Had a great time on this month's Swift Industries Social Ride! There were almost 40 of us on this ride since we all wanted to enjoy the nice weather after so much gloomy rain. The pace was nice because we were able to chat most of the time, but we also were given free reign to climb and descend more significant hills at our own pace. (Album)
Hoping to do more social rides this Summer since I think it's what I really need out of my hobbies (both bicycle and motorcycle riding) now.
Wow! You just triggered some memories. I got one of these for my 14th birthday. I used to double someone on the back and tow a friend on a bike on each arm home from high school.
I just googled this now and found the poster on ebay from the exact dealer where I (my parents) bought mine.
Over the years our cost of doing business and the cost of living in our city have only gone up. We have aspired to provide living, professional wages to highly skilled tradespeople. I firmly believe that high wages and more opportunities and entry level positions for more diverse types of mechanics and salespeople are the keys to revising the bike retail model and replacing the exclusive and gatekeeping culture of bike shops and at the same time provide service that is more reliable and better value than riders are typically able to depend on.
After years of skirting the edge, depending on tightening margins, and digging for good luck in heaps of bad, we have hit a string of the bad kind; the reality that we cannot support ourselves and at the same time do this work in the manner that we most want has become undeniable.
It is a true thing to say that if your business can’t afford to pay fair wages, your business has no business doing business.
The shop’s closure is happening faster than we would have liked, and the livelihoods of my staff and myself are all at risk, as is our ability to meet all of the obligations we have to our customers. We will be closed for the next few days to organize ourselves, and then in the next few weeks, starting on Wednesday the 17th, we hope that you’ll consider coming in and picking up anything you might need from our shop. We have many high-quality ebikes for sale, as well as accessories like lights and helmets. We have bags of Lego for sale on a sliding scale from $5-500. We have all kinds of lovely things, and any support would be greatly appreciated.
Took the opportunity to do some routine maintenance on the bike in the warm comfort of home.
☑ New rear tire (tubeless) ☑ Cleaned the tubeless boogers out of the rear fender ☑ Installed a spring thing (converted from M4 to M5) to make the horizontal dropouts less annoying ☑ New cassette ☑ New chain
Started on a #bicycle ride today, but turned back when the frigid, gusty, and snow-laden wind slapped me around enough. #Seattle #cycling #wawx #seabikes #wasnow
When I think of #Winter here, I just think of the cold, the rain, and all of the times I was either borderline or actually hypothermic when #cycling and similar outdoor activities in it. :/
That’s true. But as someone who lived/rode/raced through friction the first time around, I don’t really have any urge to go back. I mean, it’s fine (and it lets your get away with all sorts of hijinx in terms of components) but the utility (for my) of indexing outweighs all that. #BikeTooter
In all my years of #cycling, I've never found a great solution for cold weather. If I bundle up so I'm not chilled, then I soak everything with sweat in short order. If I wear less, then I freeze. I've tried Merino wool, synthetics (Gore, Event, etc.), and so on, but nothing works well enough for me.
Sadly, that means I don't do anything exciting on the #bicycle during the coldest part of the year. Just my daily local loop. :(
Same here. Just back from a ride at -2C. I could only do 30 km because I just got too cold. I wonder if riding a mountain bike might be better because there's less wind in the woods and you move slower? Anyway, I have gravel & road bikes so not an option
I always aim to get out the door feeling cold. Sometimes I wear a windblock vest for the first bit until I warm up, and then it gets fully unzipped (and I join #teamflappyvest ). It’s usually three layers for me- a skin touching layer to wick, a middle layer for insulation (often wool), and then an outer layer for elemental protection (wind, rain, snow). The outer two layers NEED to be full zip, with pulls I can grab. I unzip on climbs, and rezip on decents. #biketooter
@nothingfuture perfect layering strategy. Mirrors my own, my weak links are hand and foot warmth in the few degrees above freezing and anything below. My most recent long ride in such conditions, I added a hand warmer to back of each hand under glove, and one each to top outer side of foot. Made it comfortable without being hot as it gently warms the blood on it’s way into extremities, and didn’t effect fit of shoes or control of digits.
same thing with winter sports. The trick for me is a good wicking base layer to get the moisture off the skin, then a breathable middle layer for insulation but that allows the moisture to evaporate and then a water resistant outer shell with enough venting to breathe but not too much to be cold.
innicycle's unique system combines a threadless stem adapter with a sealed cartridge bearing headset. The result: Finally a way to tastefully incorporate modern components with your vintage bicycle.
