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Lake shoes run slightly bigger/roomier that other cycling shoes. As far as frostbite is concerned, wear merino wool socks. I use tall ski socks for winter riding. Everybody has a different sweat level. If your socks are able to keep your feet DRY, then it won’t be uncomfortable.

@GuyContinental 30176 wrote:

I swore to myself during last winter that I wasn’t going to get frostbite on my toes again this year (yeah, mild though it was it still got cold a few times). So, I’m looking at a set of Lake boots as my Christmas present to my feets or alternatively the super swanky 45Nrth boots (that seem impossible to find). Does anyone have any feedback on the fit of the Lake’s (I’m an average 44) and which model to look for? Anything else I should be looking at? I’ve used shoe covers for the last few years but they really don’t play well with my MTB shoes.

Also, has anyone snagged a good deal on boots anywhere?

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I bought this http://www.giro.com/us_en/flak-5524.html for the incoming cold weather rides. Looks trick. Not much vents. Looks like it’ll do ok in the winter.

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If the chain tool drops drops in @ .75, replace the chain. 1400 miles is a lot esp if the chain has been ridden dry. If a chain is worn, your other parts will be worn as well. If there’s a gap between the chain and chain ring teeth, that’s worn. If some teeth on the sprocket looks more jagged than the others, that’s worn. Same on the derr pulleys.

@ronwalf 22372 wrote:

To continue the topic of squeaks, I have a squeaky drive chain.

Even with a freshly cleaned and oiled chain, it starts making noise after a couple miles of riding. Trimming the shifter sometimes helps, sometimes not. Some gears seem worse than others. The chain has ~1400 miles, but is still under the 0.75 mark with the chain checker. The cassette and derailleur have about 3k miles or so. Is the noise:

1. Internal to the chain?
2. Chain rubbing against the (possibly worn) cassette?
3. Pulleys in the derailleur?
4. Something else?

I’m annoyed that I can’t localize it while off the bike. I might have to find a trainer to borrow and ride on that until it squeaks.

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Gotcha. Well one way to test your fitness is to ride with a group. It takes time to get your fitness level at a higher scale so don’t find a group ride anytime soon after reading this. So just ride CONSISTENTLY, watch what you eat, make sure you also consult with a weight scale from time to time. Wouldn’t hurt to have a training buddy as well. Cooler weather’s coming so sometimes the motivation goes down. That’s the real challenge. Keep your mind focused on riding and seeing results rather than “eh, it’s too cold. I’ll make it up next week”. Next thing you know, it’s been 3 months since your last ride. Keep riding. It’s fun, saves gas plus it’s good for the body.

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Question…what are you trying to achieve? Faster lap times or go hard without feeling wiped out in the end. Just curious so I can try to give you good advice.

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I used Strava on a few rides. The end data is totally inaccurate. So I stopped using it. I just stick with my gaminconnect.

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Wanna buy mine? I have 2 Cygolite Pace 295 Lumens each. Handle bar mount and helmet mounts available. Let me know off forum. @Jason B 29592 wrote:

As the days grow shorter, I am looking for a decent small light that can easily interchanged to different bikes. I need front and back. Any suggestions??
Thanks

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He’s serving a judges order. Cannot operate a motor vehicle that requires a license. If his face was painted I’d call him Bozo.

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Can I sign your cast? Heal up K to ride another day. C ya.

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I saw that this morning by Lyon Village. Sure looked like it was a tight squeeze but I didn’t try. Oh well, ride on.

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ml85,

Don’t be discouraged. Keep riding. I see stuff like that everyday when I ride to and from my vehicle. I don’t really give a rats ass anymore about these knuckle heads trying to beat the red light without looking for incoming traffic. I will assist though if they get hurt but I’m not gonna preach. They know better. They just choose ignore safety. As far as respect, I mind my own business while I’m riding but if they are deliberately disrespectful to me, then they’re going to get the same treatment. An eye for an eye. The universal gesture is the “Head shaking” on a bone head move. That’s what I do after making eye contact. So yeah, keep riding. Don’t let this recklessness get to you. I’ve been commuting to work since the mid 90’s and all it takes is common sense to be safe.

@ml85 26945 wrote:

I’ve been a bike commuter for about 8 months now, and if I decide to stop biking to work it will be because of other bicyclists. I just can’t believe there are so many disrespectful, arrogant, and dangerous bicyclists out there (there are obviously good ones, but it’s the bad ones who stand out). A few examples that have frustrated me:

1. Bikers blowing through red lights without looking: At a minimum I stop at red lights to make sure there are no cars coming, but multiple times bicyclists have blown past me without looking, causing drivers to slam on the brakes. I don’t care if a bicyclist gets run over going through a red light, but if a driver is going to swerve to avoid them, then I’m in danger and I don’t appreciate that.

2. Bikers not yielding to pedestrians: I saw a biker go through a red light on the Custis Trail near Rosslyn and yell at a pedestrian who was crossing onto the sidewalk with the crosswalk signal. He screamed at her and intentionally stuck his elbow out to hit her as he blew past other bicyclists and pedestrians waiting patiently. Another time I stopped for children crossing the MVT at Gravelly Point when 3 bicyclists blew past me and knocked over a small child. The bikers of course screamed at everyone who was in their way.

3. Bikers not yielding to cars: I saw a biker start to cross Lynn St. in Rosslyn while there was a red light for cars and pedestrians (so again running red lights). A car stopped then started to turn at the same time the biker started crossing (the car had 100% right-of-way), but the bicyclist screamed and berated her for even thinking about turning.

4. Bikers not respecting other bikers: A bicyclist dangerously cut me off to pass me without warning right before getting on to the 14th St. Bridge, then proceeded to go just slowly enough that I couldn’t pass. At the end of the bridge there was a line of bicyclists behind him, and he spit off to the side of the trail. Of course this huge cloud of spittle ended up on my face. And I’m constantly passed by bicyclists who don’t give any warning, or who specifically start to silently pass me as I’m trying to pass someone else.

Besides using this forum to vent about stupid bicyclists, how can I handle these situations in the future? These problems occur more frequently than runners in bike lanes or drivers being oblivious to me. I fear that drivers and runners will see these examples of fools on bicycles and treat me like one of them, putting me in danger. And I really don’t want to go back to taking Metro to work…

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Congrats on your century ride.

@bluerider 25305 wrote:

Yesterday, I headed out from the Adams Morgan neighborhood in lovely DC and rode to Purcellville, VA via the W&OD trail. It was the first time I had ridden the whole thing, finally clearing the Century mark!!!!!! Stopped for a couple of Haute Dogs in Purcellville for lunch.

My body is broken but I am happy.

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Here’s a ride that I did a lot last year. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/149410378

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Shimano levers have shims for reach adjustment. LBS have a bunch of these shims because they’re included in the build kit. The 7900 Dura Ace has a screw for reach adjustment on the L & R lever. Personally, if I was to buy a frame and built it slowly, I would choose Shimano first but Campy comes in not far behind. The Record 11 is just as shweet as Dura Ace although Shimano will be coming out with their 11 version this year. Not so impressed with Sram Red though. Not a natural feeling shift if you ask me plus it sounds clunky and cheap. So component selection is a preference. That’s just my opinion on those gruppo’s.

@vvill 25046 wrote:

I was flabbergasted when I first learned that you couldn’t adjust the reach on Shimano levers. That said I’m happy with mine, although I have next-to-no experience with SRAM. The one time I test rode a SRAM equipped bike I could not get used to the double-tap mechanism. I might make my next bike SRAM just for variety.

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Whoa!!! That’s me!!! Thanks for the company Dirt. I dig the fat tires.

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