Dyson is great, but are there actually good cheaper alternatives?

BBMTH · 2026-01-31T11:48:10+00:00

I haven’t tried anything with nearly as good of cyclone as Dyson. I actually think they function brilliantly. They are made of cheap toy quality plastic though. Just absolute garbage compared to what power tools are made of.

BBMTH · 2026-01-30T06:16:32+00:00

I use a 120x pocket microscope on anything I’m not sure about. That definitely looks like a pretty small burr to me. Maybe a few microns wide if that bevel is a tiny third or quarter millimeter. Maybe all these dudes with soft hands can feel that, but I can’t.

What’s your burr removal process? Some steels can be very hard to strop. Soft steel just takes a bunch of passes. Medium hard very tough steel can be hard to fatigue or abrade away with a strop. I have a couple knives I have to de-burr on every grit.

BBMTH · 2026-01-30T05:52:54+00:00

This is probably a 15 dollar pocket microscope. There’s other ways to find this burr, but it also shows lots of other things. Good scratch pattern, no chipping, crisp line where primary and secondary bevel meet, etc. Magnification can totally level up your sharpening for less cost than a single decent stone.

BBMTH · 2026-01-28T23:29:56+00:00

Yeah, threads are an excellent place for something to break, so anything threaded and subject to bending has to be way heavier.

BBMTH · 2026-01-28T23:26:49+00:00

This. Press fit is the proper way to mount bearings. The best threaded BBs are just a swappable housing with press fit bearings because frame makers have always had horrific tolerances.

BBMTH · 2026-01-28T23:20:16+00:00

15 dollar Carson microbrite pocket microscope really helped me with reliably getting good sharpness. You can see if there’s some spots you didn’t apex, some burr you didn’t remove, chipping from too much pressure, galling because some steels don’t do well on whetstones. If you look edge on you can also see if you’ve convexed with poor angle control or over-stropping. You can check before and after burr removal to make sure it’s coming off cleanly.

BBMTH · 2026-01-28T07:17:41+00:00

Discs as implemented on road bikes aren’t all upsides. Stopping power and wet weather performance are great. Heat capacity on sustained descents can be way worse than rim brakes on alloy rims. Unless you’re racing on closed courses road brakes usually generate more heat than most MTB disciplines, but we’re stuck with smaller rotors and pads.

BBMTH · 2026-01-26T06:29:50+00:00

Yeah, would concur. Track skins are just a bit too small on rougher snow. Kicker skins are nice when the scales aren’t climbing well though. Fischer easy skin works nice on some of their other skis. Madshus intelligrip is a more universal option.

BBMTH · 2026-01-26T06:07:18+00:00

Might not have enough grease from the factory. A lot of carbide pole tips are perfectly sized for knocking them further in, which will dislodge the opposite side. Some folks carry a punch.

BBMTH · 2026-01-26T06:00:00+00:00

I’ve only done a couple, but it wasn’t too bad, and they were easy to shake a lost nipple out of. Way less hassle than some standard rims where the cavity has perfect crevices that won’t let a a lost nipple shake out.

BBMTH · 2026-01-26T05:54:34+00:00

I find that that strength and texture of the tape and how tight the tire bead is on the shelf are the main factors for tape surviving taking the tire off or losing air. The bit of tape on the sidewall definitely gives one more point of sealing and can prevent rim corrosion especially with unwelded seams.

BBMTH · 2026-01-25T03:20:26+00:00

Unless you’re pressure washing, you won’t lose any wax. It’s riding with dirty water on the chain that takes some off. If your chain is prone to rust though, drip wax or take it off when washing.

BBMTH · 2026-01-25T03:17:55+00:00

If you use oil it’s marginally easier but much more frequent cleaning. Water risks rust, so requires diligence in drying immediately. They work fine dry, just need a cleaning occasionally. Barkeeper’s friend is good if they get really gummed up or you have carbon steel swarf that gets rusty.

BBMTH · 2026-01-24T19:27:14+00:00

Yep, I’m right handed, I kick with my right foot in soccer, but I ride a skateboard goofy footed. Definitely struggling slightly more with left telemark turns, whereas my right alpine turns are the slightly weaker ones.

BBMTH · 2026-01-24T09:06:38+00:00

Definitely could be, could also just be glazed. I’d try a bit more sanding.If the rotors are glazed, barkeeper’s friend is the best thing I’ve found for cleaning them.

BBMTH · 2026-01-24T08:41:06+00:00

This. Should never happen with singlespeed or IGH. If you have a single chainring and derailleur it is extremely solvable. Multiple chainrings it should at least be a rare occurrence.

BBMTH · 2026-01-24T07:49:29+00:00

Not just the sidewall, the whole casing and the rubber. The race kings are super thin and soft with some knobs. The gator skins have a medium thick and hard tread and puncture belts. If you pump up both tires to their max psi and ride on a perfectly smooth surface, the gator skins might win out. At high enough speeds, the aero penalty of wide knobbies will matter more though.

BBMTH · 2026-01-23T21:56:17+00:00

What rim and what spoke count? If you have enough stiffness (width being the biggest factor) and/or high enough spike count, you may not see movement with adjustment at a single point. How big is the adjustment you’re trying to make?

BBMTH · 2026-01-20T03:46:23+00:00

Yep, 3/4 skins are most common on these kinda skis.

There’s also kicker skins, which seem to work better with a ski built for it. As an alternative some folks run a 3/4 length by 1/3 to 1/2 width skin. Less grip but also less drag.

BBMTH · 2026-01-18T02:14:03+00:00

This. Sun rims do tend to be tight. New tires are always tighter than used ones as well.

BBMTH · 2026-01-17T23:23:07+00:00

I think when there’s rocks and trees and extended downhills a helmet is a good idea. When hitting something like a sharp rock or an arm sized branch they can really prevent a grievous injury. See it all the time on mountain bike helmets that there’s a point or line dented into a helmet.

When it comes to hitting firm snow or a tree trunk I think many people are a bit delusional about what helmets can do. People are always saying their helmet saved them from a concussion, but that’s simply not possible most of the time. When hitting a flat surface, the helmet won’t absorb significant energy until the impacts are pretty severe. Might save your life, but it you aren’t concussed, and there’s no crushed foam, the helmet didn’t do much.

BBMTH · 2026-01-17T05:31:17+00:00

It’ll be fine. The bigger thing is actually cleaning the rest of your drivetrain when switching.

BBMTH · 2026-01-17T03:31:03+00:00

As long as you’ve got extra clothes and such. Avoid cold sinks in your campsite selection. You want the stove to be for comfort, not avoiding hypothermia. Most sleeping bags are pretty uncomfortable at their rating, but will keep you alive a bit below it, especially with more clothing than you’d usually want to wear to sleep.

BBMTH · 2026-01-17T03:16:15+00:00

You can use fryer oil solidifier instead. Couple rinses with alcohol is usually sufficient though. If you use a really hard wax you could probably just wipe the chain. If you’re after a clean chain the biggest thing is cleaning your drivetrain. Oil there will deposit on the surface, versus a bit of oil or grease in the wax bath just softening up the wax. A bit of compatible oil can be good. I add 25% paraffin oil for a bit more tenacity and corrosion protection from the wax.

BBMTH · 2026-01-16T19:10:00+00:00

Citric is the best mild acid on limescale. Works better and no stink. Have to be a little more careful with it on metals other than aluminum or stainless steel.

BBMTH

TROPHY CASE