The Bicycling thread

Congrats on your challenge, it is crazy how many folks are participating I assume worldwide.

We are riding, just nothing out of ordinary to post. I threw my hands up after yet another flat and am trying one of these as I said goodbye to my patch heavy rear tube.
Not concerned with heavier tube, I’ll just not eat that extra scoop of ice cream for a few nights��

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Two rides with junk on the road and no roadside show!

What’s weird, in a good way I guess, is the lack of tubes from usual sources including two locals. Trying to find a 28 mm tube with a 50 ish stem length has been quite a challenge. Out of stock is repeated... found these from REI online. The current bike craze and supply chain issues combined have added to the fun

[QUOTE=henzilla;1207910]Congrats on your challenge, it is crazy how many folks are participating I assume worldwide.

We are riding, just nothing out of ordinary to post. I threw my hands up after yet another flat and am trying one of these as I said goodbye to my patch heavy rear tube.
Not concerned with heavier tube, I’ll just not eat that extra scoop of ice cream for a few nights��

[/QUOTE]

Yes, that is worldwide. Strava has a heck of a user base!

Those tubes look like a gateway to a tubeless setup. I've put just about 1000 miles on my two main bikes: 600 on the road bike, 400 on the gravel bike. All tubeless and no flats. I don't even think about flats any more. My last flat was last July - on a tire with a tube.

I just got a big bottle of sealant in the mail yesterday. Enough to 'recharge' all of the wheels. I'm not looking forward to that task. When I deflate the tires, the beads pop off and I have to reseat them. That is the tough part. Motorcycle tires are easier to seat.

Speaking of weight - over all those miles I lost 1 lb! I drink too much beer. I've decided to lose 10lbs over the next couple of months to make climbing faster. I'll cut down on liquid carbs.

Went for a toodle around the neighbourhood on my fixie yesterday, first time I'm thrown a leg over anything this year but it has inspired me to get out for a Mtn bike ride today or tomorrow.
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FFF - fatties fit fine!

Skibum, I have to ask: what do NL-ers think about the TV show the Republic of Doyle? We don't have a lot of insight into Canadian life here. I'm less than 2 hours away from the border and our local news doesn't even show Canada when they forecast the weather. Everything stops at that border.

I have visited Canada often. When I was in college, we would hop the border to buy beer and go to clubs because the drinking age was lower. So we have a soft spot in our hearts for Canadian produced shows like Anne With and E (and the Green Gables mini-series 30 years ago) and The Grand Seduction. We don't agree so much about Trailer Park Boys. I'm a fan.

Back to bikes: enjoy getting out on the MTB! My old MTB is driving me crazy. It has always had a 'creak' - I can't even remember when it started but it was when the bike was getting heavy trail duty. I thought it might be BB or suspension but now I have isolated it to neither of those things. I can make the creak (or maybe described as a 'click') when I push down on the back of the seat. It is not the clamp,post, or seat: I have tried different versions of all of those. I can get the noise to happen in a work stand with the wheels off the ground. I finally found that I could get it to happen if I push down on the top tube - but it isn't as loud.

My guess would be a cracked frame but I've gone over every inch of the frame and don't see anything. It also hasn't gotten worse over the years - just an annoying creak with saddle pressure. You know the sound that an aluminum can makes when you indent it a little and then get it to 'pop' back? Like that.

Any ideas?

[QUOTE=skibum69;1207934]Went for a toodle around the neighbourhood on my fixie yesterday, first time I'm thrown a leg over anything this year but it has inspired me to get out for a Mtn bike ride today or tomorrow.
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Is that “ hand sanitizer “ in the bottle cage?:D

I finally broke down and bought a work stand. In the past when cleaning the chain I would turn the bike upside down but this let all the gunk drip down on the bike.
I don't clean or lube the chain often so I didn't think it was worth buying a stand.
I bought a Feedback Sports Ultralight.
[url]https://www.feedbacksports.com/product/ultralight-repair-stand/[/url]
REI had it on sale plus I has $32 in points I didn't know about.
Paid $122.

