Cycling Thread

[Max Cow Disease]

Originally Posted by YYC in LAX

I can't seem to find any concrete answers regarding paves biked paths throughout Nose Hill Park. I have a commuter bike not fit for anything except roads and paved pathways. Two summers agop I attempted to do a Nose Hill ride entering from Edgemont-Shaganappi but all the paths were dirt/rock.

Are there any pathed pathways or plans to pave them? Are the "designated pathways" actually paved because I could have swarn they weren't two summers ago.

https://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Do...f?noredirect=1

I was up there the other day and entered at the same point. I recall being on a paved pathway at some point but it didn't seem to be of the same caliber as most of the city's pathways, and the majority still seem to be dirt up there.

[macker]

Anyone been up and over the Highwood Pass lately? Planning to make my annual ride out there in the next week or so before it opens to traffic. Snow at 2206 Meters?

[Devils'Advocate]

I have gotten 3 flats in the last 2 weeks. It's really getting irritating. I took it into Mountain Equipment Co-op and they said there is absolutely nothing wrong with the rim or the tire. The fellow from MEC thinks that I'm getting pinched tubes. Only thing he could recommend was ensuring that I had the right tire pressure before each trip out. Is there anything else I can do to avoid pinched flats?

[GGG]

When I had frequent flat tires I was getting them right near the valve stem. What was happening is that the rim tape had slipped and the tube was getting sucked into the valve stem hole in the rim causing pinches. Bowcycle noticed it really quickly. Not sure if this has anything to do with your problem but since then I have only had one flat.

Are all of the punctures in a similar place on the tires?

[bossy22]

A good right up for the spring riding in Bragg creek. What trails dry up first, etc.

http://www.bikepirate.com/moose-moun...g-riding-tips/

[onetwo_threefour]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I have gotten 3 flats in the last 2 weeks. It's really getting irritating. I took it into Mountain Equipment Co-op and they said there is absolutely nothing wrong with the rim or the tire. The fellow from MEC thinks that I'm getting pinched tubes. Only thing he could recommend was ensuring that I had the right tire pressure before each trip out. Is there anything else I can do to avoid pinched flats?

Proper inflation is the only real key to avoiding pinch flats. Having adequate inflation reduces rolling resistance and eliminates pinch flats even when going over big bumps. Having proper rim tape without any sharp edges poking up is also important. Also, if you do have to change a flat, make sure that none of the tube is trapped between the edge of the tire and the rim, that will become a flat for sure.

I got three flats in a row last fall and found that there was an almost invisible sliver of glass poking though the inside of my tire. Since then, if I get a flat, I run my thumb (wearing a glove) or use the round end of a tire lever firmly pressing all the way around the inside circumference of my tire to dislodge anything that might be lodged in the rubber.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by YYC in LAX

I can't seem to find any concrete answers regarding paves biked paths throughout Nose Hill Park. I have a commuter bike not fit for anything except roads and paved pathways. Two summers agop I attempted to do a Nose Hill ride entering from Edgemont-Shaganappi but all the paths were dirt/rock.

Are there any pathed pathways or plans to pave them? Are the "designated pathways" actually paved because I could have swarn they weren't two summers ago.

https://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Do...f?noredirect=1

There aren't any strictly paved paths there, they're all covered in stones with pavement underneath.

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I have gotten 3 flats in the last 2 weeks. It's really getting irritating. I took it into Mountain Equipment Co-op and they said there is absolutely nothing wrong with the rim or the tire. The fellow from MEC thinks that I'm getting pinched tubes. Only thing he could recommend was ensuring that I had the right tire pressure before each trip out. Is there anything else I can do to avoid pinched flats?

Run a cotton ball around the inside of the tire, might be something tiny and sharp that you can't see. And definitely inflate to the recommended pressure on the tire. A good floor pump is an essential piece of equipment.

[GGG]

I am looking at changing vehicles to one that can only have a class 1 hitch meaning the max tongue weight is 200lbs. I currently have a bike carrier that can have the 11/4" reciever. In its users manual it says limit to two bikes for a class 1 hitch. Looking at other hitches all seem to have this restriction.

So if I have four bikes (2 kids bikes) plus the weight of the rack I am at about 120lbs. This is within the weight limit of the rack and the tongue weight of the hitch so I don't see any issue. Does anyone carry 4 bikes with a class 1 hitch? I would also be using a roof box for camping trips so I don't want to use a roof carrier for bikes.

[Coys1882]

I just wanted to relay my experience with JensenUSA since my bike purchase from them back in March.

Somehow my rear derailleur went into my spokes and snapped off the frame. There's probably only two options here: the screws which stop it from going up over the hub weren't adjusted properly or I lent the bike down and bent the hanger which caused it to go into the spokes when I changed gears for a hill.

Either way - Jensen shipped me a new derailleur, hanger and spokes overnight without asking any questions. They also asked me to fax the bill from my LBS so they could refund me the shop costs - I had the money in my Paypal account the next day. Unbelievable customer service - I will definitely buy from them again.

[macker]

JensonUSA is consistently voted the top online shop around at mtbr followed by Price Point, Speed Goat, Universal and my personal favorite Chain Reactions. Good to hear stories like this!

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

I just wanted to relay my experience with JensenUSA since my bike purchase from them back in March.

Somehow my rear derailleur went into my spokes and snapped off the frame. There's probably only two options here: the screws which stop it from going up over the hub weren't adjusted properly or I lent the bike down and bent the hanger which caused it to go into the spokes when I changed gears for a hill.

