Bike Commuting: pickin' and flickin' to keep it clean

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > Bike Commuting: pickin' and flickin' to keep it clean

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SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Get your city to put sidewalks next to the bike paths??

# ¿ Aug 13, 2020 00:51

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 16:04

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

CopperHound posted:

It is hard for me to articulate how much I hate retracto-leads. I tend to judge how much space to give based on how long a leash is. Just cut your goddamn ~~anklebiter~~ dog loose if you aren't keeping the lead locked.

There are laws here about how long a leash can be which dog-owners ignore. Ask the ligature scars on my wrists how that goes for cyclists!

# ¿ Aug 14, 2020 18:48

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

It sounds like cottered cranks if they're old steel ones. Change the cranks and bottom bracket please.

SimonSays fucked around with this message at 21:06 on Aug 18, 2020

# ¿ Aug 18, 2020 21:02

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

You can just change the cotter pins but please don't keep cottered cranks alive, they always sucked.

# ¿ Aug 18, 2020 21:07

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Pantsmaster Bill posted:

Do any of you use a large saddlebag like Carradice? Thinking of switching away from panniers and I like the look of them. I like the idea of having the bag up behind me rather than a single pannier on one side, seems a bit more balanced (and a bit more aerodynamic?)

Seems like it should be fine for most commuting, but a bit worried about the few times i have to carry my laptop (weight and size wise)

I have and love one but it's not a pannier substitute. It'll do for a lot of smaller rides though. A bag-support might be a good idea for your use case.

# ¿ Aug 21, 2020 23:13

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Flip Yr Wig posted:

So I'm planning on becoming a winter commuter for the first time this year because COVID/public transit. How much should I expect to shell out for appropriate winter clothing?

Gonna need to know where you are. We've got British, Californian, Canadian and Winnipeg winter cyclists around here and it's a way different answer from everyone

# ¿ Sep 8, 2020 17:56

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Sauer posted:

We've gotten to the part of the year where Montreal's weather alternates between periods just above zero and just below zero with the precipitation changing between snow and rain pretty much at whim (the endless freeze rain is coming). The roads are disgusting and even walking can be a challenge in the muck sometimes. In the past I'd leave my bike at home during the Winter'ish months and take the bus but with "the situation" there's no way in hell I'm packing myself into a metal tube everyday. My bike is equipped for winter with fenders, studded tires (35c Winter Marathon Plus) and excellent lights and I was having no trouble with the first cold flash we got that iced up the roads but this goop is causing me a ton of trouble. Its fine on the trafficked roads where car wheels have plowed all the crap off to the sides; I take a lane and go but I have to ride through a few quieter streets to get to and from home and they're pretty much paved in this muck. Its ice mud and the wheels get no traction in it. I can get rolling pretty well but my wheels are skidding and fish-tailing all over and when I get to a rut from cross traffic (gently caress intersections in this weather) there's a good chance my front wheel just slips right out from under me on contact with this "snirt" mountain. Not my image but imagine this but another inch deeper.

I haven't fallen yet but its pretty much a full body workout keeping myself upright as the bike is dancing around under me; steering more with my thighs than the bars. Is there anything I can do to make this less miserable or is it kind of like riding a horse and you get use to it and relax into the random shifting over time? I'm not sure I can handle a few more months of this if its going to be hell every time. My commute is only 8km and only the first kilometer is all crapped up like this but 10% of the route is taking 90% of the effort. I'd really like to not get back on the bus and I really like riding in the winter when its just snow and ice (and the looks of horror from drivers strokes my ego).

Its fun when its fresh.

This last Wednesday morning was pretty much as crappy as it gets in a Montreal winter, since it takes the ploughs longer to get into the swing of things at the beginning of the winter. Most weeks are way easier, but it's definitely more tiring than fair-weather riding. You've got the right idea with steering with your thighs and relaxing into the way the bike moves on its own in those ruts, and your body will get used to it, to a certain extent.

Your equipment is spot on, too.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2020 01:17

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

(Quote is not edit)

# ¿ Nov 27, 2020 01:19

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Animal Friend posted:

Saw this in the wild today.

Also hi thread.

I recently moved into a lovely studio apartment that is tiny. My bike is my primary mode of transportation and has been for a few years now.

I have a Bontrager Elite chain that I use to secure it when out and about, which is usually only for a short amount of time (shopping etc) as I keep it in a secure place inside the building I work at.

However it's hard to keep in my flat. There's no space for it inside. It's currently leaning against the door and taking up part of my kitchen space... The floor is also carpeted and my city is quite prone to rain, so I didn't know how much longer I'll be able to keep it there.

My apartment is ground level the rear of a long driveway. There's a drain metal pipe by the door and 2 nights ago I left it outside chained to it threading through the frame and rear wheel, took off the front wheel and left it against the building. I checked and saw that you couldn't really see it from the street. I was still so paranoid that I slept like poo poo because every slight rustling sound woke me up, convinced somebody was stealing my bike.
(My cousins road bike was stolen one suburb over, in a nicer part of town recently and I've had a bike stolen in the past, plus I'm prone to anxiety.)

