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Personal growth is hard when you leave no room (time) for it.


You all can keep your constantly changing disc brake caliper mounting standards. I'll stick with the bog-standard canti posts that haven't changed in forever. :3

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

i love my rim brakes! Light weight and easy to maintain -- very economical.

Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


There’s No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike

The pro racers who do need carbon fiber bikes get them for free. Only the people who don’t need them actually pay for them.

Carbon fiber is light. It’s strong. It can be used to build everything from frames to seat posts to handlebars to cranks. And it’s one of the worst things that’s happened to bikes.

Now, to be clear, carbon fiber makes perfect sense for professional racing. Because it’s basically a fabric, builders can mold it into all sorts of aerodynamic shapes. Moreover, they can tune ride quality and maintain strength while simultaneously keeping the weight to a minimum in a way that’s not really possible with metal tubing. It used to be that racers had to choose between a light bike and an aero bike; now they can have both, all thanks to the miraculous properties of carbon fiber. At this point, there’s no reason for elite competitors to use anything else.
Gift Yourself More Adventure

But here’s the thing: you’re not them. I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, but you’re almost certainly incapable of milking the handful of seconds a wind tunnel-sculpted pro-level carbon fiber race machine might theoretically net you in certain situations. Moreover, the pro racers who do need carbon fiber bikes get them for free; only the people who don’t need them actually pay for them. This means that, ipso facto, if you’ve purchased a carbon fiber bicycle, you’ve made a mistake.

“Okay, fine, I may not be Jonas Vingegaard,” you may be thinking. “Maybe I didn’t need a carbon bike. But how does that mean I’ve made a mistake?”

Simple: while you’re not able to extract carbon fiber’s small performance benefits, you are in an ideal position to experience its many drawbacks—and for normal people, carbon fiber bicycles have only drawbacks.

This is Bike Snob NYC writing for Outside Online, by the way.

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I bought a Bianchi carbon bike five and a half years ago. I didn’t think it would matter much compared to my old racing bike, but I smashed all my Strava records with it.

I didn’t get it for free, but it was my best buy ever. I grew to be somewhat of a cycling fanatic. I rode about 70,000 kms on it now I think. Rode it through the Alpes about 7 times, including #tourforlife going from Italy to the Netherlands in 8 days. Also lost a couple of kgs of weight.

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Also the frames break and usually quickly. We've seen a few.


My shop said that not only did one of the caliper's pistons crack, TRP doesn't even make the brake in post mount form anymore, so I guess it's back to cable disc brakes again. 🙃

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter


Today in tk's #seabikes adventures: descending from Phinney Ridge without a functioning front brake. 😱

(The bike has TRP Hylex hydraulic disc brakes. I took it to my LBS after and they said that it looks like the caliper might've sprung a leak and has been contaminating the rotor. I've had the brakes for several years now, so I'm not too bothered.)

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter


in reply to Neil E. Hodges doskel reshared this.

It's never a good time when a brake becomes a break. :P
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Oh no! I have Hylex post-mounts on my road-ish bike. They are by far the best brakes I've ever owned. Zero maintenance, save for replacing pads, in over 13000km.

Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


I originally thought I'd just use the stock pads until they were worn down, but they stopped just badly enough to convince me to put in Kool-Stop salmon pads. (It wasn't scary, but I wanted more confidence in my stopping.)

Always remember to sand your brake pads a little prior to installation. 👍

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter


Simple cable rim brakes saving my ass as always (at least until the front disc caliper is fixed on my other bike). :P

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

@tk@f.kawa-kun.com:

Today in tk's #seabikes adventures: descending from Phinney Ridge without a functioning front brake. 😱
(The bike has TRP Hylex hydraulic disc brakes. I took it to my LBS after and they said that it looks like the caliper might've sprung a leak and has been contaminating the rotor. I've had the brakes for several years now, so I'm not too bothered.)

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter



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in reply to Neil E. Hodges

and again if the bike's sat unused for a long time. I use a fine metal file.
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I know everyone hates cantis, but there's something magical about having the modulation ("mushy") region in just the right place. :3

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter


Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


Simple cable rim brakes saving my ass as always (at least until the front disc caliper is fixed on my other bike). :P

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter


Today in tk's #seabikes adventures: descending from Phinney Ridge without a functioning front brake. 😱

(The bike has TRP Hylex hydraulic disc brakes. I took it to my LBS after and they said that it looks like the caliper might've sprung a leak and has been contaminating the rotor. I've had the brakes for several years now, so I'm not too bothered.)

