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Sure do. Whenever I pop into a 7-11, go get some groceries, go barhopping, whatever. Did my 35 mile loop last night and locked up at a bar near my house for a couple beers worth.

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My simple fix is this- I change my chain every 4 months and degrease my DT once a month. Sometimes more often if I’ve been riding in the rain a lot. Decent KMC chains can be had for $30-45 a pop and are significantly cheaper than replacing rings/cassettes/cogs once a year. I’ve got 2 years or so on my ring/cog on my track bike with almost no wear on the ring or cog. Same goes for my cassette on my roadie. I recently swapped to Rotor rings on the roadie so no real longevity info there.

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On group rides with others to watch your bikes, fine; no lock necessary. If you’re solo, bring a lock. And don’t freelock. In my experience, the guy behind the counter of the 7-11/quickie mart etc. doesn’t care about you or your bike. If they let you bring it inside, awesome. I still lock mine. You should too.

Locks are cheap insurance against theft. Granted if they want it bad enough, a thief is gonna get your bike. I used to do a group ride that would finish at a patio bar/restaurant, and everyone used to laugh because I always brought my u-lock. Until 4 bikes got jacked not 10 feet from a group of roadies sitting on the patio. After that, no laughter, only questions about where to get a kryptonite and u-lock holster.

Many bike thieves are opportunists, not master criminals. I often see really nice crabon bikes outside coffee shops just leaned against the wall in ones or twos. The Dr. Evil part of me really wants new Zipps, but the human part of me goes inside and politely reminds the owners they really oughtta keep an eye on their bikes.

U-locks are relatively cheap(the Palmy retails about $35) especially compared to the $1000+ or so you’ve got invested in that commuter or high zoot roadie.

My Kryptonite Evo mini cost about $65. Not bad. Especially considering I’ve got about $4k in my road bike and $2k in my track bike.

And if you’re worried that the extra weight from that lock is gonna spoil your strava times, imagine how long that segment’s gonna take on foot.

Just my 2cents.
Oh, yeah- for me, I like water in my bottles and gels for food. For some reason bars, waffles etc. just come straight back up. I average 1-2 bottles for a 3-4 hour ride.

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Yeah, the dislike button is a bit vague. Does it mean “the guy who posted this is a jerk”? Or “Oh noes. Bad stuff happened. I don’t like bad stuff”?

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Comfort level is going to be key above all else. Finding a road bike that will work for both commuting/tri will be a challenge. You are going to have to compromise between comfort/performance. Most entry level road bikes will have rack/fender mounts, but tt/tri bikes will not. A comfort bike/hybrid will be more comfy, but you will sacrifice performance.

My suggestion would be this- find a decent used bike for commuting and buy either an entry level road/TT bike.

If your budget limits you to a “do it all” bike, an entry level road bike will be your best bet.

I would also suggest when you purchase the bike, also purchase another saddle, seatpost, and clip-on aerobars. Then have your shop fit you to the bike in road/commute position, mark your seatpost, and then fit you with the second saddle/seatpost/aerobar combo. Then mark that seatpost. I’ve seen way too many roadbikes set up for triathlons that absolutely do not work for group rides/casual rides/commuting.

Also remember, that clip-on aerobars are only arm rests. All your controls are still in the shifter/brake levers. So if you do ride around on the aerobars you will be much more unstable at low speeds and will have to change position to shift/brake.

The good thing is that clip-on aerobars are removable. Put ’em on when you train/race, take ’em off when you commute.

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So this happened:

then this happened:

One of these days I’ll learn how to use those clicky type pedals.

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Then here today after GoPro-ing the hell out of downtown.

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Even though it was raining yesterday, I still needed to go out and spin my legs.

First stop.

Then rode around a bit and got to see a CaBi station close up. Solar Powered!

Then here.

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@GoodOmens 51074 wrote:

So my first long bike commute and I was hit by a elderly gentleman going through a stop sign while I was making a left hand turn. Minor, minor injuries – just some nice road reminders on my left leg and arm. A lady called the police and a report was filed. He destroyed a expensive Arc’Teryx jacket and I want to have my bike double checked – do I get the police report and call his insurance?

Could have been a lot, lot worse. The one ride out of 200+ in the last year or two (I used to capital bike share to work) I forget to wear my helmet. Sigh….

YES. Drop the bike off at your local LBS and have them do a full once over/repair estimate. Definitely file a claim with the gentleman’s insurance.

DO NOT take chances with your bike. Small cracks, bends, whatever(especially on Alumium) can and may fail catastrophically. Steel is a bit more forgiving, but still not worth the risk. Bent chainstays/seatstays WILL ruin your day.

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So nobody’s going to hit the low hanging fruit and make a joke about how he must not be a good triathlete cuz he can’t even transition from commute-work?

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@ShawnoftheDread 51023 wrote:

So my anniversary falls on BTWD this year. The tenth is the plastic water bottle anniversary, isn’t it?

10th is white bar tape.

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Saw one of these at NACCC in Richmond last summer. Super nice and very well kitted out. Do Want.

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@KelOnWheels 50954 wrote:

I wonder what crank that is in the glamour shots on A/C’s website? It’s quite nice looking.

SRAM Apex. Harder to find as a take off, but ALL over the fleabay for cheap. Also a bit lighter and available in standard road or compact.

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I’ve got a couple of helmets kickin around the house. One is a Giro reverb for cool/cold weather riding. Rounded with minimal ventilation. Keeps me a bit warmer when it’s in the 30-40s. I also have a MET I picked up in the UK- lots of vents and fins etc. Even at 10mph there is a noticeable difference in regards to airflow around your head.

Those rounded skate style helmets are cool looking but on a blistering hot day can be really horrible.

I ride with or without a helmet depending on whatever, so all I can say is use them or don’t but get the most comfy one you can. If it’s uncomfortable you won’t wear it. If it is, you’re more likely to.

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