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Very good OP, just need a mod to fix the thread tag. I hope once the pandemic is over there's an influx of people switching to cycling as their primary means of transportation with the sweet new bikes they got during lockdown.AreWeDrunkYet posted:e: Oh, and my biggest takeaway from getting settled into the commute was figuring out how to carry as little as possible. Not taking a laptop back and forth meant dropping the backpack which was huge for comfort, and since theft isn't a concern at the bike rack at work a thin gun cable lock* that wraps around the seat post when not in use is plenty and way less of a hassle than a u-lock. I'd never lock up without my Abus Granit X-Plus, but I have a bunch of those locks that came with some of my guns that I never use (because I have my own locks that are keyed alike). I wonder if it's small enough to install unnoticed on the front brake rotor, and if a thief trying to haul rear end out of there can build up enough momentum to do an endo. If my bike ever got stolen I think it'd cheer me up a little to know that they got hurt in the process. Just need to make sure I never forget to remove it myself before heading off.
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Jul 26, 2020 04:03
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 14:16 |
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AreWeDrunkYet posted:Ouch. The bikes I use for touring and commuting are 40-50 pounds so I don't think it's a big deal. I'm of the opinion that weight is the least of my concerns on an everyday errand and getting around bike. The vast majority of the bikes I saw in Japan were mamacharis so I know I'm not in the minority.   For what it's worth the Granit-X is the lightest lock in its strength class, with mine measuring at 3.2lbs. LockPickingLawyer reviewed it recently and recommended it, which is some very high praise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtdiO1ZiiXk
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Jul 26, 2020 06:08
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Twobirds posted:What gloves do people go with in the winter? I've gotten some thick bike gloves but they aren't up the task once temperatures get below 40F, though that's usually my only body part that complains. At around those temps I can get by with either some cross-country skiing gloves from Auclair or bare hands in 45Nrth Cobrafist pogies. When it gets colder I switch to thin gloves in the pogies, and past -25C I use skiing gloves in pogies, possibly with hand warmers when it starts to approach -40C.
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Jul 27, 2020 00:55
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I vividly remember my big crash on a descent and how my head skipped and ground across the pavement. No head or neck injuries which was a miracle considering I was going 70-80kph, and I wasn't mentally impaired in the slightest. I wish I could have kept the helmet as a keepsake, but I had to send it in for the crash replacement discount. I agree that shaming people for not wearing them is bad though, and making them mandatory does more harm than good, especially among certain demographics. I'm certainly guilty of not putting it on if I'm just going to the corner store, but it's good to let people understand that the difference it might make can be life changing.
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Jul 31, 2020 08:52
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You can get them directly from China for a couple bucks each. I can't remember the search term I used but I have a bag of them from a long time ago when I used to use flashlights as bicycle headlights. I used the ones with a 90 degree offset for mounting lights on my handlebars, and the ones without the offset for mounting things like locks and pumps.
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Aug 19, 2020 05:33
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https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32811840685.html https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32995956761.html Bike LED flashlight strap mount torch fixed clip bicycle helmet gun lock block holder universal
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Aug 19, 2020 07:47
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Are you talking about the strap buckle? The block itself is made of rubber so as long as it's tightened down on something there shouldn't be any rattling.
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Aug 20, 2020 23:25
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Does your budget include accessories like fenders and lights? Depending on what your lockup situation is like at work going with the lower end of your budget isn't such a bad idea, you can get a pretty decent modern-ish commuter in the cheaper end of your budget and spend the extra on kit that makes the commute easier and/or more fun. Disc brakes are cool and good, especially if you're getting something new. Mechanical discs are only preferred for niche situations that you're not likely to find yourself in, so go with proper hydraulics.
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Oct 20, 2020 03:58
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lol at that video making it seem like dutch bikes for people in need are common here in Winnipeg, and when I look at their site their bikes are $1.5k plus so it's still hipster bougie poo poo. The majority of the the winter bikes I see here are beater hybrids or department store mountain bikes, although fatbikes are becoming super common here as they come down in price with Costco and Canadian Tire options becoming available.
