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Work was closed today for a burst pipe, so I threw the commuter up on the repair stand. Turns out I broke a spoke on Thursday night in -15c, plus the double-wall wheels and bb were still full of floodwater from misjudging a puddle last Tuesday. I ended up just tuning up the beater hardtail to hold me over until I can get some new spokes and fix it.
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Jan 16, 2024 11:19
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 15:34 |
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Bike lane drama this morning. It's snowing, and the muni was out sweeping with the usual gear - a smallish articulated wheel loader with a rotating brush attachment in front, hauling a trailer with a salt hopper on in. The salt trailer was hanging upside down from a flatbed truck crane in the process of recovery, cops where there and everything. It looked from the snow tracks like the sweeper driver messed up and dropped a trailer wheel over the (pretty tall and vertical) curb down to the road, so I'm guessing it just fell over. The rest of the commute wasn't cleared but it was only about 3 cm of fresh snow and a strong tailwind so it was mostly fine riding.
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Jan 17, 2024 07:51
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A new lesson learned about the many, many joys of road salt. Something felt funky with the e-mtb yesterday and I gave it a quick look today. Front wheel flopping around, skewer wasn't tight. Except I couldn't tighten it or loosen it since the nut was seized to the bolt. Also the bolt was very much seized to the hub. Not sure how those two things would make the whole thing loose (and very dangerous!) but there it is. Methodical violence and penetrating oil got it apart without having to resort to fire and now it's all cleaned up. Also I found a broken spoke when messing with the front wheel (the first one on this wheel ever) - probably a consequence of one of several crashes I've had these last weeks because of road conditions. Off to the LBS I go for spokes, followed by the auto store for anti-seize since I can't find my old tube for some reason. Can't wait for salt season to be over. Spring clean/refresh this year will include a very thorough inspection because this scared me a little.
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Jan 27, 2024 12:24
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Invalido posted:A new lesson learned about the many, many joys of road salt. I've been doing a lot of walking lately.
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Jan 27, 2024 15:27
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cruft posted:I've been doing a lot of walking lately. quitter! I've been driving and walking and riding transit more than I would like lately too We're due for some thaw here next week so with any luck the worst of the ice might just clear up soon. I'm itching to properly use the cargo bike I finally sorted out mechanically/hydraulically after months of procrastination but it's not a good ride on bumpy clear ice.
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Jan 27, 2024 16:31
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Transit here is such a piece of poo poo I’d rather walk
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Jan 27, 2024 19:11
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Idunno. Transit combined with walking is a pretty great combo IMO. Stockholm transit could be better in many, many ways of course and I don't use it all that much, but I like that it is always an option, and that the rail network is pretty extensive for such a mediocre metro area population/density-wise. I like that I can bring a bike on the commuter trains. Like everyone else I hate using transit during rush hour and I don't ride the buses if I can avoid it but that's mainly because of my personal struggle with motion sickness.
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Jan 28, 2024 11:53
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Invalido posted:Transit ... Stockholm I suspect your transit situation is wildly different from, say, Pocatello, Idaho.
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Jan 29, 2024 16:59
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cruft posted:I suspect your transit situation is wildly different from, say, Pocatello, Idaho. I would think you're right. Sweden had some bold politicians post WW2 who weren't afraid to think big and long term (and had money because we were filthy turncoat collaborators who didn't get invaded or bombed so the post-war economy was great for a good while) so Stockholm got an ambitious subway system that wasn't in any way warranted by its modest size at the time. We have twice as many subway stations as Washington D.C. at a fraction of the population. More modern elected leaders aren't much into that kind of leadership but the old infrastructure is still there and there's even work going on to modestly expand the network so that's pretty neat I guess, though the transit system as a whole suffers from a bunch of mismanagement issues of course because it's present day Sweden after all. Anyways, you can't bring bikes on the subway network unless it's a Brompton in a bag or something like that so it's OT for this thead. You can take bikes on the commuter trains though, except during rush hour on weekdays and you can't get on or off with bikes at three stations (inner city and airport). Anyways it offers some neat possibilities. I sometimes go a place about 85 km away with the bakfiets - I have to ride 15 km to get to the nearest station with elevators big enough so I can reach the platform from street level but then I can ride the train to just 10 km from the final destination. I feel a bit dumb bringing that huge beast of a bike along but nobody's ever objected so I guess it's fine. When I rebuilt it last winter I made some mods to hopefully make it more compatible with escalators which would give me platform options closer to home but I haven't tried this yet. On rare occasions I take the road bike to some far flung station for a change of scenery or to ride a one-way rather than a loop just to mix things up, or I ride the train home just because I'm tired, or something is broken.
