mack_turtle

Something about the Hummingbird makes me so happy. That, and riding in temperatures in the 70s.

I don't think the South route linked on the website above is correct. around mile 13, the school construction has blocked that segment along Danz Creek. There is a reroute, but I don't know if it's been shared: https://www.strava.com/routes/3144342713275975688

On 10/6/2023 at 3:55 PM, GFisher said:

 

I gathered all the mtn shoes and we're going to donate them to a NICA student athlete gear swap. I'm going to find all the similar items that might be useful.to young athletes and donate those as well. If anyone has items they'd like to donate to young racers, I can help collect those, too 

(Sorry, I can't seem to remove the blank GFisher quote.)

14 hours ago, GFisher said:

Any more advice on what they can and can't use? I have some stuff to bring but for example I recall them having 5 gallon buckets of rear taillights so don't really want to bring more of those. Are jerseys in good shape accepted and utilized?

I was there the other night and a homeless man came in looking for lights because the cops were hassling him for not having any (the cops have a point), so cheap lights to keep people safe are always welcome. Jerseys don't take up much space, so those are fine. 

I'm sure they will find a way to use just about anything so long as it's not broken, bent or damaged. I'm there once sometimes twice a week so I'm always open to bringing stuff for people who can't make the trip to East Austin.

On 9/30/2023 at 2:49 PM, Mattlikesbikes said:

Or Nolte - are there ever fat tire frames at yellow bike?

How fat? 26x4" true fat bike-fat?I don't think it happens often, but there are at least two trailers STUFFED with donated bikes. I haven't looked in there for a while to find out. It would be worth visiting. They always seems swamped and probably won't be able to help you over the phone.

In 2013, I moved to Austin and pedaled into Barton Creek from Zilker on my rigid, singlespeed, undersized Karate Monkey. I just followed random trails on a hot, cloudless day. I sucked down all my 3L backpack and got lost. Good times.

The generous cycling community of Austin keeps donating shoes and pedals to Yellow Bike Co-op, which is fantastic! However, very few of the customers who come in are looking for anything like that. 99% of the customers want a simple commuter bike with a flat pedals. The result is a shortage of good flat pedals and a huge glut of used shoes and pedals for "clipping in." If you know someone who is clipless-curious, Yellow Bike would love to get these off their shelves and under someone's feet. I can't begin to catalog the styles and sizes, but I promise you they have a massive range of sizes and types for mountain, road, spin class, etc. I almost took home a really nice pair of Specialized shoes with Boa dials, but they were a half-size too big for me.

Seasonally relevant

Emerging from summer hibernation today but trails were muddy. Put together a 15-mile "gravel" route to kick off the non-suck weather.

Specialized Recon 2.0 shoes, size 11/44.5. I picked these up at Yellow Bike this week and concluded that they're just too big for me. Large volume with generous, wide toe space and a bit of flex.

@AustinBike fwiw, I want to try one, but I wouldn't buy such a thing for reasons like that.

Morning is definitely a lot better lately. I haven't touched my bike in a long while, but I'll get an early ride or two in this weekend if this trend continues.

Gearbox e-bike. Rad. I'd like to ride one some time. Sounds like a hoot.

https://www.virtualbx.com/bid-bulletin/new-construction-southwest-campus-valor-public-school-subbid/

Valor School is putting a campus in right near Firehouse/ Housefire may or may not affect trail access.

I'm looking for more context, but this doesn't look good.

On 5/30/2023 at 2:55 PM, Ridenfool said:

So, with this human tendency toward misnomers of excessive proportion firmly in mind I offer what is obvious and seemingly inevitable,

whenever I hear bicycle components referred to as "unthreaded" or roads as "unpaved," I think, does that mean that someone removed threading/pavement from one that was previously threaded/paved? why would you go to all the trouble to cut threads into a shaft of metal and then grind it all off? why would you spend millions of dollars paving a road and then rip it all out and leave gravel?

1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

Saw 2 Sur-rons on the greenbelt yesterday. Not sure how far they got, in my mind these guys were definitely in over their heads. This is part of the problem that we are going to face as mountain bikers. 

Some bonewipe is gonna knock over a hiker or break their neck. And the city will crank down indiscriminately.

This risks trail access for all of us. 

"a guy on a bike riding in an Affliction shirt, flip–flops, and a backwards Fox cap knocked me over. ban all bikes!"

21 minutes ago, June Bug said:

Excellent possibility, but I'm confused by this:  JooFn Bike Grips Handlebar 130mm & 90mm Lockable Handle Bar Rubber End Grip 0.874 inch Diameter for Multi-Speed Bicycle Mountain BMX Floding

Someone with poor translation skills crammed key words into the description because search engines might not get "all bicycles." 

Be careful with Urban Dictionary. You might find something you wish you hadn't read.

I had a car with no AC in 2004, San Antonio. It was a mixed blessing when i was stopped at a red light and someone rear-ended the car behind me, which plowed into my car, totalling it. I was smart enough  to not tell any insurance company that the AC had been "fixed" five times before my broke ass gave up. A car without  AC in Texas is worthless in the market. Driving a few miles to a minimum wage job with no AC meant I kept a towel on the seat and just drove to and from work shirtless. Every trip in that car sucked balls.

I can think of two distinct situations when a plug fell out of a bicycle tire and ended my ride. one was an old plug that was in there for months. the other was a plug in a larger hole that was too big for the plug, which was one of those fat, black mondo Lezyne plugs that just slowly slid out about ten minutes after I shoved it in. maybe I've been unlucky, but it's not worth the risk to me to assume that a plug is going to stay in place long-term when I can just glue a "permanant" patch instead.

glue a patch in that spot just like you would patch a tube.

I like using plugs as a temporary, trail-side solution. If the hole is big enough to need a plug, I don't trust the plug to hold on long term. it probably will work long term, but I don't want to take that risk. after plugging a tire, I wait until I have a little time to un-mount the tire, clean and dry the area where the hole is, and glue a patch in there. I bought a big sheet of about 50 tube patches and a jar of vulcanizing fluid just for this purpose.

This is the best thing on the internet this month

https://youtu.be/_v0tnrER59M

to clarify, the ... yoke was installed on your frame upside down? I can see how that could happen, but it shouldn't. sounds like something I would do on my own bike after three hours of drinking and cursing in a 110° garage.

I haven't tried it yet, but I often wear a lightweight tech-fabric cycling cap under my helmet. It's white, so it reflects sunlight more than it absorbs, and it breathes. Manages sweat pretty well, too. Also mitigates sun exposure on your skin if you don't have hair without slathering sunblock all over your dome that will inevitably be washed off by sweat and friction from your helmet.

Sometimes I feel like early morning doesn't feel much better than late afternoon. It's not my imagination.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/27/weather/texas-heat-wave-nighttime-temperatures-climate/index.html

See also: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-weather-new-era-extreme-heat/

This is not a normal summer, historically. It might be a new normal.