All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Yeah, daylight savings made it bright in the mornings again for a little while, but it stays dark til about 7:30 here and then gets dark in the 4:30-5 range now.

Plus all the commuter traffic is between me and my close riding spot, so it's a brutal time of year. Not great skiing out here either like it is in the canyons (though it looks like its gonna be a down year in SLC as well.)

 

Action LED Lights has their GloWorm lights 25% off. Black Friday sale, started yesterday.

 

It was that damn long winter!

 

Ebike season…
Quick after work emtb laps. Weekend real bike laps.

 

Commencal has some good markdowns. That Meta TR V4 brushed finish looks sexy as all hell with that red Lyrik fork and coil shock!

 

Well..kinda of a pointless comment... but.. I'm sitting in my van, because my customer has no power....

But, these smart trainers... I will say, while I did use to ride a road bike back and forth to the base gym(lived off base)after I mangled my knee.. I will never be a "roadie".

Right now, I'm struggling with just enjoying the session, and trying to maintain the "perfect cadence".
Strength isn't a problem.
This something I just need to suck up until I can HOPEFULLY ride again in spring?
I need to hunt for a proper road bike to mount in this thing as well.

 

I went for a Nordic Track trainer and it lives in my basement. It doesn’t require a bike to be dedicated to it so I can still ride all my bikes when I want to, and the trainer is it’s own entity.

 

I’ve got this nice R400 rebuilt last Xmas frame -up. It’s about a 56 or a large.
PM me if you’re interested.

 

Speaking of shorter days, outbound lighting is doing Black Friday deals.. https://www.outboundlighting.com/products/evo-downhill-package-best-bike-light

I just put their road light on my gravel bike and it's great. It's big, yes. But my gravel bike has become less racey and more explorer so I don't mind too much. They're also dropping a rear light in the springtime, if all goes as planned. So I'm waiting on that.

If I rode more mountain bikes, I'd get their package deal. But all I seem to do is my half dozen xc races each year and thats about it. Sucks b/c my LES is still my favorite bike of all time.

 

Anyone have any comments on We Are One wheels? Im thinking of getting a strife hoop for the rear wheel. mines getting hammered and a lifetime warrenty seems legit.


The Goodness

 

I've been on a set of Unions for the last two seasons. They've had zero issues and have stayed perfectly true despite some very noticeable wheel strikes. I can't say I notice a difference over other high end rims I've ridden...

 

same as @SenatorBlutarsky , i have the unions and they are amazing. good price for carbon performance. great warranty and crash replacement.

 

I've been debating this vs. a bike/trainer combo. You like it?

 

It works well, so I like it in that regard. The hand positioning on it is a little weird though and doesn't mimic actual riding positions (I can get the ergonomics correct, but messing with reach and hand placement is a little lacking). It turned out to be a blessing when I broke my wrist, I could still support myself on my forearms, sort of like an aero position and keep using the trainer while I healed up. The ergonomics are made for a one size fits all, so you can get into an aero position but also a very upright position depending on the user. It's not really made to mimic a mountain or road bike, just general training or fitness.

Otherwise, I hate using the trainer. It's great for what it is, but I'd much MUCH rather be outside than sweating my ass off on an indoor trainer. That hatred wouldn't change with any other trainer.

Also, there's no coasting on the trainer. It's full go, the magnets keep the pedals moving all the time, no coasting at all.

 

i'm an advocate for trainer since you get to ride your own bike.

i have a zwift hub and they just came out with that single speed adapter thing. so you add this new single speed cassette and can use any drive train with it since it has "electronic" shifting which just adjusts the resistance in the trainer itself.

i'll probably pick one up in jan when im really getting into training plans. my road bike is on it now which works fine, i just want to spin on my mountain bike without having to swap cassettes

 

Cheap Craigslist-ish road bike and old school magnetic trainer. Only use it for interval sessions and zone 2 work. Not glamorous but neither is the suffering.

 

Indoor cycling kind of sucks lol. I tried it a handful of times and couldnt stay consistent with it.

I think at this point id be more inclined to go to some spin classes.

 

And just like that, an old ankle injury came roaring back today (ankle impingement).

 

Oh I agree indoor cycling sucks.
I'm in the woods, and work in the mechanical trades(for now), so, my schedule doesn't even include time for that as an option.
Right now, I'm just trying to stay in motion, as much as possible.

 

indoor sucks but it might be the only way i can stay sane and in somewhat shape. smart trainers with the videos of the ride are very helpful. gives it some variance. I also put on a TV show on as i ride.