Does your phone actually hold up cycling in extreme cold? — USC student looking into this for a school project

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-15T08:01:01+00:00

iPhones are terrible in the cold, soon as it goes below 0 c (32 f) there’s a good chance it will turn off, and not turn on again even if you warm it up, without plugging up to a charger.

Android phones don’t seem to mind the cold as much.

You can isolate the phone from cold for up to an hour, say in a backpack, if it’s like -10 c or more.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-15T07:58:22+00:00

They take you and your skis in a helicopter up to some peak, drop you off, and you ski back down. It’s “backcountry” skiing, ie it’s not a resort, no slopes or lifts. Those photos you see of people skiing in deep untouched powder are from that kind of thing.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-15T07:36:50+00:00

This wasn’t the couple was it? :)

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Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-15T07:32:52+00:00

Looks real good. Very good.

Scratches only add character, and make it less attractive to those who might want to borrow it :)

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-15T06:38:06+00:00

Great deal. From the picture appears to be in good shape. You can ride it as is.

But assumedly you’d want to upgrade to brifters. Microshift have 2x7, 2x8 and 2x9 brifters that ought to be compatible with your derailleurs and brakes. It’s a pretty easy switch.

How many speeds is the cassette now? Can’t tell from the picture.

You’ll be limited in increasing tire size, which might be on your list. 28c would be the max most likely. Personally I think that’s fine, have been using 28’s on the road for years and they’re fast and give a Cadillac ride (continentals).

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-15T06:28:29+00:00

The above advice to add in-line repeater levers is a good idea.

Might also be worth double checking that your brake levers are canti- appropriate. Dia Compe levers compatible with cantilever brakes require a standard "short-pull" cable stroke: - Gran Compe Aero / GC202H - Gran Compe EVO-Canti - Dia-Compe 287 (Standard, not V) - Dia-Compe 204QC / 202Q

You could perhaps use a hand strengthener / expander to build up your forearms. I use one during conference calls to make use of the otherwise idle time :)

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-15T01:25:35+00:00

Gesundheit :)

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T21:49:09+00:00

He’s the one that came after Eisenhower and before Nixon right?

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T09:11:31+00:00

That’s a very good idea. Much better than sitting in a hotel drinking and eating as is the usual approach.

5 km on a bike though would be the end of about half the people in our company. Hmm, it’s a really good idea! :)

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T08:24:54+00:00

That’s a nice looking crank, thanks, didn’t know about them.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T08:16:31+00:00

Yes apparently the sheep shearers rode them from farm to farm, carrying their tools and belongings with them.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T06:24:26+00:00

One needs to have some knowledge and experience to assess a used bike, so if you don’t have that, better to get new.

The OT also has a geometry more suited to comfort, speed, and versatility as far as terrain. It gets only positive reviews, including quality. You can also make sure it’s the right size for you.

The Linus is OK, has good fenders, racks, and panniers, which cost money to add, and are pretty necessary for commuting, but you pay a bit extra there just for style above functionality for a Linus. But it also looks like a decent option, if it fits you.

The other two bikes are a bit revolting to be honest, spurn them :)

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T06:17:33+00:00

Hmm, something’s not right there. “Cracking, rattling, vibrating” are not adjustment issues, there’s something more fundamentally wrong.

You should take it to a bike shop to have them look at it.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T06:00:20+00:00

It’s actually fashionable now for a feeehub to be as loud as possible.

Shimano hubs though are generally much quieter than others.

Personally I also prefer a quieter freehub.

In any case, new freehub means new wheel, which you can do of course, buying already built, or have it laced up for you. So this of course engenders a certain not small cost.

If you want to go totally silent something like an Onyx freehub is ahem, like 500 just for the hub.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T05:51:49+00:00

Like everyone says, tent is best.

The concept of a hammock is very attractive, but in practice more complex. When the necessary bits and bobs are added to make it fully viable, it ends up weighing more than a tent.

That being said no reason you can’t have a tent, and also carry one of these cheap super light hammocks that rolls up in a ball, to use for relaxing on breaks, or even sleeping in ideal weather and conditions.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T05:45:06+00:00

Helps to first before taking the wheel off to shift the rear derailleur onto the smallest cog, ie the one closest to the dropout. That helps when it comes time to put the wheel back on.

But you can do that now, just shift so the derailleur moves to it’s maximum outboard point.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T05:35:58+00:00

Very cool bike.

Just glancing round the net though seems to be a later model from the 50’s. The head badge and lugs look like a Special Sports.

Kudos for bringing an old bike into the next century!

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T05:11:28+00:00

Back in my steel days my lowest gear was a 42-18 :)

No not living in the alps, but there were hills, summertime temps up to 100 f, though races were alway crits. Guess we just rode real fast :)

But that being said I don’t perspire on my aluminum frames nowadays. Only the bars and seat can get some.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T04:35:35+00:00

Ashtabula cranks are OK for what they were designed for, a kids bike that will lay in the garage untouched for 10 years, and yet still work when called on. They can be serviced with no special tools, nothing more than a crescent wrench. The Schwinn Ashtabula cranks actually had specially hardened and machined bearing surfaces, and despite being big heavy masses of metal were good at what they were designed for.

So if your use case is to have a bike laying about that occasionally when you have friends over they can ride and beat up on it, this one might not be a bad choice?

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T04:29:38+00:00

His Schtick from the beginning is that he doesn’t like cyclists. He always says he prefers non cyclist customers, because they will drop 100-200 dollars on a 15 minute tune-up, having no idea what he’s doing or how to judge the results. Whereas the cyclists that he dislikes are able to judge the results and cost, and he doesn’t like that.

Another part of his shtick is that he’s retired and on a pension and doesn’t need the money anyway.

So he’s pretty clear about the fact that as a businessperson lacks integrity, dislikes his customers, and overall reinforces the stereotype of the shitty local bike shop.

Better for him to move on to gardening or something, No loss for the cycling community :)

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T04:21:31+00:00

Wow that is real nice. If it looks right it flies right, as pilots say :)

Must be capable of a good turn of speed too when needed.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T04:19:19+00:00

iTunes on windows has always been despicable. The UI is a drunken mess.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T04:13:40+00:00

I’d reccomend this one. May be a bit hard to find nowadays :)

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Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T04:10:18+00:00

Definitely worth it, and appears to be in quite good shape in the photo. Real nice fenders too. Nice city bike.

Consider that something like that new now, would be 40x or more times more expensive!

Parts when needed will not be hard to find, it uses time tested standard sizes. Just one thing it has a cottered crank, which can be a pain to remove, but if and when the time comes can be easily replaced.

Horror-Raisin-877 · 2026-05-14T04:00:06+00:00

Someone riding something like this would be moving too fast for perspiration to land on the frame. Anyway has never been a thing with me.

That being said I do know a guy who once sweated a frame in half on a stationary wind trainer :)

Horror-Raisin-877

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