alanthecat posted:

Head to toe waterproofs is what I used for years. In Dublin, Ireland, there were plenty of days when fenders wouldn't do half the job needed.

jojoinnit posted:

This is accurate, but sometimes people leave them at the wrong end of the stairs, hence the helpful ramps. Worst is when all the dry ones are taken and you have to go into the canals where we keep all the excess bikes in cold water storage. Sometimes tourists or immigrants don't understand this and use locks, which is when you give the traditional Dutch greeting of "cancer *ethnicity*!" and helpfully display Dutch values with a pair of traditional wooden bolt-cutters ("clogs" in English).

Giant Metal Robot posted:

I will. I'm more surprised that every hybrid I've bought has had wider bars than the last. Are these actually comfortable for people outside of mountain biking?

ExecuDork posted:

First bike commute in at least 11 years this morning.

ExecuDork posted:

Going home is going to extra fun. Not just because it's Friday and the weather is lovely, but also because my brakes + this hill are going to be terrifying exhilarating.

ExecuDork posted:

Am I correct in thinking that trail braking means trying to slowly reduce speed by dragging only the rear brake? I try not to do that anyway but I'd like to know more about why it's bad.

EDIT- thanks very much for all the encouragement, everyone!

ExecuDork posted:

Good to know, thanks. I've got a fair bit of thinking and planning to do in the next little while. I'm hoping to buy myself a "new to me" bike for a christmas present, but the choices are currently overwhelming. A quick look on Facebook marketplace shows almost nothing local, but possibly plenty of options in the bigger cities of Newcastle (1 million people, 3 hours drive away) and Sydney (5 million, 5 hours). And I don't have a car, complicating go-and-see plans. But I have months to work on this. I *think* I want a hardtail mountain bike, but beyond that I'm still coming up with stupid ideas.

ExecuDork posted:

I was also attacked by a duck. As I passed a family of Pacific Black Ducks the mom charged me, hissing. Again, no contact, no harm no fowl foul.

Oldsrocket_27 posted:

My first impressions of the microshifters is that they're not too shabby. I really only have my time with 105 5700 to compare them to

ExecuDork posted:

My brakes are ridiculous. Starting my descent yesterday, I felt like I had, in effect, no brakes at all. The wet steel rims and the half-worn-out (and only barely aligned) pads were ineffective. After they wiped most of the water off I actually had some braking power, but it was a little dicey. Disk brakes are a high priority for my next bike, even though this junkyard frankenbike is hardly a fair representative.

norp posted:

I liked mine until I got a 5800 bike.... Holy poo poo it was like night and day.

Zonko_T.M. posted:

I see this has an internal hub and belt drive. Does anyone have any experience with those? Pros/cons versus a traditional chain/exposed hub? Lot of dirt and rocks out here but not a lot of rain/snow or mud.

bicievino posted:

Like poteto said, tires make waaaaay more difference than material. At most pricepoints, aluminum is going to be a better choice than other materials, especially in the commuting thread context.

Sauer posted:

I haven't fallen yet but its pretty much a full body workout keeping myself upright as the bike is dancing around under me; steering more with my thighs than the bars. Is there anything I can do to make this less miserable or is it kind of like riding a horse and you get use to it and relax into the random shifting over time? I'm not sure I can handle a few more months of this if its going to be hell every time. My commute is only 8km and only the first kilometer is all crapped up like this but 10% of the route is taking 90% of the effort. I'd really like to not get back on the bus and I really like riding in the winter when its just snow and ice (and the looks of horror from drivers strokes my ego).

Its fun when its fresh.

Mauser posted:

People frequently leave those scooters in the bike lane and I always give them a vigorous hurl out of the way.

CopperHound posted:

You'd be a lot cooler if you tossed them the other direction.

bicievino posted:

I wish cutoff lenses were mandated (although yes, obviously, I know that would never, ever be enforced).

