Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
edited April 19
Uh also it's important to remember that on bike forums and even in this very thread people can get REAL REAL into the nitty-gritty but for a "I would like a new bike of this price range that does x and y" you don't... have to freak yourself out about whether your groupset/tire size/brake type/etc is the exact perfect ultimate for your conditions. Maybe just pick a brand you like or that people can recommend and go from there.
Quetzi on
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Yeah I appreciate everyone's advice! And I know I could probably find something more perfect but this is largely a short commute and river path bike for me. And limiting myself to the shop down the street helps focus things and I'd like to support there being a shop down the street. Likely going to go with the slightly more mtn bike version. I hear you on low grade components wearing out but somehow a low grade gary fisher marlin took me through all of the abuse of college and beyond (including stored outside, jumped down stairs, and just generally run hard and put up wet). I suspect I'm just not terribly hard on them, and I'd rather push a bit more tire than worry about flats I think. Also the local shop also has me sold on hydraulics. Thanks all, hopefully I won't be posting pics of a broken arm soon!
Let us say, in theory, one had a cute little chinese elm bonsai. And one had a nice little setup with growlights, frequent watering, and a nice bright window. And a cat. That. Loves. New. Leaves. It's struggle bussed through the winter, and will live outside once it gets a bit warmer, but wondering if anyone else has had any luck making like..an aesthetic cage for a bonsai/plant that would still keep a cat out? I've got foil on all the approaches but I swear unless I just encase it the dummy will find a way to eat it anyway. And encasing it is rather beside the point. I hardly know where to start looking for a decent looking cage by dimensions and cat proofness
Is there a type of ,mushroom spore I can buy that the mushrooms will come back periodically throughout the year and every year? I love mushrooms and I had a tree taken out of the front yard so there's tons of wood chips i can put them on
Let us say, in theory, one had a cute little chinese elm bonsai. And one had a nice little setup with growlights, frequent watering, and a nice bright window. And a cat. That. Loves. New. Leaves. It's struggle bussed through the winter, and will live outside once it gets a bit warmer, but wondering if anyone else has had any luck making like..an aesthetic cage for a bonsai/plant that would still keep a cat out? I've got foil on all the approaches but I swear unless I just encase it the dummy will find a way to eat it anyway. And encasing it is rather beside the point. I hardly know where to start looking for a decent looking cage by dimensions and cat proofness
I'm also curious how large the bonsai is (and how large the cat is).
My first thought is an aquarium/terrarium.
Easily available in a wide array of sizes, clear sides so you can still see your bonsai and your bonsai can still enjoy the light. But it should be pretty cat proof depending on the lid you get (Look for reptile tank lids, they tend to lock down and be made of mesh to allow for air flow.)
You might be able to find a heavy bell jar to go over it to protect it from the cat. Something like this, maybe. But I think that may just be giving the cat something to break before enjoying a snack.
Might look into birdcages as well. Most have removable bottoms for cleaning. Smaller ones for finches or parakeets may work for you. Something like this, maybe? And most are already supposed to prevent a snacking cat.
Yeah I think a jar may be more sealed than I want to deal with, and indeed we do have an aquarium with the top covered in crinkled foil due to the same dumb cat. You can't even hate him, he just placidly pursues whatever he wants in a direct and gormless manner. I'll ponder the bird cages, I'd like to go more decorative but who knows.
Reminder that everyone who purchases a new bike is required to post a picture of it.
Also note that buying a bike does not preclude you from the following:
1. Receiving additional feedback on additional bikes you should buy.
2. Buying more bikes.
Yeah I think a jar may be more sealed than I want to deal with, and indeed we do have an aquarium with the top covered in crinkled foil due to the same dumb cat. You can't even hate him, he just placidly pursues whatever he wants in a direct and gormless manner. I'll ponder the bird cages, I'd like to go more decorative but who knows.
Are you able to mix up some like...vinegar adn water and put that on the plant where the cat will try and eat it? Might discourage it from eating plants eventually.
