Recent content by rob feature

Bitchin'. I carry almost this same kit - piece for piece except for some brands. Right down to the Park valve stem tool :). I've used everything but the plugs in the field. Apologies to self for jinxing self I carry a few more things on the bike or in a backpack - depending on the bike &...

I almost never use power tools on bikes, but this is one place that it just works. Super slow and low power mode of course. Almost never use a flathead driver on, uh, anything either. This gets the nipples off pretty easily after a few turns from a spoke wrench to zero the tension all the way...

Among early observations - this rim is poorly built. Not only is jagged machining crust left on the holes, but I found a couple sharp nipples - apprentice marks 🕵️‍♀️ Ever wondered how you got a flat but didn't run over anything?

In case you were wondering. I'm taking the 'high road?'. Farming this out is too much work. I'm kinda curious anyway. So, disassembled the wheel, learned a few things along the way. Next task - determine ERD, order up a rim and a few more tools, and attempt a rim swap. Assuming the hub...

Yeah, I found the nomenclature to be a little tricky as well

Not crazy about the color, but don't buy bikes to stare at them either.

Don't let the dummies hijack your good time. We still have a lot to celebrate. Cheers y'all! Pool day for me. Made some new friends. BBQ here in a bit. Life is good!

Ima gonna drop by some local dealers next week & see if I can score a Turbo Vado 4 for a decent price. Website says $2.8k. Maybe I can do better than that?

I'm not working with a hub motor. It's a regular MTB wheel fed off a Bosch mid-drive. Yeah, I may not buy the Park stand. Still shopping around. There are much cheaper options available for occasional use. And I do have some more wheel work on my list. Wanna swap the hoops on my Yeti...

Yeah, I thought it was a bit lofty as well. They wanted $150 for the wheel build - so apparently about $400 in parts somewhere? I didn't ask for a fancy rim or anything. Or a tire or tape or valves. Not sure exactly which parts you're talking about above, but holler at me on the side -...

740mm on my Allant. 800mm on MTBs. One rule I've heard through the years is do some pushups. Wherever you put your hands gives you a good idea of where you'd want a bar. I have a One-up carbon bar on one of my hardtail MTBs and I swear it takes out enough small vibrations to combat fatigue.

That has to be Lennard Zinn (of Zinn & the art of Bicycle Maintenance fame)? He lived in Louisville when I lived there. Shop address is Louisville. Yeah, good call! I live on the other side of the metro now, but would totally drive up there to use his crew for this.

So I'm having a helluva time finding another wheel at any price. Web searches have been mostly fruitless with maybe one exception close to $450. I just got back from LBS, who quoted me something north of $500 to build my hub up again :oops:. And that wouldn't be 'till August at best when he...

Naah, I took a 6,000 mile (mostly offroad) trip one summer. Took me a month riding pretty much all day every day. Would have taken me 6 months on an electric. The engine is also the soul of a motorcycle. You listen to it for subtle cues in sketchy situations & it keeps you company on long...

The vast majority of a bike's braking ability is on the front wheel - just sayin. Did you loosen a fitting or sommat to lose the fluid? Squeaking usually means a contaminated rotor / pads. Rotors can be cleaned with alcohol. Pads can to a degree, but if they got hydraulic fluid or mineral...