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Jan 29, 2024 19:03
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Almost got 100 % killed by a white BMW that floored it out of a parking lot into a left turn, last night. Pretty sure he was trying to scare me for fun, but I don't think he meant to come so close -- the road was mostly ice.
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Feb 9, 2024 15:36
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I took a spill today, again. Going too fast for the conditions, again. I lost the ability to steer going through previously compacted slushy snow that had softened considerably during the day (Stockholm muni of course because Stockholm don't plow), low-sided and went slush surfing. Only casualty seems to be a minor tear in an already worn out pair of rain pants. The jacket that I care about seems to be intact and it was in need of a wash anyway. All in all still better than driving. I probably should slow down at least a little though. I've fallen at least five times already this winter, three times at speed which is more than the last few winters put together. Also salt spray on the goggles is really, really annoying.
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Feb 14, 2024 16:40
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Groda posted:Almost got 100 % killed by a white BMW that floored it out of a parking lot into a left turn, last night. Pretty sure he was trying to scare me for fun, but I don't think he meant to come so close -- the road was mostly ice. What % killed did you wind up? 
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Feb 14, 2024 19:46
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Some random gotchas that are Brompton related or adjacent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRypxSUiqnU I do like the shape of that Tern tool.
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Mar 2, 2024 08:37
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Looking for some advice.. Transit has had me a little bummed this winter and I'm considering going for a proper commuter for the first time to reduce how many buses I have to sit on. Primary use will be winter or just when it's poo poo out and the (fenderless) gravel bike will be no fun. Live in Ottawa, Ontario, so salt hell. As a way of reducing the destruction I was thinking of going internal hub + belt drive. Frequent wipings down are doable but I absolutely do not have the stomach for drivetrain maintenance in the winter. Been looking at some options from Priority Bicycles and also the Trek District 4. Leaning towards the Trek, as it has a carbon belt (lower temperature rating), isn't much more expensive than the Priority bikes after shipping /exchange and no worry about having a shop service my mail order bike.. but I'm still open to suggestions. I couldn't really find tons of options. I understand with internal hubs in extreme cold they can freeze up, so you want to oil the hub rather than use grease. Is this something that's pretty easy to do after the fact or should I be looking for specific hub models? Any big things I'm missing? Does this seem like a viable plan or am I crazy to buy a new bike to subject it to these conditions? Thank you!
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Mar 12, 2024 22:51
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Math You posted:Looking for some advice.. The only currently made IGH hub for that would be the Shimano Alfine 11, the others are greased (or, like, a Rohloff...). Service/clean/oil flush on it twice a year before and after winter, I don't care what Shimano says 'cause they don't have Ottawa/Montreal winters with the slush, temperature swings, and salt.
