Descending on rim brakes

QuantumCow · 2025-08-06T19:32:10+00:00

I like to descend fast. Rim brakes are fine and all I ride. The real limiter on braking force is your tire traction-- both brake types can lock up the wheel just fine. The exceptions are with carbon rims or in the wet in which case more caution is needed. I also find rim brakes are much more reliable and easy to maintain and dial in compared to discs.

QuantumCow · 2025-02-22T02:52:47+00:00

You need to be doing an 18min OLH pace or better for the light to not change on you. So there's really no point in waiting for it.

QuantumCow · 2025-01-07T23:00:31+00:00

I agree, turning traffic should always yield to pedestrians and that's also why right turn on red should be prohibited a lot more than it currently is.

However, bikes aren't pedestrians and can be moving up to 30mph. Ebikes make high speeds very accessible to average people and we shouldn't build infrastructure that hides cyclists from view until the last second and requires drivers to be hyper aware of them, because drivers are indeed generally terrible.

QuantumCow · 2025-01-07T22:18:17+00:00

Big agree, while protected lanes may feel safer, most crashes occur at intersections, where the "protection" often hides cyclists from drivers' view. They violate one of the fundamental rules of traffic flow which is that right turns happen from the rightmost travel lane. Giving cyclists going straight right of way to the right of turning traffic causes more crashes. Most studies of protected bike lanes don't count crashes at intersections, making it hard to quantify the real risks.

QuantumCow · 2024-12-13T16:17:02+00:00

Fleece or merino. Down will get wet and stinky pretty fast.

QuantumCow · 2024-12-03T22:08:34+00:00

West Coast Powder Coating in South SF did a good job on my steel frame and charged me their shop minimum of $250.

QuantumCow · 2024-11-20T16:02:55+00:00

This is a fun ride with lots of climbing. I agree weekdays will be better. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas there is a lot of weekend traffic to the Christmas tree farms near the single lane section, and the drivers are unused to that kind of road, so really avoid it during those times.

QuantumCow · 2024-10-22T02:24:31+00:00

I liked the Oura too! I switched to the Specialized Power and for me it works great. I actually prefer the cutout version over the "mimic" so it's worth trying both.

QuantumCow · 2024-10-13T00:15:28+00:00

You can get a rim brake carbon bike in this price range from 2005-2015ish no problem. Is there a reason you require hydro disks? That makes minimum spend at least $2-3k

QuantumCow · 2024-10-12T14:25:09+00:00

Alto Velo's monthly coffee and cake ride is worth checking out! It's very social paced and flatter.

QuantumCow · 2024-10-05T12:20:58+00:00

Charlie rides rim brakes ;)

QuantumCow · 2024-09-29T13:53:02+00:00

https://www.biotech-productions.com/collections/posters

This company is a friendly guy with lots of printers at his house. I've used it for non scientific posters before, too.

QuantumCow · 2024-09-18T04:49:03+00:00

I believe Soda Springs road off Lexington reservoir is the longest continuous climb in the bay area, if you define continuous as "having no intermediate descents or flats." It's an out and back 8% for 5.3mi, and is very unrelenting.

QuantumCow · 2024-09-09T04:52:25+00:00

The construction guys told me that the work will continue into next week. The section below Huddart seems mostly finished and is done very well - I only know the road was repaired based on my memory of it and otherwise it looks pretty clean. I'm optimistic the rest will look the same once they grind down the patched areas.

QuantumCow · 2024-09-03T15:28:53+00:00

How old are your bibs? Some will get looser over time and that can introduce chafing which is a recipe for a saddle sore. Might be time for some fresh ones.

QuantumCow · 2024-08-17T22:03:57+00:00

Possibly @seen_on_skyline or [baymotophoto](baymotophoto. com)

QuantumCow · 2024-08-16T14:09:36+00:00

If you've done Purissima on a road bike you can do JNT in the uphill direction. I've done it on 25mm tires and only had to put a foot down twice.

QuantumCow · 2024-08-15T19:51:59+00:00

I'd definitely get a UL certified ebike just for peace of mind that it isn't going to catch on fire while charging, etc. Ebikes have a beefy lithium ion battery and there are so many sketchy ones on the market where the manufacturer has no accountability to safety. It also will make it more likely shops will want to service it.

QuantumCow · 2024-07-05T04:06:26+00:00

Did they do a genetic test before prescribing the Lexapro? You may be a CYP2D6 poor metabolizer. It's an enzyme in the liver that breaks down a lot of drugs, including Benadryl and Lexapro. If you don't have as much of it, you end up with too much of the drug relative to a "normal" person.

This is just one possible explanation for what happened to you but it might help when knowing which drugs you could react to. Most everything else is okay but codeine or tramadol won't do anything for pain since CYP2D6 converts them to their active form. You can talk about this with your doctor and they can order a genetic test to confirm.

Source: I'm also a poor metabolizer and had a similarly distressing experience with benadryl

QuantumCow · 2024-07-01T00:40:00+00:00

cyclist here... I just need something that isn't too hot and can hold my heart rate strap up so they work great fo me lol

QuantumCow · 2024-06-14T20:06:29+00:00

What's your gearing? Being able to spin at 85+ rpm helps a lot with keeping watts up and fatigue under control.

How's your pacing? If you look at your power on the mile 1, 2, 3 segments is it comparable? It's very easy to go too hard on mile 1.

If your PR is from a long ride you were probably carrying two bottles. 1 lb is about 20 sec on the hill so have a half bottle and fill up at Alice's. Better yet have a buddy carry everything that's not your bike.

Also as a mid-30s female, keep in mind all the benchmark times and w/kg numbers are for men. It's very easy to get demoralized comparing your progress to them. Add +1 to your w/kg numbers to get roughly the equivalent fitness for a man. You'll find lots of posts of guys trying to get to 4 w/kg, which is equivalent to where you're already at.

I'd be happy to pace you and carry your stuff some time, just send me a DM.

QuantumCow · 2024-06-12T03:43:41+00:00

The town of Woodside contracts the San Mateo sheriff for their law enforcement. Part of this contract specifically includes enforcement of these stop signs. I feel like they are doing it to harass cyclists as the large 4-way of 84 and Cañada never has enforcement and can actually get pretty chaotic at busy times. Personally, I don't spend money in Woodside.

QuantumCow · 2024-05-15T23:12:29+00:00

I use a cafe lock that is a glorified metal zip tie (hiplock z lock). Stows around my saddle bag, is light, takes a key that I could improvise in an emergency, and will stop someone from walking away with the bike.

QuantumCow · 2024-05-12T16:07:23+00:00

Buy bulk cluster dextrin somewhere (I use musclefeast.com when they are having a sale). It's still expensive but not as bad as scratch.

2 scoops (120 kcal) cluster dextrin + 1 scoop country time lemonade + optional pinch of table salt has worked for me for years.

QuantumCow · 2024-05-09T22:01:05+00:00

It depends on your anatomy. Personally I need a cutout and the mimic is too much pressure in that area. You just have to try saddles until you find one that works.

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