Advantages
Lower weight & greater rigidity
Retains stock threaded fork
Compatible with modern handlebars and stems
Easily adjusted bearing preload using only a 6mm hex key
Ultra low stack height (low stem position adjust-ability)
Fitment
The innicycle Threadless Conversion Headset™ is compatible with most road and some MTB bikes that originally came equipped with 1" threaded headsets and quill stems. Forks must be 1"-24 TPI threaded with a 7/8" (22.2mm) inside diameter. Both ISO and JIS* fork crowns are supported.
I dunno. I don’t see this solving a big problem for me, though I own a number of bikes that (in theory) could utilize this. I guess I just don’t find 1” threaded headsets that problematic? A good quality one, properly installed and adjusted should be totally fine. And there are a number of meaningful advantages to quill stems (height adjustability, comfort, esthetics). And there are lovely quill stems for 31.8mm bars, so you can run modern stuff. #BikeTooter
@enobacon That seems like before the current borderline obsession with revamping vintage bikes. When I built my 90s-mtb-turned-gravel bike, the stem that VeloOrange makes was a total lifesaver. #BikeTooter
@enobacon @nothingfuture I remember a couple of them coming out around the ‘00 fixie conversion boom, but now they are made by a number of companies in various dimensions. I had one that went from quill stem to a removable faceplate for 31.8mm bars around that time. That way I could switch flats to drops without removing all the bar tape.
If I were to get a titanium #bicycle, I'd definitely spec a compliant steel fork. I feel like steel folks get a bad rap because consumer grade production ones are overbuilt, especially ones with disc brakes! #cycling
"I'm thinking about getting longer cranks", said no one in 2023. It's definitely true that shorter cranks are a trend right now, but why? Is it all nonsense, or is there something to it? Today we'll take a deep dive into crank length and how it affects your performance. You'll get a highly biased take on the subject from someone with very short legs.
I'm mostly a road (paved, gravel, etc.) rider and have been enjoying 170mm cranks for years despite having very long legs in addition to being tall. (Pretty much all companies spec 175+ mm cranks for my size.) Spin spin spin!
I still like rim brakes, but I don't have any major opposition to disc brakes as long as they're using with thru-axles. (I don't like the pads rubbing after hard braking, which is usually caused by the hubs shifting.)
Although you can find some bikes with disc brakes & QRs, at this point, they’re uncommon enough that you’re really foreclosing your options if you buy into that setup. There was an uncomfortable period around 2017 when standards were unsettled, and there are some bikes of that vintage that will just be hard to service in the future.
Finally figured out the process for getting my correct saddle position on a bike!
Start with the saddle level, a bit low, and slammed all the way back on the rails.
Raise the saddle in 3-5mm increments until you no longer lift off the saddle or have pain on or around your kneecaps. You may need to move the saddle forward a 3-5mm every now and then so you aren't completely sitting on its nose.
Once #2 has been taken care of, pedal with the technique of spinning your knees in small, tight, and fast circles. That pedaling technique will cause you to scoot forward to where your saddle should be.
Move the saddle forward in 3-5mm increments until it feels comfortable with that pedaling technique. Be sure to keep the saddle as level as possible while doing this.
Saw the aftermath of some sort of traffic incident involving an #Amazon / #Rivian van and a cyclist while I was wrapping up my daily ride. I'm thinking there was another vehicle also involved because I saw a different car's bumper wedged into the Amazon van's rear bumper.
The cyclist was limping, but he said he was okay when I asked. The Amazon driver was calling someone to report the incident.
