tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12831567.post440513152291438849..comments2024-03-28T08:40:23.164-05:00Comments on Guitar Ted Productions: Bike Shop Tales: A RAGBRAI StoryGuitar Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10960580677548417562noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12831567.post-72856309911695029362010-07-27T20:21:12.024-05:002010-07-27T20:21:12.024-05:00@Bruce Brown: Hey, I was sorry to hear of the cala...@Bruce Brown: Hey, I was sorry to hear of the calamity you guys suffered through last Friday. As a tornado survivor myself, I can totally understand the experience. <br /><br />@Cale: Yeah, there is THAT! :) Definitely something that rings in the ears of bike shop employees at this time of year like a clanging bell. <br /><br />@D: I know the feeling of cruising into your hometown on RAGBRAI myself, having had that opportunity twice already. In fact, they are going through there again this time, but I've had my fill!<br /><br />@Carson: Thanks for the kind words. I will say that RAGBRAI is like Las Vegas: Every cyclist should do it at least once. ;) But yeah, the riding is borderline insane a lot of times on that ride.Guitar Tedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10960580677548417562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12831567.post-43068846131734733422010-07-27T15:37:22.602-05:002010-07-27T15:37:22.602-05:00This has been a great rendition of RAGBRAI. I have...This has been a great rendition of RAGBRAI. I have never done it, but I don't have much desire for that fact that most people who are "racing" it don't know how and are dangerous to everyone around. I don't wanna jeopardize my racing season so that someone can pace line with me. They are just as you said, looking for a party and don't know what a true cyclist is.<br /><br />Good writing Ted!Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688594353574585197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12831567.post-60352145807448354702010-07-27T09:21:49.405-05:002010-07-27T09:21:49.405-05:00Great post! Despite my gravel grinding ways, the ...Great post! Despite my gravel grinding ways, the opportunity to ride through my hometown of Kingsley on this year's first day route was too much to pass up. I contemplated doing your suggested GBRAI, but my wife had never been a part of this rolling spectacle, so I stuck to the asphalt and rode with her.<br /><br />I let my gravel freak flag fly by riding my Fargo with Race King 29er tires. Most of the riders reacted like you would expect, i.e. either like I wasn't wearing pants or like I was from another planet. It was easy to sort out the riders from the tourists based on their reactions. Unfortunately, the former were greatly outnumbered by the latter. For every fixie rider or fully-loaded Surly LHT, there were 20 narrow-tired, narrow-minded, time trial-ing, red-faced roadies. One dude asked about my bike and then suggested I try a road bike. The fact that I sold my road bike long ago was met with a blank stare, and it stopped the conversation.<br /><br />I had a lot of fun on the Fargo (which actually got a lot of love - great bike!), and riding into my small hometown with thousands of bike riders was something I will probably never get to do again. However, spending a week just waiting to get taken out by some jack*ss mashing his way downhill like he is in pursuit of a yellow jersey is not something I need to do again anytime soon.<br /><br />-DerekDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871343248365463823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12831567.post-54155485385063495942010-07-27T08:40:40.008-05:002010-07-27T08:40:40.008-05:00the thing that drives me up a wall about Ragbrai i...the thing that drives me up a wall about Ragbrai is the fact that you cannot mention riding a bicycle in iowa without someone regaling you with stories of how their brother in law who is a "serious cyclist" won ragbrai one year.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938696356349683685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12831567.post-73210539808609641502010-07-27T07:56:19.757-05:002010-07-27T07:56:19.757-05:00Frustration understood. I've ridden it 3 time...Frustration understood. I've ridden it 3 times - most days on either a fat tire mountain bike, a fat tire mountain bike tandem - or a LWB recumbent. Pretty much had comments all day long throughout the entire week from riders that I was always on the "wrong bike" or had the "wrong kind of tires" - yet I made it across the state just fine with no problems from my standpoint. Eventually, I relaxed and got to a point that I didn't let any of the negativity get to me and thoroughly enjoyed myself. <br /><br />This year would have been my first time riding it on a road bike, but Friday night altered our trip. <br /><br />I'd be up for a gravel ride across the state if we could shower every night...BBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15175134318927287110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12831567.post-37210650634928597672010-07-27T07:34:29.756-05:002010-07-27T07:34:29.756-05:00@Wally Kilburg: While there certainly is that sort...@Wally Kilburg: While there certainly is that sort of roadie dynamic on RAGBRAI, calling the vast majority of these folks on that ride "cyclists" is stretching the term very thinly. In reality, most of these folks are "car culture" people who happen to be on a bicycle for one week in search of a party. <br /><br />Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just don't click with that and all the attendant chaos and attitude that comes with it.Guitar Tedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10960580677548417562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12831567.post-87329051253309943922010-07-27T07:08:11.197-05:002010-07-27T07:08:11.197-05:00I coalesce better with the MTB community but I lik...I coalesce better with the MTB community but I like to road ride, I just don't get along well the "roadies". They are snobby, more so than in any other activity I have been a part of. Even now, I sort of converted my Scott CX bike to a more road oriented machine and I'm sneered at - one person asked me what sort of brakes they were; must have never seen cantilevers. I hate to stereotype but most of the roadies I have met are dorks.Wallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10702260247824786727noreply@blogger.com