Author Topic: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat  (Read 314881 times)

GuitarStv

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #550 on: January 30, 2019, 11:56:07 AM »
It's always a good idea to support your LBS, but the one near me doesn't carry the lights I want for riding in to work.

For longevity I kinda feel like lights that use regular batteries are going to be best.  I've got a couple Planet Bike Superflash Turbo taillights that take regular AAA batteries and have been in regular usage for about five years now with no issue.  My old  Planet Bike Blaze that takes AA batteries has been around for about the same time and still works well.   I've been less successful with USB charging stuff . . . it seems like these special lithium batteries do have a limited shelf life and it's often hard to find replacements for them if they're replaceable at all.  This is a shame as it's getting a bit harder to find good bike lights that use regular batteries.
I like regular AA (or AAA) battery lights too. I run them on NiMH rechargeable cells. I bought a NiteRider MAKO mini and a larger MAKO (don't remember which one) at a LBS a few years back (only AA lights they had available). Currently using the mini because the larger one crapped out on me. I'm considering getting a MAKO 250 or a Planet Bike Blaze 140 SL. I'm also considering a AA (prefer AA because I have many AA NiMH cells on hand but have few spare AAA cells) rear light to mount on my rack - Planet Bike Grateful Red or Serfas Red Stop Sign Light.

Yep, I run all of mine on rechargeable batteries too.  No need to reinvent the wheel bike light manufacturers . . . AA and AAA are easily available and work great!

hadabeardonce

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #551 on: January 30, 2019, 12:53:31 PM »
I'm in the "USB Rechargeable" camp and haven't had any problems over the past year or two, but my commute is only ~11mi per day. Lights get charged once a week, never have ran out of juice.

Bontrager lights pop up second hand on eBay from time to time. Mine are the non-transmitter versions, so they don't automatically turn on when I start my ride(so barbaric):
Handlebar: Ion 800 R
Seatpost: Flare R
Helmet: Ion 100 R / Flare R City

Added the helmet light to the top of my helmet recently for increased visibility over parked cars. Maybe it makes me look smarter, like I have a lot of bright ideas =P

FunkyStickman

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #552 on: January 30, 2019, 01:26:50 PM »
It's a little more work to set up, but dynamo headlights are awesome. I rebuilt my front wheel with a $40 Sanyo dynohub, and built my own headlight out of a $3 LED 12V track lighting bulb (about 360 lumens). Tail light is a 12V LED marker light made for trailers. Whole setup was less than $60 and never needs batteries.

slipslop

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #553 on: January 30, 2019, 06:09:55 PM »
I've lost my front tube, three times in the past four months, to a tear near the valve of the tube. I'm keeping my tires properly inflated. Any tips on identifying the problem so that I can replace fewer tubes?

Still cheaper than gas, I suppose...

GuitarStv

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #554 on: January 30, 2019, 06:32:06 PM »
Check with your fingers for anything sharp and pointy stuck in the tire somewhere.  Stuff can get stuck in the tire and feel perfectly fine unless you really bend it back and forth under your hands.  Also check that your rim tape is covering up the spoke holes and hasn't slipped off enough that the tube can poke in there and puncture.

robartsd

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #555 on: January 31, 2019, 08:52:49 AM »
I've lost my front tube, three times in the past four months, to a tear near the valve of the tube. I'm keeping my tires properly inflated. Any tips on identifying the problem so that I can replace fewer tubes?

Still cheaper than gas, I suppose...
Tear at the base of the valve stem usually happens from the valve not being straight through the hole (which is usually because the wheel was ridden on with pressure too low). GS's tips are more for finding the subtle puncture points that might cause a leak slow enough that you might not notice right away. If you've had slow leaks that you keep topping up, but don't straighten the stem if needed when you top up the tire, you could have this problem, but I'd think you'd know what was causing the tear in that situation. If using Presta valves, are you tightening the nut on the valve stem too tight (should just be snug - especially on double wall rims)? I'd also check for the hole in the rim having sharp edges. If you can't identify and problems with your wheel, try stepping up the quality of the tubes you buy - perhaps the brand you're using is not as strong at the stem as it should be.

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #556 on: January 31, 2019, 10:41:05 AM »
If you can't identify and problems with your wheel, try stepping up the quality of the tubes you buy - perhaps the brand you're using is not as strong at the stem as it should be.

