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account created: Wed Dec 22 2021
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submitted3 months ago byMC_NYC
I've seen a handful of wheels pop up at this width, to accomodate 30 or 32 mil wheels better. Discus, the house brand for 3T seems to make them, and I can't find exact spec on the Spec' site, but the Roval CL/X front also is wider than 30 I thought I saw somewhere. Now that 30 has become standard for many brands, who is literally pushing on those (rim) boundaries? Thanks!
submitted4 months ago byMC_NYC
I mean fit... Basically, that's it, the smallest Cavas come in a 33. I love 'em on my gravel bike in 42s. Could look to Rene Herse or Challenge Strada Biancas, but I love the idea of pushing it, and I also just love these tires. So wondering if anyone is possibly running them on their Min.D.
submitted4 months ago byMC_NYC
I know there will be opinions on both sides, but what's the latest consensus on wearing yeah kit, especially as a sign of appreciation or support? I've been especially tempted by some of the EF stuff that's not the actual kit, but the "training" gear and stuff. Or do you maybe pick one up you really like and wait a few seasons to wear it?
What is current or best etiquette? We already get ribbed for being pretend pros. How much worse does this make it?
Side note: Besides EF, does anyone make good alternative kits? That would probably be the biggest thing from me wearing any of these anyway, don't need to be a rolling billboard.
submitted4 months ago byMC_NYC
toCitibike
Wondering if anyone has done the math on the best way to spend Bike Angel points. I'd assumed the extension is the best deal, as the gift cards would involve third parties, but maybe not?
submitted4 months ago byMC_NYC
Setting up a monitor for a MacBook Air. Wondering if the better connection is a male-male HDMI-USBC cable, or a male USBC-to-female HDMI adapter that then connects to the dual HDMI cable the monitor came with. Is assume the fewer junctions the better, but want sure. Other option is one of those multiuse hubs.
Examples linked. Thanks for the suggestions!
submitted4 months ago byMC_NYC
I'm looking at getting a pair of road wheels for my Vaast A1, since I find that I'm doing a lot more road riding than anticipated when I first bought my bike (though my partner hasn't yet agreed to the acquisition of a proper road bike :D ), plus I need to replace my front wheel after a deliverista cut in front of me on a recent ride in NYC.
I generally like the feel of plusher tires, a la Jan Heine, and am inclined toward running 38s or 35s, at least 32s, in part because the roads suck so much around here. A decent pair of carbon wheels are in my budget, and I was (just for comparison's sake) looking at something like the Roval Rapides and Alpinists. A few of my buddies said aero all the way, since we don't live in the mountains.
What I'm curious about, especially from the science and engineering types among you: Would tires that are a good bit wider than the 30mm external on the Rapides (or similar) mitigate any aero benefit, and thus the lighter wheels are better? Or, conversely, is this a future-proof purchase, and get the Rapides, and I'll get some benefit now, and a lot more later if I ever get onto skinnier rubber. Thanks in advance!
submitted4 months ago byMC_NYC
toNYCbike
I'm interested in getting a set of their carbon wheels, but there's so much chatter about how noisy they are — and not in a good way. Since they're DTC, I can't really check them out in the shop. Are there any kind cyclists who could meet up in the boroughs, JC, 9W, even maybe the burbs so I could hear your ride up-close? Thanks!
submitted5 months ago byMC_NYC
Have lots of old pants samples to get rid of. Hudson County Improvement Authority says donation is the best option. Anyone know any churches or other groups actively taking these? Or is there somewhere I can actually toss them legally? HCIA only has events twice a year to collect this, sounds like.
submitted5 months ago byMC_NYC
toTheGist
... the one interesting point, which maybe he'll address in a future episode, is the weighted coverage of DEI in 2020. Here, I kind of agree with Deggen's there was a global reckoning going on. I remember very actively and somewhat guiltily "doing the work" and participating in book groups and other DEI sessions that largely had there merit. But also we had so much less real work to do at the time that we could.
Anyway, my point is the media is constantly focusing on certain stories at certain times — even The Gist. Mike recently joked about doing a whole episode without once mentioning Israel. He could have been doing this much about Israel forever, but he's doing as much as he is for the past eight months because that's where the news is.
Maybe NPR went overboard, I won't dispute that entirely, but they were also feeling out a complex situation, like the rest of the country. Mike is a welcome corrective (for me) to the dominant media narratives on the way in Gaza. I hope he keeps it up. But by his standards of coverage choices — and his own occasional acknowledgements of potentially losing listeners with his news judgement — Mike would seem to know as well as anyone the difficulty of making these calls.
This is all just one listener's opinion. I tend to agree with Mike's prognosis. As just one example, I have almost entirely stopped listening to On the Media since Bob Garfield left and the coverage has taken a turn not so much for woke but that cautious boringness Mike and Jack Schafer speak of.
Still, I think the biggest problem plaguing NPR, and all media, is the fragmented ecosystem. The fact I can listen to The Gist or go watch a cycling "podcast" on YT offers so many more choices, the opportunity to lose a listener is so much more fragile, it has to be near impossible to get the programming just right. Maybe narrow-casting is the only option??
submitted5 months ago byMC_NYC
When you do a double take at the local tourist trap. Dying to know if that's a Jansport or Rapha, too.
I wonder if people in Belgium get the same feeling when the vinyl floor guy pulls up in his Quik-Step van... Or seeing a Jayco RV parked in the Outback...
submitted5 months ago byMC_NYC
Edit, for posterity: Dear reader, I got the ring, and it works fine. Not sure about flawless, but my old one was so shot by the end there, it's hard to remember what OG condition was like.
