Bicycle thread

[Mambo Danny]

I know Assos is expensive, but is the brand a fad? I don't know when those gravel shorts were introduced, but Assos has been around since 1976, and their products are top tier, from what I can see. I'd imagine that they tweak their chamois design occasionally, always touting the current model as the bestest ever.

I don't know their opinion on sock length, though.


I wear a very thin DeFeet tank top, similar to this one: https://defeet.com/collections/base-layers/products/undlite-tank-white-unisex-fit

It's so light that it offers no discernable restriction, and it prevents chafing from the bibs. I wear it under bibs & jersey, or without a jersey when it's really hot. The mesh fabric works very well for evaporative cooling. I'll either hose myself down with some water on the bike, or dunk the top and put it back on during a break. The mesh keeps air moving through the fabric enough to make the difference noticeable.

The DeFeet shirt is half the price of the Assos equivalent.

I did not mean the brand was a fad. Come on, man.

 

[CTG]

I did not mean the brand was a fad. Come on, man.

Come on man. That was exactly how it read.

 

[CTG]

With that out of the way, do the Swiss like their home team's shorts?

We have our own brand through the club shop, but yes, we like Assos.

BTW, for fad gear for the hipsters... Rapha! Clever marketing they positioned themselves at the top of the heap with premium pricing and no track record.

 

[CTG]

Thanks for the word on the ground. I'll keep Assos in mind while shopping. I also want some less conspicuous, baggy shorts for shopping trips. No need to kit up for a 10k ride for groceries.

MTB shorts or trousers...

 

[Mambo Danny]

We have our own brand through the club shop, but yes, we like Assos.

BTW, for fad gear for the hipsters... Rapha! Clever marketing they positioned themselves at the top of the heap with premium pricing and no track record.

I claim to just not know. Enough serious riders seem to like Rapha - those who can afford it - to suggest that it's good.

In my post I was writing about catering to gravel as the fad thing. A gravel chamois, bibs have ghey pockets...

 

[2whlrcr]

t shirt and cutoffs?

 

[Mambo Danny]

Little did I know how wet this ride was gonna get. It's rained here for five days, and it trained last night.

 

[CTG]

Unfortunately, that is risking too much out there. We can be 10, 15 - perhaps more but I don't want to exaggerate without looking at the maps - miles from the closest public-accessible roads/paths when out on the gravel. With temps that hit in the mid-90's, extreme sun, etc., I just can't chance a weld creating a weak point to another area on the aluminum chainstay or seatstay.

Unfortunately, I don't think it would be any worse than before.

Mass produced frames are not always post treated or stress relieved properly. It is a pet annoyance for me. It doesn't mean that the frame cannot be repaired effectively though...

Carbon frames have their own quality control issues. It is forks that bother me most. Even certain premium US manufactured products... The number of failures (that doesn't mean completely broken) in modern carbon forks is astounding and it is often impossible for the average person to detect damage that could lead to failure. A few decades to the age of steel and failures were very rare. Including damaged forks

I refuse to put a budget fork even on the low cost club bikes. Especially budget carbon. They get proven brazed steerer, investment crown and blade formula. I use the same formula for the steel frames I built and similar formula (different materials) for Ti frames.



PS. I have been reminded by men on that other site that a woman should not be talking about subjects like this.

 

[Mambo Danny]

Suggestion by a co-worker who rides was to call the helmet company about this. Good news, Giro will warranty it and is sending me a new one (different color). In use one year and two months at this point, bought new - never left/stored in a hot car, not damaged or crashed. In that time I have soaked or sprayed the helmet off about four times to pull salt from the straps and such. I'm blaming the rather extreme UV and heat I ride, but they don't agree. They didn't say what they thought it was.

I was OK buying a new one as I thought it was two years old, but when I logged in to Amazon to re-order the Giro Synthe, I saw that my last order was late June 2021. Well, to be honest, from what I've seen with the heat and conditions I'm even ready to accept buying a new helmet even once a year - but this was a nice surprise.

 

[CTG]

I can see how that could be embarrassing for them.

The latest thing is I am a man...

Because I have interests, do things and talk about subjects that encroach male domain. I have never been under any illusions. Some people have a genuine interest, others are paranoid and suspicious and feel threatened. A few centuries ago men burnt women like me at the stake, later we were institutionalised, we are still demonised. It is our threatening nature.
Now I see Ric getting it in the neck from the paranoid and suspicious. He understated his relationship to me. Another heirloom, not just a mechanic, his qualification is engineering and he has worked on many projects. Now he manages a team working on the restoration to airworthiness and digitisation of Supermarine types 379 and 394. He flies one of Frankie's sisters, often with daughter #1... he is one of the few people who can manage her, any misbehaviour and she is literally grounded, and one of even fewer people I trust with her. And he rides a motorcycle. When we are riding he puts on a motoslave hat and escorts our rides. All of the time he is a friend. Good people.

Five months after #2 I am back at race weight (that only took a few weeks) and close to 100% of previous form. #2 really only slowed me down for 5 minutes. An average week is about 550km and 12,000m, pool 3-4 days per week, gym on the other days. Plus running. Always two activities per day even when I am not riding.
This morning I am up early for a conference call. I spent some time cleaning and waxing a few chains (not just mine) for this morning's ride and I needed to brew a fresh batch of my not so super secret miracle chain wax.

