Bandera

Stepped out on the porch last night to an olfactory assault redolent of burning diapers and smoldering nursing-home-mattresses soaked in toxic chemical-waste.
Yes, it's time for the Seasonal Fake-Log immolation in the neighbor's fireplace.

With zero nostalgia for the smell of real wood-smoke having selected, felled, limbed, hauled, sectioned, aged, split, corded and burned my share of trees for heating the old residence "back when" the paper wrapped pulp byproducts igniting a "festive" carcinogenic smog are yet another seasonal false note to me.
Save a faux tree and your neighbor's lung function: No Fake-Logs.

Try this Instead:


Happy Holidays!

-Bandera

revchuck 

That is really nice! Goes well with bourbon, too.

Racer Ex 

Duraflame. Where BTU's go to die.

Had a bobcat just head through the yard.

Walked without crutches for most of the day.

Random bits of ex.

sarals 

Loving all of it!

IBOHUNT

the Bobcat thing got me to thinking...
I'd assume that a sloth is not good eating. Anything that slow can't taste good.
Thumb_up like thing on the walking

Bandera

Does not taste like chicken.
How to prepare and eat a sloth:

https://io9.gizmodo.com/5886638/how-...nd-eat-a-sloth

sarals 

.....ewwwwww......

sarals 

Happy New Year, everyone!

I hope to see ALL of you in 2018!

IBOHUNT

T-Town

Allegheny Jet

Happy New Year everyone!

One of my resolutions will be to take one of my track bikes and make it a dedicated Pursuit Bike that includes a professional fitting. Resolution # 2 will be to get the pursuit bike on the trainer and do quality riding and intervals allowing my pedal stroke to adapt before getting back on the track.

Racer Ex 

I'll throw this out there for the pursuit set up: you can get a bit more positionally aggressive for track pursuit in most cases vs. what would be a TT set up. It's worth playing with given the physics of drag at the higher speeds.

sarals 

I dropped the adjustable stem I have for the pursuit setup on my track bike all the way down. The sticks feel too short now (thank you, UCI), but I'm sure I can get used to it. It actually feels pretty good.

IBOHUNT

and they are invisible in a picture...

sarals 

Allegheny Jet

Ice Fishing intervals yesterday on Lake Erie. Brutal sums up the day! High temp of 3 degrees coupled with 25-25 mph wind made it tougher for me than doing a TT. I was only able to fish from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM and needed about another hour to get my walleye limit. I did hook a big assed catfish, which is not common when ice fishing.

Back to the bike in the basement today for some hard work.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/v7014g0gs8...43.24.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x2toskdiym...00.15.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z0wwkv9eh8...19.57.jpg?dl=0

Allegheny Jet

Agreed. The last time I did Track Nats in the 500TT I averaged 862 watts and didn't get a podium spot. I made the mistake of having a bike fit about a month prior to Nats and didn't make the adaption to the new position. I made the power goal but must have been an air bucket on the TT that we did two straights into the 15 mph wind. Hopefully I'll have someone available to take splits while doing practace laps at the new velodrome in Detroit during Feb-April. That is the plan and why I'm working on getting a track fit on the bike with drop down areo bar. I'll compare different speeds with the TT positions and regular sprint track bike. The first 10-12" are OTS so the primary goal is the last 25" speed minus any loss of speed on the start due to TT fit. Too many things to think about

Bandera

Was thinking this AM while plodding along in 45-50F temps just how good modern kit is. From shoe covers to helm this stuff's fit, form, function and perhaps just as important easy care is leagues beyond old school gear. Does anyone else remember hand washing woolen jerseys, tights and woolen/leather/chamois shorts in the sink, towel-pressing and air drying the whole ensemble? I had to negotiate a kit-to-panty-hose-ratio for hanging drying cycling kit vs. the GF's unmentionables that was as complex as Balkan border negotiations, and just as fraught.

I have a large surly ex-teammate who is still referred to many years on as "Buttercup" from the time that he ran out of his special chamois prep, used a good bit of his wife's unguent to soften the sandpaper-ish leather chamois in his freshly washed shorts and arrived reeking of Patchouli.


-Bandera

IBOHUNT

Resume intervals tonight

Looks like my answer to management about the idea they had wasn't one the person that dreamed that BS up had in mind.
Don't want the answer then don't ask the question...

"What is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of in the 34 years I have been at this" for $200 Alex

The only downside to this is it's January and stupid cold and snowing out. Why not the Spring? PoundSign MadAtWinter

EDIT: Well that was short lived. Made a couple phone calls and I should see some papers to fill out tomorrow.

Racer Ex 

My BMX days were in jeans, Converse sneakers, and a rugby jersey. I didn't go back to cycling until they had modernized the gear.

I did DH ski in lace up leather boots and bear trap bindings. When I got new boots my dad made me stand in them in a hot shower to soften the leather to get them to fit

IBOHUNT

Now I have to do down to the basement to see if I can find my boots and skis I had when I was a young'n. I know they are there. Not often you come across lace-up ski boots anymore. Sure do miss the 60's.

Bandera

Not just for the boots.

-Bandera

Allegheny Jet

I used to break in softball mitts by putting them in the oven for 30' at 300 degrees then mold onto my hand. Lucky you that your dad didn't put your feet and boots in the oven.

Voodoo76

Kit these days is flawless! I could manage 5 speed friction, would live with a 42x18 being my granny gear. Even toe clips (as long as my cleats weren't installed with a hammer). Just don't put me back on those old saddles in those old shorts.

Bandera

Q: How can you tell if an old bicycle is a race bike?
A: If the current owner can't hack the original gearing: Race bike.

-Bandera

IBOHUNT

I got no dog in this discussion. I've only been on a bike as an adult for 6 years or so :-O
Most of the stuff we have now is far better than a decade ago. Bow's seemed to change at a pretty good clip but the increases in speed have seemed to taper off. I recall when 275fps speed was stupid fast then along came the 330fps stuff. Hasn't gone much faster since but still, a 4# bow with a 6" brace height that shoots 330fps comfortably is pretty sweet.

Wait, wrong forum. I'm still stuck in going to the outdoor grocery store mode :-)