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The Surly Road Cycling Thread


idigTexas

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Well, I went back to SS because I felt like I might be abusing my knees in fixie mode.  I don't have to engine brake, but I can't seem to resist and while it didn't hurt and I have never had knee problems, felt like it was putting some unusual pressure on them.

I have really enjoyed the SS/Fixie experiment.  For me, it adds a dimension of "something" to road riding.  I can leave the house and ride 10-15 miles in an hour without having to cross or ride (m)any major streets, or go in circles or laps, and it feels like I am getting a better workout than with a geared bike.

Part of it is "new toy," but it's really not a very nice new toy, simply adequate.  But it is quiet and very smooth.  I don't think I'd enjoy an aluminum frame nearly as much.  A fancy tubing butted and lugged steel frame that weighs 10 lbs less might be nice, but meh, fuck it.

I had no idea how much I "cheat" with gears.  On the trail, I have a tendency to mash a little, but generally when I feel cadence dropping off, I drop a gear, and when I start spinning I go up a gear, it's barely conscious.  I may linger in higher or lower gears depending on how strong I feel, but ultimately I'm gonna change (notwithstanding trail features that force you low).  Not having the option to do that, all you can do is focus on your form and try to spin it up a little in the hard gear.  And I guess the required momentum management helps a bit, too.  I don't even need to ride very hard or fast to feel some cardio involvement all through a short ride.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/5/2019 at 3:53 PM, Captain Ron said:

First spin was not bad.

The 2nd almost killed me. 5 N*m for the handlebars my ass!!! Last time I trust my google search results. Clamped down the handlebars with my torque wrench - 5 N*m. Was trying to catch a column of cars, got up to 25 MPH or so, hit a bump. Handlebars drop 20 degrees!!!! Talk about an oh shit moment. Did recover and not die (and tighten the fuckers down to 10 N*m).

I used it for commuting the last 2 days, it's pretty fucking ridiculous. Not really a fair comparison, but if I really wanted, I could torch my Strava commute records with this thing. Just one of my records was bested by 21%

Here it is in all it's fixed up glory:

Photo-Sep-05-3-39-28-PM.jpg

 

 

DUDE.

It has been far FAR too long since I posted on this thread. I can tell you I will be hoping on a lot more regularly.

So quick update on this bike - Let's just say that Friends don't let friends ride on cheap carbon fiber. I never suffered catastrophic failure beyond the one told about in this story above (bolded). But looking through YouTube and other places it's not hard to find failure stories with the handlebars you see on the bike (Which are 3T Aeronova knockoffs).

Since my first child was born not long after that picture/post, I figured my wife would never forgive me if I left her to care for a child alone because of using substandard components. So off came the cheap carbon stem and handlebars. They were replaced with Fizik aluminum Cyranos. A little later on I decided it was time for a new seat too (that white one was old enough to drive and just didn't match). The result:

p.jpeg?fv_content=true&size_mode=5

That has been a fun ride this year. I did the MS150 Mass edition (called the MS Cape Cod Getaway) this year. I ride with the Jack's Abbey team out of Framingham. It was a great ride. 

Here's a segment

 

I've got some catching up to do on this thread, but hope this post finds everyone riding far and having a great time.

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15 minutes ago, Captain Ron said:

You guys have any bar tape suggestions? I was a RavX Carbonwrap guy from my old mechanic in Austin (RIP Bobby's Bikes), but I cannot find it right now. That might be temporary, but I want to plan, just in case this move is permanent.

 

 

I really like the 3T stuff that BMC uses on OEM, but you can't get it retail unfortunately. The Fizik Vento solocush is pretty good alternative.

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On 10/7/2020 at 6:54 PM, High Plains Drifter said:

Recommend me a mirror. I'm too old to be looking back over my shoulder all the time.

 

On 10/9/2020 at 6:32 PM, CycleTex87 said:

I got a Garmin for Christmas last year, and it has as an add-on a combo rear view radar unit / taillight that signals when cars are coming up from behind on the Garmin screen.  Way more than a rearview mirror, I know, but its kind of cool.  Works really well for me early in the morning when traffic is light.

This is old, but I wanted to chime in - the Garmin rear radar is a real game changer. If you're thinking about getting one, DO IT.

