[Harry Meatmotor]

@dkel 100959 wrote:

What about greasing the spindles? My Zinn maintenance book said aluminum cranks can get damaged by sliding too far up the spindle when greased, so I left off the grease. Would grease help it get into its spec chainline?

You shouldn’t grease the spindle. The only time I’d recommend doing that would be if it’s a titanium spindle – and if that’s the case you should be using an anti-seize compound.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@dkel 100955 wrote:

there’s an irregularity somewhere: in the frame, BB, or crank.

D) All of the above

to get overly technical, with a square taper BB, you’re always going some see some variance in chainline from one BB/crank to another due to how well the taper interface in the crank and bb spindle are machined/forged. it’s an interference fit designed to tolerate sloppy tolerances in the first place. You could try spacing out the chainring from crank arms, too.

setting up a single speed or fixie chainline is trial and error, unfortunately. but, once you’ve got it figured out, it’s figured out pretty much for good.

edit: also, make sure you’re tightening the crank arm bolt down to at least 45ft/lbs. the crank arm will slide up the taper at least 3-4mm from snug to proper torque spec.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@Chasingpars 100936 wrote:

Members.

Any solid recommendations on roads/trails for time trialing in NoVa? I’m familiar with the WO&D and am looking for additional places to get into an areo tuck and hammer. I am certainly willing to drive to a more rural area if it facilitates a flat course with few stops.

Thanks!

You could try finding the dude on a TT bike that has apparently convinced his wife to motor-pace him up and down the GW parkway south of Bell Haven early on Sunday mornings

I saw this obviously ELITE TT Allstar doing this about 6 years ago when i was regularly commuting down that way, but haven’t been down there to see if he’s still doing it.

in all seriousness, the WOD is not going to be conducive to any time trialing, and I’d recommend against it. Mcarthur Blvd up to River Road (and on from there) is pretty popular for this type of training.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@dkel 100932 wrote:

I read the “fixed gear chain tension” thread, which was quite useful in setting up the drivetrain today. I have a couple of questions for you experts:

1) How much sound should the drivetrain make? I get a quite a bit of purring from mine, though I can’t feel any particular tight spots…maybe a little vibration, but the cranks turn pretty freely.

2) This may be related to number 1…just how exact does the chainline need to be? Despite my best efforts, and following manufacturer recommendations, I’m pretty sure my front measurement ended up about 45 or 46 mm, while my rear is definitely 42 mm. Is this the cause of my purring sound, perhaps?

the better the chainline, the quieter it’s going to be to a point. chains and gears are always going to make some noise. if the cog and chainring will accept a 3/32″ chain, sometimes that can significantly reduce noise, too (tho, fixed gear traditionalists will scream bloody murder…). The proper way to set a chainline is to adjust it by using a different bottom bracket spindle length – something that’s pretty easy to do in a shop where you a can just grab 4 different BB spindle lengths and install only the driveside (fixed) cup.

[Harry Meatmotor]

Pretty sure I saw Dirt headed NB on the MVT at around 9:45am, right near the fencing on the north side of Reagan Nat’l – I waved! (tho i prolly looked a bit nonplussed after having spent a couple hours fighting the wind at HP…)

[Harry Meatmotor]

@mcfarton 100746 wrote:

Never thought about bottles freezing. I have gone on some cold rides but that never happened.

sent from your mom’s house

two things to try:

stuff your bottles into your jersey pocket under whatever jacket/coat you’re wearing.

or,

try wearing a hydration pack under your jacket/coat.

I’m also going to mention something that we, down here in the mid-atlantic, don’t need to worry too much about. Biking in temps well below freezing in less populated areas should bring with it a few precautions:

– definitely bring food, no matter how short the ride may be. enough food for more than a snack, like, a decent sized sandwich or several energy bars/candy bars.
– if you’re using bar mitts, definitely bring an extra pair of gloves in case of something on the bike requires repair. fumbling around with metal things when it’s cold will suck the heat out of your hands in no time.
– always take a headlight, no matter if you’re starting your ride in the afternoon or early in the morning.

remember, if it takes a while to bike a certain distance and something goes wrong on the bike, it’s certainly going to take you a lot longer walking home. it also gets dark and really cold before you know it.

all that being said – riding in the cold and snow is a heck of a lot of fun!

