Bicycle thread

[CTG]

Ten of us braved the early cold. I couldn't move anyone else. -2C out the gate and the first climb in the dark at -8C... brrrrr... between two metre snow banks pushed up by ploughs at 2000m. This week T and I are riding the Ti gravel bikes with 3D printed lugs and bonded hydro formed tubes instead of our usual Wilier Raves. We pass two more Ti bikes around for critique. Conceptually they are the same, just different materials and in this instance they are being evaluated as winter bikes. I set them up with R8000 and GRX mechanical 12s conversion and they have been received well. I won't build more than six more. That'd be ten. It is just a hobby.


This morning's entertainment was watching the verbose Narcissus who fancies himself an intellectual, but in reality is a sad and pathetic public servant who likes to run people down to feel superior and the president of the No Cal Geriatric Cycling Club argue about... something. Bike weight? IDK... Who won? IDK, both are losers. But it was hysterical.
I removed these comments from this post, but reinstated them seeing his pretentious use of (foreign) language and the manner in which he is spamming to dominate discussion. Oh well... little men have no idea how ridiculous they can be. Hours of entertainment for me

 

[CTG]

No riding yesterday. B and I took the girls back to school early, then it was a day of things aviation. B has moved up to GLF6 and we're giving as much flight time as possible. Left seat with me. Crew with others. For now, unscheduled work... the best IMO. She got a few L-39 hours yesterday, a perk of her job. I spent the day with teams working on experimentals. Most of my questions are answered n the air.
We arrived home this morning after meetings and I got out for a late ride with T,

 

[Mambo Danny]

 

[CTG]

That looks like a fun day out. I saw the photos on the other site. Bappo's belly with aerobars... That isn't gonna work!



I really need to comment on the poor fit of your girlfriend's helmet... It is horrible!

I'd recommend something like a Nutcase Street helmet with Mips and dial adjustment (for the hair). There are only three sizes and if you follow the measuring instructions and size guide you'll get the right size.

Nutcase Street Collection

Cool Nutcase Street Collection helmets for biking or skating in many different colors, styles and sizes for adults. Free shipping on all orders.

nutcasehelmets.com

 

[Mambo Danny]

That looks like a fun day out. I saw the photos on the other site. Bappo's belly with aerobars... That isn't gonna work!



I really need to comment on the poor fit of your girlfriend's helmet... It is horrible!

I'd recommend something like a Nutcase Street helmet with Mips and dial adjustment (for the hair). There are only three sizes and if you follow the measuring instructions and size guide you'll get the right size.

Nutcase Street Collection

Cool Nutcase Street Collection helmets for biking or skating in many different colors, styles and sizes for adults. Free shipping on all orders.

nutcasehelmets.com

Hmm... I will look into that in the future. I wasn't around when she chose the helmet. She will need vents as this area gets hotter than heck in the spring, summer and fall.

Bappo noted how much easier it was to pedal in the aero-bar position to hold a speed, or that he could easily get a little more speed, so they did work for him!

 

[CTG]

I prefer hard shell helmets. Slight aero advantage too. I suppose temperature depends on tolerance. Tey are better ventilated than they look. I was using the previous model with smaller round vents from 12 to 18 degrees latitude.

Yes... compared to hoods, aerobars give 10-15% speed increase on a road bike.

 

[Mambo Danny]

I prefer hard shell helmets. Slight aero advantage too. I suppose temperature depends on tolerance. Tey are better ventilated than they look. I was using the previous model with smaller round vents from 12 to 18 degrees latitude.

Yes... compared to hoods, aerobars give 10-15% speed increase on a road bike.

I look at them differently. I see aerobars as a 10-15% decrease in wattage to maintain the same speed. Given stable conditions, I can out-sprint, perhaps out-top-speed, myself in the drops compared to the aerobars.
I'm not sure if I'm describing that correctly, but that's what I'm seeing out on the gravel.

Specifically what are you looking at for fitment with her helmet? Her hair, or that it seems to sit higher, or more back, compared to most? I don't doubt that there may be better fitting helmets out there. Only recently I diverted our shopping to stop at many bicycle stores so that she would get modern shoes (the ones on the picture - that's her first ride in them, her first mile in them) that fit her better, AND transferred power better with stiffer soles.

 

[CTG]

The helmet seems to be sitting on top of her head like it is too small.

Deliberately keeping it short to avoid confusion.

 

[Mambo Danny]

 

[FASTRacing]

^^^ That is a great picture !!

 

[Mambo Danny]

Her average on the 22-mile 99% gravel route was 16.3 MPH. The only reason it was that slow was because she had to stay out of the power since she has a half-marathon race this weekend. After that, though, she has an Olympic-distance triathlon that we'll be back on the bike training with.

