[Jason B]

My latest piece de resistance has officially transformed my bike from the Mamba to the Hornet.
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[Jason B]

A dime a dozen shot, but it always reminds me what cool place we live. This morning on the neighborhood Dad’s ride
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[Jason B]

@rcannon100 114532 wrote:

Chinese designers come up with exercise bike that washes your clothes as you pedal

Pffftt, show me one that can fold clothes and than I’ll buy it!

[Jason B]

Don’t know if you have the swing arm on your Cherokee, but this Yakima rack works really well on mine. Basic no-brainer, that I have used on very long rides. (Yes, the bike cost way more than the truck. Priorities Man!!!)
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[Jason B]

@hozn 118142 wrote:

Yes, you definitely need the compression plug / star nut to remove the play.

Just thought I read somewhere it was a meh, cosmetic part, but wasn’t sure. Good to know. Didn’t know carbon and steel use different kinds. Always just transferred stuff from one bike to the next, never really comparing. Well, today I learned.
Thanks for help fellas.
Btw, put it on, it is way prettier, I think I may actually go faster.

[Jason B]

@hozn 118136 wrote:

To be clear, those two items pictured are for two different applications: one of those is a star nut for an alloy steerer (the top one) and the other is a carbon steerer compression plug. I hope you didn’t use the star nut in a carbon steerer …

Yes, the top cap bolt pulls / compresses the headset pieces together so that when you tighten down your stem bolts everything is tight (and your steerer doesn’t shift around when you brake, etc.).

No, it was on my Soma, which is why I asked. Seemed a little weird on a steel bike.

And, no haven’t done anything yet. I just pulled it out and said, “hmmmm”.
But honestly, tightening down the stem is not enough to secure everything? So if it is steel, the compression nut was overkill, or probably what was lying around?
Thanks

[Jason B]

W-L Bike Club had a good showing. We had 5 teachers, four students, and countless alumni yelling, “Go Generals!” As they went by. I really like that ride for it a low-key, fun time all around.
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[Jason B]

Crap, crap, crap went down watch my buddy race today and forgot to pick up packet. Is it too late? What is the deal with tomorrow pick up? Sorry, I deleted the emails.
Thanks

[Jason B]

^^^^^
Don’t worry, you don’t have a problem, we were all more worried about the bike.

[Jason B]

Despite being labeled ‘Biker’s Beach’, no violence broke out. (Chincoteague, VA).
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[Jason B]

Awfully nice! Good karma.
Always liked my Bontragers, had several X’s and Rolf’s. I would snag them but that would be borderline hoarding.

[Jason B]

@Phatboing 116009 wrote:

If you’re looking for a commuting machine at low cost, Planet X and On-one make some pretty decent frames at very excellent prices: http://www.planet-x-usa.com/i/q/FRPXKBD2/planet-x-kaffenback-2-frameset

Holy crap! Forget what I wrote above and buy this. Yea, the coffee color is painful to look at, but for $200, who cares. I have a Planet X road bike that I have been using for years. Although, price out building up a disc bike before you take the plunge, for a lot of your used parts ain’t gonna cut it.
Someone more knowledgable than me can chime in about the added disc build up cost, and even going used parts is feasible.

[Jason B]

A Soma Double Cross is another option. I have one, unfortunately not for sale, and really like it. I was looking for a cyclocross/commuter and stumbled across it. It appears very similar to the Cross Check, but tad more affordable. Although it is primarily my crappy day commuter, I have used it for all my cyclecrosss races and gravel grinders. In fact, the double cross and cross check are pretty common for the cat 4 races, and truthfully the last gravel grinder I was on a double cross was there. You will not be out of place on a Cross Check on a a cat 4. Also, when I was having trouble with my road bike, it was used for many of my training rides without skipping a beat. Stripped down, it will hold its own on the group ride. A totally different geometry than a road bike, but after a few days your back, neck and shoulders will quit whinning. Heck, I think this winter it was also used for 75% of my trainer riding. So, essentially it makes a good do-anything bike. If you are getting into cross, it will make a great first option that will make an excellent daily commuter if you get into it more.

[Jason B]

Creeks are a pain. I built up a few bikes and they take are a while to eliminate all of them. This sounds a tad different from the normal creeks, which are simply dealt by tightening and greasing.
A loose cable will cause the chain to skip among other things, which appears to be dealt with. A stuck link will also cause the chain to skip, and may cause a clicking sound if the pin was put in improperly, but this sound happens when you are coasting, which negates the pin theory.
Check you rear derailleur to make sure it not hitting anything. Although improbable, a change in cable tension may have pulled it slightly which may be causing it to hit something. It may be hitting the spokes, or the chain my be too short, causing the RD to hit the cassette, even when coasting.
Make sure it is not hitting the spokes for that can cause epic failure. If it is hitting the cassette, adding a another speed link may be all you need. But with way, check the RD for can get messy, and it will be an easy to see if it is off. Make sure to check the RD in all the gears.
Just my too stinky scents.

[Jason B]

Whenever I did the ride, the place I always saw the most contention between cars and bicyclists was the weird little intersection of Williamsburg/Powhattan/Little Falls, by the CVS going up to do the first loop. Many play a little stutter-step game of ‘is-it-my-turn’ which inevitably always ends with one of the fiefdoms grumbling.

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