[Harry Meatmotor]

jabberwocky;100732 wrote:

if it felt smooth and noiseless, my first bet is the tire slipped (happens, especially if you have elite-level guns).

ftfy.

[Harry Meatmotor]

great – now the only one left is that stupid CleanBottle thing…

or Dan Martin:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=panda+chasing+dan+martin&FORM=HDRSC2

[Harry Meatmotor]

@lordofthemark 100723 wrote:

To clarify – I came through at about that time, but it may have been a bit later.

I was coming Sbound on the MVT, on the flatter part leading to the 4MRT/Alexandria split, when I heard and saw fire engines in the parallel airport roadway. I saw multiple vehicles. When I got closer (IOW to the are just north of the split) I saw what appeared to be a male cyclist lying on his back on the ground (on the grass between the trail and the road), apparently conscious, somewhat bloodied, attended by several folks in uniforms, with a road bike nearby on the ground, and another cyclist standing nearby on his bike. The EMTs had a gurney on the road pavement.

I do find that a dangerous turn off – I try to be aware of the trail to Alexandria on my right as I go down to the 4MRT, but on some occasions I have been startled. I generally am riding slower than most other cyclists on the trail (not a knock on anyone, thats just how I currently ride)

the pavement is getting worse right where you’d need to panic-brake for oncoming traffic there, too.

[Harry Meatmotor]

related bad joke:

A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel attached to his belt buckle. Bartender asks, “Why on earth do you have steering wheel on your belt buckle?”

Pirate responds, “Yarrrrgh – It’s drivin’ me nuts!”

[Harry Meatmotor]

@hozn 100547 wrote:

Lucky it is also the off-season.

But it’s also big miles in zone 2 time! podiums in June are won in January. or so they say.

[Harry Meatmotor]

My goal last year was to be off the front on my Sunday shop rides.

This year (2015) my goal is to finish my Cat 5 races and get a bunch of Cat 4 races in with my team to help our Cat 4s get into the 3s.

Ten years ago, if you would’ve asked me (247lbs and pack a day smoker) if I thought in 10 years I could be mixing it up with Cat 3s, I’d have had no idea what you were even talking about.

[Harry Meatmotor]

I know folks’ ability to withstand colder temps isn’t something one can comment on across the board (and what might be adequate breathability depends on how hard you’re riding), but maybe this can help – here’s what i typically wear at different temperatures:

60+ = cycling bib + shortsleeve jersey
50-60 = cycling bib + shortsleeve jersey + armwarmers
40-50 = cycling bib + kneewarmers + wool baselayer jersey + shortsleeve jersey + armwarmers
30-40 = cycling bib + kneewarmers + wool baselayer jersey + shortsleeve jersey + windproof armwarmers + windproof vest
20-30 = windproof knickers + wool baselayer jersey + heavy longsleeve winter jersey (if it’s windy, sometimes I’ll add windproof armwarmers over the wool baselayer)
10-20 = windproof leggings + windproof knickers + 2 wool baselayer jerseys + softshell (windproof) jacket
0-10 = same as above, but pedal faster
below 0 = no data yet…

As far as specific clothing manufacturers, I’ve had no major issues with Gore Windstopper fabric for any softshell layer, i.e., for the most part, anywhere i say “windproof” above, i’m using Gore Windstopper.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@mstone 100250 wrote:

I think it’s actually pretty easy: you put it in a box, and send it back to the factory.

The last time i heard about servicing a Rohloff hub, it had ~15k miles on it and had stopped shifting; sent back to Rohloff to the tune of $250 or so.

[Harry Meatmotor]

Shimano explicitly warns against using their IGHs for anything more than lightly spirited riding, even the nicer alfine hubs aren’t meant for MTB use. The rohloff hubs do tend to hold up under heavy abuse, but you’re definitely going to pay for it up front and through maintenance in the long term. I will say that holding a $1400 hub as nice as the rohloff in your hand is pretty cool – they’re built like a luxury wristwatch. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it is to overhaul one, though.

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