Biking: Catch-all

gore wrote:
WipEout wrote:

Personally I've never found Mercier bikes to be of stellar quality, but for the price, any of those bikes are tempting. One thing, though: the Kilo TT only comes with a rear brake? WTF?! If it's a fixed gear, then you need a front brake, hands down. Why they'd only offer one brake (they only cost like $30 for a set) then choose the least useful, is beyond me. I'd go with the WT or the Chrome (at least they come with front and rear brakes, and a better crankset on the WT).

The rear brake thing is decidedly weird to me as well, but I think it's due to regulations in some jurisdictions that actually require a rear brake on bicycles (and while I guess coaster brakes count, leg muscle brakes don't...). Maybe it's a liability thing for BD? At the price point they're hitting every little bit counts, so I can see why they'd leave the front brakes out (especially cause some people actually won't want any brakes at all (though I'm no such person)).

I think I've got a good sense of what I'd be getting quality-wise from BD. I wouldn't buy a Kilo as my only bike, but I'm specifically looking for a project of sorts and something to tinker with and the low end components don't bother me much since I don't mind replacing them if/when they go. My geared bikes are definitely better, but I'm looking for something to play with and not worry about being stolen / damaged / broken. For a while I was leaning towards their "city" bike line with Nexus hubs, but I think a fixie would be more fun.

All excellent points. Fixed gear bikes are definitely a lot of fun, and make for good training for endurance/road riding. I wasn't aware that any jurisdictions would have regulation on a rear brake-- seems odd since physically the rear brake slows, front brake stops.

WipEout wrote:

I wasn't aware that any jurisdictions would have regulation on a rear brake-- seems odd since physically the rear brake slows, front brake stops.

I might be wrong about it, so don't quote me It's something I remember reading on the Internet [citation needed] somewhere, and it kind of made sense to me when you consider bikes with coaster brakes.

It's definitely stupid from a practical perspective, which is why it seems like it would be an odd choice for BD. From what I can tell they cut corners, but they're usually quite smart about which corners they end up cutting. Throwing in only a rear brake seems to just be wasteful and needlessly drives up costs.

gore wrote:

I might be wrong about it, so don't quote me It's something I remember reading on the Internet [citation needed] somewhere, and it kind of made sense to me when you consider bikes with coaster brakes.

Wikipedia (yeah, I know how much of a good source that is) says Ontario and Quebec have laws requiring rear brakes, as does New Zealand, and the CPSC requires that bikes (except track bikes) be sold with brakes.

Man, I had a septuagenarian roll down his window and yell at me when stopped at a light this morning: "you're a danger to yourself and everybody else!"

I only had time for a quick "f* you too buddy" and a hearty flip of the bird as his window slid closed, but I'm really sad I didn't have a witty retort handy about how dangerous old jackasses in huge goddamn Buicks are on the road.

What's especially odd is that I was lit up like a Christmas tree and hauling the kiddie trailer on a road with a 30 MPH speed limit, obeying all traffic laws as I usually do. I can only imagine what grandpa thinks about the cyclists who don't obey the law.

gore wrote:

Man, I had a septuagenarian roll down his window and yell at me when stopped at a light this morning: "you're a danger to yourself and everybody else!"

I always ask them "why?" when that happens to me.

Admitedly, I've yet to get an answer out of any of them, and it's usually a delaying tactic to getting to the "f*ck you" part, but still.

Man, I need somebody to enable me on those Monkey Lights.

gore wrote:

Man, I need somebody to enable me on those Monkey Lights.

Right? I just alerted all my Burner friends about them. If I had any plans to get back on playa myself, I'd have picked up a set.

As it is, my one and only bike is safely installed on a trainer in my basement for the rest of the winter. So lights required.

On that note - TRAINER QUESTION!

I bought a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, fluid trainer. Never had a fluid trainer before (had a mag one in the past), and one thing I've noticed is that even in top gear, there's barely enough resistance to be able to climb out of the saddle. Am I missing something?

