@jminer It really was!

@wrong-wheel-drive Well, I'm singlespeed on my MTB, so I'm ALWAYS in the wrong gear 😉

@awesomeaustinv said in BikeJalop rebuild news:

@drvantraveler Did Schwinn name a bicycle after a disappointing Cadillac, or does Cimarron have another meaning I’m not familiar with?

i have no idea. The Cadillac was only a couple of years before the Schwinn, so it's possible it was coincidence. The Schwinn is a well regarded early MTB.

@spacekraken I second the recommendation for 28mm tires. If the bike can fit them, they're fantastic to run. That added volume does wonders to smooth out bumps and chip seal roads.

@ita97 Ah makes sense. A nicer shifter may be in the cards for the Habit then.

@sovande Cheaper starting point, they're cheaper and I really like those old bikes. A new bike is defo better but I like these old frames. I could also get a newer bike. The Plaomar in the post is a newer cheaper one and I just want it for parts. I wouldn't mod one like that.

@rallywrench I fondly remember the that 29x3.0 setup on my former Stache 9.7 hardtail. I rode 'em at 10psi for carrying my 158lbs self. I liked the way they inspired confidence and laughed at sand, but eventually I got to the point earlier this year where I started riding a lot harder and faster and realizing how much speed I was giving up with that much rubber.

That led to my current Trek Top Fuel 9.7, as a down country bike on 29x2.4 rubber. I'm riding these 2.4s at 18 psi these days. The bike and smaller rubber is a lot better suited for the stuff I like to ride at a fast pace. I wouldn't mind another 29+ bike someday for messing around on, but now I'm converted to the church of full squish.

@s65 I have two shops in easy walking distance (< 10 minutes) but the demand is just crazy here. Maybe I'll just have it all done over the winter, maybe I'll clean my workshop out and do it myself (ha ha, probably not).

@spacekraken Its still a sweet ass whip though. Even their cheap frames are works of art. The way Cannondale does welds makes all others feel shame. I am constantly finding myself in want of another one, and am beginning to suspect my first road/ gravel bike will be one.

@spacekraken Congrats to your friend on the new bike. Make sure the carbon fork was carefully checked, if you haven't already. Sounds like a nice bike.

@ranwhenparked There are all sorts of huge luxury boats like this from the 70s all the way thru to the early 2000s that can be had for well under $10k - the later ones get too blobby and plastic fantastic for me, but some really cool cruisers out there. Very tempting. Not the genre of car I've ever been interested in, but really appealing to me lately.

@spacekraken said in Beater Hardrock update:

@drvantraveler They really do rock. Night and day vs the tired old no brand pads it had. Probably going to get a set for my proper full suspension MTB as well as it also runs v-brakes on 559mm wheels.

I've got some shiney Kool stop for a couple of road bikes too. I think they look as good as they work,
koolstopsad.jpg

@s65 I never worry about the level of overspend on bikes that are like family pets.
Bike painting, I think, is better done by those with real painting skilz. A hastily spray bombed bike almost always looks crappy. Guy in the video has many skilz.

@spacekraken looks like the perfect runaround bike!

@hammerheadfistpunch damn, that's an awesome build.

@stuckmtb Nice, I saw the union jack and the SS setup and was curious. Sounds like you're running a dingle in the rear. I couldn't zoom in enough to see how you had the front rings mounted. You just using a 2x crank? I would have thought there would have been interference with two similarly sized rings on the front.

Didn't even think about Raleigh as a possible option. I miss my singlespeed and want to fill that gap, but I think I want to do something quasi-gravelish. Something like this, Capture.PNG but single speed with some of the not quite drop bars like Surly Cornerbar or the Curve Remlaw.

@smallbear said in Night, Oppo:

I went for it... bit of light sanding, and a BrandX dropper fit right in. Beauty.

Excellent! Glad to hear it, still my favorite upgrade for the bike

@bicyclebuck said in X-bike updates: New stem cap, new mantra, lots of miles!:

"Did I ever tell you about the time I bunny-hopped a moose?"

@VincentMalamute I mean.... as long as your riding buddy isn't there to deny it, who's to say you didn't?

@forsweden Oh haha, my ebike is set up the same way. But also, Marathon e-Plus tires and self sealing tubes for good measure

@stuckmtb said in Kona one year rebuild/update:

Looks like a nice all around upgrade! I've been putting off doing a similarly thorough cleaning of my Straggler for a few months now while our house is under construction and consequently my 'shop' area is packed up in the basement. I think I'll probably just do a slightly larger rear cassette that I've got on there... probably 11-34 instead of 11-32. That plus a new chain and derailleur cabling should make it shift happy again. I did recently buy new WTB Byways to replace my GravelKing SKs for a bit more speed around town on pavement, but my GKs have a few more miles in them before I need to swap em out. Probably ought to work in a few more trail miles to get the most out of the lil knobbies before they're gone!

I forgot yours was purple! Love it. The Byways are pretty similar to the Ventures just with a faster center strip... I like them a lot except for cornering hard on pavement cause the knobs get squirrely at times.

@drVanTraveler @Sovande thank you!

@highlander exactly!

Well.... I can do this on my MTB as the rims and tires are from the same manufacturer and fit together so well I can set them up and they hold air without sealant!

My road bike on the other hand, those tires fit the rims like a square peg in a round hole, so inflating those requires a fair bit of mess and cursing. Those need to be topped up on schedule because if a flat or something happens for long enough for the bead to unseat, I'm not fixing it on the side of the road without a tube.

@bicyclebuck I have the height just where I want it and I am trying to avoid spending money on a stem. At this point I am about $60 into handlebars though... I think a little more width is all I really need. Until I decide I need to change something else.

@bicyclebuck Aside from the wastefulness of that approach nicer bikes are also nice to ride. I grew up on big box bikes (for the most part, I did have a 24" Gary Fisher when I was pretty young) and the difference in even a half-hearted attempt at a higher end bike is amazing. My first "higher end" bike was a $350 hardtail that I rode the piss out of for a couple years, broke everything, wore the rest out, but it got me in and led me to building a Banshee Paradox back when 29ers were not ubiquitous. THAT bike was fantastic. Enormous to fit me (XL frame) but smooth, lighter than it should have been, and just worked. Built like a tank and handled daily riding duties and trails 3-4 times a week.

Yeah I could have rammed through crap bikes but having one reliable, well built bike was so much nicer to live wtih

@benjrblant Backseat driver FTW!

@s65 it looks like it's a bout a 20 mile loop or so, which would be a nice ride.

I really like the C&O towpath. I have walked about 30 miles of it from DC west (so up to about Poolesville, MD) but the other day was my first time riding to Great Falls from my house (my girlfriend lives in the Palisades and I have done it from there before). Doing it from home adds about 15 more miles. The path is in pretty good shape and shade that is provided is a godsend around here in the summer.