cfforum

You are a stuD! (Ya, with a capital "D")

=- Hairy Curt

WOW!!! Amazing Scott.....10k in a year...and I was proud of almost hitting 1,000 since May!

Keep on ridin'!!!

We used to ride 50,000 miles in a month, on Huffy bikes with no pedals in the snow up the side of Mount McKinney...err, McKinley. Of course we didn't need pedals back then becase we would just dip our feet (we couldn't afford shoes) in water and let them freeze to the crank.

Our mileage would have been better it that Kodiak bear hadn't taken my right leg and Curtis' left hand and right arm. But he never was one to complain so we just never talked about it.

Of course we were always busy with fishing in the summer months so we were able to do our training in the winter time; it was nice, however, that winds stayed between 50 and 60 mph; and fortunately, it was a cross-breeze!

The miles came harder with age, especially after the snow mobile accident when my bike was disfigured and Curtis' wheels were destroyed. For Curtis, riding on a hub an spokes was great for traction on steep, snowy climbs, but the rolling resistance was the bane of his existance out on the tundra. As for my bike, aluminum can take on a funny shape without actually breaking. I don't know where the seat got off to but I'm convinced that my bike is far more comfortable when in the standing position...and I don't ride on bumpy mountains.

But no, really, 10,000 miles in a year in sunny California, on paved roads, with the A Group to pull you along is a good start toward riding with the big boys at Cycle Mckinney, err, Cycle McKinley.

833 miles per month, 208 miles per week, rain or shine, sleet or snow.

That's getting it done! What you have so humbly NOT mentioned was the number of feet climbed during that period. I'm going to take what I believe to be a fairly accurate guess (based on the many rides that we have done together) and say it's about 100 feet per mile. This figure may be a bit high, but not much.

One could extrapolate that out to:

20,800 ft per week (not coincidentally, Mt McKinley is 20,320 ft)
83,300 ft per month
1,000,000 ft per year

And you wonder why I needed to get a head start on Monday? Tisk, tisk: you are Superman and I am...well, just some guy with a web site.

Mr. McKskinny (we've got to do something to be little this guy... he's the biggest stuD out there) had a full 2000 miles more than I did in the last 12 months. And since I know that about half (if not all) of that difference came from miles between his home and Folsom, I won't give him credit for more than 1/2 a million feet of climbing. Sorry, he'll have to get an altimeter and prove that claim.

1/2 a million feet of climbing, maybe.

=- Curt

Half a million? That's it.

Why, when I was kid I got that many feet on my Royce Union in the first 6 months I owned the bike. I used the prize money I earned racing other kids in the neighborhood up "Deacon Canyon" to buy a brand new 1969 Schwinn Orange Krate:

http://www.antiquewhs.com/2005011.htm

The Orange Krate was fully equipped with five speed Stik-Shift, front spring fork, and rear shock absorber, bucket seats, and front drum brake. It also featured chrome plated fenders, "MAG" sprocket, and rear caliper brake. The Kool Orange color...well, priceless. Schwinn also made an Apple Krate, which was Red

With a retail price of slightly under $100 dollars (an Orange Krate in original condition now sells for ~$3,500), well I must have won a lot of climbs up Deacon Canyon; and that translates to well over half a million feet of climbing that summer.

So before you go bragging about your measily 50,000 flat land miles, try climbing Deacon Canyon on a bike that weighs over half your own body weight (as the Royce Union did). At 45 pounds the Orange Krate was ultra-light (still over half my body weight - I was 8 years old); I owned the Deacon Canyon climb once I moved up onto that 'light as the clouds' bad-boy!

Well, as you can imagine, with the money I made kickin' butt with my Orange Krate I had to customize it! I knew the others would be green with envy, and after having gotten 'inked' for the first time (via a rub on tattoo from the penny machine at the Rexall) I decided to go lowwwww. To check out my "dropped n chopped" Green Apple Krate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7s4RPik4KQ

I remember. You were soooo kewl! I was at the canyon once to watch you race. I couldn't believe it when I saw you rocket up the canyon burning those aft thrusters. It's like you weren't even applying power to the gold plated chain (because Gold is >so< strong with those 90mm cranks.

Hey, my kids would love to see all that. If you still have the bike we could go watch you recreate the moment on Beatty. What do you say?

=- Curt

Well Hairycurt - you can pick up yer own Orange Krate right here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Schwinn-Orange-Krat ... dZViewItem

Current high bid is $410! probably 300% higher than the original list price.

Well Hairycurt - you can pick up yer own Orange Krate right here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Schwinn-Orange-Krat ... dZViewItem

Current high bid is $410! probably 300% higher than the original list price.

You forgot to mention there was also a "lemon peeler"