Here is what I said on one of the threads on Slickdeals talking about these deals:

Where I think you get the most benefit from this is when you are riding on unfamiliar roads. I like to take my bike on close vacations (driving distance) and get a ride or two in. But I always worry because I don't know the local areas. That is where this truly makes a huge difference, now I have an alert of cars coming up on me. I don't have to wonder, how busy is this road - I get alerts on every car.

Make no mistake, I still take caution on every vehicle around me, and never jump on the road without checking my six, but now I have a better idea of what is behind me and when it's going to cross my path.

It's just an extra bit of information. I listen for cars behind me, but this shows them to me. So far in my few weeks of use - I've had a few false positives (alerts of cars that weren't there), but never had a false negative (not signaled when a car is approaching).

 

On 8/17/2021 at 10:00 AM, TwiceHorn said:

I have an insane urge to buy a fixie.

 

Glad to know I am not the only one. Though now this is second to wanting a mountain bike because we just picked up a place in Vermont and it is much more mountain bike conducive than road (though road is always an option).

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Hilarious (?) video of this fucking madman

 

For context if you don't know who he is, about 2 decades ago (before GoPro existed) he shared the earliest viral videos of fixie riding in new york, boston, like alley cat races and such.  So he's like the gonzo cultural micro-niche celebrity in the street bicycling world.

 

 

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17 hours ago, Captain Ron said:

You guys have any bar tape suggestions? I was a RavX Carbonwrap guy from my old mechanic in Austin (RIP Bobby's Bikes), but I cannot find it right now. That might be temporary, but I want to plan, just in case this move is permanent.

 

 

not in love with any tape, but i like tacky and grippy tape and lizard skin dsp is the sorta standard.  had some GREAT tape that was wrapped on my derosa, seems like real leather stuff and lasted forever and wrapped ultra tight, but had it swapped when i changed groupsets and never found out what product it was

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17 hours ago, Captain Ron said:

 

This is old, but I wanted to chime in - the Garmin rear radar is a real game changer. If you're thinking about getting one, DO IT.

Here is what I said on one of the threads on Slickdeals talking about these deals:

Where I think you get the most benefit from this is when you are riding on unfamiliar roads. I like to take my bike on close vacations (driving distance) and get a ride or two in. But I always worry because I don't know the local areas. That is where this truly makes a huge difference, now I have an alert of cars coming up on me. I don't have to wonder, how busy is this road - I get alerts on every car.

Make no mistake, I still take caution on every vehicle around me, and never jump on the road without checking my six, but now I have a better idea of what is behind me and when it's going to cross my path.

It's just an extra bit of information. I listen for cars behind me, but this shows them to me. So far in my few weeks of use - I've had a few false positives (alerts of cars that weren't there), but never had a false negative (not signaled when a car is approaching).

 

 

Glad to know I am not the only one. Though now this is second to wanting a mountain bike because we just picked up a place in Vermont and it is much more mountain bike conducive than road (though road is always an option).

I'm a mountain biker first but have really enjoyed the "fixie."  I ride it almost entirely SS (flip-flop) because I fear for my knees, but the whole experience has been great.

The way I use it is basically neighborhood rides, but I can get more intensity out of it than I probably could with a geared bike, without going great distances, hauling ass, or deliberately seeking hills.  I'm also learning how lazy a lifetime of riding geared bikes has made me.

Edited by TwiceHorn
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On 9/13/2021 at 12:47 PM, Captain Ron said:

You guys have any bar tape suggestions? I was a RavX Carbonwrap guy from my old mechanic in Austin (RIP Bobby's Bikes), but I cannot find it right now. That might be temporary, but I want to plan, just in case this move is permanent.

 

 

Gecko grip by Arundel is my new favorite. Wrap it with the logo hidden to get more grip.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I had actually posted a link above, then saw the DT thread, and edited it out.  I was out riding the same day in a different area around the Houston burbs, and this could very easily have been me and my group of folks.  I will say that we would tend to not ride on that particular stretch of road, number one because it's high speed with no shoulder, even though it's four lane, and number two, because it's not interesting in the least.  Lots of smaller country roads around to ride on that are safer and more picturesque (at least as picturesque as it gets in greater Houston).

I've been riding in the Houston area for 30 years or so, and am not planning to change my ways due to this jackass, but it's a little sobering.

Edited by CycleTex87
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1 hour ago, Captain Ron said:

Yeah, a lot of people on this site really show their asses when you mention cyclists.

