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@hozn 78156 wrote:

I would say having extra wheels is really nice. I have two sets: one with 28mm tires for commuting (and I have detachable fenders) and one with CX tires — or studded tires this winter. Swapping the wheels take just a couple minutes and means I can decide last minute that I’m gonna take the detour on the way to work (or that I need studs because it’s below freezing and there’s still ice on the trail). The disc brakes also make swaps easy, but I did build wheels using same hubs to minimize any issues (and even still have to adjust 2 clicks due to rotor warp).

There’s certainly an appeal to this although I can always ride my road bike when the roads are clear

I’m going to email BD and see if they will sell an extra wheel set though. I also did a quick search and it seems like there are 130mm wheel sets out there. Am I missing something beyond just having fewer options? And honestly, there seems like TOO MANY options when it comes to wheels as is.

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@vvill 78149 wrote:

Disclaimer: Since I always want more/nicer bikes I would rather save a bit more to get closer to what I want instead of using up one of my valuable bike allowance spaces on something I bought because it’s more affordable. Not to mention the pleasure of every ride is often enhanced by the quality of your bike/gear (this varies by person of course!).

This is the issue, isn’t it. You can easily start talking yourself into the next upgrade and before you know it….

The problem really is (for me anyway) judging the marginal increase in pleasure value for each gear/price upgrade. That’s what seems to make these decisions so tough.

It sounds like the issue w/ the 130mm spacing is limited options for replacement wheels. But these wheels look pretty solid, no? Aside from the convenience of different tires for different uses, how many wheels does one need? /ducks

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@DismalScientist 78135 wrote:

You are welcome to test ride my bike any time that might be convenient.

Thanks! What size is your bike? I’m 5’10” and ride a 56 road bike and probably a 54 CX depending.

How do you find the steel performs and feels compared to a lighter aluminum? I’m honestly not that picky about “comfort” but the durability of steel is appealing.

@hozn 78136 wrote:

Personally, I would recommend disc brakes, but it does add some cost. You could also do something like this: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_cross_team_al_xiv.htm which comes with canti brakes but the frame is disc-ready. Anyway, it’s also more expensive, but just to throw out another option.

That’s a nice set up w/ Ultegra and that wheel set looks much better…although judging wheels is beyond me. I started out wanting disc brakes but am willing to give them up. My rim brakes on my road and hybrid work fine 90% of the time w/ the exceptions being snow and ice and I’d guess mud. I would imagine riding in those conditions involve lower speeds anyway so I decided it wasn’t a requirement.

I have a decent basement set up and do my own maintenance and cleaning and am not afraid to watch a video and try something I’ve never done before. Wheel truing is outside my capacity but wouldn’t be too expensive to outsource. The rest of the set up should be doable and frankly, I’m not sure how the LBS get away charging what they do for a “tune up” but I guess that’s no different than what you’d pay for changing points, filter, plugs, cap and wires on my old Ford.

Oh, and my desire to support the LBS is more about wanting to help locally owned businesses but there’s a point where that isn’t viable. 10 or 20% difference maybe..

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I’m narrowing in on my N+1 CX bike. While I’ve not test rode any, all the LBS seem to have nice options in the $1500 range but I found this Nashbar Steel bike with 105 components for less than half that cost.

And while I would REALLY love to support a good local LBS, $800 difference is a lot for me.

Does anyone have experience with Nashbar bikes? The reviews on this one are great. I’m not too worried about fit just looking at the geometry. I’m normally proportioned and haven’t really had any special issues in the past.

I anticipate using this as a near daily commuter, gravel and light off-road, and maybe some entry level CX racing for giggles. I’m sure I can find a lighter bike but I’m not a small guy and saving a few pounds on the bike doesn’t seem to be worth it when I am still pushing myself up those hills anyway. This one feels like a bike I can beat up and not worry about.

Thoughts?

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Here’s the letter sent from MoCo Councilman Berliner and four other Councilmembers to Parks Dept about plowing CCT.

http://imgur.com/K6eoeMS

Key graph:

“Specifically, I would like to request that you prepare an estimate for snow removal and winter maintenance on the trail in time for the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee to review that figure during the Council’s budget deliberations this April.
In my opinion, not maintaining the Capital Crescent Trail does not only a great disservice to residents who rely on the trail for commuting purposes, but also to the County’s goal of being a more walkable and bikeable community.”

If you use the CCT, please send email thanks to Berliner and other signees:

councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.andrews@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.Riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov
Councilmember.Branson@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.Leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov

Hopefully, this is progress and not just fluff. We’ll see.

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I’ve pretty much given up. I use wet lube all the time and clean my chain weekly. A chain cleaning tool and some degreaser makes it a simple job.

