Geegaws 2013
 

I look forward to it with eagerness, regardless of outcome. For there is no humiliation I have not already borne.

I will leave you with sentimental photos of my favorite little homemade bike geegaws this year, and say goodnight.

1. Like. Want.
2. No, I don't.
3. Like.

He has a hit rate of 66%. That's not bad at all. :D

You are quite the utilitarian. Well done on the tube bracket.

Cross-Fl ride report:
perfect day
170 miles, 21.5 mph, <8 hrs.
1x10 bike is rocket, possibly

^ We were a bit slower. Flat at 46 miles dropped us out of the group we were with. From there we rode a lot solo, or pulling slower riders. Ended up averaging 19.8mph.

Most succinct ride report ever. This is not Twitter - we have seen the words spill forth from your pen. Let's hear it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifwpgs4mZrA

Oh, they're coming. This is the best I have for now. You Tube Portrait of self, hallucinating profoundly at finish. In grandiose delirium because I realized I'd finished near the front. At mile 80 I realized I much preferred my own conversation to that of the lead pack. Already inconsistencies in my story of what mph was achieved. I have no computer; have tried them before and in minutes they end up at roadside among the bottles and trash. The 22.5 mph was obtained from a young man that i'd run a successful psy-ops on for the final five miles, and he finished a few seconds behind. His report of 22.5 should be regarded with some skepticism.

I dont fully comprehend what is going on in this thread, on your videos, or basically in general. I do, however, enjoy them all profoundly. I will certainly be switching my bike over to 1xsomething or other.

That spare tube bracket idea is money.

+1.

But I'd like to see it inside a bag and velco used in place of a zip tie.

I love it. just put a rubber around it to protect it form the elements, during the weeks you dont flat.


Concerning the the seat, ouch... looks like a painfull 170 miles, But the underside your bike looks nearly maintenance free. I like the Teflon and bracket.

i'm pretty sure i can get a tube inside my flat handlebar... i'll leave it up to others to demonstrate.

maybe even my seatpost.

I dig it too. Hook us up bob

Hats off if you can get one inside a headtube, handlebar or seatpost. BTDT. My experience suggests that you'd have an easier time getting it past your sphincter into your descending colon.

Tube-under-cage is going to take revision along the lines of what Bob suggests.

but somebody might make a spot of change on that. If that's your thing, have at it.

Zip ties are the Devil. Working in a data center, I am currently migrating any zip tie I find to a velcro-based solution.

And GH, a smartphone in your jersey pocket works great. With the screen off, mine can last for as long as your ride with time to spare. 22.5 mph average, especially solo and over that distance? My Skept-o-meter is pegged. Just finishing on a 1-by is an accomplishment.

You can find external batteries that you can plug in while you ride to extend ride time, too (not to mention it's nice not to have a dead phone when you need to call somebody to come pick you up. :D ).

The lead group on Cross Florida will finish in the mid 20's, particularly when there's a tailwind. The first half was pretty flat with a tailwind, I'm pretty sure the front group would have done the first 80 averaging over 25 mph. Of the remaining 84 miles, a good portion of that is rolling hills where riding solo would not be as big of a disadvantage. Thus I'd guess Gerry's estimate is not way off the mark.

We could have hung with the front group for the first hundred, but knew we'd pay for it in the second half of the ride, so jjust dialed it back and rode with a bit slower friend.

Cross Florida wasn't much of a test for the 1-by set up. There is about 40-50 miles of rolling hills, that would surprise you if you've never been through that part of Florida, but anything that's steep is very short.

With a 11-23 on the back, we only got out of the big ring once or twice all day, and only when we were at the point that powering up in a bigger gear was no longer a good option with fatigue.

Maybe viable explanations, but over a ride that long, and it sounds like he wasn't with a group the entire time? It is also hard to conceive of a tailwind the entire way. A great accomplishment, but 22.5 is hard enough to do for an hour, let alone 7+.

^ All I can say for a fact is he was at the finish when we got there.

Overlong and Discursive 1x10 Ride Report
 

Ya, easy 25 mph average for first hour 1/2 with benefit of tailwind and "peloton".
The tailwind poops out eventually, but you get a good edge.