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Mar 12, 2024 23:03
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Math You posted:I understand with internal hubs in extreme cold they can freeze up, so you want to oil the hub rather than use grease. Is this something that's pretty easy to do after the fact or should I be looking for specific hub models? Any big things I'm missing? Does this seem like a viable plan or am I crazy to buy a new bike to subject it to these conditions? I also live in winter salt hell, and I fully intend to get belt drive on my next commuter bike. Compared to derailleur drivelines, winter chain maintenance on an IGH bike really isn't terribly bad though. My IGH winter bike sees very little salt spray on the chain for various reasons so maybe that's why. More generally, salt season is terrible for bikes. I still think it's worth it compared to driving or public transit but I replace a lot of parts other than driveline bits (bearings all over, cables, brake pads) and I also get rusty steel and nasty aluminium corrosion in places where the paint has chipped, including on the frame. Whether you are crazy to subject a new bike to this abuse depends on how attached you get to shiny things I guess, and what your tolerance is for buying and replacing pedals and bottom brackets and whatever else will fail faster than you'd like. E: 8 gears not 10 obviously Invalido fucked around with this message at 10:56 on Mar 13, 2024 |
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Mar 13, 2024 10:25
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Math You posted:I understand with internal hubs in extreme cold they can freeze up, so you want to oil the hub rather than use grease. Is this something that's pretty easy to do after the fact or should I be looking for specific hub models? Any big things I'm missing? Does this seem like a viable plan or am I crazy to buy a new bike to subject it to these conditions? Here in Stockholm, it gets cold sometimes and we do use salt, but I've been running a Shimano Nexus 8 (which uses grease) without significant problems. The worst it's gotten is just a bit of gumminess the first block or so, and having to run up and down the gears once or twice to get things moving. In exchange for that, you get 307 % range and more brake (including coaster brakes) / shifter options. Plus it's like $100 cheaper than the Alfine line, and hundreds cheaper than a Rohloff. Even oiled hubs are still going to suffer from frozen condensation's effects on their cabling and shifters. That said, I'm pointing people towards the Alfine 11 nowadays, since support has gotten so much better for them here. A 300 % gear range is adequate for my city, but, if you're happy with disc brakes and trigger shifters, that 400 % range is going to make things even better.
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Mar 13, 2024 10:45
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Groda posted:Even oiled hubs are still going to suffer from frozen condensation's effects on their cabling and shifters.
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Mar 14, 2024 15:33
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evil_bunnY posted:dee eye twoo babyyyy, I really don't loving miss the frozen shift cables every loving winter. My winter bike's two big problems are both electrical, coincidentally. Not exactly running to switch to a proprietary shifter system with those problems, too.
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Mar 14, 2024 15:40
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Almost time to take the studded tires off. I've been off the bike now for about 2 months because the weather here was shockingly inconsistent, it just made the ice treacherous. Any recommendations here for helmet cams? The spring brings out the chuds and idiot dog owners that I'd love to catch on tape if they cause an accident. GoPros are a little too expensive as far as I can see.
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Mar 14, 2024 19:46
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Nobody Interesting posted:Almost time to take the studded tires off. I've been off the bike now for about 2 months because the weather here was shockingly inconsistent, it just made the ice treacherous. There’s years worth of GoPros to pick from. You don’t need a Gen 12 or Gen 13 or whatever they’re on. Something from 6-7 years ago will do fine for action cam duty.
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Mar 14, 2024 19:53
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trilobite terror posted:There’s years worth of GoPros to pick from. You don’t need a Gen 12 or Gen 13 or whatever they’re on. Something from 6-7 years ago will do fine for action cam duty. Good point! It was good enough for Peter Jackson's masterpiece in 2012, after all 
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Mar 14, 2024 19:55
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The flat handlebar mitts I had on my last bike reappeared on Amazon after I couldn’t find them for a while. On sale at $15 is an insane deal https://www.amazon.com/BNVB-Handlebar-Weather-Windproof-Mountain/dp/B09TSL3PD3/ I got some other ones after my bike got stolen, but am getting back into these.
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Mar 16, 2024 09:27
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Groda posted:My winter bike's two big problems are both electrical, coincidentally. Not exactly running to switch to a proprietary shifter system with those problems, too.
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Mar 16, 2024 18:38
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https://youtu.be/_yDtLv-7xZ4?si=SQCLPqdB7MkhG0TR NotJustBikes went to Montreal and liked it and also didn’t trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 15:28 on Mar 24, 2024 |
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Mar 24, 2024 15:22
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Nobody Interesting posted:Any recommendations here for helmet cams? The spring brings out the chuds and idiot dog owners that I'd love to catch on tape if they cause an accident. GoPros are a little too expensive as far as I can see. for a quick toss-it-on-the-helmet cam, I’d go with an older (maybe 8-9 when they figured out super stabilization) gopro. cycliq was nice but kept dying right after warranty expiration on me and they refused to help at all
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Mar 24, 2024 16:34
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does anyone have recommendations for a good front light that's rechargeable? my wife and my current ones are dying after a couple hours now that they're several years old and need to be replaced. I would occasionally need it for actual illumination of paths for areas without street lighting and the woods as well. I might eventually get around to building a wheel with a dynamo hub, but I don't have time for that right now
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Apr 9, 2024 10:15
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I’ve been very happy with my Cygolites, especially the Ranger line. The downside was micro USB charging. It looks like they have USB C charging on the Velocity models though. The endurance ones have some super nice runtimes.
