cycling and century rides -

[Slime Tube]

and downtube, barcons (which puts you on the bar ends or on aero) , etc could be run index as well on shimano just turn that D ring

downtube never made that much a doff in the pack b/c the last thing you want to do is brake.
it's why you can't canve brakes in the drome

Fair point, I forgot about barcons.

Those are cool as fuck. I want them. Unfortunately I'm also a cheap bastard, and will stick with my traditional rollers until I die.

Because what fun are rollers if you can't ride right off of them?

You could just build a rocker plate and clamp the rollers to it.

So I wasn't careful enough about inflating my goop filled tires and the air valve got gooped.
So far I've seen online that soaking it in soapy water may help, but if anybody has personal experiences it'd be helpful too.

Did this to a tube. The proper technique is to remove the valve core, marinate in soapy water, clean out the gunk, reinsert the core and reinflate. I am a lazy and irresponsible swine so connected my track pump and increased the pressure until the crap in the valve gave in.

 

[XYZpdq]

Fair point, I forgot about barcons.



You could just build a rocker plate and clamp the rollers to it.



Did this to a tube. The proper technique is to remove the valve core, marinate in soapy water, clean out the gunk, reinsert the core and reinflate. I am a lazy and irresponsible swine so connected my track pump and increased the pressure until the crap in the valve gave in.

Yeah that first thing sounds hard and stuff.

 

[Slime Tube]

Picked up a sterzo smart for messing about on zwift. It feels like a gimmick at this point but I do seem to have recorded some record segment times while using it. You know what they say about correlation and causation, though.

 

[XYZpdq]

Last week or so my cheap bike was out of commission, something was up with the pedal brake, I've since poked it enough that it's working again.
In the interim I borrowed my friend's whoopity shit seven speed with hand brakes and very goofy Margaritaville branding (including a pineapple shaped drink holder and a bottle opener).
The multispeed was interesting, didn't really have a big difference from my normal bike. Like I got how the low gear worked for uphill, but it seemed to come out about the same in the wash by needing more pedaling even if the effort for each push was less.
Like, lighter reps but more of them.
Found the hand brake less intuitive.

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

@XYZpdq Woah, moved from the fixie at least temporarily, huh? I know that in my case, going in the reverse direction was a /steep/ learning curve - after riding freewheel multi-gear bikes for more years than I care to admit, I damned near slammed myself into the ground when I tried to stop pedaling on a fixie for the first time in memory's span. A whoopity shit seven speed does sound like fun, though - it's almost what my gravel bike is right now, seeing as how I laid it down hard enough on some single track to demolish my front derailleur lever on my handlebars. RIP, Claris shifter. I shall have to get myself a new one for the holidays.

@Slime Tube That is cool as fuck. You've got a toy I am dreaming about getting for myself one of these days. Priorities, though - I'm going to get a Zwift dongle first, because running on a treadmill during cold winter months is boring as fuck and I'd rather run around Watopia. When I'm not riding my bike, of course.

 

[XYZpdq]

@XYZpdq Woah, moved from the fixie at least temporarily, huh? I know that in my case, going in the reverse direction was a /steep/ learning curve - after riding freewheel multi-gear bikes for more years than I care to admit, I damned near slammed myself into the ground when I tried to stop pedaling on a fixie for the first time in memory's span. A whoopity shit seven speed does sound like fun, though - it's almost what my gravel bike is right now, seeing as how I laid it down hard enough on some single track to demolish my front derailleur lever on my handlebars. RIP, Claris shifter. I shall have to get myself a new one for the holidays.

@Slime Tube That is cool as fuck. You've got a toy I am dreaming about getting for myself one of these days. Priorities, though - I'm going to get a Zwift dongle first, because running on a treadmill during cold winter months is boring as fuck and I'd rather run around Watopia. When I'm not riding my bike, of course.

I was only on it for a week so I didn't have too long to get used to it, but I can see how fighting one instinct is rough.

 

[Sonichu-choo trainwreck]

@XYZpdq Woah, moved from the fixie at least temporarily, huh? I know that in my case, going in the reverse direction was a /steep/ learning curve - after riding freewheel multi-gear bikes for more years than I care to admit, I damned near slammed myself into the ground when I tried to stop pedaling on a fixie for the first time in memory's span.

spending time on the track (if you are near one) is a big help
but, covid killed the season
still, some dromes are on park land and are openly available

 

[XYZpdq]

I finally made some progress on the stem after soaking it in rubbing alcohol. Started deflating some and if I had a week or two to fuck around with it I probably could have gotten it to reinflate, too, but since it was low pressure enough it wouldn't bang I just snapped the stem and replaced the tube because fuck it it's like less than ten bucks to replace it.