Lousy weather this weekend. Didn't ride a bit. Since I wasn't riding, I went shopping. I broke down and ordered a bike I was looking at from BikesDirect, the "Kilo WT":

IMAGE(http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/images/kilowt_500.jpg)

Although I've done various minor maintenance on my bikes myself this will be the first time I've assembled a new bike myself. Indeed that's part of why I wanted a fixie, because I want to put one together and with a fixe there's just plain less to worry about. I have my copy of "Bicycle Maintenance & Repair" handy, got my torque wrench and tools, and I've googled for some accounts of others who assembled BD bikes. I *think* I'm ready - but any words of wisdom for a first timer?

On top of all that, this will be my first time riding fixed. I think I'll need to change the gearing (or change my route!) due to the hills I have around here. I kind of expect it to kick my ass.

I expect this to be my commuter on days I don't have to take the kid to school (towing a kiddie trailer on a fixie... that's not happening) so I'll need to think about fenders and a rack. Looking at Velo Orange fenders. I've got an old rack lying around but I don't think it'll look good, I'll have to wait until I see it in person I think.

My bike gets here TOMORROW, yay!

OK, help me with gear ratios! This thing ships with 48/16 which is nuts. Yesterday/today I did my commute with my touring bike set to a gearing with a similar ratio and didn't let myself change gears. The hills, while do-able if standing virtually the whole way up, kind of destroyed me. Starting on even a slight uphill was brutal. I guess on the plus side I really didn't spin out often...

Thinking I need a 20T rear cog. Never worked with a track cog before, it's threaded right? This what I need? Are the lockings standard (i.e. can I re-use the one that comes with the bike)?

Also: kid bikes? The kid is like 2.6 yo now.

I'm thinking of getting an REI house brand 12"er and removing the drivetrain, so she can start off with a balance bike (then put it back on later). Thoughts? It just doesn't seem worth it to me to buy a whole separate balance bike, and I want to buy something that's not total crap, which REI usually is not.

gore wrote:

Also: kid bikes? The kid is like 2.6 yo now.

I'm thinking of getting an REI house brand 12"er and removing the drivetrain, so she can start off with a balance bike (then put it back on later). Thoughts? It just doesn't seem worth it to me to buy a whole separate balance bike, and I want to buy something that's not total crap, which REI usually is not.

My only concern would be that by the time she's done with the balance bike part, she'll have outgrown the frame.

I'd suggest buying a cheap-ass balance bike, and holding off on a full-on bike until she's ready for it.

The kids bike questions I couldn't answer (I mean, that sounds like a decent plan, but I'm no expert on kids bikes). As to the fixed gear ratio: How many hills do you have to climb? If it's a lot, then yeah-- you'll probably want to up the count on your cog (try 18T first, though). The problem, of course, becomes how much you'll be spinning out on the rest of your commute. 48/16 will get you at a good 12-15mph average pace at 80-90RPM on flat land. So riding a taller cog will certainly make your climbs easier, but you'll certainly be slower on the flats. Those cogs you linked sound like the right size/width. Double-check your bike's details-- as long as the chain is 1/8" wide you should be fine, as they all thread on the axle the same.

As far as the lock ring, I'm fairly certain you can use the same one. Especially since you won't be putting the one that comes with the bike under a lot of stress before changing it out (it is new, after all, and hopefully not over-torqued from the warehouse).

gore wrote:

Also: kid bikes? The kid is like 2.6 yo now.

I'm thinking of getting an REI house brand 12"er and removing the drivetrain, so she can start off with a balance bike (then put it back on later). Thoughts? It just doesn't seem worth it to me to buy a whole separate balance bike, and I want to buy something that's not total crap, which REI usually is not.

We never did balance bikes, though they both had scooters which probably helped with balance.

As far as bikes for our kids, we went with the kids sizes from the local bike store, and after they were outgrown, donating them to a local organization that repairs old bikes and distributes them to the community.

The REI plan sounds like a fine idea.

gore wrote:

Also: kid bikes? The kid is like 2.6 yo now.

I'm thinking of getting an REI house brand 12"er and removing the drivetrain, so she can start off with a balance bike (then put it back on later). Thoughts? It just doesn't seem worth it to me to buy a whole separate balance bike, and I want to buy something that's not total crap, which REI usually is not.

