[Harry Meatmotor]

@Steve O 87380 wrote:

I’ve never bought one of these, but I’ve always thought it would be handy to have–particularly with a casette-side spoke break.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fiberfix.asp

Any experience with these, anyone?

They make sense if you’re going to riding a long way from home, or any other means of support, but in that case, I’d just tape 4 or 5 replacement spokes for both F & R wheels to your chainstay.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@vern 87375 wrote:

Both broke at the head… my observation that the wheel was essentially true wasn’t enough, but that I also needed to test the tension of the spokes.

Correct – the upside is that if the rim hub are still in good shape, it’s really not a hugely expensive proposition and many, many more miles could be had with your wheels. Or, this could be an opportunity to take a wheel building class.

Checking spoke tension is a little difficult without the proper measuring device (called a tensiometer). There are also differences in lacing pattern, spoke size and shape (i.e. bladed vs. butted vs. straight gauge), and rim and hub combinations that affect what an adequate tension for any given wheel should be.

[Harry Meatmotor]

It’s been my experience that, generally, multiple broken spokes are a sign that the wheel is under tensioned. Were the spokes breaking at the head or at the nipple?

When a loaded wheel rotates, each spoke is stretched and compressed, alternatively, as they pass from the bottom of the wheel to the top of the wheel. When there’s too little tension on the spokes, the spokes under compression will begin to fatigue, usually at the spoke head/j-bend.

From a materials perspective, what’s happening during most spoke failures at the head, is that the j-bend is elastically deforming every time the wheel makes a revolution. it’s not hard to imagine millions of cycles fatiguing all the spokes in a low-tension wheel, at about the same rate. therefore, when you see one or two spokes fail due to low tension, it’s really only a matter of time before you’re better off re-lacing the wheel.

also, depending on how long the wheel has been under tensioned, just adding more tension could fix the problem. However, if the spokes are breaking regularly and the wheel has more than a couple thousand miles on it, adding tension may cause the spokes to fail sooner.

Otherwise, I’ve definitely seen multiple spoke failures if the rear derailleur has either been rubbing the spokes, or allowed the chain to over shift in the largest cog, damaging the spokes.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@Fast Friendly Guy 87158 wrote:

Well, isn’t the primary traffic here from the PENTAGON!? (Probably half those guys are packing)
As for the sign, okay, I get it that an assault-rifle-totin’ cyclist might be frowned on, especially if he/she opens up on an obnoxious motorist (even if deserved), but what’s the big deal with a cute little pistol tucked next to the flat tire kit?

Too bad my commute takes me into DC, as I’ve often wondered if I’d be given just a little more room on the roadways if I open-carried on the bike.

It also reminds me of a customer’s bike I came across a little while back – strapped to the seat tube was an 8″ dive knife. 😮

[Harry Meatmotor]

@jnva 87069 wrote:

watching and hearing someone get tazed is well, just shocking.

literally.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@cyclingfool 87094 wrote:

Cheap, easy to make DIY nipple driver that works. (I’ve used this on my wheel builds, and it works a charm.)

http://urbanvelo.org/diy-nipple-driver/

pro tip: use a locking nipple like Sapim Polyax on the tool and you can set the number of threads that’ll be exposed in the nipple on the wheel being assembled.

@cyclingfool 87094 wrote:

Good to see another positive review of this stand. It’s on my Amazon wish list, and likely to be purchased before I build up my spare wheelset for next winter.

I picked one up from Competitive Cyclist for dirt cheap and I’m pretty impressed. I’ve only used it for one wheel build so far, but it was actually pretty easy to use once you get the hang of the feelers.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@NicDiesel 87074 wrote:

Is there anything that you all could think of that the Pro Tool Kit doesn’t have that you’d need to do most repairs and builds?

You’ll definitely want at least one set of general automotive metric box-end wrenches, from 7mm to 19mm – I know the pro kit has combo box-end wrenches, but I find them hard to use (too small, not enough leverage) and the flats of the wrenches are narrow and tend to ding up aluminum parts. Also, depending on whether you’ve got (or plan to have) bike frames/wheels that use cartridge bearings, Wheels Manufacturing has a decent threaded press for about $40, and you can buy individual drifts for whatever bearings your bike(s) use. There’s no real need to buy the full Wheels Manufacturing press and drift set. In addition the the taps in the Pro kit, I’d also recommend getting a decent metric tap plate and die set (Craftsman stuff from Sears is a good middle ground). Lastly, if you’re really anal retentive, consider getting two torque wrenches, one 3/8″ drive inch-pound, one 1/2″ drive foot-pound, and an accompanying set of metric sockets in both drive sizes. Again, Craftsman offers good value, and Sears will re-calibrate their torque wrenches for free if you take them to a store.

Oh – forgot, a blind bearing puller set and slide hammer, if you’re doing any cartridge bearing work.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@dbb 87008 wrote:

Come on guys, this happens every afternoon!

