[thecyclingeconomist]

Highly likely that this is just a crack in the clear coat. You can always have the shop you bought it at check it out. Where exactly is this anyway? That’d make a big difference in diagnosing whether it’s likely a crack forming, or just something like a paint issue too.

[thecyclingeconomist]

Negative on the Mavic’s… the ratchet dug into my ankle. I had ridden them too far to return them, and it ended as a complete waste of $150. Grrr! I prefer Diadora Ergo’s or Shimano; havn’t tried the Giro’s. I’ve owned two pairs of Mavics, and haven’t liked either for a sum of $325 wasted.

[thecyclingeconomist]

http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/whpsc2012/whpsc_site.htm

I think a 0.6% grade is pretty darn flat…

(mile) Elev. (ft) Delta (ft) Grade (%)
5.0 4790 At Start Parking Lot
4.5 4777 -13 -0.49%
4.0 4761 -16 -0.61%
3.5 4744 -17 -0.64%
3.0 4723 -21 -0.80%
2.5 4703 -20 -0.76%
2.0 4682 -21 -0.80%
1.5 4664 -18 -0.68%
1.0 4649 -15 -0.57%
0.5 4632 -17 -0.64%
0.0 4620 -12 -0.45%
-0.5 4613 -7 -0.27%
-1.0 4613 0 0.00%

[thecyclingeconomist]

I won’t be working on anyone’s bikes at the clinic. This is instructional and Q&A only. The library cannot have multiple bicycles inside, and are making special accommodation for us as it is.

See you there!

[thecyclingeconomist]

Bump…

Reminder… this Wednesday! See you there at 6pm!

[thecyclingeconomist]

Bump…

REMINDER: this wednesday at Shirlington Library! 6-8pm. See you there.

[thecyclingeconomist]

If you are regularly breaking spokes, then the tensions are too low for the load and or riding style. I don’t care what the LBS says. It’s just the facts. The reason that spokes break is either impact by a foreign object (something hitting the wheel, or the wheel hitting something else), or the spoke becomes de-tensioned while riding, causing it to break. There aren’t any other options; other than the wheel is simply aged and has so many miles on it that they really need replacing (on clinchers, this is an immense amount of miles: 20K+ depending on the wheel).

I hope you find the issue. It’s not a fun one!

Raising a glass to your wheel woes; and hoping you have no more.

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Dirt 44175 wrote:

Seriously cool! I really like that they’re not disposable.

They work great too… just boil to re-energize. I have 6 or 8 pairs of them.

[thecyclingeconomist]

“the cost of dumping it is cheaper than the cost of donating it.” That’s the problem. Unless corporations somehow can recoup those costs, real organized donation flows will never occur.

What does that mean? The food was TOO cheap in the first place. Waste should never occur on the order it does. When over $14 billion is dispersed to farmers to induce them to produce, no matter what; it artificially lowers the price of food (while demand is generally inelastic: in other words, no more is purchased than would be at the higher price). So what happens? Waste, and tons of it.

[thecyclingeconomist]

That’s not “blur”… it’s pouring rain… LOL

The reason I asked is that he had a handful of what looked to be “bike-arlington” reflective ankle-straps on his down-tube for handing out to ninjas. I had a memory of Dirt doing deeds for dopes like this.

[thecyclingeconomist]

@sjclaeys 43992 wrote:

…telling someone riding a bike that weighs 50 lbs. counting the panniers to work on their cadence while you scoot by on your 17 lbs. road bike is a little snarky.

AHahahah! Too funny. I do get irked by some of the “commuter-cat-6-racers.” It makes me laugh when they roll up on my wheel, then zing past as if to put an exclamation mark on how fast they can be. If I were on my road-bike with no gear/laptop/food/change-of-clothes/lights/locks/tools/water etc., then I could be just as “elite” as you.

My ride this AM weighed in at a hefty 62lbs. Honestly though, back on the cadence subject, that is when cadence matters most; when either you or your ride are weighed down a bit more than they should be.

Admittedly, it can be frustrating to put the same power/cadence into a bike, but go 3mph slower… but then you just have to do as Dirt does… and smile and enjoy the journey.

[thecyclingeconomist]

@oldbikechick 43931 wrote:

To the guy who said “work on your cadence” as he passed me, I was mystified until I got home and googled it. All these years of commuting and I never knew “cadence” was a thing! While my poor cadence is apparently obvious to my fellow trail users, i have no idea how to work on it though. Do I pedal faster or slower, or just more consistently? And more importantly, why? By the way, now that I’ve read all about “drafting” on here, maybe I’ll stop pedaling altogether and just get someone to draft me all the way home.

This is where buying a cheap entry level cycling computer can help you with efficiency. Your cadence should never drop below 60 unless you are: 1. not working hard, 2. standing up on the pedals going up a hill.

Your knees will pay the price if you slog the pedals; not to mention your speed on the bike. Some guy had computed the torque put into the knees while maintaining the same speed & power into the pedals, but at 90rpms vs. 60rpms, and the torque over doubled. Just something to think about.

Most cyclists try to maintain 80RPMs or faster. I tend to cadence pretty quick, as I have a tear in my right knee and can’t handle much torque; so I keep it around 85 to 90. Cadence is probably the most important and unrecognized aspect of cycling that can transform how you ride.

Remember, just like a car, your gears only exist to enable you to maintain the same cadence over all types of terrain. You wouldn’t try to go up a hill in your car in 5th gear while doing 25MPH, your car’s cadence would be WAY to low, and it would dog out completely.

God bless and safe cycling!

[thecyclingeconomist]

He’s completely harmless. I stopped one late night on my way home (it was a cold one) to see if he could use an extra layer. He said he was fine, but I gave him some sandwiches that were left over from a luncheon my office had. He asked what on earth I was doing out so late. He knew the forecast for the weather better than I did.

Very few homeless are dangerous, and probably more to themselves than to you. I just think it’s stupid with all the “stuff” we as a society have that we can’t come up with a solution to homelessness or hunger. I see thousands of pounds of veggies and bread chucked out the back of Costco every night. They then LOCK the dumpsters so that no one can get at it. Idiocy.

[thecyclingeconomist]

Bike B is the most cushy and will track better at faster speeds… it has a deeper rake on the fork (more absorption of bumps) and a longer wheelbase, which means it’ll track better, but will be a bit less responsive due to both attributes. I think that Bike B would also allow you to run larger tires than the other options due to the longer chainstays.

Remember that gearing and drive-train components are readily changeable depending upon what you want the bike to do. I’ve flipped from triples to doubles, from mega-range mountain cassettes to tightly meshed road… all on the same frame depending upon the season and what I was doing at the time.

I’m becoming more of a fan of the one-bike-to-rule-them-all idea, and unless I’m racing (which I’ll never be), I think it is feasible (although, Elite’s would pass judgement, and I would be breaking ALL the rules listed on their site: velominati)

[thecyclingeconomist]

@krazygl00 43426 wrote:

If you need some additional equipment for the class, I can help out with some loaner items. I have two Park stands, one is the PRS-20 race stand and the other is an older folding home mechanic stand (but it has a “real” park shop clamp). I also have a truing stand, the usual hex keys and some specialized tools (crank pullers, BB wrenches, pedal wrenches, chain whips, etc.). I’d be happy to lend this stuff out if they’re cared for. Let me know!

Thanks Larry! I’m all set. I’ll only need one stand since it’ll be primarily demo with Q&A where I can hone into specific questions.

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