Bicycle thread

[Jim Moore]

Originally Posted by surly357

that's not good.


while most cassette lockring tools aren't socket style, which pretty much negates the value of the printed torque spec, by using one in combination with a medium sized crescent wrench i can't imagine anyone seriously overtightening their lockring. well, maybe popeye...

It kinda threw me for a minute. I've never taken the cassette off before. I got my fancy lockring tool all set up, and my cassette holder in place, and the thing just started spinning. I was like, "wtf?!"

My lockring tool is actually a socket style, but I didn't have a socket to fit. I just tightened it with a crescent wrench to "pretty damn tight."

[Gummee!]

Originally Posted by Jim Moore

My lockring tool is actually a socket style, but I didn't have a socket to fit. I just tightened it with a crescent wrench to "pretty damn tight."

You really don't need it that tight. All its doing is holding the cassette on. Its not structural or anything.

I rode the Full Tilt Boogie Mk2 just now. Oh man. I'd forgotten what a rocketship that thing is. Stiff. Light(ish). Comfortable. The ONLY fly in the ointment is it got ordered without bottle cages. I either have to be a fred and wear a camelback or shove bottles in my jersey pockets. Oh well. Its a small sacrifice to ride something that nice.

Note to Askel: its not a very good long-distance gravel road bike. Too stiff thru the fork/front end. Fan-farging-tastic short-distance/race bike tho.

Buddy of mine is coming over for some help working on his Stumpjumper. He should be bringing beer and pizza.

M

[pierce]

Originally Posted by Gummee!

...The ONLY fly in the ointment is it got ordered without bottle cages. I either have to be a fred and wear a camelback or shove bottles in my jersey pockets....

didn't someone used to make a double bottle holder that clamped to the seatpost and held the bottles behind/under the seat? I know we had bottle holders that bolted onto the gooseneck and held a pair of bottles in front of the handlebars, too.

[Askel]

Originally Posted by Gummee!

Note to Askel: its not a very good long-distance gravel road bike. Too stiff thru the fork/front end. Fan-farging-tastic short-distance/race bike tho.

The only good gravel road bike is a motorcycle. The rest just begin a series of compromises.

Just finished the Royal 162 yesterday. 155 miles of MN gravel. Literally twice as hot, and probably twice as windy as last year. 86F with a steady 15-20mph wind and gusts to 35mph.

The course was about 2 miles shorter than last year. Maybe not everybody liked the "adventure loop". Managed to shave about 30 minutes off my time from last year and maybe, just maybe- not finish dead last (there was a mother/son team on fat bikes that had a good shot at making the cutoff).

The Fargo is definitely slower than the Jake, but I spent far less time this year off the bike, quietly crying to myself and praying for a quick, painless death. I was able to do that while still pedaling on the Fargo.

[Oznerol]

Originally Posted by Askel

The Fargo is definitely slower than the Jake, but I spent far less time this year off the bike, quietly crying to myself and praying for a quick, painless death.

I rode the Fargo the last time I did D2R2, 2 years ago. Took me 13 hours to do all 112 miles of it, and I was DFL by a pretty wide margin.

I remember one of the last bad hills. Dirt with lots of embedded babyheads. Every time I hit one of those rocks my sit bones screamed in pain. After grinding away for a bit in the granny, I got off and started pushing. A guy in a pickup who was working support for the ride pulled up next to me and asked if I had a mechanical. "The bike is fine. I just don't want to ride the fucking thing right now."

I love that ride.

[k7]

Up at 0430, breakfast at Waffle House and then on the road in South Mt at 0545. Just a tab under 45 miles, half of which are climbing and one single foot from 5400-ft of total elevation gain.

By the time I finished, temps were well over 90 and I was out of water!

I wasn't passed by a car until half an hour on the road and as usual, there are more cyclists than cars. Most cyclists only do one or two climbs. I may see one or two more than twice. Only the truly bent-and-afflicted do more than three. I may be slow - and old(er) - but I am persistent.

[Oznerol]

Currently sitting on the side of the road, a few miles short of the highest point on the planned ride for the day. Things were going great until my rear tire exploded -- not just the tube, the tread of the tire was shredded.

Now I'm watching bikes and motos and sports cars whip by on the winding road and amusing myself with my phone while I wait for my ride home to get here.

