If FEMA had the bicycles, would it fund Hustler's manlet bib?
#741
Boost Pope
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(The quote was also from Vigo, by way of Grigory Rasputin.)
Fixie-riding hipsters are the lowest form of scum, and they will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.
Seriously. There are literally no redeeming qualities whatsoever. These are the same folks who pay $8 for a can of PBR at a trendy bar.
#742
Big city bike messengers have looked towards bicycles that were the cheapest, most rugged, simplest and least desirable to thieves. Lowest common denominator was a track racing bicycle with no gears, no freewheel and no brakes. They can be had for a song on the used market. Built for burly sprinters, they're particularly stiff and able to take a beating where a featherweight road racing bike will dent easily if dropped, not to mention being to valuable to lock up anywhere.
Track sprinters use "track standing" as a tactical tool to stay behind another rider, forcing them to lead. Thus enabling the following rider the tactical advantage of drafting for the sprint finish a short 333m lap later. The fixed wheel can't coast so pedaling fore-aft allows a rider to balance with complete control.
Skilled couriers use the same skill to balance without putting a foot down. This gives them the jump on traffic when the light goes green (or there is simply a hole in traffic).
The standard handlebars on track bikes were steel drop bars like on road racers. Being narrow allows couriers to slip between cars easier and also help prevent being side swiped. The track bikes lack of gears means the drive train and cranks are significantly narrower, further aiding maneuverability in tight quarters. Eventually couriers began chopping the curved parts off the handlebar, leaving the short 6" or so on each side of the stem. Next step was to wrap the whole bike in fabric bar tape to make it easier to carry up flights up steps when cold and wet. Also made the frame more dent resistant and the whole bike uglier. Then came the funky bar tape and rattle can colors.
At some point hipster wannabes (rich suburban kids) saw the bikes and thought, hey, that's what I need to really stand out and express myself at the local espresso bar hangout while cruising craigslist on the free-wifi.
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#745
Tour de Franzia
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SKILLS!
Road Bike Party 2 - Martyn Ashton - YouTube
how do you embed youtube videos? edit: nevermind...
Road Bike Party 2 - Martyn Ashton - YouTube
how do you embed youtube videos? edit: nevermind...
Last edited by hustler; 12-13-2013 at 11:33 AM.
#746
Boost Pope
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So it turns out that most of the bike shops around here are pretty worthless when it comes to answering the question "So, what high-end brake pads do you carry intended for use in rain, snow and ice?" Apparently, most of them consider such weather conditions to constitute justification for not riding.
******* casuals...
Mail-ordered a set of the Swisstop GHP2 pads from an outfit in Niagara Falls. Eagerly awaiting their arrival.
We're supposed to get more snow this weekend, so in the mean time I'll probably re-install the OEM black rubber pads tonight.
******* casuals...
Mail-ordered a set of the Swisstop GHP2 pads from an outfit in Niagara Falls. Eagerly awaiting their arrival.
We're supposed to get more snow this weekend, so in the mean time I'll probably re-install the OEM black rubber pads tonight.
#748
Boost Pope
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When they're dry, they're tolerable. When they're cold and wet, fuhgeddaboudit.
It's pathetically sad when I get on a Citibike, with its internal hub brakes that are notorious for being stiff and smarmy, and think "Wow, this is a LOT better than my own bike."
#750
Boost Pope
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Yes.
I'm not a ******* retard, I know that cables stretch.
And I'm not employing hyperbole here, and saying "Oh, these pads are somewhat less effective when they're wet."
I mean I am literally pulling on the levers with all of the might I can muster, and they are doing nearly nothing in terms of slowing the bike. They might as well be made of cheese.
I'm not a ******* retard, I know that cables stretch.
And I'm not employing hyperbole here, and saying "Oh, these pads are somewhat less effective when they're wet."
I mean I am literally pulling on the levers with all of the might I can muster, and they are doing nearly nothing in terms of slowing the bike. They might as well be made of cheese.
#754
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I know what you mean! I have had that before.
When the pads get all shitty I spray some WD40 on them. drive around the block with your fingers on the brakes, come back to the garage and clean your wheels off.
voila... great brakes... for a week tops
When the pads get all shitty I spray some WD40 on them. drive around the block with your fingers on the brakes, come back to the garage and clean your wheels off.
voila... great brakes... for a week tops
#755
Boost Pope
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Hmm. WD-40 on the brakes...
These pads are pretty much brand new, and I already went over the rims with acetone. Contamination is not the issue.
And, seriously? Nobody likes my Andy Warhol-inspired art?
These pads are pretty much brand new, and I already went over the rims with acetone. Contamination is not the issue.
And, seriously? Nobody likes my Andy Warhol-inspired art?
#758
Boost Pope
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Leafy isn't sufficiently secure in his masculinity to deal with Derpy.