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Apr 9, 2024 12:54
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Mauser posted:does anyone have recommendations for a good front light that's rechargeable? my wife and my current ones are dying after a couple hours now that they're several years old and need to be replaced. I would occasionally need it for actual illumination of paths for areas without street lighting and the woods as well. Dynamo wheels are drop-in replacements and easier/cheaper than ever. There's no excuse.
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Apr 9, 2024 13:17
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Mauser posted:does anyone have recommendations for a good front light that's rechargeable? my wife and my current ones are dying after a couple hours now that they're several years old and need to be replaced. I would occasionally need it for actual illumination of paths for areas without street lighting and the woods as well. For rechargeable: I recently got a Magicshine Evo 1700, and I really like it. GoPro mount, usb-c recharge, cutoff beam (not sure it's officially stvzo but it's quite good), plus a remote control to toggle brightness + high beam which is so fuckin nice. For dynamo: bike24 often has pre built dynamo wheels for cheap.
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Apr 9, 2024 20:11
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thanks for the recommendations. I might just buy the pre-built dynamo wheel for the commuter and figure out what to do with the camping bike when I am able to get back into my semiannual bikepacking trips
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Apr 9, 2024 21:43
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Pricey, but the Outbound Detour is great. https://www.outboundlighting.com/products/detour They have mtb-centric options too if you are doing a lot of off road riding.
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Apr 9, 2024 23:33
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all right, new questions: I vaguely remember there being a chat about one dynamo hub being better than others. Does it matter and could you all refresh my memory? And what do you all recommend for a front lamp brand?
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Apr 9, 2024 23:35
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It's been a long time since I looked up dynamo stuff, but I think SON hubs were the top dog, while Shutter Precision was cheaper but more in the "good enough" territory.
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Apr 9, 2024 23:40
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Coxswain Balls posted:It's been a long time since I looked up dynamo stuff, but I think SON hubs were the top dog, while Shutter Precision was cheaper but more in the "good enough" territory. Basically. I have one of each. I like the coax stuff with SON, I like that the SP turns on instantly at any speed. The SON will probably last longer, but was twice the price.
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Apr 10, 2024 03:35
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Coxswain Balls posted:It's been a long time since I looked up dynamo stuff, but I think SON hubs were the top dog, while Shutter Precision was cheaper but more in the "good enough" territory. The only justification for SON prices is if you have a front hub OLD that isn't 100 mm. Any consumer-level 3 W dynamo from Shimano is good enough if your lamp isn't total garbage. Most StVZO lamps are decent enough to rectify output.
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Apr 10, 2024 07:59
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Groda posted:The only justification for SON prices is if you have a front hub OLD that isn't 100 mm. There are other considerations than the dynamo itself though, as there are with any hub / wheel. I understand having more concerns for people doing ultra distance / night audaxes etc. For commuting sure though.
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Apr 10, 2024 09:08
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Yeah this is for groceries and heading to work so cheaper is fine for me. At the rate I'm going, a car will destroy this bicycle long before the parts wear out.
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Apr 10, 2024 12:16
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First ride of the season, with helmet cam, and I already caught a dumb dog walker  It's not a very good cam. Was only 50bux, but I got it mainly to capture any dog-based accidents which I think it does competently enough. https://i.imgur.com/Z3yCuZL.mp4 Also feel free to roast me if there was something I should have done better here (there is sound - I ring the bell a few times)
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Apr 10, 2024 17:23
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What camera is it? I've been thinking about getting one to make a montage of all the dumb poo poo I see commuting.
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Apr 10, 2024 17:47
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