I run fairly high end tubes in all my tires. They're more resistant to punctures and once they're inflated they hardly ever need to be topped up. I find them worth the extra money just for the headaches they save.

Bayou Dweller

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #557 on: January 31, 2019, 12:27:26 PM »
It's always a good idea to support your LBS, but the one near me doesn't carry the lights I want for riding in to work.

For longevity I kinda feel like lights that use regular batteries are going to be best.  I've got a couple Planet Bike Superflash Turbo taillights that take regular AAA batteries and have been in regular usage for about five years now with no issue.  My old  Planet Bike Blaze that takes AA batteries has been around for about the same time and still works well.   I've been less successful with USB charging stuff . . . it seems like these special lithium batteries do have a limited shelf life and it's often hard to find replacements for them if they're replaceable at all.  This is a shame as it's getting a bit harder to find good bike lights that use regular batteries.
I like regular AA (or AAA) battery lights too. I run them on NiMH rechargeable cells. I bought a NiteRider MAKO mini and a larger MAKO (don't remember which one) at a LBS a few years back (only AA lights they had available). Currently using the mini because the larger one crapped out on me. I'm considering getting a MAKO 250 or a Planet Bike Blaze 140 SL. I'm also considering a AA (prefer AA because I have many AA NiMH cells on hand but have few spare AAA cells) rear light to mount on my rack - Planet Bike Grateful Red or Serfas Red Stop Sign Light.

Yep, I run all of mine on rechargeable batteries too.  No need to reinvent the wheel bike light manufacturers . . . AA and AAA are easily available and work great!

That's interesting to see so many people here in support of batteries. I've never had much success with rechargeable batteries, but obviously that would be the way to go with anything battery powered. I don't even own anything battery powered with traditional batteries, that is.

How long do these lights last before you have to replace the batteries? My USB charge-lights are pretty low.. Like 1.5 hours if they're on the brightest setting. 8+ hours if they're blinking.

I've lost my front tube, three times in the past four months, to a tear near the valve of the tube. I'm keeping my tires properly inflated. Any tips on identifying the problem so that I can replace fewer tubes?

Still cheaper than gas, I suppose...


That really sucks, I hope you find a solution for this. My first bike as an adult was my mom's old 1980s Schwinn. I was using it to train for a Triathlon. It kept having the same issue and I never was able to fix it. Talk about infuriating.

ysette9

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #558 on: January 31, 2019, 01:03:49 PM »
My baby loves to play with the button and the blindly lights on my ebike’s massive battery when I bring it in the house for a charge. She apparently played with it enough that she unplugged it soon after I had plugged it in. I realized this the next morning when I got on the bike to go to the doctors and then work and only had 40% charge.

I made it to work with 14% charge left but the battery had been throttling down the assist it gave me at the end.

Lesson learned to make sure that sucker really is charging.

GuitarStv

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #559 on: January 31, 2019, 01:26:12 PM »
It's always a good idea to support your LBS, but the one near me doesn't carry the lights I want for riding in to work.

For longevity I kinda feel like lights that use regular batteries are going to be best.  I've got a couple Planet Bike Superflash Turbo taillights that take regular AAA batteries and have been in regular usage for about five years now with no issue.  My old  Planet Bike Blaze that takes AA batteries has been around for about the same time and still works well.   I've been less successful with USB charging stuff . . . it seems like these special lithium batteries do have a limited shelf life and it's often hard to find replacements for them if they're replaceable at all.  This is a shame as it's getting a bit harder to find good bike lights that use regular batteries.
I like regular AA (or AAA) battery lights too. I run them on NiMH rechargeable cells. I bought a NiteRider MAKO mini and a larger MAKO (don't remember which one) at a LBS a few years back (only AA lights they had available). Currently using the mini because the larger one crapped out on me. I'm considering getting a MAKO 250 or a Planet Bike Blaze 140 SL. I'm also considering a AA (prefer AA because I have many AA NiMH cells on hand but have few spare AAA cells) rear light to mount on my rack - Planet Bike Grateful Red or Serfas Red Stop Sign Light.

Yep, I run all of mine on rechargeable batteries too.  No need to reinvent the wheel bike light manufacturers . . . AA and AAA are easily available and work great!