 

[CTG]

Their materials people will be happy to have that returned. You might get some follow-up questions after the post mortem.

I don't know if they still do, but Bell used to offer a motorcycle helmet exchange after a significant crash. A friend was happy to get a new one after he was pried out of the side of a Buick.

They might have seen it before and it was the reason they were so quick to offer a replacement. It is also good PR.

 

[CTG]

If you have a link to a page on that project, it'd be welcome.

Even from a woman.

Speaking of which, congratulations on the family addition! I had a teacher that was deeply into CrossFit before it had a name, and she had a similar experience. Back to school after two days, and back to leading physical education classes within a week. I don't know how long it took her to get back to 100%, but it didn't seem that she missed a step after a few weeks.

Not many people can bounce back from a major medical event so quickly, and it's a mark of your fitness that you could.

The aircraft don't have a web page.

I have the BMR of a hummingbird and my gain of 3kg melted off. There were a few weeks towards the end I felt like a whale and the only exercise I got was rolling around in the pool (which was a relief) and in the gym. I needed a couple of weeks after to heal before easing back into my routine. Being super fit makes it much easier before and after.

This morning 110km and 2500m in a group of six fast (5+) riders.

 

[Stormdog]

Their materials people will be happy to have that returned. You might get some follow-up questions after the post mortem.

I don't know if they still do, but Bell used to offer a motorcycle helmet exchange after a significant crash. A friend was happy to get a new one after he was pried out of the side of a Buick.

I managed to crack a relatively new Arai XD 3 moto helmet a few years ago. I thought they might be interested in taking a look at the helmet along with my brain scans etc.
Arai doesn’t seem to have a procedure for that kind of thing so i through it in the garbage

 

[MVI]

Ended up with an ugly pair of Troy Lee Designs Skyline shorts w/liner:

Troy Lee Designs Skyline Review

The Troy Lee Skyline shorts are a great choice for riders who want the perfect balance of style, comfort, and versatility. These shorts perform well on and...

www.outdoorgearlab.com

REI has them in camo green for $87. With my rewards applied, they came in at $50. Considering why I want them, funky camo will be fine.

great reviews

 

[Stormdog]

Unfortunately, I don't think it would be any worse than before.

Mass produced frames are not always post treated or stress relieved properly. It is a pet annoyance for me. It doesn't mean that the frame cannot be repaired effectively though...

Carbon frames have their own quality control issues. It is forks that bother me most. Even certain premium US manufactured products... The number of failures (that doesn't mean completely broken) in modern carbon forks is astounding and it is often impossible for the average person to detect damage that could lead to failure. A few decades to the age of steel and failures were very rare. Including damaged forks

I refuse to put a budget fork even on the low cost club bikes. Especially budget carbon. They get proven brazed steerer, investment crown and blade formula. I use the same formula for the steel frames I built and similar formula (different materials) for Ti frames.



PS. I have been reminded by men on that other site that a woman should not be talking about subjects like this.

I live and ride in a small area so I frequent these sites in the hopes of learning about things I wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to.
And since I am old, my testosterone levels must be low enough for me to except that people with a different set of chromosomes then I, might know something that I don’t.

I guess I said all that to say this..
Keep writing about things that interest you.
There are a some of us that appreciate hearing your opinions.

 

[CTG]

Try again...

 

[Mambo Danny]

My Redshift seat post and stem arrived. I'm not sure how these made it to the Scratch & Dent bin because everything looks proper, even the packaging. Not so much as a clamp mark or insertion scratch on the seat post tube, and all the fiddly bits are properly packaged. I don't see a cosmetic QC issue, but I may be missing something.

I think it's more likely these parts were returned before use, and Redshift marks them down to get them out of inventory; I've seen the same done by other retailers. I wouldn't hesitate to order from Redshift's S&D list.

Slight variations in finish anodizing, or the finish of the logo, can make parts end up that way. You might also check for roundness of the seattube with a caliper, stuff like that. PSA sells blems that nobody can find the issues with. I know that I've bought a blem ... something... (can't even recall what it was) that I couldn't find an issue with. Jeez, I've lost so much memory from Covid I guess.

 

[Mambo Danny]

I call this piece: "evidence of trying at the bottom of a top-tube bag"

 

[MrWellAdjusted]

£1000 AliExpress Carbon road bike build - Disc brake​

 

[Mambo Danny]

My Redshift seat post and stem arrived. I'm not sure how these made it to the Scratch & Dent bin because everything looks proper, even the packaging. Not so much as a clamp mark or insertion scratch on the seat post tube, and all the fiddly bits are properly packaged. I don't see a cosmetic QC issue, but I may be missing something.

I think it's more likely these parts were returned before use, and Redshift marks them down to get them out of inventory; I've seen the same done by other retailers. I wouldn't hesitate to order from Redshift's S&D list.

Have you tried them yet?

Make sure you set up the sag. I run my seatpost on the firmer side when I have aerobars on the bike. My current aerobars just aren't right, though, so I may take them off. For whatever ergonomic / geometric reason I am much lower using the same style aerobars on the DIverge than I was on the Kona. To the point that I am questioning what it is doing to my back.

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I haven't done a 100 mile ride all year, and am looking at a 200 mile gravel ride one month from now. How do I order EPO?