[GuyContinental]

@jabberwocky 23175 wrote:

My CX bike has discs (also a Lemond Poprad, coincidentally).

Cantis are what most CX bikes use, and unfortunately tend to not be that good. They are finicky to setup, so you could just have a setup issue. Depending on whats on there, upgrading to a decent canti like Avids shorty might help. Or you could try a better pad like koolstop salmons.

It has Shorty 4’s on it but the pads have seen better days- I might even borrow a car shortly to go on a pad quest. I did the mullet thing on a MTB SS for awhile, nearly lost an ear during a faceplant. Still, if I dialed the disc out enough it might be worth a go- the longer wheelbase of the CX might balance out the end-potential.

[GuyContinental]

@TwoWheelsDC 23176 wrote:

Brake earlier

Eventually I just stopped bothering- it was like ohmygod! it’s a log! I can’t stop!!!! I’m gonna dieeeee… and somehow that was fun.

[GuyContinental]

@brendan 23022 wrote:

2) Double check that you got the right valve type on the tube in addition to the right wheel size and tire width…I biked about 8 months without realizing that my backup tube was a schraeder, not a presta…oops.

The other variation of this are 48mm vs 60mm presta stems- I was carrying 48s for a year after I bought a set of semi-deep dish wheels. When I eventually got a flat I was fortunate that a friend on the ride had a 60mm.

BTW this sort of thread is great! I was pretty content with my kit but due the best and brightest of BikeArlington I’ll add (somehow):
-Zip ties
-Benadryl
-Presta adaptor
-Cleat screw

I’ll still skip:
The boot (I’ve always made do with a Mylar wrapper of some kind- it’d be enough to limp to the nearest shop)
Med kit- there just isn’t room for anything approximating a decent kit. If I’m badly hurt there is no way that I’ll have enough, if it’s just road rash, I’ll bleed (I have excellent clotting skills)

[GuyContinental]

I saw a version of this last week at Gallows Rd on the WO&D- two cyclists ran the light WB at a tight gap and an elderly man next to them just shuffled out in turn- he got stuck in the middle of Gallows for an entire interminable light cycle at 5pm. Baaad news. Lots of wild gesticulating form those of us on the EB side…

News- if there are a cluster of people patiently waiting for a light you are guaranteed to look like a jerk if you run it.

[GuyContinental]

@pfunkallstar 22970 wrote:

Sadly, on days like today, only a real shower will suffice.

I only wish that was an option. I have my wipes, a locked office door and a desk fan. My folks know not to come a knockin’ when my door is closed first thing in the morning…

[GuyContinental]

@PotomacCyclist 22887 wrote:

Sadly, the summer solstice also marks the start of increasingly shorter days for the next 6 months.

I generally hate to be an Eeyore but I thought the same thing, headlight and ninja season are just around the bend. I love being able to ride my whole morning ride in daylight but only get that for about 2 months a year. Of course, not getting heat stroke is kinda nice too

[GuyContinental]

@PotomacCyclist 22882 wrote:

Wouldn’t disposable wipes work better? The gel wouldn’t wash off any sweat or grime.

This is where I give props to ShowerPill in the hopes that someday they’ll notice and I can be the first ShowerPill sponsored Pathlete (I buy the things by the case)

[GuyContinental]

I dunno- I keep $50 cash in mine (in case of emergency cab or round of drinks) but then again I never leave that bike unattended.

Other necessities?
Toolkit with chain tool
Quicklink
Tube
Inflator of some kind
Patch kit
Tire lever (1)
Ziplock (for phone in the rain)
ICE (in case of emergency) Card with blood type and contact info

That’s in a tiny, very carefully packed, saddle bag

[GuyContinental]

@DOS 22864 wrote:

I only saw two stop signs in the video. On the first one, you can’t see the lead rider until the second guy makes the left (he is out of frame on the left) so its possible he had stopped and been waved through by the car stopped on the sign on the intersecting road, and 2nd guy just followed (granted, I doubt it). Clearly they blow the second sign despite merging into high speed traffic. Beyond that, I didnt see any glaring misbehavior.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I totally agree (but would add failure to signal x 2 which is a CA law)- these guys didn’t do anything remotely egregious, even the fast right turn was into a bike lane, sort of a yield treatment of the sign. I can’t say that I wouldn’t have done both- particularly if climbing. The point is the conflation of “cyclists always break laws” with what happened to them with this car. Somehow in the commentators’ minds one seems to justify/excuse the other.

