There is an Urban Cycling thread which Sid started but I wanted to have a thread that was not just for urban cycling but any kind of cycling, i.e. mountain, hybrid, road biking. I had messaged Pete about where exactly to put this thread since there is no 'Health & Fitness' sub forum which he said he may create one of these days so for now, it will be posted here until that day.

As far as cycling goes, what kind of bicycle do you own? Where do you generally ride? Where do you go for the best service & accessories? Are there any tips you can share based on your level of expertise? Are there any activities that we can do as a group here in the city?

Feel free to share any knowledge on the subject that you may have.

I'd be more than happy to start off. I have a 2008 Giant FCR3 that I initially purchased back then and rode for that summer...then I lost track of time. Only recently have I picked it back up (also because the car I drove at the time and the speaker system I had inside, there was absolutely no way to fit the bike in there). I was not partial to sharing the road. Now I drive a car with no system and the bike fits--minus the front wheel--so I ride.

Generally I ride around Lake Hefner but I have also ridden down along the Oklahoma River and I would like to incorporate Lake Overholser into my treks.

I also think it would be really cool to ride downtown in the bike lanes as an organized event if anyone is interested to get people to realize what those lanes are used for--not their cars!

Also, I don't know how many of you use apps but there is an app for either the iPhone or Android that is called Strava and it is really interesting because you can friend your friends that use it and it shows their routes, miles ridden, and other statistics. It also gives challenges and provides various segments and keeps track of your "bests" depending on where you're riding.

Anyway, I hope this thread will sprout into something nice and I hope to meet some of you out there on the path. We may have already ridden past eachother for all we know!

When I ride, I've noticed that over greater distances, my neck and shoulders will start to pain, especially and pretty much only on my right side (probably because I'm right handed and I exert more energy on that side) and only notice it when I look over my right shoulder. I searched the web for help regarding this pain and would like to share this link for insight:

Cycling - Upper Back Pain (http://www.brianmac.co.uk/cycling/upperbackpain.htm)

I also think it would be really cool to ride downtown in the bike lanes as
an organized event if anyone is interested to get people to realize what
those lanes are used for--not their cars!
There's an organized ride that starts somewhere in Bethany and rides to
Brown's Bakery on Saturday mornings. If you like I can find out when and
where it begins. I know they cruise down N.W. 19th street for quite a
while. I'm thinking around N. Meridian.

There's an organized ride that starts somewhere in Bethany and rides to
Brown's Bakery on Saturday mornings. If you like I can find out when and
where it begins. I know they cruise down N.W. 19th street for quite a
while. I'm thinking around N. Meridian.That ride starts at Will Rogers park tennis center at 9:04. It's organized by the Oklahoma Bicycle Society which also has a number of other weekly rides. They also organize "The Streak" which is held in Edmond in late summer. Go to oklahomabicyclesociety.com

This will be a nice thread until it descends into a "cyclist v. motorist" shouting match, at which point it should be moved to the Politics forum.

The Saturday ride from Will Rogers Park to Brown's Bakery & back is the legendary "Donut Ride." Weekly Rides | Oklahoma Bicycle Society (http://oklahomabicyclesociety.com/weekly-rides/) It is perfect for those starting in cycling, wanting to learn more about it, or make contacts in the community. The leader is Fred Kamp, a legend in OKC cycling.

Last night at Lake Overholser was the 4th in a series of five time trials along the west side of the lake, and the last will be held on August 21st. At the same time leaving from Route 66 Park (west side of Overholser) were about 50 riders in four groups going in different directions at different speeds. And from Schlegel Bicycles was a mostly-beginner ride down & along the Oklahoma River and back.

There were more rides last night than these, but this illustrate that organized cycling is happening all over the metro, all the time.

I see those guys on my way to work every Saturday morning, so unfortunately, that group ride is out for me.

As for the thought on this turning into a "versus" shouting match, no. Pete will delete posts if necessary. I talked to him about starting a thread such as this so it will be moderated. We who cycle are also motorists so those motorists can realize that just as a road is for cars and motorcycles, they are also for bicycles. As a healthier lifestyle is adapted people will get used to it being fact.

I still have yet to ride on a major arterial road, but I did use the Robinson and Portland bridges for crossovers for cycling down on the river this past Sunday, so that was a start!

That ride starts at Will Rogers park tennis center at 9:04. It's organized
by the Oklahoma Bicycle Society which also has a number of other
weekly rides.
Thanks. My brother in law, nephew and some other folk start in
Bethany. I thought it started there.

