mack_turtle

Vittoria Mezza tires, $20 each at REI. They appear to have 2.6 and 2.3 in 27.5 and 29" sizes. These are e-bike rated. If I put them on my acoustic bike will it make me faster? https://www.rei.com/product/199710/vittoria-e-mazza-tire

Kapic aluminum crankset with 32-tooth oval chainring. Includes 30mm axle in 141mm length for a 52mm boost chainline, 170mm arms with spare boots, and assorted axle spacers. You just need the appropriate 30mm bottom bracket that fits your frame. Super light, narrow, and stiff! Like-new. Installed and ridden fewer than 50 miles. Decided I wanted something shorter. $200

I too have Saturday chain tool and replaced it with a heavy duty Park tool. That is worth every penny.

The Hummingbird is a triumph! Rode it three times last week on various solo SATN routes, then some Barton Creek chunk this morning. I'm plagued with slow leaking tires lately, and figuring out the spacing for the 30mm crank spindle was a giant hassle. the first few rides were on a 120mm fork, but today's journey into Barton Creek was on a rigid Tandell fork with a 29x3 tire up front. didn't slow me down, but hand exertion from Bee Sting is real.

Woodchipper is kind of a "drops only" kinda bar. You really can't set them up for level hoods with a transition from the ramps, and a position that works from the drops at the same time. It's a true dirt-drop bar that works with a very tall stem. The Salsa Cowchipper, however, might work for this application if the frame's top tube is short enough for the rider.

I've ridden Walnut—parts of it selected for the least gnar—on a 650b, drop-bar, singlespeed bike. That place is magical because it has something for everyone. The last time I rode WC, I crossed oaths with at least a dozen people on "road-adjacent" gravel bikes as well.

SOLD 170mm arms with Shimano BSA bottom bracket. regular 24mm spindle. works with Cinch chainrings. $50 w/ BB.

Most lights have a blinky mode for daytime and a solid mode for night. In daytime, drivers can see you, but they might not notice you, so a blinking-flashing light gets their attention. At night, the might not see you at all, so a steady red light lets them know where you are and where you're going. A blinking in the dark is confusing to drivers because they can't track your movement. Using TWO lights on your bike is my favorite solution for redundancy (in case the battery on one goes out) and extra visibility. I can't recommend any one light. Just don't buy generic garbage when it comes to your safety on the road.

Neuhaus Metal Works Hummingbird in size M+. Ride report coming soon. Nick Neuhaus is a good dude, and you should buy a bike from him.

I have a frame with a t47 bottom bracket in 73mm width. I'm trying to fit a Rotor Kapic crankset with a 30mm spindle in the external t47 bottom bracket. the bearings are 92mm apart, if that helps. I have a Rotor spacer kit, so what freaking spacers do I need on either side of the spindle? https://rotorbike.com/mwdownloads/download/link/id/15 Edit: I think I got it through trial and error, but dang!

Worth every damn penny. I'm cheap AF and I got one of those. They had a Black Friday sale when I got it, though. Just in time for the sun to go down early enough that I needed it. On the budget side, my main on-bike light is a MagicShine. They probably have a smaller model that will fot on your helmet. Sofirn flashlights have been good to me so far. One of their smaller, lighter units might work on your helmet.

(duplicate post)

I thought we were calling them "acoustic" bikes now, but there's a frame builder who claimed that term as his brand. We'll never find an answer!

In washed my hands of this Marino business. I suspect they're making frames for Merman Bikes in AR now as well. New frame to be announced soon.

Weird! The numbers are referring to their color pallette. You pick a # for the main color, and a secondary # for the logo colors.

The used gear is in the rear-left corner of the downtown store, across from the stairs. There's not much in there when I've checked. I think they disperse some of the used gear around the store. Used shoes are in the shoe dept.

that's gone now, too. https://www.rei.com/help/returns TBH, so many people totally abused that policy that it was ridiculous. true story: there was a guy who bought a top-end mountain bike when I was there. he kept buying it from one store, returning it to another store for a full refund, then buying it again at a discount. This happened a few times before someone noticed that he had downgraded nearly every component on the bike and was slowly collecting stuff like Kashima-coated suspension and XTR components and returning the bike with Deore or something. so shitty people like that ruined it for the rest of us.

