Re: The bicycle thread

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not specifically bike-related. except this is the sort of thing you come across on a bike.
seems like about every time i ride my bike i find someone or something interesting. it's been cold lately, below freezing, but today around 60 degrees and sunny.

today it was a snake.
a worm snake, basking in the sun on the sidewalk, catching rays. almost ran it over, had to turn around and go back to be sure what i saw. 8 or 10 inches long, almost the diameter of a pencil, and the brownish color of, well, an earthworm. belly a lighter shade, almost pink. they are perfectly harmless unless you're a worm or a bug. picked it up and true to form it intertwined itself in my fingers, stuck its tongue out at me. i think they like the warmth. i let it go in the grass, went on my way. i think i need to start taking a camera. plenty of stuff about them and the similar earth snakes on the web.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: The bicycle thread

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YankeeTarheel wrote:So, I'm asking for your various takes. Is this too good to be true? Am I missing something?

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mot ... x4-xvi.htm
bikesdirect usually puts decent components on anchor weight frames with junk wheels. when they opt for quality frames, the price goes up. they buy mass-produced brands that are all made in the same factory without any marketing budgets to increase the cost over. if you know how to properly assemble a bike/check their pre-assembly, a bikesdirect bike can be a solid starter rig.
please don't take anything I say personally, I am an idiot.

Re: The bicycle thread

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sean wrote:
YankeeTarheel wrote:So, I'm asking for your various takes. Is this too good to be true? Am I missing something?

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mot ... x4-xvi.htm
bikesdirect usually puts decent components on anchor weight frames with junk wheels. when they opt for quality frames, the price goes up. they buy mass-produced brands that are all made in the same factory without any marketing budgets to increase the cost over. if you know how to properly assemble a bike/check their pre-assembly, a bikesdirect bike can be a solid starter rig.
Good advice! I know how to set up the brakes, derailleurs, cranksets and gear sets. I've done bearings and bottom brackets. Truing wheels is iffy, but possible for me. Done the headstock on a motorcycle but not a bicycle, and don't know bike suspension or much about bike hydraulic brakes at all. Have done work on MC suspensions and, of course, MC disk brakes. I do know how to align wheels, which is not the same as truing them.

I realize the "Motobecane" is just a name, not the original French bicycle. I suppose it depends on how heavy the thing is, too. The wheels are supposed to be ready for tubeless.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: The bicycle thread

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lurker wrote:not specifically bike-related. except this is the sort of thing you come across on a bike.
seems like about every time i ride my bike i find someone or something interesting. it's been cold lately, below freezing, but today around 60 degrees and sunny.

today it was a snake.
a worm snake, basking in the sun on the sidewalk, catching rays. almost ran it over, had to turn around and go back to be sure what i saw. 8 or 10 inches long, almost the diameter of a pencil, and the brownish color of, well, an earthworm. belly a lighter shade, almost pink. they are perfectly harmless unless you're a worm or a bug. picked it up and true to form it intertwined itself in my fingers, stuck its tongue out at me. i think they like the warmth. i let it go in the grass, went on my way. i think i need to start taking a camera. plenty of stuff about them and the similar earth snakes on the web.
This is one of the reasons I love riding, you see so many things you'd miss in a car.


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Re: The bicycle thread

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Now that it's almost winter, and even when it's warm the roads are a mess, I figured it was time to do a little winter cleanup on the 45 year old Peugeot.

So I had bought a super-cheapo rock tumbler from WallyWorld, a 'way too big jar of walnut shells, and some brass polish. Pulled and dis-assembled the brakes and tossed everything but the plastic bushings in the barrel--its such a cheapie the 4 main arms barely fit. The bushings are soaking in white vinegar. I filled it a little over half-full with shells, add a generous dollop of brass cleaner, Tide, and some hot water, then let it spin for about 3 hours.

Here's how they look so far. I'll try to include the way they looked before.

