[Left Field]

The bearded and thirsty and ninja which were lurking within the confines of the eerily abandoned Hoffman Center parking lot and atop the parking garage (must have been a scout) have been appropriately captured and confined. I may add that they were almost escaped and hanging on by a thread.

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[Left Field]

Although I am lacking a photo (yeah, one must charge the device), the Hoffman Center Bearded Wishiwashi was captured while lurking in the eerily abandoned parking lot. It must have been the heat that made it jump off the pole.

[Left Field]

@Emm 172626 wrote:

It was surprisingly passable this morning, although I went pretty slow per you post and Adam S’ advice on Strava, and I had slightly wider knobbier tires since I rode my flat bar bike. If it doesn’t all melt and dry up today, tonight might be nasty though when things re-freeze.

On a positive note, all of the ice fields on the MVT south of Old Town were on straight segments, so it wasn’t too bad of a ride. I switched to an on-street route once I hit Old Town though so I can’t comment on anything north of Jones Point Park.

I should have clarified that I was unwisely on 25c slick tires (the other bike had a flat early morning yesterday and I was lazy). You are right, on the wider tires, it was not as bad as my recollection. Hopefully, this afternoon it will be all clear with temps over 40.

[Left Field]

For those who use MVT South, watch out for Dyke Marsh Bridge. It was very icy tonight to the point I had to bail and walk, which was a challenge itself. Tomorrow morning will be rough. Take it slow and easy.

[Left Field]

@jctonett 168563 wrote:

“The thing about the cold is that you can never tell how cold it is from looking out a kitchen window. You have to dress up, get out training, and when you come back, you then know how cold it is.” – Sean Kelly

As a noob to FS, but a dedicated “niner”, I’m looking forward to dressing up and playing reindeer games.

The best part of winter is when you dress up and realize, even after doing so many times before, every time is a new adventure.

[Left Field]

Quick note, and most know this, but this is a public service announcement. Some poor soul leaning into a turn, going hard, went down in front of me today. Not too hard, as he slid onto the grass (as opposed to meeting pavement straight down) but it was flesh wound. When sections of the trails are covered with dense, ridden over, packed down leaves after a rainy night and misty morning, it pays to take to the turns and bridges slow. I made the same error years ago and vowed to respect and enjoy the fall foliage with my bike vertically aligned.

[Left Field]

@Judd 166060 wrote:

There’s still room for another sexy pizza so Wheels&Wings has company.

No one, and I repeat no one, wants to see me as sexy pizza. Perhaps Wheels&Wings, but without question not LeftField.

[Left Field]

@hozn 166058 wrote:

That is an interesting question. I wouldn’t think it would matter; the vast majority of the force is just from the riders weight on the rear wheel. Spokes break when they became detensioned. A better fix for a heavier rider+gear combo, I think, would be an asymmetrical rim.

To the OP, I had a set of those Rhino Lite wheels w/Deore hubs. In my limited experience Shimano hubs aren’t great because they need maintenance (as you’ve found) and those rims are anything but light and single-butted (straight-gauge) spokes break more easily. But it is super cheap and will certainly last you awhile. If you want it to last longer, take it to someone and have them check all the tensions. This may indicate a rebuild is necessary, but better than having a spoke break. I broke my “no-factory” rule recently and had a spoke break on me after a couple weeks, but the hubs and rims are great, so I just rebuilt them — but wish I had just taken the time to mediately rebuild the and save myself buying new spokes and nipples.

I usually change my wheelsets out before they age out (because I like building wheels), but I had a set of Hope Pro 2 + Flo30 wheels that were still going strong after 20-25k and that was zero maintenance. That is not an unrealistic expectation for an all-condition wheelset that isn’t having the hubs fully submerged etc.

So, for excellent durability, I would probably recommend Hope Pro 4 hubs and any number of rims. Perhaps the asymmetrical Kinlin XR31 RTS would be a good value proposition.

But the Hope hubset is $280 and rims are around $140 and then $1/spoke. So not a very cheap option.

On the other hand, you can get a set of those rims with Novatec hubs (w/ EZO bearings) for $350, which is a great value. I can’t speak about how long bearings last in Novatec hubs (I.e. how good the seals are). I had a set that I used for 4k miles without any issues (now those hubs are on my son’s MTB wheelset), but those tended to be drier miles. Anyway, the bearings are easy to replace on Novatec hubs, so I think they would be a good option. I am building myself a set of those Novatec/Kinlin wheels right now (just finished lacing them), so I’ll be able to update on how they’ve fared in a year or so.

I am extraordinarily cheap. On one bike i have Mavic rims which are indestructible. Currently i am running on the rims that came with the bike Abut 16,000 miles and i they are about dead. With that said, I never considered my panniers as an issue. At 20 lbs. I never thought they would stress a wheel.

[Left Field]

Wait, what characters are needed? I am ready to go as a spider or squirrel;, just because i deal with them every day. Any suggestions?

[Left Field]

@anomad 166046 wrote:

I have a loaner if you need one till you make up your mind or whatever.

You should be able to get away with a 32 spoke rear wheel even with a few things in your bag. I’d be interested to see why the eyelet pulled through. Is there oxidation in there? Was the spoke tension way out of whack? Do you normally run just one rear bag?

Quick question: I have been running one bag on one side for many years and never thought much of it. I never thought it made a difference; does it?

[Left Field]

@run/bike 165439 wrote:

Not to derail this thread by getting back on topic, but I’ve heard good things about the Scosche BoomBottle. They make a variety of sizes ranging in price from $34 – $110. As the name implies, it’s designed to fit in a bottle cage, and they can get pretty loud according to reviews.

I personally use the Outdoor Tech Buckshot 2.0.

It’s much smaller and has no bass. But I clip it on my backpack strap so it’s just below my right ear. I can hear my music with only minimal disturbance to other trail users. Since that’s not a factor for you, I say boombottle it up!

For the sole purpose of cranking Cooper’s Million Dollar Babies, and ensuring that our toys may be more expensive, but the greatest joys never change.

[Left Field]

@Judd 165424 wrote:

What about going as sexy chewbaca? It’s like Chewbaca but with a lot of bikini area waxing.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For all that is holy in the universe. You are a dark one.

[Left Field]

@TwoWheelsDC 165423 wrote:

Same. My mom cried when she found my copy of Alice in Chains’ “Dirt” in my room…

Alice Cooper apparently meant that I was moving to the Dark Side. Maiden..okay…Slayer, moving to the edge, but Cooper simply meant I was destined for damnation.

[Left Field]

@anomad 165421 wrote:

Haha… I was raised in a strict religious environment and my friends and family were sure I was going to hell.

I believe when I used Rime of the Ancient Mariner as a parable for the football team most everyone believed I was doomed.

[Left Field]

@drevil 165418 wrote:

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If only the fur wouldn’t get caught in the chain.

[Author]

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