but single speeds have cogs too. it's only one instead of a cassette of them. why aren't they susceptible to this malady? or did i miss something?
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Wednesday, 16 December 2009 00:49 (fourteen years ago) link
more crevices for stuff to build up, i guess!
― mississippi butt hurt (haitch), Wednesday, 16 December 2009 00:51 (fourteen years ago) link
i took 6 weeks off (riding not commuting) due to cracked rib (worst sneezes ever)
got in an hour of laps on my old fixed gear around the polo fields. averaged 18mph with a brisk wind. ass and back are sore as to be expected.
winter in SF = partly cloudy, 58F
― quiet and secretively we will always be together (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 16 December 2009 00:53 (fourteen years ago) link
When I did my rib in February I managed to find a way to prevent sneezes from happening. Saved my life.
― Mark C, Wednesday, 16 December 2009 11:27 (fourteen years ago) link
No work today so I rode 23 miles this morning. It was very cold (apparently -4C when I set off) and there was some ice about. With 5 miles to go I turned right at a junction with traffic lights and my back wheel just skidded out from under me. I hit the deck right in the middle of the junction with traffic potentially coming at me from three directions. Cuts to my knee, road rash on my hip, ripped tights*, sliced up bar tape, rear mudguard bent onto tyre, and shiny new frame and gear levers scratched up. While I was gathering myself at the side of the road it started snowing. I had to ride back with the mudguard rubbing the tyre and going 'screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' all the way.
*that sounds plain wrong for a man to say
― FIFA Brutish & Short (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 16 December 2009 15:57 (fourteen years ago) link
-5˚C this morning and my rear derailleur and break seem to freeze when it's subzero.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Wednesday, 16 December 2009 16:14 (fourteen years ago) link
brake even
get well soon nbs, that sucks.
i think the reason geared bikes fare poorly w ice is that the chain tension is not sufficient to keep the teeth engaged as the ice builds up, plus ice builds up between cogs. w fixed gear, the chain has nowhere to go, and can only get more taut. also dont ss/fixed cogs have a slightly taller profile sometimes?
― should i lol or ;_; (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 16 December 2009 16:40 (fourteen years ago) link
think, too, it's that a FG cog is the only game in town, and always moving, so build can only really occur if the bike is stationary and exposed to the elements. once it's moving, there's nothing else but for the chain to eventually wear down any icing by friction alone. whereas on a cassette you've got gears you're not using all the time, and that are still getting all of the exposure
― being being kiss-ass fake nice (gbx), Wednesday, 16 December 2009 17:53 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah consistent w my experience- if you dont shift gears, youll go much farther w/out skipping
― nostragaaaawddamnus (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 16 December 2009 18:08 (fourteen years ago) link
that's wierd cuz i was in only the one gear when it was skipping. the chain tension and taller teeth things make sense to me tho.
do y'all lube yr bikes differently in winter?
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Thursday, 17 December 2009 19:19 (fourteen years ago) link
there's this to read:http://practicalpedal.com/winter2008/feature2.php
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Thursday, 17 December 2009 21:46 (fourteen years ago) link
holy shit @ tire packed snow dudes!my bike was snaking all over the place and i finally ate shit next to a parked dump truck the driver of which had a hearty chuckle for me. no biggie i got up with a shit eating grin, laughing it off.
does this still happen with knobby tyres?
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Tuesday, 22 December 2009 18:52 (fourteen years ago) link
there's this spot that's like a cul-de-sac but there's a gap twixt the curbs that i usually squeeze through on my commute, and both on the way home last night and the way back in this morning i ate shit there. kinda scary to see a curb coming at your face . . . next time i will go around.
also super big ups to ski goggles! i broke down and bought some last night and oh-my-god what an eye opening experience! hahahahahaha! no seriously guys if you're sick of getting hit in the eyeballs with frozen water then get ya some goggles.
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Wednesday, 23 December 2009 21:33 (fourteen years ago) link
seems like nobody else is hitting this thread anymore. whatever
too busy biking
― deej--nuts, butthurt, and yelly (gbx), Wednesday, 23 December 2009 21:43 (fourteen years ago) link
GET READY
― deej--nuts, butthurt, and yelly (gbx), Thursday, 24 December 2009 20:33 (fourteen years ago) link
IT IS GETTING REAL
finally got a flat yesterday after almost 9 months on the same tire/tubei was lucky it was a nice day any of you guys ever get a flat cuz yr tube just gave up? i couldn't find any debris in my tire and the hole in the tube appeared to be where it would face the rim.
