Double Bass DB bicycle thread

[james condino]

So I can take a Super Course, put cyclocross tires on it, and it magically transmutes from "old road bike grandpa used to ride, but not me" to "hip new gravel bike"?

I swear, the marketeering in bicycles has gotten completely out of hand. We need less cheap money, so people will buy a "bike" rather than 7 different ones each for its supposed ideal use, and then they stuff their 40 lb overweight body into Lycra, slip on the insectoid goggles, and pretend to be Lance Armstrong (or whoever the marketeers have decided this week will be the equivalent).

"You dadgumn'd kidz get off my lawn!!!!!!"

In all seriousness, I agree with you on much of it. Look at the old legends of the Tour De France: They would drink a half case of wine and party until dawn before the race and then kick a$$ on what looked like an old bone shaker while smoking stogies and chugging more wine on every summit pass... I wanna ride with those folks!

 

[damonsmith]

I've got two new bikes since I've posted in the thread! A white 26" GT Pto Performer & a Lavender 29" Dyno. My first freestyle bike was a lavender CW, my last when was riding full-time was a Dyno.

 

[james condino]

&%$# Yeah Damon!

Two weeks of non-stop rain, high temps, and oppressive humidity had me procrastinating in every way possible to get in a ride yesterday, until darkness arrived. I drudgingly set out on a training ride in the rain at 9:45 last night, calling everybody looking for some support, but they all had excuses.

By the time I got to the trailhead, the rain stopped, the temperature dropped by what felt like 25 degrees F, along with a huge humidity drop. 'Lights all charged up and I got in a brilliant & dry 3 hour mountain bike ride verging on cold with a full moon and faint traces of the meteor shower!!!

 

[mikeGJ]

View attachment 6983664

I took it that this is Madison (Wi?) trying to get the jump on Boulder, Co in offering amenities for cyclists.

Gravel bikes are pretty much sturdy road bikes with 32mm or bigger. Old days would have been fat sew-ups on x4 rims.

Many great “loop” rides in Colorado have a dirt portion to connect, sometimes mild climbing, sometimes rougher. Love it!

 

[fdeck]

Okay, confession time. That's in Madison WI, about a block from my house. They're rebuilding the street, and it's going to have a separated bike lane. I took that picture on the day when they had just finished paving the main roadway, but had not paved the bike lane yet, and the idea of a gravel bike lane planted itself in my mind. As of today, it's all paved with blacktop. It remains to be seen what will happen to those bike lanes during the winter, but I'll bet they'll just be piled with snow.

It's true about Madison. The city has made a long term effort to be more bike friendly. At the same time, a lot of roads have to be rebuilt anyway due to maintenance of the utilities underground and damage from the hard winters. So they're designing bike amenities into most new projects.

 

[fdeck]

I'm down to my last twenty-sevens, you're down to the last chance you'll get
For you're out there somewhere with someone you've met
And I'm down to my last twenty-sevens

These are a pair of Vittoria Zaffiro's that I bought at the start of the pandemic, just after the market crash but before all of the shortages. So they were cheap. I stored them in a nice cool place with all of my other tires, and finally decided to install them last year, on my commuter bike, which gets about 40 - 50 miles per week. I have a different bike for winter riding. In other words, not a lot of miles.

Then I got a flat, so I had to take off the rear tire. Its tread was already worn down by almost a mm, and the beads look nasty. I can see that the fabric surrounding the bead is still intact, so the tires are ride-able, but I also suspect that I got a pair of old, rotted tires from somebody's stock.

This bike has always been a dilemma, since I built it up in 2016. The previous tires, Continental Ultra Sport, had given me a good 8 years or so on my main commuting bike, the single speed Schwinn Traveler. But the dilemma is: How much longer am I going to be able to keep buying 27" tires? And skinny tires are kinda considered to be obsolete for casual riding.

Okay, here goes. I found a pair of Continental Super Sport 28-630 at Modern Bike, and they do appear to be brand new. They even smelled new. And Conti's have a reputation for lasting a long time. The price was... ouch. But not any worse than most decent tires.

So this time, I promise. When the new tires wear out, I plan to have already built up a pair of 700c wheels. Or I'll be dead. One or the other. I think the thing that will finally kill 27"s for me is not trusting that they're actually new.

Also, about the bike lanes, the city clears them during the winter. Yay. My mom uses them with her walker, because the adjacent sidewalk doesn't get cleared.

 

[Wasnex]

So this time, I promise. When the new tires wear out, I plan to have already built up a pair of 700c wheels. Or I'll be dead. One or the other. I think the thing that will finally kill 27"s for me is not trusting that they're actually new.

