Biking success!

[Crump's Brother]

Bam!

This would be the first time I've done 50+ miles and not needed the assistance of someone with a vehicle to save my ass near the end.

[GPCR]

i rarely bike, but i'm pretty sure that's impressive

[PaulMuaDib]

good work. now double it and you'll have done a century.

[Crump's Brother]

Hell...50 miles is a short day on RAGBRAI, but then I wouldn't get the joy of gravel and dirt paths. I'll feel good about my biking when I can do 50 miles without a break.

[PaulMuaDib]

50 with lots of gravel is a much bigger accomplishment. and gravel is fun to ride. good work.

[servotron]

Nice job dude. I have to say, the gravel doesn't sound like much fun though! I just hate washing my bike

I'll bet that (if you're sore) once you get un-sore you can do that same ride with very very few problems, maybe even tack an extra 10 miles on there just because you KNOW you can do it. The confidence factor is big with long rides.

[gonzo]

and gravel is fun to ride.

are you talking crushed limestone bike trails or gravel roads?

[PaulMuaDib]

either, but mostly gravel roads. mountain bikes or 'cross bikes, are a great time of gravel. it's like road riding but harder and slower, and like mountain biking but faster and easier. great fall/spring activity and winter too if it's not too cold/snowy.

[servotron]

Hey anyone interested in doing a 150 mile 2 day ride from duluth to the twin cities with me and a bunch of friends from facebook and the scooter rally? Camping at night, there will be support vehicles, etc. Sept 20-21 I believe. PM if you're interested.

[LucasPukus]

That sounds like fun, wish I was up to it.

[PaulMuaDib]

i'd be down like a clown charlie brown, but i have to work, as my boss is bailing on us to get ready to go to a huge trade show, so i've got to run the show.

[servotron]

Dang.. well thought I'd put it out there, invite's still up if anyone's down for it, I'm pretty sure I'm going, at least better than 50/50. Bikes will be trucked up to Duluth in my Ranger, there will likely be beer-a-plenty and whatnot at the campsites!

[LucasPukus]

sounds like CB is almost ready.

[Crump's Brother]

I probably still have some work ahead of me. These legs certainly aren't built for the long haul.

[servotron]

Finally started commuting again today!! WOO WOO!!!

[PaulMuaDib]

good job. i never stopped but my commute is 4 miles and i work in a bike shop, so i have storage and am allowed all kinds of time to get my shit together before actually starting work. plus i bought all my gear at wholesale or below pricing. plus our shit isn't as bad as the twin cities weather wise.

[servotron]

Quit yer braggin! hehe... the ride in was gold... the ride back, I had to go against the wind and I couldn't catch a string of green lights to save my life... so it was quite the rough ride. Still I think I actually came in somewhere near my average from last year overall, which is great because that means I probably didn't lose any biking shape, just picked up some mini-love handles that will melt away now that the season has begun.

also I forgot how HUNGRY I get when I bike in... after lunch ... maybe an hour later I was FAMISHED again and had to eat the lunch meat out of like 3 client sandwiches before I left.

[WrenchHead]

My biking success for 2009 was to haul it upstairs and put air in the tires. I have not yet ridden anywhere.

[Pesto]

My parents are dropping off a bike for me in about a week. I'll count success as getting my girlfriend out on some rides with me. I can't wait to tackle the San Francisco hills.

[PaulMuaDib]

Quit yer braggin! hehe... the ride in was gold... the ride back, I had to go against the wind and I couldn't catch a string of green lights to save my life... so it was quite the rough ride. Still I think I actually came in somewhere near my average from last year overall, which is great because that means I probably didn't lose any biking shape, just picked up some mini-love handles that will melt away now that the season has begun.

also I forgot how HUNGRY I get when I bike in... after lunch ... maybe an hour later I was FAMISHED again and had to eat the lunch meat out of like 3 client sandwiches before I left.

yeah. i wish my commute were a bit longer. i'm barely warmed up by the time i get to work or home.
look at the gear i wore:



edit: endura commuter jacket and over trousers, peal izumi winter boots (clipless waterproof 200g thinsulated boots), oakly goggles, and a snowboard helmet, with a facemask. that was over my regular sweatshirt and jeans. if it was bitch ass cold i'd layer on another thin wool sweater.

[Crump's Brother]

Nice threads.

