noob questions

I find the little rind p.useless and the hardest gear on the biggest ring doesn't give me enough tension when going all-out

ring*

What are your front rings and what sort of cadence are you riding at?

now you're getting technical!

(dunno :))

12x27 with a standard crank (53x39) = fit rider looking for a bailout up steep climbs
12x27 with a compact crank (50x34) = perfect for beginners, but don't be mistaken: even some pro guys will go compact with a 27 if there are significant mtn passes to be ridden on a particular stage.

yeah, I think it's a compact (how do I know if it is?) I should take my bike to a mechanic and get him to talk me through it I guess

the amount of teeth should be written on the chainrings

and as Ed mentioned upthread... you can count the teeth ffs! :-P

counting is hard

noob question: how do I count?

(ty for humouring a noob dudes)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crankset#Chainrings

all those metal bits emanating outward from the metal ring are "teeth". the amount of teeth on your chainring versus the amount on your rear cog (a cluster of which is referred to as a cassette) will determine your gear inch ratio, ie, how much work required to turn the pedals.

ok now you're just taking the piss

h8 u

:)

:) I'm grateful for the help, ty

When trying to count the teeth you could place a finger or thumb on each tooth as you work your way round. You have a total of five of these on each hand. Given that all your cogs and rings will have more than ten teeth, and that you only have two hands*, you will need to enlist the help of at least one other person for this exercise, perhaps even five additional people. Once all the teeth have a digit resting on them simply count the number of whole hands involved and multiply by five. Add on the number of fingers used from the incomplete hand (if there is one) and hey presto, you have your teeth number. Ensure you and your five companions wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

*I assume

I thought this was a safe zone :__(
http://www.genderworkchicago.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/safe_zone.320201324_std.JPG

see but I actually do have two hands but ~no fingers~

how do I shot

don't worry you are still in the nest

it's jsut that while the old man is gone mean low cat bullies think they can just go around out PROing the n00bs

I miss the Hunt3r. :-(

I h8 the rest of u, well... except for all of you.

yeah he is the only way I know about cycling in the 90s

heard he owned one of the very first anodized skewers

high fived tinker juarez at a trade show

crashed a prototype y-33 in moab

had beers the night before the actual YETI gave up the bike game and rejoined his people in the mountains of the himalaya

listening to music while on bike: y/n?

emphatically no, I enjoy being not dead.

what about podcasts

enh, i'm 50-50 on the music thing. when i was taking classes, i could do 90% of my commute on the greenway, where jamming tunes just isn't an issue at all.

now i've got a) those squishy sound canceling headphones and b) a commute thru downtown, so no dice

i tried this only once and i immediately felt like my balance was off and couldn't do it -- some kind of inner ear, reg'lar ear connection problem maybe?

can't beat the dulcet tones of m.bragg on in our time as you cruise along I find
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/img/presenters/melvyn_bragg.jpg

on cyclist-only closed circuits it's questionably of merit, but impairing your senses anywhere with auto traffic is not a good idea imo.

i did a hillclimb a week ago and there was a gal with a music system with speakers on her rig, thought it was kinda cute.

I always feel kinda envious of people who can listen to music when they're riding, but I really can't dare myself to even try it. If I'm ever off the bike for commuting for more than a day at a time it's the extra hour or so of listening and reading that makes it harder to get back on the saddle.

saw some old man beardo with a custom rigged helmet w/two small speakers projecting sound into the helmet from the outside. not very aero, but he could still listen to music w/o impairing his senses

I am SO aware of the conscious and subconscious help my ears give me when commuting in London that I would feel extremely uneasy if I took away even part of that ability. Lots of people swear it doesn't cause any problems but I just can't believe them.

I also like the bike for a chance to think, and to take in sights and sounds (even if most of them are of traffic). It never occurs to me that I'd enjoy my ride more with music; when I'm in a car driving it's somehow a much less immersive experience, and there's a place for music to add to the experience that just isn't there on a bike. I guess I'm saying I'm never *bored* on a bike in a way that music would fix.

