basscyclist thread picture thread

[fokof]

Saw these while looking for a patch kit for an air mattress, at 500 or 600 CAD, it could make a decent winter commuter....

As a guy who winter commute for 26 years now , I tried everything , I can chime in on that front:
If you commute in a Downtown-ish region , you're better serve with skinny tires as they slice through the snow and make contact with asphalt underneath.
700X32/36 knobby is the best.
Around here , they scrape the snow as soon as a flake appear anyways.

Disclaimer : I do ride my fat bike in the trails in winter

 

[turf3]

Here in the US, where everyone wants to pretend they're a sponsored racer, 32 or 36 mm tires are considered "wide". Here on the bike path we see the 200 pound guys wearing full Lycra in team colors, weaving from side to side, on $2000 plastic bikes with 12-spoke radially spoked wheels and 19 mm tires at 130 psi. They look at me riding along with my steel bike, leather saddle with springs (!!), sneakers, fenders on the bike, front and rear racks, an old T-shirt, and "wide" tires (I'm running 32 mm tires) like I have two heads or something. And they get really mad if I ask them to ride in a straight line when I'm passing.

(I'm running the same kind of 36 spoke three-cross wheels I've been riding for almost 50 years, including a signficant amount of road racing when I was in my early 20s.)

 

[DirtDog]

Here in the US, where everyone wants to pretend they're a sponsored racer, 32 or 36 mm tires are considered "wide". Here on the bike path we see the 200 pound guys wearing full Lycra in team colors, weaving from side to side, on $2000 plastic bikes with 12-spoke radially spoked wheels and 19 mm tires at 130 psi. They look at me riding along with my steel bike, leather saddle with springs (!!), sneakers, fenders on the bike, front and rear racks, an old T-shirt, and "wide" tires (I'm running 32 mm tires) like I have two heads or something. And they get really mad if I ask them to ride in a straight line when I'm passing.

(I'm running the same kind of 36 spoke three-cross wheels I've been riding for almost 50 years, including a signficant amount of road racing when I was in my early 20s.)

Guilty as charged. ;-)

I used to ride competitively (local sponsored team). I would take being passed as a life-or-death challenge - LOL - even if I was commuting to work. But I peaked about 15 years ago. I try to ride like I used to, still have all the gear and a really nice road bike. But at this point, I’m the lard ass wobbling down the road! I still enjoy it even if I get passed more often than I pass others.

 

[Jefenator]

I wanted to represent for steel and cotton and fat tires on that week long ride. I didn’t do that great of a job. But there’s always next year.
I will probably bend a bit on tire width and top fabric. 2” was a little goofy. And having A/Bd pretty extensively, I have to admit: the Lycra jersey does feel good on a long day.

 

[turf3]

I wanted to represent for steel and cotton and fat tires on that week long ride. I didn’t do that great of a job. But there’s always next year.
I will probably bend a bit on tire width and top fabric. 2” was a little goofy. And having A/Bd pretty extensively, I have to admit: the Lycra jersey does feel good on a long day.

Here's what I would be riding for any kind of distance :

 

[pie_man_25]

As a guy who winter commute for 26 years now , I tried everything , I can chime in on that front:
If you commute in a Downtown-ish region , you're better serve with skinny tires as they slice through the snow and make contact with asphalt underneath.
700X32/36 knobby is the best.
Around here , they scrape the snow as soon as a flake appear anyways.

Disclaimer : I do ride my fat bike in the trails in winter

Always good to hear experienced opinions.

I've got all of one winter.

 

[Hot Rats]

Guilty as charged. ;-)

I used to ride competitively (local sponsored team). I would take being passed as a life-or-death challenge - LOL - even if I was commuting to work. But I peaked about 15 years ago. I try to ride like I used to, still have all the gear and a really nice road bike. But at this point, I’m the lard ass wobbling down the road! I still enjoy it even if I get passed more often than I pass others.

I just wish more of them would yell out that they are passing. I may take an inadvertent turn at any moment.

 

[Hot Rats]

Here's what I would be riding for any kind of distance :View attachment 4835533

very cool bike...and pump.
This is my distance bike.

 

[pie_man_25]

Here's what I would be riding for any kind of distance :View attachment 4835533

I just ordered a front rack yesterday that looks pretty similar to the one you've got.

If somebody else is using it, that's reassuring.

 

[fdeck]

Guilty as charged. ;-)

I used to ride competitively (local sponsored team). I would take being passed as a life-or-death challenge - LOL - even if I was commuting to work. But I peaked about 15 years ago. I try to ride like I used to, still have all the gear and a really nice road bike. But at this point, I’m the lard ass wobbling down the road! I still enjoy it even if I get passed more often than I pass others.

Nowadays if I get passed, I just pretend it's electric.

 

[Crawforde]

I just ordered a front rack yesterday that looks pretty similar to the one you've got.

If somebody else is using it, that's reassuring.

I’ve had one of those on a bike for a few years now. It works well and will support more than they advertise.

 

[pie_man_25]

I’ve had one of those on a bike for a few years now. It works well and will support more than they advertise.