 

There is a reason in an area/state (Mass) with much smaller roads than Texas, I feel a hell of a lot safer than I ever did cycling in Texas, even on roads with massive shoulders.

Different parts of Texas have different levels of safety.  I was talking to a guy that rides in the Midland area, and he rattled off four or five people he knew personally that had been killed out riding in that area.  There's a popular ride in Chappell Hill on a two lane road with no shoulders, with some nice views and some mild hills that people in Houston like to do because it's "hilly".  I did it once and didn't like the no shoulder aspect of it.  A lady got killed there several years ago as a result of the poor site lines and no shoulder.  

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I had actually posted a link above, then saw the DT thread, and edited it out.  I was out riding the same day in a different area around the Houston burbs, and this could very easily have been me and my group of folks.  I will say that we would tend to not ride on that particular stretch of road, number one because it's high speed with no shoulder, even though it's four lane, and number two, because it's not interesting in the least.  Lots of smaller country roads around to ride on that are safer and more picturesque (at least as picturesque as it gets in greater Houston).
I've been riding in the Houston area for 30 years or so, and am not planning to change my ways due to this jackass, but it's a little sobering.

I used to do the Bicycle World and Fitness group rides until the place was sold. I did the Lifetime Fitness group for a while, but they wanted to start charging.

I ride out to Fulshear, but that’s getting dangerous.
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sad state of affairs but riding in most of texas is so depressing given the terrain, the attitudes, much less the heat. 

elsewhere in the world with insanely good cycling infrastructure some of the locals still complain about how aggressive the motorists are and i just think bro you are spoiled as all hell

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2 hours ago, CycleTex87 said:

Different parts of Texas have different levels of safety.  I was talking to a guy that rides in the Midland area, and he rattled off four or five people he knew personally that had been killed out riding in that area.  There's a popular ride in Chappell Hill on a two lane road with no shoulders, with some nice views and some mild hills that people in Houston like to do because it's "hilly".  I did it once and didn't like the no shoulder aspect of it.  A lady got killed there several years ago as a result of the poor site lines and no shoulder.  

Yeah, the no shoulder thing is a big no go for me on any high speed road. I ended up not only with no shoulder, but actually in a construction zone with jersey walls on US 1 in Northern Virginia when I did my 220 miler in June. Went through right at dusk too, was absolutely fucking terrifying.

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I did the Lifetime Fitness group a couple of times, and didn't care for it.  It seemed like a bunch of racer types that wanted to go out 22-25 mph and that's more than I want.

I rode what was supposed to be the B group. Guys sandbagging and pushing 21 - 22 for no reason.
What group do you ride with now?
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Tell me about tire pressure.

On the single-speed, I have 700x28 tires.  It's a non-butted steel frame and at times it's just rough as a cob, but I may be spoiled by my MTB.

I run the tires at 95psi based on recs.  I'm 200-210.  How low can I go? Or should I just deal with it?

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2 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Tell me about tire pressure.

On the single-speed, I have 700x28 tires.  It's a non-butted steel frame and at times it's just rough as a cob, but I may be spoiled by my MTB.

I run the tires at 95psi based on recs.  I'm 200-210.  How low can I go? Or should I just deal with it?

Tubed or tubeless?

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My damn motorcy— i mean bike — has been stuck with vendor for 4 weeks+ now. 

Theyve had my money since summer. Since completion of build, theyve attempted to ship it twice but rejected at outbound processing because my national post wont convey batteries larger than 100kwh. 

Vendor says theyre “working with the courier and customs”…but no update in weeks. Maybe send an intern to pedal the motherfucker to me, or cancel the order altogether. Wtf takes a month to resolve. Find another shipper. 

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On 10/2/2021 at 3:18 PM, G650 said:

At your weight you can probably run 80 pretty safely without worrying about pinch flats with a 28mm tire

One of the reasons I asked was just how much vibration I have been experiencing lately on some pretty rough pavement.

That came home to roost today.  This bike has wheelnuts as fixie-types are wont to do.  I usually check them for finger-tightness before every ride, which is probably not good enough.

Well, today I rode and about 3/4 of the way through, I noticed my front caliper seemed misaligned and one pad was close to rubbing.  When I reached a stopping point, sure enough, the mounting bolt was loose.  As I tightened it with the brakes applied, I thought I saw the front wheel move and, sure enough, the right wheel nut was just finger-loose enough to let the wheel move a little.

At 95 psi, it's like wagon wheels, and apparently it's not just my teeth getting rattled loose.

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34 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

One of the reasons I asked was just how much vibration I have been experiencing lately on some pretty rough pavement.

That came home to roost today.  This bike has wheelnuts as fixie-types are wont to do.  I usually check them for finger-tightness before every ride, which is probably not good enough.

Well, today I rode and about 3/4 of the way through, I noticed my front caliper seemed misaligned and one pad was close to rubbing.  When I reached a stopping point, sure enough, the mounting bolt was loose.  As I tightened it with the brakes applied, I thought I saw the front wheel move and, sure enough, the right wheel nut was just finger-loose enough to let the wheel move a little.

At 95 psi, it's like wagon wheels, and apparently it's not just my teeth getting rattled loose.

 

Yeah thats no bueno...

 

I've had thru axle even try and back out, so I'm pretty militant about checking for tightness.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/3/2021 at 4:02 PM, G650 said:

 

Yeah thats no bueno...

 

I've had thru axle even try and back out, so I'm pretty militant about checking for tightness.

Continuing on this theme.  I tightened everything on the bike.  One of the handlebar clamp screws was just slightly loose, so I tightened it and checked the other three, but I didn't loosen and re-torque the pattern.  The stem I loosened and re-torqued.

And, before today's ride, I loosened and re-tightened the wheel nuts.  Welp, about 3/4 through today's ride, the bar twisted a little in my hands, and, bumping along terrible streets (and moving to the left I guess because of my dominant right hand), the thing got quite loosey-goosey.  It's a flat bar with a small rise, and narrow.  The screws weren't working further out, but they certainly got loose. Super-strange sensation. 

And, of course, I didn't move my multitool from the MTB, so I had to ride home, gingerly, like that.

So, yeah, I need to not only check things with an allen key and wrench as appropriate, I also need to re-torque the pattern on things.  Geezus.

 

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3 hours ago, G650 said:

These always take blue Loctite. Have you refreshed that at all?

That's the other thing.  Most of the screws on my MTB are loctited, these aren't.  My little bottle of loctite has solidified, so I need another one, which is en route (I use it on airguns, too, among other things).

 

On the bright side, I did discover that rotating the bar forward so it actually "rakes" slightly forward is an improvement. I tilt mtb bars up, but still with back rake because I don't need any more reach, but on this bike it's welcome. 

Edited by TwiceHorn
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Riding road and paved trails a lot more, I have come to realize how windy a lot of the paved trails are, even compared to streets.  A lot around here are in utility easements. so they're these broad, treeless expanses and shitalmighty.

Got the SS all loctited and tight.  I should have realized that almost any rattles from the thing indicate that something is loose.  I'm just used to chain and other rattles on the MTB.

I'm a dry chain lube fan from MTB and apply it about every 10 days or so, more if a damp/wet ride. I don't think I need to do it that often on a road bike, is that right?

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@TwiceHorn Yeah, you probably can go about once a month of moderate riding (geez, I wish I was getting that in right now). You probably want to crank that up if you are getting a ride in during bad weather.

BTW - when I was looking through their site, I saw that SILCA had a calculator for your tire pressure. Might help you know how low you can go.

https://silca.cc/pages/sppc-form

Edited by Captain Ron
stupid editor
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new bike got canceled.  vendor said they tried for the very last time and after looking for multiple shippers they simply cant get it delivered to me, and have initiated refund.  started snowing last week so im not gonna miss it over the winter anyway. 

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1 hour ago, 52-80 said:

new bike got canceled.  vendor said they tried for the very last time and after looking for multiple shippers they simply cant get it delivered to me, and have initiated refund.  started snowing last week so im not gonna miss it over the winter anyway. 

Well furk.

 

I order a custom bike about 11 months ago and it hasn't been started yet. Bit to be fair he told me a year to get it.

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Here's my CSB bike ride. I did a road bike tour in Europe from early September to early October. I got a bike in Utrecht second hand from an employee at the Trek store after they didn't have any appropriate touring bikes in stock for a couple weeks. Spent a week in Holland, a week in Belgium, a few days cycling down the Rhine on the German side, then a week through Switzerland. France was basically shut down to tourists without their covid health pass which I applied for in August and still haven't received. Meh.