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Wednesday, 30 December 2009 23:12 (fourteen years ago) link
Check your rim tape, it may have got pushed into a spoke hole or rucked up somewhere and caused the flat.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Thursday, 31 December 2009 12:22 (fourteen years ago) link
Despite the weather, I've made the most of the Christmas break and managed to get in 120 miles over the last week. It was icy again this morning so I didn't fancy trying my luck on the country lanes and rode into the centre of London instead:http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2705/4234903740_450d093c99_m.jpgI tailed / was tailed by some bloke for the last five miles or so who was wearing shorts. Insanity. My rear mudguard still rubs on the tyre - the only way I can stop it is by ripping it free from two of the rods that are supposed to secure it, so now I cycle around with a couple of bits of disconnected metal wobbling around.
― FIFA Brutish & Short (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 1 January 2010 20:59 (fourteen years ago) link
fuckin flat again today exactly halfway on my commute. no busses had to walk it in.wont be so hasty on the fix tonight. bah! also 18F or -7C which didn't feel that bad to me
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Monday, 4 January 2010 21:20 (fourteen years ago) link
just wait
― dome plow (gbx), Monday, 4 January 2010 21:22 (fourteen years ago) link
yea this week is 'posed to bring the supa-chill
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Monday, 4 January 2010 22:46 (fourteen years ago) link
as i posted in the daily log: -9F this morning
― dome plow (gbx), Monday, 4 January 2010 22:56 (fourteen years ago) link
The cold is not bothering me nearly as much as Pittsburgh DPW's lax attitude to gritting the roads, I'm seriously considering studded tyres.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 5 January 2010 03:13 (fourteen years ago) link
how about this dudesmy toes get cold so i do this "toe claw technique" as my foot goes through the down stroke pedaling i curl my toes inwarddoing this every rotation gets my tootsies toasty and i have been having good results with just tube socks and a thin dressy sock over them inside my regular shoes
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Tuesday, 5 January 2010 20:10 (fourteen years ago) link
snow ride! take it easy!'bout 2-3" on the ground and still coming down. had a great commute in it. my gaiters worked perfectly.just after the halfway point this other bike commuter dude and i played tag until i got stuck at a traffic light. he said, "it's a bit thick this morning." i agreed
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Thursday, 7 January 2010 17:02 (fourteen years ago) link
Note to self, do't leave lights on the bike because cold kills the batteries.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Thursday, 7 January 2010 19:11 (fourteen years ago) link
doing early bird crits every sunday... should be cat 4 by the end of the month!
― ┌∩┐(◕_◕)┌∩┐ (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 7 January 2010 19:12 (fourteen years ago) link
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/01/08/article-0-02FD4A5B000005DC-313_468x274.jpg
― We should have called Suzie and Bobby (NickB), Friday, 8 January 2010 13:04 (fourteen years ago) link
winter has made me a cat 3 layabout
― cozwn, Friday, 8 January 2010 13:13 (fourteen years ago) link
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Thursday, January 7, 2010 1:11 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
yea, why does this happen? i have always wondered about it.
that picture is great
was wow'd by how nice it is to go through an inch or two of snow that *hasn't* been packed down by car tires. this was after swerving all over on a road with tons of tire tracks.
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Friday, 8 January 2010 22:04 (fourteen years ago) link
Given that I work in a battery company I should remember this. It's a chemical thing, essentially you get a slower chemical reaction at lower temperatures and in aqueous chemistries the battery can freeze so their is no conductivity at all.
The not ploughing in pittsburgh has meant my bike has been in the office for the last few days, I can't actually get up the the hill in the brown sludge.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Saturday, 9 January 2010 00:44 (fourteen years ago) link
ALL AMERICAN WINTERTIME FUNZONE
― into the young coconuts (gbx), Saturday, 9 January 2010 01:36 (fourteen years ago) link
GET INVOLVED
(RIP DDB ;_;)
o man my bike is so damn dirty, and i was so late this morning. gonna give that baby some soap and water tonite tho! and then lube! and it's fuckin snowing again in chicago! woo hoo
on another note there seems to be more of a camaraderie of the bicyclists in winter. i get waved at or whistled at by other bikers alot more over the last month or so. and in turn i am waving and whistling at other bikers more myself.