I have been riding a Mongoose XR-75 with 26" wheels for about 9 years off and on. More off than on because I was still playing sports and doing a lot of running until I tore up my meniscus and ACL. Once that happened I was in denial and thought I would eventually have a 100% full recovery. Not having the important parts of your meniscus pretty much minimizes any high impact activities so no more indoor soccer leagues on 2-3 different teams playing back to back sessions and no more random basketball leagues around the metro. I thought cycling was more for the older crowd or the goofy guys that didn't have the coordination for sports. Well...what physical activity can I do with a bum knee...? After a few years of continuous beating up my knee trying to return to sports and doing heavy squats at the gym, I decided in June of this year to really dedicate myself to cycling and really found myself getting hooked. I started using MapMyRide and the mongoose has seen about 200 miles now mostly on the road on 10-15 mile rides along the east side of Draper Lake and back home averaging about 10-12 mph with toe cages and moderate effort. I discovered the OEF Mountain Bike Trails out at Draper not long after hitting the road and have spent the last 6-7 weekends exploring each of the trails like a giddy young adventurer. I love it! Late last week I decided to hand down to my 11 year old son and bought myself a Raleigh Talus 29 Sport from Al's Bicycle. I've been having so much fun with the new bike because it is so much lighter, faster, and just all around more reliable and reassuring to ride and jump around the trails on. My fastest mile on the mongoose was 3:43 with max effort on a flat loop in my neighborhood, and not I can do a 2:59 on the new Raleigh Talus. I'm having a blast! I find myself shopping components now and learning more about them, but I think really the only thing I want is maybe some faster road tires so I can possibly make the entire loop around Draper in roughly the same amount of time (~1-2 hours) I also have been looking for a Galaxy S4 handlebar mount so I can look at it and not have to buy a computer to track time and distance or risk losing the phone slipping out of my shorts which has never happened in 200 road miles or hopping on the trails but still. One other thing I'm looking into is a hitch mount bike rack that will carry 4 bikes. Any suggestions?

I'm up for some group rides and exploring/discovering some new places to ride. I've been wanting to try the teeter totter out at Thunderbird and doing Bluff Creek out at Hefner. I'm also curious what my time would be riding around lake Hefner on the knobby tires or even the OK River Trails. If you guys decide on a group run let me know!

Sounds great jjprachyl! A lot of the above is French to me but it sounds like you're more of an off road cyclist. I just got back from Flagstaff and that is definitely a great place to own an off road bike! They are a lot more cyclist friendly out there. I couldn't pack my bike when I went but I got my sister's old Specialized mountain bike out and rode it around with her kids.

I noticed she had a set of road tires and then the mountain tires. Pretty good idea, since my bike is a hybrid. I guess I could technically buy some real road tires to get that faster ride in.

As for your quest of a bike rack, I would check out http://www.saris.com/ for a quality rack. Sure, you can go cheap with a Wal-Mart purchase but you may want quality.

You'd probably do just fine around Hefner or on the Oklahoma River trails. I have a friend that occasionally rides with me (like on the same day but not always at the same pace side by side) and even though his tires have more tread, he tends to only lag about 4 to 5 minutes behind me and I average about 40 minutes for one lap around Hefner.

Most of you heard of the death of triathlete Chance Toles who was killed Saturday near the end of a 100-mile charity ride in Bethany. He was participating in The Children's Center "Spin Your Wheels" event, and was 1.5 miles from the finish when he apparently fell, landing in front of a truck whose driver wasn't able to avoid him. Mr. Toles leaves behind wife, Raynee, and nine-year-old daughter, Pasley.

A family friend has established an online fund to solicit contributions for Pasley's college education expenses. Here is the link if you are able to contribute:
Chance Toles Memorial Education Fund by Corie Young - GoFundMe (http://www.gofundme.com/ChanceToles?utm_campaign=Emails&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email)

Yes, heard about it on the news. Wanted to participate, but alas, I work on Saturdays and I just got back from a week long vacation a week beforehand. Can't imagine what happened to his bike that made him fall off, especially into same side traffic. Horrible all around for his family and friends.

The expansion cracks on 39th Expressway are formidable, especially those between the shoulder and right lanes, and they've claimed many participants at this event. One rider crashed in front of me last year, and my wife crashed year in the same place where Chance Toles went down on Saturday.

Seems to me they need to adjust their route. Since you have participated, maybe you could bring up that point to them.

Tuesday, August 20, 9pm

Full Moon Bicycle Ride

Meet at Band Shell

For Full Moon Fun, bring your bike and meet up at the Band Shell for a leisurely hour’s ride on various downtown area routes specially planned by Schlegel Bicycles. Don’t have a bike? Rent a Spokie. Lights and helmets are required; a $5 donation to the Gardens per rider is suggested.

For those that are unaware. What is the address at or near the Band Shell?

For those that are unaware. What is the address at or near the Band Shell?

I'm assuming its referring to the Myriad Gardens?