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

spending time on the track (if you are near one) is a big help
but, covid killed the season
still, some dromes are on park land and are openly available

Unfortunately I live nowhere near a track. Hence why I'm just sticking mostly to my gravel bike (which I still haven't replaced the front shifter on, RIP derailleur), my old aluminum Cannondale with its Scott 3ttt bars (on rollers for Zwift) and my vintage race bike when I'm at my other semi-permanent location. The fixie I borrowed was kicking my ass too hard for me to have any desire to shift back, just like the mountain bike I borrowed from my neighbors was too slow for me to bother sinking the money to buy my own (gravel bike, though? Hell yes).

If nothing else, me and the gravel bike will be hitting a state park this weekend for some easy gravel, some moderate single-track, and a 20 mile road trip to get there. And if the weather's shit this weekend, there's the Megapretzel in Zwift. Still gotta get that dumb badge.

 

[Safir]

I got hit by a taxi last week and damaged my road bike (warped the front wheel, among other things). Put the hardtail up for repairs (was postponing the repairs for financial reasons but it's almost winter anyway) so I'm riding my last remaining working bike, a 16-inch Strida with a new paint job. Slipped on a lane marking, crashed, wiped my chin on the pavement. (The paint is ok.)

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

Geez, and I was thinking that throwing my back bad enough that I can't keep my balance on rollers right now (appointment next week for a cortizon shot, thank fuck) was bad. Yikes.

 

[KifflomKween]

I bike pretty much every day.
I'm not a pro with the bike but ive taught myself some basic maintenance skills (changing tubes and tires, cleaning, disassembling and assembling again).

I really don't have much more to add.

 

[XYZpdq]

I bike pretty much every day.
I'm not a pro with the bike but ive taught myself some basic maintenance skills (changing tubes and tires, cleaning, disassembling and assembling again).

I really don't have much more to add.

I love the disconnect between "I have an HMX 35/65 with an inverted double stretch and blahblahblah" and "I ride a bike for transportation, uhh, it goes forward?"

 

[XYZpdq]

doublepost because fuck you
so my pedals are about half-past fucked
at wal mart they got Another Pile Of Plastic and Fancy Metal Shits
what's the arguments for and against each?

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

doublepost because fuck you
so my pedals are about half-past fucked
at wal mart they got Another Pile Of Plastic and Fancy Metal Shits
what's the arguments for and against each?

Plastic vs Metal Pro:
Plastic is light weight if your a weight wienie (which I know you're not)
Plastic is cheap as fuck
Plastic comes in colors if you're in it for looks and shit

Metal vs Plastic Pro:
Metal is durable
You can smash that shit into the pavement during hard turns and it dun give a fuck

Same same:
They both feature the same alloy at pivot points so they'll both rust in the same fashion if you don't care for them
They both feature the same bearings so they'll both get crunchy if you don't wash 'em out
They're both flat pedals without clips for us fags that clip in so we whine and screech about power loss and shit

Go metal, my dude. You'll be much happier in the long run. It'll take longer for 'em to break.

 

[Cactus Wings]

Been offered financial aid in getting an indoors trainer so I don't have to reset every summer from winter inactivity. I start looking into it, Black Friday arrives, tons of trainer sales. Aaand literally everything from mainstream stores to back-alley sketchy ones are out of them. Quite impressive really. Earliest re-stocking 2021.. Can't even 'pre-order' and let time pass.

Big rage. Huge unsatisfy.

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

Depending on your budget and location, have you looked at REI or a similar shop? Right now they've got Wahoo Kickrs in stock for roughly $1000.

ETA Link: Here be a Kickr. They have other stuff, too.

 

[Slime Tube]

Bezos happy to punt you a tacx trainer at time of writing.

 

[XYZpdq]

successfully hauled 40lbs of cat litter home in my backpack

 

[Cactus Wings]

Depending on your budget and location, have you looked at REI or a similar shop? Right now they've got Wahoo Kickrs in stock for roughly $1000.

ETA Link: Here be a Kickr. They have other stuff, too.

My unemployed-ass budget is closer to $230. Wahoo Booster Tacx Booster seemingly fits the bill, but as said, completely out of stock.

Though at this point I've made enough drunken booze runs in minus degrees to at least go out for a few kilometers in my full kit. It's more about determination than conditions, but obviously an indoors trainer would be marvelous. Easily throw on bib and grind away for 90 mins a day.

That aside: My Bianchi-ass got ditched by Jumbo-Visma, but at least their new Sir Velo looks pretty good.

Spoiler

Bianchi went on to Mitchelton-Scott, and honestly it fits their look better. Even if their color profile is directly taken from Bianchi. They were an obnoxious green toxic edgelord color beforehand: