[Dickie]

I was about to buy the PI Lobster gloves but everything I have read lately implies they have altered the design and materials in the last year and the quality and warmth has certainly decreased. The reviews were less than stellar on the 2012 model but excellent for the previous years. I just ordered a pair of the Planet Bike Borealis gloves through my buddy in CT. They get great reviews on all the blogs (http://allseasonscyclist.com/2011/11/21/planet-bike-borealis-winter-cycling-gloves/) and are a fraction of the cost of the PI’s. I also like the layering choices as Pete mentioned which makes them very versatile and easy to dry, as well as giving you some hand protection from the elements if you need to fix a flat of make an adjustment on the fly. My friend said they arrived this week and he is shipping them to me on Monday, but his first take was they are a really nice, well made product.

[Dickie]

@KelOnWheels 42985 wrote:

Thanks! Cyclingeconomist is going to give me a hand with it as he’s right down the street from me. I have decided today is an excellent day for hibernating on the couch with the dog.

Good to hear, and you are far wiser than me… why the hell am I am working today?

[Dickie]

@thecyclingeconomist 42937 wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzlIR7kJeQY

Weird, I hear a British DJ in my head when I ride as well… perhaps we are sharing a brain? We are certainly not sharing legs, damn you’re fast!

[Dickie]

@thecyclingeconomist 42964 wrote:

FYI…I don’t think its broken or bent significantly.

Oh, if I had a dime for every time I heard that Glad you were able to help Kel out.

Kel – The offer still stands, I’m at the workshop today in Fairfax (Merifield) if you need me to take a look at it. I’ll be doing some bike maintenance myself so it wouldn’t be an inconvenience at all.

[Dickie]

@DSalovesh 42884 wrote:

A big change for me was thinking about what I’d want people to see if they were watching my video unedited and without explanation. (E.g., if I was in a coma or worse.)

When the video is running I disobey fewer lights, and only when I feel the video would illustrate that doing so didn’t lead to a crash or inconvenience for anybody. When running video I don’t yell when I’m wronged, even though neither of my cameras pick up clear sound. When I’m recording I often just think of my bike as a camera platform, so I try to point it at the problem (while staying out of trouble, of course). Just gesturing to the camera and notifying a person that I have them on video has ended many conflicts.

Some really good points here and another reason why I am considering a camera myself. Besides it’s obvious use for evidence, it will also make me more accountable for my own actions.

[Dickie]

Pete is spot on and I am guessing shifting at a more opportune time and perhaps a simple trim adjustment or at worst a slight alignment will cure the problem. I did notice that your derailier is a clamp on style which can be more prone to turning or moving. Front derailiers should work flawlessly forever as the mechanics are quite simple, but once one decides to be ornery it can be really annoying, especially with three chain rings. Usually front derailiers do not get bent when a bike is dropped since the pedals and crank armstake the brunt of the fall so I would be surprised if that is the issue. I would take it to a bike shop and explain the issue, it should be a quick fix. If you are ever in the Fairfax area while I’m working at the workshop I would be glad to give it a quick look over for you.

[Dickie]

@baiskeli 42768 wrote:

“Cracker bike” is essentially black slang for “ELITE cyclist.” So you were dissed, badly. Sorry.

Agreed. It’s just a shame his legs couldn’t match his mouth and he was sadly shadowed for 10 blocks by a middle aged balding Brit on a cracker bike.

[Dickie]

To answer a few questions. The other rider was non-caucasian (thanks PC Tim), then again compared to me everyone is. He was riding a Tommaso not a Tommasini but how that matters besides a few thousand dollars I am not sure. I did some reading into the origin of the word and there are many explanations and abuses of the term which pretty much all of you brought up. I am convinced however, based on his tone and glare that the term was used as a racial slur (incorrectly), suggesting I was a typical wealthy white dude riding a predictable bike. The fact that he had to nudge by me at the light with no warning or even a greeting suggested to me he had a “I’ll show you” attitude which he tried to display by leaving me (illegally) in the dust. He might have also interpreted my chuckle as me judging his gear, when really I was judging his actions….. lesson here… don’t judge. Big issue now is accepting my cracker bike…. Geez, I had just dealt with being elite!

[Dickie]

Thanks everyone, much appreciated as always. I am going to look into the Topeak Morph, the Crank bros. and i’ve read good things about the Lezyne HP http://www.lezyne.com/products/hand-pumps/high-pressure#!Pressure-Drive which is available at a LBS.

[Dickie]

@krazygl00 42699 wrote:

To be fair, maybe he thought you were scoffing at his bike?

Actually I was most impressed with how he attached cleats to his high-tops…. I wanted to ask him about that before the banter began. His Tomasso was a pretty sweet indigo color to be fair.

[Dickie]

@mstone 42676 wrote:

What kind of bike? You don’t want a road pump for a mountain bike, or a mountain pump for a road bike. (One is high volume, the other is high pressure, the wrong one will leave you feeling deflated.)

Well that’s a shame as I alternate between my road bike and cross bike. The cross bike has pretty aggressive hybrid (closer to mountain) tires on it, and of course my road bike has typical 700 x 23C tires. There has to be a pump out there that accommodates both or at least works for one and suffices for the other.

[Dickie]

Bike
Car
metro.

I commute most days by bike between Rosslyn and Merrifield. However, since I am a furniture and cabinet maker I own a truck (ugh!). This is mostly parked in the shop all week long, but after very physical days or when I am stuck in the shop until the wee hours of the night, I’ll drive home. This normally happens once a week and allows me to bring home laundry, buy groceries and supplies for the shop, and gives my legs a break. Sometimes I’ll walk to Dunn Loring instead and take the metro as I do enjoy the walk and being in the truck is just not therapeutic at all. For all other trips into the city for events and such I take the metro which is part of the reason I pay to live in Rosslyn.

[Dickie]

@KelOnWheels 42540 wrote:

I hope it’s all tailwinds!

if you’re traveling east or west looks like a cross wind, folks heading South… apologies!

http://hint.fm/wind/

[Dickie]

Doh!

[Dickie]

@ShawnoftheDread 42526 wrote:

Can we call the award the Dirt-y Moustache?

Absolutely! Love it!

[Author]

Replies