Spinner, Grinder, Honker, or other

[Arrowfoot]

First glance of the title - it read as spinner, grindr and a misspelt hooker. And all 3 have clear meaning in another world.

Grinder but a spinner once the gradient hits 5%. Every time I spin on long rides, I end up day dreaming and take longer to finish the run.

 

[Chief Broom]

Not sure where I fit in

I have "embarrassingly low gear" of a spinner on my bike. Unfortunately I'm "unable to produce sufficient torque" so I have to grit my teeth and force the gear over at low cadence, grinder style. Occasionally I can't even manage this, so to avoid coming to a complete stop I have to stand up and wrestle the bike honker-style. All this takes place at a speed that is only marginally above falling-over speed. I'm kind of worst of all possible worlds.

I remember going up one of my local steep hills and seeing a rider up ahead come to a halt, dismount, and start pushing. Although I managed to keep going I was unable to close the gap on them. In fact I think they may have opened it up a bit.

I commiserate and empathise Dogtrousers I regularly ride past a bus stop where people can admire my superhero strength as i swoosh by.....this is going down hill with a tail wind. When im going past the other way..uphill...headwind I thought i might tape a loaded pistol on the handlebars so i can take an easy exit if the embarrassment level goes beyond excruciating.

 

[Blue Hills]

something between spinning and grinding depending on how long the ride has been or how much weight I am lugging.
I never honk - I associate it with the two extremes - full on racers or novice cyclists. Many of the latter doing it would be better off in the saddle.

 

[Dogtrousers]

For me, standing up - honking - serves two possible purposes. Sometimes it's good to stand up for 20 seconds or so just to be able to change position for a while. Sometimes it's pure necessity, on very steep gradients when the alternative would be coming to a complete stop.

Actually three purposes, the third being to do my uncannily good Alberto Contador impression.

And on very short hills when I find myself in the wrong gear and there's little point changing down only to change back up. So that's four.

 

[C R]

Not sure where I fit in

I have "embarrassingly low gear" of a spinner on my bike. Unfortunately I'm "unable to produce sufficient torque" so I have to grit my teeth and force the gear over at low cadence, grinder style. Occasionally I can't even manage this, so to avoid coming to a complete stop I have to stand up and wrestle the bike honker-style. All this takes place at a speed that is only marginally above falling-over speed. I'm kind of worst of all possible worlds.

I remember going up one of my local steep hills and seeing a rider up ahead come to a halt, dismount, and start pushing. Although I managed to keep going I was unable to close the gap on them. In fact I think they may have opened it up a bit.

I resemble that remark

 

[a.twiddler]

I am by definition a twiddler. That's not quite the same as spinning which suggests a high cadence, which in my case I have not got. Neither am I a massive torque monster. In my cycling life I made it my mission to somehow make sure I had low enough gears to ride up any hill, even without rising from the saddle, no matter how slowly. Not so straightforward pre mountain bike gearing. This led to such comments as, "how big is your small ring, then?" (For me to know, and others to wonder about!) and "Look at him, could he go any slower without going backwards?" or "He's hovering up that hill!"

Since I discovered recumbents and old age almost simultaneously this has introduced another set of interesting issues to overcome. My weedy legs have got weedier. Horizontal cycling, while making efficient use of what power you have got, causes you to become more of a spinner due to having a shorter effective power stroke so It's noticeable that when I ride my diamond frame bike I spin more on that too. I am no faster up hills than I have ever been, however. Maybe the answer is, as it seems to be to most things, to get out and ride more.

 

[sasquath]

I'm a honker/grinder and I blame bike thieves for that.
Years ago I bought my first geared bike, only to be stolen before first proper outing on it. My replacent did cost me one grass cutting and a week of making one rideable bike out of two pieces of scrap vintage veteran bikes(vintage by 1996 standards).
It had one usable 52t chainring and 14-24 5 speed freewheel. Fore some reason both bikes had 38t small chainrings worn out completely. It was my ride for the next 10 years. I had national park on my doorstep, but 300meters higher. 52/24 up (I guess) 3-8% hills wasn't fun. Honkering was the only way, and quality stem was needed as cheap ones had tendency to snap off.

 

[gavroche]

How about a heavy breather too, which is what I am when I go uphill. Under effort, I just can't breathe quietly so it's breathe in and out like a steam engine and couldn't care less if somebody is behind me.

 

[sasquath]

How about a heavy breather too, which is what I am when I go uphill. Under effort, I just can't breathe quietly so it's breathe in and out like a steam engine and couldn't care less if somebody is behind me.

So long as it's only breathing it no one's business. Farting on the other hand...

 

[Reynard]

So long as it's only breathing it no one's business. Farting on the other hand...

In that case...

Reynard's a Cambridgeshire lass,
When cycling she gives it some gas,
Her three red machines
Are all powered by beans
And a soundtrack that's purely first class!

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Dave's a spinner as long as the legs are fresh and the hills are not too steep, but turns into a grinder as the legs tire and the hills get steeper, and may turn into a dancer as a last resort.

 

[Shortandcrisp]

You’ve forgotten the fornicator; someone who groans in rhythm to every pedal stroke.

 

[sasquath]

In

You’ve forgotten the fornicator; someone who groans in rhythm to every pedal stroke.

Imagine combination of a spinner, fartakus, and fornicator

 

[T4tomo]

A relatively short hill I will honk, particularly if there is a downhill run into it i.e rolling terrain. but anything of any length I'd like to think I'm a dancer, but in reality its more spinning and dropping a gear & standing up a bit for a change. More the Parrot of Toledo, than the Eagle.

 

[Ian H]

On the fixed-wheel I manage to be all of those.