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Monday, 11 January 2010 23:22 (fourteen years ago) link
^^^ this is true
probably already mentioned on this thread (not gonna check) but i remember biking to school at 0530 in a fukkin snowstorm last winter and getting and giving the most exuberant wave ever from the only other moron dumb enough to be biking that early and in that kinda weather
― everybody's into weirdness right now (gbx), Monday, 11 January 2010 23:36 (fourteen years ago) link
So pleased work just bought a pressure washer, might come in at the weekend and degack the bike.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Monday, 11 January 2010 23:36 (fourteen years ago) link
finest quality beater
― the lyin' and cheatin' of flanders (haitch), Monday, 11 January 2010 23:48 (fourteen years ago) link
Ed i just put some soapy water in a spray bottle and use a dirty towel; it's surprisingly effective
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Monday, 11 January 2010 23:49 (fourteen years ago) link
xpost: pfftthat bike's barely dirty, haitch!i'll take a pic of mine before i clean it up tonightbut i don't have a photo studio and shit
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Monday, 11 January 2010 23:51 (fourteen years ago) link
haw, i'll take a pic of mine when i get home tonight, that shit is baby times
― everybody's into weirdness right now (gbx), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 00:04 (fourteen years ago) link
haw. tbh i was more bemused that someone would use an IF frame to such grotty work!
i await ur grime-caked commuter pix with interest, the last time i saw snow in this city was 1986.
― the lyin' and cheatin' of flanders (haitch), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 00:15 (fourteen years ago) link
lolstralia
― everybody's into weirdness right now (gbx), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 00:32 (fourteen years ago) link
actually i took a couple of pics of my 'dirty ass bike' and was likeaw it's not that dirty. i guess the camera lies abt how dirty stuff can be . . . or the wet conditions kinda cleaned it up on the way home last night.
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 20:19 (fourteen years ago) link
how to enjoy winter biking from the good folks at wls channel 7 in chicago
― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 22:57 (fourteen years ago) link
here is (perhaps not very) dirty bikehttp://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd210/jdchurchil/bike%20stuff/DSC_0006.jpg?t=1263605014so i cleaned it with soapy water in a spray bottle and a dirty towel
― i should rectify that (jdchurchill), Saturday, 16 January 2010 01:26 (fourteen years ago) link
was sorta wondering why this wasn't ever done. i just assumed it was already against the rules.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-bans-studded-tires-for-cyclo-cross
― u b ilxin' (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 26 January 2010 20:05 (fourteen years ago) link
yea i was riding along and i hear this whirring noise, and it's this dude cruising along on his cruiser. he passes me and i see that he has those tires with the spikes in 'em. and i thought "oh those are those tires with the spikes in 'em. i guess it makes sense that they make noise."
― thatwillultimatelyresultingalaxy-galaxymergersonacosmictimescale (jdchurchill), Friday, 29 January 2010 19:45 (fourteen years ago) link
mine sound exactly like a studded car tire, kinda crunchy noise
― u b ilxin' (Hunt3r), Friday, 29 January 2010 19:48 (fourteen years ago) link
another morning commute of 'whoa-dude-those*car-packed-snow-tracks*r-really-making-my-bike-swerve'had to ditch once but didn't eat it. kinda jumped off at the last second and landed it.neighbor newfoundland barked, dude shoveling giggled a tiny
― Anton Levain (jdchurchill), Tuesday, 9 February 2010 18:28 (fourteen years ago) link
I fitted snow tyres to my bike yesterday as I'm bore of the vagueries of city ploughing dictating whether I can ride to work or not. I also took off the eggbeaters and put on regular pedals. It's now accumulated about an inch over the course of the afternoon so I feel vindicated by this decision.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Monday, 15 February 2010 22:25 (fourteen years ago) link
yo ed can put some pics of these tyres?
