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I was so starving after starting my #bicycle ride today that I was shaking, so I stopped by the first cafe I could find. They only had sweet pastries, so I ended up getting a small, plain baguette…and eating the entire thing! #cycling #Seabikes #mastobikes #biketooter

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Why I Converted All My Bikes to Friction Shifting

Bicycle drivetrains have never been easier or more accurate. Thanks to electronic shifting, there’s no more fiddling with barrel adjusters to get everything dialed, and mis-shifts have become a thing of the past. Today, the perfect gear change is always just the push of a button away!

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

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Neil E. Hodges
Definitely. I only have one bike with shifters that can be indexed, but all of the others are friction only. (Except the Brompton because it has a 3-speed hub.)


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Power outage at home. Had to carry my #bicycle up the stairs. :( #cycling @clover

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in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Power is still out and Seattle City Light pushed the restoration out to 2 AM. :'(

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Neil E. Hodges

That's true.

My daily ride involves a lot of hill climbing, so the excess body heat builds up even faster. :( Need to take a break to let it dissipate, albeit slowly without the wind from riding on the level.

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

@letsbekind2
Do y'all have AC in the places you are riding to? Are the roads black-top? Are you dressed for it? I'm genuinely curious because, while I wouldn't consider lo '90s as dangerous, my city is set up for routinely higher temps, and my wardrobe also.

Heat is dangerous. Take care and hydrate early, hydrate often, and stay hydrated.

@Abi



Broke a seatpost binder bolt on today's #bicycle ride, but I was able to make it home because it was downhill the rest of the way at that point. #cycling #biketooter #mastobikes
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

The replacement binder bolt might've been a few mm too long. When tightened down, the seatpost still slipped on today's ride. I tried asking a local shop if they had a spare binder bolt washer, but they only had one piece of a binder bolt that wasn't of any use to me.

When I got home, I put one of the split lock washers I have for just this purpose in. Should be fine now!

#bicycle #cycling #biketooter #mastobikes




I appreciate being able to go faster for longer muscle-wise now, but my lungs can't keep up. I think that's why I keep hitting my oxygen wall. #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter
in reply to adamrice

That must be why folks pick a pace for sustained riding rather than go all out.
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Sort of. There’s a hyperbolic curve that relates the duration of the effort to power output. Structured training, metabolic pathways and the like are a deep rabbit hole.



I still think about how I rode across the E 11th Street #Bridge in #Tacoma not long before it was shut down. At the time, the outer lanes were closed to reduce traffic loads on the old bridge, and it's currently being demolished. (1, 2)

The grated bridge deck of the truss portion was not fun on 32mm touring tires! :O #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes


in reply to Neil E. Hodges

more explanation needed. How? They seem pretty robust to me.


Pinched a nerve in my thigh while climbing a hill on today's ride, and it wasn't even a very hard hill! x.x #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes
This entry was edited (1 year ago)



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Lots of people talk about a good #bicycle fit making you a more efficient rider when it comes to power delivery, but my recent experimentation has shown me that it also makes the bicycle handle better. It makes sense when you think about it, because your arms and legs are in their natural range of motion which makes "body English" easier. #cycling
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Peter Nelson
My latest toy is a recumbent trike. I love it but don't ride it much as I can't keep up with the regular group on it... :-)
My ICE recumbent trike on a lovely sunny day.
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Peter Nelson
Easier on the back, but does need more effort to pedal as you can't put your weight into it.

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Today's ride was a low oxygen one. I kept running out of breath when I usually am fine. I hope I'm not coming down with something. :blobfoxsad: #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes

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Pretty steep for a signed #bicycle route! #cycling #seabikes #mastobikes
This entry was edited (1 year ago)

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Finally switched to my new #cycling shoes! It's nice not having shoes with large holes in the soles. #bicycle #mastobikes

(I only got the grey camo because they were on clearance and thus significantly cheaper than the "normal" colors.)


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Seems like cars and road design today give some drivers a sense of invincibility.

Maybe that's what needs to change.

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes

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Skipping today's ride because I need a break from the heat+humidity, there's a lot of smoke outside, and I have some things I need to take care of at home. #cycling #bicycle #seabikes



How often do street riders actually get pinch flats, anyway? #cycling #bicycle
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

On holes in the pavement. Sometimes on curbs.

Not nearly as often as on stony roads though.
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

not a single one, pinch or otherwise, in my last 3000 miles.




First ride in a week due to whatever respiratory illness that was. I couldn't go 100% without feeling sick due to slightly reduced lung capacity, but it wasn't nearly as bad as post-COVID a while back. #cycling #bicycle #seabikes #BikeTooter



Did my usual daily loop for the first time since last weekend, but I was definitely not over my cold yet. It wasn't the best time. :( (1, 2, 3, 4) #cycling #bicycle #seabikes #photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Today's ride was much more enjoyable now that I don't feel like I'm not getting any air.
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Neil E. Hodges
Yep, I saw that while I was out, too.


Brifters just don't add any value for me, but I'm weird. #cycling

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I wouldn’t call it dumb. Outdated, yes, definitely. But not dumb; it was enacted for a reason, and it accomplished its goal: to make children’s bikes safer. It looks dumb now because we have technology that wasn’t available at the time the law was written; but that doesn’t make it dumb.

It needs to be updated in line with what technology can do now. On this, I’m in full agreement. I just wish people would use the right terminology to describe these things: outdated; outmoded; obsolete. Not judge laws from 50 years ago in line with modern day expectations, as if they’re being legislated today.
in reply to Stuart Lamble

Yes, he did address the climate in which it it was enacted in his video, and said that it made sense then. He also said that it needs to be updated based on today's technology.
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Yup. I'm taking issue with the click-baity headline rather than the content of the video, really. That sort of stuff really irks me. We're on the same page on the crucial matter.




in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Eating on the side of the D52, on our tour from Tours to Besançon in 1981, following the Loire. Near Cheverny.


in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Indeed!

Long ago I had friends in the bicycle courier brigades of Toronto. They all pretty much universally considered racing stripes a badge of honour and had major diss for anyone with fenders. I guess it was proof they were out working in the worst of it.

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I tried riding right after the big #Seattle #snow event at the beginning of December, but I didn't have suitable tires for what I ran into! (Original) #wasnow #cycling #bicycle #seabikes #photography #photog #photo

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Ran into Steven Frey while out on my usual #bicycle ride yesterday, whose custom #Trek conversions have been featured in Bicycle Quarterly articles like this one. He was with his wife and son, both of whom have their own Freks. (Oddly enough, he wasn't riding a Frek himself, but his ride was a very nice build nonetheless.) I had no idea he lived in #Seattle!

His general Trek to Frek conversion process involves tweaking things here and there with the frame, which may include adding centerpull brake studs, as well as custom components. The article linked above is an example of his work.

#cycling #seabikes

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