[hozn]

I’ve never bothered with wax, as my understanding was that it doesn’t work in wet conditions.

I hadn’t heard that it extends chain life. But I guess if it is better able to keep contaminants out of the chain bushings, then it would (?) Of course, if it just washes out in the rain and lets in grit, then it is probably worse than other lubes for the life of the chain/cassette.

1200 miles to reading 0.75 seems a little short, but 1200 to reading 0.50 (or just over) is about what I was getting when I was trying to change out chains religiously (and that is when I would change them). Right now I have 4800 miles on my commuter chain (and 4800 miles on the cassette). I expect I’ll change the chain & the cassette at around 6k miles. The only degradation in performance is that the chain drops off my 1x setup more easily; that is my N/W (X-Sync) front ring at fault, by the looks of it. That ring has almost 10k miles on it, though, so I’ll be replacing that too when I swap out the chain & cassette.

So, basically, I could use 4-5 chains and get ~6k miles out of a cassette (I’ve never gotten much more than that) or I could use 1 chain and get basically the same mileage. Maybe there’s a 1,000 mile difference. But I’m saving ~$75-100 in chains; 1k miles on a cassette is worth a lot less than that to me. (I’m buying XG-1175 cassettes, which are pretty fancy, but which I’ve been able to buy for sub-$100 as barely-used take-off items.) If shifting performance degraded (beyond the typical no-longer-new feeling) with the chain/cassette age, I’d probably be inclined to go back to a tight chain-changing schedule.

[hozn]

Yeah, what @jabberwocky said. That route sounds great and those roads (I think I’ve been on them all) are indeed friendly to ride on. Honestly, unless you’re riding on a major artery road (e.g. Sunrise Valley / South Lakes / Sunset Hills / [heaven forbid] Reston Parkway / Wiehle / Baron Cameron), cycling on Reston roads is really very pleasant.

[hozn]

Yeah, one of the few places I have almost been hit by a car was at a crosswalk on Reston Pkwy. (Riding with a friend the driver waved my friend through/accross but apparently didn’t realize I was riding right behind him.)

[hozn]

I don’t know where you are starting from, but North Shore to Temporary Rd to Old Reston is a nice way to get to the trail from N Reston.

Yeah, the Reston Pkwy sidepath is a glorified sidewalk and the street crossings suck. The side roads in Reston are generally quite comfortable, though.

[hozn]

The 510 definitely sets a low bar for Garmin, but I am eager to hear your thoughts. I look forward to buying a Wahoo, though my 1000 still works well enough to be acceptable.

[hozn]

Yeah I’d argue we’re pretty far behind many other states in this regard. At least a number of other states have deigned to consider the question.

I’d hope this gets sorted out by our respective governing bodies in the next few years.

[hozn]

Oh, lord.

We have a few threads you can search/peruse. But, in practice, just do whatever you want; even when the regulations are clear, they won’t be enforced.

[hozn]

Yeah, the Garmin 510 does turn-by-turn too (if using a TCX file with street names like from RWGPS), though it isn’t a nice as a unit that has maps knowledge built in.

I’d get a Wahoo.

[hozn]

Excellent! I think that will be a good long-term set of mechanical brakes. BB7s are basically the benchmark brake.

Yeah, I’ve met the other Hans only once. I think he’s a good guy

You could ask him if he could help you swap out your calipers. Or I’m sure many of us could. I think I’m a little out of your way/commute, but also happy to help.

[hozn]

I have a 510 in my drawer I’ll sell you for $40 … But I will warn you that Steve O had an issue with it when he borrowed it (last year?). I did a full factory reset and used it for a few rides without issue, but it is only my backup device so it does not get regular use.

[hozn]

@peterw_diy 179920 wrote:

To clarify further, “I suppose…” was not sarcasm. I really expected, given your sociable nature and the usual precision of your commentary, that you actually were familiar with streetsmarts’ commute. I expected you’d say something like “Yeah, I’d expect shorter life for something like jrenault’s urban longtail” or “Vicegrip probably would get 3x that brake life since he rides the MUPs while the rest of us sleep” or something.

Ah, that was not clear. I don’t know her commute, though I suppose it’s all in the FS database if I wanted to dig it up.

My original comment was based on the memory of TRP spec’ing pads that would get eaten up in any off-weather riding. If pad wear seems abnormally low, this probably indicates a need to replace them with something different.

[hozn]

That’s a great idea… . I plan eventually to get another suspension fork (though am gonna ride this rigid for awhile first), but this was an inexpensive way to switch everything over to boost.l spacing. @drevil 179914 wrote:

Funky fresh! That front fork looks too plain and is screaming for a vinyl wrap

[hozn]

Someone is selling a pair of road BB7s on DC Used for $20. That would be $20 well spent.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dcusedicyclemarketplace/permalink/2191120731118510/?sale_post_id=2191120731118510

[hozn]

Finally finished the transformation to a plus bike (27.5+). The 3.0″ tires are fun on these light wheels. Haven’t actually ridden it off-road yet, though. Maybe if it stops raining someday the trails will dry up.

[hozn]

There’s a good reason why front blinky lights are simply illegal or regulated (e.g. 200+ blinks per minute) in more cycling-progressive countries.

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