YT
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."
Attachments
frontbrake.jpg
BackBrake.jpg
MAFACBrakes.jpg

Re: The bicycle thread

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having read nearly everything i can find on both my new gmc denali and the 70s vintage peugeots to which i aspire, and not wishing to immerse myself completely in bike culture (i look silly in spandex, not that looking silly has ever stopped me before), and yet still being somewhat intrigued by some aspects of bike life, i present this link on the changing scene of bike fit. since there are professional riders to set the ideal form, which we amateurs slavishly emulate as fashion, we see handlebar stem heights moving over time in relation to the seat. and then with the lower stems, the handlebars getting tilted up to compensate. seems like there's some sort of ideal comfort zone, and multiple ways to get there, but less and less involving the drop bars which have been a hallmark of road and racing bikes for nearly a century. i blame mountain bikes. i, myself, spend the vast majority of the time on the top crossbar part of the bars, only reaching for the hoods to brake, or the drops to pull up a hill or into the wind. this works for me because i have mountain bike shifters on the bar tops, (and plan to go to safety levers for the brakes) but has no benefit to those who moved their shifters to the bar ends (barcons)
http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/201 ... tions.html
i think some of my interest is because of the ambivalence i see among serious bikers to me and my wal-mart bike. i think they're sincerely glad to see more people in the sport/hobby, and yet are sorely dismayed to see people riding what they derisively call "Bike Shaped Objects". conflicted they are, in a way similar to a fan of quality guns advocating someone get a saturday night special because they need a gun now, and it's all they can afford. in fact, i've seen the exact same argument in both worlds. "do i get what i can afford now, and get the benefits, or wait, save up for better and do without for a while?"
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: The bicycle thread

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I'm with you, Lurker!
I refuse to wear spandex. Bicycles are fun, they are good exercise, but they are also basic transportation, one of, if not the most, efficient use of muscle power for travelling. I used to commute on that old Peugeot, to both work and later grad school. Even when I just want a work out, I'm wearing gym shorts and tennies, not padded spandex knickers with latch-on shoes you cannot walk in. If it bothered me to use gym shorts and tennies, I wouldn't. It doesn't.

The old-fashioned, "10 Speed" bars are STILL eminently practical for street riding. You rest on the top bar for easy pedaling, grab the lower bar to reduce wind resistance and gain hill-climbing leverage using your arms, back, and mass to augment your legs. So it's not so practical for off-road riding. Neither are skinny tires and naturally flexible unsprung frame.

In every aspect of "enjoyment" of life there will be those who sneer at what you have, what you like, what you listen to, what you drive, and what you ride and will tell you "You have / like THAT piece of shit? What are you doing with THAT crap?" Not their fuckin' business!

So ride what you like, the way you like it, and fuck 'em if they don't like it!

"And get off my lawn!!!"
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: The bicycle thread

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YankeeTarheel wrote:I'm with you, Lurker!
one of, if not the most, efficient use of muscle power for travelling.
i recall hearing in the late-mid '70s that bicycles were the most efficient means of transport known to man, based on the assertion that a single VC could move 800 or more pounds of gear down the ho chi minh trail on a bicycle. supposedly they would stack and tie a tower of supplies on until you could no longer see the bike, then walk it hundreds of miles over the mountains and through the jungle, dodging airstrikes all the while, all on 1 little man-power, maybe 1/4 horsepower. we may have been on the opposing team, but i admire their tenacity.
i personally have moved multiple 4'x8' sheets of plywood by balancing them on one pedal, then walking the whole contraption along from the other side.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: The bicycle thread

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lurker wrote:
YankeeTarheel wrote:I'm with you, Lurker!
one of, if not the most, efficient use of muscle power for travelling.
i personally have moved multiple 4'x8' sheets of plywood by balancing them on one pedal, then walking the whole contraption along from the other side.
OK. I can TRULY say I have never done that, and doubt if I ever will! :confused:
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: The bicycle thread

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lurker wrote:what's your peugeot weigh?
bathroom scale is precise enough.
I can't swear to it, but I think it's 28 lbs--an extra large frame (too big for my 5'10" but--after 45 years I'm well used to it! :D )

But I haven't weighed it in probably 40 years, and I've changed the free wheel, the bottom bracket, the chain set and cranks twice (originally steel, now alloy), the front and rear derailleurs twice, the pedals (from steel to alloy), the seat post and the seat. I'll have to weigh it when we get home.