― Anton Levain (jdchurchill), Monday, 15 February 2010 22:40 (fourteen years ago) link
http://bicyclewarehouse.com/merchant/328/images/large/tire_scwalbe_snow_studs.gif
I'll do a WDYBLL tomorrow when its light. The studs are probably overkill but they were on sale and plain knobby schwalbes weren't.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Monday, 15 February 2010 23:32 (fourteen years ago) link
http://static2.biketiresdirect.com/imagesProduct/scsno1-1.jpg
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Monday, 15 February 2010 23:33 (fourteen years ago) link
~swoon~
we've been getting hammered with snow, so it's sorels and the mtb lately. it's a slow pig but I am INVINCIBLE
― werewolf bar mitzvah of the xx (gbx), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 02:11 (fourteen years ago) link
I have only one bike, but my hall cupboard is now full of tyres for every occasion.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 13:23 (fourteen years ago) link
Horrible sleet in the air and slush on the ground. Glad I brought a change of clothes and down slipper into work.
I really need to get some waterproof trousers, the jeans and wellingtons combo only works so well.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 14:27 (fourteen years ago) link
I had the least pleasant commute of my life tonight. I'd decided that +5 degrees C this morning meant I could wear my lighter winter gloves and no buff/skullcap. I also haven't had my front guard fixed so heavy rain/standing water goes all over my shoes. It started raining on the way in, but there was a decent tailwind and it was pretty mild.
This evening, the rain had picked up, the temperature had fallen, the wind was now 10mph in my face, and traffic was appalling. I had to keep slowing down because wet freezing bald head was giving me one hell of an ice cream-style headache, but I couldn't slow too much otherwise the rest of me would freeze. Not that I had much option, with filthy traffic - I saw a car hit a van and a bus hit another bus (they make a hell of a noise when they scrape up each other's side), and for some reason tonight was the night the usually considerate motorcycling community went mental. Other cyclists were there usual idiotic selves - though peds kept out of my way for a change, apart from the woman how stuck her hand straight out into the road as I was passing by (one hundreth of a second later and she'd have punched me hard in the side of the head).
Anyway, I was so relieved to get home I didn't care that everything was saturated, that I couldn't feel my hands and feet. I wasn't riding any more.
― Mark C, Tuesday, 16 February 2010 22:50 (fourteen years ago) link
you poor little shit, how's that for fat tuesday?
― Anton Levain (jdchurchill), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 22:53 (fourteen years ago) link
that is the worst weather imowhen it's around freezing but raining.
― Anton Levain (jdchurchill), Wednesday, 17 February 2010 00:17 (fourteen years ago) link
http://video.wttw.com/video/1414545458/
― Anton Levain (jdchurchill), Monday, 22 February 2010 21:50 (fourteen years ago) link
is maybe over for this year
― Anton Levain (jdchurchill), Thursday, 4 March 2010 22:26 (fourteen years ago) link
SHUT UP
― nitzer ebbebe (gbx), Thursday, 4 March 2010 22:26 (fourteen years ago) link
yr gonna ruin it
― nitzer ebbebe (gbx), Thursday, 4 March 2010 22:27 (fourteen years ago) link
yea it will be *my fault*fuckin superstitionismz
― Anton Levain (jdchurchill), Thursday, 4 March 2010 22:27 (fourteen years ago) link
oh brother, riding last night perchance on some railroad tracks and whoopsidaisy i went over and totally fucked up my back wheel. mad frustration
― coughed @ "j. walter bongstein" (jdchurchill), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 23:03 (thirteen years ago) link
Hey UK riders, bargain!
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/ZXCLPXMERLS/planet-x-and-on-one-100-percent-merino-wool-ls-top-bundle?utm_source=Planet+X+and+On+One&utm_campaign=d79d803aea-21st_December_Block_Version12_21_2010&utm_medium=email
― Mark C, Wednesday, 22 December 2010 11:48 (thirteen years ago) link
fugly!
― e.g. delete via naivete (ledge), Wednesday, 22 December 2010 11:50 (thirteen years ago) link
zim zam
― er like duh (jdchurchill), Thursday, 13 January 2011 06:31 (thirteen years ago) link
biked to work in shorts and t-shirt this morning ( via london 13 degrees) this is like summer.
― Crackle Box, Thursday, 13 January 2011 11:00 (thirteen years ago) link
it ain't pitch black at 8am in the summer iirc
― nanoflymo (ledge), Thursday, 13 January 2011 11:14 (thirteen years ago) link
-11ºF wind chill
let's do this
― the maybe of bâcon (clouds), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 12:56 (eleven years ago) link
Bugger me, it was cold coming into work this morning.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 13:02 (eleven years ago) link