[ginacico]

@DismalScientist 182376 wrote:

You know, if you just used shift levers, none of this would be a problem.:rolleyes:

Annnnd we’ve come full circle

So, 1X’s are in fashion, and ultimately that’s what the OP of this thread wound up with. The complaint people make about missing gears, though…. my knees are mostly shot already, and I can’t afford to be a gear masher. Spin to win is equivalent to knee preservation, and I’ve been really spoiled by triples.

The Pinion 18 is nothing short of impressive. I got to demo a few at Bikenetic, and Co-Motion has jumped on the bandwagon building compatible frames. They do Rohloff drives too, not sure how they solve shifters for drop bars. My logic against internally geared belt drives is threefold. First and foremost, as a travel touring bike I’ll be taking it apart and putting it in a suitcase on a semi-regular basis. CoMo makes provisions for disassembly, I’m just not convinced I want to do that very often. Second, weight. The CoMo will be a full six pounds lighter than Vaya. Third, cost. I’m already overspending the insurance settlement, and the things I’m willing to shell out for are the generator hub and light kit, and a nice paint job.

It’s notable that nobody is rooting for a SRAM mountain double. I’m in agreement with the testimonials to stick with Ultegra.

@n18 182370 wrote:

Rear Derailleur: RD-M8000-SGS
Make sure that you select the “Long cage” option.

– Cassttee: Any 11 Speed silver cassette will do.

Ding ding! I think this is precisely the answer I was hoping for. It’s the equivalent of what I did with the 10-spd triple, but compatible with new 11-spd Ultegra. I very much appreciate you honing in on specifics and providing all the background resources too, good stuff n18!

It remains to be seen whether CoMo will swap out parts, or whether I get the stock package and do it myself later.

Today I put down a deposit on the bike, which gets me “in line” at the shop with about an 8-week turnaround. Still plenty of time to fret over decisions.

Like paint colors…. ¡Ay, caramba!. No I don’t want to crowdsource that one. :p

Fun video that makes me want to quit my job and move to Oregon.

[video=youtube_share;oSE34BcHlLk]https://youtu.be/oSE34BcHlLk[/video]

[ginacico]

So I’m busy specking out a new bike, and referred back to this thread thinking about drivetrains. The dilemma still exists.

Because I’m a problem child, I want one bike that does everything. On my Vaya (now totaled, sadly) I had achieved near nirvana by swapping out the rear cassette to 11-36 with a long-cage 9-spd derailleur, and keeping the stock triple and Ultegra 10-spd shifters. It got me about 22 gear inches (feel free to check my math) on the low end, which was adequate for getting me up almost any hill even loaded. But I didn’t lose the average range for commuting and roads.

Now I’m trying to decide between an Ultegra 11-spd double or SRAM, as I’m not interested in Di2 or belt drive options. Triples are out of fashion (for good reason). The good news is, I’m working on the bike with Co-Motion who well understands the dilemma, and hopefully they can come up with good suggestions.

Curious, has anyone built up a touring bike recently? Tell me about your drivetrain!

[ginacico]

Silver linings. I saw a man about a bike today. A new bike, which has the potential to make me giddy like a little girl, just like Vaya did.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18537[/ATTACH]
(ad photo only)

[ginacico]

@mrhappy_onabike 182278 wrote:

9:30 sounds good for me. My costume’s pretty much good to go.

It’s good to see you’re wearing pants this time. :rolleyes:

[ginacico]

Chris was also a good friend of my brother’s, they knew each other through youth ministry in the Catholic church. When we finally met at the FS final happy hour a couple of years ago, he sought me out specifically so I wouldn’t be just “Paul’s sister” (story of my life) anymore.

This fall Chris ran the Army Ten Miler the day after riding the Seagull Century. The very next weekend, he ran a half marathon in Baltimore. The next day he suffered a heart attack. When it’s your time…..

RIP Chris, you’ll be greatly missed. My brother and I will be there on Monday as well.

[ginacico]

I really wanted to ride to work today. But between the effing Memorial Bridge abomination, the 14th St bridge clusterf#ck, and the Four Mile Run atrocity (which prohibits even getting from my neighborhood to the trail easily, even before the unforeseen detours and hazards around the sewer pipe install and the Berkeley apartment construction) I gave up. Whatever might be gained from a nice ride would be negated by all that frustration. The “year of the detour” is a total fail.

[ginacico]

@CaseyKane50 181998 wrote:

I was unimpressed by this detour and the efforts of the contractor to provide a safe route pedestrians and bike riders.