But I have Kryptonite lock, a bottle cage and a pump hanging on it now.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: The bicycle thread

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when you've got nothing better to do, i'd appreciate it. i'll swag 3 lbs for the lock and extra stuff. next time i'm in the garage i'll weigh mine, too.
yesterday i weighed 200 lbs. i 'speck i could lose that pretty quick if i started smoking again. :lol: :crazy: :no:
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: The bicycle thread

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lurker wrote:when you've got nothing better to do, i'd appreciate it. i'll swag 3 lbs for the lock and extra stuff. next time i'm in the garage i'll weigh mine, too.
yesterday i weighed 200 lbs. i 'speck i could lose that pretty quick if i started smoking again. :lol: :crazy: :no:
It'll be at least another week. Remind me, please!
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: The bicycle thread

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YankeeTarheel wrote:
lurker wrote:when you've got nothing better to do, i'd appreciate it. i'll swag 3 lbs for the lock and extra stuff. next time i'm in the garage i'll weigh mine, too.
yesterday i weighed 200 lbs. i 'speck i could lose that pretty quick if i started smoking again. :lol: :crazy: :no:
It'll be at least another week. Remind me, please!
thankyouverymuch.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: The bicycle thread

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when you get time, no hurry. thx. yesterday i was going down to the bike co-op to snag the peugeot frame i've been coveting, and help them move to their new location 4 blocks away with my minivan, but they were closed for january. ack, didn't know because i have EAA meeting the first saturday. so i e-mailed them offering to help if they'd just tell me when, and they said monday at 9 oclock. oops, drs' appointment (routine) at 8:45, 20 miles down the interstate. so i'll try to stop by after we get done, see if they're still working on it.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: The bicycle thread

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OK. I weighed it today as I was taking it down to the basement--gotta true the wheels.
With the giant U-Kryptonite lock, the new seat, and pump, the triple sprocket chain wheel, it's 35 pounds--this was the largest frame Peugeot made, or sold in the US--26 or 27", I forgot. It's got a kickstand and an overlong seat tube as well. I suppose if I re-rim it with allow rims it will be lighter, but I'll have to re-spoke it as well. Gotta decide if I want to do that or just keep what's working, working.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: The bicycle thread

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thanks. ride it. probably not worth the effort to lighten it.
today i weighed my denali. first me, then me and the bike. subtract me from me and the bike, and exactly 30 lbs on a not-very-exact bathroom scale.
and i'm trying to lighten it. considering replacing the big steel parts with aluminum: handlebars, front fork and cranks. probably not worth the expense or effort. :crazy: there's a guy somewhere on the net who claims to have gotten his down to 19 lbs, but he's got over $600 in a $150 bike :roflmao:
here's a fun website:
http://bigboxbikes.com/viewforum.php?f=1
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: The bicycle thread

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I take the heavier bikes out for training. I never understoood the concept of lightening up a bicycle while using it for exercise. Make it harder, then go faster on a lighter bike.

It's why I put more miles on my mountain and steel frame bikes. To me, 30 lbs sounds about right for an exercise bike. I wouldn't doubt my commuter is pushing 40 lbs now with the rack, fenders, and junk on it. Spending money to make a 30 lb bike 19 lbs if I'm 20 pounds overweight is a head scratcher. It's cheaper to lose the 20 pounds.

If I'm racing or something, I'd use my lighter bike. But I don't race either, so I use that one for longer charity rides just to not end up exhausted at the bar afterwards. :lol:
Brian

Re: The bicycle thread

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This may be obvious but, the best place to shed weight on a bike to benefit acceleration and fun is the tires, tubes, and rims, and to a much lesser extent, spokes and nipples. Lower that polar moment of inertia with a new set of wheels and suddenly an old drudge bike will sparkle. Yes, you become more prone to failure so, if you are a 250-pounder, dont go crazy.

As for weight vs. exercise benefit, ride faster. Energy output is something like velocity cubed when you are drag-limited. (I may be blowing smoke here and am too lazy to look it up.)


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Image

Re: The bicycle thread

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It's long been a rule of motorcycles that getting rid of unsprung weight is a far more effective to improve handling, ride and control, something like 5x-10x more than sprung weight. Also, every 7 pounds of weight reduction is the same as adding one HP. So reducing a 570 lb bike to 500 lb is like getting 10hp more.

Part of the reason I'm thinking of pulling apart the wheels is I'd love to tumble the gorgeous Normandy hubs back to their original sheen, as I've done the MAFAC Racer brakes. But that means replacing the 45 year old spokes and nipples. So would I want to polish the ancient chrome steel rims, or replace them with lighter allow rims? Plus, I'm struggling to determine the spoke size, because the front and rear are almost certainly different lengths. And do I REALLY want to take that on?

I still have to true the wheels and just got a couple of cheap H-F dial indicator holder to help.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

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