Bicycles!

[choneofakind]

I feel like a dumby. 30 mile ride today to clear my head (stressed out about being busy again) and when I got back, I started doing some slow riding in a low gear to cool down a bit. I saw some open parking spots and started practicing my figure 8's like you do at the MSF, only in one parking spot instead of a 20' wide box.

Stupid me, I forgot to be careful with where my feet were when I had the bars cranked over because my toes contact the front wheel if it's turned just enough. I locked the front wheel with my foot and fell over. I got the levers/hood rotated back to where it originally was (it had rotated in a bit from the impact) but now there's a scuff in my left side lever and the left side of my seat.

Stupid Chris!!! Stupid stupid stupid!!!

[Apex]

Toe overlap is fun, aint it?

[choneofakind]

GRRRRR! I have a bruised ego. (and hip and elbow) I don't think anyone saw me go down...

*strokes road bike lovingly as an apology for scratching her*

[Apex]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

GRRRRR! I have a bruised ego. (and hip and elbow) I don't think anyone saw me go down...

*strokes road bike lovingly as an apology for scratching her*

I think my bike is just happy that it is still in one piece. So scratches are just minor things.

[Apex]

I was all set up to sell off the Trek 1.5....but now I will try to keep it. I'll change the saddle and put an adjustable bar stem on it. I think if I made it slightly more upright, the bike would be like night and day to me.

[choneofakind]

nah, just sell it and buy a bike with a more relaxed endurance-type geometry instead. That's what I did. Best decision I ever made in terms of bicycle comfort, after buying padded shorts.

[Apex]

I can't really justify spending that kind of cash on a new bike that might solve my problem. I do know that I could easily try a $30 adjustable stem and swap to a spare MTB saddle very easily.

My Mustang just got towed to the shop this weekend. The charging system was not functioning properly, and the car kept running off the battery. The alternator and voltage regulator are sound (had a spare unit to install). Problem is elsewhere. I'm wondering if it is a fuse link causing my problems. All fuses looked good. I'm sure there is a "hidden" one somewhere that my cheap Chilton manual didn't disclose to me easily. It was easier to work on a car when I had a spare mode of transportation to get me back and fourth to the parts store.

Regardless, it is what it is, and I will be pocketing my spare cash to help fund the car repairs. Oh, and also because one of our cats is currently fighting cancer, so we have to save cash for her too.

[choneofakind]

Trying to figure out/fix the source of my creaking/notchy power stroke. Gonna clean this gunk out and then grease all the threads and reinstall my BB. The one side was really loose, so I'm hoping that was it.

[Apex]

YUMMY.

Let me know what the outcome is.

[rojoracing53]

As chone calls it more bike porn



Well this is what it looks like with cheapass wheels(seem to work surprisingly good so far) once I build up my custom carbon wheel with orange hubs ill post more pics.

[Apex]

That is almost TOO nice to ride.


...almost.

[choneofakind]

Oh. My. Lordie. did it just get hot in here or is it me??? Your bike porn didn't disappoint.


Anyhow, I just got my bb cleaned, greased, and installed. Hopefully it works.


Also just got back from a freakin awesome interval workout on the track with a couple guys from the multisport (triathlon) club. That's the honest workout I've been waiting for for so long. We did a 5 mile work out, including warm up and cool down. 3 miles of intervals and a 200 sprint for the last lap of interval. Hot damn I kept right up. Also learned that we have enough roadie riders for a decent pace line, so we're going to get some group rides together.

Tomorrow I attempt to swim. STOKED!

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Oh. My. Lordie. did it just get hot in here or is it me??? Your bike porn didn't disappoint.


Anyhow, I just got my bb cleaned, greased, and installed. Hopefully it works.


Also just got back from a freakin awesome interval workout on the track with a couple guys from the multisport (triathlon) club. That's the honest workout I've been waiting for for so long. We did a 5 mile work out, including warm up and cool down. 3 miles of intervals and a 200 sprint for the last lap of interval. Hot damn I kept right up. Also learned that we have enough roadie riders for a decent pace line, so we're going to get some group rides together.

Tomorrow I attempt to swim. STOKED!

Sharing the pain of exercise with others is one of life's gems.

[Apex]

I love pushing a group. It is like a silent encouragement to push a little harder. I can slam myself hard for extended periods...not many either know they can do it, or want to do it. Yet in a group, the mindset people have is they want to keep up with the group.

That is why when I meet up for local group rides from my LBS, I always fall into the slow group. It is fun.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by Apex

That is almost TOO nice to ride.


...almost.

Yeah well during it's debute ride yesterday the wind blew it over once while i was taking a piss and because we didn't bring lights and our ride ended in total darkness I missed a offset height in the two side of the trail and had a minor lowside. But all was well with no damage to the bike and I was able to get a friend to apply 3m clear bra all over the bike to prevent future damage

[rojoracing53]

So I went back by myself for the same loop on the single speed as the one @CycleCam303 and I did two days ago. It was much harder to get up the hills this time because I didn't get to rest in between climbs like before. I was able to finish the ride over 20 minutes faster but I forgot to stop my watch at the end because I was running running(well riding) from the cops and had to dive behind some cover to avoid capture.