100YrsofAttitude posted:

I know we're just joking around and stuff but it's this sort of attitude that so very often makes other cyclists just the worst (after electric scooters and cars). It's always about escalation and revenge instead of trying to teach good habits.

alnilam posted:

Holding up your hand to shield your eyes is plenty enough to get the message across to someone who probably isn't aware of how badly they are blinding people. Blinding them back is both petty and unsafe.

dieselfruit posted:

I was thinking of upgrading my dinky Cateye front light and was looking at the Knog Lil Cobber, which boasts "4 eye saving modes" - not clear if its other people's eyes its saving, or if the light is so bright that it'll usually blind the rider as well.

Mauser posted:

Where do you guys live that police harass cyclists for minor infractions btw? Our police can't even be bothered to solve murders when they're not brutalizing the black population.

Groda posted:

Are you commuting to an artisanal gold mine?

bicievino posted:

I've never found any removable fenders to be anything but annoying and substandard long term.
Real fenders aren't that hard to remove in the summer.

Groda posted:

Also, >7 speed cassettes were a mistake. I love just cutting my red chain off at the end of the winter, and paying 9€ for a new one.

Invalido posted:

Evangelizing ITT is making me increasingly tempted to convert my ancient cargobike to belt drive. It would require welding in a splittable piece in the frame and probably sliding dropouts as well (Gates doesn't recommend use with the horizontal dropouts I have now). Since it's a steel frame and the workspace I use recently got a milling machine installed, none of these mods intimidate me nearly as much as the cost of the components - sprockets are pricey! That setup better be great to warrant the cost of parts is all I'm saying.

Sauer posted:

Your cities clear snow off bike infrastructure? The large boulevard I need to take every day got renovated over the late summer to fall to add protected bike lanes to either side between the road and sidewalk. They're really nice... and currently storing all the snow they shoveled off the road and sidewalks.

100YrsofAttitude posted:

Anyone come across interesting fauna on their commutes?

Bingemoose posted:

Hey pretty new to cycling, looking to trade my car in and just getting a bike to bring to work. My commute would be about an hour each way. Is there an advantage to spending the megabux over something that is 500-600 ?

CopperHound posted:

RIP. Have you had a chance to see if it the innards are ruined or if some service might fix it yet?

Invalido posted:

I tried to get new internals for a nexus 8 but it was cheaper to get a whole hub with shifter and cable. I ended up re-lacing the wheel cause I kinda like that process for some reason. Sheldon Brown's website and a good audiobook and it's a pleasant evening if I'm in the right mood.

Albinator posted:

No, I get you. I grew up in a part of the world where 37 and rainy is a very normal winter day, and we used to play rugby in it. You can certainly put up with it for 40 minutes, and you do forget about the weather as being the source of your discomfort, at least for most of that time.

kimbo305 posted:

What were the issues, and what did v2 miss?

alnilam posted:

Maybe a mudflap would keep rear wheel spray from hitting the underside of the trailer, I wonder if that's the culprit.

evil_bunnY posted:

My loving Nexus 5 just ate its 2 top gears yay.

CopperHound posted:

CopperHound posted:

I haven't felt like those things have had enough lube to actually do water displacement when I have opened them up. I fill 'em up with enough tenacious oil to ooze out the bearings if I don't need to worry about getting oil on the carpet.

Groda posted:

You guys spontaneously combust if you see a fender.

bicievino posted:

I mean, tbh fenders are great for all cyclists.
I only know a tiny fraction of racers who don't use fenders.

EvilJoven posted:

The snow is compacted down to the point where it's like riding on hardpack it might be cold but it's also so very nice to ride on.

Al2001 posted:

iirc she does ride a relatively Dutch-style city bike though. Which shows they can be both useful and fun in cities without great cycle infra.

Al2001 posted:

I looked it up and you're right, the posture is not quite omafiets-level. (most Dutch bikes have gears tho)