In all my years of #cycling, I've never found a great solution for cold weather. If I bundle up so I'm not chilled, then I soak everything with sweat in short order. If I wear less, then I freeze. I've tried Merino wool, synthetics (Gore, Event, etc.), and so on, but nothing works well enough for me.
Sadly, that means I don't do anything exciting on the #bicycle during the coldest part of the year. Just my daily local loop. :blobfoxsad:
innicycle’s unique system combines a threadless stem adapter with a sealed cartridge bearing headset. The result: Finally a way to tastefully incorporate modern components with your vintage bicycle.
Advantages
Lower weight & greater rigidity
Retains stock threaded fork
Compatible with modern handlebars and stems
Easily adjusted bearing preload using only a 6mm hex key
Ultra low stack height (low stem position adjust-ability)
Fitment
The innicycle Threadless Conversion Headset™ is compatible with most road and some MTB bikes that originally came equipped with 1” threaded headsets and quill stems. Forks must be 1”-24 TPI threaded with a 7/8” (22.2mm) inside diameter. Both ISO and JIS* fork crowns are supported.
“I’m thinking about getting longer cranks”, said no one in 2023. It’s definitely true that shorter cranks are a trend right now, but why? Is it all nonsense, or is there something to it? Today we’ll take a deep dive into crank length and how it affects your performance. You’ll get a highly biased take on the subject from someone with very short legs.
I still like rim brakes, but I don't have any major opposition to disc brakes as long as they're using with thru-axles. (I don't like the pads rubbing after hard braking, which is usually caused by the hubs shifting.)
Finally figured out the process for getting my correct saddle position on a bike!
Start with the saddle level, a bit low, and slammed all the way back on the rails.
Raise the saddle in 3-5mm increments until you no longer lift off the saddle or have pain on or around your kneecaps. You may need to move the saddle forward a 3-5mm every now and then so you aren’t completely sitting on its nose.
Once #2 has been taken care of, pedal with the technique of spinning your knees in small, tight, and fast circles. That pedaling technique will cause you to scoot forward to where your saddle should be.
Move the saddle forward in 3-5mm increments until it feels comfortable with that pedaling technique. Be sure to keep the saddle as level as possible while doing this.
Considering handlebar covers/mittens for doing #OpenStreetMap updates in cold weather. They're quite pricey though. Would they help?
It's fairly slow travel, with frequent stops near the footway=sidewalk to record data on the phone. Are they any good for that sort of thing, if I use them with a pair of insulated fingerless gloves underneath? #BikeTooter@bikes@mastobikes@cycling
@tk@cycling@mastobikes I’ll concede that there are applications where disc brakes-specifically hydraulic- are better than rim brakes. But those situations are, I think, wildly overstated, and usually far outside the use-cases of the vast majority of cyclists. #biketooter
@mhoye@tk@cycling@mastobikes
I came up riding tandems with sketchy canti brakes in hills, and- it was ok? We adjusted our riding to braking power.
On a road bike, I’ve never felt I needed discs. And I rode canti’s on mtbs all through the 80’s/90’s and into the early 00’s. They were fine. Until you were riding DH courses.
Are discs better? Sure. Good hydro discs have immense amounts of power. Were rim brakes enough? Yeah. Most of the time. #BikeTooter
@v_perjorative@tk@cycling@mastobikes To be clear- I’m not saying discs are bad or whatever. I’m saying that most of the time, for many, many people, they’re overkill.
Some people seem to feel that discs are necessary for a bike to be safe; that is very rarely the actual case. #BikeTooter
@hughtaylorscifi@LabSpokane@v_perjorative@cycling@mastobikes Stopping distance is primarily determined by the friction between the tires and the ground (assuming the brakes are capable of producing enough power to lock up a wheel). Beyond that, rider skill at applying maximum braking force to the front wheel determines minimum stopping distance.
Learning how to stop as quickly as possible is a learned skill. #BikeTooter
@LabSpokane@hughtaylorscifi@v_perjorative@cycling@mastobikes maybe, but it’s almost certainly an effect of rider modulation of those braking systems (and not a result of the power of those braking systems). Unless we’re talking about very unusual circumstances (extremely high speed, carbon rims with rim brakes, wet, etc).
Once a brake has sufficient power to lock a wheel, the limiting factor has to be tire/road friction. #biketooter