Either way - Jensen shipped me a new derailleur, hanger and spokes overnight without asking any questions. They also asked me to fax the bill from my LBS so they could refund me the shop costs - I had the money in my Paypal account the next day. Unbelievable customer service - I will definitely buy from them again.

Basically why this happens 99% of the time is your rear deraileur's inner limit is adjusted to far in, and you shifted the chain into the spokes. This is why I always use a dork disk. If that happens at 40 kph, you could have serious trouble.

[Bill Bumface]

For those of you getting pinch flats, if they are on mountain bikes, I highly recommend going tubeless. I was nervous about it after seeing people have loads of problems, but with the proper rims and rims strips, it's problem free. I haven't even used a UST or any form of tubeless ready tire yet and have had zero problems. It definitely offers better handling as a side benefit of the lower maintenance and worry free riding.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I have gotten 3 flats in the last 2 weeks. It's really getting irritating. I took it into Mountain Equipment Co-op and they said there is absolutely nothing wrong with the rim or the tire. The fellow from MEC thinks that I'm getting pinched tubes. Only thing he could recommend was ensuring that I had the right tire pressure before each trip out. Is there anything else I can do to avoid pinched flats?

some good advice already given - one other thought is to throw some baby powder in the inside of the tire - it can help to aviod pinch flats. When inflating, take your ands and pinch the edge of the tire to get the bead seat properly, and then do it again a couple of times as you are inflating......

[hmmhmmcamo]

There was a pretty scary incident on one of our local trails today (or yesterday) where a mountain biker ran into a wire strung across the trail at neck height. He’s ok, but it’s pretty crazy to think that there are people out there that would go to this level to hurt us. I was riding out there this afternoon and came home to see this posted online...

Spoiler!

The trail is at Partridge Hills/Durrance Lake in Victoria.
http://vimb.com/bboard/viewtopic.php?t=5274

[Northendzone]

yikes, that is brutal. i wonder what the perps point of this was?

[Top Shelf]

My old mountain bike died on me during a ride in the coulee last night. Time to get a new one, budget is probably under 1000, cheaper the better.

Do a mixture of paved/trail riding, so want something versatile. My only real requirements are the disc brakes, and i'm 5'9 so whatever will fit nicely. Any recommendations?

Looking through pinkbike/kijiji right now, but wanted to get opinions.

[bossy22]

And they're off! Craig Stappler from Calgary is racing in the Tour Divide again. Last year he was leading along with the eventual winner, when Craig's pedal blew up. He had to wait a bit to get parts, before he could continue.

They race from Banff to Antelope Wells New Mexico.
http://tourdivide.org/leaderboard

Craig is currently in the lead
http://trackleaders.com/tourdivide13...Craig_Stappler


Yes a little boring, but he's a great guy, so I'm cheering him on. There will be blog updates, which are kind of interesting. These guys and gals suffer out there.

[flylock shox]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

My old mountain bike died on me during a ride in the coulee last night. Time to get a new one, budget is probably under 1000, cheaper the better.

Do a mixture of paved/trail riding, so want something versatile. My only real requirements are the disc brakes, and i'm 5'9 so whatever will fit nicely. Any recommendations?

Looking through pinkbike/kijiji right now, but wanted to get opinions.

If your range is paved road - rough trail, but without any technical mountain biking, sounds like a job for a hardtail 29" mountain bike. Lots of good options there between $600-$1000. This one's a decent example in that range.

If you only ride very easy trails (i.e. no deep gravel, bigger rocks or roots, or single track) and spend the vast majority of your time on the road, you're probably looking at a cyclocross or hybrid instead.

[Temporary_User]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

If you only ride very easy trails (i.e. no deep gravel, bigger rocks or roots, or single track) and spend the vast majority of your time on the road, you're probably looking at a cyclocross or hybrid instead.

Echo this second part. I see a lot of people with pretty beefy mountain bikes out on the trails and commuting to work. Way to bike and too much tire resistance.

[hmmhmmcamo]

Originally Posted by bossy22

And they're off! Craig Stappler from Calgary is racing in the Tour Divide again. Last year he was leading along with the eventual winner, when Craig's pedal blew up. He had to wait a bit to get parts, before he could continue.

They race from Banff to Antelope Wells New Mexico.
http://tourdivide.org/leaderboard

Craig is currently in the lead
http://trackleaders.com/tourdivide13...Craig_Stappler


Yes a little boring, but he's a great guy, so I'm cheering him on. There will be blog updates, which are kind of interesting. These guys and gals suffer out there.

I've been reading up/following this quite a bit over the last little while.

It was disappointing to see Paul Attalla (Fernie) drop out of the race due to injury yesterday. He started a couple days ago and was close to a record pace before he got hurt.

It looks like both Craig Stappler (Calgary) and Mike Hall (UK) are sleeping at Butt's Cabin tonight...the same place Jay Petervary stayed last year on his record setting ride. There might also be a couple other riders making it there tonight as well.

Someone posted a bunch of cool photos of all the bikes taking off from Banff this morning.
http://s1314.photobucket.com/user/St...?sort=2&page=1

Also... This year Billy Rice (Texas) is trying to become the first person to ride the route twice in a row, from the Mexico border - to Banff - back to Mexico border. He'll cross into Canada this morning.
http://trackleaders.com/tourdivide13...Billy_Rice_ITT

I'm looking forward to following all the little blue dots for the next few weeks!