Looks like there are still a range current options: 27in Road Tires Cycling Products - BikeTiresDirect

They list the Vittorias and they are both cheap and discounted. Perhaps this is not a great indicator?

 

[fdeck]

Looks like there are still a range current options: 27in Road Tires Cycling Products - BikeTiresDirect

They list the Vittorias and they are both cheap and discounted. Perhaps this is not a great indicator?

Indeed, I suspect that all is not lost. Another minor issue is that the rims are 13 mm inside dimension, so I'm not sure whether I'd try anything bigger than 28's. But I'm set for now. I might be 70 when these tires wear out.

 

[Dave Hill]

Beautiful weather in ATL currently.
Through some new brake pads on my ‘90 Beast of the East.

 

[fdeck]

Cheap tools. I inherited this, and threw it into my bike tool box. My spouse needed a new 10 speed chain, and I had to shorten it to the correct number of links. Goodbye cheap die-cast chain tool. My old Cyclo Rivoli, 40 years old, did just fine.

 

[unbrokenchain]

Sometime between the original post and now I sold that Rockhopper with the intent to get another "modern" mountain bike with full suspension for local trails. That hasn't happened yet, so today I took out my 90's rigid Diamondback 26"er for the first time in a few months, mostly to give my four-legged pals some exercise (there is now a ~4.5 month old puppy in my house who is nigh impossible to tire out). The trail nearest my house is a popular nationally-known mtb trail with some eleven switchbacks followed by almost 5 miles of mostly downhill and a paved greenway climb back up. Man, the looks I get riding that bike in this area... Literally everyone else is riding super lightweight full suspension, disc brakes, dropper posts, dedicated mtb clothes and shoes, and this dude shows up with his rigid clincher wearing jeans and Chuck T's... when I stop to check the time on my flip phone folks must wonder if Marty and Doc dropped me off in a DeLorean I'll probably splurge for a new (used) full suspension 29er soon, but in the meantime, man that little Diamondback is a great nimble climber!

Also, local rumors say that some of the post-Helene riverbank restoration will accelerate the county greenway plans, so perhaps soon I'll be able to ride the road bike the whole way to Asheville without being on the side of a car-road!

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Went on a lovely 2 hour ride yesterday with an old friend. He has a road bike with razor blade tires that is so light it’s comical. I was riding my heavy hybrid. The weather was perfect and we had a great ride in spite of the people whizzing by us on E-bikes. Maybe someday I will understand the allure of those things, but for now getting some exercise and enjoying the view seems more on point.

 

[james condino]

The trail nearest my house is a popular nationally-known mtb trail with some eleven switchbacks followed by almost 5 miles of mostly downhill

Kitsuma?

 

[unbrokenchain]

Kitsuma?

That's the one. Cross over the Swannanoa Tunnel, breathe diesel fumes from i40 going through the gap, and climb straight up onto the ridge!

 

[unbrokenchain]

Did an organized century road ride a couple weekends ago. Told myself that if I completed a hundred miles I'd treat myself to a new mountain bike. Well it's not new, it was heavily discounted for having been a rental bike. But it rips!

 

[Ketbass]

Did an organized century road ride a couple weekends ago. Told myself that if I completed a hundred miles I'd treat myself to a new mountain bike. Well it's not new, it was heavily discounted for having been a rental bike. But it rips!

Nice bike! I remember the days of century rides and charity rides. My body doesn’t do road bikes anymore. Now just a laid-back recumbent rider when I can.

 

[Ketbass]

Did an organized century road ride a couple weekends ago. Told myself that if I completed a hundred miles I'd treat myself to a new mountain bike. Well it's not new, it was heavily discounted for having been a rental bike. But it rips!

Inspired me to get out on the road on my bike today

 

[JBarz]

I know, I know - dirt bikes don’t count…

…but I just got this thing and I’m obsessed. I put some lower bars on there and now it feels just like a mountain bike.

… just need to figure out how to strap a bass and amp to it…

Anyone else ride motorbikes?

 

[Ketbass]

View attachment 7519371I know, I know - dirt bikes don’t count…

…but I just got this thing and I’m obsessed. I put some lower bars on there and now it feels just like a mountain bike.

… just need to figure out how to strap a bass and amp to it…

Anyone else ride motorbikes?

New thread, unless your planning to remove the motor and get some pedals for that thang

 

[Dave Leighton]

So, I figured since this thread was about bikes and DB… The bluegrass band I play in will be at NW Tuneup Festival in Bellingham Washington this year. We live in a world class mountain bike region. All four of the others ride. I know better…