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McCracAttack posted:This might be more gizmo than you're after but I got an older version of these Garmin Varia tail lights and I love it. When a car is coming it makes my bike computer beep and I get a little indicator of how far behind me it is. It can even see multiple cars in most cases. Definitely makes me more confident out on the road. I've been riding with one of these for a couple months now and I'll never go back to riding on the road without radar.
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Feb 26, 2023 21:18
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realizing that earlier when i heard a weird clang when going over a bump, it was the brompton seatpost bung falling out  dunno who thought a press-in design was a good idea for this, i pushed it in as much as it'd go but clearly it wasn't secure in any way. not a big deal since i fold my bike outside and i'm not gonna damage my floor if the metal seatpost clangs against the ground, but annoying
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Feb 26, 2023 22:34
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OBAMNA PHONE posted:How tall are you and are you all leg or all torso? Waist size? Wifi Toilet posted:The Black Bibs has a couple Tall versions. No experience with either of them though, their normal $40 bibs work for me at 6'4" Thank you!! wooger posted:Endura stuff is long, has longer than usual arms, and the bib shorts have an extra length leg option for extremely long legged people. The Pro SL level is worth it. Super helpful, ty. Sleeve length has been a big problem for me when trying to get jackets as well. TobinHatesYou posted:It’s worth noting that aero benefits are pretty noticeable even at 13mph, and that also applies to drafting. Depending on the size of the person in front, you can probably still feel the benefit of drafting at that speed from around 5-6 feet back. I didn’t realize it could still be effective so far back! Will have to try playing around w this more. E: one other q: when people say someone is good at descending, what does this involve? Is there smth I should read or watch to get a sense of what to aim for? I am fairly sure I am bad at it. tildes fucked around with this message at 23:45 on Feb 26, 2023 |
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Feb 26, 2023 23:25
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Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud posted:Love the Bromptons for what they are, get ready to tighten poo poo anyway. I rode mine three times before noticing that my seatpost clamp was way too fuckin loose and they don't even give you a torque value in the manual for it; I had to adjust it against my wife's for comparable torque. i am literally doing this right now with my partner's bike lmao only turned it a tiny quarter turn since i'm nervous about the lack of a published torque value for this thing but that was enough to stop the seatpost from being turnable when locked which is what the brompton tutorial videos indicate is "slipping." still not nearly as far in as the one on my partner's bike but i'll probably take it to the brompton store if it keeps slipping since i definitely don't want to damage the frame abraham linksys fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Feb 26, 2023 |
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Feb 26, 2023 23:28
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charliebravo77 posted:I've been riding with one of these for a couple months now and I'll never go back to riding on the road without radar. Same. I hate riding without it now.
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Feb 26, 2023 23:56
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McCracAttack posted:Same. I hate riding without it now. Can you guys go in to this more? I primarily ride on fairly open mountain roads.
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Feb 27, 2023 00:39
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abraham linksys posted:i am literally doing this right now with my partner's bike lmao The service manual says 4-7nm, I tightened mine a third of a turn and that fixed it.
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Feb 27, 2023 00:51
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Residency Evil posted:Can you guys go in to this more? I primarily ride on fairly open mountain roads. It's a tail light with built in radar to see cars coming from behind you. When it sees one (or more) it makes your bike computer beep and shows a little bar on the side of the display to let you know how close they are. It usually sees them before I can hear them and it means not having to look over your shoulder to check for cars. Now it does need line of sight (it can't see over hills for example) and every now and then it will pick up a false positive from somewhere but that usually manifests as a "car" that seems to appear and then disappear a second later. I'm just the sort of person that likes to know when cars are coming so having this makes me more confident because I know well in advance when a car is coming up behind me. Some people may not care about that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STPw1QPLn2s&t=50s Now he's using a newer fancier bike computer but I have one of Garmin's old entry level moddels that looks like an 80s wrist watch and it's still compatible and does the little dot on the bar graph to show the car approaching. wash bucket fucked around with this message at 01:16 on Feb 27, 2023 |
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Feb 27, 2023 00:59
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tildes posted:E: one other q: when people say someone is good at descending, what does this involve? Is there smth I should read or watch to get a sense of what to aim for? I am fairly sure I am bad at it. https://youtu.be/99wJn5QBvyg
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Feb 27, 2023 01:21
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charliebravo77 posted:I've been riding with one of these for a couple months now and I'll never go back to riding on the road without radar. I have two road bikes, one at the office and one at home. I was bringing the Varia and 530 back and forth on weekends to use them on my home bike. I forgot them at the office one Friday and was so anxious after one ride without them I went out and bought another one and another head unit. Game changer for road riding. I still head check before turns, but they’re awesome for knowing when cars are coming up.
