Toshi's thread
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Trail ride with wife successfully accomplished. No tears from either party and she actually had fun. It was 2 hours in the sun in the foothills so was fun in that sense from my perspective, too, even though it was pretty mellow. Mellow or not I still managed to break another spoke (or never noticed that two were broken initially).
Thus my purchase of one spoke at the bike shop upon returning the rental/demo bike is definitely not sufficient to get me back on the trail, recalling that I'm headed up to Vail for the weekend and was planning on riding. Harumph. More time in the car tomorrow, I guess, to get a few extra spokes and nipples, and maybe some more rim tape in case my years-old stash of Stan's tape doesn't do the trick.
For the record, 275 or 276 mm seems to be what's necessary for a Boost spacing DT Swiss 350 rear hub with 28 holes, laced 3 cross to an Easton ARC 24 27.5" rim. So many variables, and QBP's spoke calculator site annoyingly doesn't have the hubs sorted by name...
Thus my purchase of one spoke at the bike shop upon returning the rental/demo bike is definitely not sufficient to get me back on the trail, recalling that I'm headed up to Vail for the weekend and was planning on riding. Harumph. More time in the car tomorrow, I guess, to get a few extra spokes and nipples, and maybe some more rim tape in case my years-old stash of Stan's tape doesn't do the trick.
For the record, 275 or 276 mm seems to be what's necessary for a Boost spacing DT Swiss 350 rear hub with 28 holes, laced 3 cross to an Easton ARC 24 27.5" rim. So many variables, and QBP's spoke calculator site annoyingly doesn't have the hubs sorted by name...
This morning I finally got around to dropping Mariko off at her school via the above route (+/- turning on Nome instead a few blocks shy of campus, close enough).Construction continues on my and adjacent neighborhoods. Part of this is an extension of the east-west road that I'm near, see highlighted area:
I live right around the text of "Wabash Way" in the left part of that map.
I was excited to see the plans and the construction in progress on this segment because then it might let me drop off the kid at her preschool via bike. Indeed it'd allow for a very reasonable, safe route:
The 1 and 2 are mile markers.
It turns out that this is not a good route. I would not send my wife out on this route with the forthcoming Taga Bike/trike and would not want to have Mariko pedaling beside me.
Just to the east of that 1 mile marker is Dallas St. That marks the transition from residential roads with bike lanes to a lack of bike lanes and a very high prevalence of 18 wheelers. (A trucker also pulled out right in front of me at Dallas St this morning, either not comprehending that my traffic direction didn't have a stop sign unlike him, or not caring due to being an asshole. Judging from his reaction I bet on the latter.)
Anyway, the parked and moving 18 wheelers and not particularly good lane setup crossing busy Havana make it an unsuitable route for the wife + kids. I'll still drop Mariko off periodically on academic days like today but until Mariko starts at a more-local-yet school in kindergarten I think the kids will be doing most of their commute to school in my wife's electric car.
Spokes replaced. Multiple spokes in the rear were super loose, probably because the rim has a flat spot plus this dent:
I pulled out the dent as best as I could and tightened and trued things up just enough to get me through the end of the riding season. (Thank teh FSM for disc brakes!) I have a feeling a rebuild with a new rim is in the future for this rear wheel, and that's probably a higher priority than new wheels for the commuter given that snow will be here sooner or later.
Tonight served to remind me that tubeless is great on the trail but a huge pain in the ass in the garage. I used several layers of Stan's rim tape, injected a goodly amount of Stan's sealant through the valve stem, and hit the thing for all my little compressor is worth. I am not certain that it'll hold air reliably, but there are always tubes, I suppose.
I also had the inadvertent experience of getting to rebuild my freehub. Turns out DT Swiss's star ratchet system is pretty easy to service and put back together, at least after one finds both star ratchets after they exit the hub on their own when the wheel falls down... The whole freehub basically fell off the axle with the cassette still attached to it when the wheel fell over. At least one MTBR thread seems to indicate that this is a thing with DT 350 hubs.
I pulled out the dent as best as I could and tightened and trued things up just enough to get me through the end of the riding season. (Thank teh FSM for disc brakes!) I have a feeling a rebuild with a new rim is in the future for this rear wheel, and that's probably a higher priority than new wheels for the commuter given that snow will be here sooner or later.
Tonight served to remind me that tubeless is great on the trail but a huge pain in the ass in the garage. I used several layers of Stan's rim tape, injected a goodly amount of Stan's sealant through the valve stem, and hit the thing for all my little compressor is worth. I am not certain that it'll hold air reliably, but there are always tubes, I suppose.