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That looks like a great stand!

I have a couple of suggestions for chain maintenance (and general bike cleaning). I've found that gravel riding with an 11 speed drivetrain really wears out the chain. I have a ton of experience with 9 speed (and fixed - single speed chains don't wear, and even if they did, they are cheap, and the telltale of a worn chain is shifting which fixed doesn't have) - the 9 speed chains lasted a long time with almost no maintenance.

First, Michelle just got me this awesome tool. She did the research to find 'the best' chain wear measurement tool. She was prompted by her drivetrain being noisier than she wanted and shifting wasn't crisp. It worked - as soon as I got the tool I found out how badly her chains were worn and replaced them immediately.

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I also added Wipperman Connex master links to the chains. They are expensive (I think we paid $15 each) BUT you can connect/disconnect very easily with no tools!

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So now I take the chain off every so often (it is so easy, really) and soak the chain in mineral spirits (paint thinner) while I clean the rest of the bike. I use a stainless steel pet bowl (was well used for cat water prior to repurposing).

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I put the chain back on and lube. I've used White Lightning for years but now I'm trying Finish Line Dry Lube. I'm trying to get PTFE powder to add to hot wax - I have the whole setup minus the powder. If I ever get it, I'll post the results.

I did my best to add up miles on the gravel bike. The chains were well worn by 1750 miles. Those 11 speed chains are more expensive, too. That is why I'm trying to up my maintenance game (and I didn't think I was too bad to start with).

Lastly, I took a photo of my bike specific toolbox. I got the box from Harbor Freight and most of the tools from Nashbar. Then I've augmented with various pieces over the years. Since it is portable, I can take it to events and move it from basement to garage. I can do most of a bike build out of this box + a hacksaw and torque wrench.

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Lee, clips and cages? Porque?

I'm glad you mentioned the chain checker, I need one of those.
I've been using Finish Line Pro Road lube. Should I try the Dry?

Most Newfoundlanders liked Republic of Doyle and they certainly did a very good job of cinematography showing off St. John's and surrounding area. I worked a fair bit on the first number of season's.

My bicycle tool set was the biggest one Park offered about 15 years ago, much more than I need these days.

I would suggest you try the dry if you mostly ride in dry conditions. But after 30 miles in a steady rain it will wash off and you'll be both uncomfortable AND annoyed at the noise. Mountain bike chains are a different story: I use wet lube and deal with the mess. But I only have 8 speed on the MTB so chains are pretty cheap.

I use dry and wax to prevent grit from accumulating like it does on a wetter lube. Whatever the solvent is in the dry lubes (maybe alcohol?) it evaporates and leaves the lube (PTFE) where it needs to be. The chain stays clean looking for a long time. I add lube once a week or whenever I hear any noise.

I only have a couple hundred miles on the Finish line stuff (multiple thousands on White Lightning). So far I like it. Easy to apply and there isn't much mess so I'm more likely to apply right before a ride.

Dry lube is also awesome for derailleur and brake pivots and pedals and cleats.

[QUOTE=skibum69;1207980]Most Newfoundlanders liked Republic of Doyle and they certainly did a very good job of cinematography showing off St. John's and surrounding area. I worked a fair bit on the first number of season's.

My bicycle tool set was the biggest one Park offered about 15 years ago, much more than I need these days.[/QUOTE]

They would pan across a cityscape before a scene started and I love the colorful houses on hills. The storyline is ridiculous, like most TV, but it kind of captures the Canadian culture: the bad guys aren't a lost cause, if someone disappears it is assumed that they are still alive, not too much shooting, pints in the pub... That show makes it seem that NL culture is not too far removed from Ireland. Even the dialect sounds like a mix of the Canadian 'eh' and 'a-boot' along with Irish pronunciation.

Do they (you) say 'boui' (kind of like 'boyz' or 'brah' in the US, maybe) like they do in the show?