Tempting!

when I left REI in 2015, they had just started making every store a warehouse. All of the stores' inventory is represented on the website, so when a customer orders something, the order shows up in every store that should have that item in stock. staff fill the order and ship it from the store to another store or to the customer's home. The first store to fill the order gets credit for the sale. I thought it was brilliant because it got inventory to move everywhere instead of just one place, and it kept the local stores busy. I'm not sure how that worked out long-term, but it appears to not have been enough.

I've been using oval chainrings for a while now. I switched back to see if it made a difference and I honestly can't tell. Some people swear they make a difference. When you need a new ring, there appear to be no downsides. There was a rumor that ovals wear out derailers faster, but that appears to be nonsense. It works on singlespeed, too, if the oval was made correctly.

There are dropper post triggers that will fit next to a left shifter. They're not very sexy, but if you want to keep your 2x setup, you can. However, getting a good deal on a 1x drivetrain is a good reason to ditch the front derailer and make room for a dropper trigger. REI downtown might still have mechanics, but it still blows my mind that they had to close the shop! installing those parts should not require any weird tools that I don't have, so I'd be happy to help out. it will give me something to do with the incoming rain. installing a dropper post is no more difficult than installing a regular seatpost plus a mechanical brake. considering the age of the bike, you might need one with the cable routed outside the frame, which is even easier. depending on the cranks, you can probably keep the cranks and just put a new chainring on and use the old BB. this would be a good opportunity to inspect the bearings and replace them as well, if needed. that's also something I can handle if some sort of weirdo press-fit BB is not involved. even then, I have a bearing press and drifts that I have not used yet.

I've probably said this before, but I learned more in my first month working as a bike tech at REI (downtown Austin) in 2013 than I had learned in my previous four years working in other bike shops (high-end tri and mtn shops that sold Trek, Cervelo, Cannondale, Scott, etc). Their methods are only as good as the practitioners, but the company sets a high standard for bike techs. Unfortunately, they under-use and under-pay the talent. The corporate-style practice did not allow for expanding labor in the shop to meet demand. When more people started bringing in bikes for repairs in May and June, the company did not put more hours on the schedule for the techs, so we started scheduling repairs 3–4 weeks out and beyond. (The bike shop where I worked before that had a guaranteed turnaround of two business days, and they kept staff busy to meet that every week.) in the meanwhile, the part-time techs were getting 12 hours a week in the shop and being put on front register duty or selling tents while paying customers' bikes lay around in the shop waiting for someone to work on them. it was maddening. The bike shop in downtown REI is very well equipped and stocked. The current lead bike tech seems like a good dude as well. sad to see so many missed opportunities. I have to wonder if they're keeping on on e-bike tech. it sounds like their refusal to challenge and pay qualified professionals what they're worth is biting them in the ass as a company. that's why I left, but that was over six years ago. I've taken those skills to fixing neighbors' bikes and Yellow Bike Project instead. can't let all that go to waste! related: https://thedaily.outdoorretailer.com/news/brands-and-retailers/rei-grapples-with-aging-membership-base/ I noticed some recent ads from REI that seem like a desperate attempt to get the attention of a younger and less-white audience. regardless of how it affects their bottom line, I hope it works to get those demographics outdoors more.

My future has something equally cool, but in the opposite direction from all the squishy bits and plastic. I just looked at the Ranger, and I cannot imagine in my wildest dreams ever obtaining the level of opulence to afford something like that.

Not much yet. I sold the Marino in February and the frame I am buying to replace it is not here yet. I've been without a mtb all this time. It's horrible! I made the choices that lead to this with my eyes open. Do not pity me.

I've been working at Yellow Bike every Thursday evening and I guarantee you they have one—probably half a dozen such stems. Stop by and visit when I'm there.