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Feb 27, 2023 01:54
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Thanks guys. Seems like something to pick up before I start riding outside again. Now if only garmin finally released the edge 540.
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Feb 27, 2023 02:42
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Anyone have thoughts on frame vs frame for the giant Revolt advanced vs the canyon Grizl? Giant seems to have the seat tube stop a lot lower than the canyon, but otherwise fairly similar. Flip chip is an interesting concept, even if I doubt I'd change it much.
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Feb 27, 2023 03:32
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Residency Evil posted:Can you guys go in to this more? I primarily ride on fairly open mountain roads. This also works with ridewithgps, if you don't have a bike computer! Can confirm it's very handy.
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Feb 27, 2023 03:53
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RIP ZEEZ
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ilkhan posted:Anyone have thoughts on frame vs frame for the giant Revolt advanced vs the canyon Grizl? Giant seems to have the seat tube stop a lot lower than the canyon, but otherwise fairly similar. Flip chip is an interesting concept, even if I doubt I'd change it much. Geometry: The Giant has a lower bb (5mm more drop), more stack (~35mm in my size), same chainstay (when Revolt is in the 'long' flip), and similar front end geo. Canyon has more clearance - 50mm with fenders vs. 40mm with fenders. Mounting options are similar. Giant has a d-shaped post but apparently you can swap a round one in (would be curious how well that works in practice). Unlike many Giants, this one uses a standard steerer tube, so that's nice, too. Personally, I'd probably choose whichever one you can get in a size that fits (the stack on the Giant might make that choice for ya) and the best color in your opinion.
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Feb 27, 2023 04:22
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tildes posted:
There is no short answer. I can tell you what makes most people bad descenders...ignorance. Bad descenders do not pay attention to the details. They don't practice...they just go through the motions and don't learn from previous descents. Bad habits like not getting low, never getting in the drops if on a road bike. Not shifting weight. Not knowing how countersteering works. Not knowing which body parts to keep stable and which to let loose. Having no idea how grippy tires can be. Turning in too late, braking too much, target fixation / not looking where you want to go, etc. etc. TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 08:40 on Feb 27, 2023 |
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Feb 27, 2023 05:36
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fast descending is the result of of practice, risk management, and bravery. practice is fairly obvious, just keep riding and pushing yourself. no replacement for time spent on the bike. it sounds silly but look where you want to go and dont forget to turn. risk management is pretty straightforward because you are riding in variable conditions on public roads or trails and need to figure out if its ok to let go of the brakes and let gravity take over. as much as i like to haul rear end i also like to ride home. if you arnt feeling it, dont push it. bravery is nebulous but id say its the application of trusting your skills and bicycle to actually go fast.
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Feb 27, 2023 07:55
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furthermore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA and RULE #64 // Cornering confidence increases with time and experience.This pattern continues until it falls sharply and suddenly. https://www.velominati.com/the-rules-cat/on-rule-64-the-sudden-drop/
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Feb 27, 2023 08:01
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More contemporary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99wJn5QBvyg Knowing the road and understanding the lines makes a huge difference, it's honestly quite similar to a motorbike when you start to go quicker
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Feb 27, 2023 08:34
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I always liked this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U78lkaDE_5w
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Feb 27, 2023 08:45
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nibali rules. i think he owns a house on lake como too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qWVGvr-x9Y&t=1s
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Feb 27, 2023 09:27
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Re Garmin Varia: Does anyone not in the US actually use and recommend these? I can understand that being aware of cars coming up behind you is good, but what are you doing with this information? In the UK, I hear cars coming up behind, but it’s not on me to move or take evasive action, it’s 100% on them to wait and overtake when it’s safe. I don’t have trouble hearing an approaching car, and I’d always look over my shoulder before moving out across lanes to turn etc. I’m not clear what I’d do with the information the Varia would give me. This has been exactly the same when cycling on the road in Spain & France. Is the Varia mainly just helpful in the far less cycling friendly US roads. Are you taking evasive action when it detects a car coming?