That's twice I've had to escape from the cops on a bicycle, it ****ing bullshit I tell you.

[Apex]

Why were they chasing you?

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by Apex

Why were they chasing you?

Not sure but cops tend to shoot first and ask later and I'm more of the escape while I can and avoid any questions all together. It was after hours so your not supposed to be in the park but jeez isn't that a job for the park police and not the damn city police. I watched them fly by with their light on as they tried to find me. I thought to film them but I didn't get my phone out in time

It was a good thing I turned all my lights off as I apogee them because by the time they saw me I was only 15' away and rode right by before he could jump in front of me. Basically I was able to slip by their little road block at the exit of the park I think ill use a different exit for awhile.

After I got my bike loaded in the truck I swung by the exit and they were back there waiting again for something

[Apex]

Ahhh maybe they have had some issues in the past in that park, so they stay on the lookout for people past hours.

I know around me, I stay away from the parks after dusk because we have all kinds of critters out there, including wild hogs. Last think you want is to come face to face with one of them!

I will hit the park an hour or two before sunrise, but the cops by the entrance know people commute or get an early workout in, so they are okay with it.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by Apex

Ahhh maybe they have had some issues in the past in that park, so they stay on the lookout for people past hours.

I know around me, I stay away from the parks after dusk because we have all kinds of critters out there, including wild hogs. Last think you want is to come face to face with one of them!

I will hit the park an hour or two before sunrise, but the cops by the entrance know people commute or get an early workout in, so they are okay with it.

Yeah I've never seen them like this before but its good to see our police making good use of there time and stopping all those damn people trying to get in a little workout after hours because that's all the time they have

[choneofakind]

Wish I coulda seen that Jason.


Guess who's BB no longer makes noises???

[Apex]

Nice.

[rojoracing53]

Just finished my for 24hr race on my sexy new ride and walk away with the overall solo win and I even beat the 4 person team division as well. This Single speed thing just suites my style so well I can't believe I didn't build one sooner. Anyone want to venture a guess on how many miles I got in in 24hrs?

[Apex]

24hrs, averaging 14mph = 336?


Oh, before I forget, what chainring and rear cog are you running?

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by Apex

24hrs, averaging 14mph = 336?


Oh, before I forget, what chainring and rear cog are you running?

Don't forget time to stop each lap to refuel and other things like sign autographs and such. Plus who the **** averages 14mph over the hills of a true Xc Mtb course

34-19 for the race. don't forget that's with 29" wheels.

I tested 34-17 the night before but it was so hard on the big climbs I figured after 5 hrs I would be able to pull it anymore so I dropped back down to the 19. For reference I'm considering getting a 22 for my local trails because the **** I'd just so damn steep. The was nice to ride a course that had some flats that I could actually get some spinning in.

[Apex]

Well, in Texas, there aren't many good hills. hahaha


Okay, avg 9mph. 9 x 24 = 216 With stops and all that, 200?

[rojoracing53]

Yeah it was 200 miles but I stopped at 22:30 instead of going for one more lap because I had already secured 1st with a two lap lead. Pit stops really killed my time because I was alone so each lap I had to mix my next bottle, remember to take a salt pill, decide wether or not I need to eat another PB&J half or setup my headlights. I'd say nearly 10% of the time was in the pits.

When I did my last 100 mile ultra run I had a couple friends for a support crew and when I'd run into the aid station they have my second hydro pack all setup so it was a quick 30s exchange of packs and suggestion for the next stop then I was off. I find the less I stop the better I feel because my legs always stay loose. For obvious reasons its hard to find friends willing to sit at the truck for 24hr strait and mix sport bottles while have almost nothing else to do.

I think the world record for fastest 100 mile trail ultra run is at the rocky raccoon 100 in Texas so yeah it's very flat.

[choneofakind]

Nice Jason! I saw that on Facebook. Congratulations man, very impressive!!!

[subxero]

i probably didn't drive that many miles this week.... and I even went on a trip.

I rode my mtn this weekend, ehh I really need to get my front suspension fixed, stupid clicker on one side doesn't work so I have to run them soft. IDK WTF is wrong, the bike is relatively brand new, not sure how I managed to break something already.

My endurance for off road uphill mountain stuff around here is non existent, I end up pushing a good bit but coming back down is an ef'in blast
Did some rock field type trails, lots of fun, I like the technical stuff.
I still don't feel super comfortable on my 29er yet, I still like to ride smaller bikes 20" wheels I'm sure I just need more saddle time though but unfortunately free time is not something I have a lot of these days.

[choneofakind]

Yeah I need to replace my fork as well. Waiting on Jason.


this reminds me, I have video from my last MTB excursion.

[Apex]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

Yeah it was 200 miles but I stopped at 22:30 instead of going for one more lap because I had already secured 1st with a two lap lead. Pit stops really killed my time because I was alone so each lap I had to mix my next bottle, remember to take a salt pill, decide wether or not I need to eat another PB&J half or setup my headlights. I'd say nearly 10% of the time was in the pits.

