.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

gutfiddle said:


> So I moved back to my small home town w/ my wife and currently doing some contract work for my dad's shop that builds parts for big tractors. Parking lot is full of jacked up 4x4 Fords w/ hunting dog boxes and I've got 3 free camo hats already, 2 CAT and a Kelly Tractor. I do most of my cad work at home but i have to come in and sketch/measure parts at the shop so I biked in today. Got more than a few looks of disbelief as I rode in full lycra but i changed into my boots and wranglers and donned the workshirt w/ "Earl" on the patch and now i'm gettiner done w/ the rest of the good ole boys, might be alittle high yet from all the diesel fumes i sucked in on the way.


worthless without pix...

//do they have a beer, bait and ammo shop in town?


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

MB1 said:


> There is no reason you have to ride in lycra.


i dont wanna get into a commuting w/ cycling specific clothes or in denim coveralls debate but i have a dresser full of jerseys and bibs and in the Florida humidity i feel much more comfortable cycling w/ them no matter what I look like or how many catcalls and whistles i get on the way in, as long as they see me is all i care. Most everyone gave me a wide girth since there wasnt any shoulder on the highway and mostly it was tractor trailers passing me this morning.


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> worthless without pix...
> 
> //do they have a beer, bait and ammo shop in town?
> 
> ...


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

gutfiddle said:


> wide girth


you said "wide girth"....huh, huh...


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

gutfiddle said:


> Bocephus Jones II said:
> 
> 
> > worthless without pix...
> ...


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> gutfiddle said:
> 
> 
> > anything welcome...let me see where you're living now. ******* stereotypes OK.
> ...


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

GF: I don't know where your Dad's shop is located, but having grown up in Mulberry, there aren't too many roads around there I'd feel comfortable riding a bike on for very long. Too many semis in a hurry, not to mention the 4X4s trying to how close they can come to hitting you with the side mirrors as they go by. My parents still live in Willow Oak and the roads around have no shoulders / bike paths either, so I never even think of taking a bike over when I go to see them. Good luck with the relocation and hope all works out the best for you.


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

cdhbrad said:


> GF: I don't know where your Dad's shop is located, but having grown up in Mulberry, there aren't too many roads around there I'd feel comfortable riding a bike on for very long. Too many semis in a hurry, not to mention the 4X4s trying to how close they can come to hitting you with the side mirrors as they go by. My parents still live in Willow Oak and the roads around have no shoulders / bike paths either, so I never even think of taking a bike over when I go to see them. Good luck with the relocation and hope all works out the best for you.


Thanks, I was kinda worried about the semi's tearin down the hwy but I only had a few pass me today, I've commuted on much busier roads over in Cocoa. I take 37 south to 640 which is only about 10 miles from my house on Carter Road. Not alot of cyclist in the area but a few here and there are poppin up. If you ever do bring a bike over to Willow Oak let me know and we can do a loop out thru Nichols to Keysville or something.


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

Sounds good. Now that you are closer, you need to get up to San Antonio for a Sunday ride sometime. A few of us from Bradenton are going up this Sunday and will be heading out with the 8:00 AM group. If you make it, look for a couple of "old" guys in Ringling Bicycles jerseys.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Beer bait*



Bocephus Jones II said:


> do they have a beer, bait and ammo shop in town?


There used to be a bar in our neck of the woods called the Tiz It (say it out loud). Anyway, they had a sign posted by the front door, that you could easily read from the road (across the parking lot):

"No guns, knives, or ammo allowed."

You just KNOW there was some action there on Saturday nights!


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

few observations after being here a couple days....biking w/ the kiddo to school is a great chance to bond with him.....had a nice tailwind coming in and about 9 out of every 10 semi's that pass give me lots of room but it's that 1 that buzzes right next to me that really makes me puckker.....Head honcho brings his dog to the office everyday and a customer came in w/ a "wooden leg" as they called it here and the dog went after it......Guy in the shop rides a 3wheeler to work w/ fishin poles strapped to it and catches bass on his lunchbreak....only thing the shop foreman does in his office is dip copenhagen and watch silly videos ppl email him or porn and there are more deer/hog/bass mounts on his wall than a Cabelas store.....my dad keeps the office thermostat set on 69 so i'm constantly sweating outside and then goin into shock when i come in.....this pop country radio bs is killing me, i'm about to crank my mp3 player up.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

gutfiddle said:


> .biking w/ the kiddo to school is a great chance to bond with him.....


