[anomad]

I’ve had good luck with the camel bak reservoirs and the Platypus ones. I happen to like the Platypus big bite valve or whatever they call it. The plastic does wear over time and will develop a pinhole leak where it creases. The camel bak plastic is more rubbery and holds up good. Its less resistant to harsh treatment. I’ve punctured a couple performing “professional dismounts” while mountain biking. The camel bak on/off valve is good if I remember to use it. The insulated tubes are the way to go when its really cold out.

Insulated bottles and warm water are what I usually use when its cold. An insulated camel bak bottle with warm water will last an hour or more even well below freezing. Much like the rider above mentioned.

I used to put a tea bag or two in my reservoir with hot water, but not boiling hot, for long winter rides. The warmth feels good on your back and I love tea. I’m not that serious these days and my commute is a full hour at my slowest pace. So, I’m finding I don’t really drink much on the trip. In the summer heat I was guzzling a bottle before leaving and one during the trip. I sweat a lot when its hot out and was adjusting from a very arid high elevation environment to the high humidity low elevation environment this summer. Based on my urine production versus water intake I don’t sweat out as much water here as I did out west. Even though I am drenched when its hot. I would even wear long sleeves or sun sleeves out west and never have damp clothing. Crazy how nature does that

In Alaska and other cold places I used a camel back under my jacket with the hose routed under my arm pit and an insulated tube. If you drain the nipple after taking a sip it works in truly cold temperatures. If you forget and the hose or nipple freezes up you can stick in in your clothing to thaw.

My whisky flask has yet to freeze.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13484[/ATTACH]

[anomad]

I’ve parked in the garage at the Management Concepts Training Center on the West side of that block when attending classes. There was no cage, but they had a decent rack to lock up right beside the parking attendant. None of my junk got stolen, for whatever that’s worth.

[anomad]

Not unless they were interfering with the skewer being able to tighten down the hub to the dropout completely. Or, if the wheel was loose in the dropouts it could wobble. That could happen if part of the spring was between the nut on the skewer and in between it and the dropout.

If the skewers and axles were snug against the dropouts it wouldn’t cause a wobble. If the rider or “mechanic” was uneducated enough to install the springs backwards, then all bets are off as to the wheel being seated in the dropouts correctly. Were other changes made that lead to this discovery? New tires or other changes might lead to a wobbly feeling unrelated to the skewer springs.

[anomad]

Doesn’t the loofah get caught on the chainwheels?

[anomad]

What a beautiful day for commuting. Light south wind this morning and perfect sunrise was a really great way to start the day. Then having all the fair weather riders on the ride home out on the path made for lots of great entertainment!

Electric bike guy passing unsafely by the airport this morning was not cool. I totally dig electric bikes and have talked to a bunch of them. There’s one guy that rides very frequently North to South in the mornings on a large volume tire model with upright riding position. He’s very thoughtful of other path users and I like seeing riders like that pedal assist or not. Another guy I met riding downtown this summer said he bought his to avoid the metro shutdowns and ended up paying for the electric bike in the parking fees he saved. We chatted riding down Madison Avenue as he enjoyed a cigarette… Hilarious.

[anomad]

That’s sad. It reminds me of an accident I came across during cleanup in Salt Lake City where a bicycle was hit by a cement truck. The bicycle had tried to squeeze past a right turning cement truck at an intersection with predictable results. It was also an older man that was riding out of necessity more than most of us are. If I may say so without being callous.

[anomad]

Chicks dig it…

@Fast Friendly Guy 153355 wrote:

Ahhhh! Early Sunday GPS art with my sweetie!

https://www.strava.com/activities/840800242

[anomad]

A real FedEx truck or FedEx Ground? Usually the regular company guys have purple-ish and orange on their trucks. While the contractors have green and purple-ish. Or maybe you recall seeing FedEx ground?

Anyway, the FedEx ground are contractors and are generally effing retards, in my experience. They once ruined an entire shipment of computers to my office, I have many examples. But don’t get me started. It would probably serve you and the company well to report the near accident regardless. This is kind of a personal rant since a friend of mine (also a bike rider) works for FedEx proper and cares about the companies good standing.

@Brett L. 153300 wrote:

Situation: Classic right hook x5
Location: Sunnyside Avenue, Beltsville MD
Perpetrator: FedEx delivery truck
Time: Approx. 11:18am Saturday January 21
Description: A group of five of us were out for a fun casual ride this morning, heading out to the farms north of Greenbelt. We were traveling east along Sunnyside Ave single file, close but not really pace line. A FedEx delivery truck overtook us, we weren’t really going fast, and neither was the truck. He probably took 15s or so to over take all 5 of us, plenty of time for him to notice us. I was leading the group. As we crossed the tracks, he turned right into the WMATA rail yard, as I was beside him, no further than 5 feet back. Fortunately we were all going fairly slow and able to slam the brakes to avoid. There were five very loud cursing cyclists at that one, fortunate that we didn’t hit him, and fortunate that we didn’t pile up on each other. I didn’t get the license plate, but have time and location. Very much considering calling FedEx to complain, but doubt it would do any good.