Is it reasonable to use an inner tube (installed and inflated inside the tire on the rim) to smooth out tubeless rim tape in the case of leaks? #cycling #bicycle #biketooter #mastobikes
So it didn't quite pan out, but it did reveal "install a tube" as a great way to seat the bead of the tire during tubeless setup! #cycling #bicycle #biketooter #mastobikes
It's pretty cool how there's enough of a market for custom #bicycle frames to keep hundreds of passionate frame builders around. :) #cycling #mastobikes #biketooter
It's sad how so many people never invest into making their bike comfortable beyond maybe a cushy saddle* and end up thinking "bike riding is supposed to be uncomfortable." #cycling #bicycle #biketooter #mastobikes
*Most cushy saddles that people go for (usually based on the saddles being cheap) aren't shaped or padded the right way and end up causing extreme discomfort in a fairly short while. :/
This is true. But it’s also really difficult, right? Like, there isn’t really a good way to look at a saddle/butt combo and know they’ll get along. And good saddles tend to be expensive, and it’s often impossible to try them before you buy them. I’ve seen a couple of shops have “saddle libraries” that you can borrow from, which is good- but the time and effort it takes is rough. #BikeTooter
Yeah. It really is difficult to get it right. It's taken me years of trial, error, and shoving aside some of my preconcieved notions to listen to more experienced voices to get to this point. :/
I got a little lucky. I found a saddle that worked for me in 1994 or so, and I’ve been using that model for the last 29 years. They don’t really make them any more, so I keep an eye out for them used, buy them, and refurb them to make sure I don’t run out. #BikeTooter
They do work for some people, but I don't think they do great for me, either. The bike fitter I saw a few years back said he didn't like them (including the Cambium ones) because of the shape they form when they sag. It makes bike fitting really hard, and it's hard enough as it is!
@dan613 Did you ever get a chance to check out a recumbent? They have- without caveat- some of the most comfortable seats, ever. Like sitting on a comfy lawn chair while you pedal. They also, I’m told, make e-bike versions these days.
What are some good custom #bicycle frame builders in #Seattle? Looking for lugs and minimal aversion to moving parts off an existing bike. #cycling #mastobikes #biketooter
I've had good experience with Panaracer Gravelking SK Plus (plus means more puncture protection - I've had zero punctures in probably like 8000 km with them), but looking at the available sizes I don't see a 650bx38 or smaller.
I really like Ultra Dynamico, but they are made in the Panasonic tire factory along with a lot of other brands like Rene Herse, Bob Gordon, and of course, Panaracer
I'm of the type who would rather learn the skill. Other examples pertaining to me: friction shifting on bicycles, two wheels instead of four, and manual transmissions in cars and motorcycles.
I'm a big believer that manual transmission encourages a connection to the process of driving and encourages concentration. I may be totally wrong but I think 'modern' cars are just too easy to drive.
They definitely are too easy to drive. That, combined with packing more and more distraction tech into them, is what's causing people to become more confident and aggressive, and thus dangerous to those around them, when driving.
Rim brakes need more skill in riding simply because they are more dangerous and less trustworthy in far more (and often common) conditions! Rim brakes are for fair-weather and infrequent riders!
Rim brakes also need more maintenance and are thus more costly to operate, though I don't know if there's been any fair study of their "ROI" recently (i.e. since disc brake parts have become more commonplace and less costly).
Khurrram, by "rod brakes" do you mean the ones in the rear hub activated by pushing the pedals backwards? I had a rear-hub brake in my first bike. To me getting rim brakes meant having the "luxury" of front-wheel brakes, but learning to use front-wheel brakes required more skill, albeit quite quickly learned if one wanted to avoid more injury!
Depends really on your budget for a great rainjacket. Between a €100 and a €900 Jacket are more reasons to pay pricier. Usually i end up with €250 Budget....
“According to a recent report issued by researchers at Imperial College London, There is emerging evidence that tyre wear particles and other particulate matter may contribute to a range of negative health impacts including heart, lung, developmental, reproductive, and cancer outcomes.” #bicyles #UrbanPlanning
Currently on the lookout for quill stems with a horizontal extension in the 30-40mm range. Any ideas? #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter
I have very long legs and a short torso, so "normal" bicycle frames never fit me very well. I always end up with a lot of seatpost height and a short stem, even though I'm leaned forward comfortably and with plenty of power in my pedal stroke.
Same. I've searched a little, and found nothing that short. Seems like all the Nittos are close to 100mm. I'm thinking I'll get a plug silver soldered into my steerer so I can use modern stems.
There are quill converters that slip into a quill steerer and let you put a modern stem on. There are also swept back handlebars that reduce the saddle to handlebars distance. Salsa used to make basically zero reach quill stems, and I still see those on ebay sometimes. I think Profile did, too.
Thanks for the replies, everyone. I wish 50mm would be short enough, but I'm pretty sure I'd need something even shorter.
Ended up going with this little oddity from Crust Bikes, which was made by Nitto. My only worry is that its maximum vertical extension is a little less than my current setup, but maybe the reduced reach will make up for that. #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter
Thanks for the replies, everyone. I wish 50mm would be short enough, but I'm pretty sure I'd need something even shorter.