When I did my last 100 mile ultra run I had a couple friends for a support crew and when I'd run into the aid station they have my second hydro pack all setup so it was a quick 30s exchange of packs and suggestion for the next stop then I was off. I find the less I stop the better I feel because my legs always stay loose. For obvious reasons its hard to find friends willing to sit at the truck for 24hr strait and mix sport bottles while have almost nothing else to do.

I think the world record for fastest 100 mile trail ultra run is at the rocky raccoon 100 in Texas so yeah it's very flat.

I run 2 miles and I feel it. I can ride over 100 and feel good. It is crazy how that works. hahahaha

That is the problem I have on my MS150 ride. I am not out to set records on that ride. I just like cruising. This year I am taking my full suspension GF HiFi 29er. I like the challenge. Plus, I will be the most comfortable person on the ride.

The stops can kill me on that ride. For the past several years, a friend and I did that ride together. We would often ride together and pit together. My friend always required a bit more of a pit time than me. We would get back on the bikes and I felt like it took a few miles to get my legs loose again.

This last year we said if we split up, we would just meet a the lunch stop or at the finish. So I took a pit and my friend kept going. We shifted back and fourth. I ended up beating him by 30-min on my mountain bike while he was on his carbon roadie. Apparently, comfort is a huge thing on longer rides.

Even on day two, I still beat over 95% of the riders on my team at the finish. I just kept to very quick stops and stopped a bit more often. I ate lunch at the lunch stop quickly and got back on the road fast. It made a huge difference in my ability to get back in my groove. I can totally see where the pits would kill you on that ride.

Still, congrats on a great ride!

[Apex]

Originally Posted by subxero

i probably didn't drive that many miles this week.... and I even went on a trip.

I rode my mtn this weekend, ehh I really need to get my front suspension fixed, stupid clicker on one side doesn't work so I have to run them soft. IDK WTF is wrong, the bike is relatively brand new, not sure how I managed to break something already.

My endurance for off road uphill mountain stuff around here is non existent, I end up pushing a good bit but coming back down is an ef'in blast
Did some rock field type trails, lots of fun, I like the technical stuff.
I still don't feel super comfortable on my 29er yet, I still like to ride smaller bikes 20" wheels I'm sure I just need more saddle time though but unfortunately free time is not something I have a lot of these days.

The thing that got me about the 29er was how high I felt riding. It was like I went from a BMX bike to a pennyfarthing. LOL Now I can't imagine riding anything else. I'm faster on the twisting flats on a 26", but when it starts to get technical, the 29er just flies by it. I love it.

[choneofakind]

OH! Another update for me. I've been working on the ASME Human Powered Vehicle team for the last few weeks here at school. I'll keep this thread updated with some pictures every once in a while. We have some interesting stuff in the works.

Since it has 2 wheels, it counts as a bicycle, right?

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

OH! Another update for me. I've been working on the ASME Human Powered Vehicle team for the last few weeks here at school. I'll keep this thread updated with some pictures every once in a while. We have some interesting stuff in the works.

Since it has 2 wheels, it counts as a bicycle, right?

Tell your class if they need a super mod motor for any world record runs you know someone with one

[choneofakind]

hahah, well I've offered to host training sessions once Feb/March comes along. I also asked about stacking the team with my buddies on the tri team, but that's not the spirit of the competition. We have enough athletes (not bicycle athletes unfortunately) who help build the vehicle that it wouldn't be fair to stack the team like that.

But trust me, I've considered it. Lemme get my new bling all installed, then I'll post pictures of my roadie love.

[choneofakind]

I just got a phone mount and dual water bottle cage holder. Had to move my speedo off of the stem and onto the front of the frame. My phone covered it.



Phone mount is this: http://www.rokform.com/v3-bike-mount/

and the water bottle cage mount is this: http://www.amazon.com/MINOURA-WATER-...+bottle+holder

Now I want a set of 3 matching bottle cages. 2 for the tail, one for the inside of the frame. I could go for red.

[thisisbenji]

I have the rokform mount as well it's pretty sweet.

They also make a triple tree mount for those of you with supersports and a handlebar mount for the rest of us.

[choneofakind]

Yeah, it's really good stuff.

However, I thought I had to buy a magnet thing separately to work with the bike mount so I now have a spare magnet. Oh well.

[choneofakind]

Thanks to Jason, I now have a badass carbon fiber fork and it's amazing. It's not even set up yet and it's amazing. (still have to figure out how to adjust the compression damping)



It's like I'm riding a whole new bike. It's an '06 Rockshox Reba World Cup edition with the poplock remote lockout. It's amazing.


Mark, any good links to setting these things up? I've been reading a bit, just wondering what's worked for you.

[Apex]

I just followed the mfg recommendations for the setup per weight, and tweaked it from there.

This may help:
http://forums.mtbr.com/beginners-cor...up-859176.html