I've been getting back in to the swing of biking again. I'm definitely in horrible biking shape. The 20 miles I did today didn't seem like a problem, but for some reason the 24 miles I did 1.5 weeks ago kicked my butt. GPSing my rides is a lot of fun and makes tracking them a lot easier. Sadly, right now it doesn't seem like I'd be able to GPS the really long rides as it looks like my battery only lasts a few hours on a full charge.

I also had an awesome moment today. Took a wrong turn on a trail and ended up in a parking lot. There's a short little rope fence between me and getting back on the trail. It's maybe one foot high. I figured I could get my front wheel over and put one foot on the ground and one in the clip to lift my back wheel over. That didn't end well. I'm such an idiot.

[PaulMuaDib]

haha

[servotron]

ow!!

[Crump's Brother]

I have no pics. Although if someone had a video camera at the time it could have been good.

So what about biking jerseys? I usually just go shirtless or with a t-shirt. I figure I should at least try to avoid getting sun burnt this year (back sunburn + jiu-jitsu = tremendous pain). Are the jerseys worth the price for what you get out of them? I just keep going back and forth on the UNI jersey from BikeTech and can't decide if I should just drop the cash for it or not. I've never worn one before so I have no idea how it affects biking.

[PaulMuaDib]

they are quite nice. the pockets in back are useful. tight fit + longer in the back + good wicking/tech material makes for a comfortable ride. if you're not up for the full on jersey experience, a good snug fitting technical t-shirt type thing will work pretty well and cost quite a bit less.

[Pesto]

Something weird was happening with my bike on the way home. I was in the lowest gear going up a steep hill, and every few pedals I would get that clunk in the pedals as if I were changing gears. I don't think the chain was jumping to different gears, because it wasn't getting any harder to pedal, so I think something must have been slipping. Any clues as to what it could be?

[Crump's Brother]

I had that happen on a bike when I was growing up (a Huffy White Heat, fuck yeah!). It almost sent me in to oncoming traffic once. I imagine a simple tune-up would fix the issue. I'm not the resident bike expert though.

[floor punching mummy]

you probably have a stretched chain and need a new one.

http://www.bicyclinglife.com/HowTo/ChangeAChain.htm

[Pesto]

Never would have guessed that. It would make sense, though. It's an old bike and I doubt the chain has ever been changed.

[PaulMuaDib]

if it's old and never been done. quite likely either a front chainring, or a cog or two in back is worn out as well. a bike shop can and should check all that.

[Pesto]

I took it in and they said I had a stuck link. Basically one of the links got twisted and wasn't moving freely. They changed the chain, but now the thing is skipping between gears.

I don't know what the different gears are called, but I'll use this system. Low numbers are easy pedalling, and high numbers are hard pedalling. The first number is the gears in the front (at the pedals) and the second number is the gears in the back (back wheel).

This is a 21 speed mountain bike, so I have from (1, 1) to (3, 7). When I'm in gear (2, 6) it will try to skip a couple times, then it finally skips to gear (2, 7).

[PaulMuaDib]

either shifting adjustment or you need new gears (probably in the back). as the chain stretches and wears, it wears the cogs down a bit. if it goes too far, the new chain doesn't line up quite right, so you likely need new gears, shouldn't be much money for a seven speed rear cassette or freewheel. it could be a basic shifting adjustment though. does it happen in certain gears more than others? if yes, are these the gears you ride in all the time? does it happen much more often under pressure? does it stop once it ghost shifts to 2,7?

[Pesto]

So far I've only noticed it happening with 2,6->2,7, but that was just riding home from the bike shop. I think it's more likely to happen the harder I pedal. Once it does that it stays in 2,7. I don't think I ride in 2,6 all the time, because I'm constantly going up and down hills and shifting all over the place. That said, this is an old bike that my parents gave me, so who knows what gear was most ridden.

[PaulMuaDib]

well, try it in some other gears. if it slips all over everything, other drivetrain parts are likely worn. or they could just need adjustment. if i had it in front of me this would be a 5 min job.

[Pesto]

If I shift up to 2,6 it will jump to 2,7. If I shift back down to 2,6 it will stay put. The same thing happens with 3,6 -> 3,7. I'm guessing I just need to have the shifter adjusted. I'll try to take it in some time this week.

Also, the new chain is much quieter.