That's interesting to see so many people here in support of batteries. I've never had much success with rechargeable batteries, but obviously that would be the way to go with anything battery powered. I don't even own anything battery powered with traditional batteries, that is.

How long do these lights last before you have to replace the batteries? My USB charge-lights are pretty low.. Like 1.5 hours if they're on the brightest setting. 8+ hours if they're blinking.

My superflash turbos run 2 AAA batteries each and lasts 50-80 hrs in blinking mode (cold weather seems to drain batteries sooner).  I recharge the batteries every month or so.

robartsd

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #560 on: January 31, 2019, 05:19:14 PM »
How long do these lights last before you have to replace the batteries? My USB charge-lights are pretty low.. Like 1.5 hours if they're on the brightest setting. 8+ hours if they're blinking.

My superflash turbos run 2 AAA batteries each and lasts 50-80 hrs in blinking mode (cold weather seems to drain batteries sooner).  I recharge the batteries every month or so.
Yes, blinking "be seen" lights should last a long time. What about headlights for actually seeing?

NiteRider Mako 250 (brightest AA battery light I can find) has a rated run time of 7 hours on alkaline batteries on the brightest setting (probably closer to 5 hours on NiMH). Many USB charged lights are brighter but have shorter run times. One great thing about using AA rechargeable batteries is that spare batteries are cheap (~2 USD per cell) and easy to pack.

GuitarStv

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #561 on: January 31, 2019, 06:05:35 PM »
How long do these lights last before you have to replace the batteries? My USB charge-lights are pretty low.. Like 1.5 hours if they're on the brightest setting. 8+ hours if they're blinking.

My superflash turbos run 2 AAA batteries each and lasts 50-80 hrs in blinking mode (cold weather seems to drain batteries sooner).  I recharge the batteries every month or so.
Yes, blinking "be seen" lights should last a long time. What about headlights for actually seeing?

NiteRider Mako 250 (brightest AA battery light I can find) has a rated run time of 7 hours on alkaline batteries on the brightest setting (probably closer to 5 hours on NiMH). Many USB charged lights are brighter but have shorter run times. One great thing about using AA rechargeable batteries is that spare batteries are cheap (~2 USD per cell) and easy to pack.

Couldn't tell you to be honest.

My commute is almost entirely on lit roads and city streets.  Being seen is mostly what I'm concerned about.  This year I'm running five lights in the back (two on the bike, three on the backpack) and one or two on the front . . . all blinking crazily out of sync with each other.  :P

Arbitrage

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #562 on: February 04, 2019, 09:09:47 AM »
Sadness!  My e-bike is in the shop (not quite literally, since the company I bought from doesn't work with local partners for warranty service; I shipped the rear wheel out).  I had to drive this weekend for grocery shopping, and drove to work today for the second time since June.  Unfortunately, this will be followed by many more car-based commutes over the next couple of weeks at least, since that's the predicted service time. 

I'm even going to need to put gas in the car.  Haven't done that since my (reimbursed) work trip in early November. 

katscratch

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #563 on: February 04, 2019, 09:37:52 AM »
Oh, bummer, Arbitrage!  I'm renting a car this coming weekend as I'm on call and have a lot of errands to do (the arrangement has been planned for some time) and it is already making me sad that I'll see gasoline on my budget/spending again :)


For headlights to see the road - I haven't used any battery operated light that gives a good enough beam to see at full speed in the dark without also being mounted at an angle that would blind cars. Dynamo lights with a beam cutoff are my choice; spendier than battery lights for sure but for my type of riding has been a life saver. I've seen potholes and animals on country roads that I would've seen too late with my other lights.

Before I had the dynamo, in commuting traffic I ran a very very bright Light & Motion headlight on steady, mounted on the side of my fork and aimed out a bit further, then on the handlebars a Cygolite on the city mode that has a faint flash every second or so aimed a bit downward, and a Cygolite rear light on blinky. 

TrMama

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #564 on: February 04, 2019, 10:22:27 AM »
This weekend, while running errands by bike I thought the constant lock/unlock cycle would be much less annoying if I had a proximity lock, like in my car. Turns out this has already been invented (so there goes my plan to become a proper millionaire). Does anyone have one of these? Review?

letsdoit

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #565 on: February 15, 2019, 10:01:46 AM »
does anyone here commute on a fixie ? 