While I am a little envious of your Park tools, I sure that kit would cost at least 10x what I have in my tools. Probably a lot more. If I end up with a set of Park tools, it is going to be one at a time...

And an update on my mountain bike issue:

I went into the garage and tried to get it to creak and I couldn't. Even took it on a ride around the neighborhood and nothing! So here is what I did: On Sunday I flipped the bike over and sprayed Liquid Wrench into the bottle cage bosses (into the seat tube) and into the rack mount bosses (into the chain stays). I also took the seat post out and sprayed from the seat tube into the top tube. When I put everything back together, it still creaked. But now, after sitting for a couple of days, no noise. So the penetrating oil lubricated something that was moving against something else. My initial thought is that the junction where the top tube, chain stay, and seat tube comes together has a reinforcement in the seat tube. I don't know how that thicker tube (maybe 6" long) is bonded to rest of the seat tube but maybe there was a slight movement between those two tubes. Or there is a crack somewhere that is now lubricated. As long as it is quiet, I'll ride it. I'll just keep spraying stuff into the tubes.

We got wet! But actually felt great!

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We use dry lube as well and have also used White Lightning for years. Agree the skinnier the chain, the quicker they wear. I’m due mileage wise and had replaced H’s recently. I have one of those Park Tool chain cleaners but always manage to make a mess using it. Just reminded me we put bikes away wet and dirty and will go address that shortly.

The county is dressing the shoulders on our route and met them in a corner. We know one of the guys, a retired lineman, who let’s us know of plans. The chipseal stripe is loose at moment.

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On the squeaky noises, sounds like you have lubed the culprit. I have been chasing a creaking seat post/ saddle interface for weeks on CF bike. Have been careful of not over tightening anything and sprayed silicone on some points looking for it. H just looks over when nearby and shakes her head. My aluminum bike makes so much noise it’s just accepted but she still makes fun of me and all my noises.

Yesterday we were greeted with new chip seal on one of our most ridden roads. That sucks. I was on my folding bike which sucks even more. The little tires pick up more road vibration.

I agree about the chain cleaning tools. You can get the chain pretty clean, eventually, but I make a real mess with it. I am a big fan of taking the chain off: then it is easier to clean the cassette and chainrings, as well. I usually use a little bit of paint thinner and an old tooth brush on the cogs. Then I spray down with Simple Green, go over the bike with a soft brush while everything is wet, and rinse off. 5 min tops. If I want to impress my friends, I spray some WD40 on a rag and wipe down the titanium frames. Makes them look new. I don't like to spend time cleaning but I do like my bikes to perform well and dirt tends to mess things up.

On black plastic parts I sometimes use a concoction that I've been using on cars and motorcycles for years with really great results: 50/50 mixture of mineral spirits (again, I use paint thinner) and boiled linseed oil. I was into old water-cooled VWs and tried everything on the plastic trim. The Forever Black stain worked pretty darn well, but my new mixture works better and is super easy to apply. You put it on fairly liberally, let it set for a few minutes then buff out. I do this on my RT every couple of years and it makes the plastic on my 11 year old bike look like new. All other bikes get the treatment, as well. Works on coolant hoses, and other rubber bits, as well. Anybody else use this method? I sometimes go over the parts with Aerospace 303 protectant because it has UV protection. I don't know if they make that anymore but it is/was what Armor All should be. It doesn't make the plastic 'greasy' feeling.

Oh - in regards to your creaking saddle/seatpost. I've had pretty good luck with carbon assembly lube. I initially only used it on interfaces with carbon components but then I tried it on a couple of noisy seat posts (both insertion and saddle interface). Worked well on both titanium in titanium and aluminum in aluminum. Best description would be grease with sand in it. Just a little bit of grit to get a good grip. Really worked well on a handlebar that wouldn't stop rotating under load with the required torque on the bolts.

