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Cristian Ciupitu
Cristian Ciupitu
00:05
I'm not surprised. Canyon probably costs a fortune to ship from Europe because of their direct sales model, plus you can't test drive it.
Batman
Batman
cube i think we can get from chain reaction
but ive never seen one in person
Suspended User
Suspended User
00:26
I was thinking of buying a frame and building one. I may just investigate having my current beater hacked and welded. I am sure it will turn out badly and ruin the bike.
Cristian Ciupitu
Cristian Ciupitu
hacked?!
Batman
Batman
@SuspendedUser - depends on how you do it. if you get it done with S&S couplers on a decent steel frame, should be decent
 
3 hours later…
Suspended User
Suspended User
03:16
It's titanium. I'm sure I'll pay way too much for someone who claims to know how to weld Ti to f' it up. I may just call the manufacturer and see if they'll do it if I send it back.
Criggie
Criggie
sus: so there's no way to join a belt ?
Batman
Batman
your beater is titanium?
@Criggie - no, esp. not with the new CF type
Criggie
Criggie
mmmm seems an oversight. Or frames should have a dogleg in their right chainstay
rather than a cut
Or even an idler pulley that forces the belt over or under the chainstay on both runs.
Batman
Batman
03:37
@Criggie - if you could join them, they would be more popular
Suspended User
Suspended User
03:53
@Batman yes. It's a custom Ti frame my riding styles quickly outgrew. Commuter geometry I'm not fond of anymore and a 29r. I say beater, but really it's the commuter bike I don't mind abusing. I have other bikes with much better geometry for winter, road and mountain. It still pills the chariot fine, it's just not comfortable. Very upright ish for what
Compared to what I prefer now.
Doesn't look like an S and S would work, unless you put one on the seat stay and chain stay? The home ones I saw just did on the seat stay you could flex open.
 
1 hour later…
Criggie
Criggie
05:02
batman - call it a silly idea, but what about a drive belt that fastens to a chain? The chain is embedded inside the belt, and can only be connected once. When the flappy bits on the belt are closed up around the chain joint, chain is invisible.
Advantages are a sealed chain with no teeth will last much longer than a regular chain rubbing on teeth, and that its completely sealed so lubed for life of the belt.
Downsides, its not going to be as flexible as a plain belt, or as light.
Rust might be an issue if the belt absorbs water and holds it.
It'd have to be sized the same dimensions as normal belts, so the chainring and rear cog still fit
thinking about compression of belt's teeth - that's the problem
the chain is unexpandable, and would take a longer path around the cogs than the teeth on the belt. So belt teeth would have a hard time being compressed on the corners.
you'd almost want a V belt not a toothed belt.
Main win is that it can be used to fit a belt drive to a frame that isn't belt-compatible (ie no joints)
 
3 hours later…
Ell
Ell
07:41
Is there an update to shimano 105 coming soon?
Ephphatha
Ephphatha
07:58
should the commuting tag be made a synonym of commuter? there's only one question using it at the moment - bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/45594/…
 
2 hours later…
Criggie
Criggie
10:13
@ell: no idea How long has it been since the last update? Have prices started dropping on the current "model" ?
@Ephphatha sure - seems reasonable.
 
