your daily bicycle log

i call that poem shasta keeps riding

http://boomeria.org/chemlectures/qual/keepontruckin.jpg

2 HR RIDE W DDB, KILLN IT

OH YEAH, WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE. LATER TONIGHT, I'LL TRY TO GET TO FT GREENE IN A SKIRT AND HEELS FOR A BIRTHDAY PARTY. UPDATES AS EVENTS WARRANT.

I flatted (rear) for the first time in ages riding home last night. Had a bitch of a time getting tire off (they're very tight fit), it was dark etc. I found the piece of wire that caused the flat, but the new tube leaked on remount, I think that tore it remounting. It was call for a ride or get over to broadway for the bus. I called. =DEFEAT.

"I tore it" that is.

you carry co2 or pumpage?

Mission accomplished, tho I'm not sure I didn't flash the traffic.

Actually I'm pretty sure I did.

For all recreational, CO2. For commuting, a crank bros micro pump in my saddle bag.

Testerday: Me, sick, weather- 72 deg and sunny

Today: Me, better, weather-

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7725/img0182bt3.jpg

2 hours again today, some high intensity intervals up in there

Cutty, you getting coaching?

yessss--this guy:

http://www.empirecycling.com/Sherry.html

SATURDAY, BROKEN TOE STRAP, SEVERAL ADJUSTMENTS, NO WATER, NO FUN.
SUNDAY, WORKED. COULDNT SEEM TO STAY ON BIKE, ATE SO MUCH SHIT.
MONDAY, MELLOW. PASSED ON DOWNHILL BY "FIXED GEAR DOWNHILL SPRINTER" VERY EAGER TO GET TO WORK I GUESS.

Saturday: cycled to Kingston to watch the football, then to the hospital to visit my grandmother. Man, hangovers don't half sap your energy, I felt pathetic. Nice weather though, and saw hell of deer on my way back through Richmond Park. Tried to photograph a big ol' stag but it's ruttin' season and it gave me a very dirty look so I couldn't get close enough.

Can a man on a bike outrun an enraged red deer?

I only rode to Dumbo and back BUT I overhauled the bb (SO SO DIRTY), checked the chain, realized it was massively stretched so replaced it, took apart the chainrings to clean & tighten all (2 out of 3 bolts were scarily loose), found the second (hidden) limit screw on my wack-ass Huret rear DR, adjusted shifting, lubed cables & pivots -- and WOW it rides like a different bike. SO SMOOTH now even though one of the things I confirmed is that my beautiful lg chainring is a little bent. We bent it back some, it'll do.

So quiet and solid now! I let it get too rattled, I should have done this a month ago.

How does a chain stretch (and wouldn't the derailleur compensate)? Sorry to keep asking noob questions, but I'm a noob.

Mark, the metal in each link of the chain will stretch over time, so you chain gradually get longer. Yes, this slack should get taken up by the rear mech, or on singlespeed bikes, you can move the rear wheel axle back in the dropouts to do this (if you don't, you'll end up with a baggy chain that will tend to jump off the chain ring). What will happen though is that as the chain stretches, it'll start wearing down the teeth on your gears in a funny way cos it won't be a proper fit. If you keep replacing your chain when the stretch gets to a certain amount, you can prolong the life of your gears I think.

so you chain gradually get longer so your chain will gradually get longer, duh

You'll find out all about chain stretch when you replace the cassette at the back without getting a new chain, and you'll be wondering why your bike doesn't work anymore.

Ah gotcha. What's the best way to check for chain stretch - or is it really noticeable? I remember on my old bike there was a resistance free split second before the pedals started working which I assume was because of a stretched chain but I guess the problem starts well before you reach this point?

What's the best way to check for chain stretch - or is it really noticeable?

Measure it with a ruler. Should be an inch per pair of links when new IIRC.

I remember on my old bike there was a resistance free split second before the pedals started working which I assume was because of a stretched chain but I guess the problem starts well before you reach this point?

Sometimes this can be down to wear where the crank sits on the axle, but also the top of the chain will be a bit slack when you stop your bike.

Should be an inch per pair of links when new IIRC

This is a pin-to-pin measurement BTW.

Or you could buy a chain wear gauge for, what, $15? $20? It's just a little thing, throw it in your toolbox.

this is the daily bicycle log thread

(1 hr on the rollers 90-100RPM)

One step ahead of you, Grumpy. See Tools thread.

just teasin boo

Cutty = JW-style own-board fascist :)

My Commute, by Hunt3r

White peaks, a pink sky
Make me forget that I have
a boil on my taint.

well done

LAST NIGHT, 11:45 PM, FLAT ON QUEENS BORO BRIDGE. I AS PULL OUT MY TOOLS, I REMEMBER I LEFT MY HAND PUMP IN MY MOUNTAIN BIKE BAG....WALKED TO SHADY GAS STATION IN LONG ISLAND CITY, IT STARTED TO RAIN! REPLACED TUBE, ASKED ATTENDANT FOR QUARTERS FOR THE THE PUMP (50 CENTS, WTF)...HE SAID HE DIDNT HAVE ANY...I BECAME SLIGHTLY UNHINGED, RANDOM SPANISH LADY GAVE ME QUARTERS FOR AIR PUMP. (THANK U MISS).

