Your latest bike purchase?

[hozn]

@hozn 121490 wrote:

My new frame arrived.

Build finished, rode it earlier in the week. It is nice to have a smaller frame / be more over BB.

[dkel]

My belt drive fixie (with front disc brake) is waiting for me at Bikenetic, but I’ve done nothing but eat, sleep, and work on my dissertation for the last few days. I did go get donuts at the new Astro, but that was before Jan built up my bike for me!

[ShawnoftheDread]

Sister in law brought this scarf back from India.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dkel 122145 wrote:

My belt drive fixie (with front disc brake) is waiting for me at Bikenetic, but I’ve done nothing but eat, sleep, and work on my dissertation for the last few days. I did go get donuts at the new Astro, but that was before Jan built up my bike for me!

How does the belt hold up with backpedaling and/or skidding?

[dkel]

@TwoWheelsDC 122162 wrote:

How does the belt hold up with backpedaling and/or skidding?

I don’t know. I still haven’t picked up the bike yet. But I’ll finish writing the dissertation tomorrow (still some editing to do, though)! …wait, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah. So if it pedals forward, why wouldn’t it do the backpedaling and such? Seems like the same thing in reverse.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dkel 122170 wrote:

I don’t know. I still haven’t picked up the bike yet. But I’ll finish writing the dissertation tomorrow (still some editing to do, though)! …wait, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah. So if it pedals forward, why wouldn’t it do the backpedaling and such? Seems like the same thing in reverse.

Just curious…I’d wager the forces are the same if your pedaling the bike from a stop, but I assume backpedaling and skidding put greater stress on the drivetrain. For example, running a chain tensioner on a fixed gear is basically impossible since the reverse force will rip it off..and I wasn’t sure if belt drives were unidirectional and only meant to take stress in one direction. Some quick googling indicates that these are not issues with belt drives, although I am curious how backpedaling a belt feels vs a chain.

[dkel]

@TwoWheelsDC 122180 wrote:

Just curious…I’d wager the forces are the same if your pedaling the bike from a stop, but I assume backpedaling and skidding put greater stress on the drivetrain. For example, running a chain tensioner on a fixed gear is basically impossible since the reverse force will rip it off..and I wasn’t sure if belt drives were unidirectional and only meant to take stress in one direction. Some quick googling indicates that these are not issues with belt drives, although I am curious how backpedaling a belt feels vs a chain.

I’ll let you know—if I ever get to find out! I have a work blitz next week and then I’m on vacation for a week, so my opportunities to get down to business with this new bike are not forthcoming. Pretty bad timing, considering this bike has been in the works for months now.

[Sunyata]

@dkel 122145 wrote:

My belt drive fixie (with front disc brake) is waiting for me at Bikenetic, but I’ve done nothing but eat, sleep, and work on my dissertation for the last few days. I did go get donuts at the new Astro, but that was before Jan built up my bike for me!

I went by the shop yesterday afternoon and drooled over your bike. It is pretty sweet looking! If you hate it, let me know… I may take it off your hands! 😎

[Harry Meatmotor]

No purple pieces… Instead, gold Woodman seatpost, and orange Woodman collar, polished Ritchey Classic stem.

Challenge Grifos in skinwall, gold nitride KMC chain, and FSA Wing Pro Compact coming soon.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9359[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9360[/ATTACH]

Still getting used to it, but after a dozen or so laps of the Gravelly practice loop, Strava says I’m not as slow as I thought I’d be (or I probably *should* be). And a little birdy told me there’s going to be TWO flyovers at Charm City this year. This bikeeen thing is such a fun way to spend money…

[hozn]

I’m sad the trim is not purple

But I’m wondering how you like the sram hydro brakes?

[Powerful Pete]

Nice, very bling with the gold bits!

[Harry Meatmotor]

@hozn 122341 wrote:

I’m sad the trim is not purple

But I’m wondering how you like the sram hydro brakes?

So far, I’m totally sold. Single finger braking from the tops of the hoods = easily lockup the rear, hard braking up front. Great modulation, way better than anything I’ve felt from cable-actuated discs. downside is I won’t get a chance to try Paul’s new Klampers… maybe on CommuterBikeV2.0…

[hozn]

Ha, that’s funny. My favorite comment from the Bike Rumor article on the Paul brakes was (paraphrasing) “These are great if you wanted BB7s but wanted them to cost a lot more.” But they do have orange trim and that is worth something.

I am really happy with the Spyres, but I will eventually upgrade my roadbike to hydro — probably Shimano Di2.

[wheelswings]

I’m wondering whether two people can comfortably ride the same bicycle if one person is about 10 inches taller than the other? Can we just adjust the seat, depending who’s riding? We’re both built like pencils, but I’m a lot shorter.

My brother has been visiting from Sweden for a week at a time. He comes to see our mom, whom we moved here earlier in the summer. Her new home is just a few miles away from me. My brother is car-free and bicycle-free when he’s back home in Sweden because of the idyllic wooded paths for foot travel and the superb public transit (you can even take the subway to the local national park). But he’s come to realize that a bicycle would be very useful here in Arlington, so he’s asked me to find him a used one. He would only need it when he visits, every few months.

It so happens that I’m dreaming of buying another bicycle myself. I’m very attached to my 20 year old Trek mountain bike. It’s all I’ve ever had. It’s tough and reliable, and it works great. So I would keep using it for my daily commuting. But it’s a bit slow on longer rides like 50 States and Vasa, and it would be fun to try some long/faraway escapist rides on a faster bicycle (assuming I can ever find the time).

So my question is, can I buy a bike “for my brother” that’s really my size, for me…. i.e., can I expect it to pass muster for a guy who’s close to six feet tall? He only needs it when he visits, which will be every few months, and he’d likely not ride it more than 10 hilly miles per day.
Or do taller people need bigger bicycles, beyond simply adjusting the seat post?

Thanks for any advice! w&w

[hozn]

@wheels&wings 122416 wrote:

Or do taller people need bigger bicycles, beyond simply adjusting the seat post?

If it is just for a handful leisurely miles a day, I am sure he could HTFU and ride a tiny [for him] bicycle.

But if you want it to be comfortable for both of you for longer or more frequent rides, this probably won’t suffice. Definitely it is more than seatpost height. The other key metric is the reach, which he will probably need to be a few inches (?) longer and possibly higher unless he is more comfortable in a more aggressive position [than you are]. So you could get a bike that is on the larger end of what you could ride comfortably and then maybe swap and flip the stem and make it work comfortably enough for him too. (There are other aspects of geometry that are different between smaller and larger frames that I am glossing over, but most people riding modest distances won’t need to obsess.)

But really, if you have the space everyone will probably just say that you need to n+2. Get him a used single-speed for a couple hundred dollars. Or a CABi membership?

[Author]

Posts