[GuyContinental]

@ShawnoftheDread 22846 wrote:

Can no one make bike shorts for less than $40? Everyone mentions saving money by biking, but everything I see suggests many people spend more on gear than they previously spent on gas (yes, I’m exaggerating a bit).

Oh they can make em for less, but sell them? Noooo

Seriously though, lots of people on this board ride more than 500 hours a year-$100 for proper 10 panel shorts is a small price to pay for superior comfort. (You could be paying $250+ for Assos gear). FWIW the difference between a $40 short and a $200 short comes down to construction, material and design- double seams, better chamois, more anatomically correct panel placement, more resilient fabrics. Is there marketing hype too? Sure but there is a difference between adequate and truly nice as well.

Things I don’t skimp on-
Bike shorts
Seat
Gloves
Helmet
Shoes

I may be riding a beater bike but any part of it that touches my body will have good gear attached.

[GuyContinental]

@pfunkallstar 22825 wrote:

They seemed to understand my cause for concern but the slightly older lady also went off on a tangent about how “I need to share the trail.”

What they need to understand is that pfunk shares the trail, I share the trail, heck even if 95% of riders do share the trail, THEY and their kids are the ones that are in danger from the 5%- there aren’t a whole lot of philosophical points that I would make at the expense of my kids’ safety. Somehow peds never get that and me, the guy who first yielded and then expressed concern for their safety gets the brunt of it. Still, I think I’d feel worse if I found out that one of these fools got hit after I just passed them.

One I haven’t gotten up the courage to ask on the trail (that I see almost daily) is WTF is with helmets on backwards? Is there some reason that completely escapes me that makes sense for ladies with long hair or is it just complete cluelessness?

[GuyContinental]

@Rootchopper 22812 wrote:

I am with Dismal Scientist on this one. Just buy regular shorts then wear underwear made out of a wicking fabric.

I used to be part of the synthetic underwear school until I got caught out in the rain a few years ago, the chaffing was so bad that after 90 minutes I was literally bleeding everywhere the seams contacted my tender bits. The physical scarring will fade, the emotional… notsomuch. I will never, ever wear anything under my bike shorts again.

[GuyContinental]

@dasgeh 22799 wrote:

Serious, laying in the narrow part of a bike trail, at the bottom of a hill? When there are other paved or flat and hard spots, also in the shade, within 100 feet?

I’m not really confrontational but this might have been one where I would have stopped for a chat… I haven’t really figured out the best segue for these situations beyond:
“Hi, you may not know this but ; ; is really dangerous because lots of people go really fast… yes, yes, you have the RIGHT to lie down or push your SUV stroller into traffic, and yes, cyclists should slow down, but not all will so it’s just not such a good idea to do X/Y/Z… have a good day…”

[GuyContinental]

Strava has made a “critical change” in their terms and conditions- frankly, I don’t have a history of the old terms but the new ones include this:

YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE TO RELEASE STRAVA, ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, AGENTS, REPRESENTATIVES, EMPLOYEES, PARTNERS AND LICENSORS (THE “RELEASED PARTIES”) FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY CONNECTED WITH YOUR ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES, AND PROMISE NOT TO SUE THE RELEASED PARTIES FOR ANY CLAIMS, ACTIONS, INJURIES, DAMAGES, OR LOSSES ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES.

http://app.strava.com/terms#termination

[GuyContinental]

First, I am not car-free, nor do I think that it’s practical for my family (doable, yes, practical, no). That said, if you know your patterns and understand the limitations then heck yeah. Just ask a New Yorker or a San Franciscan.

In your case it sounds like you have metro as a fallback for the occasionally grisly and dark winter weather but you may want to check out the three local mainstream carshare programs and see if one will work for you for the “other trips”:

Car2Go
ZipCar
Hertz Local Edition

[Author]

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