Jeff, get better man. I don't think I'll make this ride. Maybe next time.

Uh oh, looks like there is a big storm front rolling in. Doesn't look like insane amounts of rain (at first), but we may be cutting this ride a bit short. Either way, Copley Square, in front of the church, at 12 today. Be there or be square.

Thanks for the words of concern everyone. It's called a spontaneous pneumo throrax (or something like that). There isn't always a clear cause for it. I'll be fine in a few days.

has anyone ever rode mt. wachusett? i hear theres a decent climbing road to get up it, and the way down for the descent is a one way road with new pavement. it sounds like a good time, and i may be inclined to get out there and try it before the snow sets in, anyone else interested? (sorry for going off-topic)

my ass stinks

I've ridden Mt. WaWa on several occassions. Never on a fixed or single speed. It's a hell of a climb. I think it's about 4.8 miles from the base to the top if I'm not mistaken. It gets real steep and then levels out several times. The steep parts are pretty tough. The roads are in decent shape, but it does get a bit rough when you are going 45mph on the way down.

That sounds like it would be fun...on a road bike, or at the very least, on a bike with a freewheel.

Just got back from our ride a little while ago. We did a nice 45 mile loop (+8 mile round trip for myself and +5 miles for Mark, who doesn't post here, but does read our nonsense) out in the boons. Oh, and I just ate the largest bowl of cereal ever and guzzled some Goldfish (the crackers, not the ones with gills). Sick.

Ooh... I might be down for a death march up Wachusett. The descent would be wicked pissah.

How sad will I be if I only have a double?

I'll come out of the woodwork to post now. It was a great ride. I need more water though ... and a shower. Has anyone ever taken a route out towards Framingham/Natick area?

That was nice guys ... we should go to the track thing this week for sure.

trevor, a double is the only way to go, only old guys ride triples, lol. actually since i've never done it i couldnt tell you what would be better or worse, but if it happens, i plan to do it with a double, on my roadbike. and if it matters, for the present time being, i have my car in the city, with a rack for holding 3 bikes, plus a 4th in the trunk, and room for 4-5 people in the car (tight fit). so if anyone is really serious about the wachusett climb, it would be awesome to try. i would first have to swap out my front fork on my bike though, since its crooked and has a wicked nasty speed wobble (crashing at 50mph is not fun, as i learned the last time i tried it)

Girl.


(Seriously, I'm into it. Me and the Panasonic desire to show off our [lack of] mountain climbing talent.)

I do it with a double. Granted that's on the 25t cog for most of the way. It sucks - but I say that about anything steeper than a 3% grade.

Oh and go4broke44 is right - triples are for old guys.

Ouch, I just got around to counting my cluster. In fact I was telling someone just the other day what a weird closely space setup it was. Yeah, it's a 12-23. That's pretty much trash except for light climbs and similarly low grade descents.

Ah well, I'm still into it.

I bet you can't get 6-speed cassettes anymore.

I'm in on the Wachusett thing.

If you mean freewheels, then Harris Cyclery has them.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/freewheels.html#6

Indeed I probably do mean freewheel. I'm pretty sure all SIS clusters where freewheels.

I'd still prefer a 12 tooth sprocket on the high gear, but that super low 34t bailout looks appealing.

edit: afterthought--hey, idiot. you know you can mix and match cogs from different clusters. Have your cake and eat it too. When do we head out to Princeton?

I say we all stop being pansies and do it fixed.

Man... what's the point in heading halfway across the state and climbing a big hill just so that we can do a slow-ass descent down the other side? Bull****!

Besides, we still have yet to see this purported 853 / Ultegra setup you claim to have.

I agree with Trevor on this one. I did 20 miles fixed in the Shenandoahs a few months ago, and uphill was easy and fun. Going downhill, though, the only way I could manage the 150 rpm cadence was to focus on round things (circles, cakes, pies), but I kept getting distracted by roadies gliding by at 40+ mph. If we do this I will ride my road bike. I suggest we drive halfway and turn it into a 60-70 mile ride with the mountain in the middle. (That was the other thing that was wrong with the VA ride--driving 60 miles to do a 20 mile ride is lame.)

So let's set a date. There's this weekend or the weekend of the 17-18th. I'm going to NY for the century Sept 10-11th (anyone else from Boston?).

Blah, fine, road bikes it is.

I'll get around to taking pictures of my stable sometime soon (including my new fixed full suspension MTB!),

I'm in Colorado from the 9th-24th with Mr. Koichi Yamuguchi, so anytime after that would be best for me.

I can't do this weekend, I promised a different ride and have reserved the other day for some lazing about.

Speaking of which, anyone want to get together with Greg & myself again for another ride this weekend? Exact day tbd.

I don't think I'm going to be in NYC and the 17th/18th is out...actually, I might be able to do one of those days. I need to figure out which day I'm booked for. I also would like to regear my cluster first.

Jacob, nobody will be upset if you ride fixed. I just think you'll have more fun on the descent with a big gear and a freewheel.

Trevor, assuming the cold I brought home from the hospital improves I'll be able to ride this weekend. If it does improve (the cold), I might also be down for an after-work ride tomorrow or Friday.

Cool. Anyone wanna crank out some miles on Friday evening? It's not supposed to be as hot as tomorrow.

Yes, just pick a time and place. Like 7 at Copley Sq.