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter


in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Yes, cantis. I like them. 🤷 They work well when set up correctly: straddle as low as you can get them to start, then raise little by little if you prefer. Having a lower cable hanger will additionally reduce system flex and improve stopping.

Even those dreaded Tektro "Oryx" 992A calipers. You need the straddle super low, but they work great that way. (That does also mean that they have limited tire clearance!)

(Oh, and this isn't a "rim versus disc" debate starter. If anything, it would be a "cantis suck" debate. :P )

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

This entry was edited (2 months ago)
in reply to 😀🚲

@enobacon U Brakes are once again resurrected as “braze on centerpulls”. I have some on my old Centurion ProTour.
Love the Tektro CR720 cantis, sadly discontinued it appears. Luckily I have a backstock.
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Is there a bit of fraying going on there? Or is that normal? (honest question, I'm just getting into servicing my own bicycles...)
in reply to AI6YR Ben

The cable yoke deformed as I tightened the set screw even though I didn't wrench on it very hard at all. :(
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I never bother with the set screw for the straddle-cable. I just remove it altogether or use a yoke that doesn’t have one.
This entry was edited (2 months ago)
in reply to Nate

I'm planning on replacing it with a yoke that doesn't have those set screws. 👍


Today in tk's #seabikes adventures: descending from Phinney Ridge without a functioning front brake. 😱

(The bike has TRP Hylex hydraulic disc brakes. I took it to my LBS after and they said that it looks like the caliper might've sprung a leak and has been contaminating the rotor. I've had the brakes for several years now, so I'm not too bothered.)

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter


in reply to Neil E. Hodges

@Thomas Bensler
Infrastructure sharing works wonderfully in Taiwan. Many streets here have neither bicycle lanes nor sidewalks. Drivers are more or less considerate of other road users. So do the many scooter riders. Usually, when cars or scooters overtake other road users from behind, the safety distance to the overtaken road user is often more than 20 cm. It hardly ever happens that a rearview mirror causes injuries.

And more and more newly planned and built roads even have footpaths and cycle paths. Which are actually not allowed to be parked on.

Well and then, should the cars are getting less, there will be no more need for dedicated food paths and bicycle lanes.

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Here in #Ottawa we have many separate bike paths all over the city, but we also have a lot on on-road dedicated bike lanes. Of course you can also bike directly on the roads as well.



in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Mixed feelings on this. A good external bb setup is stiff, light, and doesn't require pressing off the arms for every bb service. Some even just use a single bolt to hold the whole thing together.
On the other hand, a cheap and defined toolset covers all types of square taper bb, while modern bb's seem to have 20 different tools needed and they all cost $30 or more.


At the moment, my #cycljng is mainly limited by my cardiovascular system and energy. All of that time sick from respiratory illness was not kind to my fitness. :'(

#bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter



The last I'll ever see of this bike before it's converted into one with a custom frameset. :( #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


I like 1×, I like 2×, and I like 3×. I also like single-speed, fixed-gear, internally geared hubs, and bottom bracket gearboxes. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. :3

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter @biketooter group @mastobikes group

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in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I also like rim brakes, disc brakes, and drum brakes. I've used all of them and they all have their quirks. :3

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

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in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I'm mostly over 3x (and my diy 4x) but nothing I've ridden in 1x gives me enough range for either road or mountain bikes. I would sure like a Pinion gearbox matched to a 10 speed cassette, though. Then I'd be satisfied.


10/11/12/13-speed chains last just as long as 7/8/9-speed chains because of the improved metallurgy.

Doesn't that mean that 7/8/9-speed chains could be made with the same "improved metallurgy" to last far longer than chains with more speeds? 🤔

#cycling #bicycle #biketooter #mastobikes

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

My totally amateur take of anecdata on that would be that 90% of the people only change their 7/8/9 speed because it's rusty from standing outside for years and at least 50% of people with 10+ speed actually replace them because of wear and tear.
Prices don't seem to be so different anymore, but I just did a very quick search for Shimano at one online shop. So maybe yes?

Marty Cormack reshared this.


