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kimbo305 posted:Ultra fancy cycle tourists. Woah. Kogas are rad (although I only know them for their track bikes).
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Jun 26, 2021 03:22
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Is it common for tour bikes to have flat bars like that?
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Jun 26, 2021 03:38
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That's the European style. British and American is drop bars.
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Jun 26, 2021 03:58
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We’re going to attempt our first bike weekend trip, after a year of commuting 20 km and 18 km daily. We figure we’ll aim for a destination some 60km from our starting position, to make it there in a day or two, stay the day and the return. It feels intimidating but it seems like it’ll be fun. I don’t think we’ll go camping since we want a bit of pampering after so much biking. I have good saddle bags and a solid backpack, any suggestions on what to pack, how to prepare? We’re both very much novices when it comes to the technicality of riding a bike and just have rather basic gear.
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Jun 26, 2021 09:09
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There's a touring thread that could advise on stuff to bring. But for shorter non-camping trip, really just - usual commuting spares - changes of clothes, clothing for bad weather - batteries/charging - whatever you want to eat that you wouldn't buy, and enough water between resupply - sunscreen I wouldn't carry more than clothes in a backpack if possible, just to reduce strain on my back.
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Jun 26, 2021 09:14
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kimbo305 posted:There's a touring thread that could advise on stuff to bring. Yeah that's what I figured and seems reasonable. My back is going to be sweat central, it's bad enough with nothing on it, but that's ok. We're thinking of biking out south-west of Paris around Rambouillet. I'll take a look at some other routes but that one seems nice. 100YrsofAttitude fucked around with this message at 11:30 on Jun 26, 2021 |
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Jun 26, 2021 11:25
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wooger posted:You can get disc brakes with hub gears sure, but there aren’t many bikes like that about in my experience - how many people will spend ~ £1000+ on what’s essentially a hybrid bike? Most of the bikes I see them on aren't hybrids -- just regular city bikes. And £1000 is almost what you pay for a nice commuter bike as-is, even without a hub with MTB-like gear range. It certainly was when I was in the UK. wooger posted:Besides, from what I’ve read alfine 11 is not well regarded at all. The early generations (2012?) definitely had problems with oil leakage from the non-drive side seals, which makes itself known if you're using the disc brake. I'm not getting the same impression from folks who bought theirs more recently. Groda fucked around with this message at 12:58 on Jun 26, 2021 |
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Jun 26, 2021 11:28
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There’s is a lovely ridgeback 8 speed hub city bike with front suspension and pannier racks as well. Hybrid is a bad bad term in 2022, it belongs 10 years ago when bad companies shoved pannier racks on bottom of the range heavy MTB frames with whatever road bike forks they had an excess of, and 700c wheels, and made a fortune because it turned out there was a demand for people who wanted to commute on flat bar.
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Jun 26, 2021 12:34
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learnincurve posted:Hybrid is a bad bad term in 2022, it belongs 10 years ago when bad companies shoved pannier racks on bottom of the range heavy MTB frames with whatever road bike forks they had an excess of, and 700c wheels, and made a fortune because it turned out there was a demand for people who wanted to commute on flat bar. Sure, a lot of Americans call any bike you could vaguely commute on a "hybrid," but hybrids are still a big segment of the market. And a lot of bikes that are getting sold with wide-range gear hubs like the Alfine line and Rohloff fall specifically into that category, even if that's not usually what I usually see where I live. Groda fucked around with this message at 00:32 on Jun 27, 2021 |
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Jun 26, 2021 13:15
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That’s not really the case in the U.K. £850 will get you a decent city bike with front suspension, hydraulic brakes and hub gears. £250 will get you a heavy as poo poo hybrid.
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Jun 26, 2021 14:05
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100YrsofAttitude posted:My back is going to be sweat central, it's bad enough with nothing on it, but that's ok. I would strongly recommend going to decathlon and picking up a some panniers/frame bags. You're going to hate yourself wearing a backpack all day.
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Jun 26, 2021 15:09
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kimbo305 posted:That's the European style. British and American is drop bars. That’s interesting. Is there much discussion or anything about why?
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Jun 26, 2021 15:18
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Al2001 posted:I would strongly recommend going to decathlon and picking up a some panniers/frame bags. You're going to hate yourself wearing a backpack all day. I have some already, I'm just not sure if everything will fit in them, if they do then great. If not I have the backpack as well.