I started doing this with my youngest (age 7) this year. I didn't think he'd want to ride with me--preferring his friends' compnay, but he really likes it and I get to teach him bike safety and chat on the way to school. I have also been meeting him after school to ride home--he shows me how strong he is riding up the big hill from his school.


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> I started doing this with my youngest (age 7) this year. I didn't think he'd want to ride with me--preferring his friends' compnay, but he really likes it and I get to teach him bike safety and chat on the way to school. I have also been meeting him after school to ride home--he shows me how strong he is riding up the big hill from his school.



yeah my stepson is 9 so he's not quite old enough to bike the 2 miles to school by hisself so I bike with him there and meet him afterwards. Its neat to see him follow my example on the bike and makes our relationship better for other areas, kinda like he realizes i'm trying to look out for him and help him so we havnt butted heads yet:thumbsup:


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

Put a gun rack on your bike, and stick a BB/pellet rifle in it.

Commuting with your kid on a road with semi's passing you? That's something I wouldn't do.


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

JohnnyTooBad said:


> Put a gun rack on your bike, and stick a BB/pellet rifle in it.
> 
> Commuting with your kid on a road with semi's passing you? That's something I wouldn't do.


There are sidewalks thru the residential neighborhoods from my house to the kids school, no semi's until i'm halfway to work in the opposite direction, i appreciate the concern tho 

I'm thinking a camo helmet might help assimilate?


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## GregH (Jul 27, 2008)

Don't mention the chamois cream or you're really in trouble.....


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## theBreeze (Jan 7, 2002)

Reminds me of a run down gas station/convenience store/gun store I used to stop at in southern Colorado. The sign on the door said "Please remove ski mask before entering store."


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

this morning someone slid a blackcat firecracker under the bathroom door as i was changing out of my bike clothes, helped me jump out of my lycra faster.


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

Firecracker...... only because an M 80 wouldn't fit under the door. Lucky you.


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

cdhbrad said:


> Firecracker...... only because an M 80 wouldn't fit under the door. Lucky you.


I have to hide my bike in the back of my dads truck to keep "Pork Chop" from welding **** to it.


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

Some things about Mulberry will never change.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

cdhbrad said:


> Some things about Mulberry will never change.


Is the actual name of the town Mulberry or is that just a code name?


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> Is the actual name of the town Mulberry or is that just a code name?



http://www.mulberrychamber.org/mulberyHistory.htm

Mulberry, FL...famous for the worlds largest walking dragline used to mine phosphate and of course the Mulberry Tree which was used for hanging people in the middle of town.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

gutfiddle said:


> http://www.mulberrychamber.org/mulberyHistory.htm
> 
> Mulberry, FL...famous for the worlds largest walking dragline used to mine phosphate and of course the Mulberry Tree which was used for hanging people in the middle of town.


same town as the Andy Griffith show then? or different state?


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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> same town as the Andy Griffith show then? or different state?


No, that was Mayberry, NC.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

brucew said:


> No, that was Mayberry, NC.


Mayberry/Mulberry...close enough. :blush2:


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

Believe it or not, GF and I both grew up in Mulberry, just 25-30 years apart.


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## roadscrape (Apr 22, 2008)

Living in any semi-rural to rural area has its cultural hazards. I've lived all across the south from SC to TX and have had experiences similar to those posted above.

The camo cycling kit gave me an idea, though. The good ole' boys ain't gonna mess with the US Army. They might even stop and offer you a beer or chew of tobacco. So......a camo cycling kit (choco chip or mossy oak?) with big US Army Combat Cycle Squad in big, visible letters. Where a black cycling helmet with big white US Army letters. 
Such a kit won't totally eliminate ******* encounters, but my guess is would certainly reduce instances significantly. Heck, your local recruiting station might even help sponsor the advertising! 

It's not a matter of patriotism per se - it's a matter of survival!