This is a very informative and helpful video, but it reeks how things are this way in the US when it comes to liability, cars, and healthcare. :/

So You Got Hit by a Car—Here's The Part Nobody Talks About


Hopefully none of you ever get hit by a car while riding your bicycle. Unfortunately, this happens to thousands of cyclists every year. While some people do recover physically from their accident, they often get slapped with thousands or even hundreds of thousands in medical bills that insurance won't cover. Today, we'll talk about the ways you can prevent that from happening, should you collide with a motor vehicle while riding your bike.

@biketooter group @mastobikes group #cycling #biketooter #mastobikes #bicycle

This entry was edited (5 months ago)
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

The video is full of good information. The basic point is treat it like any other car crash. Take pictures. Get a police report. Talk to witnesses. Exchange information with the other person. All the stuff you would normally do. Gather as much information at the time of the incident as you can. Maybe you won't need it but you can't go back in time when you realize you forgot something.


While I was riding my main #bicycle on gravel a couple days ago, I was able to easily rescue a front wheel slide.

And when I was riding it yesterday up a fairly steep bit of sandy gravel (for the city), I was able to get past wheelslip and just pedal slowly and softly in a low gear to get up the hill.

I've come a long way! :) #cycling #mastobikes #biketooter


Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


Carspiracy - You’ll Never See The World The Same Way Again

Our world is built up of roads and cars to get us to our destination! But what about cycling and even walking? Have we been brainwashed to think that the car is always king?

Si goes on a deep dive into just how we are convinced to think that modern car culture is acceptable in our lives!

@biketooter group @mastobikes group #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

No joining the car culture for me - but I'm stuck living in the middle of it. ;-(


Introducing Rene Herse Headsets

For our anniversary run of Rene Herse bikes—and for the bikes we ride in long-distance events—we wanted a better solution: a reliable needle-bearing headset that is Rinko-compatible. This is another project that had a long gestation period: We made the first prototypes three years ago. We ran them in Unbound XL (twice), in Paris-Brest-Paris, Arkansas High Country Race, Dark Divide 300 and many other rides and adventures. Along the way, we fine-tuned many details, both aesthetic and functional. We decreased stack height, lowered weight, and increased clearances to make sure the headset works smoothly and quietly under the harshest conditions. We tested and re-tested, and now the headsets are ready.

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter



Had to use a pair of vice grips to remove the cover of my #Garmin power meter pedals because they were stuck enough that trying to use the hex socket to remove the cover just resulted in it stripping. (Yes, I'm using hex keys that are known to be good.) :'(

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter



How do #cycling folks feel about the Clik Valve?

The principle of the SCHWALBE CLIK VALVE, winner of the Eurobike Award 2024, is very simple: it works intuitively with a click. What does it need? The valve and the corresponding pump head or pump head adapter. With the Clik Valve, this can be clicked onto the bike valve with minimal force and removed again very easily after successful inflation.

It doesn't matter which valve and pump you currently have - thanks to conversion kits for all existing bicycle valves and most pumps. To change the bicycle valve, simply replace the valve insert (Sclaverand, Presta, Dunlop, tubeless valve), for the car valve there is an adapter that is screwed over the valve (and can be easily unscrewed again to be able to use petrol station pumps).

The pump head adapter can be integrated into the pump head of current pumps (by clamping or screwing in), even with hand pumps. The Schwalbe Clik Valve can also be inflated with normal SV (Presta) pumps - thanks to this reverse compatibility, you are never at a loss in any situation. And SKS will already be offering its own CLIK VALVE pump at Eurobike.

Schwalbe will soon be producing the first tubes with the Clik Valve.

#bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

Unknown parent

Neil E. Hodges
Those Fillmore valves do look cool. :3

Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


Found these cute old sheds (still in use!) in Woodland Park while exploring a new route with the knobby-ish gravel tires on my Soma Stanyan. (1)

Definitely getting better with the color calibration tool in #Darktable. Having the flexibility to pick any hue for the illuminant is very nice! :)

#photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork #Seattle #seabikes #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

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If breaking the rules is safer than following them, it might be time to change the rules. :/

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

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in reply to Sam Levine

That's one good example.

I was mostly speaking in general.

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I immediately thought of the Idaho Stop. WA implemented part of it, but we're still not allowed to treat red lights as stop signs. That should change, IMO.


