oh yea don;t get me wrong there is nothing delicate about a power wash but man o man does it get winter crap off. Take home.. dry .. and then clean it. It'll peel decals. :lol: water in the cabling can cause havoc if it's really really cold on the way home from the wash, so don't do it when sub sub zero.

i was under the impression that it was always a good idea not to aim the hose anywhere where there's grease, even if you're just cleaning your bike at home.

here's an unrelated question: can grease get less viscous when it's cold? i have my bike locked up all day at school and the last few days when i got to ride it home the headset / fork is sticky and it's really hard to turn from side to side (it's a cane creek sealed aheadset). any wisdom keith?

More viscous, and definitely when it's cold!

we used to pile them up 20 deep in old montreal and the fire house would hose them down. SALT begone, apply emergy-lube of choice and tally ho!, next call the pub!!!

Well, my knees have never been perfect, as I tend to roll my knees in when I walk/run due to collapsing arches. I have orthotics in my shoes to correct that. They don't do anything when I'm cycling though. I think what really caused the pain though was when i partially dislocated my knee cap on a table at home. I worked on that knee for about a week and a half after that thinking it was just bruised. I think that's what really got it irritated/made it painful. It got sore one day and reached a point where I just could barely move it. That was when I took the time off. The fact that my knee still tracks weird just keeps aggravating it I guess. I went to a sports therapist who gave me stretches and exercises to help correct the wacky tracking of my knee but I guess it will take time to take effect. So I guess there wasn't one thing in particular that caused it, but whacking my knee really hard on that table is what really set things off.

That's a true story. That was when I started using my forearm to open beers instead.

Looks like someone learned from the Nathan Fabian fiasco :D

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007...er.htm#image_2

They totally tore this guy apart for weeks, some time ago on the rougher side of the Fixed Forum

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2006...thanFabian.htm (hence the coining of the phrase "pulling a Nathan Fabian")

yeah i saw that; i like this guys bike better too, way more classic and creative. speaking of the FGG, did i was reading their review of hip bags and what? no under the weather, no push / pac stuff. for shame! i'll have to write to them...

Ya I was thinking the same. They missed the chrome one too. We have one of the chrome hip packs left at the shop (Curbside) if anyone is interested in seeing it.

ah dude , I did my kneecap completely and was on crutches and cane seemingly forever. Go real slow if you did dislocate. There's no way I could have been messing recovering from mine. Spin light my friend, no hammering(right as if).

Crutches and cane oh wow you really did a number on yourself. Did you go back to messing after recovering from that injury? How long it was until you made a full recovery?

Yeah I think I have to admit to myself that I need to take more time off. It has defintely improved but still has a way to go. I can ride for quite a while before it bothers me at all. I think once the muscles around it start to get tired/tight that's when I get into problems. At least if I ride on my own time I can stop if I have to. At work it's just go go go no matter what.

mmm plasma

I was fortunate in that I did it skateboarding at 35, I have been retired from messing for a number of years, thank goodness as I can't imagine having to ride for my rent if I had been still messin'. I was off for a good six months, but I ripped bones and required arthroscopic to remove the fragments. The soft tissue were a mess. Stretching and a warm up of the knee will help with the riding, smooth and steady spinnin will keep all warm, lubricated and happy. TRY to stop racing lights for a while as explosive bursts will make your kneecap feel like it wants to shoot across the room.

Yesterday I saw a angry man in bike shoes and shorts chopping and shoveling ice on Queen street

what a strange image......

yuppers indeed , and it sure looked like Eyefloater too

Couldn't be me.....I don't wear/ruin my bike shoes in winter. Mike perhaps?

mike certainly fits the "angry man" part... keith's just a crusty bastard. ;)

yeah i saw that review but they didn't review their hip bags.

Well I went to MEC yesterday evening and told them my story about forgetting the coffee grinder and getting a too-small rack. They told me to grab another grinder and a different rack and call it even. Sweet. I remembered to bring the grinder home this time, and when I was installing the rack I noticed that it is missing a crucial weld and is hence useless. So now I have to go back to MEC to exchange it again. Third time is the charm!

Speaking of angry out of place bike people: When I was doing the United Way CN Tower climb in the fall we were all lined up for like 2 hours in the skywalk thingy. While we were waiting I noticed an angry looking guy waiting there on his own. By his expensive haircut, glasses and manicure you could tell he was a dyed in the wool suit. But he was standing around in full skin tight mapei team kit with some Asics runners on his feet. Everyone was standing around for 2 hours so we all had plenty of time to admire this guy's colourful physique and attitude.

:lol:

bahahah.. that's awesome. I need to get myself a Mapei skinsuit now. ;)

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