I'm glad somebody got it.

(The quote was also from Vigo, by way of Grigory Rasputin.)


There is none.

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.

 

You are assuming there is logic. There is none.

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.

 

SKILLS!





how do you embed youtube videos? edit: nevermind...

 

Is it any surprise that fixie riders enjoy drifting?

 

I love how they did this on C59s.

 

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.

 

Maybe you arent pulling hard enough. My cables stretch when I make a full stop, but I havent bottomed out the handles yet.

 

With these Grey Matter pads, I am literally pulling the levers so hard that I am afraid I'm going to break something.

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."

 

Are you bottoming out the levers? If not, you can pull harder. Even the cheapy plastic brake levers, and stamped steel "calipers" I have dont break/bend. I just get to the point where I feel the cable stretch noticeably.

 

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.

 

Have you tried bleeding the brakes? You might have an air bubble in your cable.

 

What kind of cheese? Are we talking a hard parmesan, a firm Swiss or more like Brie?

Or is it full on Velveeta pudding? That's just nasty.

 

A firm, granular cheese, with no rind. Think Asiago, after it's been in the freezer for a while. .

 

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

 

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?

 

Yeah, wd40. Its also great for recovering that 6 year old set of slick tires you found in a barn for 1 more race.

 

Awww, what happened to Derpy?

 

That's all fine and well. I don't think I need to apply it to week-old pads on month-old rims that I've already cleaned with acetone.


Leafy isn't sufficiently secure in his masculinity to deal with Derpy.

 

I'm not a child molester.

 

But ...Miata?

That remains to be seen.