Something Random

[jtr1962]

What changed? Were the tires slower before OR was it harder to stop? Softer or harder.

The tires started out about 2 mph slower than air tires. Within I'd say the first 100 miles this quickly improved to the point where they were only about 1-1.5 mph slower. Ever since it's getting slightly better, to the point where now I'd say the difference is practically unmeasureable ( 1/2 mph or less ). I'm basing my figures on typical average speeds I do on rides. Given that no two rides are the same, it's a difficult comparison. Nowadays when I have a good ride with relatively little need to slow or stop my average speeds tend to get close to 16 mph ( note that included in this average speed are ALL my stops or slowdowns-my cruising speeds typically range from 18 to 23 mph on level ground, depending upon weather and how I feel ). Anyway, this is roughly around where they were 3 years ago when I was riding the same amount using air tires. A few rides I got into the high 16s back then, so maybe air tires are still ~1/2 mph faster. Truth is unless someone keeps meticulous records like I do, they wouldn't even notice such a small difference.

As for softer/harder, I'd say the tires got a little softer but also less stiff. Basically, that means a slight improvement in both ride quality and rolling resistance. As for traction, never a problem. I can stop or turn same as with air tires. I really think most of the reason airless tires are disliked is because of people not really giving them a chance. You really need to put a few thousand miles on the tires before they reach their ultimate potential. Incidentally, looking at the amount of wear after about 2200 miles, I think I can get an easy 10,000 miles out of these tires, perhaps even twice that. Considering that a set of regular tires lasts me 4000 miles at most, this is great news.

BTW, how did you fracture your ribs? Was it in a bike accident? It sounds really painful.

 

[Howell]

A few rides I got into the high 16s back then, so maybe air tires are still ~1/2 mph faster. Truth is unless someone keeps meticulous records like I do, they wouldn't even notice such a small difference.

Do you think you might have gotten a little stronger to compensate and that's why your numbers are back up?

Although I'm not in immediate need, my main concern/thought was about the difference in stopping distance.

BTW, how did you fracture your ribs? Was it in a bike accident? It sounds really painful.

The first time I fractured my ribs 10 years ago it was a bike accident. This time it was not as noble. I jumped over a low barrier playing paintball and landed on a stump. :cheers:

The first few few days it hurt to laugh/cough/sneeze. So of course I was already obligated to pet-sit for friends and my my coworkers turned the comedy up a notch. :rotfl: :x :rotfl: :x :rotfl: :x :monky:

 

[Howell]

That sounds painful. How did you fracture your ribs? The leg muscles also sound painful.

I pulled the left groin about two weeks ago and then last weekend after the final USA World Cup loss I reinjured the groin and pulled my right hamstring in a pickup soccer game. It probably would have just been a minor injury but I kept playing on it and hobbling around the field albeit at 1/4 speed. The first 3 days were painful but not incapacitating. I'd say just slightly more painful than what you're feeling. I didn't notice the bruise until day 5 but it is on the back of the leg. It doesn't hurt more but it looks really bad, maybe 7-8" diameter. I have pictures. Apparently bruising is common with muscle pulls (according to the webs) and the worse the pull the more the bruising.


I need to reintroduce my body to exercise more slowly.

 

[Howell]

That said, I'll take a bruise over road rash any day.

 

[paugie]

I ran a 5K fun run last Sunday in 42 minutes.
My left knee seemed to be injured so I couldn't put weight on it for 2 days.
But it's better now. Maybe walk a bit tomorrow morning and then start to run a bit (shuffle would be a more graphic description) next week.

 

[paugie]

I need to change my signature. whenever I forget to uncheck the signature box, I wince.

 

[ddrueding]

I need to change my signature. whenever I forget to uncheck the signature box, I wince.

Got ya covered, paugie

 

[jtr1962]

Do you think you might have gotten a little stronger to compensate and that's why your numbers are back up?

I did get stronger compared to 2 months ago, but generally after riding a lot for about two months I reach a plateau. After that, any further increases in strength are relatively small, and over a longer period of time. I was at roughly the same point 3 years ago, riding about 300 miles a month, and also weighed about the same, so it's likely in both cases my fitness levels were more or less the same. Any speed differences, however small, are accounted for by equipment.

Although I'm not in immediate need, my main concern/thought was about the difference in stopping distance.

I generally use my front brake since it has most of the stopping power. It's impossible to slip the front wheel, even with airless tires. As for the rear wheel, yes I can slid it, but it doesn't slide any more easily than it did with pneumatics. The rear brake is pretty useless for stopping anyway. I mainly think of it as something to go to in the event my front brake cable snaps.