Here is an amazon link to the junk I bought:
[url]https://www.amazon.com/Finish-Line-Carbon-Bicycle-Assembly/dp/B018FT9HOW[/url]

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1208070]Yesterday we were greeted with new chip seal on one of our most ridden roads. That sucks. I was on my folding bike which sucks even more. The little tires pick up more road vibration.[/QUOTE]

I sure hate chip seal. This was done on my roads a couple years ago and they also ground some nice rumble strips on the shoulder. Previously, I had nice wide shoulders that were also smooth. After a couple of years, the main road has smoothed out but the shoulder remains bumpy. I ride just to the left of the fog line with a close eye on the rear view mirror and move into the shoulder when a vehicle approaches. It works OK but I'm occasionally surprised by an approaching vehicle. I know it's legal to ride to the left of the fog line because I asked a cop about it a while back. As long as you're hugging the right side you're good.

Hate to admit it but I have never changed a chain.
Can someone provide a good how to video and what tools I need.
I have 5,300 miles on my original ultegra 11 speed chain.
I've been checking it by measurement. When I measure 12 inches pin to pin it's 1/32" long.

Normally if the bike needs anything I go to the shop in Des Moines but Des Moines is a hot spot now.

Is this the chain I need?
[url]https://www.rei.com/product/129960/shimano-ultegra-cn-hg701-11-speed-bike-chain[/url]

[QUOTE=Lee;1208082]Hate to admit it but I have never changed a chain.
Can someone provide a good how to video and what tools I need.
I have 5,300 miles on my original ultegra 11 speed chain.
I've been checking it by measurement. When I measure 12 inches pin to pin it's 1/32" long.

Normally if the bike needs anything I go to the shop in Des Moines but Des Moines is a hot spot now.

Is this the chain I need?
[url]https://www.rei.com/product/129960/shimano-ultegra-cn-hg701-11-speed-bike-chain[/url][/QUOTE]

Changing a chain is pretty simple. But it needs to be done in conjunction with changing the cassette. They wear together, and putting a new chain on a worn cassette will create a very crunchy drivetrain.

It is simple to do both, you just need a few tools. Rather than me try to describe it, just take a look at some of the how-to videos (eg Park Tools.)

At 5000+ miles, you are coming due but could probably eek out a bit more.

[QUOTE=vark;1208084]Changing a chain is pretty simple. But it needs to be done in conjunction with changing the cassette. They wear together, and putting a new chain on a worn cassette will create a very crunchy drivetrain.

It is simple to do both, you just need a few tools. Rather than me try to describe it, just take a look at some of the how-to videos (eg Park Tools.)

At 5000+ miles, you are coming due but could probably eek out a bit more.[/QUOTE]

In that case I'll probably hold off awhile and have the shop do it.
I need to get motorcycle tires in July at Des Moines. I can drop off my wheels, run to the bicycle shop to drop off the bicycle then go back for my tire.
This way I would not need to sit at either shop.

[QUOTE=Lee;1208085]In that case I'll probably hold off awhile and have the shop do it.
I need to get motorcycle tires in July at Des Moines. I can drop off my wheels, run to the bicycle shop to drop off the bicycle then go back for my tire.
This way I would not need to sit at either shop.[/QUOTE]

That’s not a bad plan at all. Bike shops can swap a chain and cassette so fast, most of the cost is in the parts anyway. I do my own maintenance, but I love my local bike shops so sometimes I will pay them to do something I can easily do myself, just to give them business.

Btw, if you are not 100% happy with the range of your rear cassette gearing, now is a good time to research what your options are. I always encourage friends to explore ways to achieve a higher cadence - - most stock road bikes are geared too high for ordinary recreational/fitness riders. So if you’re running an 11-25 or 11-28 cassette, consider a 12-30 or -32. You can also consider going to a 46 or 48 large chainring up front rather than 50 or 52.