[PaulMuaDib]

if it's not a lot of trouble/expense have the at least eyeball the derailluer hanger. if it's not a quick adjustment with the barrel adjuster, the hanger might be slightly bent.

[Pesto]

It didn't seem to cause me any problems on the way home tonight. If it does keep up, is that an adjustment I could do on my own?

I can see it being a while before I get a car, so I should probably learn how to take care of my bike, at least a little.

[PaulMuaDib]

sheldonbrown.com and parktool.com are both good resources. there are so many things to check it'd be hard to tell you one simple thing to do. though you could give your rear rerailluer barrel adjuster a a small turn counterclockwise, standing behind the bike. it'll have detents roughly every 1/8th turn. one or two might be enough. try it and if it's not better go a couple more. if it screws everything else up, turn it back.

[Pesto]

I wore through a pair of cotton pants from biking to work every day. Any ideas how to keep from ruining more pants?

[PaulMuaDib]

wear sturdier pants? if your seat is rough/grippy that's not helping. rotate what pants you wear?

[Pesto]

wear sturdier pants?

Even my jeans are showing some wear. It's only a matter of time before they're ruined, too. The pants with the holes are heavy khakis, kind of like cargo pants without all the pockets.

if your seat is rough/grippy that's not helping. rotate what pants you wear?

My bike seat has some type of spandexish looking cover over it. I'm wondering, is the fabric of my seat cover "harder" than cotton? Kind of like a harder rock wears away at a softer rock, maybe certain fabrics are stronger than other fabrics.

Really, I was thinking more along the lines of gear recommendations. Are there some bike pants I could look into buying? Something sturdy, but not too expensive that I could change out of at work.

Maybe a different bike seat? It's the crotch of my pants that wore out, so something like this (http://www.spongywonder.com/) would probably solve the problem. Anyone ever used these? Do they suck balls?

[PaulMuaDib]

oh dear god do not use a seat like that.
not sure what's gonna be sturdier. a smoother seat, like smooth vinyl or leather would probably be better for your pants, but even dedicated bike shorts wear thin after a while. i'd try switching seats first. seems like an odd problem.

[daoist]

What's wrong with that style?

[PaulMuaDib]

that style of seat comes up every couple years as "finally, someone made a comfortable bike seat" kinda thing. the problem with eliminating the nose of the seat, or most of the parts except where your sit bones touch it is multifaceted. if properly designed, it can be comfortable on a very upright positioned bike, in a static situation. the nose and sides of the seat are what help you steer the bike, find the seat when you sit down after standing up, and generally keep track of the entire back half of the bike. if your sit bones are what hurt when you ride a bike, you need to ride more, and maybe try a different seat. if something else hurts/goes numb, you need to try a different seat. weird seats like that haven't had mainstream acceptance because they suck and make the bike feel vague and horrible, not because of some bike industry conspiracy. i mean, recumbents are acceptable, if not super popular.

[servotron]

Big, squishy seats are "ew".

[PaulMuaDib]

Big, squishy seats are "ew".

unless you're super upright, or even reclined as you might be on a super upright hybrid, city bike, or recumbent. then they're okay. for anything else they suck.

[Pesto]

My brother suggested getting a seat that is more slick, and maybe that wouldn't wear out my pants. If I do get a hard plastic seat, I'll have to make sure to get one with a slot for my hoo-dingle.

[WrenchHead]

Brooks B17 in british racing green with copper rails:



and a can of proofide to condition it:



It'll probably set you back about 120 clams, but jesus christ is it classier than any 'modern' seat I've seen. After about 500 miles, mine took on the shape of my sit bones and it's comfortable.

[PaulMuaDib]

that's part of the problem with brooks, and all leather saddles really, long break in. many shops have demo programs of some sort. go to a local shop and ask.

[Pesto]

I think that seat might look odd on a black and neon mountain bike.

[WrenchHead]

True. Are you using your mountain bike as a mountain bike or just around town? One of the best things I ever did was started using skinny tires for 'transportation' biking even with the gravel bike trail I have to go on. In terms of covering the most ground that is.. I still like riding around on my 45 pound cruiser.

Check out the ass murdering seat I put on that bike this summer.. A Japanese made red and white heavy sparkle vinyl seat I picked up at a motorcycle swap meet:



The last time I rode this bike long distances my legs fell asleep ha..

[Pesto]

I ride to and from work on roads, and rarely hit anything but pavement. I'm sure it would be easier riding on skinnier tires, but I'm not too concerned about that. I'm not riding to compete. If anything, I figure the inefficient tires make me exert more energy and help keep me from getting fat.

[Pesto]

Went on my first real bike ride in over a month. I'm definitely going to be feeling this one tomorrow.

We did about fifteen miles today with two decent climbs. First we stopped by the apartment building where Patty Hurst was kept hostage, rode through Golden Gate Park to the ocean, then biked through the Presidio. Stopped there and someone gave us some info on the habitat restoration happening there. Then we ended up at a middle eastern restaurant for lunch and beers.

We had a large enough group that the chef gave us a free hookah, but I skipped that.

[servotron]

NIce. 15 miles is a great start, and a good ride.

[Pesto]

Surprisingly, I wasn't sore.

I'd like to bike the route of the SF marathon. Goes over the Golden Gate bridge, down the beach, through Golden Gate Park.

Once I start biking to work on a regular basis again, I should be able to tackle it without much problem.

[Pesto]

A couple random biking questions.

What is the remedy for squeaking breaks?

How bad is it for your average mountain bike to get rained on?

[floor punching mummy]

A couple random biking questions.

What is the remedy for squeaking breaks?

probably toe-in.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/canti-direct.html , scroll down

How bad is it for your average mountain bike to get rained on?

your chain will rust fairly quickly if it gets wet and doesn't get dried off promptly. steel frames don't like moisture, of course. are we talking "gets ridden in the rain sometimes, but is stored inside" or "sits outside all the time and gets rained on?"

[Pesto]

I'll take a look at that link about the brakes.

As to the rain, we're talking gets ridden to work, but is parked outside and gets rained on from time to time.

Our old office had bike racks inside the parking garage, but the new office just has bike racks sitting out in the open. In the old place I could safely leave the bike overnight if it was raining to hard when I was ready to head home. No luck at the new place.

[PaulMuaDib]

well, it's sure not good for it. relube the chain and if you're worried take the seat post out and flip the bike over to help moisture get out. if it's generally stored indoors, and only gets rained on sometimes, i'd lube my chain and cables regularly and not ride a fancy bike. another squeaky brake tip: clean your rims, and maybe your pads. toe in sure will help, but if everything's filthy, a good wipe down will help a ton too.

[Crump's Brother]

http://tinyurl.com/y8cekdj

First ride of the year is finished. I've tried to get out a few times before today but it's always been shitty weather or all the trails were flooded. It's nice to finally go even if it is a bit late in the year for the first ride.

When do the cyclocross races usually happen? I'm thinking I should do one or two this year. Second question, I'm a little bummed about selling my hybrid when I got the cross bike. Only because there has been the occasional situation when I'd like to use my bike for the sake of transportation, but didn't want to mess with the clips/shoes in any way shape or form. Is there something I could get to clip in to my pedals to make biking in regular shoes easier?

[PaulMuaDib]

cyclocross is a fall sport. ask around your local shop(s) in late august/september, there may be local practices in addition to races. in DSM we have a weekly practice (totally free) and a 8 race series.

there are things you can clip into pedals to make them double sided, but they tend to be pricey.

i came into this thread to talk about how awesome riding mountain bikes is. woke up early and went and did that this morning. fuckin' great fun.

[daoist]

WD-40 your brakes! no more sqeaks, ever!

[servotron]

Second question, I'm a little bummed about selling my hybrid when I got the cross bike. Only because there has been the occasional situation when I'd like to use my bike for the sake of transportation, but didn't want to mess with the clips/shoes in any way shape or form. Is there something I could get to clip in to my pedals to make biking in regular shoes easier?

The pedals I had on my hybrid were normal pedals on one side, and SPD clips on the other. I don't recall them being terribly expensive, they just aren't as bad-ass looking when you're not attached to your bike

[floor punching mummy]

if you want quality:
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/17759- ... -Pedal.htm
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/17295- ... Pedals.htm

if you're cheap:
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14235- ... Pedals.htm
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14234- ... Pedals.htm

[WrenchHead]

Finally did the first bike ride of the year. Need to do this more, but I don't like riding unless I have someone to talk to. I've lost 7 pounds since it got nice out by simply being outside and not inside eating, so I'll probably end up riding scooters way more often than bikes.