[CCrew]

@acc 4011 wrote:

What? My role model for commuting toughness and smarts about all things “bike” risks his neck with tunes. I tell ya, I’m shocked. I just can’t bring myself to do it. I would like to, it would be fun, but for me the risk isn’t worth it. So I sing to myself, seems to scare most of the deer anyway.

Happy Trails,
ann

Yeah, I yank them in traffic if it’s any consolation. Keep in mind I’m out there @ 3am, isn’t a lot of other distraction or things to dodge. And Bambi doesn’t seem to mind that I’m jamming on something

[CCrew]

@DismalScientist 4005 wrote:

I’m excited its going to be 95 F too.

Enjoy.

Oh, you guys are just not right

[CCrew]

@SteveTheTech 4003 wrote:

Frame geometry is critical but it seems that when they compare one of their bikes to a name brand they are talking about components mostly.

Oh, no “mostly” about it. BD’s owner claimed it was the same bike, period. That type of thing is part of how they’ve gotten the bum rap that they have. Funniest part about it is that they really haven’t gotten the reputation for the bikes themselves, just their marketing and business ethics.

I wholeheartedly agree with you on the service aspect though. None of mine have ever been back to a shop after purchase.

[CCrew]

We rode 65mi on the C&O Saturday… All I can say is that it was a soul sucking mudhole almost the entire way

[CCrew]

@StopMeansStop 4001 wrote:

thanks form the spokes tip. 1150 is the price. Does that sound about right? I’m wary of some of the bike shops around here.

It’s a touch on the high side. Online pricing runs $1000 to $1100 and if you shop right you pay no tax and get free shipping. You just have to be prepared to dial the bike in when you get it or pay a shop to do it which may negate any savings.

Spokes isn’t a bad shop, one in Vienna is especially good in my experience.

[CCrew]

@SteveTheTech 3995 wrote:

There is also a law in VA that cyclists are not supposed to wear headphones in both ears while riding. We have all seen that infraction cause several near misses.

Oh, man, I’m really guilty of that one.. I like my tunes

[CCrew]

@SteveTheTech 3998 wrote:

I kind of feel like opinions like that have given them a negative stigma, although I am guilty of having that.

Err, I dunno. The BD bike I have sitting here pretty much justifies the negative stigma. It’s a “Mirage Sport” and while I only paid $160 for it pretty much new off CL they were retailing it for close to $700 at the time. I’d have been really pissed at myself had I paid that much for it. Paint that falls off if you look at it crooked, lots of one off parts, heavy as all sin. It’s a 48cm bike that I bought as a “starter” for getting my wife road biking. She quickly graduated to a nice Trek and she won’t so much as look at the BD bike now. We just keep it around if my daughter or my sons GF want to ride since they’re both petite enough to fit it.

I think part of what’s given the BD bikes such a rep is that the owner shilled them unmercifully for a long time on places like Bike Forums, and has made some outlandish claims that didn’t stand up. the Fantom for instance he claimed was the same as the Fuji Crosses, but yet didn’t have the same geometry nor the diamond down tube the Fuji’s did. Stuff like that sours a lot of people pretty quickly. What does it for me personally is the totally overinflated MSRP’s. One company owns and sells the line, it’s not like the MSRP’s are secret. But as a result it’s not uncommon to see BD bikes on CL referencing the MSRP yet selling for more than you can buy them from BD. That original sleight of hand just breeds more.

All of that said, when you get to the upper ends of their lines, some of the TI and Carbon bikes are great deals with good groupsets on them, so like anything else it’s a caveat emptor I guess.

One Eighth, that Redline you have doesn’t have disc tabs does it? I know the Conquest Classic does… I’d love to rock a disc brake cyclocross frame. Still kick myself for not having bought a Lemond Poprad Disc when they killed the line. Hoping to see some better ones appear now that UCI dropped the disc restrictions.

[CCrew]

@SteveTheTech 3994 wrote:

This one tends to be a semi controversial brand but the components cannot be beat for the price. Having purchased two bikes this year in the entryish level I would much rather buy blind but educated online.
,

Yeah.. They have a tendency to bring out the bicycle wars for sure. I will say that I have one of their bikes sitting here, picked off CL for next to nothing, and it is certainly at the low end of the spectrum. I’d be hard pressed to buy one at full price from them..

Let me add that I picked up my Fuji Cross Pro (full Ultegra) from Performance for less than the price of the Fantom you posted, plus got 10% back in points and free service so there’s an incentive if you’re not in a rush to hold for the best price – there’s deals out there if you don’t absolutely positively have to have it today. .

[CCrew]

@StopMeansStop 3981 wrote:

Anyone know of a local dealer? I’m sick of this hybrid

FYI, almost any bike shop can order a Surly. Surly (and Salsa) are made by QBP, which almost every bike shop in the US deals with for parts.

As JimF22003 said though, I’ve seen built Surly’s in Spokes in Vienna and also the store in Ashburn.

[CCrew]

@SteveTheTech 3987 wrote:

Maybe a little canuba wax will keep some of the gunk from sticking.

Just a tip from someone who’s anal about a clean bike. Pledge furniture polish rocks versus car wax.

And beware of Simple Green. Good stuff but it is caustic to aluminum.

-Roger

[CCrew]

@DaveK 3978 wrote:

W&OD is owned and controlled by NVRPA (Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority).

It’s managed by NVRPA, but law enforcement falls on whatever jurisdiction it passes through. I’ve seen Loudoun, Fairfax, Vienna, Falls Church, Arlington PD all on the trails at various times.

The FC ones are the funniest.. Get on a MTB, ride 3-4 blocks and turn and ride back to their cars

[CCrew]

@Dirt 3971 wrote:

As you know, torque wrenches can be very expensive and are usually as good as their price. Park makes a nice one for bikes. There’s an Italian company that makes a great one specifically for bikes too.

Don’t rule out Craftsmen also. There’s nothing magical in bike mechanics, although the companies like Park do make bike specific tools like cassette removal tools, etc. But if you only intend to use the stuff occasionally the Spin Doctor stuff from Performance can be a viable alternative.

[CCrew]

i ride the cobblestones with no issue every day. I’m assuming you mean the ones in the block stretch in front of CACI?

I’m not even sure they’re actual cobblestones, may possibly be just concrete made to look like them.

[CCrew]

I do all my own work. I grew up in a family where my father owned a high end machine shop, so the concept of having other people fix things wasn’t in my upbringing.

Tires are dependent on what you buy, but my experience is that they’ll last 2k miles on the minimum.

Chains are based on stretch, but that will be hastened by inadequate maintenance. Chains don’t in reality stretch… they wear on the pins and in the holes the pins ride in causing the chain to elongate. I’m anal about mine – for the most part pulled and cleaned about every two weeks or less. More because I’m OCD about clean, and also because I like a dead silent bike. I put SRAM Powerlinks in my chains, pull them and throw them in a coffee can with mineral spirits to soak, and then wipe, install and relube. I won’t even start the great holy war about what lube to use. That’s like having a coke vs. Pepsi argument. For me it’s Boeshield T-9 but use what you’re happy with.

[CCrew]

@acc 3957 wrote:

Speaking as a former nurse, it would take WAY more than a man’s shaved leg to make me flinch.

Oh, funny. When our daughter (now 18 ) was just barely walking we had to take her to the ER because she forcefully inserted a bead up her nose. The Dr that took it out (and it was a feat!) asked if he could keep it. I asked why. He said he had a collection of things that he had removed from people. I was told I *really* didn’t want to know some of the items in the collection.

The one thing he would admit to was a full size light bulb. I didn’t ask for more.

[Author]

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