[QUOTE=Lee;1208085]In that case I'll probably hold off awhile and have the shop do it.
I need to get motorcycle tires in July at Des Moines. I can drop off my wheels, run to the bicycle shop to drop off the bicycle then go back for my tire.
This way I would not need to sit at either shop.[/QUOTE]

It is super easy to change both the chain and the cassette. But there are a few special tools that make it easy:

1) A chain whip
2) A cassette spline socket
3) A chain breaker

The cassette is keyed, so you can only put it on one way. make sure you can see the gear numbers on each cog (if not, it is on backwards), and put the appropriate spacers in. First time it may seem like a puzzle but it is a really easy puzzle.

When I install a new chain, I use the old chain as a measurement device: I make the new chain exactly as long as the old chain.

I can take photos of each of those tools for you. You ride enough that knowing how to do this would not be a bad thing. I replace my chains fairly often. Maybe 3 or 4 chains per cassette? I always have spares lying around - I'm that kind of person. I also buy oil filters 10 at a time.

That chain is the one you want. I usually wait until I can find a sale and then buy 4 of them. Cassettes are more expensive, 60 to 70 dollars per.

But here is the thing: if you change your cassette and chain each spring along with a reset of your rear derailleur (take the cable off and 'reinstall'), it is like getting a new bike each year! For about $100. Also, you will know what to do should anything happen out on the road. When you know how and carry the tools, it is guaranteed that you won't have any problems ;))

[QUOTE=vark;1208086]That’s not a bad plan at all. Bike shops can swap a chain and cassette so fast, most of the cost is in the parts anyway. I do my own maintenance, but I love my local bike shops so sometimes I will pay them to do something I can easily do myself, just to give them business.

Btw, if you are not 100% happy with the range of your rear cassette gearing, now is a good time to research what your options are. I always encourage friends to explore ways to achieve a higher cadence - - most stock road bikes are geared too high for ordinary recreational/fitness riders. So if you’re running an 11-25 or 11-28 cassette, consider a 12-30 or -32. You can also consider going to a 46 or 48 large chainring up front rather than 50 or 52.[/QUOTE]

Really good advice regarding the gearing. In our area the hills are fairly short but there are a lot of very steep ones. I like having a 36/32 combination on my road bike. Gravel gets 34/32. If I was riding just flat, I would go with a 28 in the back because the jumps between gears would be tighter.

When I was young, I rode these same roads with a 39/25. For REALLY hilly stuff I would install a 12-27 cassette for that one day. I can't even imagine riding like that now...

In 15 minutes I removed a cassette, reinstalled it and took a bunch of photos:

First the tools. From Left to right, Chain whip, Cassette removal tool (2 different types, the bottom one is a socket that fits on a 1/2" ratchet), and a chain tool

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The chain tool in action. You place the chain on the tool, screw the 'back' part until it is touching the chain, then you drive the pin into the chain like using a vise.

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The chain whip just holds the cassette while you loosen the cap (see last picture for what the cap looks like). You don't need a chain whip to put the cassette back on, the free hub only spins when you remove it.

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With the cassette removal socket/tool attached. Just 'lefty loosy' from here.

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Here here is everything removed the cap is the black thing with the spline recepticals:

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I'm not sure you can see in the cassette but it also has splines. One spline is narrower than the others, that is the way that all of the gears are keyed.

Beemer Boneyard did not pay me for advertising.

I have done the cassette removal job with an old chain, vise grips and a small drift and hammer. Proper tools make it easier...

And a tip for dealing with a cassette when you have it removed and are going to store it - as soon as you remove it, put a zip tie through it to hold everything together. I'll throw the whole deal into some mineral spirits to loosen gook up.

I used to keep old cassettes just in case. It came in handy once: we had travelled to Ohio for a team triathlon (cool event: 4 triathlons in 3 days, 1 sprint, 2 Olympic, and 1 half ironman) and our other teammate started complaining about his shifting after the first race. When I went to look at his bike, the gears and chain were filthy - I couldn't even see what was going in but you could hear that it wasn't good. Being a boy scout, I had both the tools AND a cassette and chain. Swapped his stuff out, lubed it up and he was shifting pretty in about 10 minutes. This guy was terrible at keeping his bike maintained and he rode A LOT. And, yes, he is a mechanical engineer. He didn't even bring any tools (but he knew me very well).