Not only is it every afternoon, but it occurs on half the east-west thoroughfares in the central business district. unfortunately, each bus contains roughly 200 concession and t-shirt consuming, ticket holding touristas whose net economic impact is likely thousands (millions?) of times greater than any parking enforcement revenue… I’ve been told there’s a “do not ticket busses” unwritten rule between NPS police and MPDC. No parking and no standing on the north side of Constitution Ave? Sure! But i heard there’s cyclist scofflaws somewhere around East Potomac Park that deserve a good tongue lashing from Officer Friendly…

[Harry Meatmotor]

and so it continues… rolling chassis, as the car guys would say.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5769[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]5770[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]5771[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]5772[/ATTACH]

Now the wait begins – build on hold until i pinch a few more pennies for the drivetrain…

[Harry Meatmotor]

@hozn 86766 wrote:

This probably strikes at the heart of the problem with most of the advice from this forum (and others). People come on asking “I want to start commuting; which bike should I get?” and people like us that ride 12+ hours a week year-round start chiming in about how you need mm-precise geometry, hand-built wheels, disc brakes, tires with a good balance of grip and durability, etc. etc. And the reality is that folks riding for a few hours a week will really be happy on pretty much anything and if they ride 4k miles a year, then their drivetrain will probably last all year and their shifters, wheels, BB, etc. likely for multiple years.

it’s also why finding a knowledgable LBS is crucial to finding the right bike. well intentioned forumites (and me, too) often forget that at one point in time, they, too, rode a $400 hybrid or mountain bike into the ground* and it was a learning experience in terms of helping them decide what they actually need in a bike to get them from point A to point B, that costs $1k+.

* i’d be willing to bet that at least half of us on the forum had a bike, abused it, then took it to a shop where they learned how spending $400 to fix a $250 bike is just throwing good money after bad and had a bit of an epiphany with regards to what an expensive bike is and what it gets you. Mine was a 1992 Diamondback Sorrento.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@jrenaut 86756 wrote:

I’d like to see bike manufacturers explicitly acknowledge the genre that the Cross Check really fits into (the same one my Bianchi Volpe fits into). They usually call them cross bikes, but no serious racers would consider them for racing. They’re nice steel bikes with aggressive geometry, but they have lots of mounts for fenders and racks and space for big tires. They’re great for people who like to go fast, but use their bike as a replacement for a car, and ride in bad weather, and all that stuff that a good many of us do. I think of the Volpe as the equivalent of a CUV like the Mazda CX5 – space for passengers and cargo but it also has an optional 6spd manual.

Of course, now that my Xtracycle is on the way, I’ll probably use that for more of the grocery store runs (and I’m going to do a Costco run on the bike just to show I can). But still. Not sure what this genre of bike should be called…

I agree – unfortunately i think the proper name for these types of bikes has been taken (utility bike). I like to think of them more like a mid-size pickup truck.

in general Surlys are good for 80% of folks who have some experience on a bike recreationally, but want to taste a car-free diet. but as most posters have expressed, for those “in the know,” Surly frames are the real highlight – good, cheap, and durable. So the smart money is on building them up from a frame set, however, convincing the someone who is purchasing their first commuter bike to build it from scratch is a little difficult, and imho, kinda stupid. folks should be riding their bikes, not fussing over what parts to hang on a frame. lol.

[Harry Meatmotor]

I think it helps to keep in mind Surly’s target demographic when considering parts spec and pricing. Most shops who carry Surly do so because there wasn’t (for a looooong time) an attractively priced alternative to the $1.5k entry level road bike that would accommodate any sort of regular abuse. In other words, bike commuters and folks interested in touring didn’t have any non-fussy (I’m looking at you Grant Petersen…) options without compromising a relaxed geometry road bike, or commuterizing a recreational hybrid. Surly specs parts that are just cheap enough to do the job well. And leveling the critique of factory-built wheels applies to any and all bikes. Cheaping out on wheels is the easiest way to shave hundreds of bucks off MSRP no matter what the bike brand.

Also – I don’t think Surly really intends for the crosscheck or the straggler to be podium worthy cyclocross bikes – they could be if raced in the right hands, but by and large those two bikes are intended to offer a heavy duty road bike geometry fatter tire platform. As a mechanic, I appreciate what Surly does with their bikes. I actually love it when one of the floor walkers sells a LHT cause I know I’ll (usually) never see it back in the shop again for good reason: they’re built well with smart parts and can take a ton of abuse.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@dkel 86721 wrote:

I’m 5’11” and the geometry of these Stragglers tends toward long and low…

I’m 5’10” and the 54 cm cross check fits me perfectly w/ a 0 offset seatpost (saddle most of the way back on the rails, however) and a 100mm stem. i do prefer a more “prone” ride position, though. IMHO if you’re in the ballpark on a 54cm, fiddling with stem length/height and seatpost offset will allow more than enough range of adjustment to get a near perfect fit.

in other words:

DO IT!

[Harry Meatmotor]

This was cleared as of 5:50am – there was still some caution tape leftovers, but the trail is perfectly clear.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@skins_brew 86665 wrote:

Yea that loading zone is a cluster F. Even if they extended the cycle track all the way up to Mass Ave, there is a crap ton of pedestrians right there who would be cutting across.

there’s a lack of signage to keep peds from cutting in front of any traffic and the ped/bike island is interpretted to be a ped free-for-all.

no on-street parking and one-way (southbound) traffic only would be a start to clean up 1st St. NE @ the Metro entrance and delivery/service tunnel. honestly, that is the worst/most dangerous 200 yards of my commute…

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