mbsbike2002

Wow - lot's of quietness out there today. Everybody must be working hard to get ready for the big trip this weekend! B

J - Glad to hear that finance is almost over - it started for me again last night. This should be the last accounting and last finance class that I need to take. JC - Just curious, how did you lose your truck? B

J - cool bike for Zoe! The older I get, the more of a dumbass I realize I am. Strangely enough, though, the older I get the smarter my dad gets. Not sure what the hell is up with that... B

I'm with D on the bologna thing... Maybe I was traumatized as a kid or something, but even non-ground bologna just won't go down. J - will send the addy on IM... Don't think you're a psycho, but don't really wat to share with all of the Internet, dontcha know... B

J - No hyphen... We need to get BG back into working on winning the lottery so this school and work crap can go buh bye.... B

Hi Gang! Looks like everybody had a great weekend. WooHoo HP!!! Sounds like a great ride, and great pics, too! J - Wish I could be there, too! I agree, though, we'll all have another chance to get together again. The wife, the dog, and I walked in the 3.5 mile American Heart Assoc Start! walk in downtown Dallas on Saturday. It was fun, except that I walked on pavement in my trail shoes, so my legs hurt like a mofo... There were ~25,000 people walking, so the dog had a wide variety of folks to sniff... Spent the rest of the weekend getting ready for school, which starts on Wednesday. While you guys are peddaling the highways and byways of Indiana, I'll be getting started on the joyously exciting topics of managerial accounting and managerial finance. Yippee effing tah... JC - Glad you got the truck back - and just in time for the big trip! Hope everyone has a great day! B

HP - I think I clicked the wrong button - I'll try to add you! Sorry about that - meant to click allow, not deny... Ooooooppppppssss! B

HP - looks like a troll. Can't for the life of me figure out why people would waste their time on writing crap in a forum just to piss people off.. and then, to have the gall to say that everybody else needs to get off the couch. What an asshat. B

goddammit - step away for a few minutes and miss on all the fun ragging on the flake in the chat room... HP - Thanks! It's good to be missed sometimes... BG - Yahoo IM is mbswain2002... B

BG, you should've invested another $20 in a cheap-ass iron to chunk at his head B

D - I agree, it's better now that I'm smaller ... The reasoning for no real bike riding is that the abdominal muscles are involved in balance and keeping upright - not too big of a problem, but if I fall or something, the abdominal muscles could be herniated in the violent manuever (there's actually a name for the voilent use of abs to prevent a fall - I just can't remember what it is). Also, bike weighs more than 15 pounds - can't lift it onto the car carrier... I get pissed about it, but it's only a few more weeks - would rather take it easy for a few more weeks than to take a chance on fucking something up & being off-bike for months while I heal. I'm on mushies, but don't like any of the starches that are available, so I've been mostly eating chopped chicken noodle-type soups. Had two scrambled eggs tonight. Best damn eggs I've ever had... My wife owns an iron, and amazingly, in 4 years of marriage, she hasn't chucked it at me yet! HP - I would give anything for lows in the 40s. Makes me miss Boston this time of year, we had similar temperatures. I get to spend the next two summers and Spring 2010 there, but I miss it now... B

Hey banded biker babes (and JC, the babe magnet). Sorry again for being scarce the last week. The weather here in texas has been incredible - mid 80's for the highs (we don't get that here 'til october), so i've been spending the last week before school out walking in the park and enjoying life. And yep, occasionally, hittin' it . I have been keeping up on the reading, though. I'm sooo excited for J, HP, BG, and JC to get to ride together, and more than a little bit jealous, too. I think I have the world's most conservative surgeon - still 2 weeks out from being able to get on a real bike. I'm so goddamned bored riding the trainer. I am riding a pretty high intensity, though, so I imagine that I'll be able to ride pretty strong once i get out on the road again. All this talk about running makes my joints hurt just to think about. Maybe someday, though. Cross-training is great for fitness (and besides, in those times where you have to walk the bike up the hill, it's a little list damaging to the pride if you can run it up the hill) :confused:... Today is my one-month bandiversary - 24 pounds lost. Not too shabby, even if I do say so myself. Only 2 more days until I can start eating real food. I will be happy to never see another can of soup as long as i live... J - Hope you and Allison have a great weekend together. I feel for you and the long interval after next weekend. If ya don't mind, I would like a "banded biker babe" file. I'll wear a shirt in honor of y'all next weekend. Be careful out there everybody! B

September 11 - PM - 59 minutes on bike trainer

Hey gang, Sorry it's been a little quiet from the Texas front lately (and we're not known for our quietness)... I've been riding the crap out of the trainer, which is boring as shit. Nothing like watching the taupe walls go by for an hour or so... Two more weeks 'til I can get back on the road, although that may be short-lived. Since I've met the max out of pocket for the year, I might have a few more things taken care of that I have been postponing. Free sounds like a very good price for medical care! I've been reading with interest, and a little jealousy, about everyone's rides this weekend! Yay! to all of you. It's a little late for the upcoming group ride, but Borah makes custom and semi-custom bike jerseys (Custom Sublimation). For another group outing, we could get "Team Banded Biker Babe" jerseys made. They're a little spendy and probably have a lead time of 6 to 8 weeks, but what the hell... I'd wear one. Hope everyone (and their dogs :eek: ) are goind well! B

September 9 - AM - 2 mile walk with the wife and dog PM - 63 minutes on bike trainer Deanna - 40 mile ride today is awsome!!! B

Got caught cruising the 8 year-olds, huh...