Great to hear, I'm looking for something I could strap a bag or a couple of beers or something, maybe to give me a bit more real estate for those days when I need to carry a little bit more.

Nowadays if I get passed, I just pretend it's electric.

There are two kinds of people I encounter on bikes:
Those that I pass, almost always effortlessly; and those that pass me - and they always make it look SO easy that I'm not sure they even notice.

It's good to get humbled sometimes.

 

[Crawforde]

Mine has held a milk crate full of books and some groceries and room for a couple six packs when I use it for a library/ shopping run.

 

[turf3]

I've used the front rack for a six pack, a small tool bag, a jacket, and/or a U-lock. You want to be real careful that nothing you load there can get tangled up in the wheel. I think it says something like 10 lbs. limit, which covers all the things I just noted.

 

[pie_man_25]

I've used the front rack for a six pack, a small tool bag, a jacket, and/or a U-lock. You want to be real careful that nothing you load there can get tangled up in the wheel. I think it says something like 10 lbs. limit, which covers all the things I just noted.

The one I ordered says 20Kg(44lbs or so), I figured that was pretty close to an outright lie. I figured about 10-15lbs is a lot more realistic.

very cool bike...and pump.
This is my distance bike.

View attachment 4836032

I just noticed those downtube shifters, how are you liking those? Also, that olive colour is actually kinda tasteful IMO.

 

[Hot Rats]

The one I ordered says 20Kg(44lbs or so), I figured that was pretty close to an outright lie. I figured about 10-15lbs is a lot more realistic.


I just noticed those downtube shifters, how are you liking those? Also, that olive colour is actually kinda tasteful IMO.

The shifter is only for the big rings up front. I have the thumb shifter on the bars for the rear. I rarely shift the front, might even go to single ring eventually. I like the color too, thanks.

 

[turf3]

For me, I prefer downtube shifters to all others.

Bar ends sound great, but you ACTUALLY don't ride that much in the drops. So you still have to take your hand off the bars to shift. Plus, for fast shifts I have a tendency to just kind of bang on the lever, fast and hard, and you don't want to do that with bar-ends.

Brifters work well for those who ride mostly on the hoods, like me, but the complexity of all the little bits in there puts me off. Especially since it's probably half plastic, and since Shimano change their designs faster than I change my socks and don't keep stock of obsolete parts, repair is probably impossible. Whereas the simple down tube shifter is about as reliable as a stone axe and easily field repairable.

After riding with downtube shifters for something like 45 years, you just move your arm and hand straight down to the shifter, no disturbance of your position. It's also preferable to learn how to shift both sides with your right hand, so you do both the rear and front shifts (or front trim) all at once with one hand. Downtube shifters work so well in that position for the same reason water bottles go right next to them.

Now if you're on flat bars this can all be different. The only geared bike I have with flat bars is my mountain bike, which has the paddle shifters. That one, I've not really ever done any customization on, as I'm not really that into mountain bikes. I've just left it pretty much the way I bought it.

 

[turf3]

The one I ordered says 20Kg(44lbs or so), I figured that was pretty close to an outright lie. I figured about 10-15lbs is a lot more realistic.
.

Even with a 6-pack on there (4 1/2 lbs) it changes the handling noticeably; and my bike's not a twitchy criterium bike by any means. I wouldn't want to try to ride with more than 10 lbs on there.

As a side note, the Surly Cross-Check of 2006 (when I got mine) is now tagged a "long wheelbase with relaxed geometry", not at all racy. Well, I did some comparison when I bought it. The geometry of the Cross-Check is almost identical to that of my old 1970s Raleigh Professional and my old girlfriend's early 80s Mercian Olympic, both of which were sold as high-performance racing bikes. Today's ultra-twitchy bikes would have been considered design errors in 1978.

 

[elgecko]

I was fighting a bad headwind one time when a gray-haired guy in jeans zoomed past me. I was shocked and It took a second to register what just happened but that was my first time getting passed by an e-bike.

This morning's ride

 

[pie_man_25]

Even with a 6-pack on there (4 1/2 lbs) it changes the handling noticeably; and my bike's not a twitchy criterium bike by any means. I wouldn't want to try to ride with more than 10 lbs on there.

As a side note, the Surly Cross-Check of 2006 (when I got mine) is now tagged a "long wheelbase with relaxed geometry", not at all racy. Well, I did some comparison when I bought it. The geometry of the Cross-Check is almost identical to that of my old 1970s Raleigh Professional and my old girlfriend's early 80s Mercian Olympic, both of which were sold as high-performance racing bikes. Today's ultra-twitchy bikes would have been considered design errors in 1978.

I like that you have a measurement for the weight of a six-pack.

But honestly, when it comes to geometry, I really barely know much of anything, I just know I like what I've got.

I was fighting a bad headwind one time when a gray-haired guy in jeans zoomed past me. I was shocked and It took a second to register what just happened but that was my first time getting passed by an e-bike.

This morning's ride
View attachment 4837776

There's very little more demoralizing than a fighting a headwind up a hill, and it being so strong you can't even coast back down the hill.