[thecyclingeconomist]

@KelOnWheels 37302 wrote:

Seriously though, do I get the Vis 360+ (250 lumens) for $170 from Amazon, or get the Vis 360 (120 lumens) from REI for $150 and get the $20 gift card and the 10% dividend?

Wait, that’s over twice the lumens for $20 more. Why am I asking this question? :confused:

I’m thinking with that and a Cygolite 400 I should be able to see, yes? Because I really can’t commute if I can’t see

Why are you all (Kel) messing around with 250 lumens? Get a real light. A light with a CREE XML LED puts out 900 plus lumens (yes, you can lower it too, all lights have a switch afterall) and you can get them either on ebay or lightjunction.com for under $100.

The headlights on the MVT south-bound right next to the airport aren’t fun, but I throw the switch on both my lights to high, and I can see the path all the way to the turn up and over the little overpass (I also ride at 9pm, so I don’t have to worry that someone is coming head-on.)

[thecyclingeconomist]

@vvill 37228 wrote:

Noticed that Spot bikes’ single speed Rocker in blue is on sale for $1999 on TheClymb right now.

I’ve never even ridden a 29er but that doesn’t mean I can’t covet one. Reynolds 853, Gates CenterTrack, disc brakes, sliding dropouts… seems like a good deal.

I’d love a Spotbrand 29er frameset. They are really sweet looking and the materials/welds are all top-notch!

[thecyclingeconomist]

I’m definitely open for something, but will have to plan ahead. My second child is due on December 16th! Yowza! I also have a nice patio where I do my bike mech. If two or three wanted to hang out and play with their own bikes (better to practice and get your hands dirty on your own gear so that you know how to fix it when it does break), I’d be open to that too.

I got a couple PMs, but schedules didn’t work out for this weekends tinkerings (did my first internal-geared hub setup; definitely funkay.)

[thecyclingeconomist]

Just in case anyone wants to know… I setup the Alfine 8 with the tensioner and a Mountain triple up front. It works just perfectly. I was worried about chainline, but it’s not an issue at all, and now I have HUGE variability in gear-inches with VERY minimal wear and tear on the chain.

Cool!

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[thecyclingeconomist]

Get the K-edge aluminum mount on ebay. I went through 3 cameras and 5 mounts before finally giving up on the junk that is OEM from hero. (bought the camera at REI, so just kept taking it all back, but I just got tired of it.)

[thecyclingeconomist]

Decent bikes… were originally BMX manufacturer from what I recall… I was always envious of my buddies who had GT performers, Dynos and Redlines in the age of RAD.

Good sturdy chromo-framed bike in my view. I don’t like Tiagra, and wouldn’t build a bike with less than 105.

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Dirt 36902 wrote:

I sure like shopping at my local bike shop. I will likely be stopping at 3 different shops on my way home tonight.

I’d love to support the LBS closest to me, but they aren’t worth patronizing. What good is a LBS if they don’t carry basics for standard setups!? i.e. chainrings, pedals, deraileurs, bottom brackets. Not once have they had ANYTHING I needed; including a standard 9 speed mountain cassette, replacement chainrings for either my road or mtn bike, a standard square-taper bottom bracket, or even a decent 9-speed chain! They “could order it.”

Well, so can I, and for half the price they’ll have to charge after being stuck buying from QBP, J&B or KHS and then marking up. And, I’ll get it faster by buying online. I hate that this is the case (having been a manager of a LBS a decade ago.)

Anything outside the big-brand that bike shop is really ruled by… they don’t have it.

I’ll frequent other shops as I get to know the area better. Silver Cycles was great to me when I first came out and toured this place, but they are 30 miles from where I ended up living. Ugh!

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Certifried 36886 wrote:

has anyone else found this “chainlove.com” website? I loaded the stupid firefox plug-in so I could see deals as they pop up. There seems to be a direct relation between how fast the deals pop up, and how fast my bank account empties. HELP!

Chainlove, SteapandCheap, Whiskeymilitia: they are all evil babies of backcountry.com. They suck money from my wallet on a regular basis. Watch it for a while though: you’ll see that items with LARGE quantities available will recycle, and often the price will drop by a couple bucks as they try to dump the overstock. Some of the “great” deals are on really crappy-reviewed items.

Also note: supposedly MANY manufacturers will not recognize their warranted items bought from Chainlove (this is purely hear-say.)

All my wifes X-max gifts have come from Steapandcheap. Where else can you actually afford to buy Patagonia or Arc’teryx gear?!? No where!

A good way to see what items are listed repeatedly: http://www.cleansnipe.com/chainlove/history/

[thecyclingeconomist]

Price drop… PM me. Need this thing gone!