Dee_the_third

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #566 on: February 16, 2019, 05:16:56 PM »
Question about headlights...

My Cygolite Metro 400 seems to have crapped out after just 14 months of use. It says it's charged but then dies within 3 minutes of use.

Are these only supposed to last a certain number of charges? It's difficult to find this information, but I've heard 30 charges thrown around on another forum.

I guess my question is... Are they all going to die after 1-2 years of use? And should I purchase a light from a LBS instead of Amazon? I need one to safely ride into work tomorrow morning.

I have a Lights&Motion Urban 500 headlight, which has a USB rechargeable Li battery. Mine died after about 2 years of daily M-F use. It would say full charge, but then die after about 30s.

I took it apart and replaced the battery - seems the Mustachian thing to do!

runbikerun

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #567 on: February 17, 2019, 09:10:58 AM »
does anyone here commute on a fixie ?

No, but after the last half-hour of readjusting limit screws to properly index my gearing I can certainly see the appeal!

GuitarStv

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #568 on: February 17, 2019, 10:14:36 AM »
does anyone here commute on a fixie ?

No, but after the last half-hour of readjusting limit screws to properly index my gearing I can certainly see the appeal!

You shouldn't really have to adjust limit screws to index your gearing.  Limit screws just control how far up/down the cassette your chain can go.  The only thing you should be touching to do indexing is your barrel adjuster.

runbikerun

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #569 on: February 17, 2019, 02:53:21 PM »
This may explain why I ended up spending half an hour on it...

GuitarStv

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #570 on: February 18, 2019, 07:23:41 AM »
H/L screw adjustment:
Grab your derailleur cable and pull it by hand until the derailleur has reached the furthest it will go.  Then adjust the L (L for light gear) screw so that the derailleur jockey wheel is lined up directly below the cog at this point.  Unbolt the derailleur cable and adjust the H (H for hard gear) screw so that the derailleur jockey wheel is lined up below the cog.  Then bolt your cable back on (pull it tight enough that there's no slack, but not so tight that the derailleur moves from the smallest to second smallest cog) and pretty much never touch the screws again.

Indexing:
Shift to the second hardest gear.  Then shift to the third hardest gear.  If it doesn't shift easily, tighten the barrel adjuster until it does.  If it shifts too easily, loosen the barrel adjuster.  Once you can go from 2nd to third hardest and back smoothly, go up and down the cassette a couple times and make a one or two notch adjustment if necessary, but it should be pretty close to perfect.

It used to take me forever, but after discovering the above method I can usually re-index after replacing a cable in less that 5 minutes.

Tass

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #571 on: February 18, 2019, 04:26:22 PM »
I'm imminently planning on buying a bag that will clip to my bike rack so I don't have to deal with a bungee net 4x per day. Anything I should consider beforehand?

Here's what I'm looking at - I already have the same-brand rack so I picked this for compatibility: https://www.amazon.com/Ibera-Bicycle-Quick-Release-Weather-Pannier/dp/B00A6H2YNI?pd_rd_wg=as2wZ&pd_rd_r=2e497b04-5b6b-4e6a-b356-1643544f740c&pd_rd_w=moY4E&ref_=pd_gw_simh&pf_rd_r=MMK3HSFQ60VA4FVASKJT&pf_rd_p=5bb8abce-4b41-53f0-b785-c7d6b87a6b72

Dee_the_third

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #572 on: February 18, 2019, 07:51:37 PM »
I'm imminently planning on buying a bag that will clip to my bike rack so I don't have to deal with a bungee net 4x per day. Anything I should consider beforehand?

Here's what I'm looking at - I already have the same-brand rack so I picked this for compatibility: https://www.amazon.com/Ibera-Bicycle-Quick-Release-Weather-Pannier/dp/B00A6H2YNI?pd_rd_wg=as2wZ&pd_rd_r=2e497b04-5b6b-4e6a-b356-1643544f740c&pd_rd_w=moY4E&ref_=pd_gw_simh&pf_rd_r=MMK3HSFQ60VA4FVASKJT&pf_rd_p=5bb8abce-4b41-53f0-b785-c7d6b87a6b72

We got Ortliebs. They're expensive but flawless. They come in a pair so I took one and husband took one.
 