I got a motorcycle on Friday. My first in almost 6 years. A Yamaha WR250R. Had a fantastic time on it that afternoon and yesterday, and was tempted to take it out again today. But I convinced myself to be healthy and pedal instead.

[Mr Head]

I finally got back on my bike today. a short 21 miles. When I blew up the disk in my back I couldn't even sit up in a chair for a week. Two rounds of steroid treatments and almost 7 weeks later I can ride.
My back doesn't hurt, and the PT has me doing yoga stretches. I think the cycling and walking at lunch will do more for my core. That 4 months of overtime and zero exercise hammered me. I'm about where I was maybe two years ago as far as leg power. I took it easy and turned around after about 40 minutes. The first little hill up form the river to the street was hard. I took the shallow route up the big hill and had to stop and cool down about half way. I'll stop by the LBS on my way home tomorrow and pick up some big water bottles for the next ride.

Work is again trying to bump my training off the chart. I'm not letting that happen again. We'll know in a week or two how bad the bump is.



I love that Roubiax. That bike flat rocks.

[Askel]

Originally Posted by Oznerol

"The bike is fine. I just don't want to ride the fucking thing right now."

I love that ride.

One of the sure fire ways to distinguish a ride as "epic" is when vulgarities are used in a matter of fact tone as the only useful description of the experience instead of a colorful embellishment.

And enjoy the WR. Must be something in the air. I recently sold my FZ1 and am considering my first motorcycle purchase in 9 years(?! My 2003 self is hanging his head in shame). Kinda thinking DR650 though, but a WR250R is on the short list.

[surly357]

Originally Posted by Jim Moore

......My lockring tool is actually a socket style, but I didn't have a socket to fit. I just tightened it with a crescent wrench to "pretty damn tight."

That'll do. ;-)


btw, all that talk about bad crank threads jinxed me!

A low end Raleigh mtb came in with a broken rear axle and a worn out oem cartridge bb the other day. Of course the right crankarm threads were ruined! Only a minor pita this time though, all's well that ends well....

[Garthe]

[Aurelius]

Took the new Stumpjumper Expert Evo Carbon up to Santos yesterday to see what it could do. My buddy Dave has been giving me pointers on the essentials of mountain biking, so I had him follow me with the video camera in the hope of obtaining some good footage. I decided to take the Dr. Ruth trail, which I consider the most difficult of all the Blue trails out there, and one which had caused me considerable problems in the past. This time I just flew right through it. To say that the Stumpjumper acquitted itself well would be the understatement of the year. Nothing I've ever ridden could match that bike in pure awesomeness.

For some reason YouTube isn't allowing me to embed videos today, but:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M53vtNQsvSI

[blackfriar]

I went out Saturday to try out a new route. It was about 45 miles and that was about twice as far as I've gone this year. It was warmer than I thought it was going to be and I got leg cramps at about 35 miles. Thought I could finish, but had to call the support vehicle (my wife in the Tacoma) to come and get me at around mile 40. Try it again next weekend. I just got my road bike in September and still getting used to longer (for me) rides.

[Aurelius]

Originally Posted by blackfriar

I went out Saturday to try out a new route. It was about 45 miles and that was about twice as far as I've gone this year. It was warmer than I thought it was going to be and I got leg cramps at about 35 miles. Thought I could finish, but had to call the support vehicle (my wife in the Tacoma) to come and get me at around mile 40. Try it again next weekend. I just got my road bike in September and still getting used to longer (for me) rides.

This weekend, a friend supplied me with a concoction that he drank during his racing years. I'm not sure what was in it, but I know from experience that after two hours of hard riding in the Florida heat, I'm usually burned out and ready to go home. This time, I managed to ride hard for five hours in 90F before reaching that point. I'm going to find out where he gets this stuff and take it with me on future rides. I just hope it doesn't contain any illegal substances.

[Jim Moore]

Originally Posted by Gummee!

As long as the dood in question doesn't leave a hole in the group, let him. No skin off your teeth. If he does leave a hole in the group, fill it then don't let him back in. Make him go to the back.

M

I had to chuckle on Saturday. The same situation occurred. I'm thinking, "No biggie. Gummee told me to chill, so I'm chillin." Lady behind me screams, "GET BACK IN LINE" at the top of her lungs. She was not chillin'.