2 hours later…
gschenk
gschenk
11:48
Job seeking seems to work well. I might have to get into the habit of commuting 15km. Depending on where i might find housing.
And on whether i find a way to shower at or near the place of work.
Criggie
Criggie
I live 1.3 km from work. Its awesome. Looking at houses higher above sea level though, so it means a 24 km commute, each way
gschenk
gschenk
12:02
The workplace is in one the most expensive places in Germany, a little up-river from Munich. If i am lucky i might find a place where i have a ride along the river or through a forest. However, the latter adds another 15 min to public transport.
Can you take a shower at your work place?
The absence thereof might be the biggest obstacle to bike commuting more than a few kilometres for many.
Criggie
Criggie
12:35
Yes I can - there's a shower on each floor so four of them
If the sea level rises enough, I'll have to kayak to work
that'd be kinda cool, for a couple days.
gschenk
gschenk
13:25
We ought to prepare for climate change, and give up Bicycles in favour of [boating.SE].
I shall see my prospective work place in a fortnight and may establish the feasibility of a cycle commute. Unfortunately i am entirely incapable of cycling without sweating. I did sweat profoundly even when I rode no faster than 15km/h average, on a cool day.
Ephphatha
Ephphatha
@gschenk can you get away with taking a change of clothes? that's what I do for my commute
Suspended User
Suspended User
14:21
Just called Seven Cycles was quoted $800-$1000 dollars to install a coupler on the seatstay so I could belt drive up the bike if I so chose. HFS
When I was in highschool in California and the American River flooded the streets near my school, I sawr a guy kayaking down a suburban street.
Based solely on that I think you should go for it @Criggie
@gschenk I found that if I showered in the morning, commuted in wool and wore good deoderant, I did not stank at work. But I think everyone's milage varies on body odor, sweat and hygiene
I do of course assume that "good" deodorant will give me Alzheimer's soon enough
Cristian Ciupitu
Cristian Ciupitu
15:12
@Criggie I wonder if they do that in Venice or Amsterdam.
Batman
Batman
15:27
@SuspendedUser - yeah i think you're right
maybe ill try a belt drive bike when im not broke
though currently, i have my eyes on a cbr600rr
Suspended User
Suspended User
I think in a couple years $800 might be cheaper than replacing the rusted out drivetrain repeatedly
Salted roads and lots of precip here is the suck
Batman
Batman
i've lived in Illinois for 6 years which is about the same
and honestly, not that bad.
and i leave my bike outside.
Suspended User
Suspended User
15:49
You savage!!!
Apparently I was just spoiled in Alaska
Batman
Batman
the trick is not to run an expensive drivetrain.
i've got an 8 speed freewheel (yes, freewheel) and I use SRAM chains. chainrings don't degrade all that much
the main expense is actually the brakes
since the crud tends to make rim brakes not pivot properly and they're not very cleanable. but moving to the avid sd7 has helped
and tires. studded tires are a bit expensive
Suspended User
Suspended User
I think it's time. The drivetrain expense doesn't matter if you have a crapload of time to clean. I have very little.
Batman
Batman
i don't do much cleaning
its overrated
gschenk
gschenk
Bat, have you had a look at today's smbc already?
Batman
Batman
just oil the chain occasionally, and thats pretty much it
@gschenk - heh.
one of the companies which interviewed me said they were going to make an official offer to me this week
which im probably going to take
gschenk
gschenk
16:00
I began to appreciate clean chains when I first had to carry my bike to my dorm room and/or uni office.
Congratulations! Your first choice?
Suspended User
Suspended User
Nice! WTG Bats! Where is said company?
Batman
Batman
a pretty hgih choice.
near baltimore
im originally from NJ, so not that far from home
Suspended User
Suspended User
Even better.
(I think)
Batman
Batman
biking is less nice around there
so id probably have to use my car more, and take the bike out somewhere over the weekend
gschenk
gschenk
The time from bespoke to finding something tangible in the mail however is rather strange. I cannot help to believe it and have a hard time being appropriately pessimistic.
Batman
Batman
16:05
yeah. we'll see.
gschenk
gschenk
Baltimore is near DC? Mine is also close to home, near Munich.
Batman
Batman
yeah, baltimore is near dc
its 40 miles apart roughly.
 
1 hour later…
Ell
Ell
17:25
@Criggie seem cheap online and wiggle doesn't seem to even have shifters listed anymore
 
2 hours later…
Batman
Batman
19:43
@Ell - i guess expect one every year or so ish. look at the next level up to see what may be added
but i doubt it will be significant
Criggie
Criggie
20:20
@Batman Impressive - do you suffer from bent axles at all?
Batman
Batman
@Criggie - no. i don't take it off road, just commuting. so no bent axles.
Criggie
Criggie
@Ell Wiggle's a bit random - they miss some things I'd call basic
oh yeah - we have potholes that grow from nothing to "lost a cyclist" in a couple days
Batman
Batman
the bent axle thing is a combination of heavy rider, small tires and off road type stuff. if I hit potholes, probably. but i ride around them.
i am heavy, but i have 2 " tires and its on road. so its not too bad
Criggie
Criggie
My classic one is when taking the lane in traffic, going fast, and suddenly pothole appears from below car in front, at speed.
Batman
Batman
yeah, see, we don't have traffic here
Criggie
Criggie
20:27
Want a giggle?
christchurchcitylibraries.com/Heritage/Maps/Zoomify/…
That's a cycling map from 1983
It has "quiet roads suitable for riding"
there were no cycle lanes back then
A couple of off-road dedicated pathways was as good as it got.
Batman
Batman
20:52
alas, io do not have flash
gschenk
gschenk
dito
*nix user?
Criggie
Criggie
so? I'm a linux user
Batman
Batman
im on windows right now. my laptop is a microsoft surface pro 3, so running linux is extra work
gschenk
gschenk
I went to their pop up store and asked about surface 2 linux compatibility.
To my surprise one of the microsoft people tried it and recommended to wait a few months...
really nice hardware.
Batman
Batman
yeah, ubuntu will run nearly out of the box. im just busy with a lot of other things now, and i use the surface dock too, which i don't think has been as tested
gschenk
gschenk
21:01
Criggie, did you make any effort to get flash running?
Batman
Batman
the keyboard leaves something to be desired, esp. when using it on a plane. and the screen size is a bit small.
@Criggie - the link asks for flash for the maps
gschenk
gschenk
I'm fond of the compact form factors, using a subnotebook myself. But the old thinkpad keyboard is fantastic.
 
3 hours later…
Criggie
Criggie
23:53
@gschenk apt install flashplayer I think was about it.
I have a newish thinkpad as my work desktop (yeah) and it has a chicklet keyboard, I hate it.
So I run an old compaq (yes that old) PS2 keyboard from a 486, with a PS2/USB adapter. It predates the windows keys.

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