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Feb 10, 2021 07:00
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Giant Metal Robot posted:Is there anything like a good guide to rear racks? It's one of those things that everytime I buy one, a find a bunch of different designs, all capable of 44lbs, with more or less tubes, about the same weight, and anywhere from $30-$100. I have no idea why any of them are better than the other. Steel is more expensive and usually heavier than aluminum, but it's more durable, can be bent back into place with less worry about metal fatigue, and can be welded with the most basic equipment. In practice this is probably only going to be a concern on unsupported tours where you need to be able to fix stuff after an accident; my aluminum front rack was toast after a crash and if it was steel it would have been super easy to fix. Other than that it's mostly about what fits your bike and the stuff you're going to mount onto the rack without running into issues like heel strike. I won a porteur rack in an alleycat and while it's nice for groceries and take-out pizza, I prefer a lowrider rack when touring because I like the weight being as low to the ground as possible for long rides. The best way to figure out what works for you is to bring it to the shop and do a test fit to see if there are any glaring incompatibilities such as your disc brakes being in the way of the rack stays, and if you're going to need to be creative with bending your fender stays to get everything to play nice.
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Mar 18, 2021 17:28
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Giant Metal Robot posted:I'll never have questions about rear racks again. I can fit so many pizzas on this thing 
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Mar 20, 2021 00:34
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Parrotine posted:DOUBLE EDIT: Haha it only works once?! https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2012/08/portland_bicyclists_can_now_bu.html That thing looks dumb but all helmets are single use and should be replaced after taking a hit.
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May 9, 2021 00:38
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I found an Ortlieb sitting in a flooded ditch a week after its owner was smoked by a car going 100km/h with all its contents still dry as a bone. The only thing damaged were the attachment hooks so once I can get the hardware shipped to my country at a reasonable price it'll be good as new. She ended up okay and let me keep it since shipping it back to her would have been costly. I prefer panniers with pockets and compartments instead of a roll top, but it's the gold standard if that isn't a concern for you.
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Jul 18, 2021 06:43
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I like to keep a set of nitrile gloves in my repair kit for exactly that reason.
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Aug 4, 2021 01:39
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If you're just patching a tube and it's obvious where the puncture is, you can leave the wheel on the frame and just wedge out the part of the tire and tube where the puncture is. Remove the offending material, patch it up and you're good to go.
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Aug 4, 2021 05:55
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cebrail posted:Fixies were mostly track bikes in the beginning, and you're not allowed to have brakes on the track. Not having brakes in actual traffic is just a toxic masculinity thing I think. The bike wants to go fast, it's steadier that way. I've never been hurt going all out. It's just the, the hesitation that'll kill you. I hate brakes. Brakes are death. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSID_eC4Eg0
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Aug 30, 2021 10:54
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Strategic Tea posted:The best theft countermeasure is to commute on an ordinary bike and not a £2,000 rich man's monstrosity IMO. Make them nick the bike next to yours instead. People say this but from what I've been seeing in my local stolen bike group it doesn't ring true any more, if it ever really did. Really expensive bikes are harder to fence or sell for scrap, and meth den chop shops don't typically have the tools for stuff like modern bottom brackets when they try to scramble parts around. All the "rich man monstrosities" I see on the stolen bikes page are from garage and balcony break ins, the locked up commuters that are posted are more often than not basic hybrids, old ten speed road bikes, and hardtail mountain bikes. Using a junker isn't the theft deterrent it used to be, unfortunately.
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Nov 14, 2021 22:55
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learnincurve posted:Friend of mine had his quad bike stolen last night, he claims it had chains and a wheel clamp but two days ago I tried to explain how “I went with the brand the insurance company recommended” was meaningless bullshit and he didn’t believe me. He once tried to lend me some “locks” and they were £3.99 combination locks so good knows what was on that quad. It's infuriating how many trikes, quads, handcycles, etc. for disabled people are being posted on the stolen bike pages here in the past year or two. Often its because they just can't be brought inside or easily secured, and they have fairly high scrap value. Like, imagine if you saw in the news that it's becoming increasingly common that paraplegics are just having their wheelchairs stolen. People would be rightfully outraged, it because it's classified as a bike it's just business as usual.