I honestly don't think there's much of a reason to buy a name brand bike at all for kids until they're at least in the 16" range. They're all pretty similar in the 12" range anyway. Coaster brakes and maybe if you look really hard a front hand-brake as well. Our daughter's 16" bike has front and rear handbrakes, but I had to really look around for it (Schwinn). I chose it because she was used to the handbrake on her balance bike. But she often just drags her feet to slow down now for whatever reason.

Taking the cranks off a pedal bike to use as a balance bike is totally viable if you're up for the work, and provided that the seat can go low enough that your kid has plenty of stand-over clearance. You really want their knees somewhat bent with their feet flat on the ground when they're doing the balance bike thing, just to make learning balance easier. That isn't really the same as with a pedal bike, typically, unless you buy one they're already halfway grown out of.

Our kids (5, 3, and 3) all shared the same Mini-Glider balance bike (10" wheels with pegs where the pedals go). For the twins, the boy was into bikes first so he had it first, then the girl got it when he moved to a pedal bike. I think the pegs helped a bit since they could pick up their feet and roll around once they got momentum, but it's not crucial. And only our oldest daughter actually used the handbrake. The twins just dragged their feet to stop. Now at 3 1/2 they've been riding their pedal bikes like a pro for months and the balance bike is gathering dust in the garage.

In short, I think your plan is workable but have your kid sit on the bike and see if the seat is low enough that they feel like they can easily run while sitting on it. At 2 1/2 that may turn out to be a 10" bike, which might push you out of the range that a store like REI offers. You might also check Craigslist or some other source of used kids stuff for a balance bike (around here there's the "Outrageous Outgrowns" event where parents sell their kids stuff a few times a year). Maybe used isn't great if this is for Christmas, but you should be able to find a balance bike for reasonably cheap if you go that route.

Jonman wrote:
gore wrote:

Man, I need somebody to enable me on those Monkey Lights.

Right? I just alerted all my Burner friends about them. If I had any plans to get back on playa myself, I'd have picked up a set.

As it is, my one and only bike is safely installed on a trainer in my basement for the rest of the winter. So lights required.

On that note - TRAINER QUESTION!

I bought a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, fluid trainer. Never had a fluid trainer before (had a mag one in the past), and one thing I've noticed is that even in top gear, there's barely enough resistance to be able to climb out of the saddle. Am I missing something?

No, that doesn't sound right.

What's your top gear?

Do you have the resistance wheel tightened pretty hard into the back tire? (I go two full turns after contact.) Plenty of pressure in the back tire?

complexmath wrote:

In short, I think your plan is workable but have your kid sit on the bike and see if the seat is low enough that they feel like they can easily run while sitting on it. At 2 1/2 that may turn out to be a 10" bike, which might push you out of the range that a store like REI offers. You might also check Craigslist or some other source of used kids stuff for a balance bike (around here there's the "Outrageous Outgrowns" event where parents sell their kids stuff a few times a year). Maybe used isn't great if this is for Christmas, but you should be able to find a balance bike for reasonably cheap if you go that route.

Thanks for the advice. I've been trolling CL for a while, but haven't had any luck (which is kind of surprising honestly). The kid's not really old enough to attach so much significance to Christmas yet, so it's certainly not critical that I find something in the next couple of weeks, but I'm just getting kind of tired of waiting it out.

WipEout wrote:

TAs to the fixed gear ratio: How many hills do you have to climb? If it's a lot, then yeah-- you'll probably want to up the count on your cog (try 18T first, though). The problem, of course, becomes how much you'll be spinning out on the rest of your commute. 48/16 will get you at a good 12-15mph average pace at 80-90RPM on flat land. So riding a taller cog will certainly make your climbs easier, but you'll certainly be slower on the flats. Those cogs you linked sound like the right size/width. Double-check your bike's details-- as long as the chain is 1/8" wide you should be fine, as they all thread on the axle the same.

Lots of hills! Up and down!

I think (at first anyway) I'd rather have the "slow down when going downhill" problem than the "stop and carry the bike up this hill" problem. Knowing that it's at least possible (if difficult) to do my commute with the equivalent of 48/16 on my touring bike, maybe 18t is a good starting place.