The first time I fractured my ribs 10 years ago it was a bike accident. This time it was not as noble. I jumped over a low barrier playing paintball and landed on a stump. :cheers:

Ouch!

I remember my late father breaking his sternum bone first time he rode he new bike. This was back in 1978, when he was younger than I am now. I think that was the last time he ever rode a bike.

 

[Handruin]

I find myself using both the front and read brakes at the same time. It's not because I need to, but because it just seemed like the right way to balance the wear on the brakes. I have a small fear of only using the front brakes as I don't want to cause the front tire to slide in a situation of light sand or uneven surface which might cause me to fall off the bike.

 

[jtr1962]

The only time I've ever been able to slide the front tire is on glare ice. I guess it would slide on very deep sand also, but I've never encountered much more than a sprinkling of sand. The main danger with the front brake might be if you hit it hard enough to cause the rear wheel to lift. You could potentially do an endover. My front brakes aren't strong enough for that.

As for equalizing the wear, truth is brake pads on bikes wear pretty slowly if you use ones of decent quality. I've had the same set on my Raleigh for over 20 years. Granted, they're a little slick now, but still stop rapidly. I rarely use the brakes anyway thanks to anticipating obstacles.

 

[timwhit]

I use both brakes as much as I can. I would say I use the rear brake more than the front though. There's much less of a chance of going over your handlebars when using the rear brake.

I wore out all my brake pads in less than 5000 miles. If you have 20 year old brakepads they are probably useless.

 

[jtr1962]

I used to go through brake pads like crazy until I started riding more defensively. Now I can pretty much anticipate the situation. I can often roll up to red lights just as they flip to green, for example, without hitting the brake. Or plan a path around obstacles a block or two in advance. Granted, I ride alone. In a group I would have to use the brake more often.

Believe it or not, the brake pads still stop reasonably well. I can still lock the rear wheel, which means the braking force exceeds the available traction. The front will haul me down from 20 mph to 0 in about 30-35 feet. Good enough for the kind of riding I do. I've been on bikes which stop from 20 mph in under 20 feet, but the downside is going over the bars if you don't modulate the brake. I'll probably install new pads soon though. Just laziness ( and cheapness ) on my part for not doing it when I rebuilt the bike 2 years ago.

 

[LunarMist]

Hairy Aussie? I thought that was for Tony/Tea. :monky:

 

[time]

Here's my tip for bicycle brakes.

Make sure the rear brake is as close to the rim as you can get without touching. By implication, it's important that your rear wheel is true (balanced).

Back off the front brake adjustment, but not enough to affect braking power when the handle is fully squeezed.

This will reduce your chances of going over the handlebars.

In addition, it helps if you can start squeezing the rear brake handle marginally earlier than the front brake handle. What you're doing here is trying to compensate for the not inconsiderable lag in applying the rear brake.

Truly simultaneous front and rear braking helps to keep the bike stable: rear-only could cause a dangerous slide and front-only could send you over the top.

Hope this helps.

 

[ddrueding]

Hairy Aussie? I thought that was for Tony/Tea. :monky:

Welcome to the 5k+ posts crowd

I just noticed I passed 11k.

 

[ddrueding]

Yay wall demolition. I don't know which sucks more, breathing in the drywall dust, or suffocating in the mask.

 

[Handruin]

Congrats on the 11K! The house project is looking interesting. I find suffocating in the mask works better for me when I'm doing that stuff. Maybe you need to upgrade your mask. ;-)

 

[Stereodude]

You pulled a permit for all this work right?

 

[ddrueding]

You pulled a permit for all this work right?

No permits needed yet. But that starts today, I'm meeting my contractor in 30 minutes.

 

[LunarMist]

Welcome to the 5k+ posts crowd

Thanks. In 2008 I did not think I would make it this far so soon. Of course all of my accounts in total were over the 5K mark a while ago.

 

[LunarMist]

Originally Posted by ddrueding

Lived with a couple for a few months, went on vacation with a lesbian couple and their kid once. Nothing special, really. Better than going on vacation with straight women you aren't dating, they seem to be just a little less crazy (in my experience).

Originally Posted by LunarMist

Well it is a very large difference in cost (80%). I could not justify going alone.

:blue: The trip is cancelled. Something about the economy, blah, blah, blah. Where to go now...

I had to chose another trip which was +30% due to absence of the woman.
:spiderman:

 

[timwhit]

Thanks. In 2008 I did not think I would make it this far so soon. Of course all of my accounts in total were over the 5K mark a while ago.

