[vvill]

31 is the new 28? Been riding S-Ones today which probably measure out around 31. No discernible difference to me other than more confidence cornering + comfort. Of course, the smooth frame and nice wheels make a difference too.

[vvill]

Thanks Steve O for organizing! If no one else shows up it’s okay. Maybe we can compare scars…

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@huskerdont 160797 wrote:

Really, that’s okay, I don’t think we’re too far off on this. If stopping (not just slowing) while MTBing, I’ll almost always use the front as well. I rarely lock up the rear tire, and of course don’t want to because skidding is slower stopping. But when just slowing down, I usually just use the rear, and that habit has transferred to road riding as well, correct or no.

I just wonder that since the rear brake doesn’t do as well anyway, that’s where there should be more power to compensate. But I suppose if that extra power were to make the tire lock, that would be counterproductive.

I think I use both front + rear brakes. I’ve had a few occasions on commutes braking hard where the rear wheel did start to lift up (e.g. avoiding hitting a car suddenly pulling out) but I’m yet to go over the bars that way. Otherwise the only time I’ve gone over the front bars from overzealous front brake usage has been playing around on my MTB in the backyard, getting a feel for the brakes and bike in general.

I don’t think I had issues stopping on 140 for what I used it for, but it did seem silly to have 140 just for weight savings/aero-roadie aesthetic when the whole point of having disc brakes is better braking. The hassle of ordering/maintaining/installing different rotor sizes on my wheelsets led me to 160 F/R.

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@hozn 160751 wrote:

Yeah, I do think that 160/160 is prudent, but road descents are also a lot less steep than MTB descents — especially the ones where people fit 200+mm rotors. On the road one can brake hard and release to cool the rotors, but good luck doing that sliding down a mountain on dirt.

Yeah I ran 160/160 on almost all my disc brake bikes (5+ ?). The only exception was my Kona Jake which was 140s for most of the time, but I decided I preferred 160s across the board.

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@EasyRider 160695 wrote:

Related — WHY are hydraulic disc brakes are more powerful than mechanicals? Maybe vicegrip or hozn can summarize?

I don’t feel like mech. disc brakes are more powerful than rim brakes – they’re about the same. But they are more predictable in response. Possibly they are easier to lock up too.

Hydros require less effort in terms of pulling on the brake lever, and they modulate a lot better than mech. disc brakes on drop bars. But again, not necessarily more powerful than other brakes assuming they’re well set up.

[vvill]

@hozn 160687 wrote:

Yeah, I was similarly surprised at the performance, compared to BB7s on my MTB, when I switched my ‘cross bike from mini-v to mechanical disc. The TRP Mini-V that I had probably did just as good a job of stopping — as long as it was dry. I started with [road] BB7s; they were pretty lackluster.

Agree with both you and huskerdont’s experiences there. My first experience installing my own disc brakes was BB7s on a 26″ MTB and it worked great – especially when towing a kid around. My first time trying stock mech. discs on a CX bike was underwhelming to say the least – I upgraded them to road BB7s upon purchase. I also had mini-Vs at the time, on a different bike, for reference. They certainly stopped well in all conditions, but I did accidentally lock up my rear wheel a few times, and in really cold and/or long descents (specifically, I remember a Cap CX race and a couple of HBR descents) my hands + fingers were too sore/tired to use them as effectively as I would’ve liked – in hindsight, I’m sure hydros would have been nicer. Especially for one of the HBR descents (I crashed). The shorter cable pull makes sense as an explanation.

I’m happy enough to ride rim brakes in non-wet weather situations but now with 3 hydro equipped bikes in the fleet, I don’t see myself ever making another rim-brake based purchase. And I tend to gravitate towards the hydro equipped bikes when choosing what to ride.

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If I was legit touring (multi-day/week) I’d probably stay with mechanical, otherwise I’d go with hydros. I actually can’t say much maintenance wise really, because I’ve never had to do anything on my hydros yet. That said, mechanical disc brakes aren’t exactly difficult to maintain, especially if you don’t change wheelsets. And I imagine one day I will need to get my hydros bled (and will have to learn how to do it / buy bleed kits).

[vvill]

@dasgeh 160627 wrote:

Parking lot reopens today. And there’s been news coverage: http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Mount-Vernon-Trail-Reopensin-Arlington_Washington-DC-424171734.html

You said Trollheim!

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@Judd 160579 wrote:

Given a confirmed report of muddy AF, I’m going to skip out on Liquid! Gravel! Action! Tonight and do some HP laps. If anyone wants some casual hamstering, I should be there around 6.

Secret HP fact: there is beer at HP.

ビール and Birru are very similar.

[vvill]

@drevil 160574 wrote:

Thanks for the update. I’ve never done it, but from VVill’s pics, it could be good Hilly Billy Roubaix practice?

I really should have explicitly credited the photog (Mike Briggs on flickr), although I did embed the link to the photo on my post. Click through the photo album to see more awesome pictures from that event!

[vvill]

Maybe shop for a used bike from a co-op or similar.

Otherwise, any entry level road bike should fit your spec although you may be forced up into a 10/11 speed drivetrain if you buy a whole bike. Sounds like you may only need a frameset though.

[vvill]

Ok so looking at Tania’s GRUSK pic, I guess it was slightly different conditions to HBR after all. Spare a thought for the poor photographer! This road wasn’t exactly accessible to 4-wheeled vehicles.

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@TwoWheelsDC 160464 wrote:

I’m sure HBR is great*, but only GRUSK gives you the option (practically a requirement) of sleeping in a mountaintop cabin at the race start point!

I sort of regret not doing that last year. It really was a great place to hang out and I would’ve enjoyed overnighting there for sure.

@Birru 160468 wrote:

This confirms that GRUSK is a better place to start for someone at my level.

Err… having ridden with you, I think your level would be totally fine for either event! The start and finish of GRUSK is a little rougher than the rest of it. HBR just seemed like steep gravel up/downs throughout. Probably didn’t help that it rained the whole time too. And I fell into a car-sized puddle in the first 10 miles.

[vvill]

GRUSK and HBR are both great events – I’d go back to do both if I had the chance. HBR is unquestionably tougher imo. I’d consider bringing spare brake pads if it’s rainy.

[vvill]

When I commuted regularly I did use a mask some days in the summer. I have a bunch of the disposable carbon activated ones you’ll see in Asian cities, but also a Respro that has replaceable filters.

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