This thing has a "flip flop" hub. Can I stick a 18t cog on the other side? Guess I need a new lockring if I do that? Also, I wonder if I will I need a longer chain for a larger cog, or if there's enough room to adjust back and forth between the two?

NakedHavoc wrote:
Jonman wrote:

On that note - TRAINER QUESTION!

I bought a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, fluid trainer. Never had a fluid trainer before (had a mag one in the past), and one thing I've noticed is that even in top gear, there's barely enough resistance to be able to climb out of the saddle. Am I missing something?

No, that doesn't sound right.

What's your top gear?

Do you have the resistance wheel tightened pretty hard into the back tire? (I go two full turns after contact.) Plenty of pressure in the back tire?

Top gear is, umm, fairly top? Sorry, I don't know my gear ratios, but it's a high enough gear that it only ever gets use on the road for fast descents.

I've got the roller tightened enough that there's still a small bit of slippage when I hammer down on the pedal as hard as I can, but not for "normal" pedaling forces.

And yes, plenty of pressure in the back - I inflate to 110 psi

Jonman wrote:
NakedHavoc wrote:
Jonman wrote:

On that note - TRAINER QUESTION!

I bought a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, fluid trainer. Never had a fluid trainer before (had a mag one in the past), and one thing I've noticed is that even in top gear, there's barely enough resistance to be able to climb out of the saddle. Am I missing something?

No, that doesn't sound right.

What's your top gear?

Do you have the resistance wheel tightened pretty hard into the back tire? (I go two full turns after contact.) Plenty of pressure in the back tire?

Top gear is, umm, fairly top? Sorry, I don't know my gear ratios, but it's a high enough gear that it only ever gets use on the road for fast descents.

I've got the roller tightened enough that there's still a small bit of slippage when I hammer down on the pedal as hard as I can, but not for "normal" pedaling forces.

And yes, plenty of pressure in the back - I inflate to 110 psi

OK well, 110 psi, most likely a road bike, not a mountain bike with low top end gearing.

I really have to think it's slipping. If you can detect slippage at all, it's going to slip on you when you lift out of the saddle. Kurt says put on 2-5 full turns after the wheel makes contact with the tire, tightening until you can't detect slippage. I use two and that works for me. IIRC (it's been a while) I had to put on more turns when I was using a normal road tire. I use a Conti trainer tire now. Quieter, wears better, but will MURDER YOU QUIETLY, VICIOUSLY AND WITHOUT MERCY if you ever try to ride it on the road. Just sayin'.

One more thing:

Kurts are cool, in that you can calculate your power output if you know your speed. If you have a computer that counts wheel revs and reads in mph, you can do it that way.

Or, if you don't have that sort of setup, you can plug your gear ratio and cadence into one of the zillion online gear ratio calculators and get mph from that. So, another reason to count the teeth on your gears - if they aren't labeled.

It's not a power meter, but it is nice to have an idea of what ballpark you're in. Some quick comparisons with my Quarqs have been favorable as far as accuracy.

Noooooo, UPS now says when tracking my bike:

"Adverse Weather May Cause Delay"

in... Greensboro NC? What the heck? THE SUN IS OUT TODAY, IS IT TOO SUNNY FOR YOU UPS?!

gore wrote:

Lots of hills! Up and down!

I think (at first anyway) I'd rather have the "slow down when going downhill" problem than the "stop and carry the bike up this hill" problem. Knowing that it's at least possible (if difficult) to do my commute with the equivalent of 48/16 on my touring bike, maybe 18t is a good starting place.

This thing has a "flip flop" hub. Can I stick a 18t cog on the other side? Guess I need a new lockring if I do that? Also, I wonder if I will I need a longer chain for a larger cog, or if there's enough room to adjust back and forth between the two?

Generally flip-flop hubs are fixed one side, free-wheel the other, so no, you likely won't be able to put another fixed cog on the other side of the hub. Aaaannnd according to the specs on your bike, the package includes a 16T freewheel that you would install yourself. So that means you could likely run a 16T freewheel on one side, and an 18T cog on the other, in case the 16T isn't cutting it. That said, you'd be right to question chain length, though I don't think that's too big a jump in cogs to warrant a longer chain-- your rear wheel will simply run, like, 1/2" closer to the seat stay with the 18T than it otherwise would, I'm pretty sure.