I would suggest you think about waterproofing. A shocking amount of water gets flung into my non-waterproof bag, even during a light drizzle.

Arbitrage

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #573 on: February 18, 2019, 08:49:44 PM »
I'm imminently planning on buying a bag that will clip to my bike rack so I don't have to deal with a bungee net 4x per day. Anything I should consider beforehand?

Here's what I'm looking at - I already have the same-brand rack so I picked this for compatibility: https://www.amazon.com/Ibera-Bicycle-Quick-Release-Weather-Pannier/dp/B00A6H2YNI?pd_rd_wg=as2wZ&pd_rd_r=2e497b04-5b6b-4e6a-b356-1643544f740c&pd_rd_w=moY4E&ref_=pd_gw_simh&pf_rd_r=MMK3HSFQ60VA4FVASKJT&pf_rd_p=5bb8abce-4b41-53f0-b785-c7d6b87a6b72

I have that pannier (actually a pair of them).  Working fine, but not waterproof of course.  They do come with a rain cover, which I'll throw on for rainy rides, but wouldn't trust for a longer ride in a downpour. 

I do think they're starting to wear a bit in the lower corners (about 8 months of regular use), and I'll have to keep an eye on that and/or figure out a way to mitigate. 

Tass

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #574 on: February 18, 2019, 11:18:45 PM »
We don't get very many rain days here in SoCal! Haven't braved that type of riding yet.

GuitarStv

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #575 on: February 19, 2019, 07:34:35 AM »
Waterproof is nice (you just have to be really careful not to accidentally let wet stuff drip into a waterproof bag because they'll start to smell funky really quickly), but honestly I'm fine with non-waterproof too . . . just wrap anything you don't want to get wet in a plastic grocery bag and it'll be fine.

LittleWanderer

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #576 on: February 19, 2019, 08:49:47 AM »
I'm imminently planning on buying a bag that will clip to my bike rack so I don't have to deal with a bungee net 4x per day. Anything I should consider beforehand?

Here's what I'm looking at - I already have the same-brand rack so I picked this for compatibility: https://www.amazon.com/Ibera-Bicycle-Quick-Release-Weather-Pannier/dp/B00A6H2YNI?pd_rd_wg=as2wZ&pd_rd_r=2e497b04-5b6b-4e6a-b356-1643544f740c&pd_rd_w=moY4E&ref_=pd_gw_simh&pf_rd_r=MMK3HSFQ60VA4FVASKJT&pf_rd_p=5bb8abce-4b41-53f0-b785-c7d6b87a6b72

I would be slightly worried that the plastic clips on the panniers that attach to your rack might break at some point in time.  You can line them with trash compactor bags to keep things nice and dry.  That's what I do when I go backpacking.  Lightweight, durable, and super waterproof.

I have a pair of Arkels which have been bombproof so far, but they were expensive. 

robartsd

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #577 on: February 19, 2019, 11:57:45 AM »
H/L screw adjustment:
Grab your derailleur cable and pull it by hand until the derailleur has reached the furthest it will go.  Then adjust the L (L for light gear) screw so that the derailleur jockey wheel is lined up directly below the cog at this point.  Unbolt the derailleur cable and adjust the H (H for hard gear) screw so that the derailleur jockey wheel is lined up below the cog.  Then bolt your cable back on (pull it tight enough that there's no slack, but not so tight that the derailleur moves from the smallest to second smallest cog) and pretty much never touch the screws again.

Indexing:
Shift to the second hardest gear.  Then shift to the third hardest gear.  If it doesn't shift easily, tighten the barrel adjuster until it does.  If it shifts too easily, loosen the barrel adjuster.  Once you can go from 2nd to third hardest and back smoothly, go up and down the cassette a couple times and make a one or two notch adjustment if necessary, but it should be pretty close to perfect.

It used to take me forever, but after discovering the above method I can usually re-index after replacing a cable in less that 5 minutes.
First make sure your derailleur hanger is properly aligned. I used to have terrible trouble trying to get my rear derailleur to shift accurately. I bought this alignment tool and spent some time zeroing in on getting my hanger perfectly parallel to the wheel. After alignment adjusting as GuitarStv suggests was a breeze. Absolutely perfect shifting since.