Agreed! They started out with good intentions — the cooler full of water, signs, and sturdy ramp over the pipe — but the project has turned into a real clusterf*#k. I live right there and pretty much can’t avoid it.

For awhile they’ve had the short section of sidewalk from the trail to Meade closed off. Even getting into or out of my neighborhood, which requires crossing Glebe (insane without a light and crosswalk, and the one at Meade is the most used) has gotten difficult.

I’m not sure what good detour options they have. The Berkeley construction definitely compounds the mess. But whatever they recommend should be clearly signed and not leave people guessing, or riding through mud, or spit out into the traffic lanes.

At this point, I can’t wait for them to hurry up and finish.

[ginacico]

@wheels&wings 181715 wrote:

See you there. Be safe. w&w

Someone caught a nice pic of you signing the banner for Mayor Bowser.

https://twitter.com/andrewjh/status/1047961595429548032

[ginacico]

Also, the deputy sheriff who wrote the citation asked me to remind cyclists riding the W&OD in Loudoun County that they should stop at road crossings where there are stop signs.

I told him I’m all for it and promised to relay that message, if he reminds local drivers they’re not supposed to hit us. Fair is fair.

I might have sassed at the ER nurse who seemed concerned that my blood pressure was elevated, also. :rolleyes:

[ginacico]

I still can’t understand how the bike took such a major hit, and somehow I didn’t. I’m grateful to be here. It doesn’t make any of what happened right, but I certainly wouldn’t trade the outcome.

The pictures are shocking, I hesitated even to post them. I really do look and feel a lot better than I should. Thanks again for all the good wishes.

As an antidote to that dark place I uploaded a big sappy gallery of Vaya leaning against stuff. New bike day, first snow ride, Arlington art, Climate Ride, coffeeneuring, touring, commuting, etc.

https://ginacico.smugmug.com/Bikes

[ginacico]

@jabberwocky 181583 wrote:

If you don’t mind me asking, exactly where were you hit, and going what direction?

Eastbound into town, a little before the intersection at Woodburn Road.

Thanks, all.

[ginacico]

I’m so sorry. Definitely speak to a lawyer. Contact WABA (or PM me) for a list of attorneys who specialize in bike crashes. I agree this goes way beyond what’s typical.

[ginacico]

@baiskeli 181164 wrote:

I’d like to see them figure out how to do this but I don’t think just ending the time restrictions alone will work.

Ditto. The real problem is their inadequate service levels. Metro needs to run 8-car trains at more frequent intervals, especially on overcrowded routes. Then they could let bikes on at any time of day. The scene Tania describes is all too common, totally unacceptable, and why I didn’t want to live on the Orange line.

It wouldn’t phase me to restrict bikes to the end cars only, so we can get on/off away from the crush of people (and appease some of the haters, cuz you know there will be haters).

All that said, I signed the petition because it opens the conversation I’d like to applaud them for even considering the idea.

[ginacico]

@Steve O 180889 wrote:

I think it should be an ingrained habit to glance over your left shoulder any time you are going to move left, whether on trail, road or racing in a garage. A mirror can mitigate this need to a significant degree, however. Even if you are completely copacetic with your move, it’s good to know what’s back there.
This is so habitual for me that I find myself doing it even on my rides home in the middle of the night when I know for certain there is no one around for miles.

Sigh. By implying that we don’t employ mirrors and similar habits, you’re beating a dead horse and missing the point entirely.

@ginacico 174981 wrote:

Me: Northbound MVT approaching turn onto the 14th St bridge. Looked behind and saw no one, slowed down gradually, gave a long full-arm left turn signal, and made a gradual wide turn leaving plenty of room for someone coming downhill in the opposite lane.

You: Appeared out of nowhere and screeched your brakes behind me, as though I’d done something unpredictable and interrupted your morning hammerfest.

Dude, that was audacious and amateur. Just because you’re fast doesn’t mean you’re not an idiot.

The point is, defensive behavior won’t keep you from a wreck or near miss when people behave like asshats.

LOTM and I are bitching about idiots who don’t follow conventional rules of the road. I’ve concluded there is no productive advice on how to avoid or stop them, which is why this thread sounds like a broken record. A broken record. A broken record.

[ginacico]

@lordofthemark 180840 wrote:

I guess it was more “Oy, even just signalling a left at like the most requent spot to make left turns on the whole trail, I have to look behind to avoid getting hit by a speed demon? I will do it for my own safety, but really, dudes, do ya hafta?”

Putting your hand out before a left turn with the expectation that anyone behind you will yield is, literally, the whole point of signalling at all.

The look-behind is nothing more than a defensive maneuver to avoid crashing with idiots who ignore rules of the road.

[Author]

Posts