Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

[The Rube]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

I was in the bottom two gears on the punishing hills on the other side of the river, trust me. Even an all-out effort only managed a 6-10mph speed going up those ****ing things. The gear I'm in really depends on the grade of the climb; if it's < 3%, I can manage in 3rd-4th gear pretty easily. Anything above that threshold leads to serious downshifting.

Descent speeds can be quite nutty, provided I still have the energy to continue pedaling as opposed to simply coasting. Even without pedaling at all, I was topping out around 38 mph on the WI side. One of these days, I'll pedal down a big hill and see if I can break the 40mph threshold (still haven't done it - fastest speed I've hit so far is 39.6 on a relatively short hill in Eagan).

You'll hit it going down RS Hill. Hell, I hit it on my hybrid. 42mph. It is one of those that builds, builds, builds, then you are muttering "holy sh* I need to brake" type things. Quite a rush, but I dunno if I wanna do that again.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

From the picture I saw princess kay looked pretty good this year, but it is a bit tough to tell from a headshot.

All this talk about my home territory ...

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

You'll hit it going down RS Hill. Hell, I hit it on my hybrid. 42mph. It is one of those that builds, builds, builds, then you are muttering "holy sh* I need to brake" type things. Quite a rush, but I dunno if I wanna do that again.

I won't brake going down a hill unless the conditions / road demand it (i.e. things get too curvy/visibility becomes an issue/potential cross traffic becomes an issue). If you hit 42 on a hybrid, I could probably top 45 and possibly hit 50 on my road bike. Not entirely sure I want to hit *that* high of a speed, given that any sort of mishap means severe injury / possible death.

 

[bigmrg74]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

I've only gotten massages by chance. I'm very uncomfortable (no, it's not that) with a male masseuse. No, I don't want the happy ending type places.

Sounds totally different than one of my clients today. talked about how his wife hates it when he plays around with this honking skin tag he has on his lovehandle, and then the topic went onto the practice of dutch ovening the wife. Yeah, that one was interesting.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

I won't brake going down a hill unless the conditions / road demand it (i.e. things get too curvy/visibility becomes an issue/potential cross traffic becomes an issue). If you hit 42 on a hybrid, I could probably top 45 and possibly hit 50 on my road bike. Not entirely sure I want to hit *that* high of a speed, given that any sort of mishap means severe injury / possible death.

The road was why my handlebars were shaking like Michael J Fox (ohhhh too soon?). It's a smooth road, unless you're travelling at that speed. If you hit 50, I commend you (photo proof of course).

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

The road was why my handlebars were shaking like Michael J Fox (ohhhh too soon?). It's a smooth road, unless you're travelling at that speed. If you hit 50, I commend you (photo proof of course).

Obviously I cannot take a picture when I'm going that fast - far too dangerous. However, I'd certainly take one of my node 2's max speed readout as proof. And yes, at high speed, the vibrations in the handlebars can be a bit worrisome. Road bikes don't really bother with shock absorption (that sort of thing adds weight to the bike, which is a no-no for road bikes). If I wanted to go that fast, I'd probably ride in the traffic lane (making sure no traffic was around) rather than on the shoulder - shoulders are generally a bit too bumpy / have too much rocks/other debris on them to risk going at that breakneck speed.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

Obviously I cannot take a picture when I'm going that fast - far too dangerous. However, I'd certainly take one of my node 2's max speed readout as proof. And yes, at high speed, the vibrations in the handlebars can be a bit worrisome. Road bikes don't really bother with shock absorption (that sort of thing adds weight to the bike, which is a no-no for road bikes). If I wanted to go that fast, I'd probably ride in the traffic lane (making sure no traffic was around) rather than on the shoulder - shoulders are generally a bit too bumpy / have too much rocks/other debris on them to risk going at that breakneck speed.

Yeah, even with the vibration prevention, it's rather un-nerving. I never thought I'd say this, but thank Parise for helmets. I didn't have one on for my teenage accident (my front tire ran into my bro's gearwheel; have a scar on my head, don't remember much about it). If I had a helmet, I guarantee I woulda been fine. At the speeds we're talking about? I shudder to think what would have happened.

I mean, think about it. Lay down on a roof of a car doing 40, hang on. It's like that, only worse.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

50 mph?