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Feb 27, 2023 11:52
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wooger posted:In the UK, I hear cars coming up behind, but it’s not on me to move or take evasive action, it’s 100% on them to wait and overtake when it’s safe. Where are you riding in the UK that this is true in practice and not just in theory
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Feb 27, 2023 13:04
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If I were to move back to the UK I would definitely get a Varia for the road. It seems crazy to me now that I used to cycle on completely unprotected roads with cars and trucks going past at 60/70mph. I'm not sure how useful it would actually be though. Like yeah I would know cars are coming up behind me, but I'd be most worried about a line of cars where one doesn't notice that there's a cyclist and they go into the back of me. In that situation it's basically useless.
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Feb 27, 2023 13:14
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For a serious answer, I often can't hear when things are coming up behind me when it's windy and it's very windy around here.
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Feb 27, 2023 13:19
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The amount of times that I’ve been riding through the lanes and haven’t noticed a car behind me, seems it would be handy to have.
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Feb 27, 2023 13:20
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wooger posted:I can understand that being aware of cars coming up behind you is good, but what are you doing with this information? Mostly just spend less time looking over my shoulder wondering if a car is coming. It puts me at ease to know they're coming because by the time I can hear them they're usually right on top of me. Also, because of how drivers (and technically the laws) work around here about half the drivers will not pass you unless you acknowledge them and get as far to the side as possible. So less chance of a Prius with an elderly driver easing up behind me and hanging out 50 feet back while half a dozen other cars pile up behind them. But 90% of it is the situational awareness putting my lizard brain at ease.
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Feb 27, 2023 14:03
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MrL_JaKiri posted:Where are you riding in the UK that this is true in practice and not just in theory Some people overtake too close or when it’s unsafe for sure. 99% will slow down and wait until it’s safe to pass. In no case am I swerving to the roadside for them anyway. It’s unclear how a Varia would know whether they’re going to do that though. And I really can’t see what action I could take if the Varia was somehow able to identify that a white Audi is approaching from behind. I’m in the road, in whatever position is safest (normally in the lane), a car behind me does not change that.
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Feb 27, 2023 14:03
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If you don't think it's valuable information then don't use it, no-one is forcing you. I do and I do
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Feb 27, 2023 14:06
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MrL_JaKiri posted:If you don't think it's valuable information then don't use it, no-one is forcing you. I do and I do I don’t have one, just genuinely trying to understand what other cyclists (in countries who don’t have a ‘murder cyclists at will’ rule) do every time the Varia alarm goes off. Clearly some people swear by them, but are you all US based?
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Feb 27, 2023 14:13
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wooger posted:I don’t have one, just genuinely trying to understand what other cyclists (in countries who don’t have a ‘murder cyclists at will’ rule) do every time the Varia alarm goes off. I live in the UK city with the highest proportion of regular cyclists by some distance. Does it matter all the time? No. Has it helped reduce risk in some situations? Yes. Is that enough? Yes, especially on a TT bike which is more dangerous when a close pass happens. MrL_JaKiri fucked around with this message at 14:17 on Feb 27, 2023 |
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Feb 27, 2023 14:14
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I only have one friend who has one here in the Netherlands and they only have it because they're fond of such gadgets, not out of necessity. It gets windy here too, but ime my hearing is most impaired in a headwind, which is when I personally feel most comfortable looking over my shoulder anyway. I would like to have one, but I've never felt naked without one
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Feb 27, 2023 14:22
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wooger posted:I don’t have one, just genuinely trying to understand what other cyclists (in countries who don’t have a ‘murder cyclists at will’ rule) do every time the Varia alarm goes off. Its not just the USA where negligent homicide is basically legal if you do it with a car, no matter how strong the laws suggest otherwise. They're not worth the paper they're written on if there's a culture of acceptance. I'm not in the USA and where I live legally cars are supposed to stop at intersections if a pedestrian sticks their arm out and signals their intention to cross. In practice I'd be dead by the end of the day if I tried that and the driver would get at most a 500$ fine and a suspended sentence and the press conference would be about why I was somewhere on foot when I had a perfectly good car at home. That last part isn't a joke someone in a city in another province got run down at a bus stop not too long ago and the focus of the investigation was to find out why he was taking the bus instead of driving.