We've got a few sealing clear plastic storage bins that have been used for that. Not exactly pretty though. Same for a loose wire (think dishes drying rack) basket.
Are you able to mix up some like...vinegar adn water and put that on the plant where the cat will try and eat it? Might discourage it from eating plants eventually.
I dunno, sounds like you're halfway to a pretty nice salad there.
I'll put cats wherever I want and I'll put whatever I want on my salads MOM
Quetzi on
0
JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
edited April 19
Now that I've maneuvered my deadbeat friends into finally accepting their propagated begonias, I can finally start that inside herb garden I was supposed to be doing this time last year until the shit came down.
Mint, thyme, and basil. If I can get a good pot of chives going I'll be freed from driving to three grocery stores every time I need fresh herbs for a recipe.
Hey bike thread, I've got a quest maybe y'all can help with. I've been wanting a bag of some sort for my rear rack on the bike I commute and ride for pleasure on, but I don't need anything extensive, nor do I want panniers, just something I can reasonably easily attach to the rack to carry the few things I carry with me to work(work t-shirt, wallet, a small number of pocket-fillers like a box cutter ect since I work in retail). Right now I'm just using a re-usable shopping back which I essentially fold over itself and tuck under bungee cords, but something I could just zip up would make early mornings less of a hassle.
Sounds like you want an under-seat bag. Or possibly a handlebar sack. I'd check out Ortlieb, I like their range, but you should be able to find budget alternatives if they seem too pricey.
They sit on top of a rack rather than attaching to the side like a pannier
The Topeak bags can also use a kind of sliding rack mount to clip on and off quickly
I have one of those with the sliding rack mount. Great for a change of clothes and other small items when commuting. My only problem was I could never fit my laptop in it, but that was years ago and laptops were huge.
You look like kind of a weirdo carrying it around off the bike though.
On the subject of steel bikes for commuting, Breezer's Downtown looks like it would be comfy to ride and fairly practical -- 1x8, chainguard, mudguards, kickstand, rack, checks a lot of the boxes for practically getting around. Downside is v-brakes rather than disks, though I'm still not convinced that disk brakes are actually _easier_ to use, they just work better once all the fiddling around is done. (as long as it's not cold or wet, that is). (also, quill stem, which is older tech but gives you more scope to adjust it)
Steel bike that I want but can't afford is a Rivendell Gus Boots Willsen, because come on, just look at it, this is a bike that you get on, think "I want to ride to [destination]", and it will take you there pretty much no matter what you encounter along the way, and do so in comfort (and in style, though I appreciate there's some room for debate there):
Surprised to hear Dj's comment about the cold and wet, my impression was that discs were supposed to be better than V's in those cases. It wasn't super steep in chapel hill, but there were more than a few times my V-brakes did little to nothing because it was wet. I'm really just wanting to be sure I can crash myself well before traffic vs needing steep descents, so its the supposed weather reliability that appeals to me. I guess thinking about it the disc probably slips too, just maybe not as much?
Are disk brakes really necessary if you're not bombing down hills? I Live in the flat lands and never felt like I was lacking braking power.
For me it's more of a control and quality of life thing
You can feather a hydro disc on a loaded up wheel in a way that you can't with a rim brake
Also my experience of discs is that they're maintenance free. I had the same set of Avid elixirs on my mountain bike for more that twelve years before they needed maintenance beyond (tool free) swapping out of pads
I regret getting rim brakes on my road bike and wouldn't do it again
Surprised to hear Dj's comment about the cold and wet, my impression was that discs were supposed to be better than V's in those cases
That's what I'd expected too, but the thing is (and these were hydraulic brakes, too), the way they stop working is a lot more dramatic than rim brakes. Through maybe half of last winter, when I tried to brake, they just did nothing except for make a _tremendous_ squeal and shuddering at the front of the bike -- I eventually learned that I had to ride a couple of blocks using the brakes very gently just to get them to warm up, and after that they were okay, but if I didn't use them for too long then they'd get cold again and I'd try to stop the bike when I got home and have it screech and wail and not slow down at all.