I've read so many conflicting things about locks but it seems u-locks are the way to go? Was there anything this thread could recommend? My bike is a Merida Speeder 400, not overly extravagant but expensive enough to me to be devastating if stolen.

As many of the biggest and most expensive Kryptonite U-locks you can afford.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2021 01:16

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Sauer posted:

Your cities clear snow off bike infrastructure? The large boulevard I need to take every day got renovated over the late summer to fall to add protected bike lanes to either side between the road and sidewalk. They're really nice... and currently storing all the snow they shoveled off the road and sidewalks.

Montreal does it by borough, Rosemont is pretty good but Plateau and Villeray far less so.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2021 00:10

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

ExecuDork posted:

I don't know what the French word for them is, but try looking for gaiters
https://www.google.com/search?q=gai...iw=1920&bih=976
EDIT: I'm in Australia so this page of GIS results is full of advertisements for snake-resistant leg coverings. Which is hilarious. And, if you find something you really really want but it's not available in France, let me know and we can try to work something out that will probably involve silly shipping costs and months to get there.

They were invented centuries ago before trousers were really a thing and everybody wore long socks and other random bits of fabric on their legs and yeah, getting that wet was uncomfortable. These days, lots of people who like to wear shorts in less-than-lovely weather put their gaiters on and keep their feet dry.

The English word is French. Tu cherches des guêtres.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2021 01:58

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Any time Entropist posts anything, really

# ¿ Feb 11, 2021 02:38

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

I rode a Pashley, it felt really nice and made me happy. Still wouldn't own one in my city because sometimes there's a grade of more than 0.5% and that's why we developed nicer bikes since the 1910s.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2021 02:41

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

You put it through the rear wheel inside the rear triangle. https://sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

# ¿ Mar 13, 2021 23:42

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Giant Metal Robot posted:

Is there anything like a good guide to rear racks? It's one of those things that everytime I buy one, a find a bunch of different designs, all capable of 44lbs, with more or less tubes, about the same weight, and anywhere from $30-$100. I have no idea why any of them are better than the other.

I would only go to 44lbs on the nicer ones. They also tend to be easier to affix to the frame securely. A heavy load on a cheap rack makes the bike ride really miserable.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2021 16:07

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

There's a few manufacturers doing 26" wheels to keep smaller bikes proportional, but it's actually getting more and more difficult to find OEM wheels.

# ¿ Mar 21, 2021 14:04

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Animal Friend posted:

Just bring back the Penny Farthing imo.

How did they stop those?

Lithobraking

# ¿ Mar 30, 2021 14:10

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

If you're doing 100km a week then yes your tires need changing, they wear out. Quicker with terrible OEM tires, but all tires wear out, and when they do there's less rubber between the tube and the sharp nasties on the road.

And sometimes you just get flats. Three a week can happen, when they haven't swept the streets in a while.

SimonSays fucked around with this message at 23:08 on May 12, 2021

# ¿ May 12, 2021 23:06

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Quote /= edit

# ¿ May 12, 2021 23:07

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

You can also stick the last bit of tire in the bench vise and use the whole wheel as leverage to pop that bead on.

But you're not supposed to let the person who'll be riding the tire see you doing it.

# ¿ May 17, 2021 22:38

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

KozmoNaut posted:

A small bag for tools and whatnot.

Available in both modern designs and "painfully hipster".

That's a pitifully small bag. The saddlebag can be, and has been for a long time, a serious gear-hauling apparatus.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2021 23:36

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Mecca-Benghazi posted:

Not Harris Cyclery though, they closed last week No idea why

Like many, it looks like they closed cause the owners are close to retirement, and it's been total garbage to work at a bike shop for the last year and it's not gonna get better for another two years. I understand why they're fed up and don't think it's worth it.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2021 22:00

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

The Wiggly Wizard posted:

Ideas for carrying a gym back on a rear rack? My back and front basket are sometimes occupied and even with a super tight bungie my gym bag flops off the side

Don't use bungie cords, use straps. Voile and Arno are good choices.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2021 02:50

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Bilirubin posted:

Ortliebs rate as a good pannier bag?

Yes, they are the best pannier bags

# ¿ Jul 16, 2021 17:36

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

wooger posted:

They’re the best, and not even expensive compared to alternatives where I am.

Waterproof enough to use as an ice cooler for beer.

Tough enough that you could just drag them behind your bike and they’d still make it.

Do use them as a beer cooler, do NOT drag them behind your bike. They'll only make it through a few years of that.

# ¿ Jul 16, 2021 21:49

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:

I’d buy the Fuji. It looks the coolest. That’s my entire basis.

The head angle on that one weirded me out, it looks way too race-like for this use.

E: the Motiv or whatever it is looks like a fun and durable piece of crap.