 

[CTG]

For me always a rest day at least two days before and full ride the day before a race. Otherwise I'd feel lethargic on the day.

Eight of us rode together early this morning. 105km, 2400m, average pace was about 4. Climbs at 5.5. High power to weight and the ability to climb is one of the advantages of being small and light. Small and light is also the reason I performed poorly in triathlons.

Titanium 3D printer has been running all week. I successfully printed ten sets of lugs and crowns instead of six. I am building a few extra frames and I had no trouble finding help. It is batch work, process setup takes longer than the actual work and the extras are only about 30%, not 65% more work. Tubes have been drawn and formed and now are ready for cutting and mitres. Mine are painted, I am building these with etched lugs and polished tubes with etched logos. It is what people want.

#1 daughter and her friends are home from school. It was only Monday morning I last saw them. All the back and forth costs, but it is worth it. #2 is growing like a weed. #3 and #4 are adorable... I am not wired for parenthood, the smell of babies make me physically ill. #2 has full time carers and I am not interested until they are about eight years old, but #3 and #4 manage to push my buttons. My grandparents and great grandmother are living here and are a lot of help.
This week the 100th home was completed in the village... it is workers accommodation. Poultry farm and greenhouses, but enough people for their own butcher, bakery, grocer, general store, cafe and clinic and school. The village is public, but no cars. Anyway, for all of the people who have moved from the main house to the village I am still tripping over the bodies of my #1 daughter and her friends in my rooms.

 

[Mambo Danny]

I take it that the end product will have to be welded, or can Ti be brazed?

 

[Danno]

Bonded? My Aprilia is bonded.

 

[CTG]

I take it that the end product will have to be welded, or can Ti be brazed?

I am using adhesive bonding.

Silver soldering is done with titanium specific filler and flux. I'm not doing that. Maybe in the future.

 

[Mambo Danny]

All I can say is - thank goodness for modern indoor bike trainers. Rained all weekend, wind gusts at a pretty constant 30 MPH, but I got some droning in that will help later on.

 

[CTG]

I got a normal ride in on Saturday morning. #3 and #4 munchkins were sick the rest of the weekend. One of those bugs that gets around. #4 in particular was burning hot. #3 is joined at the hip. For reasons unknown they attached themselves to me... the world's worst mother! I am not denying it. Their second choice was #1 daughter. I spent most of Sunday in bed with one on my chest and the other under my arm. I was relieved in some respects, I didn't want them attaching themselves to my grandparents or my great grandmother - don't tell her she is frail, I don't need her getting sick too. I stayed away and they looked after 10mo #2.
Their fevers broke last night and we start to get back to normal this morning. We got #1 and her friends back to school. A win. Meetings on the way home that I cut to the bare essentials... no time wasters.

This afternoon I did a two hour track session that included an overdue full one hour FTP test on the stayer's line with a few riders hanging off my wheel. That got the need out of my system and the result was better than expected. Normally I'd do the FTP test on a trainer with a geared road bike and full suite of sensors. Not this time.

 

[Danno]

I got a normal ride in on Saturday morning. #3 and #4 munchkins were sick the rest of the weekend. One of those bugs that gets around. #4 in particular was burning hot. #3 is joined at the hip. For reasons unknown they attached themselves to me... the world's worst mother! I am not denying it. Their second choice was #1 daughter. I spent most of Sunday in bed with one on my chest and the other under my arm. I was relieved in some respects, I didn't want them attaching themselves to my grandparents or my great grandmother - don't tell her she is frail, I don't need her getting sick too. I stayed away and they looked after 10mo #2.
Their fevers broke last night and we start to get back to normal this morning. We got #1 and her friends back to school. A win. Meetings on the way home that I cut to the bare essentials... no time wasters.

This afternoon I did a two hour track session that included an overdue full one hour FTP test on the stayer's line with a few riders hanging off my wheel. That got the need out of my system and the result was better than expected. Normally I'd do the FTP test on a trainer with a geared road bike and full suite of sensors. Not this time.

Maybe those kids see the best side of you! That is winning a race of life! Little ones are very smart.

 

[CTG]

Maybe. Maybe they see a sucker. The "world's worst mother" is an accusation from the bicycle thread in the other forum. I was "jetting around the world" while my first was in boarding school. It was an insult that I have owned, just like my user title.

 

[Danno]

Maybe. Maybe they see a sucker. The "world's worst mother" is an accusation from the bicycle thread in the other forum. I was "jetting around the world" while my first was in boarding school. It was an insult that I have owned, just like my user title.

.. they see the great person you are. Nothing less nothing more. Kids are very smart! They get it more than any of us. And sometimes I still get it too... enjoy your morning ride!