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1208089]Really good advice regarding the gearing. In our area the hills are fairly short but there are a lot of very steep ones. I like having a 36/32 combination on my road bike. Gravel gets 34/32. If I was riding just flat, I would go with a 28 in the back because the jumps between gears would be tighter.

When I was young, I rode these same roads with a 39/25. For REALLY hilly stuff I would install a 12-27 cassette for that one day. I can't even imagine riding like that now...[/QUOTE]

It’s amazing to me how stock bikes are geared, for sales to ordinary recreational/fitness riders. Very often they have the same or nearly the same gearing that professional riders use. Even in my youth I was not on that level. I am in my mid-50s now and even farther from it.

I feel most recreational/fitness riders would benefit from less-aggressive gearing. This is a motorcycle forum so perhaps discussing it in this way will make more sense to folks: Chainrings and cassettes are the bicycle’s transmission, and the rider is the engine. When designing a motorcycle and spec-ing transmission gear ratios, engineers do so with full knowledge of the performance parameters of the engine that will drive it.

But the strength of any rider of a bicycle will vary widely. Bicycle designers can’t know how strong the engine will be. So they defer to the preferences of pro riders and generally speaking (especially on nicer road bikes) those choices trickle down to recreational/fitness riders. So different “engines” are all driving the same transmission, with greater or lesser efficiency.

Usually less efficiently. Slow cadence, lots of inefficient forward chainring shifts, not enough range for steep hills, etc.

I’ve helped many riding friends work toward these changes to their drivetrains, and every single one of them has benefitted. Even some who were stubborn at first, or were getting bad advice from their local bike shop. (Too many of the sales staff at bike shops are twenty- and thirty-something riders who can use their youthful strength and fitness to partially overcome the inefficient and poorly-matched drivetrain they are riding. Not having experienced the declining strength that comes with age, they can’t conceive how much physiology affects these selections.)

Since I purchased my current bicycle (in my early-mid-40s), I have been running a 48/34 chainrings with a 12-30 ten-speed cassette. Until the last couple years, this was an almost ideal set-up for me. Fairly recently I have had to switch to shorter cranks to address chronic hip pain (btw, hip pain disappeared with shorter cranks). But with the shorter cranks, combined with aging, I find the gear range is no longer optimal.

My next bike will have a 46/33 or even 46/30 crankset with a wide range 12-speed rear cassette. I am hoping SRAM will offer an 11-xx cassette range, to complement all the 10-xx ranges they currently offer in the 12-speed line-up. I don’t need a cassette gear with only ten teeth, and would much prefer another intermediate gear to shorten the steps on the way up to the 32 or hopefully 34 low gear.

The goal is to keep spinning fast, don’t bog the engine with low RPMs, and minimize forward chainring shifts. I see far too many riders chugging along in what I call “simulated hill-climb mode”, pushing way too hard and barely spinning. And when they do hit a real hill, the results are predictable. They are already spent from “climbing a hill“ on the flats. This is when a disciplined rider with proper gearing will hail for a pass.:thumb

Thank you guys for the helpful info and pictures.

Vark, good stuff and I agree. It seems that we are being pushed toward 1x setups (single front chainring), hence the 10 tooth and wide range 12 speed. The reason is tire clearance and frame design. Front derailleur placement on fat tire bikes illustrates the issue.

I love the new compact drivetrains. I run semi compact on my road bike but that is just me remembering how strong I was - not my current reality.

There is a place for 10 tooth cogs: I could really use a 53/10 on my small wheel bike. I spin out on downhills.

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1208117]Vark, good stuff and I agree. It seems that we are being pushed toward 1x setups (single front chainring), hence the 10 tooth and wide range 12 speed. The reason is tire clearance and frame design. Front derailleur placement on fat tire bikes illustrates the issue.

I love the new compact drivetrains. I run semi compact on my road bike but that is just me remembering how strong I was - not my current reality.