RODE HOME WET AND ANNOYED.

TODAY, RODE TO WORK IN RAIN. BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Left work after sunset yesterday. Entered Hyde Park at Queen's Gate, rode past the Albert Memorial in the dark, all very lovely. Got to Alexandra gate - gates closed. Had to ride down 100 metres of singletrack(ish) - made me appreciate the need for really proper lights doing mtb at night - and then lift my bike over a waist-high fence. Ah could've been worse.

This morning I managed the Hyde Park corner double - both ped xings in one go. Difficult but not actually impossible, seems to be down to the whims of the traffic light gods.

Tom, is there any reason to go round HPC on a bike? Aren't there alternative routes where you're less likely to die?

I'll be doing two laps of Richmond Park on Saturday, but I have the excuse of my less-fit mate cycling with me so no lap times will be taken. Which is lucky cos I was almost 3 minutes off the pace last time. Damn you, age.

Cycled almost all the way to work thinking I was going a lot faster and riding on higher gears than usual, then realised I was actually on the middle chainring, not the big one. Woe.

Mark, I go across the ped (+bike) (+horse) crossings so it's not dangerous - just really annoyingly timed. Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge roundabout are another story - although traffic's pretty slow around them so they're not that bad.

Someone hit me today. A pedestrian with a magazine. Admittedly I has in the wrong I jumped a red light to get out of the sphere of a taxi that was sitting on my rear wheel. Only just as it was going red as well and as I went across the crossing, a man hit me with a magazine. I was flabberghasted.

haha! i always think ppl are going to shove sticks through my wheels :/

yesterday a lady (on a bike herself) tutted, frowned and shook her head at me angrily for riding without hands (ok i'm guessing that was what it was for, can't think of anything else), i was so surprised i started laughing at her and she looked even more annoyed.

should have given her the finger(s)

Playing chicken with people riding the wrong way in your 24" of allotted shoulder space: C/D? I was tempted on Tues but it didn't seem worthwhile in the end.

If people hit cyclists with magazines for crossing red lights in NYC, we'd need a second police force.

I frown and shake my head at people riding no-handed - in my mind. You reckless young whippersnappers.

Playing chicken with people riding the wrong way in your 24" of allotted shoulder space: C/D? I was tempted on Tues but it didn't seem worthwhile in the end.

i end up doing this w pedestrians who don't look before stepping into the road/bikepath all the time. maybe it's childish (no, definite;y it's childish) but fuckit, i'm not gonna hit them and the shocked little noises they make crack me up. and maybe they'll look next time.

We only did one lap of the park today as my mate rightly realised that 2 laps would leave him broken, seeing as he hasn't even looked at a bike in over a year. Was nice and relaxing riding with a less fit friend, though I did feel like I'd only done my warm-up by the time I came home.

rode down to whitechapel to pick up a new chai, cassette, tyre, brake blocks, to limehouse town hall where there were some nice people who helped me with it all, rode a made-up route home smooooooooth...

Chai? You yuppie :)

No rides today, unless it dries up a bit. Too much eating, instead.

rain saturday :(

90 minutes on the rollers

bought new saddle to replace shot 90s gel POS that came on my roadie
removed old seat
adjusted blinky light mounting
attached new seat
began to reattach seat stem
broke bolt that runs through seat tube while tightening

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggggeeeeeeeeeeee

I bought a smart trainer just as we went into the first COVID lockdown (and just before they completely sold out as everyone else had the same idea). I use it with Zwift. I normally cancel my subscription from about March to October: if the weather's nice enough to ride outside, I want to ride outside. In theory, it would still be useful outside of the winter if I wanted to do a 25-minute post-work evening workout (which wouldn't be practical on the road given it takes longer than that just to get out of the urban sprawl), but I've got the trainer set up in our loft room which can get insanely hot in the summer (especially a week or two ago when it was 36C for several days). I tore my calf at the start of the year (while running) so back in February and March I used Zwift a lot as part of my rehab. My enthusiasm for riding outside (apart from commuting, where I don't really have much choice) drains away once the clocks go back, so my mileage always takes a nose dive in the winter months.

That’s my plan (minus the calf injury - sorry to hear): wahoo kickr + zwift (from Nov-March). I kind of resent paying $800 for a trainer just so I can use it with a paid subscription, so I’m curious if you find it’s worth it on top of just having the stationary bike?

first: yes barely worth it (i have a jetblack victory at excellent cost, pre-tariff).
2: no trainer ride over about 80 mins for me- if i need more i go rollerskiing, or snowshoeing, or hiking. i rly hate running but if i must l, i could.
3: it’s not hard to build your own workouts or copy them into golden cheetah for free smart trainer workouts. i was a 2012 beta tester for trainer road, and we were few. “scaling makes eveyone a greedy asshole” is my takeaway.

more recently i’ve been using mywhoosh which is bullshit petro greenwashing but FREE. and it is v mid next to zwift. but “no way i’ll pay any bastard to ride a robot” is my default.