I rode today. Did you?

Nice first ride in the COLD.

 

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Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on February 3, 2014 at 5:31am

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on February 3, 2014 at 5:47am



Apie (10.6) said:

initially I don't really understand what you are saying.

Here's an example:

http://oldtenspeedgallery.com/blog/wp-content/bikes/owner-submitted...

Note how the black housing for the rear brake starts under the diagonal top tube at about the same level as the "C" in "SCHWINN"? Water can enter there. It proceeds down to just above the chain, then turns "north" to the rear brake caliper. The cable forms a very stylized "U". You could think of it as a "V" or a "J". The key is that there is a low point from which water can't escape. Over time (probably measured in years), water will get into the cable housing, but have no way to drain out. It will either freeze in there or rust the cable and/or the housing, unless both parts are stainless. I experienced both problems on the bike I was referring to.

Schwinn saved a few cents per bike by eliminating about a foot of housing and a couple clips cable clips, but created a maintenance headache for owners of these bikes (and plenty more like them - I don't think Schwinn was alone in doing this).

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on February 3, 2014 at 6:02am

Bright sunshine - check

No wind - check

Correctly dressed - check

Road conditions - I guess one can't have everything. :-(

Permalink Reply by Robert Underwood on February 3, 2014 at 6:05am

Ive had my brakes and shifters freeze many times in the past winters... so this year I packed grease into every housed cable section, and poured lube onto all the derailleurs... so far nothing has frozen this winter.  Maybe your chain fell off because your freewheel wasn't moving with your chain when you backpedaled?  might need to lube the freewheel.  I had to do that last week. 

Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on February 3, 2014 at 6:22am

Apie, check that your inner limit screw is set correctly, and that the cable tension is tight when the FD is the inner ring. Also, make sure your brifters and the top pull FD are compatible.

The Augusta bike line was buried today and it made for a very hairy ride with the heavy traffic.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on February 3, 2014 at 6:26am

The sections of River North Milwaukee Avenue which weren't under construction looked and felt like they should be. Those protected bike lanes should be clear of snow and ice by mid-May.

Lisa Curcio 4.1 mi said:

[snip]

Road conditions - I guess one can't have everything. :-(

Permalink Reply by JeffB on February 3, 2014 at 6:49am

Can anyone remember the last time you rode on completely dry streets, or were not forced out of the bike lane at some point due to snow/slush?  Still prefer this to the CTA though.

Permalink Reply by tim de la motte on February 3, 2014 at 6:52am

JeffB - All we need 2 days of NO SNOW. However, it seems that won't happen until April, but still - you're right. Better than the train!

JeffB (7+ miles) said:

Can anyone remember the last time you rode on completely dry streets, or were not forced out of the bike lane at some point due to snow/slush?  Still prefer this to the CTA though.

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on February 3, 2014 at 6:57am

I was glad I rode today, especially after seeing a bunch of Metra alerts in my email after I got to work.

I did try something different today. I got my second studded tire last week, installed it on my fixed gear bike, and moved the first studded tire and lights from the bike I had been using as a winter commuter. I rode the fixed gear to work today. It still needs some cockpit changes. I definitely need a shorter stem and probably need to raise it a touch.

Still, nice to ride...

Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on February 3, 2014 at 7:27am

It seems everyone who has them swears by studded tires. One question: how much resistance does it add to your ride, when you're going over dry or pretty clear roads and paths?

I've mused over getting studded tires, but since my commute is about 9 miles and probably about 95% of it is perfectly fine for my current tires 95% of the time, I've always figured that it would be more trouble than it's worth. I'd either be working harder a lot of the time for little or no appreciable traction benefit, or switching out tires/wheels from day to day. So I basically just take the lane and paddle my way through the genuinely impassable spots and accept that the sloppier days will take me a bit of extra time.

Am I just overestimating the effect?

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on February 3, 2014 at 7:40am

I haven't had them long enough to truly gauge their effectiveness, but I recall that hair-raising commute home several Fridays ago when it warmed up and rained, exposing existing ice and adding a layer of black ice to many parts of my commute. A number of people reported falling on their way home. I gave up in Andersonville and tossed my bike on a bus, then had my wife come pick me up at the Howard street CTA station.

I have never bailed like that on a commute before. We haven't had another repeat of that scenario yet, and I hope we never do, but just in case, I have studded tires front and rear now.

Not that the specific tire matters all that much when you have a sample size of zero or one, but I got these:

http://45nrth.com/products/tires/xerxes

I bought the more expensive version (120tpi, folding bead), in part because my LBS had one another customer had ordered, then declined. I anticipate using them for several years, so the incremental cost wasn't that important.

Permalink Reply by djm on February 3, 2014 at 8:09am

The Schwalbe Marathon Winter (studded) is noticeably slower than the Marathon of similar size and pressure that I run most of the year but a hospital visit is much slower.  I used to swap them more often but Ive found that I most need the studs when I dont expect to need them.  The additional effort helps keep me warm!

Simon Phearson said:

It seems everyone who has them swears by studded tires. One question: how much resistance does it add to your ride, when you're going over dry or pretty clear roads and paths?

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