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Jun 26, 2021 15:18
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learnincurve posted:Hybrid is a bad bad term in 2022, it belongs 10 years ago when bad companies shoved pannier racks on bottom of the range heavy MTB frames with whatever road bike forks they had an excess of, and 700c wheels, and made a fortune because it turned out there was a demand for people who wanted to commute on flat bar. There are a lot of bikes in the “hybrid” category on any UK bike shop site. But the nicer ones are almost identical to a 90s type rigid MTB to be honest, and are light and well spaced. They’re decent bikes, and I might’ve bought one myself If I didn’t want drops. I question how many people buy the nice ones though. It’s a lot of money to spend without being an enthusiast, who would probably prefer a road bike or an mtb.
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Jun 26, 2021 17:44
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tuyop posted:That’s interesting. Is there much discussion or anything about why? In the US and UK it think their is less broad use of bikes, so most people who buy a bike a relatively expensive bike are enthusiasts (or trying to look like one). Butterfly/trekking bars are a great compromise for people who want to tour on non drop bars. A lot of euro touring bikes have them: 
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Jun 26, 2021 17:49
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Ah but Flat bars instead of drop bars and more upright position MTB don’t have the fitting holes for pannier racks
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Jun 26, 2021 17:51
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learnincurve posted:Flat bars instead of drop bars and more upright position
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Jun 26, 2021 17:54
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CopperHound posted:Probably just that a lot of people can't get the stereotype out of their head that drop bar bikes are racing bikes and can't be comfortable. Ahhhh see we have a government funded “cycle to work scheme” where people get £1000 to buy a bike for commuting interest free.
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Jun 26, 2021 17:55
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CopperHound posted:Nothing about the bar shape dictates how high it needs to be. Lots of people rock LHTs with the bars above saddle level. Lots of people ride flat bars with bars below saddle level. Oh I know that, I sit bolt upright on even my drop bar tourer, someone buying a first bike from Halfords probably won’t.
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Jun 26, 2021 17:57
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The term hybrid still has a place in cycling. What else do you call a rigid or light duty hard tail flat bar frame with a MTB drivetrain that at best clears 45s? It's not a road bike. It's not a mountain bike. It's something in between.
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Jun 27, 2021 00:20
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EvilJoven posted:It's not a road bike. It's not a mountain bike. It's something in between. That describes pretty much every possible bike (that’s not a road bike or an MTB)
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Jun 27, 2021 07:47
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Oddly enough my hybrid/city bike and my Dutch bike (both by ridgeback) have road bike gearing, that’s kind of what I’m saying but poorly - separating the commuter city bikes into a different category, as a lot of places have started doing, is super useful because it helps new commuters find the better bikes.
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Jun 27, 2021 08:17
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https://bikepacking.com/news/tubolito-x-tubo-city-tour-tubes/quote:Tubolito says it’s impossible to get a puncture during “normal use” with their newly launched X-Tubo City/Tour inner tubes
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Jun 27, 2021 10:38
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Did something I should have thought of long ago: The edges of the leg guards were catching on my heels, forcing me to horse ride the pedals a bit.
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Jun 29, 2021 21:26
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kimbo305 posted:Did something I should have thought of long ago: What is this plastic thing? Should I also have one???
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Jun 29, 2021 21:40
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Leg guards of the baby bike seat: Though a similar thing exists for skirts.
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Jun 30, 2021 02:47
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I had an eventful ride home yesterday. Five or six blocks from my apartment, I felt my rear tire go squishy. I pulled over to inspect. My rear tire was soft, but still holing a little air. I suspect I got a puncture but my Slime tube stopped it (haven't verified this yet). No problem, I thought. I was carrying a CO2 inflator for just this occasion. I screwed the inflator on to the rear valve stem, burst the cartridge, and blew up the rear tire. Job done, I thought. When I removed the inflator, the presta valve came with it. This dumped all the air in my rear tire at once, sneezing Slime all over my hand and my IGH. As hard as I tried, I couldn't remove the valve from the inflator.   The cartridge still had a little life left in it, so I just screwed it onto the stem. It was far from ideal, but enough to let me push my bike home with the pannier in place.  Has anyone ever had the same thing happen to them, or successfully used a CO2 inflator?
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Jun 30, 2021 13:11
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I actually had that exact same issue with that inflator head. Finished a gravel race with it stuck on as well. I got rid of it and never had a problem again with others. 
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Jun 30, 2021 13:24
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Yep, I'll never use a pump or co2 that screw on for just that reason. If the valve isn't tight enough (how tight? who knows.) it can ruin your ride. Press-on all the way.
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Jun 30, 2021 14:24
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screw on pump heads at home are so much less stressful though!
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Jun 30, 2021 16:30
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It took me some time to learn, but I just barely make the screw-on stuff hand tight, while I really crank on the valve cores (which I remove a few times a year because tubeless). Definitely had a few roadside repairs go horribly wrong because of valve cores.
