New Year weight loss plans ???

"james" wrote:

even if you can't commute to work i'm a big advocate of utilitarian
biking. even if it adds 1/3 additional time to your commute, that 1/2
time you would have spent in car is now spent doing some heavy duty
cardio. naturally western more "outdoorsy" states are more supportive
and condusive to this lifestyle, but even if your co-workers think
you're a dork so be it. your abs and your wallet will benefit. (the
savings in gas money, plus lowering my car insurance to "occasional
use" has given me a LOT more money for flying...

I'm pretty evangelistic about bike commuting too, and have been doing
it for a LOT of years. Once you get used to it, you'll find yourself
making excuses why you CAN ride to work, rather than why you CAN'T.
It's a rare example of "making time" - compared to sitting in traffic
for an hour a day, burning gas and wearing out your car - THEN trying
to find time to go (drive!) to the gym... bike commuting allows you to
have a pleasant ride to work, and then another one coming home, and
usually adds only minutes to the total "commute" time.

My daily ride is 12.5 miles each way, and takes 40 to 45 minutes.
Driving to the same destination takes 25 to 45 minutes (average of ~35
minutes). So for 10 to 20 minutes "investment" I get about an hour
and a half of workout time.

a few times i've even biked to FTG (home airport), with a friend,
flight gear in my panniers, and secured bikes in the back of the 182.
at my destination they comes in perfect for getting around and
exploring whatever town we're headed to (and generally much more
reliable than the courtesy car

This is going to drive (no pun intended) my choice of aircraft some
day - I need a relatively fast 2-seater with enough room behind the
seats for a couple bikes and luggage. It helps that I own a company
that builds titanium bikes - less impact on W&B.

now bikes AND camping gear get a little too heavy on hot summer days...

Suddenly the Murphy Moose looks better...

Mark Hickey

"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
...
It helps that I own a company that builds
titanium bikes - less impact on W&B.

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in China... I
was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike for
my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were either made in China or
Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the USA anymore?

Grumman-581 wrote:

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in China... I
was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike for
my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were either made in China or
Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the USA anymore?

One guy builds frames here in Louisiana. Its for the xtreme sports
people who do stunts and dirt racing. Used to build them here @4R7 and
then moved his operation to Baton Rouge...

Darrel Toepfer wrote:
Grumman-581 wrote:

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in
China... I
was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike
for
my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were either made in China or
Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the USA anymore?


One guy builds frames here in Louisiana. Its for the xtreme sports
people who do stunts and dirt racing. Used to build them here @4R7 and
then moved his operation to Baton Rouge...

There's a man near me who makes his frames in his own shop using, get
this, no power tools! He has a peddle operated grinder and other man
powered tools that he uses. Of course, many of his components are
imported as I don't think there are any US makers of brakes,
derailleurs, etc.

Check it out at: http://www.oswaldcycleworks.com/

I bought a couple of Fuji bikes there two years ago and Tom was a great
guy to deal with.

Matt

Trek still makes US frames as does Waterford. You can go to Waterford and
they make a frame to fit you. One of our bike club members is in line for a
titanium Waterford proto type. When you talk Waterford you are not talking
Wal-Mart as they can be up to $10,000 for each custom bike.


--
Cy Galley - Webmaster www.qcbc.org

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
Darrel Toepfer wrote:
Grumman-581 wrote:

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in China...
I
was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike
for
my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were either made in China
or
Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the USA anymore?


One guy builds frames here in Louisiana. Its for the xtreme sports people
who do stunts and dirt racing. Used to build them here @4R7 and then
moved his operation to Baton Rouge...

There's a man near me who makes his frames in his own shop using, get
this, no power tools! He has a peddle operated grinder and other man
powered tools that he uses. Of course, many of his components are
imported as I don't think there are any US makers of brakes, derailleurs,
etc.

Check it out at: http://www.oswaldcycleworks.com/

I bought a couple of Fuji bikes there two years ago and Tom was a great
guy to deal with.

Matt

Grumman-581 wrote:
"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
...
It helps that I own a company that builds
titanium bikes - less impact on W&B.

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in
China... I was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking
for a new bike for my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were
either made in China or Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the
USA anymore?

Frames cost $8 to make in China...

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/rec...47a63355fc8c86

My bikes (Giant) use Chinese frames and they really are very durable.

Imagine if extrapolated into the aircraft market....

"JohnH" wrote:

Grumman-581 wrote:
"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
...
It helps that I own a company that builds
titanium bikes - less impact on W&B.

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in
China... I was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking
for a new bike for my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were
either made in China or Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the
USA anymore?

Frames cost $8 to make in China...

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/rec...47a63355fc8c86

My bikes (Giant) use Chinese frames and they really are very durable.

They really are quite good for the price - not too nice aesthetically
(and I'm pretty certain I wouldn't fly an aircraft built in the same
way...), but a heck of a deal for an aluminum frame. FWIW, the frames
I buy cost MANY times more than $8. Many, many times.

Imagine if extrapolated into the aircraft market....

Easy - all you gotta do is order a few hundred thousand of 'em....

Mark Hickey

"Grumman-581" wrote:

"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
.. .
It helps that I own a company that builds
titanium bikes - less impact on W&B.

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in China... I
was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike for
my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were either made in China or
Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the USA anymore?

Not too many make frames in the USA any longer - there are some
"artisan shops" that turn out relatively expensive frames, often with
aesthetic touches that can't be found on most "production frames"...
but the cost of labor, and probably equally important - the cost of
meeting environmental restrictions when welding and painting - have
driven most production overseas.

I happened to get into the business with the Chinese because I lived
in China for a couple years, and was introduced to a group of
aerospace fabricators who had been spun off the Long March rocket
booster program. I was very much impressed with the welders' art
(which is obvious on a single-pass TIG weld), and have been bringing
in the frames and selling them worldwide for over 10 years.

The built bikes are assembled in the US though (although there are
almost no viable US-sourced components).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com

The next question will be "Doesn't *anyone* make a car in the USA anymore?"

"Mark Hickey" wrote in message news
"Grumman-581" wrote:

"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
. ..
It helps that I own a company that builds
titanium bikes - less impact on W&B.

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in China... I
was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike for
my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were either made in China or
Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the USA anymore?

Not too many make frames in the USA any longer - there are some
"artisan shops" that turn out relatively expensive frames, often with
aesthetic touches that can't be found on most "production frames"...
but the cost of labor, and probably equally important - the cost of
meeting environmental restrictions when welding and painting - have
driven most production overseas.

I happened to get into the business with the Chinese because I lived
in China for a couple years, and was introduced to a group of
aerospace fabricators who had been spun off the Long March rocket
booster program. I was very much impressed with the welders' art
(which is obvious on a single-pass TIG weld), and have been bringing
in the frames and selling them worldwide for over 10 years.

The built bikes are assembled in the US though (although there are
almost no viable US-sourced components).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com

".Blueskies." wrote in message
t...
The next question will be "Doesn't *anyone* make a car in the USA
anymore?"

Nawh... "Which is more patriotic, buying a Toyota made in the US or a Dodge
made in Mexico?"