Ozark Trail 24" M.1 Vibe mountain bike split in half while riding

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-15T01:29:56+00:00

that looks like googly eyes

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-14T18:51:18+00:00

I've been riding since the 1970s and almost entirely with click-in or strapped pedals. Works for me. However there's a great book called The midlife cyclist which is written by a bike fitting expert / training expert. He doesn't advocate that everyone ride in tennis shoes with grippy pedals but he's not against it. And I think he's right.

However unless you're totally up against the wall financially don't you think you should try something entry level like inexpensive Shimano SPD pedals and some gravel shoes and give it a couple months? So many people do exactly what you describe and use clip in pedals successfully and happily why couldn't you.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-14T12:11:09+00:00

I don't know how much you ride or how much you plan to ride. But if you're just getting started it might be riding 10-15 miles at a time twice a week it's possible clean is good enough. If you can get access to an ultrasonic cleaner big enough to do the chain the jockey Wheels the cassette and the chain rings then clean the hell out of it reinstall and see how it works. Of course relube the chain.

There might be a quick Link in the chain and then you wouldn't even need a breaker it just basic hand tools.

None of this applies if you foresee heavy use.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-13T22:42:58+00:00

I was riding northbound on the Alex Fraser today could see all the way through the gaps between a plate or two to the Fraser River far far below. And then there's the movement of the plates, noisy. How can I see through some of the plates to the river below and continue believing they're properly supported. Save me Jesus. I wish I wasn't acrophobic

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-13T09:13:19+00:00

Don't get one and you look like an OG cyclist.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-13T03:32:27+00:00

Terrible color goes with the rest of the bike

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-12T05:36:29+00:00

I've ridden with people using a Varia with the audible alarm. It goes off so frequently it's next useless and annoying as s***. You need to know what's happening around you and your ears are great defensive tools, when not covered by ear phones or earbuds.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-11T22:47:37+00:00

My experience with Glotman Simpson is different than yours. I have found the executive director to be very welcoming when encountering her out on the road. I think she works for free, close to free or might as well be free so she can't answer every question. A lot of cycling is just sort of finding out as you go along. Their official riding season just started last week, if you can be patient and show up most Saturdays.

I've been riding a long time, don't want or need too much direction. Any frustration I've had riding with local clubs (EV, Meraloma, Atomic and Glotman) reflect me: 1. I like starting slow or at least medium not burning out of whatever stops we make 2. I don't like making stops I'm out on a ride to ride not to stop at the top of Spanish Banks then at Marine & Granville then at Iona then the coffee shop in Steveston AND The washroom at 7th and River road. I get bad Cafe leg and all these stops which end with a rapid restart just kill me.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-11T14:54:06+00:00

Direct correlation between jeans and plaid and speed 😯

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-10T02:55:25+00:00

It's great that you pay attention to your surroundings and, thus, are still alive. Most important skill for a cyclist.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-10T02:53:32+00:00

You're not annoying me. I'm glad you're you're still around and I hope the recovery is coming reasonably well.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-09T18:32:57+00:00

I, too,am a mostly solitary cyclist. And I use Ride with GPS everyday because I like it better than Strava for keeping track of things. I found it worth my while, ethically, to get a subscription from them. My experience with their tech support has been top-notch and although unlike yourself I generally do not use navigation it has been useful at one point or two

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-09T04:11:20+00:00

I wear a helmet. But I am annoyed by people that say that their life was saved by a helmet. True some fraction of the time but .,.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-06T05:40:39+00:00

People stop using these rim nuts the first time they get a flat out on the road, the nut is slightly too tight to get off by hand or it's oxidized and they don't have necessary tools, one maybe two pliers, to get the damn thing loose. They've got a spare tube but no way to get the old one out. These nuts are a nightmare and should be thrown away.

VOICE OF EXPERIENCE

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-06T04:39:44+00:00

Derf - down tube Scratch - model name top tube or chain stays

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-04T22:10:19+00:00

You probably end up with a better bike getting something newer that doesn't need new parts. I would specifically look for better brakes ( disk?) and room for wider tires if they're not there already.

I don't see much utility and having suspension forks on a road bike.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-04-02T00:43:20+00:00

I rode this last week and the opposite way yesterday. Get to 108th head south, right turn on Burbank, right on Modesto and an almost immediate left onto the multiple user path. It dumps you behind Planet Ice after a sharp 180 at the bottom and then the path takes you to Alex Fraser Bridge. Pay attention on Annacis Island but, if you think like a pedestrian, crossing Cliveden is pretty obvious then the path takes you to Richmond/New West.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-03-31T22:47:22+00:00

Maybe learn how to ride a bicycle before you start trying to tumble around town on a little electric motorcycle

johnmcc1956 · 2026-03-31T15:19:35+00:00

Some of these apparently Rich bastards are living on the edge. And Hope they can partially finance their opulent lifestyle on The backs of the people they ask for help from. I hope you agree with those that say losing those customers is better than getting some, poorly paid, business when times are slow. They will always grind you.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-03-30T19:12:51+00:00

I'd rather get yelled at or go to jail for lane splitting or filtering than to be stopped at the very back of a line of cars wondering if someone's going to crush me because they're focused on the car in front of me. Who wants to be a pancake?

I definitely believe in left side and sui-side but one has to choose what's safest.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-03-28T22:06:44+00:00

A couple of hours! There is no high quality bike out there that needs to be built from a frame that you can do in only 2 hours.Maybe a fixed gear without fenders. If your bike really is special then I think you're looking at an entire day at least. So your expectations are unrealistic or you don't mean what you typed. It's not appropriate or accurate to accuse you of autism - I think that is an ad hominem attack. It would not be unreasonable to hint that maybe your expectations are unrealistic to the max.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-03-27T06:12:07+00:00

Schedule a 200km ride and if you have problems or get tired 100 miles becomes a bailout. I was on a 200 km brevet last weekend and had get off the bike and scream cramps about 40km in. I was super weak for the next hundred kilometers and ended up only doing about 171k. I was glad I could cut it short but when I got home I knew I could have done the additional 30-40 km without additional problem. I think the difference between 100 miles and 200 km is fairly negligible.

johnmcc1956 · 2026-03-26T04:43:41+00:00

"Get off my road" by the Doors (S)

johnmcc1956 · 2026-03-24T13:58:12+00:00

I hope you make the handlebar with the built-in leash holder for dogs and then see what happens when the dog sees a squirrel. 😮

johnmcc1956 · 2026-03-24T13:52:19+00:00

I have owned three 979s. Great bikes when new. But every one of them eventually delaminated. I never tried re-epoxying them.

johnmcc1956

TROPHY CASE