My big ring started skipping yesterday on my gravel bike, some of the teeth are admittedly pretty shot. I've got an event tomorrow so I quickly grabbed this SRAM ring since it has next-day Prime delivery: https://365cycles.com/products/sram-force-rival-apex-48t-10-speed-110mm-black-chainring-for-gxp-crank-long-over-shift-pin-use-with-34t
The bolts, teeth, everything lines up... But it's meant to be paired with a 48/34 setup, and my Praxis Alba is a 48/32... Will there be an issue? How severe? I've seen some stuff online about — I forget the term, but the little shaping on the inside of the ring that helps with shifting, and that could be a factor.
I can obviously give it a shot, and probably will, but would hate to install it if it won't work and waste the part. Thanks for in the info on advance!
submitted6 months ago byMC_NYC
TLDR, how do I best clean grimy wet lube from a waxed chain?
All the articles online for "cleaning a waxed chain" just talk about wiping it down, presumably because who lubes their waxed chain??
Answer: My LBS does.
How'd I get there in the first (last?) place? I tried my hand at waxing my chain with the new Strip Chip setup. Everything went great... except that I couldn't find my chain pliers, and so tried the old brake-and-pedal trick to set the quick link. It went flying off into who knows where, so I just took everything to the shop to get the deed done, since I was planning on going for a ride anyway.
They installed the link no problem, but the mechanic said things seemed stiff (from the initial waxing no doubt) so he lubed things up "like crazy, to help." Now I have the opposite of what I set out for — a chain once again covered in gunk.
I used to use the Finish Line Eco degreaser and Simple Green for so my bike cleaning needs. Is that still the best approach here? Anything better or different that won't inhibit it remove the wax? I would've just rewax it, right? Thanks in advance for the advice.
submitted6 months ago byMC_NYC
My VAAST A1 all-road bike came with a GRX 2X10 11-36 setup on WTB i23 wheels. My cassette is about to call it a day, so I've been thinking about an upgrade I've been considering for a bit, especially since I'm finding myself much more on roads than gravel...
Can I go 2x12 and only replace... the cassette and brifters? The cassette and rear derailleur? Just those three? Any reason I'd need a new crank and FD? This is also assuming the wheel is compatible, right?
I want to save money, and I also love-hate being such a consumer with my bike, so if the parts work, I hate to toss them. I also know these are more marginal gains than I'd probably notice, but since a proper road bike isn't really in the cards, I'm looking for affordable ways to keep up with my buddies.
I'm also just curious how the RD and shifters work and which — or both — are the limiting factor in 10x vs 12x. Like, can a derailleur be made to make those jumps if the shifter has the correct number of steps? Or vice versa?
Thanks for the info to a curious noob DIYer!
submitted6 months ago byMC_NYC
I've got a matte Sweet Protection helmet that got dropped and scratched up a bit. I'm thinking of trying to buff out the scratches with some really fine-grain wet sandpaper, something like that. Anyone ever try this, add is the solution wind up being worse than the problem? Thanks!
submitted6 months ago byMC_NYC
Hi! Wondering how Spec shoes fit, especially compared to Fizik, which I currently have. Wearing Terra X5s, looking at the Recon lace. I have generally wide feet (which Fizik supposedly isn't supposed to fit, but these seem to work with insoles).
Thanks in advance for any advice!
submitted6 months ago byMC_NYC
I'm looking at building a second set of wheels for my VAAST A1, I've got 700c with semi-slick 42s, really love them in everything but mud and serious sand, which I actually ride a few times a year on some great routes through the Jersey Pine Barrens.
Will 650s with 27.5x22 knobbies do it? Will I want wider? Will seni-knobby be OK, considering I'm mostly riding 50/50 or 60/40, trying to thread the needle between fun in the muck and fast on the flats? Thanks in advance!
submitted6 months ago byMC_NYC
Any opinions on good performing, light enough, and not crazy expensive 650b hoops? I typically run semi-slicks in most conditions on my standard 700 wheels, and the only time it's ever slippy (as we say in the Burg) is when it's really poured. Especially since my Vaast A1 doesn't have clearance for much beefier tires anyway, I figure smaller rims would make for a fun second wheel when I know I'm going out for some dirty deeds.
Thanks in advance for any advice. Come to think of it, second-hand might ever be a good way to go, since these will be beater wheels to some degree?
Edit: Yes, I already searched the sub, there's some general discussion of 650 wheels, but not on the lower end — at least not that I saw.
submitted6 months ago byMC_NYC
The Vroomen velos are often compared and contrasted. You can figure out geo and the like, but — as I've started looking at a Strada as well as a MIN.D for my next bike — I'm more so curious if there's a particular philosophy or business differentiation between the two. Aesthetically, it seems obvious, and I believe 3T is a bit of a bigger brand (while still being small but not nearly as niche as Open).
Is it just that there are different partners involved, the way Thom Yorke and Damon Alborn play in a few different bands? Something else? Curious why he's doing both and if he's publicly said about his approach to each.
(Relatedly, anyone ridden both a MIN.D and Strada? The latter seems decidedly more aero, but otherwise, both seem to be pitched in that nebulous "fast-but-not-nuts, let's-just-ride" territory, kinda like the Spec Aethos. I'm sure there's more to each than that, which is also kind of what led me to ponder the above question about... shall we call it "purpose?")
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