I also had the inadvertent experience of getting to rebuild my freehub. Turns out DT Swiss's star ratchet system is pretty easy to service and put back together, at least after one finds both star ratchets after they exit the hub on their own when the wheel falls down... The whole freehub basically fell off the axle with the cassette still attached to it when the wheel fell over. At least one MTBR thread seems to indicate that this is a thing with DT 350 hubs.
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Sounds like you may, perhaps, be a candidate for trail bike tires whose casings don't suck? 
I'm thinking I may be a candidate for another rear wheel that has 32 spokes instead of 28 and possibly much more crabonz in the rim? I budgeted for a new wheelset for my commuter bike but could definitely shift that over to a new wheel for the trailbike instead:Sounds like you may, perhaps, be a candidate for trail bike tires whose casings don't suck?
DT Swiss 350 to match this one, 32 hole Nox 27 mm inner width crabonz, built by Dave of speeddream.com (Westy's favorite--I'm open to local suggestions if you have any)?
This way I could get this 28 hole wheel rebuilt idly and have a backup, since I foresee this happening again if I stick with aluminum.
Or I could go the Light Bicycle route that you like and just have the same 28h hub rebuilt since they have that option. Maybe this one +/- HD layup?
http://www.light-bicycle.com/carbon-650b-rims-38mm-wide-hookless-mountain-bike-rims-tubeless-compatible.html
Hmm. (or I could just have this one hammered out and retrued and tensioned by someone who could get it more round than me.)
http://www.light-bicycle.com/carbon-650b-rims-38mm-wide-hookless-mountain-bike-rims-tubeless-compatible.html
Hmm. (or I could just have this one hammered out and retrued and tensioned by someone who could get it more round than me.
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If you go the crabonz route you are DEFINITELY going to want a trail tire whose casing does not suck. 'Cause that dent would instead be a crack on your crabon rimz.Or I could go the Light Bicycle route that you like and just have the same 28h hub rebuilt since they have that option. Maybe this one +/- HD layup?
http://www.light-bicycle.com/carbon-650b-rims-38mm-wide-hookless-mountain-bike-rims-tubeless-compatible.html
Hmm. (or I could just have this one hammered out and retrued and tensioned by someone who could get it more round than me.
Mine are the 30mm ID rims with the HD layup. I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.
Cool. And you're running the E-13 tires as I gather from the linked thread. You built up the wheels yourself?
I ran the TRS+ tires and loved them; though I felt they were slow climbers the traction is awesome. @Adventurous took them from me and has similar positive experience. I'd use them again, just went through a lot of new tire experimenting this year and ended up on the HRIIs with EXO casings.
I didn't build these. I found them brand new and freshly built while shopping for hubs, effectively at shop cost, so I pulled the trigger. I'm actually thinking about a pair of 26" 31.6 HD rims for my dhr, that would save a bunch of wheel weight over the mavics.
I didn't build these. I found them brand new and freshly built while shopping for hubs, effectively at shop cost, so I pulled the trigger. I'm actually thinking about a pair of 26" 31.6 HD rims for my dhr, that would save a bunch of wheel weight over the mavics.
Do you, @SkaredShtles, or @stoney have local wheel builder recommendations? I've built one wheel myself and it turned out ok but at this point I'd trade money for time.
@Nick is my choice. The wheels he's built for me have lasted really well, minus me doing stupid things like blowing off beads on rocky trails
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Rocky trails? We don't have any rocky trails. Just ask CJSP.@Nick is my choice. The wheels he's built for me have lasted really well, minus me doing stupid things like blowing off beads on rocky trails
??Rocky trails? We don't have any rocky trails. Just ask CJSP.
He knows. We are all about smooth flow out here in the Rock^H^H^H^HFLowy Mountains.
Everytime I ride the top section of Mountain Lion (or that whole trail of that matter), I can only think of the section in the original Chainsmoke, Méribel or the Czech race. Just that brutal, fast rock to serious late 90's punk rock. So rough. So fast.He knows. We are all about smooth flow out here in the Rock^H^H^H^HFLowy Mountains.
I was woefully underdressed for today's commute. 41 degrees with an 11 mph headwind per Garmin's track of my ride, and pouring down cold rain. I was in a synthetic T shirt, thin Merino long sleeve jersey, and a fleece up top, bib shorts and baggy riding shorts in bottom. No shell, no leg coverage.
I and everything on me was soaked and cold by the way in, including my socks via my very permeable new Lake shoes.