Waterproof is nice (you just have to be really careful not to accidentally let wet stuff drip into a waterproof bag because they'll start to smell funky really quickly), but honestly I'm fine with non-waterproof too . . . just wrap anything you don't want to get wet in a plastic grocery bag and it'll be fine.
I carry drinking water to work to avoid nasty tap water there. Water bottles for work are in same bag as work clothes. One day a lid was loose on one of my bottles - spilled about 8 oz of water. Clothes in plastic bag were fine. If my bag was waterproof it might have caused a problem.

Arbitrage

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #578 on: February 21, 2019, 06:52:55 AM »
Totally bummed out right now.  Sent my e-bike (the rear wheel, anyway) in for warranty repair on the motor, and just received it last night after a 3-week car clowning wait.  Unfortunately, I accidentally trashed the cadence and torque sensors when putting the bike back together. 

The manufacturer is terrible with communication, so it's not even clear that they did repair my existing motor problem; everything pretty much looks as it did before I sent it in.  I could be selling them short, as I haven't yet reproduced the problem, which was intermittent and will be difficult to reproduce without functional pedal assist. 

Throwing a flier out to see if they'll replace my sensors under warranty, but it's doubtful.  Now need to wait even longer to ride.  $200 to replace the sensors if they won't cover it, and potentially another fight and long wait if they didn't fix anything with the motor.  Argh!

hadabeardonce

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #579 on: February 21, 2019, 10:01:35 AM »
Totally bummed out right now.  Sent my e-bike (the rear wheel, anyway) in for warranty repair on the motor, and just received it last night after a 3-week car clowning wait.  Unfortunately, I accidentally trashed the cadence and torque sensors when putting the bike back together. 

The manufacturer is terrible with communication, so it's not even clear that they did repair my existing motor problem; everything pretty much looks as it did before I sent it in.  I could be selling them short, as I haven't yet reproduced the problem, which was intermittent and will be difficult to reproduce without functional pedal assist. 

Throwing a flier out to see if they'll replace my sensors under warranty, but it's doubtful.  Now need to wait even longer to ride.  $200 to replace the sensors if they won't cover it, and potentially another fight and long wait if they didn't fix anything with the motor.  Argh!
Could you still ride with the broken sensors or do they control functions of the bike?


For anyone looking for sunglasses to ride with, I've had good luck lately with 3M safety glasses:
Clear Lens - https://www.amazon.com/3M-Performance-Eyewear-Multi-Purpose-Design/dp/B01IKPYDGS/
Gray Lens -  https://www.amazon.com/3M-Performance-Eyewear-Multi-Purpose-Design/dp/B01IKPYDHC/

The clear lenses were nice for when it was dark in the mornings and evenings, but I still wanted something to keep debris out of my eyes. I got them during a Lowe's store closing, so they were less than Amazon's current price. Before these I was riding with a pair of Champion sunglasses from Target, but those cracked up in a nasty way. It made me concerned that in the event of an accident I might get plastic crap in my eyes, so the safety glasses fit the bill nicely.

AlexMar

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #580 on: February 21, 2019, 10:33:04 AM »
Totally bummed out right now.  Sent my e-bike (the rear wheel, anyway) in for warranty repair on the motor, and just received it last night after a 3-week car clowning wait.  Unfortunately, I accidentally trashed the cadence and torque sensors when putting the bike back together. 

The manufacturer is terrible with communication, so it's not even clear that they did repair my existing motor problem; everything pretty much looks as it did before I sent it in.  I could be selling them short, as I haven't yet reproduced the problem, which was intermittent and will be difficult to reproduce without functional pedal assist. 

Throwing a flier out to see if they'll replace my sensors under warranty, but it's doubtful.  Now need to wait even longer to ride.  $200 to replace the sensors if they won't cover it, and potentially another fight and long wait if they didn't fix anything with the motor.  Argh!

I know I way overpaid for my Trek, but it is very nice having a Trek store right next to the house with lots of good and helpful people working there.  Seems bikes break a lot from reading around and what a pain to fix them yourself and deal with internet companies!

Boofinator

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #581 on: February 21, 2019, 11:00:50 AM »
Seems bikes break a lot from reading around and what a pain to fix them yourself and deal with internet companies!

