your daily bicycle log

Rides like gbx's back 40 is what I'm talking about. If I had gone home instead of Ohio for tgiving I could have done that. Jealous.

are what I'm... >:(

New to these bike threads. I went on two rides over Thxgiving weekend in the hills west of Boston, around twenty miles each. My toes froze in my SIDIs.

23 degrees this morning, had to bust out the swix ear warmers (which i highly recommend, as i dislike hats for riding). still ridin in my work trousers, undershirt/dress shirt, and light windbreaker tho. if it gets colder than that im wearing somethin thermal on top, i think im at the limit.

why do legs not get cold? mine at least.

50 degrees, moist ground, 2 hrs, easy easy hardly hit Z2. feel like i'm still recovering from sunday.

legs don't get cold because they're working....right?

cold and sunny and crisp today. good riding. think that sh33na my dispatcher is sweet on me.

i think my bike is too quiet.

i was passing this guy on the left and i'm around him and then he floats out to the right and bars me on my hip and then goes "woah, sorry!" kinda dusky, so maybe a little dark but he sounded genuinely surprised.

dont wanna ride home at 9 at night bleah.

i nearly did that to someone today, on the ride home.

passed some dude on a LOUD mountain bike, going over one of chicago's "hills" (overpass). i'm being conservative on the downside (LOL NO BRAKES), and hear the clickety-click of a freewheel coming up on my right, fast. move over to the left, a little confused (who passes on the right?), and nearly check some turbo who's overtaking me. no harm, no foul, but motherfucker was red october compared to the dude i had passed.

gaaaaaaah the streets this morning were lousy with morons. i must've yelled at like 20 people in a 30-minute ride. FUCK OFF, FUCK OFF FUCK OFF. (that is not what i yelled.)

My rear wheel has developed a bit of left-right movement, maybe 3mm. This is bad, right? What is the problem? I have Zinn but it's at home and I want to know if I need to pick up parts on the way home.

I went to the Condor shop at lunchtime. <3 <3 <3

i want to go to the condor shop!

did 2.5 hours in central park

I HAVE BEEN TO THE CONDOR SHOP

FACT

i mean, i think.

it was in london, anyway.

LDN, btw, is A++ fun traffic riding

If you like a challenge it is. And by and large people in central London drive quite well, since it's usually their job. I'd be a lot more nervous about *accidentally* being knocked off my bike in, say, Peckham.

I should clean my bike this weekend, and try and book it in for a service. As I've *never* had a bike serviced before - is it okay for me to say "can I have a full service please, and can you also try and sort out the ticking noise in the bottom bracket and return my brake/gear lever blocks ("flight deck"? Is there a proper word for the bit you hold on to?) to their original positions since they've slipped a lot thanks to banging into things"?

Is "LDN" all Lily Allen's fault?

you can blame dizzee

Blocks? Flight deck? Now I'm confused.

Are you sure it's a bicycle you've been, er, "riding"?

Mark: you mean "hoods."

Well I did ask for there to be a glossary thread only to be told to stfu :)

That's because Sheldon Brown already covered it.

It doesn't work the other way round though.

Anyway, I'm not going mad:

http://store.airbomb.com/mmAirbomb/Images/large/q/LD6600.jpg

A quick googling tells me that "Flight Deck" is a trade name for a Shimano cycle-computer that's supposed to be keyed to yr shifters in order to track and display your gearing & cadence calculations. So congratulations, your levers are Flight Deck-compatible.

ive yet to see anybody with the actual flight deck computer, for all of the compatible levers out there.

there was like two weeks in 1990 when i was dying to know my cadence at all times.

so today- 18 degrees. i wore the lobsters, the fleece beanie, the thermal l/s jersey over the dress shirt. diagnosis: toes frozen, all other systems go.

the weather channel had a feature on winter bike riding in chicago last night, gbx, i was hoping to see you. instead they had some wrench from a bike shop- "west lake" or something.

I love the lobsters! Because they're called lobsters!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2081/2074068928_f930128c51_o.gif

First time riding all the way to work (usual commute = 3 mile ride to train station, 45-minute train ride, 2 mile ride to work each way). Figured I'd do it once in the morning before it started to snow, since long night rides in the suburbs = easy way to get killed. Fun ride.

I'M SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCKING SHIFTER BRAKE HOOD DOOHICKEY WAS CALLED OK

lobsters = these?

http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/500/10-2974-IND-BACK.jpg

I think I would feel weird wearing them.

my lobsters are really old, not the loose shelled amfib type. they're also worn out, maybe i'll get the pictured ones. they are good for below 25 or 30 degrees.

what i like about that map is that it shows my old residence in needham, and almst exactly maps my bike commute to the ski market on rt 9 in Framingham where i worked like 15 years ago.

What I liked most about this ride: passing a sign that said "FELCHVILLE" on rt. 135.

govern: nice work, how long was the commute total?

hunter: what did you have on your feets?

govern, what software is that (and is it free?)

it looks like mapmyride.com, no?

Yeah, mapmyride.com. Took about an hour and a half, but I was taking it pretty easy (and running 66", so spinning a lot on the flat stretches).

xpost

thin dress socks and a really old pair of ultra light slip on spd compatible shoes. they suck as "riding shoes" (super soft sole, minimal lugs, no support at all) but have three desirable characteristics for commuting-- they pack almost totally flat, weigh almost nothing, and have no laces. eh, they're walkable too, for short distances.

i could have worn fleece socks, but my goal with commuting always is to need to change as few items of clothing as possible.

im ready to replace shoes, but i get stuck on certain technical things, and i wont pay for much for commuting shoes.

how about just invest in some winter shoe covers? i'm worried about your toesies

ha thx. i have two pr of covers that really only fit my rd shoes. but maybe those neoprene toe covers would be the tikit.

heres a roadie dud: wearing a pair of your team socks over yr shoes. look, i know some racer doods do this, but it is stoopid and does not keep yr feet warmer. not that i ever tride it. (ok i did).

That makes sense: the socks aren't windproof, so their waffle knit isn't actually holding any warm air in. You need the windproof layer OVER the insulated layer.

"well, if you squint juuuuust right those socks look like team shoe covers!"

ive not seen this as much recently, its old school and maybe reflects a time when decent shoe covers were not so easy to score. yknow-"COPPI DID IT LIKE THIS BEYOTCHES!"

speaking of robster craws, LG makes these convertible finger into robster groves:

http://www.velocitynation.com/pictures/image/gloves/lg.jpg

*stunned silence* breakthru or dubious achievmnt?

i heart most LG stuff.

Today was the first day here it was too cold to ride without gloves. I must've looked funny to my (awesome) neighbor turning around halfway down the street and riding right back home like a pink-knuckled pussy.

My commuting shoes - they look like regular trainers and are fine for walking in. I've even been dancing in 'em.

http://www.bikemagic.com/news/images/specialized_sonoma_sml.jpg

Oh and I rode in today for the first time in two weeks. On the way back had to stop sharply for a) guy reversing on to main road; 2) guy driving on to pavement to skip queue and turn left; iii) taxi driver pulling in in front of me.

those look perfect except for laces, where do where they from?

those are specialized methinks.

Oh and I rode in today for the first time in two weeks.

yeah i was wondering where you were!