Ended up going with this little oddity from Crust Bikes, which was made by Nitto. My only worry is that its maximum vertical extension is a little less than my current setup, but maybe the reduced reach will make up for that. #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter
I still think rim brakes work well enough for paved road #cycling . They haven't given me any major trouble in the wet, either. #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter
I agree. I’ll say that rim brakes with carbon rims in the wet is dicey. And that old canti’s on a loaded touring tandem in the rain is dicey. But for like 97% of my road riding, rim brakes work great. #BikeTooter
rim brakes in the wet were pretty bad on cheap bike boom era rims (I forget what the material was, but non-alloy), but disc brakes were never an option with those rims, anyway.
The cantis on my trusty old touring bike are fine except when wet. I do usually alternate brakes when trying to keep the speed down on long downhills, just to limit the amount of rim heat.
After over two decades, Surly moved the Cross-Check frameset from their standard lineup of bikes to the ‘Legacy Lineup’ of their website. Surly confirmed that the bike is no longer in production and is unlikely to come back.
If you haven’t owned this gravel/cyclocross/touring/whatever bike yourself, you likely know someone who has. The Surly Cross-Check was the egalitarian choice in cycling, simultaneously someone’s utilitarian dream bike that was attainable and sold at a fair price.
The end of the Cross-Check marks the bike’s reign as the most bike that ever biked, the go-to way to make a pile of parts you hoarded in the corner of your garage into a functioning bicycle, and the defacto option that a bike nerd could happily ride and recommend to their non-bikey friends all the same.
Ah, End of an era. I have owned two Cross Checks, one pretty standard one, and the other a "Traveler's Check" built with the S & S coupler system, and with quite a storied history, involving crashes, crash repair/upgrade, theft, recovery, insurance, donation, resale, trading, and I just learned, a national tour. These bikes are really quite something, and have had about as good a run as any production bike ever made.
i feel like I'm gonna cry, the Cross-Check has been my dream bike for yeeeears! I built my current bike from an old chromoly Miyata frame about 10 years ago, and the Cross-Check was basically my template for the build - the fork is even a Cross-Check fork!
I suppose I can still pick one up used, but what a sad day for such an iconic bike.
Aww, I love Surly bikes. I've never been able to own one though because they're obscenely expensive here in Australia - I always wanted a Disc Trucker, but had to settle for a new Trek 520 since it was about $1,000 AUD ($630 USD) cheaper, and it even came kitted out with a front and rear rack. It was too good of a deal to pass up.
I always dreamed of using it to go bicycle touring, but those dreams were shattered by the Australian heat and ruthless sun. Now I've got a motorcycle instead. 😁
I got into it after Mathieu van der Poel in 2018 came into the #UCIXCOWorldCup and shook things up quite a bit. I loved so much watching him that I started to watch #Cyclocross. After I got a GCN subscription I started to follow the CX world cups pretty regularly, also the women.
The Tour de France was the entry race for us. (Stage 9, Lillian Calmejane won). We were watching road racing and the season came to an end. We watched a couple #cyclocross races and were hooked. Now cyclocross are our preferred races to watch and road is the "back up." What I especially like about cyclocross is that women and men do the same track, and both are broadcast. The 50 minute/60 minute time limits also make them an easy watch to fit in. #cycling #biketooter
I’ve been a road fan since I was a kid, but got into #cyclocross 2 years ago after subscribing to GCN and having access for the first time. I love it because of its intensity. Shorter and much easier to consume than a road race, but more consistently exciting! #biketooter #cycling
I was persuaded to try #CycloCross about 15 years ago and have raced it ever since. I have made so many new friends because of cyclo-cross. I joined trips to the World Championships which blew me away and now I organise them. I was fortunate to see the first rainbow jersey battle between WvA and MvdP at #Koksijde in 2012. The fun, passion and friendly rivalry epitomise sport. And then add the Euro-pop and Belgian beer 🙂
Also, I just discovered a broken spoken on my other bike's rear wheel that was just handbuilt at the shop a few months back (and also trued after a couple weeks of riding back then to be safe).
