Word: biked
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Mountain bikes, also known as all-terrain bikes (ATBs), borrow sophisticated metal alloys, titanium lugs, carbon-fiber tubing and other materials from the aerospace industry for lightweight strength. Average weight: 28 lbs., vs. 20 lbs. for a far more fragile touring bike. Perhaps most important, ATBs feature flat handlebars for upright seating and thick tires that take to sand and gravel as easily as to pavement. While these features have practical appeal for rough-riding wilderness cyclists, the changes also take the hassle out of bike riding for ordinary pedal pushers who never stray more than a mile...
...ride bicycles (up from 72 million in 1983). Some 25 million ride at least once a week. Americans buy more bicycles (10.8 million in 1990) than cars (9.3 million), and ride them everywhere, from church to mall to office to beach. In spite of generally depressed U.S. consumer spending, bike dealers say sales this summer are running as much as 30% higher than last year...
Anyone who still remembers bike shops as dark, cluttered places smelling of oil and rubber would be startled to walk into a modern American bike outlet. Spotless and often carpeted, crawling with salespeople and outfitted with dressing rooms, specialty bike shops rely on high-margin clothing and cycling gizmos for up to 25% of their revenues. The glamour of biking now draws neophytes who browse through racks of hip-hugging shorts and brightly colored shirts even before they know the difference between a derailleur and a train accident...
...average bike today costs $300 or more, but a superior mountain bike starts at $1,000. What's the difference between the two? "Ten minutes," says a store manager in Manhattan, explaining that it takes him 35 minutes instead of 45 to cover his 12-mile commute on his new high-priced cycle. Reason: lighter weight, superior components and a more rigid frame that absorbs less of the cyclist's energy. Most owners of the top models, however, are more concerned with quality and status than winning the racing edge...
Amid all this glittering change, some still yearn for grand old bikes with big fenders and coaster brakes. In Manhattan earlier this summer, an elegantly dressed woman strolled into a bike shop and bought a $1,500 replica of a green-and-white '50s-era Schwinn Columbia to hang over her living room couch...