Depends on how much joy you take from doing things yourself. After the first couple of times I was completely ripped off (either by mechanics or others), I've decided to make it a hobby of fixing or building everything I can myself. In addition to saving me a lot of money, its also paid huge dividends over the years in supporting my knowledge base. Granted, this isn't a hobby for everyone, but just wanted to show the flip side of the coin: now when something breaks, I generally get somewhat excited about how I'm going to fix it.

Arbitrage

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #582 on: February 21, 2019, 11:02:04 AM »
Could you still ride with the broken sensors or do they control functions of the bike?


I can ride, but not with pedal assist - these sensors tell the motor controller when to kick on and how much power to provide.  That means I get a choice of throttle only, or pedals with zero assist.  The former option is something I would prefer to do only in a pinch, as it somewhat defeats the purpose of biking; I never ride that way normally.  The latter option might sound okay, but then you're riding a super-heavy bike with gearing not equipped to handle that mode.  Gun to my head, either would work, but neither is a way I'm inclined to commute with.

robartsd

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #583 on: February 22, 2019, 08:43:08 AM »
Could you still ride with the broken sensors or do they control functions of the bike?


I can ride, but not with pedal assist - these sensors tell the motor controller when to kick on and how much power to provide.  That means I get a choice of throttle only, or pedals with zero assist.  The former option is something I would prefer to do only in a pinch, as it somewhat defeats the purpose of biking; I never ride that way normally.  The latter option might sound okay, but then you're riding a super-heavy bike with gearing not equipped to handle that mode.  Gun to my head, either would work, but neither is a way I'm inclined to commute with.
If your throttle controller is sensitive enough, you could use throttle while pedaling to recreate the pedal assist. I'm sure it would take much practice to get the balance between your pedaling and throttle just right (unlike the intuitive automatic pedal assist). Still, I'd be inclined to do it while waiting to here back if the sensors will be covered by warranty / waiting for parts.

I know I way overpaid for my Trek, but it is very nice having a Trek store right next to the house with lots of good and helpful people working there.  Seems bikes break a lot from reading around and what a pain to fix them yourself and deal with internet companies!
You're right that bikes require maintenance - much more frequent than a car miles wise, but not that much different in terms of time in use. A well maintained bike rarely has any issues other than a puncture flat from road debris - this is much more rare for cars because they have much thicker tires. Maintenance intervals on the exposed chain are higher than you would use for the transmission of a car, but most other moving parts on a bike need no more frequent (time not miles wise) maintenance. Bike tires need replacing more frequently because they are thinner and have less surface contact (even after adjusting for weight - I run my bike tires 2-3x the pressure of my car tires).

Of course e-bikes are more complicated and heavier than regular bikes and many systems are pretty new, so their designs might not be refined enough.

slipslop

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #584 on: February 22, 2019, 10:05:28 PM »
Replaced my rear brake pads and made brake adjustments last night. Laughed every time I pulled the brake and slowed down *way* faster than I was expecting to. I guess it'll take a few days to get used to the new stopping power.

dvdvrhs

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #585 on: March 07, 2019, 01:58:57 PM »
A bike commuting tax break bill has been introduced. I would recommend asking your representative to support this:

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/03/06/new-bill-would-provide-a-tax-break-for-bike-commuters/


FunkyStickman

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #586 on: March 07, 2019, 02:42:33 PM »
I signed up for my work's "Commit to be Fit" contest. 12 weeks.
Going to be hitting the bike hard, and very likely going to give the 21 mile commute a shot in the future. Will post back how it goes.

ysette9

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #587 on: March 07, 2019, 03:42:01 PM »
I managed to take my first spill on my bike on the ride in three days ago. It was wet due to rain and I took this 90* curve that turned out to be super slippery. Thankfully I was going really slowly so the worst was the chain that fell off. The next morning I was super cautious at the same spot, slowed way down, and found myself on the ground again, this time with a scraped ankle. Damn. I guess that particular shortcut is off the menu on wet days.

GuitarStv

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #588 on: March 07, 2019, 05:47:13 PM »
You'll find that there are particular road surfaces that you've got to be really careful around when it's wet.  Any of those big metal plates/grates/manhole covers should be regarded with suspicion.  Be careful if you find yourself on the white lines too, they can get crazy slippery when wet.

Freedomin5

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #589 on: March 07, 2019, 08:32:16 PM »
You'll find that there are particular road surfaces that you've got to be really careful around when it's wet.  Any of those big metal plates/grates/manhole covers should be regarded with suspicion.  Be careful if you find yourself on the white lines too, they can get crazy slippery when wet.