Other accounts here? Or on other forums?

 

[LunarMist]

Yes and yes.

 

[Stereodude]

I should have known you were udaman.

 

[LunarMist]

I should have known you were udaman.

Noooo! uke-r:uke-l:

 

[ddrueding]

I had to chose another trip which was +30% due to absence of the woman.
:spiderman:

At least you get a trip. I'll be taking pictures of my house for a long time to come, as that is the only place I can afford to be.

 

[LunarMist]

You can drive to Utah and Arizona once in a while. There are no wild penguins, lemurs or leopards, but really nice landscapes. :farao:

 

[timwhit]

Where is everyone today? I need some entertainment.

 

[ddrueding]

Brutally hard day here...really not much ability to do anything of value (like post here )

 

[Handruin]

I was busy as hell at work. We're moving to another building up the street at work. I spent most of the day pulling cables out of racks, dissembling and packing hosts, climbing under the raised flooring to unplug racks, etc. We have a couple thousand systems between the two floors in racks, not including storage arrays and fiber & network switches. I'll be going back in on Sunday to help reconnect and setup in the new lab. It was a crazy day of doing so much stuff.

We had a rack fall over and it fell into another rack making that one also fall over. The rack fell in such a way that the wheel caught into the raised floor panel and bent the steel support beam that holds up the flooring. Hearing the two racks fall over was pretty crazy. Yes, they both had equipment in them, but thankfully they weren't fully loaded. Fortunately no one was hurt.

In addition to all the lab equipment moving, I had to pack almost ten years worth of stuff that was in my cube so that it can also be moved to the new building.

Attached is a picture of what it looks like under the floor after stuffing what seems like miles of cable under there. I'm sitting on the floor and my feet are dangling inside. For every rack in the lab, we had to pull every cable out so that it could be rolled away free. I worked on one rack that had nothing but fiber switches in it. I must have pulled through 300-400 cables and stuffed them under the floor!

 

[jtr1962]

I feel sorry for whoever is moving into the building your company vacated. Sorting out that mess of cables sure sounds like fun!

 

[LunarMist]

Where is everyone today? I need some entertainment.

I have a full-time job and surfing/posting is disallowed from there.

 

[Handruin]

I feel sorry for whoever is moving into the building your company vacated. Sorting out that mess of cables sure sounds like fun!

I completely agree. My coworkers and I joked about the same thing. There is literally 13 years of cable under the floor. Someone will have to remove them all for the next group moving in. Our new lab was built clean and everything under the floor has been organized and cabled before our equipment is moved in. They ran some nice 10Gb fiber in the floor for us and everything will now be 1Gb Ethernet. The building we're leaving is still owned by my company. They're just shuffling us around for other reasons.

 

[Stereodude]

I spent my day making wood buying trips to Lowes. I made 3 trips in the minivan with my Dad. We bought 8, 8' 2x4's, 162 10' 2x4's, 17 12' 2x4's, 4 12' 2x6's, 8 12' PT 2x4's, & 2 12' PT 2x6's. That's why I wasn't around.

 

[Chewy509]

Where is everyone today? I need some entertainment.

At home looking after the kids... waiting for Uni to start so have no real news, other than I'm attending o'week next week and classes start the week after.

 

[LunarMist]

Jehovah's Witnesses were outside in front again and I almost opened the door. :crap: It used to be that they were skinny guys with white shirts and dark ties, but members now look like anyone. :smurfin:

 

[Stereodude]

I spent my day making wood buying trips to Lowes. I made 3 trips in the minivan with my Dad. We bought 8, 8' 2x4's, 162 10' 2x4's, 17 12' 2x4's, 4 12' 2x6's, 8 12' PT 2x4's, & 2 12' PT 2x6's. That's why I wasn't around.

Here's the stash of wood in the basement.

 

[ddrueding]

That is a fairly ridiculous amount of wood. How big is the deck going to be?

 

[Stereodude]

That is a fairly ridiculous amount of wood. How big is the deck going to be?

This is for my basement HT. The deck is on hold for now. Right now I'm leaning more toward a patio made from brick pavers or stamped concrete instead of a wood deck, but either way, that's on hold for now.

 

[LunarMist]

We don't have many basements in the southwest. I've never had one actually. I have heard they are more prevalent in the north, east and midwest.

I assume you have good plans for the lumber. We once had a bunch of wood delivered in 1986 and then plans changed. The wood was piled up for over ten years and never used.