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@Arlingtonrider 28466 wrote:

Elbow and knee pads might indicate a new cyclist in need of some gentle education, or a roller derby queen in need of more shoaling.

Just be a Pal

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another vote for Proteus, great local bike shop

http://goo.gl/maps/gF58m

http://www.proteusbicycles.com/

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I’ll be coming down from New Carrollton Metro, so will probably be there around 6ish+. Hopefully there are still some people there!

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I know someone who has just about accomplished the same look without the paint

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They’re pinging away with their active bike bells like they’re looking for something, but nobody’s listening. They’re moving at almost forty knots. At that speed, they could run right over my daughter’s stereo and not hear it.

(para-phrased)

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@mstone 28336 wrote:

Well, that’s the design target for the lightweight decorative wheels rather than some inherent limitation. You can do much, much, much more weight on a stronger wheel. I did a towpath tour recently with at least 350 pounds between the bike, the weehoo, me, the kid, the stuff, etc. (DT Swiss 36 spoke TK540) Or see tandem touring wheels with 40 or 48 spokes that handle 500 pounds on 2 wheels.

I think the bottom line is that this is a “road bike”, meant for “racing” on the “race lite” wheels it has. I’m trying to commute on it, an inherently abusive riding task with weather, rough trails and streets, an occasional curb, front of a metro bus, rain, road grime/spray, etc. Add to that my weight (210ish) and all the other stuff I carry (lights, lock, full pockets, tool bag, etc) and I’m probably being pretty hard on a bike that is maybe meant for a bit lighter-weight usage. I’m trying to say this diplomatically because I *absolutely LOVE my Trek*. I just think I’m expecting it to perform in a situation it wasn’t meant for.

Of course, this all may be just my per-rationalization for buying another new bike. I already have it picked out, just waiting for the sale

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/road/aurora/12_bosanova.html

I also have that old Miyata. I’ve stalled on the build for it as I’ve found issues with it that I want to re-build “right”. Which basically means a lot of money dumped in to it. More than the Jamis will cost. I’ll re-build the Miyata at a slower pace and make it a long-distance touring bike, the Jamis will be my commuter, and my Trek will be my tri/”race” bike (I don’t race, I’m just a pathlete/strava-wannabe).

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@5555624 28304 wrote:

Oh, deer! Doe us a favor and stop!

all in venison now, “booooooooooo”. Pun killer.

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Sorry to hi-jack your thread, Dirt, but I had to make sure everyone saw this awesome pic!

for those who don’t follow his flickr:

IMG_5233 by PedroGringo, on Flickr

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Oh. My. God. This bus is actually about half the speed that I bike!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

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@baiskeli 28270 wrote:

I’m STILL giggling after reading this post. Well done.

And from now on, everyone who has read this post and hears a bicycle bell will hear that bell ring in Sean Connery’s accent. *ping*

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

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@Dirt 28253 wrote:

I’ll weigh in.

haha!

thanks again for the further advice. I didn’t know Bontrager=Trek, but it makes sense now. I’ll just take the bike back to the LBS I purchased it from. Last time I did this, they tried to tell me I should buy a new rim (rear). After mentioning that I had only purchased the bike a month before, suddenly the wheel was able to be trued. If they give me crap this time, I’ll start asking about the warranty from Bontrager. I read online it’s a 5 year warranty, and read some other not so great things about the Race Lite wheelsets.

It’s also a good time to mention my strava club, because I certainly crit my pants this morning.
http://app.strava.com/clubs/i-crit-my-pants

I’m going to risk the 3.5 mile ride to the bowie park-n-ride lot, it’s a flat-ish ride with really wide shoulders for cycling/parking. Pretty low volume of traffic too. Then from New Carrollton I’ll have to Metro bus home or wait until 7pm to ride the trains (stupid metro, anyone have a folding bike for trade? I have a cool clown costume)

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@DismalScientist 28254 wrote:

Cycling in khakis is divine, the only way to experience biking. Skirts… those are the work of the devil, I tell you.:p

that’s experience talking, folks!

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Meh, just verified with Proteus that they don’t carry Trek (knew that) or bontrager stuff, so no spokes I’ll have to take it back to the LBS I got it from, which means I’m taking Metro home today 😡

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When you see those types of riders, you have to let them know you’re there. Use your bell to verify your range to target… one ping only.

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thanks all! Some great suggestions, now I can stress a little less.

They’re Bontrager Race wheels with 24 spokes. The wheel isn’t really rubbing at all on the brakes, just a tiny bit maybe. I do have a park tool with a spoke wrench, but think I’ll leave it alone for now as I’ve never trued a wheel. If it starts rubbing real bad or getting worse, I’ll attempt to true it up. If that fails, I’ll just walk it, call a taxi, or make my son come out and get me (he’d have to miss work, so that’s a last option).

I’m going to see how the time works out before I decide what to do. If I get out of work early, I can make it to Proteus with enough time for them to fix it. If I’m running late, I’ll just ride the Metro home, which would probably end up taking about as much time as the ride home anyways. The real concern was just whether the wheel could possibly collapse on me or not. Oddly enough, for all the years I rode back in the early 2000s and the few hundred miles since I started cycling recently, I’ve only had 1 other spoke break. It was the rear wheel on this bike about 200 yards from home. I’m not really liking how fragile these Bontragers seem to be (yeah, yeah, it can’t be my 210 pound ass, it’s gotta be the wheels!)

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