Also bathroom tiles that are used to tile bridges...but that may just be a China thing.


On a more positive note, the weather is finally cooperating, so I biked three times this week for a total distance of approximately 100 km.

ysette9

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #590 on: March 08, 2019, 10:23:20 AM »
You'll find that there are particular road surfaces that you've got to be really careful around when it's wet.  Any of those big metal plates/grates/manhole covers should be regarded with suspicion.  Be careful if you find yourself on the white lines too, they can get crazy slippery when wet.
I do avoid those already, but I guess the exposed pebble concrete sidewalk is rare enough that I hadn’t thought about it before.

Boo on indoor tiles being used on bridges!

TrMama

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #591 on: March 08, 2019, 03:20:46 PM »
You'll find that there are particular road surfaces that you've got to be really careful around when it's wet.  Any of those big metal plates/grates/manhole covers should be regarded with suspicion.  Be careful if you find yourself on the white lines too, they can get crazy slippery when wet.
I do avoid those already, but I guess the exposed pebble concrete sidewalk is rare enough that I hadn’t thought about it before.

Boo on indoor tiles being used on bridges!

Glad to hear you're OK. The last time I wiped out like that I managed to give myself whiplash.

ysette9

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #592 on: March 08, 2019, 04:51:20 PM »
Oh wow. I hope you have recovered by now. Whiplash somehow isn’t something I expect on a bike.

Arbitrage

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #593 on: March 08, 2019, 08:12:48 PM »
Finally have my bike back!  Missed a whole month of bike commuting while it was getting repaired being worked on unsuccessfully.  Of course, my first week after having my bike back, I was out of town traveling, so it'll end up being a five week break.  I'm ready to get back on the wagon. 

Edit: ARGH!  The bike isn't fixed - problem with the motor still exists.  I might try to ride it this week, but the saga continues...
« Last Edit: March 09, 2019, 01:02:41 PM by Arbitrage »

TrMama

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #594 on: March 09, 2019, 04:00:08 PM »
Oh wow. I hope you have recovered by now. Whiplash somehow isn’t something I expect on a bike.

LOL, it was a few years ago, so I've been fine for quite a while now. I was surprised by how much pain I was in 2 days after the fall. Turns out whiplash is caused by sudden deceleration. Like when your body flies through the air and then comes to an abrupt stop when it smashes into the pavement ;-)

ysette9

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #595 on: March 11, 2019, 10:59:17 AM »
Oh wow. I hope you have recovered by now. Whiplash somehow isn’t something I expect on a bike.

LOL, it was a few years ago, so I've been fine for quite a while now. I was surprised by how much pain I was in 2 days after the fall. Turns out whiplash is caused by sudden deceleration. Like when your body flies through the air and then comes to an abrupt stop when it smashes into the pavement ;-)
Eek

wallet

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #596 on: March 11, 2019, 01:26:36 PM »
Finally have my bike back!  Missed a whole month of bike commuting while it was getting repaired being worked on unsuccessfully.  Of course, my first week after having my bike back, I was out of town traveling, so it'll end up being a five week break.  I'm ready to get back on the wagon. 

Edit: ARGH!  The bike isn't fixed - problem with the motor still exists.  I might try to ride it this week, but the saga continues...

Oh no! What a pain! Fingers crossed you get this sorted pronto. Service would be much better if they understood that this is a primary source of transport for some folks! Can you imagine waiting a month for a car to be repaired!?

35andFI

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #597 on: March 11, 2019, 04:50:19 PM »
There is a little walkable underpass that I take instead of crossing a small highway.
I could tell that it was flooded but I couldn’t tell how deep it was. I decided to go for it.
It kept getting deeper... and deeper so I lifted my feet up so they wouldn’t get wet.
Then the bike stopped rolling...

Lesson learned.

ysette9

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #598 on: March 11, 2019, 09:20:15 PM »
Haha!

GuitarStv

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Re: Start Biking To Work - cycling newbies chat
« Reply #599 on: March 12, 2019, 07:42:28 AM »
lol



My reason for always avoiding puddles has a lot to do with the likelihood of finding a wheel sized pothole/crack under them around here.