# ¿ Aug 26, 2021 01:43

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Mauser posted:

Can you do clipless pedals with fixies? I gotta see if a bike shop near me has one that I can test ride

Best way

# ¿ Aug 30, 2021 14:44

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

mikemelbrooks posted:

what do you recommend using to remove the glue left behind after removing tubeless rim tape? I have tried acetone, meths, white spirit and petrol, and only succeeded in making glue bogeys.

You make glue bogeys, then peel off the glue bogeys.

# ¿ Nov 10, 2021 01:54

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

God Hole posted:

i was thinking more like it might cause the angle grinder to launch into the person's face or something, which i personally wouldn't want to happen even to the dirtiest of dirtbags but ymmv

I'm ok with bicycle thieves being injured by their actions

# ¿ Nov 14, 2021 18:10

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

It's because those with power care about their cars, and only those without care the same amount about their bicycle.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2021 23:14

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

I bike throughout the Canadian winter but I'd absolutely never suggest anybody else do it, it's an awful idea. Take a day off from whatever you want whenever you want.

# ¿ Dec 10, 2021 03:22

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

cum jabbar posted:

My bike (Brilliant L-Train) wants to fall over with the kickstand with the slightest load in the panniers, which is basically the only way I ride. Any recommendations on center kickstands? Reviews of the Velo Orange offering suggest it's poorly made.

The VO is made by Massload to their standard design, which is excellent but needs to be adjusted very carefully and well-secured, and sometimes the legs need to be modified, depending on the BB height of the bike.

Also, kickstands are devices to make bikes fall over, and I'm speaking as someone with stands on two bikes. Locking the front wheel in place helps. A strap through the frame and front wheel is good.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2021 01:16

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

CopperHound posted:

I gotta take a second to complain just for the sake of complaining. My town's commercial district is full of bike racks, which is great, but they are all facing the wrong direction.

My town has those in stainless. They put them up correctly the first year, then decided they knew better than everyone and since then it's been like yours. Utterly infuriating.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2022 22:37

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

100YrsofAttitude posted:

I see (better...)!

I found a wheel at any rate, and got it fixed! Ran around the east of Paris looking for one in 3 different stores, until I had the brilliant idea of calling the shop before going to them to see if they had the piece.

Anyway, the technician took the wheel and the hub just fell apart, all these ball bearings just slipped out. Thing was shot.

It also super confirmed that the mechanics next to my place are lovely. I told the new guy that I had the old people do a check-up in January, and was told that they should've seen this coming. Not wanting to judge them more he didn't say more, but that told me pretty much that they didn't do poo poo.

I was also told that the gears are going to need fixing in the near future, if not a full replacement, and that there was clearly a bunch of odds and ends that needed doing or were not done super well. Goes to show, plus they were way more expensive than this new dude, which is unfortunately close to work, but not convenient considering the distance I need to cover. Maybe I could see them with more regularity if I rearrange my schedule. I have another garage nearby, 10 minutes away versus 3, but now I know who not to return to.

It was nice to ride home though, glad to my bike (Coco) in working condition again and to have him home.

Si jamais tu as la chance de te le procurer, ce livre est indispensable pour parler de mécanique de vélo en plusieurs langues: https://umwerk.eu/shop/belldorado-das-fahrrad/

# ¿ Mar 11, 2022 22:49

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Frequent Handies posted:

I've been going down a bit of a rabbit hole on electronic shifters, didn't know that was a thing until I was looking through some of the options recommended earlier. Does anyone have opinions on these?

Why the hell does anyone bother

# ¿ Mar 20, 2022 04:16

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Electronic shifters are an expensive invention that solves made up problems. They only exist to increase value for SRAM shareholders.

# ¿ Mar 20, 2022 04:28

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Groda posted:

Which models are you taking about?

I've worked at shops in a country that has IGHs, and that is not my experience.

I've had the same experience with IGHs. Nexus, Alfine, Sturmey. Also, like others said, when the weather's below freezing the cable tends to freeze in the housing. It can happen to derailers too, but it's rare for a derailer to have full-length housing, so it happens way less.

# ¿ Mar 23, 2022 18:08

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

DEEP STATE PLOT posted:

i just bought an 80's peugeot road bike for my 4.5 mile, rather hilly commute

just in time for us to get a surprise late-season cold snap where it'll be in the mid teens two mornings in a row lmfao

Layer up, still rideable.

E: also thank goodness, they weren't using metric parts anymore by then.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2022 02:16

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

Montreal, just yesterday I threw my chain and derailer, one big tangled lump, into the trash, straight after the cassette and chainring.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2022 01:00

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 16:04

SimonSays: Aug 4, 2006; Simon is the monkey's name

SimonSays posted:

Montreal, just yesterday I threw my chain and derailer, one big tangled lump, into the trash, straight after the cassette and chainring.

Three winters, which was frankly one too many.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2022 01:01

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