Remedy en route, with the yellow pants because of course I'd do such a thing:
I and everything on me was soaked and cold by the way in, including my socks via my very permeable new Lake shoes.
Remedy en route, with the yellow pants because of course I'd do such a thing:
If you plan to ride in inclement weather, flat pedals are your best friend.
Por que? I'm not going to ride in snow and ice. Cold and wet up to that point is ok--used to that from Seattle days, at least down to 40 degrees.
The selection of warm and waterproof shoes is two orders of magnitude better for flat pedals, no thermal bridge from the shoe to the pedal/cranks/frame that keeps your feet cold, and not effing shoe booties to mess with.
And yeah, we ride in snow and ice.
Fcuk fat bikes.Ah, got it. I'm not buying a fat bike (the jokes write themselves!
@Adventurous update: I will not be voting for ColoradoCare. Main reason is that an independent analysis indicates it'll be several billion in the red 10 years from now.
http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/08/coloradocare-billions-of-dollars-short/
The revenue source (which for employed is 3.33% from employees, 6.67% from employers; 10% for self-employed) would be set in the constitution. So are the benefits. The logical conclusion is that this deficit will be balanced on my back.
I can overlook that the program would cost me $5-10k per year over my heavily subsidized HDHP and HSA but the overall likelihood of insolvency is a risk I don't wish to take.
http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/08/coloradocare-billions-of-dollars-short/
The revenue source (which for employed is 3.33% from employees, 6.67% from employers; 10% for self-employed) would be set in the constitution. So are the benefits. The logical conclusion is that this deficit will be balanced on my back.
I can overlook that the program would cost me $5-10k per year over my heavily subsidized HDHP and HSA but the overall likelihood of insolvency is a risk I don't wish to take.
Wheel update: I took it in to Cycleton, the local Stapleton bike shop. The mechanic is a cool guy (runs LB rims on his wife's bike and dirt jumper!).
He said I should just ride the wheel for now since I tensioned it high enough in my spoke replacement/attempted truing that he thought he'd just make it worse or break more spokes if he tried to true it.
$80 labor to build a wheel and he has no qualms with LB stuff, clearly. I could even source the spokes and nipples myself so as to speed things along.
So @Nick I think I'll order two LB rims and have at least the rear wheel rebuilt over ski season. Let me know the DH rims you want so that I can throw it on the order. I was thinking the 30 mm inside width AM asymmetric rim with the DH layup for my use.
He said I should just ride the wheel for now since I tensioned it high enough in my spoke replacement/attempted truing that he thought he'd just make it worse or break more spokes if he tried to true it.
$80 labor to build a wheel and he has no qualms with LB stuff, clearly. I could even source the spokes and nipples myself so as to speed things along.
So @Nick I think I'll order two LB rims and have at least the rear wheel rebuilt over ski season. Let me know the DH rims you want so that I can throw it on the order. I was thinking the 30 mm inside width AM asymmetric rim with the DH layup for my use.
Hmm. Maybe I need to rethink this. From Light-bicycle, which also quoted $537 plus shipping for a whole, built wheel:
"The 30mm asymmetric rim is for light riders and gentle riding. If you ride aggressively and prefer HD version, we suggest you to go with the 38mm wide HD version or 40mm wide asymmetric enduro version. Does that work for you? It is much wider and stronger, and suitable for large of aggressive riding."
Edit: I think they might have interpreted it as 30 mm external width.
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My Land Cruiser looked like this:
after a just-right difficulty and length off road drive up in Vail that had views like this (a few weeks late for the leaves generally):
I added several new trail pinstripes, cementing that this Land Cruiser is sticking around forever barring calamity.
Video forthcoming.
after a just-right difficulty and length off road drive up in Vail that had views like this (a few weeks late for the leaves generally):
I added several new trail pinstripes, cementing that this Land Cruiser is sticking around forever barring calamity.
Video forthcoming.
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Said very permeable new Lake shoes also turned out to be super uncomfortable. The model I got has 3 Velcro closures, and the one closest to the ankle is uncomfortably close. Even when loosened that strap + the adjacent tongue would bite into the anterior tendons of my ankle, enough so that my foot still hurts a bit a few days later.
Lakecycling.com has a terrible (for consumers, good for them) return policy, too: unless it's straight up unused then no returns. Never again will I purchase from them. Instead I need to go through the awkward song and dance of using my credit card's return protection policy, which involves paperwork, waiting, shipping at my own expense, and then hoping the cleaned-up shoes meet their "like-new/in good working condition" criteria.