Rain when it was warm wasn't as much of a problem, to be fair, but snowy conditions were pretty awkward a lot of the time; I'd ridden cantis, v-brakes, rim brakes, and u-brakes through winter and sure, if I ride through snow or slush then things could get clogged up, but all it ever took was one revolution to clear the snow off and they'd be fine, there was never the sense of having to 'convince' the brakes to start working.
Now, possibly I should switch out the brake pads for winter brake pads or something, but I did replace the pad, I took the rotors off and cleaned them, I checked the clearance and centering, I adjusted the position of the caliper and everything, and I still had a heck of a time getting disks to reliably work in winter. Weirdly, the cable disk brakes on my fatbike didn't have the same problem, though maybe that's because they weren't as strong overall, I dunno.
In the dry / mud / summer, disks are definitely better, there's no doubt about that, but when disks don't work they really just don't work and there wasn't much I could do about them, whereas non-disks would work less well but at least still give me _something_ to slow down.
Surprised to hear Dj's comment about the cold and wet, my impression was that discs were supposed to be better than V's in those cases
That's what I'd expected too, but the thing is (and these were hydraulic brakes, too), the way they stop working is a lot more dramatic than rim brakes. Through maybe half of last winter, when I tried to brake, they just did nothing except for make a _tremendous_ squeal and shuddering at the front of the bike -- I eventually learned that I had to ride a couple of blocks using the brakes very gently just to get them to warm up, and after that they were okay, but if I didn't use them for too long then they'd get cold again and I'd try to stop the bike when I got home and have it screech and wail and not slow down at all.
Rain when it was warm wasn't as much of a problem, to be fair, but snowy conditions were pretty awkward a lot of the time; I'd ridden cantis, v-brakes, rim brakes, and u-brakes through winter and sure, if I ride through snow or slush then things could get clogged up, but all it ever took was one revolution to clear the snow off and they'd be fine, there was never the sense of having to 'convince' the brakes to start working.
Now, possibly I should switch out the brake pads for winter brake pads or something, but I did replace the pad, I took the rotors off and cleaned them, I checked the clearance and centering, I adjusted the position of the caliper and everything, and I still had a heck of a time getting disks to reliably work in winter. Weirdly, the cable disk brakes on my fatbike didn't have the same problem, though maybe that's because they weren't as strong overall, I dunno.
In the dry / mud / summer, disks are definitely better, there's no doubt about that, but when disks don't work they really just don't work and there wasn't much I could do about them, whereas non-disks would work less well but at least still give me _something_ to slow down.
Obviously do whatever works, from my zero bike expertise but small amount of material sci...sounds like winter pads may be a good option if they make them, sounds like yours didn't get grippy till they got warm, and there are often softer compounds that would nearly melt in the summer but are grippy all winter.
Either way happy to report im posting from the work loo, which means the test ride was a success and I now have no excuse to not be a bike commuter, at least most of the year. Bunch of trail that will be terrible in the rain sadly.
Only biting when hot is a characteristic of sintered/metallic pads (as opposed to "organic" compound pads), but I've never heard of an experience as bad as yours.
The pads I use are sintered (made by EBC), and being in the UK dry weather riding is the exception rather than the rule. I use them mostly because I don't chew through them as quickly when the disc get coated with mud, snow, or road salt.
Yeah, I mean disk brakes are so much better when they're working properly, I just had a heck of a time of it in winter. I'm not the,only person,with this,sort of problem,either, and the general answer definitely seems to be "warm them up enough to get the water / snow off and then they're good", and I 100% agree with the sentiment of not wanting to brake because the noise is so bad:
Got old school Avid elixirs on my 907. They squeal so loud I'd rather ditch the bike in a snow bank than pull the levers.
both front and back brakes (so, one with brand-new pads, one with older) have developed a periodic once-a-pedal-cycle squeak... but only when it's cold out (roughly, freezing or under).
The brakes are fine on the final descent where enough heat is generated to shut them up.