I took a series of RER trains though France across the Pyrenees to Barcelona because I couldn't ride the high speed trains without a health pass and many didn't allow bikes anyways. I did one day going south along the Costa Brava from Barcelona then got bored and a repeated flat. I ended up parking the bike back in Barcelona in self storage then wandered Spain by bus and train the last few weeks. I was fortunate that I didn't get a flat until my last couple days when I was riding in Barcelona. So at least it was easy to get it repaired.

I ended up doing about a 1,000 miles. The days varied between 20 and 50 miles depending on the terrain, sites to see, etc... I did a mix of camping, hostels, and cheap hotels. Europeans were out in force so it was more expensive than I anticipated to find a reasonable campsite or hotel. I came across some folks doing 80 to 100 miles per day. I admire that but wanted to be able to enjoy the views and not exhaust myself on my first longish distance ride.  I'm going to take some classes on bike maintenance asap. I tried to change the flat and couldn't despite watching a million youtube videos. I'm also getting tubeless tires if I can. Bike trails in the Netherlands are amazing. Flat and easy to navigate. Everyone cycles there. I'm glad I started there.

Riding through cities was definitely stressful, even with all the biking infrastructure and very bike friendly drivers and pedestrians. I camped half the nights and enjoyed it. But  it would have been nice to not have the extra weight and awkwardness of the tent, sleeping bag, etc... Particularly when having to board/deboard trains with the panniers and the rack bag. I'm new to cycling so this was definitely a learning and rewarding experience.

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I will say riding along historic European rivers like the Rhine, Rhone, and Loire is somewhat overrated. After a day of looking at the same river mile after mile you get really damn bored. Multiply that by multiple days and you'll change your itinerary real quick like I did several times. Fortunately the local inter-town trains in each country all allowed bike carriage making it easy and cheap to fast forward your route. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I need your help. This pic is a digital image of a film photograph taken in 1987. It is me with my loved Pinarello Treviso (Columbus SL, Campy Super Record shifters, pedals, brakes, cranks and chainrings, Mavic wheels and Suntour freewheel). Life changed in the ‘90s and I focused on other things, plus I added too much weight to ride it. Now, I am down to the 180s again, my tween daughter and I like to ride together (I have a ridiculously heavy “dad” bike), and I’d like to get this fixed up and take it out again. 

The frame is solid, but could use new paint and decals. I probably need new chainrings and freewheel, and I would like to go NOS Campy Super Record, if that is even possible. Is it? Or should I go another direction? I also need the wheels repaired (respoked), but that’s not a big deal, is it?

I post a lot of vintage watches on the Watch Fanatic thread. I like to think that I “get” vintage, and understand that there are right and wrong ways to do this. Please- any suggestions on the right way are greatly appreciated.

1C1BE69B-DCB5-4C3F-BCEF-53CDF399E9DF.jpeg

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shouldnt be a problem finding SR chainrings and cogset as NOS or very good condition used.  with non-indexed friction shifting, you dont necessary need a perfect one either.

spokes are probably plain 14g stainless steel ones and you can get replacement to have them relaced.  other option is to relace hub to entirely new mavic open pro rims which still looks correct.  replace wire and hosing and new brake pads and you'll be set.

one thing i'd consider is replacing the brake levers with the newer one with hidden cables.  they work 100x better than those traditional ones with cables coming out the top.

the other route you can take - and one which i love - is going mid-modern with campagnolo 10sp groupset.  best looking stuff of all time

 

DSC_0001_cb892752-a3f1-4e80-9137-fd70434

 

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4 hours ago, statsman said:

, and I would like to go NOS Campy Super Record, if that is even possible.

Easy. I have bought plenty of NOS Campy for my vintage bikes. Ebay or bike classifieds.

 

I got some wheels done by Steve Gravenites, at Gravy Wheels. He will do immaculate job lacing vintage stuff.

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2 minutes ago, G650 said:

Easy. I have bought plenty of NOS Campy for my vintage bikes. Ebay or bike classifieds.

 

I got some wheels done by Steve Gravenites, at Gravy Wheels. He will do immaculate job lacing vintage stuff.

Ha.  He works at Marin and corresponded with me about my frame warranty claim.

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