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Today I discovered how Rockville plans on repelling the pending invasion of White Walkers. This mountain of plowed snow will take at least a month to melt. WINTER IS HERE. #gameofsnows

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4817[/ATTACH]

This pile is at the far north end of Seven Locks road and blocks a cut-through trail to Falls Road that is part of my daily route…at least it was. The detour to Wootton and back is the only option beyond treking around the pile, over a stream, and through tangles of branches and vines (which is what my foolish a** did this morning).

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@sethpo 77804 wrote:

So, I did some targeted whining about snow on the CCT and I think I actually got somewhere!

Then, a few hours later I got a call back from an aide to Councilman Berliner (Bethesda) and was told that they are tired of the Parks Dept. dragging their feet on claiming they don’t have the funds and taking an “all or nothing” stance when some trails (CCT and MBT) clearly need to be treated differently. Berliner is getting other Councilmembers to sign on to a letter which will be sent to Parks (and the media) tomorrow. I’m going to get a copy. The letter will demand Parks come up with a budget figure and plan to keep the commuter trails open.

I’ve confirmed that the letter has been drafted and is being circulated now for additional signatures. If you use MoCo trails PLEASE send a quick email to your Councilperson urging them to sign on to Councilman Berliner’s Letter to the Parks Department about plowing their commuter trails.

Contact info here:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/

Thanks and sorry if this is the wrong thread.

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So, I did some targeted whining about snow on the CCT and I think I actually got somewhere!

At first I called the MoCo Parks Dept. They called back and basically said that they don’t have the funds to take care of it and I should “lobby” Council. Standard stuff.

So, I emailed my County Councilman along with Councilman Berliner whose district covers the trail. I got a call back from staff from my Councilman within ten minutes. It wasn’t super productive and he basically tried to give me the bureaucratic runaround about budgeting processes, Parks Dept. operational funds, etc. But I made my point about the need to treat the CCT like the major commuter route that it is.

Then, a few hours later I got a call back from an aide to Councilman Berliner (Bethesda) and was told that they are tired of the Parks Dept. dragging their feet on claiming they don’t have the funds and taking an “all or nothing” stance when some trails (CCT and MBT) clearly need to be treated differently. Berliner is getting other Councilmembers to sign on to a letter which will be sent to Parks (and the media) tomorrow. I’m going to get a copy. The letter will demand Parks come up with a budget figure and plan to keep the commuter trails open.

Will a letter from Council to Parks change anything? Is this just a feel-good stunt by Council? Perhaps. But at least they responded so there’s that.

I’ll share a copy of the letter when I get it.

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According to these fine folks, the CCT is plowed on the D.C. side by the NPS.

The Maryland side, according to this person via Twitter, is owned by the MoCo Parks Dept. The phone number is 301-495-2500. Please call and ask them to plow their side of the CCT.

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@dkel 77518 wrote:

My new acquisition, in the spirit of n+1:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4800[/ATTACH]

1984 Schwinn World. I think almost all the components are original (the seat and bottle cage are not).

That looks so much like a bike I had as a kid.

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If I bought a fat bike it would guarantee five years w/o no more than a few inches of snow. Same with a snow blower.

So, if you hate big snow I can set up a fund to take contributions to guarantee mild winters.

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I think it was about 15 degrees the morning I took this in Georgetown. Rode Rockville to D.C. I love this pic.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4752[/ATTACH]

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@PotomacCyclist 77041 wrote:

Someone did a broader survey of the MC stations. It verifies that those stations are seeing very few customers:

Hopefully, they will add more stations instead of backing off. The problem now is that there is no where to go. What works with CaBi is taking a bike to a destination and parking it which means both ends have to destinations. Right now, there’s two stations in Rockville within a few blocks of each other and then??? There’s a cluster in Fallsgrove near some apartment and condos and a shopping area that could be nice for residents to make quick shopping trips but honestly, it’s super easy to drive there now and that cluster is too far from anywhere else to be effective.

Perhaps, the only useful connection is from Rockville metro (and it’s actually across the Pike and not AT the Metro) to the Montgomery community college about a mile away.

If there were more stations along the Rockville Pike you could at least grab a bike and go somewhere. Of course, the problem with that is riding along the Pike is impossible right now.

So, overall I’m not in the least bit surprised that the Rockville area stations aren’t being used. There’s just not enough density to necessitate it and the destinations and routes aren’t viable. I’ve tried to figure out how I could use CaBi in Rockville and can’t think of a single way it would fit into my life.

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@Geoff 76917 wrote:

I’ve heard of people doing the C&O in one day…

After reading about the Race Across America, I’m starting to reevaluate what is and isn’t possible on a bike. These guys go from California to Annapolis in eight days. EIGHT!!

But yeah, I know.

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