Pfft. We got my buddy up to 110 mph on snow skis through a corn field behind a snowmobile.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

50 mph?

Pfft. We got my buddy up to 110 mph on snow skis through a corn field behind a snowmobile.

WHat the f*k is wrong with you?

 

[The Rube]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

50 mph?

Pfft. We got my buddy up to 110 mph on snow skis through a corn field behind a snowmobile.

Buddy: hanging on to my rolled down window on my car (the frame, in other words), on rollerblades. Hit 54 mph on a side street before he let go. Purposely faceplanted into a lawn to stop.

Also, bro on the roof of my car, hanging on. Lived in a cul-de-sac. Winter. Drove in circles, hit 30 mph, then purposely ran into snowbank to throw brother on lawn. And he knew it was coming. He still wanted to do it.



P.S. Not saying it was smart. Just saying it happened.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

WHat the f*k is wrong with you?

He is a crazy basterd. He flies fighter jets for the Air Force now. I think high speeds give him a chubby.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

WHat the f*k is wrong with you?

With him? Didn't you have fun as a kid?!

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

If you don't wear a helmet, you're basically asking to die or be a vegetable for the remainder of your existence if anything goes wrong (and it really doesn't take much at higher speeds).

I don't want to know what possessed somebody to want to be pulled behind something on skis at 110mph. That's certifiably insane.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

If you don't wear a helmet, you're basically asking to die or be a vegetable for the remainder of your existence if anything goes wrong (and it really doesn't take much at higher speeds).

I don't want to know what possessed somebody to want to be pulled behind something on skis at 110mph. That's certifiably insane.

He's a redneck. Do the math. As you were, I was raised in the non-helmet/sorta converting to helmet era. That's my excuse. Hell, we built dirt tracks, cracked a few frames, etc. That was our era.

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

He's a redneck. Do the math. As you were, I was raised in the non-helmet/sorta converting to helmet era. That's my excuse. Hell, we built dirt tracks, cracked a few frames, etc. That was our era.

If he added, "and we were slamming whiskey while doing that", I'd not be surprised.

It's a minor miracle we all aren't dead or severely disabled from the crap we did growing up now that I think about it.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

If he added, "and we were slamming whiskey while doing that", I'd not be surprised.

It's a minor miracle we all aren't dead or severely disabled from the crap we did growing up now that I think about it.

Totally agreed on both counts.

But that's what made us men. Today's kids are (kittens). My brother has two girls (JFC, can't wait until they are dating age, that'll be hilarious). And he shudders to think of what would be had he spawned a son or two, given his genes.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

He wore a helmet, we had some common sense, not much, but some.

Also, the huricaneirine twitter account is hilarious.

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

Keep in mind what drove us to that sort of behavior: a lack of good alternate entertainment options. Videogames were *just* starting to take off (I was 7 when the NES debuted and didn't have one until I was 10). TV options were a joke until the late 80s/early 90s basically. The internet and cell phones were years away from public consumption. We all likely had parents that told us "go outside" if we parked in front of a TV for more than an hour.

So, that led to doing nutty/dangerous/likely illegal things (for me, many of them involved fireworks).

Brent, just tell your brother to get a shotgun. That solves the dating phase of his daughters' lives.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

We lit the road on fire once. Used a mixture of gasoline and drain oil, poured a smily face on the road, and lit it up. It was 2 lanes wide.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Rep Retirement Lodge 137: Counting the long summer days

Keep in mind what drove us to that sort of behavior: a lack of good alternate entertainment options. Videogames were *just* starting to take off (I was 7 when the NES debuted and didn't have one until I was 10). TV options were a joke until the late 80s/early 90s basically. The internet and cell phones were years away from public consumption. We all likely had parents that told us "go outside" if we parked in front of a TV for more than an hour.

So, that led to doing nutty/dangerous/likely illegal things (for me, many of them involved fireworks)


Brent, just tell your brother to get a shotgun. That solves the dating phase of his daughters' lives.

First, "go outside" was a staple. And we were demented. You met Big Poppa, and we've (along with my bro and another guy) ran the neighborhood for 20 years. Do the math.

Second, tv was indeed an option, but rarely used. It was "until my friends got home from school" option. Of course, we scrounged for ideas to try, except more efficiently.