Was rewarded for riding my #bicycle for the first time in over a week (due to illness and a mechanical) with a gnat in my windpipe. :( #cycilng #mastobikes #biketooter


in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Pretty sure they only made the beads so tight so that they'd form a more effective "seal" with the rim's well to make inflating with a compressor or similar easier. That results in two side-effects:

  • The tires are a bear to get on the rim!
  • As soon as pressure is lost, the beads want to migrate to the center of the rim's well.
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

The Schwalbe G-One Allround tires don’t roll noticeably slower than the GravelKings, but they do feel less “wobbly” at the same pressure and definitely bite well into gravel. #bicycle #cycling #biketooter #mastobikes

Sam Levine reshared this.


I've been running 38mm Panaracer GravelKing tires tubeless on my Soma Stanyan for years, but the front tire I just put on has enough wobble to rub in one spot on every rotation. (The wheel itself is true.)

Two shops told me that the tire wasn't seated right, but I checked and remounted multiple times and it's seating fine. Even used some rubbing alcohol to lubricate the tire where it seated, but it always mounts up perfectly fine. The tire is the problem.

The second shop gave the real answer after chatting with the folks there for a bit: I should go down a size. It's a real bummer, but even the Soma website says it can do up to 35mm. :(

The only other realistic alternative is a new frameset, or at least a new fork, but that will have to wait for a while. :(

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

This entry was edited (8 months ago)
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Asking for help here sure feels like shouting into the void most of the time. :(

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in reply to Neil E. Hodges

your can buy replacement clamps. I had such a failure the other day. A few bucks for the clamp, new bar tape (needed it anyway) and about 30mins of effort and I was back on the road. https://mastodon.social/@lildude/112547022754772368



Ben's Cycle sent me a 100mm quill stem when I ordered an 80mm (I checked the stock numbers). :'( #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter


When @clover and I got to the bottom of a long hill while #cycling yesterday, I heard the tell-tale sign of a #tubeless leak in my front tire, a well-used #Panaracer #GravelKing. She even said it was smoking, but I knew it was just sealant blowing out.

Thankfully, it was at the end of our ride and I didn't have to deal with steering on a floppy tire. I did snap this picture, though.

I tried seating it again today and it just wouldn't hold air because of the same spot. That's when I noticed the bulge in the sidewall near the bead, so I decided to toss the tire and put on a fresh (identical) one I had in reserve. The new tire seated without issue, aside from how I had to do it twice because I put it on the wrong way the first time. :P

This isn't a knock on Panaracer tire quality, of course. The tire's been through a lot and there was only so much tread left anyway.

#bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

The real downside is that the bike will be "offline" until tomorrow so that the sealant can make its way into all the tiny leaks while the wheel is resting in a safe environment.



Good #bicycle fit is really hard if the rider doesn't already have good technique. 🫠

#cycling #biketooter #mastobikes @mastobikes group @biketooter group

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Sam Levine reshared this.


A randonneur-style handlebar bag with a lightweight metal basket frame that uses hinges instead of bends would hold its shape extremely well over the years. 🤔

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter @mastobikes group @biketooter group

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Analog Simplicity: Rene Herse Floating Chain

Now that the Nivex derailleurs have been in production for a while, Rene Herse is taking analog shifting to the next level with the Floating Chain. This system is lighter, has less resistance and costs far less than all derailleur systems available today.

Jan Heine, head of R&D at Rene Herse Cycles, explained: “One-by drivetrains have simplified bicycle gearing, but it’s time to go a step further. Most cyclists need only three gears: one for uphills, one for flat roads, and one for downhills. The steps between these gears tend to be relatively large. Large steps between three gears are easiest to accommodate on the front, with a triple crank. So we’ve effectively turned the one-by around and put all the gears on the front.”

The Floating Chain system uses a triple crank and just a single-speed freewheel on the rear. As an added benefit, front derailleurs are lighter, more reliable, and less prone to damage when the bike falls over.

In the interest of keeping the system simple and to reduce mechanical resistance to a minimum, there is no chain tensioner. The chain length is selected for the big chainring, and it’s allowed to float freely when it runs on one of the smaller chainrings. There is no need to keep the lower chain run tensioned, as long as you don’t backpedal for more than half a revolution of the cranks.

#cycling #bicycle #biketooter #mastobikes @biketooter group @mastobikes group

Unknown parent

dorotaC
@InkySchwartz Experimenting with even stupid-looking things can teach us something. But most people are not interested in experimenting.


I always love this little bridge across Ravenna Park and usually try to make it part of the somewhat longer version of my usual loop. (1)

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter #seabikes #seattle


Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


I give zero fucks about hookless or carbon fiber bicycle rims. :3

#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter