General Bike Thread (Desiderata, Questions, Pics)

[HRoi]

The Fizik adaptive seat sucked, btw. I had to return it. It had no give in it whatsoever…I really have no idea what the point of the honeycomb construction is, then

 

[Fueco]

I actually broke a derailleur pulley last weekend. Fortunately, I was two doors down from home.

I replaced the pulleys last night while watching the Giro.

 

[patrick_b]

broke a derailleur pulley

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to add one of those super efficient [and reasonably priced] OSP wheels.

But then if you go that route, you might as well go all out and add [also reasonably priced] ceramic wheel bearings, BB, OSPW system and an optimized chain!!! You could realize up to 10-15 watts of savings for a measly $3500!!

 

[otc]

Finally got the fancy bits I bought over the winter on the SB115 and took it for a ride around the lake.

Dropped a solid half pound in rotating weight despite going to 1 step more aggressive tires.

Unfortunately I didn’t feel 100% so it’s hard to get a feel for whether I like the new setup.

Hopefully it’s a net positive though. I might also try putting one of the faster tires back on the rear and see if that’s the right balance of grip and speed.

 

[smittycl]

It's been raining here in DC area for weeks. Finally cleared up and I knocked out 32 miles part urban, part Rock Creek Park. Stopped at Mile 20 for Vitus and avocado toast. Not like I'm training for the fecking Tour de France...

 

[HRoi]

It's been raining here in DC area for weeks. Finally cleared up and I knocked out 32 miles part urban, part Rock Creek Park. Stopped at Mile 20 for Vitus and avocado toast. Not like I'm training for the fecking Tour de France...

View attachment 2187153

More like the Tour de Franconia, amirite!!

 

[sugarbutch]

I finally got around to replacing the valves on the gravel bike (you may recall that one of the valve stems fractured, letting out the air and dumping me on the pavement). The amount of dried sealant on the beads offended my sensibilities, so a 15 minute job turned into 90 minutes of drudgery after I decided to scrape it off. Maybe it would have been fine, but I feared the beads wouldn't seal well if some of that residue got wedged in between the bead and wheel.

 

[kjb]

30 miles yesterday with a friend around the suburbs since the GFNY had taken over my normal route.

Felt really good and honestly I just love this bike. Excited for some new carbon hoops in June.

 

[bicycleradical]

a friend of mine and i took the day off and spent the entire day on the bike. we rode to the bike to work day pitstop and then headed out for a long day. the flat towpath made the mileage easier.

 

[Fueco]

Mystery flat. Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what caused this flat?

This was on the front tire of my cyclocross bike. It was flat when I went to head out of a ride yesterday. The last ride I did on this bike was to pick the kids up after school on Friday, so pavement only.

The hole is on the inner center of the tube. The rim tape is in damaged…

 

[otc]

What is that thing in your hand? Using that piece of archaic technology seems to be your problem.

 

[patrick_b]

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what caused this flat?

The rarely seen single fanged snake. Native to CO, I'm told.

 

[bicycleradical]

The rarely seen single fanged snake. Native to CO, I'm told.

speaking of snakes and bikes, i tried nudging this one off of the road on friday afternoon and it was not happy. it even struck my tire and then seemed confused at what happened. thankfully, the little rat snake went on its way and was safe.

 

[skalogre]

Question for any MTBers here that do rolls down things that are best done in a controlled fashion...
There is a feature at a trail I have done a few times, a longish single granite slab that is rather steep and ends near some rocks and plants that should be avoided (so blasting down it is not advisable).
My Shimano MT501 are powerful enough to easily lock up even at speed but the finesse part, it makes it hard to roll down this. Last time I did it, I went down it a bit "ABS-y", locking up a bit. Local bike shop recommended upgrading to 4 piston brakes to give a little bit more progressiveness but I don't think it is worth the significant $$$ for a little more brake lever travel/feel.
No slack to adjust on the levers, no air in the lines as far as I can tell. Plenty of pad life.
What would you do? Just learn to be even more deliberate with braking or throw down a pile of $$$ for the possibility of little more progressiveness?

 

[otc]

You could try different pads if you're looking for more modulation--what do you have in there now?