All about bicycles

Well...
Second ride of the year. I intended to go a lot further but the trails are still packed snow/ice. Uncomfortable riding. Not impossible but not a pile of fun either (for me).

So I switched to some side roads. They were a little better but not a lot. Exactly 5kms in I geared down to 1st and dropped the chain on the rear cassette. Ugh. First chain drop on this bike.
While I got that back on, the chain dropped off the front. Dang it! :eek::p
Glad my rear derailleur has a clutch, and glad I had tools in the trunk bag.
All in good fun.
 
Well...
Second ride of the year. I intended to go a lot further but the trails are still packed snow/ice. Uncomfortable riding. Not impossible but not a pile of fun either (for me).

So I switched to some side roads. They were a little better but not a lot. Exactly 5kms in I geared down to 1st and dropped the chain on the rear cassette. Ugh. First chain drop on this bike.
While I got that back on, the chain dropped off the front. Dang it! :eek::p
Glad my rear derailleur has a clutch, and glad I had tools in the trunk bag.
All in good fun.

Sounds like mother nature was against you that day.

In contrast, it was about 80 degrees by the time I finished 44 miles on Saturday. Drank three bottles on the ride, downed a fourth right after, then drank a big ol' fountain Coke, and was still dehydrated all day.

And I'm really not convinced clutches are necessary on derailleurs. I rode 10 miles of single track and grass paths (on my rigid gravel bike) and didn't even realize until ride's end that my clutch was disengaged the whole time. Not the first time I've done something like that.
 
And I'm really not convinced clutches are necessary on derailleurs. I rode 10 miles of single track and grass paths (on my rigid gravel bike) and didn't even realize until ride's end that my clutch was disengaged the whole time. Not the first time I've done something like that.
I think the clutch might matter more on a electric.
 
Sounds like mother nature was against you that day.

In contrast, it was about 80 degrees by the time I finished 44 miles on Saturday. Drank three bottles on the ride, downed a fourth right after, then drank a big ol' fountain Coke, and was still dehydrated all day.

And I'm really not convinced clutches are necessary on derailleurs. I rode 10 miles of single track and grass paths (on my rigid gravel bike) and didn't even realize until ride's end that my clutch was disengaged the whole time. Not the first time I've done something like that.
Nicely done! I don't tend to drink a lot when I'm out. But then I don't regularly do 44 miles either.
In 2020 on my Fathom I had forgotten to re-engage the clutch and the chain stayed put, but those rides were not very punishing.

I think the clutch might matter more on a electric.
This is quite possibly the case. Next weekend will see the bike up on the work stand for a thorough cleaning and a derailleur adjustment.
Can't have that happen again.
 
Man! I so miss riding my Mt. Bike! After my crash, the shoulder won't take the downward pressure anymore.:( But at least I can live vicariously thru you guys!
 
This is quite possibly the case. Next weekend will see the bike up on the work stand for a thorough cleaning and a derailleur adjustment.
Can't have that happen again.
Winter slop can mess up a drive train, based on riding my fattie in snow. Clean and lube first. You might not actually need to adjust the derailleur. I “try” to give the drive a quick clean when I finish, but am sometimes too lazy.

I’ve never dropped the chain on the fattie when conditions were good. And the only time I thought a clutch might be nice was when I was restarting in deep snow and torque spun the tire too fast to get any grip.
 
Man! I so miss riding my Mt. Bike! After my crash, the shoulder won't take the downward pressure anymore.:( But at least I can live vicariously thru you guys!
If you really want to ride, try a recumbent some time. Maybe in April, depending how far you are from Natchez Trace - I’ll have one with me.
 
Winter slop can mess up a drive train, based on riding my fattie in snow. Clean and lube first. You might not actually need to adjust the derailleur. I “try” to give the drive a quick clean when I finish, but am sometimes too lazy.

I’ve never dropped the chain on the fattie when conditions were good. And the only time I thought a clutch might be nice was when I was restarting in deep snow and torque spun the tire too fast to get any grip.
I'll try that.
This bike has yet to see an adjustment. I needed to do it on the Fathom around now, which is what made me think that.
We shall see!
 
Nicely done! I don't tend to drink a lot when I'm out. But then I don't regularly do 44 miles either.
In 2020 on my Fathom I had forgotten to re-engage the clutch and the chain stayed put, but those rides were not very punishing.

Thanks! The Florida sun will take it right out of you. The land is so flat and often wide open, you get hammered by the wind and heat.
 
Bikes? Yep I like 'em.
I've had a few.
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Killer collection! My wife looked like she wanted to slap me when I told her I had 12K in two bikes before we got together. She just doesn't get it. :rolleyes:

Thanks! Although I didn't have those all at one time haha. Only have 3 right now...that dual suspension blue Giant Trance (2005), the old blue and silver Giant Yukon (1998) and the teal 2021 Giant Fathom 1 hardtail (last picture)
 
Lots of bikes cost 12k now. Scary.

Yeah mine were from back around 2005-06. It's nuts, but with the good stuff on them, unobtainium, carbon fibre etc. I get it. I remember my first one was like 25 lbs. So to me it was totally worth it to not have to pedal a tank thru the woods.

Check out Oak Mt. State Park B.U.M.P. trail just south of Birmingham. It's a monster, but the US Olympic MB team used to train there. It's a 16+ mile loop with every kind of terrain you can imagine. If you guys are anywhere near it, it's killer.

Not sure if he's still racing but Tinker Juarez used to come to the yearly race they had every summer. My best time ever was about an hour and eighteen minutes and Tinker used to do it in about 47 minutes if memory serves me.

Worth checking out is possible.
 
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