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Nov 15, 2021 01:12
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A weird side effect of that is whenever I'm on my fatbike, the people in lifted pickups with punisher decals go from being the most hostile to me on the road to being really supportive. I'll get tons of space and they'll honk at me, but instead of giving me the finger it's a thumbs up. When I'm wearing my jersey with a Canadian flag on it it's possibly even better than a helmet. A convoy dumbass yelled at me "hell yeah brother, awesome shirt" while giving me a full lane to pass. I was so confused until I remembered what I was wearing, saw all the flags flying off his truck, and put 2+2 together.
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Jul 18, 2022 18:25
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They kick up an unreal amount of water. With how big and heavy full-coverage fenders would be I don't bother using it in rainy weather.
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Jul 18, 2022 18:59
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It was the same at my 7-11 until eventually the rack got stolen by scrappers. Fortunately it seems like fewer places are hassling me for taking my bike inside in light of how bad theft has become.
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Jul 20, 2022 19:59
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Bilirubin posted:I don't know this rule, how does it work? On both wheels line up the brand logo on the tire with the valve stem. That way even if you take the tire completely off of the rim you know how it was all lined up. When you find the puncture on the tube, you then check the same area on the tire and the rim for whatever might have caused it in the first place to ensure it doesn't happen again, like a piece of embedded glass in the tread or a metal burr on the rim. A bit of cotton balls come in handy for this since you can run it along the inside of the tire and the rim and if there's anything sharp it catches on the loose cotton instead of cutting up your fingers.
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Jul 23, 2022 08:55
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Dobbs_Head posted:I’m three weeks in to commuting on my Kona Dew. My commute is 7.3 miles each way. I jumped from 6ish fairly flat miles on a Brompton to 14.5 with some elevation change on the Dew. Don't let your dreams stay dreams.     (Adding drops this way can turn into a money sink real quick but it was my first bike too damnit of course I'm gonna be attached to it. Luckily the geometry has been fine for everything it's been used for, from commuting to loaded touring to cyclocross-ish riding)
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Sep 4, 2022 03:18
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Every time Entropist makes a post about omafiets in North America it's always turns out to be the same guy from here who ships in sea cans of bikes fished from the canals of Amsterdam to live their second life of being thrown into the Red. The guy in the video lost me when he said that coaster brakes are preferable because it leaves his hands free to use a selfie stick.Coxswain Balls posted:lol at that video making it seem like dutch bikes for people in need are common here in Winnipeg, and when I look at their site their bikes are $1.5k plus so it's still hipster bougie poo poo. The majority of the the winter bikes I see here are beater hybrids or department store mountain bikes, although fatbikes are becoming super common here as they come down in price with Costco and Canadian Tire options becoming available. This is still the case from what I've seen, especially with how ridiculous bike theft has been getting here recently.
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Jun 28, 2023 23:48
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The guy at Plain Bicycle must be good at social media or something because there's always these articles and Youtube videos from elsewhere talking about how Dutch bicycles are taking Winnipeg by storm but I'm just not seeing it. The most common bikes here for workhorse beaters you see as cheap commuters are Sekines from the 70s and 80s because of the local plant. The peak of which is, as always, the VX GTO:Coxswain Balls posted:
Chain guard, bottle dynamo, racks, fenders, the perfect commuter.
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Jun 29, 2023 00:47
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I need to get around to making one for my rear wheel.
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Jul 27, 2023 07:30
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I was on a ride with a friend once when we crossed paths with someone who had a carbon fork affected by a recall. He chased him down and booked an appointment with his shop to get a warranty replacement, seemed pretty appreciative.
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Aug 8, 2023 00:58
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 14:16 |
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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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