your daily bicycle log

these guys (http://www.backontrax.co.uk/5.html) will visit me at home and do a service for £25 + parts. that'll work.

Well yeah, a $35-50 tune-up here should include checking for bb and headset play, etc, but not nec overhauling everything unless it feels like it needs it. For eight-nine pounds (dont know how to make the sign) they better have replaced all the housing and opened everything up! Goodness snakes.

FOR $50, BUY THE TOOLS...DIY!!

DDB = OTM

Invest in a class and some tools or look around for a local DIY co-op/bike kitchen.

Aside from wheel building and bottom-brackets (and maybe initial brake set-up?), there is nothing that is unreasonably technical about bike maintenance.

BB'S ARE EASY....ITS WEIRD THAT PEOPLE ARE SCARED OF EM....OPEN IT UP, GET DIRTY!

I am skurred. help me.

Derailleur adjustment is a pain to get hold of. I don't totally understand it without thinking it out every time. "Okay, so, half a turn clockwise will OKAY NO WAIT. Shit. Half a turn COUNTER-clockwise...right. Okay." And so on.

But everything else basic is EASY PEASY.

FIX GEAR + NO BRAKE + SNOW = GOOD TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- ddb, Wednesday, 13 February 2008 17:24 (Yesterday) Link

^^^^ OTM x100000000

haters will be banned

Invest in a class and some tools or look around for a local DIY co-op/bike kitchen.

Aside from wheel building and bottom-brackets (and maybe initial brake set-up?), there is nothing that is unreasonably technical about bike maintenance.

-- Steve Shasta, Wednesday, February 13, 2008 3:19 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Link

I did this in late '07 (as mentioned here and elsewhere). Brakes and derailleurs are fussy, no doubt (THIS IS WHY I DON'T USE THEM), but bottom brackets/headsets/hubs are actually pretty straight-forward, once you get the hang of it (ie - they're all variations on a theme). Also, it seems like older stuff is easier to service when you're D-ingIY. "older" = 80s-90s japanese gear. no one likes cotter pins.

except laurel.

8.87k, 22m43s (actual riding time, need to get total journey time to figure out % wasted at lights)

23.4kph av, 35.2 max
139bpm av, 166 max

kph? What is this, the continent?

I was a full mile per hour slower today than Tuesday. I hate wind so much (and it wasn't even very windy).

http://www.cartwrightstimberfixings.co.uk/images/scan1.jpg

I know how to do all the things I want doing (brakes, gears, clean drive train, etc.). I just can't be bothered. My hub is fucked too and actually needs some serious work, so I figure I may as well throw the service in while it's being looked at.

its either a crafty rebus or 1/2 of all of the parts to laurel's cottered crank

Yes, but where does THIS bolt go?? No, apparently they are all "wheel fasteners". I thought it was a sweet img.

ROAD BIKE COMMUTE TODAY. HAVENT BEEN ON IT FOR A BIT...A TREAT.

ITCHIN TO DO SOME MTB..BUT WEATHER HAS BEEN SHITE.

riding my flat spotted rear wheel part way home yesterday was a bit like riding a pony. the wheel is still laterally true at least. already bought a rim online, hope to just transfer spokes over and retension.

Heartrate 170 bpm tonight when I got home - did a 3 minute burn right at the end so that's pretty close to my top end. Does it mean anything by itself?

srsly not really.

it doesn't correlate to some universal chart about how much power output you have or might have. or how fit you are.

matters of hr are only useful in relation to your own hr really.

to the extent they allow you to calibrate your workload (which is not really that well) they can help your training program.

for some reason i really, really want to build a wheelset

like right now

if you were nearby id let you rebuild my rear wheel. cause im not feelin it, mself. partly because putting that nexus hub up in my liteweight stand is pia.

What do people think about Pitlock locking skewers. Will I still have wheels if I use them?

http://www.pitlock.de/en/pitlocksrange/index.html

this week i've transferred my training over to the evening hours because of my new job.

last night i did 2 hours:
3x12 minutes in Z3 (2 mins 80rpm + 1 minute 100rpm x 4)
8x20 second sprints at 53x14

the weather was wonderful for winter night riding. i really was hammering the sprints. also this week marks the end of my strength training (today is last day in gym) and long, slow, base miles--now the intense shit begins. i am getting re-tested on monday and will see where my zones are at.

tomorrow, my last long ride (5 hours with 2x30 minutes at Z3) and on sunday probably some light spinning to keep me fresh for testing on monday.

2 FLATS.....2 DIFFERENT BIKES...SAME DAY...SAME TIRE (FRONT)..WEIRD.

Was riding in the park today and a guy cycling towards me on my side decided, for some reason, not to move across the path as I came by and basically put his bike immediately in front of me. We had a low speed collision, and I was thrown out of my saddle onto soft grass. Problem was the wrench of the bump pulled my right shoulder out of its socket. OW.

So a couple of nurofen and back on with the old sling (this isn't the first time it's happened). Grrr.

eek

didn't work today, and cycling was limited to going to the bike shop to buy a new lock cuz i lost mine on friday (lol :-/)

while i was there i took out a jamis nova CX bike for a spin

swoooooooooooooooooooooooooon

i havent been a bike shop to look at bikes for a long long time, but i was pretty surprised by specialized's cross offerings. they were very, uh complicated looking. wonder how they ride

i was also nauseated by specialized's array of kewl langsters. plz.

ugh, those things are terrible

I gotta start waking up earlier for bike commute.

Earlier? Wouldn't commuting by bike be quicker? It knocks 10-20 minutes off my journey.

So I don't have to bike home in pitch dark cold.

my commute is 30-35 minutes by train, 20-25 by bike

So awesome, you guys.

SF innercity commute (4.57 miles)

walking: 60 minutes
public transit (rush hour): 35-45 minutes
driving (rush hour): 20-30 minutes
cycling: ~12 minutes

How is walking only 15 minutes longer than public transit?? I am not understanding something about SF transit, maybe?

Biked with my GF for the first time she has let me. Was good then sped off into the city on errands. Still need to get her a lighter bike but she has gone cold on the idea. Looks like I am schwinn polishing tomorrow.

"schwinn polishing"

According to my computery thing my commute this morning was 29 mins, about 28 of those actually in motion. Now I did have a pretty good run but that's crazy, I demand a recount.

From where to where do you commute? There is a decent SW breeze today - I can get into Soho (7.2 miles) in under 27 (moving) minutes with a helping hand from the wind, and I'm not particularly fit.

(And there is hell of traffic/lights on the Fulham Road/Kings Road)

waterloo > hamersmith. 9k aka under 6 miles. I go at top whack for my singlespeed (about 30 kph) all the way except for a couple of "hills", traffic usually isn't too bad, it's just the lights which slow me down.

Biked with my GF for the first time she has let me.

Don't understand this...? Does she bike on her own in NYC?

i want to bike in london!

You know how narrow our roads are, right?

Scary moment on the ride back. There's quite a sharp 90 degree corner that I always take at speed because otherwise you always get overtaken by a taxi just before, which then slows down for the bend and cuts you up. And whenever I go round I think "I really have no idea how fast I could take this before skidding out". So I did it again today, didn't really consider that the road was wet... and then my front tyre skittered out from under me... and then came back under control. Phew.

Still at least I know now how fast to take it. No I don't! I still have no clue! How are you meant to figure that out?

How is walking only 15 minutes longer than public transit?? I am not understanding something about SF transit, maybe?

good point, half of that commute is walking because my office is pretty remote.