I think trying to ride w/ headphones would be kind of nerve-wracking for me. Even on the country roads that I do most of my riding on, I know I would find myself constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure there wasn't some garbage truck barreling toward me or something.

don't commute w/ headphones, but i find them quite necessary for long, solo, soul-searching rides

was given a bike for my birthday a couple of years ago. i like it - it's a little heavy - but i don't know where the frame is from. no markings at all, matte black, except for a little sticker that says "Bulletproof". googling is no help. is this a brand or what? was wondering if it's good enough to keep and add parts to or whether i should think about starting with something better. (note: i am a total noob, so don't think i can justify a frame over £300)

I guess I'm saying I'm never *bored* on a bike in a way that music would fix

Yeah, agreed. If I thought riding a bike was boring, I wouldn't be riding a bike in my free time. I'm on the bike for the fun of it - it's not like I need music to make it bearable. Whereas most people don't drive cars just for the fun of driving.

i almost always ride with headphones in, including city riding... i find that i can hear road noise well enough to be safe, as long as i'm not blasting the music. but reading the pretty much 100% attitude against riding w/headphones, maybe i should reconsider because i'm being unsafe? i'm not going to challop and say that it doesn't affect my ability to hear road noise at all, just that i can still hear cars pulling around me, honking, etc.

I guess all you can do is do a direct comparison and see if the difference is noticeable/positive.

The things I would worry about not being able to hear are, say, the difference between a car and a scooter engine behind me, the difference between a car coasting and revving, whether a car's approaching along an as yet unseen side road, the noises that tell me what the van I just filtered past is going to do next, that kind of thing. I am sure I'd be shoulder checking a lot more, which may be a good thing, who knows.

so... I am thinking of doing a 90k charity ride in September but I'm not sure how feasible it is. would appreciate advice from seasoned ILTRMBors...

It's the Tour de Picnic which involves cycling from Dublin (starting at 10am) to the Electric Picnic, which is the best major music festival in Ireland (Roxy Music / Leftfield / Massive Attack / LCD Soundsystem headlining this year). Your bags and tents are brought down separately and if you raise €500 (for a kids' hospital) your ticket is paid for.

Sounds pretty tempting but I have no idea if I'm up to it... I cycle pretty much every day to/from the city centre (only about 3 miles each way). I'm fitter than I have been in a good while, last month I ran my first ever 10k in just under 50 minutes. My bike is a cheap but reliable traditional dudes' bike and may also be inferior to the challenge. I wouldn't be buying a new bike for this tho...

is it doable? (there's also the question of raising that much money!!). any tips on training / gear / etc would also be much appreciated!

90k should be very doable for anyone with moderate fitness, by way of comparison we took complete novices on our 5 day DC to pittsburgh ride and they coped just fine, and that was longer every day, off road and carrying all ones own stuff. Most people can quite happily average a little over 15km/h for hours without batting an eyelid. That's 6 hours in the saddle at the very worst and 8 once you stop for lunch and along the way.

Given your gear is taken for you, all you should need is water bottles, 2 if your bike will take them, a pump, spare tube and tyre levers. get a small underseat bag or handlebar bag for these. Don't forget to eat and drink often, pack lots of bananas, chocolate, trail mix etc. YOu'll need a waterproof, and padded shorts is probably a good idea. You'll also have a better time if you grease areas likely to chafe, there are professional bum grease products but vaseline or nappy rash cream work almost as well. ALthough you don't need it a cycling jersey is nice to have, if only for the useful pockets on the back.

Oh, a cheapo bike computer is nice, you can use it to pace yourself, given your recent running exploits you should probably have no problems at an 18 km/h average or even higher. Get one and go an knock off 30km, you should have no problems.

The bottom bracket on a bike I was hoping to sell is wobbly. Front hub is wobbly too. This is after it was sitting in a room being unridden for a year :/ anyway how do i shot wobbly bracket/hub? New bracket and hub called for? That would be annoying, don't want to have to spend cash to fix a bike I want to sell.

overhauling a bottom bracket is maybe the most dreadful bike mechanic maneuvers apparently.

good luck!

might just wheel it into my lbs and ask for a quote

my previous record at bottom bracket overhauls is not great (count=1, result=stripped thread)