[anomad]

Something else to think about is the tire profile on different rims. A 32c or 35c tire on a wide rim feels and looks a lot bigger than when its mounted on a 19mm road rim. 35c on a wide rim is close to what we ran moutain biking in yesteryear. It makes a luxurious commuting/touring profile.

If flats are a problem then think about adding 2 ounces of Stan’s to your tubes or even going tubeless. Out west I had a terrible problem with flats on my commuter. I ended up with a 35c tire with puncture belt, a secondary tube protector, and sealant in the tubes! Puncture vine (goatheads or sand burs) being the biggest cullprit. Heavy, but it worked for thousands of miles.

[anomad]

@OneEighth 153055 wrote:

Willing to bet I saw the same vehicle on the 4MR trail last week. Looks like a single cylinder mounted to a bicycle, right? Also, unmistakably a two-stoke.

Maybe not. This was a full blown scooter with fairings and a headlight and all that stuff. Not a motorized bicycle.

[anomad]

No commuting for me this week. I was lucky enough to have telework today and training out of town tomorrow and Thursday. Perfect timing with all the inauguration closures!

While you legends are in the Freezing Saddles competition I can revert to indoor training of another variety when its not favorable outside. Good for core strength and stamina when I get back to the bike.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13288[/ATTACH]

[anomad]

Any more details about these attacks on the bike path? I don’t regularly go that way but it feeds my paranoia in a negative way.

Stay safe out there. I regularly ride with one other person who prefers a companion for safety. If anyone else wants to team up for safety we ride basically from Huntington Metro station to L’Enfant Metro station 6:30 AM departure and 5:00 PM return. Sometimes a little later if the day gets away from one or both of us.

@cvcalhoun 152919 wrote:

My evening (and morning) commutes involve that extra shot of adrenaline with armed robbers on the loose on the Capital Crescent Trail:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/two-armed-robberies-reported-by-scenic-georgetown-trail/2017/01/14/9851f118-dac6-11e6-9a36-1d296534b31e_story.html

[anomad]

This is in fact a new 11 Speed XT cassette and a 10 speed hub. Perhaps its not new enough? It’s not going to fit without dropping a cog and some kind of spacer.

How important is the “cap” function? Its just an old 8 speed freehub nut with a cog on it. I’m thinking if I get another spacer/washer I can drop the 11 tooth and just cinch the nut up against it and the 13 tooth. I might actually use a 13 tooth on a loooong descent, with a tailwind. I’ll try that after I procure a spacer and see what happens. Still have to get my brake order from TRP so I can futz around with it in the meantime.

@drevil 152982 wrote:

Indeed, thanks @hozn.

One thing to note is that 11-speed MTB Shimano cassettes do fit 10-speed hubs. I’m upgrading one of my wife’s bikes from old, no-longer-working 2×8 speed drivetrain to 1×11, and in my research I’ve found multiple places where they said it was compatible, like below:

The new 11-speed XT cassette will fit any existing Shimano freehub body too. We see this as another big plus, as it’s easy to upgrade to 11-speed without forking out for a new freehub (or hub/wheel) to do so.
from: http://flowmountainbike.com/post-all/shimano-xt-11-speed-with-new-11-42-cassette/

I have no idea if the 11-speed road shifters are compatible with 11-speed MTB cassettes.

[anomad]

@hozn 152967 wrote:

I think @drevil was intending to link to the section where they just describe removing a cog and moving spacer to back, etc. That seems like cheapest way to solve this. Although if the hub is compatible with 11sp freehub, that seems like the best way to solve it. (I guess being the owner of a couple wheelsets that can’t take an 11sp body, I’m assuming that it isn’t.)

Thanks everyone, I followed your tips and got it to fit no problem!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13286[/ATTACH]

Seriously though, the spacer behind the stack and dropping one cog works. Only I want to drop the worthless 11 tooth. Not 15-19. Hmmm

[anomad]

For a road bike with big tires and fenders you are going to want some kind of touring or adventure touring frameset. Another option would be to start with a used bike that is close to what you are aiming for, customize the hell out of it, and start your own parts bin. A Volagi Viaje frameset would be pretty ideal for what you describe, but they aren’t easy to find. Surly Trucker or Cross Check also come to mind as well as a couple Salsa offerings. There’s a bunch of other boutique brands like the Volagi that I am not as personally familiar with. Disc brakes are the only way to go.

26 inch wheels are not en vogue at the moment, but they will get you down the road or trail just fine. They’re cheap and plentiful. Considering something with that wheel size isn’t a bad idea since you’re shooting for larger tire volume and full fenders.

A few years ago I built a Nashbar aluminum touring frame with spare parts (mostly) I had from a Surly Cross Check. Its been a great commuter bike but 35c tires are about as big as you’d want with full fenders. I run 32c tires. The geometry on that frame is a little weird too, I have to run a mile of spacers or a short high rise stem. Neither of which are ideal.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13270[/ATTACH]

[Author]

Posts