In honor of the woodshed, I finished tonight's ride on the trainer with some "Naughty Naughty" by John Parr... God I miss the 80s... B

September 7 - PM - 63 minutes on bike trainer B

D - Congratulations on the four pounds lost!!! Sorry that your shoulder is fubar, hopefully it gets better soon! HP - Glad that you got your bike back - I get so impatient with things like that. At least when you get a road bike, you'll have a spare to ride when it's in the shop. How's the new pup? BG - Stay safe in the storms. So jealous that y'all are going to get to ride together. If I could ride, I'd be there, but I do have to admit that my idea of roughing it is the Hilton... Seriously, I had to bail on boy scouts because camping involved, well, camping... Hope everyone has a good night and can get a ride in tomorrow morning. B

September 6 - AM - 30 minutes on bike trainer

HP - nothing wrong with hugs in general, but a man hug from a guy who spent all afternoon surfing porn seems like a bad idea...

Well isn't that special... Who caused you to look at all that porn? Oh I don't know, could it be SATAN? I'm with J - easy on the hug there. Be happy to shake your hand or give you a good chuck on your shoulder Glad, though, that everything worked out and that you got to keep your band and get a fill. Much better than going under the knife. B

HP - Thank you, that is very sweet! Gina - Welcome! Toast Eaters - I'm jealous! D - I'm also with ya on the mini-Reeces. Might also explain why I weighed 326 last halloween. Will be nice to be 60+ pounds lighter this halloween. On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure I completely buy into the "nothing tastes as good as thin feels" thing, because Reeces taste damn good. Maybe when I'm at goal, I can concede that it feels better than a reeces tastes, but I'm not making any promises. JC - Vaya con dios en el medico, amigo! let us know how it goes. J - Good news for you and Alison! Enjoy your time with her! B

September 5 - PM - Walk 2.6 miles with wife and dog B

Frank, Most any steel bike should be able to carry you. While bike from Walmart, Target, etc. will work, I recommend looking for a bike made by Trek, Giant, Specialized, Cannondale, and other traditional bike brands. Each of these companies has steel hybrid bikes starting in the ~$350 range going up from there. Another type of bike to consider is the recumbent bike. Sun Bicycles (www.sunbicycles.com) makes steel recumbent bikes that will support your weight, and which can be found starting around $600. The advantage that these brands offer is that they are available from a Local Bicycle Shop (LBS), who will be able to help get them adjusted properly for you, and will be able to provide after-sale support. Speaking as a fellow larger rider, the fit and adjustment of a bike is even more critical for us than for a typical small rider, due to the forces at play. A well adjusted bike should cause little discomfort to ride (your sit bones may hurt some at first), and should not cause undue stress on your joints. A poorly adjusted bike can cause a lot of stress, especially for your back, hands, wrists, and knees. I'm not sure what type of riding you plan to do, but be wary of the single-speed "cruiser" bikes, and look for a multi-speed bike. The additional gearing will allow you to utilize your mechanical efforts more efficiently, and it may allow you to take the bike farther than you currently plan. I don't use all the gears on my bike, but the one that seems to get the most use is the granny gear to keep me moving up some hills. In addition to a bike, make sure that you get a helmet (expensive helmets may be more aerodynamic, but anything over $25-30 will protect your noggin as well as a $100 helmet), here again, you will actually get more for your money from an LBS. I also highly recoomend proper bike shorts, the spandex kind. They do not have seams on the inside of your legs, they have padding to protect sensitive areas, and the material is designed to wick moisture away. (I have 1 pair of 4x and 2 pairs of 3x that have never been worn - PM me if you are interested). I can't stress how important it is to visit the local bike shops. I went to several and spent about 4 hours at the shop I finally bought my bike from. The sales guy had me ride half-a-dozen bikes. Even though they were all similar on paper, there were several that just didn't fit right, a few more that fit okay, but didn't inspire me, and finally, I found the bike that fit right and whispered "ride me" in my ear. That's the bike I bought. Another advantage of visiting your LBS is that they may have a selection of used bikes, which will allow your bike-buying dollar to go a little farther, especially when you aren't sure where biking will end up taking you. I hope that this is helpful, and I wish you the best for your biking future. B