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Feb 27, 2023 14:24
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wooger posted:Clearly some people swear by them, but are you all US based? I am. I'm in a part of the US where nobody knows how to handle cyclist so they assume you'll behave like a farmer on a tractor would: plod along until you give them some sort of "go ahead" signal or pull off to make room for them. If you ride with the "take the lane and let the cars figure it out" approach you'll end up with a mile long train of pissed off cars behind you that will pull an unsafe pass once their patience runs out.
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Feb 27, 2023 14:24
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wooger posted:Some people overtake too close or when it’s unsafe for sure. 99% will slow down and wait until it’s safe to pass. In no case am I swerving to the roadside for them anyway. The light also changes patterns when it detects a car which is useful. I’m not sure why the benefits would be exclusive to the US vs UK. Anywhere I’m riding on a road that cars also use the Varia would be valuable.
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Feb 27, 2023 14:30
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My take is that the radar warning is useful on stretches of road where cars are likely to be travelling at a speed where they could blow by you before you're aware. This will vary by both user and the road type, and becomes even more useful if high speed passing traffic is more disruptive to you (eg. on a TT bike). It's probably not going to help much if you're mostly riding country backroads with (mostly) lower speeds and lower ability to pass without slowing. It pretty much comes down to if you ever think to yourself 'gently caress me I didn't see that coming' when someone flies past you and wish you had more warning. It's probably not going to magically stop someone plowing into you from behind, although at least when they do you'll see them all the way in I guess!
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Feb 27, 2023 14:44
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Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:The light also changes patterns when it detects a car which is useful. I’m not sure why the benefits would be exclusive to the US vs UK. Anywhere I’m riding on a road that cars also use the Varia would be valuable. For people who ride on shared roads in the UK/US: you're braver humans than I; I'll stick to low speed city streets and MTB trails. I know for a fact there'd be zero consequence if someone hit me.
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Feb 27, 2023 14:50
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I treat it like blindspot indicators. It's an extra piece of information that promotes situational awareness, but doesn't replace checking over my shoulder to actually confirm what's going on. It's most useful to me when I'm in city traffic and want to make a turn - my normal commute route has me make a turn across traffic on a multi-lane road, a few blocks after a stop light. It's a well trafficked road, so going by road noise alone isn't helpful. The varia shows me how many cars are behind me, which means I only check over my shoulder a few times when I know there's a gap, instead of constantly. Overall - having it doesn't cause me to do anything differently, but having more information about what's going on around me makes me feel very fractionally safer. Is that real? Am I any less likely to be run down by a distracted driver refreshing twitter? Probably not - but I guess it's all part of the same cognitive dissonance that makes us feel okay about the risk balance of riding on the roads anyway.
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Feb 27, 2023 15:51
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Yeah, realistically if someone is going to hit me they're going to hit me, but it does work well as supplemental awareness. One of the main protected bike lanes in my city had a bunch of those impromptu outdoor eating areas build between the road and bike lane, which can make it 1) hard to see if a car is coming when I hit a cross street and 2) hard for cars to see if I'm about to cross when coming up on a right turn. Of course this doesn't solve 2, but for 1 it helps me make sure that I'm doubly aware of whether or not I need to be looking out for someone turning into my lane and not potentially seeing me. It works well at surprisingly obtuse angles. It also doesn't help with the fact that there's now pedestrians stepping out of the totally enclosed shipping containers or whatever directly into the bike path with no way of knowing they're there beforehand, but I'll take what I can get.
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Feb 27, 2023 17:21
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I'm a UK road rider that uses a Varia. Love it. I'm slightly more of an edge case as I am blind in one eye which makes looking over the shoulder slightly more tricky/dangerous. Mirrors are usually too small to be functional for me and look bad, so the Varia has given me bunch more confidence on the road. It should not be 100% trusted, I've had the odd car come up behind me without alert but It has been a game changer on the whole. I won't ride without one now.
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Feb 27, 2023 17:28
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wooger posted:Re Garmin Varia: What’s so hard to understand? My Varia Radar is stupendous for rural roads. It has never had a false negative. I can ride safely in the middle of the lane until it beeps, then I move to the shoulder or bike lane if needed. I don’t know about your but I can’t necessarily hear a Tesla or many ICE cars at ~500ft away.
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Feb 27, 2023 18:57
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