There is a place for 10 tooth cogs: I could really use a 53/10 on my small wheel bike. I spin out on downhills.[/QUOTE]

Oh, I’m definitely not against ten-tooth cogs. There’s definitely a place for them. But we don’t all need them. On a 2X drive train, I would gladly give up that extra high gear for more mid- and low-range options. I am just hoping SRAM will offer an 11-xx option in addition to all the 10-xx options.

I also am a fan of the 1X drivelines. There was a time, back in my mid-40s and before they were even available for roadbikes, where I went for about two years without once shifting into my smaller chainring. At that time I was crushing hills and really wishing there was such thing as a true road 1X to save weight. But now a decade later with them widely available, I am older and have suffered through multiple injuries and operations. I am happy to have my 2X available!

My wife has a really nice (but not expensive) 1X hybrid bike. It is set up with an 11-46 cassette and a 40T chainring (which can easily be swapped larger or smaller.) It is so fun and easy to ride. Perfect for her because she never rides enough to master the 2X driveline shifts - - she just doesn’t spend enough time with them to understand the overlaps. This is simple: shift one way for easy, the other way for fast. I really highly recommend these drivelines to casual riders.

If I had two bicycles, my second would have a 1X for casual riding.

I'm afraid to think how many years it's been since I went on a Mtn bike ride! Too long for sure. Anyway I got out and rode up to the top of the ridge to the monument as that pile of rocks is known. A nice grunt on very rocky technical two track with very little space to stop pedalling. Funny but it's almost easier pedalling up there than riding my 525 up there despite the heavy breathing. Only 1/2 hour up and 15 minutes down but a really nice little workout. My house is the little glimpse of white kind of centre.
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[QUOTE=vark;1208120]My wife ... never rides enough to master the 2X driveline shifts...[/QUOTE]

My late wife, who was an opththalmologist, had a really nice Specialized mountain bike with a bunch of Tom Ritchey stuff on it. It had Rapid Fire shifters, but she didn't know how to work them so she would just ride around in one gear.

This, after a day of doing Glaucoma laser surgery.....:ha

Skibum if I had that view available nearby I’d ride it every day. What a place!


[QUOTE=Rinty;1208143]My late wife, who was an opththalmologist, had a really nice Specialized mountain bike with a bunch of Tom Ritchey stuff on it. It had Rapid Fire shifters, but she didn't know how to work them so she would just ride around in one gear.

This, after a day of doing Glaucoma laser surgery.....:ha[/QUOTE]

God love her. It always amazes me how good some people can be at certain things, and terrible at others. But it’s a hallmark of genius. We’re lucky to have people like your wife in this world, even if too briefly.

Skibum, no idea how you can NOT ride with that view and that terrain! Thanks for the pic.

Yeah it's pretty sweet, this is another reason I'm here. 300 meters from my house.
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[QUOTE=vark;1208154]We’re lucky to have people like your wife in this world, even if too briefly.[/QUOTE]

Thank you.

Crappy iPhone pic from in front of my house of the same ridge I was on. This winter I had a great day surfing in the morning and then skiing a few of the wee bowls up on the ridge in the afternoon. As far as I know I'm the first person to ski up there. Pretty fricking cool to surf and ski same day in my back yard!
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[QUOTE=skibum69;1208228]Crappy iPhone pic from in front of my house of the same ridge I was on. This winter I had a great day surfing in the morning and then skiing a few of the wee bowls up on the ridge in the afternoon. As far as I know I'm the first person to ski up there. Pretty fricking cool to surf and ski same day in my back yard!
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In Bend, OR the trifecta is: ski in the morning, golf in the afternoon, then hit one of the 23 micro breweries in the evening...

Went for our first ride of the year with our nephew who is riding his newly built Lynskey gravel bike. We obviously influence him but he knows what he wants and saved up for a really nice bike.

Here are our three bikes together. Mine is in the middle with the newly attached rear rack. All titanium - it weighs nothing and is supposed to be super strong. I didn't notice any difference in the feel of the bike.

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