You're right, a wheel and tire does dampen a lot of vibration. I was being a little snarky.

Dear Scrod,

Can you give me some good songs to jam too while getting in the zone for a swim meet/race?

Scrod, have you ever ridden Thick Slicks?

Yes he has.



I can't tell you about them if that is what you are asking.

/notscrod

Awesome. I'm just looking to get some bomb-proof tires for campus. As the year progresses, theres more and more glass on the roads/sidewalks.

That's understandable for a college campus.

I have heard nothing but good things about the 28c ThickSlick "Urban Elite" model.

Thats what I wanted to ask him about, really, was the fit of them. With some tires, I see people saying this size fits more like this size, and so on. I don't want to get some that won't fit right.

i understood that but i still neglected to include the point stated below and just mentioned the 'shape' concern.


im a firm believer in a decent ride from a quality aluminum frame/fork. dismissing them should be reserved for the old farts in c&v.

I made my first Olympic Trial cut jamming this:


/not scrod.

Converge makes me wanna ride fast.

In that case, is there a general guideline on how often one should clean his/her chain?

ThickSlick Urban Elites are awesome tires but are also really heavy. Just so you know, the 25c measures more like a 28 and the 28 is around 31mm.

Thanks everyone, so I'll look for a decent carbon fork first if I build or buy, but I won't rule out alu forks if I can find a well-regarded one. I was more concerned that a track frame wouldn't be comfortable enough strictly for road usage. I got all my questions answered.

I'm obsessive about keeping my drivetrain clean but you should know when your stuff is getting gunky. Just please remember that if you're ever just giving your chain a quick wipe down while installed, keep your digits away from the cog/chainring and go s-l-o-w. I lost a chunk of my thumb last year (that somehow managed to grow back!) and I've seen quite a few horrible pics on Sheldon's site of mangled/missing fingers.

Yeah I've definitely heard of this with fixed gears. :x It's a little scary.

I remember pics from that Scrod. Gnarly.

So I've pretty much narrowed my next bike to Leader 725 or 721. I'd love the 735 but I don't have that kind of budget. For a fork, would you recommend the carbon/steel, the carbon/aluminum, or the full carbon?

The carbon/steel (S805) has a standard size crown and will look stupid with the oversized head tube - plus the rake is all wrong for those frames. Go for the carbon/aluminum if you're an a little bit of a budget and go for the full carbon if you've got money to burn.

Regarding Converge - I get really sick of their more recent stuff and like their first few records a lot better (Halo in a Haystack and Petitioning the Empty Sky still kill it). Jake lives a few streets away from me and I bump into him and his wife all the time around town.

Cool. Any other tunes that you like in particular for getting in the zone? (not that you swim or anything...)

I'm always going 10,000 miles an hour in every direction at once so I usually need to listen to stuff that mellows me out and slows me down. Going the other way is dangerous.

You should try it sometime. Red Bull and death metal FTW.

Exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks man. And the weight isn't really a concern to me. I've always been an advocate of 'htfu' and learning to push through the weight

Oh lord no! Do not drink Red Bull at or before a swim meet. That is the worst.
I just listened to something with a good groove or riff for distance events like old Metallica (Ride the Lightning), Blink-182, Saul Williams-List of Demands was a favorite, Van Halen, or several electronic artists if you're into that. But it really boils down to what you like to listen to.

Dear Scrod,

What is the likelihood that we will lose potentially valuable members due to the perpetual hazing that is given to new members by members of the forum, including myself? Honestly, people do ask stupid questions here and often we, instead of explaining why it happens to be stupid, we just troll them until they give up and go away. I am guilty of this as much as anyone, so no one reading this should think that I'm simply pointing fingers. I know that to a point it help to weed out complete morons, but at the same time, everyone has to learn somehow.

/rant

Dear Scrod,

Is the KMC710SL really tough to remove a chain link? Tryied yesterday but the pin barely moved :O
Now I have a link that it's stiff, oh please help me!