[Crickey7]

@dkel 94964 wrote:

I had to play a wedding at the church this afternoon. It was pretty nice: Justice Scalea was there, I’m told. Anyway, as I was riding out after the service, one of the priests was standing out front, and waved me over, “want me to bless your bike?” I said yes, and got my bike blessed, with holy water and everything! Sadly, it didn’t exorcise the demon from my front disc, which howls like the devil every time I brake. Still, it made me feel good.

A sign that you might be riding a She Devil.

http://handsomecycles.com/product/she-devil-complete-bicycle

Or a Neilpryde Diablo

http://www.roadbikeaction.com/ARCHIVE-TECH–BIKE-TESTS/content/66/4880/Bike-Test-NeilPryde-Diablo.html

Or perhaps an Evil Bikes Undead.

http://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/Frames,7/Evil-Bikes/Undead,12135

[Crickey7]

There was a sign up on the CCT this morning flashing riders’ speeds. It indicated I was exceeding the trail’s speed limit, but in my defense, I stopped at all 5 stops signs on Water Street in penance.

[Crickey7]

@dplasters 94897 wrote:

A quick test with the hose went very well though.

Was the cover on the backpack on the back for this test? Even if it’s not 100% effective, it does seem like a promising thing. And at that price, I could keep one at each end.

[Crickey7]

My sense is that crossing that line breaks no law, but were you to be involved in an accident while doing so, the presumption of fault would lie with you.

[Crickey7]

@Tim Kelley 94858 wrote:

I’m looking for some advice on wheels after melting my last set…

Umm, don’t melt your wheels?

[Crickey7]

Yes, it’s the Roadmorph. It is hands down the best mini-pump I’ve ever owned. I got it at District Hardware in the West End.

[Crickey7]

It was a great commute, made even better by the gentleman with the flat tire who let me stop and lend him my spiffy new mini-pump that works like a floor pump, even though he had a mini-pump. And who graciously let me gush about its superior qualities, making suitably impressed comments and an inquiry as to where I had bought it.

[Crickey7]

I need to fix the cold foot thingy. Last year, I got by with a combination of neoprene toe covers and a huge box of hand warmers that a neighbor moving to Miami put out on the curb one night. But it’s not really enough. I’d love the Lake winter boots, but at over $200 I’d like not to sleep on the couch even more.

[Crickey7]

This difference is whether it’s okay as a matter of custom (and not an an exception to a general pattern) to run in the cycletrack, and why not? It’s pretty clear it’s illegal wherever there is a sidewalk, and I’d further say that the combination of the narrow track, the mismatch with the travel speed of the general purpose road lane next to it, and the quietness of the bike’s approach that make it unsafe.

[Crickey7]

@dplasters 94459 wrote:

So I wanted to revive this thread from the cold abyss.

Any new sweet things people are using for the cold/cooler weather? The 49 degree temp this morning in some of the outlying suburbs might be reminding people fall/winter is coming and I like to buy on sale before it is a NEED. I’ll be going into my first winter bike commute and have been trying to read about what the best things to wear are.

I was also expecting to look into new tires but then I read the REI cold weather cycling page and it actually advocated for regular tires if you are going to be on the road (I’m 100% on the road, no fancy paths for me). Any comments about that idea?

I’ll switch from paths to the roads when conditions get icky in the winter. I’ve been generally fine running 700×25-28c, which do seem to cut through light slush. Here, we spend a lot of time in the winter hovering right around the freezing point. My own experience is that the roads inside the Beltway tend to have a combination of cars clearing the lane and having temps for most of the day and early evening above the freezing point, so that precipitation does not result in icy roads.

[Crickey7]

I frequented Cyclelife, though only for service. The guys there were great, and I wish them well in finding employment.

My sense from the shop is that they really limited themselves to the very high end of the market and left the casual weekend and commuter rider markets untouched. Hundreds of riders pass by every day during the week, and hundreds more flock to the nearby river side park on weekends. But it had no hiker-biker shoes, no solid colored jerseys of the type commuters like, no racks of bells and tubes and inexpensive pumps that prompt impulse purchases. I once saw a $400 cycling jacket there, but it had no $50 helmets.

There is a market for high end shops, but a bike shop at this location might do better with a broader focus.

[Crickey7]

I know WABA already reported this, but after years of maintaining that they would not clear the CCT of snow, Mont Co will start a pilot snow clearing program this year. We’ll see how it goes, since unless they get out pretty quickly, the joggers beat the snow into slick, freezing mess.

http://www.cctrail.org/PilotSnowRemovalProgram.pdf

[Crickey7]

Speaking of which, I stuck my hands into the pants I’d packed this morning and found some used charcoal hand warmers, which reminded me that this was the year I would replace my pathetic toe covers with right proper shoe covers.

[Crickey7]

Looks like a pretty good chance of evening wetness. So I pulled out the venerable Bad Boy, now running again after a lengthy stealth overhaul.

[Crickey7]

@Supermau 94153 wrote:

Backpack all the way for me. I like to keep my bike looking stealthy and clean.

I thought I was the only one who felt that way.

[Author]

Posts