Joe Chapline

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Viewing 15 replies - 226 through 240 (of 275 total)
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  • in reply to: Please don’t curse #924138
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    Thank you for the feedback, gentlemen. I think we’re in agreement. Going forward, I plan to just “bleep out” any curse words or crude language, without making a fuss about it. If anyone thinks I’m being too restrictive, feel free to speak up (politely).

    in reply to: Daily Snow and Ice Report #924168
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    @consularrider 1445 wrote:

    I think we need this one in reverse order with most recent post first, or will we have a new thread daily on snowy days to make it easier to read the relevant information?

    I’ve been looking into this, and we have the capability to make a whole category, such as “Road and Trail Conditions” only display recent threads. We could move that category to the top, and set it to only display threads from the last two days, or three days, or whatever we want. What do you think?

    We could rename the category “Daily Snow and Ice Report.” We could still have a separate “Road and Trail Conditions” category, or something similar, if we need a place for threads that should hang around longer.

    in reply to: Daily Snow and Ice Report #924167
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    @consularrider 1445 wrote:

    I think we need this one in reverse order with most recent post first, or will we have a new thread daily on snowy days to make it easier to read the relevant information?

    I don’t see a way to change the order thread by thread, but I changed a setting for the whole category “Road and Trail Conditions.” I didn’t see any change after I did that, do you?

    HOWEVER, you can change the order for yourself in “Settings,” one of the links top right when you’re logged in. In the left sidebar, under My Settings / Forums / Forum Settings / Thread Display Options / Thread Display Mode, you can change it to “Linear – Newest First.” (It’s easier than it sounds.) All threads in the forum will display that way, though.

    Do let me know if you see anything that’s different. I changed that setting and didn’t change it back.

    in reply to: It’s too icy to ride…. Or is it??? #924159
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    It goes around the rim — how does that not affect the brakes? Unless he has disc or coaster brakes. Or am I looking at it wrong? I do love those ties. I’ve been thinking of using them to attach my bike basket, rather than bolts. Then I can cut the ties when I don’t want it, and attach the basket again in two seconds when I want it. So far, I’ve decided to just leave the basket on all the time, because I actually don’t know when I’m going to want it.

    in reply to: 8mi commute in work clothes? #924152
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    I’ve never had that much trouble commuting in work clothes in the summer, because I leave for work in the early morning, and it’s almost never really hot. (There were some exceptions last summer.) I may be soaked in sweat when I get home in the evening, but so what? I’m at home. But my commute is only a couple of miles through the city, and I’m not setting any speed records.

    in reply to: 8mi commute in work clothes? #924103
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    @Tim Kelley 1377 wrote:

    Buy.com is now SOLD OUT. I guess you got the last ones…and now my ears are going to be cold for the next 4 months.

    I’ll give you a pair when I see you.

    in reply to: 8mi commute in work clothes? #924098
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    @americancyclo 1374 wrote:

    Just saw this, if y’all need some 180s for cheap
    http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=218869046

    I’ve never seen them so cheap. I ordered 9 pairs. If there’s nothing wrong with these, then my relatives are all getting $3 Christmas presents from me this year.

    in reply to: 8mi commute in work clothes? #924080
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    @SWrider wrote:

    In order to prevent your hair from getting messed up, ear coverings combined with a scarf + helmet is enough, I never wear a full hat or mask.

    I’m posting another plug for 180s ear coverings. They’re ear muffs that fit around the back of your neck and don’t interfere with your bike helmet.

    in reply to: 8mi commute in work clothes? #924066
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    I’ve been looking for an opportunity to mention this for a while; I’m going to shoehorn it in here: The acceptance of more casual business attire over the last decade or so has really contributed to the increase in bike commuting. It’s a chicken-and-egg situation, it could be that the increased interest in physical activity required the change in the business dress code. It used to be that office workers were required to dress in a way that made it impractical to do anything physical, or even be outside of a car or building for more than a few minutes for most of the year. (If you know what a “shoehorn” is, you may remember.)

    in reply to: It’s too icy to ride…. Or is it??? #924062
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    Tires arrived today. Nokian Hakkapelitta 700×40 240 studs. Only $55 each from Tree Fort Bikes (http://www.treefortbikes.com). Everyplace else I’ve looked, they’re $70-$85 each. Shipping is free over $125. Two tires are not quite that much, so to save $9 on shipping, I also bought an insulated water bottle. I wondered how they would ship these; here’s a picture. The tires are twisted into a figure 8 so they’ll fit into a manageable box.

    [ATTACH]166[/ATTACH]

    in reply to: 8mi commute in work clothes? #924059
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    If you do decide to ride in work pants, be aware that you will occasionally get oil from the road on the cuffs, and it doesn’t come out. (At least I don’t know how to get it out.) Bike commuting in work clothes has limited my wardrobe — I wear machine-washable pants that are inexpensive enough that I can afford some attrition. Work shoes can be left at work or carried (they don’t wrinkle). Sweatpants under a skirt seems technically possible, but you might be the first to try it. You should have fenders on your bike, or none of your clothes are safe.

    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    I’m a little sorry to see the old bike pit gone… that was deluxe bike accommodation in its day.

    in reply to: First a unicycle, now this! #923986
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    My neighbor bought a kit and converted a one-speed bike the same way. I guess it makes it a scooter. He could still pedal, and needed to, so he and the little motor were working together.

    in reply to: It’s too icy to ride…. Or is it??? #923978
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    I’m sold… shopping for Nokian 700 x 40 240 studs. Seeing “out of stock” everywhere. Didn’t try Peter White because you have to pick up the phone and call the guy. If it was a Baltimore business, I’d do it (I live in Baltimore), but he’s in New Hampshire. Amazon.com, the source of most of my worldly goods, has them, but they’re $84 each. Another place, treefortbikes.com, lists them at only $55 dollars each (?) but the page says “May go to backorder.” I have an email in to them to see if they have the tires or not. I’ll give them a day, then bite the bullet and order from Amazon.

    in reply to: How often to do bike maintenance? #923977
    Joe Chapline
    Participant

    I may not be more experienced, but I’ll comment anyway. I’ve been getting by with an annual checkup at the bike shop. I don’t work on my bike except to inflate the tires every week and fix flats. My current bike is only two years old, but when I took it to the bike shop on our second anniversary, they decided to replace the chain and rear gear cassette. From their point of view, it was probably less expensive to replace the cassette then have them clean it. I feel a little guilty about that, but not guilty enough to start working on my own bike. Hopefully they recycled the old cassette. They also redid the brakes, which were shot.

Viewing 15 replies - 226 through 240 (of 275 total)