[elcee]

I did this final leg last year and it was truly awesome to be involved with the biking community. I’m out of town this weekend but I encourage everyone to join the ride and/or support the group.

[elcee]

@americancyclo 49766 wrote:

I think there is some confusion between Dancing Mind Yoga (929 W Broad St) and Bikram’s Yoga College of India (1057 W Broad St)
Bikenetic is across the street from Dancing Mind, but a block and a half away from Bikram.
.

You are correct, sir!

[elcee]

@elbows 49336 wrote:

I ride my bike to Falls Church Bikram. This is right next to the W&OD where the bridge goes over Route 7. The only place to lock my bicycle is a pretty awkward utility pole. I think there might be a signpost somewhere in a landscaped area, but I like it even less than the awkward pole. Sadly, I don’t see a lot of people riding there, but maybe if there were a rack…

Anyone have suggestions on how to get a bicycle rack here?

This is right across the street from Bikenetic. I know they’ve collaborated with Falls Church Bikram, so it would be in both their interests to have bike parking. Maybe there’s already a rack in Bikenetic’s parking lot? (I never noticed since I usually wheel in my bike straight through the back door.)

[elcee]

Not strictly women-only, but Potomac Pedalers has a C ride around Alexandria/Belle Haven/Mt. Vernon. There are usually 2 groups: CC tends to have more men, and C has more women. This occurs on Saturday mornings, and may also occur on Tuesday mornings when the weather warms up.

[elcee]

Took advantage of perfect weather to bike into DC. Here’s a pic from the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Festival on Pennsylvania Avenue: J-Pop, anime costumes, harajuku, etc.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2704[/ATTACH]

[elcee]

What an awesome story. Thanks for sharing. I’m sure you’ve figured out that higher-quality personal connection = higher tips. Time to research all those obscure factoids about DC.

[elcee]

@DismalScientist 47758 wrote:

I’ve always wondered why frame size matters all that much. It would seem to me that the only thing that matters is the relative position of the seat, the bars and the bottom bracket. In addition, the wheelbase and the rider’s position fore and aft and up and down relative to the wheels matters. A change in frame size can be compensated by changing the length of the seatpost, stem height, and stem reach. In addition, you can change the seat fore and aft. Going for a larger frame just means that the frame bears more of the length rather than the posts and stems. I guess people will respond that a compact frame is more responsive and therefore you should go smaller. As I normally look for things with a more relaxed, “touring” geometry, I would say that responsiveness isn’t high on my list of important attributes, and would therefore go with the larger frame.

I can think of 3 reasons that I’ve observed on my bike “shopping” trips:

1. Standover height.
2. Toe clip overlap.
3. Feel – and this is, of course, totally subjective. In general I’ve found that when I’m in between frame sizes, I prefer the smaller frame for feeling more solid. But not always …

[elcee]

@eminva 44714 wrote:

…

Liz

P.S. I will vouch for elcee! He’s not a creeper.

Thanks Liz … I think!

[elcee]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2458[/ATTACH]

Building a bike up for my daughter. KHS frameset (Reynolds 853!!) from eBay; H+Son TB14/Shimano 105 wheels; Tiagra components.

[elcee]

A couple of weeks ago I dropped off my neighbor’s 40-year old Fuji. Back in the day it was quite a nice bike – it has tubulars! – and would make a nice project for someone. It was about a 56 cm frame, I’m guessing.

[elcee]

@jrenaut 38015 wrote:

I think it’s more important to me that I love the bike. And I’m okay paying a bit of a premium for that feeling.

That’s the best reason for building it yourself.

The big downside, for me, was that I typically could not ride a frame before making the decision to buy it. You just have to take a chance … and if it doesn’t feel right, then swap components to another frame and resell the original one.

[elcee]

@jrenaut 37949 wrote:

And no one has weighed in on finding an old frame (or even an old complete bike) and upgrading the components. Is that because no one thinks that’s a good idea, or just because no one who thinks that would be cool has weighed in yet?

I’ll weigh in. I really considered doing just that, i.e. taking a nice old trashed Italian frame and upgrading components. I decided against this for 2 big reasons:

(1) rear hub spacing: many old frames are 126 mm, and yes I know you can cold set them to 130 mm, if it wasn’t for
(2) lack of tire clearance: old skool thinking was that skinnier tires were better, but I really wanted to be able to ride with 700×32 tires.

[elcee]

@jrenaut 37973 wrote:

Anything in particular about the Rocky Mountain? Don’t know the brand.

They’re a Canadian company, mostly known for their mountain bikes. http://www.bikes.com/ Up until 2010, they also sold a couple of touring bikes. But no more – that’s why my frame was so cheap.

Another thing about that build: I wanted a double in front, but also wanted something lower than a 34-50, as I envisioned the bike as somewhat of a gravel grinder. I settled on a Shimano 28-40 mountain crank. Paired with an 11-34 rear, I get a range from 22″ to 98″. I’m in the big ring most of the time, but the small ring is great when I’m carrying something or on a steep hill. I went with Shimano, which costs more, but I’m familiar with their products. Going with FSA may save you $80-100, though I’ve also read bad things about their bottom brackets.

Other frames I considered:
Civia Kingfield – accomodates belt drive, interchangeable vertical or horizontal dropouts
Salsa Vaya 2; Salsa also has other framesets
All City Macho Man (yes, really!)
Soma ES

Interestingly, I rode other people’s Surly Cross Checks and LHTs and just didn’t find the frames all that interesting. They both felt “dead” and heavy to me, but obviously, your mileage might vary.

[elcee]

I built a steel bike for myself and am building another steel bike for my daughter, and have tried to stay within a $1000-1500 range. I chose to buy new items for all moving parts.

I was lucky to find a new Rocky Mountain Sherpa touring frame in Reynolds 853 for $250 on eBay. If you buy a new frame, you’ll likely spend >$400. I considered the Soma ES at $399, plus another $120 for a steel fork.

Wheels can run the gamut. I bought Handspun Sport wheels for ~$300/pair.

For everything else I scrounged around on eBay. After the frame and wheels, brifters are the next most expensive item. Tiagra is a fantastic bargain, but if you go friction, you can go cheap on derailleurs, etc.

Phoenix Bikes has a great stash of parts. You’ll be able to find a handlebar and seatpost for a few dollars.

It took me a couple of months of careful shopping to accumulate the parts. (But that’s part of the fun, right?)

[elcee]

One thing to consider is whether to design a real bike jersey or a biking-themed t-shirt. There’s a considerable price difference between the two. And a technical t-shirt is much more versatile.

There are usually several price levels, ranging from full-custom (you control all aspects of the design) to semi-custom (you’re given front and back areas to play with) to standard (limited options). This site has a good explanation – note that I haven’t used AK Apparel but I found their site useful. I also liked Voler’s options, and I own one of their jerseys.

[Author]

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