Anyway, since I'm apparently going to stick with my 2001-era Sidis for a few years more yet I bust out the grinding wheel on the rotary tool and finally extracted a long-stuck bolt on the old cleats:
iPhone + digital zoom + low light makes for a very painterly look, eh. New cleats are now on the very not new Sidis and my ankles are happier again for it.
Finally, to round off this spate of unrelated posts/shit on my mind related to cars or bikes:
I am going to be un-cheap and both do the commuter bike's wheels via speeddream.com and get a pair of LB rims for the trailbike. I might keep the second LB rim as a backup since the front wheel on the 5010 still looks ok, afaik.
The trailbike rim situation is clear, but what pushed me over the edge was that when I was backpedaling the commuter during chain cleaning/oiling last night I noticed that the cassette moves during its rotation. I can't envision that the freehub itself would get bent yet still freewheel easily as it does, so instead I think that it's most likely that I bent the axle a bit and thus the freehub's axis is now eccentric to the fixed reference of the (bent) axle.
The nice thing will be that assuming I get Dave @ speeddream to set me up with the proper model of DT Swiss 350 hubs then they'll be convertible to most non-Boost axle standards with new endcaps for future theoretical Moots-age. (From what I've gathered if one buys a DT 350 QR front hub it's not convertible to 15 mm, but if one gets a 15 mm version there exist endcaps to drop to QR. Stupid but that's apparently how they did it.)
I am going to be un-cheap and both do the commuter bike's wheels via speeddream.com and get a pair of LB rims for the trailbike. I might keep the second LB rim as a backup since the front wheel on the 5010 still looks ok, afaik.
The trailbike rim situation is clear, but what pushed me over the edge was that when I was backpedaling the commuter during chain cleaning/oiling last night I noticed that the cassette moves during its rotation. I can't envision that the freehub itself would get bent yet still freewheel easily as it does, so instead I think that it's most likely that I bent the axle a bit and thus the freehub's axis is now eccentric to the fixed reference of the (bent) axle.
The nice thing will be that assuming I get Dave @ speeddream to set me up with the proper model of DT Swiss 350 hubs then they'll be convertible to most non-Boost axle standards with new endcaps for future theoretical Moots-age. (From what I've gathered if one buys a DT 350 QR front hub it's not convertible to 15 mm, but if one gets a 15 mm version there exist endcaps to drop to QR. Stupid but that's apparently how they did it.)
What's that grinding sound @1:20? Spinning wheels?
Edit: also, get the darn flat pedals already
The repeated grinding sounds during the 4x speed section of failed attempts is the sound of ATRAC. It's brake-modulated traction control, with the key point that it actually works off-road (until the brakes overheat, that is).What's that grinding sound @1:20? Spinning wheels?
Edit: also, get the darn flat pedals already
See about 15 seconds into this video, clearly not of me given the accents and the early Series 100:
What year is your LC? Wife and I have been looking at adding a 4Runner to our fleet, but damn those things hold their value.
Mine's a 2007. Last year of the 100 Series: wife insisted I find one with side airbags which limited the possible years since I didn't and don't want a 200 Series. It has the mixed blessing of air suspension (AHC/AVS) which is great unless it fails. At least it's not a "when it fails" as with Range Rovers…
Boots ordered. I went to Christy Sports (and Patio!
) and what fit my short, fat, low-calf-because-Asian legs best were actually high volume women's boots. The problem is these women's boots only come in 85 stiffness in store, 95 if special ordered. Nope. The dude said I should check out Apex, maker of weird-ass soft boots with a step-in exoskeleton, as their construction might work better with my anatomy.This past Friday I did just that, stopping off at Apex's little demo shop/storefront in Golden after my Mountain Lion jaunt in the snow. (They're one exit south/west of 58 on I-70.) They sized me as a Mondo 27 and the XP is the model that fit the best.
As I'd rather not spend a solid $1k on boots (or do a bunch of $20 demo days with Apex, which would necessitate a lot of extra Friday night drives to Golden to pick 'em up) I looked online, knowing that REI is a dealer. Thus the 2 year old but proper size Apex MC-X en route. Sierra Trading Post has them for cheaper than REI but not in my size and certainly without REI's stellar return policy. I'll use their ad to get a price match from my credit card company.
Cliffs Notes: I was fitted for $1000 boots but will see if these $400-after-match boots do the trick for my stubby legs, and if not then back to REI they'll go.
Backtracking to find your purchase post, you got a good deal at that price.