Staying with the lead pack didn't take too much more than making sure you dont run out of water or have to pee before they do. But the quality of conversation is not so good. Mostly nervous barking and nagging. That is where my own ability to endure hit the limit. It's not timed event and doesnt merit Personal Best Obsessiveness. So i ran last 100 miles alone or with a cool dude or two, and still came in early. I had extraordinary fun.

One particular team of cyclists had a seemingly unlimited number of support vehicles. I asked for water at one of their stops as I'd been bone dry for 30 miles and was told, "This is a private SAG". So my only performance goal was now to ensure that I would be standing at the finish line when they arrived. I rolled in 10 or 15 minutes before they did and then waited there like a vulture in a tree. Finally they came in and of course I had to say, "I'm sorry, but this is a private finish line".

merlin right, 1x10 no big deal there. And 21.5, 22.5- whatever... neither are really anything to boast about under those conditions. The ridiculous display in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifwpgs4mZrA is simply a 47 year old man who is 1) overjoyed to be back on a bike after a two year moratorium, and 2) who is also incredulous that the plan he came up with that would enable him to ride, despite a history of lumbar pain, absolutely flat-backed and without the benefit of aerobars for 8 hours straight- worked. The bike with 16cm of drop that looks painful to ride for more than two miles...well...isn't. In fact it was a joy. There is a reason for that. I thought things through. I was very scared of being DNF'd by pain, and wasn't.

I was also evaluating a chain lubricant that I composed a while back, but I've found that is not a good topic to introduce into discussion. Tell people you've not only found the Holy Grail of belt-drive quietness, 500 mile service intervals, water imperviousness and sparkling cleanliness- and not only that, it's right under your nose and easy to make... and you will elicit every manner of emotional reaction except "hmm, dunno bout that, but I'm curious to find out for myself. Give me that ingredients list". That is why the Holy Grail must always be, by definition, be lost and out of reach.

Lastly, and I only include this for sake of completeness- several months ago I began a glutamine-restricted diet as added insurance against relapse into the mental illness I am vulnerable to- and, cutting to the chase, it has a) resulted in a significant weight loss, and b) restricts choices of what I can eat during a long ride, since soy, dairy and wheat are off the list. I was very happy with the outcome here. Finding an appropriate energy bar was not too hard, and I ate and drank like a bird. Calorie req was a bit more than half what I am used to. I lucked out and picked the right thing.

That's the most thorough ride report I can manage. I don't know if there's anything useful in it, but there you have it.

The real test of 1x10 viability will be "Black and Blue". That's a 208 mile timed event with 17,000 feet of climbing. The ultra-low cadence dieseling that I am able to get away with on gently rolling terrain and still go like a rocket simply won't work there. Nor will a 54 tooth chainring. A 50t should be sufficient. Its as easy to swap chainrings with a 1x10 as it is to swap cassettes with a 2x10.

That event falls in June.
I'm going to have to, like, train for that I guess.
Is a real mofo.
Training for x-Fl was all neck up.
Under the hood I got nothing to brag about.

oh, almost forgot. Last experiment: 36cm handlebars for a 6 foot bro? Heck yes it works. Those UK track boys are onto something. Out of saddle in drops takes bit of practice. Otherwise it's a non-issue. Free speed. Why refuse it?

Addenda to 1x10 ride report..
 

Has nothing to do with 1x10.

This is picture my 26 year old mate took of himself with his sweat-soaked camera. I had to photoshop the crap out of it to give it the justice it deserves.

He was lost and alone on those endless blinding white highways of central Florida, no way to ask directions because he didn't know what city the finish was in, out of water, no shade anywhere, in significant degree of pain due to some not-so-good decisions, no choice but to keep moving- and all of that got captured in this little picture that he had no one to send to.

Man, I IDENTIFY.

This what the Long Ride is about.
He made it.http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=309578

Even Albanians?

Most especially ​Albanians.

GH, your ride report gets an A. Good write-up, and you included visual aids with the appropriate amount of humility and nonchalance about that which road weenies feed.

Been wondering about narrow bars myself. Should prolly be on 44's, but roll with 40's. Narrower and I'd feel like I'm riding a pogo stick.

Well done sir.