It’s all the little bits in between where they are cold the howling noise is beginning to really wind me up.
The difference is when your disc rotors stop squealing it’s because they’ve warmed up enough to melt off any snow.
I have heard setting up your bb7's so the drag just a little bit will genterate enough heat to keep them from yelling. I have no first hand experience.
I personally am so annoyed by the brakes that I do my best to not use them. Makes me a better rider I guess.
So excited. Ended up on a cannondale due to wait times on other things but I've never heard bad things about them so it's go time. Also I figure all bikes at this rough price from reputable makers are basically fine.
Pic soon, but funnily enough I rented a bike, tested the commute and found it good. Came back, said I wanted to buy something "oh good! well...wait, you don't hope for one like you rode right? Those we will have again in....october." Or I could wait 2 weeks on a similar mens cannondale in black... but they had a womens (not like I could tell except for the seat and a sliiight extra tilt to the tube) in carolina blue ready to go out the door! I mean really why not, and beats the shit out of black for me. I'll always take the most obnoxious and noticeable color. I'm a short/small dude that rides light anyway and I can get the seat height to a good place so I really have no idea why they even have a separate women's line except people expect it I guess. I'm sure there are bikes where it could matter more, but not at this low end, and at that point you are more looking at custom fit for anyone anyway.
Funnily enough, they said that for the "mens" bikes you have to go up a few tiers before you even get that blue option, while women have it on the lower models. I get the limited color options for production, but making the non-boring colors the higher tier option for men is lameeee.]
Or if I'm totes wrong and the geometry is really all different let me know.
Also mech disc brakes so uh, if you have hot tips that I wouldn't get from a couple youtube videos hit that up too.
Nah it's usually just about leg/torso length and ratio, which is gonna be different for everyone anyway. Sometimes they change the frame angle for women's models (cause ladies be skirt wearing, am I rite?) but afaik as long as you get the right frame size there should be no difference.
Although its kind of weird that the seat was different because actually one of the big problems with women's cycling is that they don't really make seats for lady bits and I know one of the top world cyclists has had to have labia reconstruction because of it. But maybe that's just at the racing level. Idk, I just ride on a dude seat and have no issues. Could probably keep a role of quarters in the channel or something I guess.
Posts
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
edit: not to eat by the way just for decoration
My first thought is an aquarium/terrarium.
Easily available in a wide array of sizes, clear sides so you can still see your bonsai and your bonsai can still enjoy the light. But it should be pretty cat proof depending on the lid you get (Look for reptile tank lids, they tend to lock down and be made of mesh to allow for air flow.)
You might be able to find a heavy bell jar to go over it to protect it from the cat. Something like this, maybe. But I think that may just be giving the cat something to break before enjoying a snack.
Might look into birdcages as well. Most have removable bottoms for cleaning. Smaller ones for finches or parakeets may work for you. Something like this, maybe? And most are already supposed to prevent a snacking cat.
Also note that buying a bike does not preclude you from the following:
1. Receiving additional feedback on additional bikes you should buy.
2. Buying more bikes.
Ex.
N+1 bikes
N+1 kits
send help
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Specifically vintage and/or decorative bird cages, maybe? They aren't safe to keep birds in, but they should still be reasonably cat proof.
By help you mean additional links to bikes you should lust over?
I dunno, sounds like you're halfway to a pretty nice salad there.
Russian bleu cheese dressing.
I'll put cats wherever I want and I'll put whatever I want on my salads MOM
Now that I've maneuvered my deadbeat friends into finally accepting their propagated begonias, I can finally start that inside herb garden I was supposed to be doing this time last year until the shit came down.
Mint, thyme, and basil. If I can get a good pot of chives going I'll be freed from driving to three grocery stores every time I need fresh herbs for a recipe.
you better believe that's a paddlin'
https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/192-Rear-Rack-Bags/859-MTX-TRUNKBAG-EX
They sit on top of a rack rather than attaching to the side like a pannier
The Topeak bags can also use a kind of sliding rack mount to clip on and off quickly
I have one of those with the sliding rack mount. Great for a change of clothes and other small items when commuting. My only problem was I could never fit my laptop in it, but that was years ago and laptops were huge.