That’s always a drag. I mean, stuff happens sometimes, but still. Did you have it built with straight gauge spokes? Where did the spoke break? #BikeTooter
Kind of annoyed with White Industries at the moment. The original press-fit bearings in my Stanyan's MI5 rear hub needed replacement a long while ago, so I had my local bike shop order them (which took forever to be shipped by Enduro) and swap them out. Unfortunately, the same amount of play persisted after the bearing swap despite said shop following White Industries's directions to the T multiple times. My shop has called White Industries multiple times only to not be given any recourse.
I've been out that Stanyan for several weeks now and I don't know if I should just get a different hub put in the wheel or something at this point. 😒
Well ... it's gotta be somewhere! Could be a worn axle too I suppose?
Last time I had terrible wheel play it turned out to be a shitty QR had led to uneven wear on the dropouts, letting the axle shift a little.
Not sure how your hub is constructed. But if it is the bearing seat into the hub, rather than replace the hub you can try something like Loctite bearing seat compound, this sounds like a rubbish hack but I used it successfully on very badly worn bearing seat on a >250kg off road motorcycle rear wheel and it lasted over 50,000km like that so it *does* work
(To get the bearing exactly centered in a badly flogged-out seat you can raise little craters with a punch all around the inside of the seat, then when you press the bearing home it'll center between the craters and the loctite glue can do its job over the rest of the seat area.)
I'll stop by the shop tomorrow, and if we can't come up with any ideas (White Industries's warranty department is being unhelpful), I guess I'll just get a different hub built into the wheel. 🤷
Decided to give up on the Stanyan's #WhiteIndustries (130mm QR) hub and just get a different hub. I was thinking #PhilWood, but their road hubs are apparently hard to get right now, so I went with my shop's recommendation of a Hope RS4 hub. I was worried about how noisy it would be, but my shop had another one of their hubs lying around and spun it for me, which convinced me it would be fine.
The stock middle ring on my #Sugino XD triple was getting worn out, so I spent this morning swapping it out for a Surly stainless steel chainring that I'd ordered via my local bike shop earlier. I ended up having to do the ring installation twice because I didn't have them clocked correctly the first time, but at least that was all while the drive side arm was off the bike. The drive side was a bear to get off, probably because it was on there for so long!
I'm also not a fan of "hidden/blind" chainring bolts like on that XD crank. It wasn't super hard to work with, but it would've been easier if they were all out in the open.
my choice is flapjack as it has an excellent calorie to weight/size ratio, is easy to make in large quantities and stores well. I go for chocolate over jelly sweets for quick sugar as it’s easier on the stomach - something sugar coated so it doesn’t melt. I also try to eat “proper” food at normal meal intervals.
Are those energy gel things particularly hard on the stomach? I'm interested in them because back when I was doing century rides, I'd eat stuff like muffins, chips, and sandwich halves, but my stomach would eventually give up on digesting them and I'd suffer towards the ends of my rides.
I did try to keep on top of hydration and generally did okay as long as it wasn't too hot out. I do recall some really bad times with nasty migraines caused by dehydration, mostly on hot days again.
I was doing semi-loaded (handlebar bag + tail bag) century rides for several years before the pandemic made me too wary to do them. I've never done "official" randonneuring rides because I lacked the confidence to join in, but I'm thinking about getting into them.
I did my first about a year ago, just done my 25th, I’ve found it slightly addictive 🤣. I’ve found my local #Audax crowd extremely welcoming, helpful and encouraging. Where are you based?
Flapjack or similar while on the bike, with Clif or Veloforte jellies for a boost where required, then real food at any opportunity too. A pork pie and chocolate milk is my default purchase.
On a 200K or 300K, I try to get one solid meal in. Otherwise I eat snack food. Snickers bars are a favorite. I drink water and electrolyte mix, although I’m going to start experimenting with electrolyte caps so I can drink only water.
I drink something with glucose and fructose and then some water. I eat carbohydrates in various forms and from time to time food, mainly vegetarian, if possible. Sometimes I resort to sweets and caffeine. Sorry for the late reply.
You saying you're faster on your #ebike than I am on my non-boosted #bicycle is like me saying I'm faster on my #motorcycle than you are on your e-bike. It's not a meaningful comparison. #cycling #ebikes
I really don’t care whether someone is riding a “regular” bicycle or an e-bike. I care that they’re out, getting some exercise, and doing so safely - that they aren’t riding outside their abilities.
Whether they’re faster or slower than me is irrelevant; it’s not a race. Just enjoy, be considerate, and don’t push your boundaries too much.
Neil E. Hodges
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