mack_turtle

The folks who hang out of under Wm Cannon are super chill. There's a young guy with facial tattoos- I can't remember his name now, but his dog's name is Brian.

The bridge under William Cannon just east of Brodie (Taco Bell) is the only one where I have seen people camping so far. I would not ride out there alone at night for a variety of reasons. I am not to worried about homeless folks though.

My problem is finding a helmet that fits the shape of my head. Giro small helmets are pretty consistent. I have tried Bell, Fox, Kali, and a few others, and they all give me a headache.

https://www.meaforensic.com/when-should-i-replace-my-helmet/ https://www.meaforensic.com/bicycle-helmets-stand-the-test-of-time/ Sorry, atmospheric issues apparently do not affect modern bicycle helmets. It's a marketing BS ruse from Snell and the helmet manufacturers to get you to buy a new helmet. That said, I replace mine every few years just to try something different and for peace of mind (and brain) in case I dropped my helmet or pinged it off a tree branch one too many times. It takes a significant single impact to truly damage a helmet.

There's some marketing BS that says you have to replace a helmet every two years because the foam breaks down because chemistry or something. It is a ruse to sell more helmets. No helmet lasts forever, but there's no reason other than a crash to replace a helmet that often.

Is there some reason a helmet needs pads? They get funky and tear over time. Pads rarely out-last the useful life of a helmet (which is a lot longer than whatever marketing BS you've heard). I removed mine, along with the velcro bits that hold them in place. I always wear a cap of some sort inside the helmet. Are there any potential safety risks with this?

I dunno, folks. If green veins start popping out of my arms I think it's time to lay off the almond milk/ kale smoothies.

I do, but there was no option to stop long enough to enter my personal information, find my password for the registration site, dig out a credit card, etc. I tried twice but didn't want to hold up the group.

I use the pointed end of bamboo skewers to guide spoke nipples into rims. O used to drop nipples into the all's of the rim frequently before that. Whatever you do, don't rely on your fingers.

I did this just the other day on my SLX brakes. Great explanation!

On that note, have you been to Rebel Cheese? It's the shit. We went on opening day and got in a few hours before they sold out of everything. It's probably not "healthy" but it's unique and interesting.

I have plans to make this part of a bigger CX- oriented loop. Not sure how to connect Mary Moore Seawright to Onion Creek Metro and all that with trails or bike-friendly roads.

FWIW, I've been vegan for almost 20 years. I only mention the timeframe to point out that this is not a phase for me, nor did I jump on a recent trend. I have no problem getting "enough protein" for my lifestyle and a recent blood test showed normal levels of nutrients in my system. I could see it as a problem with bodybuilding, but I also know of some ripped vegans. If you have ever ridden with me, you know my diet is not holding me back. I've not seen any vegan propaganda films, so I can't comment on them. I made my decision for my own reasons and I am living proof that a 100% plant-based diet can be balanced and support an active lifestyle. So can an omnivore diet, and either has potential to be crappy if you eat garbage and don't excersize. It's all in how you do it. My reasons are for the environment and for the animals, so if I happen to gain health benefits from it, that's a bonus. I have no interest in converting anyone, but I'll discuss facts with anyone willing to do so respectfully.

well that was fun.

There's nothing that I can think of to stop us from having an impromptu gravel ride on most of those courses. Not as fun since there's no big party and prizes, but we could do it.

Wait-list. I was in the middle of the SSUSA Barton Creek Greenbelt ride at noon. We finished around 1:00 and everything was already full.

I am under the impression that RV antifreeze is less toxic than conventional antifreeze.

Bonus info: Michael's had black glitter so you can make stealth sealant.

I tried a bunch of home brew sealants. I could never get them to work as consistently as Stan's and one formula basically glued the inside of the tire so badly that the tire was useless after it dried up. It was a good experiment but not worth the hassle. If you want to save money, buy basic tools and learn how to service your own brakes, suspension, build wheels, etc.

Did you post this on the Austin Single Speeders Facebook group? If not, get on that.

Yes, that's what I was getting at, but with way too many words.

If your hands are too close to your body, you picked the wrong size frame. By that, I mean that you don't have to have a drop bar, or even a bike designed for a drop bar. People have an absurd fettish with putting a drop bar on every bike and an absurd notion that it will make them faster. Unless you're hell bent on winning and can maintain 20mph+ on a dirt road, aerodynamics don't mean much. If you just want to have fun spinning miles on mixed surfaces, a hardtail with a flat bar or even a rigid mtb would be just fine. Any bike designed with a drop bar in mind will have a shorter reach and shorter top tube than a flat-bar bike. The reach to the hoods on such a bike should be about the same as the reach to the grips on a flat handlebar. Putting a drop bar on a bike that was designed to fit you with a flat bar will most likely result in a bike that is way too stretched out to be comfortable because the additional reach of the bar + hoods is subtracted from the frame. For example, my mountain bike (flat bar) has an ETT of around 615mm, and my CX bike has an ETT of 545mm. The respective reaches are 412mm and 377mm. My feet, butt, and hands are in about the same orientation on both bikes when I out my hands on the hoods because the CX bike has a shorter top tube, longer stem, and all that drop bar reach to even it out. If I put a flat bar on the CX, it would feel two sizes too short and a drop bar on the mtb would feel gigantic to me unless I also install the stem backwards. A bike with a flat bar plus comfy bar ends or some kind of "alt bar" also works well for long miles on dirt.

Sorry to derail- but what did you have in mind for a gravel bike? I have tried a few iterations of what could be considered a "gravel bike" and settled on a CX bike with disc brakes. There are lots of options out there. It does not have to have a drop bar or "narrow" tires.

Bloody weather!

But you just responded, so there's hope!