NakedHavoc wrote:

OK well, 110 psi, most likely a road bike, not a mountain bike with low top end gearing.

I really have to think it's slipping. If you can detect slippage at all, it's going to slip on you when you lift out of the saddle. Kurt says put on 2-5 full turns after the wheel makes contact with the tire, tightening until you can't detect slippage. I use two and that works for me. IIRC (it's been a while) I had to put on more turns when I was using a normal road tire. I use a Conti trainer tire now. Quieter, wears better, but will MURDER YOU QUIETLY, VICIOUSLY AND WITHOUT MERCY if you ever try to ride it on the road. Just sayin'.

No, definitely not a mountain bike It's a triathlon bike, I was just reflecting how weird it is that I've gotten more comfortable riding on the aero bars than any other position.

I'll try a couple more turns tonight and see if that helps. The normal tire aspect might be it - I put an old tire on the back wheel so I can shred it with impunity. My outdated bike has 650c wheels on it, so finding a trainer tire was a little more difficult, and I figured that I could burn through old tires instead.

Also means that if the fancy takes me on a clear day, I can just pop the bike off the trainer and head outdoors without fannying about changing a tire.

So in New Orleans during the rainy season, I normally plan out my commute using buses and bring a change of clothes for when I'm inevitably drenched. What do you folks from wetter climates do? Some sort of rain suit?

ccoates wrote:

So in New Orleans during the rainy season, I normally plan out my commute using buses and bring a change of clothes for when I'm inevitably drenched. What do you folks from wetter climates do? Some sort of rain suit?

I have GoreTEX rain gear and DZR h2o shoes. I also run fenders for when roads are wet but I'm not geared up. I also normally wear Levi commuter pants and jacket which can repel some water in a pinch.

I have waterproof Ortlieb panniers for my stuff.

This really keeps the rain out, but even high tech stuff like goretex with some zippered vents still traps body heat and sweat, so long rides can still leave me soaked - just from sweat instead of rain.

WipEout wrote:

Generally flip-flop hubs are fixed one side, free-wheel the other, so no, you likely won't be able to put another fixed cog on the other side of the hub. Aaaannnd according to the specs on your bike, the package includes a 16T freewheel that you would install yourself. So that means you could likely run a 16T freewheel on one side, and an 18T cog on the other, in case the 16T isn't cutting it. That said, you'd be right to question chain length, though I don't think that's too big a jump in cogs to warrant a longer chain-- your rear wheel will simply run, like, 1/2" closer to the seat stay with the 18T than it otherwise would, I'm pretty sure.

Ah, that makes a lot of sense. Can it be converted to fixed/fixed or would I need a new hub? I'm sure Sheldon's page has the answers...

Guess it's not the end of the world to have a freewheel side, though my inclination would be to have an 18T (or even higher) on the freewheel too.

I did go ahead and order an 18T and a chain to go with it, just to be on the safe side in case the stock one isn't long enough for the larger cog. Never hurts to have an extra chain anyway. We'll see if I can cut it with 18T - a co-worker of mine commutes with something like a 2.4:1 ratio and his reaction to the 3:1 that ships with the Kilo WT was something like "oh yeah, that's going to kill you going up the hills." He said he does spin out on the downhills with his gearing which is totally unsurprising.

ccoates wrote:

So in New Orleans during the rainy season, I normally plan out my commute using buses and bring a change of clothes for when I'm inevitably drenched. What do you folks from wetter climates do? Some sort of rain suit?

I bike commuted year-round in England. I had a waterproof hi-viz jacket, and on really soggy days, would also put on a pair of waterproof over-pants. Booties kept my feet mostly dry, and likewise for waterproof gloves to keep my fingers warm, but the key part of the setup was waterproof pannier bags, so I'd change into crisp, dry, clean clothes at work.

Basically, it involved accepting that I would turn up to work drenched, then take a shower at work.

Any luck with the trainer?

Re rain, I forgot to mention: if you're riding in the rain you should have fenders to protect your bike, even if your body and gear is covered in goretex or similar and nice and dry.

Oblig. Sheldon Brown fender discussion.