You look like kind of a weirdo carrying it around off the bike though.
Steel bike that I want but can't afford is a Rivendell Gus Boots Willsen, because come on, just look at it, this is a bike that you get on, think "I want to ride to [destination]", and it will take you there pretty much no matter what you encounter along the way, and do so in comfort (and in style, though I appreciate there's some room for debate there):
For me it's more of a control and quality of life thing
You can feather a hydro disc on a loaded up wheel in a way that you can't with a rim brake
Also my experience of discs is that they're maintenance free. I had the same set of Avid elixirs on my mountain bike for more that twelve years before they needed maintenance beyond (tool free) swapping out of pads
I regret getting rim brakes on my road bike and wouldn't do it again
That's what I'd expected too, but the thing is (and these were hydraulic brakes, too), the way they stop working is a lot more dramatic than rim brakes. Through maybe half of last winter, when I tried to brake, they just did nothing except for make a _tremendous_ squeal and shuddering at the front of the bike -- I eventually learned that I had to ride a couple of blocks using the brakes very gently just to get them to warm up, and after that they were okay, but if I didn't use them for too long then they'd get cold again and I'd try to stop the bike when I got home and have it screech and wail and not slow down at all.
Rain when it was warm wasn't as much of a problem, to be fair, but snowy conditions were pretty awkward a lot of the time; I'd ridden cantis, v-brakes, rim brakes, and u-brakes through winter and sure, if I ride through snow or slush then things could get clogged up, but all it ever took was one revolution to clear the snow off and they'd be fine, there was never the sense of having to 'convince' the brakes to start working.
Now, possibly I should switch out the brake pads for winter brake pads or something, but I did replace the pad, I took the rotors off and cleaned them, I checked the clearance and centering, I adjusted the position of the caliper and everything, and I still had a heck of a time getting disks to reliably work in winter. Weirdly, the cable disk brakes on my fatbike didn't have the same problem, though maybe that's because they weren't as strong overall, I dunno.
In the dry / mud / summer, disks are definitely better, there's no doubt about that, but when disks don't work they really just don't work and there wasn't much I could do about them, whereas non-disks would work less well but at least still give me _something_ to slow down.
Obviously do whatever works, from my zero bike expertise but small amount of material sci...sounds like winter pads may be a good option if they make them, sounds like yours didn't get grippy till they got warm, and there are often softer compounds that would nearly melt in the summer but are grippy all winter.
Either way happy to report im posting from the work loo, which means the test ride was a success and I now have no excuse to not be a bike commuter, at least most of the year. Bunch of trail that will be terrible in the rain sadly.
The pads I use are sintered (made by EBC), and being in the UK dry weather riding is the exception rather than the rule. I use them mostly because I don't chew through them as quickly when the disc get coated with mud, snow, or road salt.
So excited. Ended up on a cannondale due to wait times on other things but I've never heard bad things about them so it's go time. Also I figure all bikes at this rough price from reputable makers are basically fine.
Yeah, it's honestly hard to buy a bad bike these days.
Funnily enough, they said that for the "mens" bikes you have to go up a few tiers before you even get that blue option, while women have it on the lower models. I get the limited color options for production, but making the non-boring colors the higher tier option for men is lameeee.]
Or if I'm totes wrong and the geometry is really all different let me know.
Also mech disc brakes so uh, if you have hot tips that I wouldn't get from a couple youtube videos hit that up too.
Although its kind of weird that the seat was different because actually one of the big problems with women's cycling is that they don't really make seats for lady bits and I know one of the top world cyclists has had to have labia reconstruction because of it. But maybe that's just at the racing level. Idk, I just ride on a dude seat and have no issues. Could probably keep a role of quarters in the channel or something I guess.
This is pretty much just what I was looking for, thank you!