[thecyclingeconomist]

@KelOnWheels 36548 wrote:

So does that seem like a decent deal, O Wise and Knowledgeable Folks?

It doesn’t seem that great to me; but that’s because I think a titanium rack is a waste, and that this person shouldn’t even be considering money spent on installation as part of their investment. Most people know how to turn a screwdriver / hex-key wrench, and that is quite literally all that is necessary for “installation.” This is ALL bolt-on. Also, anyone that drops $760+ on a rear rack and canvas (non-waterproof) panniers is completely nutz (IMO).

The saddle is a loss in my opinion (it will be broken in by someone that ISN’T you.) Even if you oil-it and ride it, it will never give you the fit that a brooks saddle would if you were to buy it new and break it in yourself (which is kinda the whole point of a brooks saddle right?)

I would never leave my bike locked up without a lock going through both wheels, so the “anti-theft” skewers are a waste IMO.

The pedals are an odd “investment,” as I don’t know what was wrong with the stock platforms?

The only REAL add-on that I’d give a legit credit on would be the fenders, but those can be had for about $30. They ARE the only piece that installation can potentially be a pain with too, so it IS nice that they are already on the bike.

The “Super-powerful-rear-light” (I’m assuming it’s a Planet-bike super-flash) is just OK if you are a regular commuter in traffic. Again, I am pretty sure you have your own lights, so I don’t see the big deal.

So, I guess you can tell at this point whether I think this is a “GREAT” deal… not really. I assume this has Shimano Tiagra on it, which is pasable, but certainly will not have the longevity or accuracy in shifting of 105, and certainly not of Ultegra.

I think there are a lot better to be had for you if you are looking to spend around $1K. (I am sure others would disagree with absolutely everything I’ve said here.)

[thecyclingeconomist]

I recommend eggbeaters if you r having issues with SPDs…

I have been in the same situation, but not with speed plays or eggbeaters…

[thecyclingeconomist]

They will work fine…

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Dirt 35692 wrote:

Some things that I do NOT take into account very much when choosing spoke tension is weight of the cyclist and what they’re carrying. That helps me pick the parts that I use to build the wheel more than the actual spoke tension.

Definitely agreed that weight/load determine the materials first: and that’s why I run most of my wheels as 36-hole 3-cross. But, if you are still breaking spokes regularly, then you can move to a tandem rim (like a velocity dyad or something of the sort)… if still breaking spokes, then it’s most likely the tensions…

I’d say that’s why the initial build/correct initial tensions (high enough, consistent, well-seated into the hub (correctly side-tensioned)) are so important. I built a wheelset with ultegra hubs and velocity aerohead rims in a 36 3-cross setup, and I honestly never had to true the wheels for over 6K miles of riding (when I sold the bike). (And I am super nutz about keeping my rims true so that I can run my brakes with VERY tight clearance. I like my brakes to engage almost immediately when i compress the levers.)

[thecyclingeconomist]

@off2ride 35771 wrote:

My tension meter are my fingers and hearing. Here’s the ghetto way that works to verify good tension…tap the each spoke close to the nipple on the truing stand and compare the “ding” sound. They should all sound ALMOST equal.

That’s actually not that “ghetto” at all… many builders used to (some probably still do?) use tuning forks to determine whether spoke tensions were even around the wheel… Just know that if you do this, the drive and non-drive side spokes on the rear wheel are VERY different. The drive-side run 30% higher tensions than the non-drive (or more) depending upon the hub and each side’s center to flange measurements. So, the drive side should have a much higher pitch than the non-drive, but on each side the sound should be consistent.

The problem is: you can have a wheel that has consistent spoke tensions (they all sound the same) that are simply too low (which is what Certifried was dealing with that started this all off)

For a Clydesdale build, I’d run around 130 kgf (kilograms of force) on a front wheel’s spokes, and about 175 kgf on the drive side rear (this is ballpark, and depends upon the wheel material, spoke used). When using your tension meter, make sure to place it in the center of the spoke (not too close to the hub, or the rim), and always measure at the same place as you move from spoke to spoke.

Good luck!

(Just found this link for you: http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/tech/fix/?id=tm_1)

[thecyclingeconomist]

@acc 35773 wrote:

FABB posted this information on their blog yesterday.

http://fallschurch.patch.com/articles/cyclist-killed-in-crash-with-pickup-in-falls-church

This is very sad news. I hope we get some additional information about how this happened.

Ugh, it breaks my heart to read this… I’ll be praying for her family. Do we know who she was?

[Author]

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