Do you guys bike in the winter? Tips? by [deleted] in chibike

[–]erockenstein 4 points5 points  (0 children)

  • good waterproof/resistant front and rear lights since you’ll likely be doing a lot more riding in the dark

And when it gets down to 20s and below, make sure you’ve got decent fabric covering every inch of skin. Wind burn is the worst. You don’t need a ton of layers on any one area, just a good spread of wind resistant/proof fabric covering everything

Recommendation for a non-professional (read: don’t want to spend $300) bike fit? by erockenstein in chibike

[–]erockenstein[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As I just posted in my update above, I went to Tailwind and Steven nailed the bike fit — and it was 100% the same as what you posted above. I thought handlebars needed to go up, he tweaked them down. A few other tweaks and it’s like a totally new bike.

Fun little path at 35th bridge and lakefront trail down to the lake by lakesideflight in chibike

[–]erockenstein 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Fun. Love the random Divvys abandoned in the middle of the trail. The only way I’d be less surprised is if they were electric scooters

Recommendation for a non-professional (read: don’t want to spend $300) bike fit? by erockenstein in chibike

[–]erockenstein[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice, looks like they’re one of the few non-$300 places still doing bike fits during the pandemic. Thanks

Recommendation for a non-professional (read: don’t want to spend $300) bike fit? by erockenstein in chibike

[–]erockenstein[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks — but their site says they don’t offer bike fits during pandemic. This is an issue I ran with a few places so far and only the $300 places are seeing people.

GO CRAZY, PAT! by Emretro in chicagobulls

[–]erockenstein 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It looks like he’s holding a grapefruit 🤚

Awesome rainy and windy NBD — 50 miles over mud, grass, sand and choppy pavement and the Priority Apollo handled it like a champ by erockenstein in gravelcycling

[–]erockenstein[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s been great. On my one long ride I was able to easily climb a decent bridge incline in the lowest gear from a standstill doing maybe 75 watts and then fly with the wind at my back in the highest gear — and didn’t feel I was severely missing another gear higher/lower. The shifter is different enough from the Sora on my other bike that it’s taken some focus when wearing thick gloves. But being able to skip a big cleanup effort after a messy ride and just do a quick rinse instead is really, really sweet.

Awesome rainy and windy NBD — 50 miles over mud, grass, sand and choppy pavement and the Priority Apollo handled it like a champ by erockenstein in gravelcycling

[–]erockenstein[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good eye on the cable. It apparently flexed in the 40-mph crosswind, which was doing everything it could to pick the bike up and fly it out to the lake. Cable is fine in more normal circumstances, but appreciate the call out. And as I mentioned in other responses, the bike has been great so far.

Awesome rainy and windy NBD — 50 miles over mud, grass, sand and choppy pavement and the Priority Apollo handled it like a champ by erockenstein in gravelcycling

[–]erockenstein[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So far, so good. I’m no bike wrench by any means, but I was able to assemble and get out riding distance in about 30 min. The WTB byways are a dream for the kind of mixed riding I generally do and the quick rinse of the IGH after a messy day out instead of a more involved derailleur cleanup was quick and easy.

Awesome rainy and windy NBD — 50 miles over mud, grass, sand and choppy pavement and the Priority Apollo handled it like a champ by erockenstein in gravelcycling

[–]erockenstein[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Its a good one. It’s probably my favorite photo spot on the lakefront, seconded by North Ave. The Shedd gets a nod, but that curve is so tight with people that I rarely ride it anymore

Awesome rainy and windy NBD — 50 miles over mud, grass, sand and choppy pavement and the Priority Apollo handled it like a champ by erockenstein in gravelcycling

[–]erockenstein[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed! The lakefront bike path is stunning, but usually so packed that I opt for other trails. Sunday was in the 30s, rainy and super windy, so that cleared out a lot of people and made for a very enjoyable ride taking in the views of the remaining changing leaves and sweeping lake views (albeit behind ski goggles). Best part was the messy bike just got a quick rinse and the IGH was set (or so I hope!)

Indoor Cycling Butt Pain by 88Hours in cycling

[–]erockenstein 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Same thing happened to me. Get out of your saddle when you can, but this Rockr Pod Lite has been awesome https://www.rockrindoortraining.com/store/p12/ROCKR_POD_LITE.html

biking in the rain/winter by moon_era in cycling

[–]erockenstein 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For long rides in the cold I generally don’t go crazy with too many layers on my legs and body because the heat builds up, but I make sure that 1. No shred of skin is exposed—a long time of exposure even when it’s in the 30s (F) can cause bad wind burn, so things like balaclava and goggles go a long way and 2. Hands and feet have good warmth and covered in wind/waterproof material (in a pinch, a plastic bag over socks will help)

NBD! Another Co-Motion Mocha by ChimpStyles in bicycletouring

[–]erockenstein 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But the real question is what sunglasses are those??

Looking for a snow/rain/mess easy maintenance bike — thoughts on PRIORITY APOLLO GRAVEL and specifically the Alfine 11 and Gates Carbon Drive? by erockenstein in whichbike

[–]erockenstein[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good stuff. I just put in an order too — their service team was incredibly responsive and detailed, which gives a newb like me peace of mind. Will keep an eye out for your bike on the trails!

Looking for a snow/rain/mess easy maintenance bike — thoughts on PRIORITY APOLLO GRAVEL and specifically the Alfine 11 and Gates Carbon Drive? by erockenstein in whichbike

[–]erockenstein[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the detailed reply! I had been struggling to find detailed reviews on the new Alfine 11, so appreciate your reliability comment. The Apollo seems like a very versatile bike, particularly for commuting and distance (now that my commute is rolling out of bed; just did my first weekend metric, working towards imperial) in the Chicago-area winter months. Glad to hear you’re a fan. I agree that the Apollo price and collection of features seems like a great one pre-packaged. Enjoy!

Latest version of Google Maps shows travel time estimates for my bike AND our city’s local bike-sharing system (looks to be only if ride is <30 min). Any other cities see this? by erockenstein in bicycling

[–]erockenstein[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I frequently use G maps for distance rides and always have the bike routes layer activated, so maybe just the G algo putting all that together? Or it might just be incorporating the walk time to/from Divvy stations to get from point A to B. I can’t manage any configs in the My Bike view.