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Jul 4, 2021 07:15
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This morning an adult, probably male, Eastern Grey Kangaroo paced me on the other side of the sheep-paddock fence as I rolled down a gentle hill at 25 kmh. He looked like he was exerting himself at a level equivalent to a brisk walk, and he could have easily jumped over the fence at any time. He stopped close to where the path I was on turned away from the fence. I don't know the top speed he's capable of, but it's clearly much, much faster than we were going. Watching a kangaroo at full speed is an under-appreciated perk of living in Australia, I've only seen it a few times, usually from the car, and they're impressive animals. I hope I see him on the way home, and again tomorrow.
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Jul 6, 2021 01:35
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Valve cores and a core tool are so small you should have them both in your repair kit for that time you inevitably launch one of your cores into the bush like an itty bitty mortar while trying to pump up a tire. Also don't pace Roos they seem to be angry rear end in a top hat bipedal deer and one thing I know is when a deer paces you most likely it's going to turn into you. I imagine a roo would do the same but instead of running off afterwards it'd probably kick your rear end. EvilJoven fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Jul 6, 2021 |
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Jul 6, 2021 02:06
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EvilJoven posted:Valve cores and a core tool are so small you should have them both in your repair kit for that time you inevitably launch one of your cores into the bush like an itty bitty mortar while trying to pump up a tire. Ditto for ostriches? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kotWv4MCxNI
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Jul 6, 2021 07:32
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ExecuDork posted:This morning an adult, probably male, Eastern Grey Kangaroo paced me on the other side of the sheep-paddock fence as I rolled down a gentle hill at 25 kmh. He looked like he was exerting himself at a level equivalent to a brisk walk, and he could have easily jumped over the fence at any time. He stopped close to where the path I was on turned away from the fence. I don't know the top speed he's capable of, but it's clearly much, much faster than we were going. Watching a kangaroo at full speed is an under-appreciated perk of living in Australia, I've only seen it a few times, usually from the car, and they're impressive animals. It's now past 5 pm on the east coast of Australia, report back! Did you see Skippy and also did he beat you up? I also discovered that a QUADRITANDEM is a thing: https://www.flickr.com/photos/blackbirdbikes/5917153587/in/album-72157626998866065/ The bike shop is apparently based in Minneapolis near the Mall of America. Someone who lives nearby please go and do a trial ride and report back, because I am DYING to know what one of these rides like. I feel like I would be way less scared of cars in one because there is NO WAY they're squeezing past a quadritandem...they would have to treat it like another car.
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Jul 6, 2021 08:12
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You can hire these electric four wheel electric cycles for £24 an hour at Rother Valley Country Park https://www.bergtoys.com/b2b-en/pedal-gokarts/gran-tour
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Jul 6, 2021 08:30
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Going to assume ExecuDork has been knocked over by his roo mate and eaten by dropbears and bunyips
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Jul 6, 2021 09:37
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Leng posted:It's now past 5 pm on the east coast of Australia, report back! Did you see Skippy and also did he beat you up? They're not like magpies. There's a confirmed record of magpies killing a man on a bicycle. My wife and I are wildlife carers (licensed and everything), we cared for a couple of orphaned Eastern Grey joeys in late 2019. The male of the pair once suddenly jumped from my chest, I was half-lounging in a comfy chair while bottle-feeding him. If you've ever seen those central propulsion toes up close you might be able to imagine what it feels like when even a small one pushes off and launches a 2-metre jump into a high-speed hop around the yard. Not even standing start, lying down start, and I had lovely bruises. The big guy I saw yesterday was probably 60 kg, the joey was about 5 kg. But I'm not in the habit of bottle feeding adult roos. Animal Friend posted:Going to assume ExecuDork has been knocked over by his roo mate and eaten by dropbears and bunyips Post/username combo
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Jul 7, 2021 03:36
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ExecuDork posted:They're not like magpies. There's a confirmed record of magpies killing a man on a bicycle. I have been seriously swooped at by a magpie riding the Georges River cycleway, they are aggressive birds and not to be messed with. But  at that article!
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Jul 7, 2021 05:04
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Leng posted:I have been seriously swooped at by a magpie riding the Georges River cycleway, they are aggressive birds and not to be messed with. But It doesn't say it in the article, but I suspect the victim was not wearing a helmet. He died of severe head injuries after crashing his bike. Keep your brain in a bin, please. There's a great picture of a maggie on TALLY-HO! approach in the linked article, along with some hilariously broken reasoning by members of the public. Blood filling your lungs is bad, yes. Blood filling your heart is normal and not a symptom of a heart attack.
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Jul 8, 2021 01:41
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