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

roadscrape said:


> Living in any semi-rural to rural area has its cultural hazards. I've lived all across the south from SC to TX and have had experiences similar to those posted above.
> 
> The camo cycling kit gave me an idea, though. The good ole' boys ain't gonna mess with the US Army. They might even stop and offer you a beer or chew of tobacco. So......a camo cycling kit (choco chip or mossy oak?) with big US Army Combat Cycle Squad in big, visible letters. Where a black cycling helmet with big white US Army letters.
> Such a kit won't totally eliminate ******* encounters, but my guess is would certainly reduce instances significantly. Heck, your local recruiting station might even help sponsor the advertising!
> ...


i would love a camo cycling kit, palmetto pattern is popular in florida but army reg would be cool too. wore my "ONELESSCAR" faux nascar jersey today that was the talk of the shop


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## jtw1n (Sep 20, 2008)

Get a new bell volt bright green and add a big yellow john deere to the side or a yellow/black giro from the live strong collections and add a CAT sticker, you'll fit right in. Some cutoff faded blue jeans will work for shorts.


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

jtw1n said:


> Get a new bell volt bright green and add a big yellow john deere to the side or a yellow/black giro from the live strong collections and add a CAT sticker, you'll fit right in. Some cutoff faded blue jeans will work for shorts.


Somebody has to have tried these life-saving measures before. But finding proof is kind of like w/ Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti/Chupacabras, etc.- or maybe someone has pix they'd care to post...?


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

lx93 said:


> Somebody has to have tried these life-saving measures before. But finding proof is kind of like w/ Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti/Chupacabras, etc.- or maybe someone has pix they'd care to post...?



be patient my fellow commuter....


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## superjohnny (May 16, 2006)

Gorgeous pictures. Thanks for sharing.


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## khill (Mar 4, 2004)

roadscrape said:


> Living in any semi-rural to rural area has its cultural hazards. I've lived all across the south from SC to TX and have had experiences similar to those posted above.
> 
> The camo cycling kit gave me an idea, though. The good ole' boys ain't gonna mess with the US Army. They might even stop and offer you a beer or chew of tobacco. So......a camo cycling kit (choco chip or mossy oak?) with big US Army Combat Cycle Squad in big, visible letters. Where a black cycling helmet with big white US Army letters.
> Such a kit won't totally eliminate ******* encounters, but my guess is would certainly reduce instances significantly. Heck, your local recruiting station might even help sponsor the advertising!
> ...


Or just wear one of these:


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

gutfiddle said:


> I have to hide my bike in the back of my dads truck to keep "Pork Chop" from welding **** to it.


If "Pork Chop" welded on my bike, I think I'd weld his 4x4 in to a 0x0. Or maybe just drag the welding tip across the threads of a few tire lugs and tell him to watch out for that box of nails that spilled in the parking lot. It's amazing how fast an oxy-acetylene torch and/or plasma cutters will go through sheet metal such as quarter panels. The great part about 4x4's is that they're usually jacked up enough that it's real easy to reach the oil pan, fuel lines, and other such vital components. I'm not saying you should do any of that, but you may want to have a casual conversation about all the things that can go wrong with a motorized vehicle...

Of course, both my bikes are aluminum, so a TIG/MIG set up would be required in the first place.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*legs?*



gutfiddle said:


> So I moved back to my small home town w/ my wife and currently doing some contract work for my dad's shop that builds parts for big tractors. Parking lot is full of jacked up 4x4 Fords w/ hunting dog boxes and I've got 3 free camo hats already, 2 CAT and a Kelly Tractor. I do most of my cad work at home but i have to come in and sketch/measure parts at the shop so I biked in today. Got more than a few looks of disbelief as I rode in full lycra but i changed into my boots and wranglers and donned the workshirt w/ "Earl" on the patch and now i'm gettiner done w/ the rest of the good ole boys, might be alittle high yet from all the diesel fumes i sucked in on the way.


I assume you haven't discussed shaved legs, yet? ;-)


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## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

gutfiddle said:


> i would love a camo cycling kit, palmetto pattern is popular in florida but army reg would be cool too. wore my "ONELESSCAR" faux nascar jersey today that was the talk of the shop


:thumbsup: to the "NASCAR" jersey. 

I've never seen that palmetto camo pattern before. Of course we aren't exactly flush with palmettos in NTexas. I think my next cap is going to be Game Guard camo.


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