[jordash]

The win at all costs mentality has permeated all parts of our society, from business to athletics. I’ve even heard of amateur racing cyclists doping — ridiculous. Even if Lance Armstrong doped, I’m still amazed that he managed to complete the race seven years in a row after beating cancer. He’s still a paragon of athleticism, and I will always respect that. If anything, I’m bothered by the persistent stream of accusations that have dragged his name through the mud while ignoring a still pervasive problem in cycling. The UCI needs to get creative and come up with a way to comprehensively check doping or come up with a way to legalize part of it in order to level the playing field.

[jordash]

Just like news sources or your savings portfolio, diversify. Check a couple websites or applications. I use Wunderground (great website and phone application) & Apple’s/Yahoo’s weather application. Always check the radar because that’s the most up to date. Look at the sky and hope that it doesn’t open up and start spraying water in your face like it has twice in the last few days. That said, I kind of like riding in the rain aside from low visibility in front of cars.

[jordash]

@ShawnoftheDread 28848 wrote:

Perhaps spray some oil or wd40 (the duct tape of the lubricant world) in the lock mechanism.

Any kind of lube will work without the key in, but perhaps you’ll be able to drip some in there even with the key in place.

[jordash]

It’s silly to think that even at our best we do not infuriate others with whom we share these paths. Just because you are indignant does not mean you are absolutely right. And by all means use extreme caution in exchanging “educational words” with others. You’ll likely sound a) combative b) condescending c) out of breath d) wrong e) any combination of the preceding.

Just like that guy who punched me in the arm when I made (perhaps a rash) choice to pass a long convoy of women struggling up a hill on the MVT. Was he right that I should not have passed at that time? Maybe. Did he think before punching me in the arm that maybe I was sick of pedaling in the single digits waiting for a chance to pass or that he, descending a hill, could have simply tapped his brakes to allow me to muscle past? Probably not. Instead he made a very dangerous split-second decision to sock me in the arm. If what I was doing was dangerous, he certainly could have caused triple the damage. And for what?

Do not be a Bolshevik; to be indignant is only temporary; take a breath and enjoy your ride.

[jordash]

Wow really nice bike, and I like its outfitting. Definitely keep that one locked up tight.

[jordash]

I have never commuted from up there, but I would take Broadway Branch Road until you can get on to the bike path that runs parallel to Beach Drive. That will take you far enough south so that you can turn off and take the P Street bridge. Cut up 22nd Street to Q. Take Q all the way to 15th Street, turn right (south), and taking that all the way past the White House to G Street. Turn left on G and you’ll be in Chinatown in 10 blocks.

That commute will probably take you at least 40 minutes but it’s going to be pretty safe.

Here’s the map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5612653

[jordash]

Seems the problem was minor corrosion of the caliper, probably from a rain ride and the gunk that drips down from the fender. I sprayed some silicone lubricant into the center and all returned to normal.

[jordash]

Are you new to installing tubes? Perhaps you’re pinching the tube when you’re installing it. At this point, perhaps you should buy another tire and try it out. If you stop getting flats, there’s definitely something sharp in that tire. If you keep getting them you’ve ruled out one source (and still have a replacement tire), which makes the rim the likely culprit.

[jordash]

Then this isn’t a rare occurrence? I read it and was so baffled by the flawed logic that maybe I overreacted to a known fish wrap paper’s bluster.

[jordash]

When I think about the different bikes I’ve tried riding without hands on, the bike’s weight distribution, tire width, and rider skill are most important.

At school I rode a beach cruiser with gigantic tires, which allowed me to go from door to door without touching my handle bars for 15 minutes.
My road bike has 32mm tires and it took some getting used to riding without hands. It takes practice to get used to your bike and using your legs and weight to keep the front wheel straight.

And please don’t practice on bike paths with people coming at you (or behind you because they’ll likely want to pass). It’s awfully intimidating to know the rider pedaling at you doesn’t have complete control of the bike.

[jordash]

Yes, the trail is fine. There were a number of trees blocking the paths but those were cleared up earlier in the week. The only things left are some low-hanging branches and some piles on the paths, but you won’t need to dismount.

[jordash]

Thanks Brendan.

When I checked the spring arms’ placement in the channels, the arm directly connected to the spring (non-drive side) is fine, meaning it easily returns outward. The brake pad counter-pressured by the spring (non-drive side) gets stuck after I move it inward.

It seems that the spring is fine but something connecting the two arms might have been tweaked while I cloddishly adjusted the quick-release. When re-engaging the brake pads, I did not depress the brake pads onto the rim.

[jordash]

The double standard for cyclists and motorists is huge. Why motorists are irritated when cyclists blow through stop signs or roll past red lights blows my mind. I see plenty of motorists who run red lights and blow through stop signs. By tapping the brakes 5 feet from the intersection, they’re slowing to maybe 10-15mph, which is plenty force to crush a pedestrian, cyclist, and, at the least, rack up a nice insurance claim. Indeed, I’ve seen motorists slam through stop signs faster than 25mph.

Motorists frequently imperil other motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians but have the temerity to be outraged when a cyclist passes them at an intersection or takes the right away at a 4-way stop.

No, rolling through stop signs or pushing through red lights isn’t legal and it might not even be safe, but I’d have a lot easier time listening to the media and cyclist critics tell me I’m the problem if they recognized that motorists are still the biggest abusers and danger to safe transport.

[jordash]

From June 29th:

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/4IEpX.png?1[/IMG]

What’s worse is for city riders, the heat from the asphalt adds even more to the index. Don’t stop drinking water until your stream is white / light yellow!

[jordash]

Thanks for the responses everybody. I just got power back on yesterday. The bike is only 2 months old and has 1150mi on it, so the cabling quality should be fine. I noticed normal cable wear from the pinch bolt. Once I loosened that and manually clamped the calipers, it’s clear there’s something wrong with the spring because they do not return outwards. I don’t know much about how the spring mechanism works, just that it counter-pressures the two arms.

[Author]

Posts