Archive for the 'bike' Category

Page 23 of 40

Poop Tire

Published on March 22, 2009 in bike by risu. Closed

Sunday was overcast and windy, but conditions were still prime for a ride. I met Ckucke, Root, JT, and Kevyn in Waimanalo for a spin up the Demon Trail ride. Tracy joined us, but went up on foot instead of on wheels. She pretty much took off and we were constantly playing catch-up! I guess on the Demon Trail, being on foot is more efficient on average.

JT found some dog poop at the beginning of the climb. We went as far as the mango tree, then decided to continue climbing up to the Demon Trail and going in a ways. There were some surveyor’s tapes and stakes along Government Road, with “1/2” pipe, capped” indicated. I wonder what the water will be used for? After a rest at the end of the road, we started up the trail. Ground conditions were very good to begin with, but further in it became moist, giving rise to tire spin and kickouts on roots and slick rocks. The waterfalls along the trail were all wet. We paused at the big one to rinse JT’s tire and watch the little black waterbugs darting about. The streambed through the fairy forest was scoured of moss, indicating some fairly heavy water flow in recent weeks. Here and there was some new sloughing and slumping of the contour cut – new rubble piles littered the inside edges, and a large rootball blocked the trail. We rode as far as the second waterfall past the melaleuca grove, then turned around. JT was hurting from a bail into a rock garden, traction was dropping abruptly, and we had all experienced enough pain and suffering for one day. Continue reading ‘Poop Tire’

Fresh

Published on March 22, 2009 in bike by risu. Closed

freshThe remnants of a late afternoon downpour still darkened the asphalt in spots when I took the bike out for a spin on Friday. I had missed the Thursday Tantalus ride, so felt compelled to get some wheel time in also. Although it had rained moments before I got home, the sun was now dancing amongst the dissipating clouds. My legs were not in top form, but didn’t feel sluggish even though I have been off the bike for most of winter. I kept up an easy spin on the climbs so as not to strain knees already slightly sore from a week of snowboarding.

D = 12.17 km (7.56-miles), Vavr = 17.9 km/h (11.1-mph), Vmax = 39.6 km/h (24.6-mph), T = 41-minutes

A Spot of Sun

Published on February 27, 2009 in bike by risu. Closed

With the winter giving way to spring, I managed to get home before the sun set today, but there was very little remaining above the Ko’olau crest by the time I got my bike ready and got dressed. I was feeling quite British in my Endura shorts and Hope Technologies jersey, but if I was really feeling the UK vibe, I would have not turned around and gone home straightaway when the weather suddenly deteriorated and it started to drizzle. Oh well, it was nice getting out on the Ellsworth anyway.

D = 9.22 km (5.73-miles), Vavr = 17.7 km/h (11.0 mph), Vmax = 40.1 km/h (24.9 mph), T = 31-minutes

Yay! New Nosepieces

Published on February 13, 2009 in bike by risu. Closed

Got a new set of “Asian Fit” nosepieces for my Oakley Half Jackets to replace the set I lost one of. They’re for the Straight Jacket, but they are exactly the same. These newer ones are a lot more rigid than the original ones I had, but those originals were from the first prototype production run – my Half Jackets are so old there was no such thing as “Asian Fit” at the time! Oh yeah, they’re the wrong color, but who the F cares!

Cateye HL-EL450 Headlamp

Published on February 12, 2009 in bike and Review by risu. Closed

HL-EL420 (top), HL-EL45- (bottom)

HL-EL450 (left), HL-EL410 (right)

The direct successor to the original HL-EL400/410 LED headlamp (top, in left photo), the new HL-EL450 (bottom, in left photo) utilizes a single high-output LED instead of three standard ones. The light output is cleaner, brighter, and more focused. The apparent brightness is around twice that of the older model. The packaging says “400 candlepower”, whereas the HL-EL410 was rated at 180 (the HL-EL400 was only 90 candlepower). Against a Surefire M2 with a P60L 80-lumen LED module, the apparent brightness is around half to a third, so I’m guessing the element is in the 25 to 40-lumen/1-watt range. The housing is all plastic, so it isn’t generating a whole bunch of heat like an 80-lumen/3-watt unit would be. The light body is very similar structurally and aesthetically to the original light. The bezel is o-ring sealed (exact same silicone o-ring) and comes off the body with the same 1/8th-turn bayonet-style mounting. Power comes from the familiar three AAA (LR03) batteries. Battery run time is noted as 30-hours on high and 60-hours on low or flashing on the packaging. The HL-EL410 was also rated for 30-hours for the constant mode and 60-hours flashing (there was no low power setting). The HL-EL400 was rated at 80-hours constant and 160-hours flashing. Continue reading ‘Cateye HL-EL450 Headlamp’

Protected: Going Apes#!t

Published on February 5, 2009 in bike and rant by risu. Closed

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Sunday, Muddy Sunday

Published on February 3, 2009 in bike by risu. Closed

Super-bowl?

What is this “Super-bowl” thing you speak of?

Another sunny weekend beaconed us out to the trails again. The warm, blue skies fostered our expectations of dry conditions, but the reality was there had been reasonably heavy rain since last Saturday, probably somewhere in the last 48 hours. Scat had forgotten his SPD shoes in his rush to get out of the house. Rubber zori’s were not the ideal substitute, so he borrowed socks from Ckucke and BMX shoes from me. Continue reading ‘Sunday, Muddy Sunday’

Days Like This

Published on February 3, 2009 in bike by risu. Closed

I love days like this.

Blue skies and warm sunlight follow me to Waimanalo, and a gentle sea breeze blows me up to the trailhead. Root, Scat, and Ckucke are already there, prepping their bikes for the ride. My Moment hasn’t been ridden for months, so the tires have gone soft and weird lint balls and dust have accumulated on it. I pump up the tires with the Silca Super Pista and run some Boeshield on the chain. Root’s chain is dry and squeaky like a robot out of a Miyazaki film, so he squirrels some of my lube. Continue reading ‘Days Like This’

Fox Attack MTB Short

Published on January 29, 2009 in bike and Review by risu. Closed

This is another Chainlove find. These shorts sell for $120 USD MSRP, a price that makes you think twice about getting a pair, but on closeout at less than $60 USD, they are within the reach of all but the poorest dirtbag. General appearance is very good, with durable nylon and mesh construction. The inseam length is nice and long. The center seam is welded – not stitched – both to provide a snag-free seat interface and to reduce discomfort by eliminating the thickness of a stitched seam. Mesh vents start on either side of the backside, and wrap around and down the front of the legs and back around the hemline. These provide more than adequate ventilation. There are two front slash pockets and two zippered pockets on the outer thighs, the one on the right being rather small because it is cut to accommodate the Fox head logo in the vent mesh. There are Velcro adjusters on either side toward the back that add tension to the waist elastic. Belt loops are also provided. The front closure is laced “board short” style with a half-length gusseted Velcro fly. The inner liner is made from a breathable stretch mesh with an integrated chamois. There are two loops at the side seams of the liner short that interface with two thin bias tape ribbons on the outer short that close with tiny plastic snaps. Continue reading ‘Fox Attack MTB Short’

Fox Flux MTB Helmet Update

Published on January 29, 2009 in bike, rant and Review by risu. Closed

Original article is here

On this past Saturday’s ride, the chinstrap buckle stopped working. It would “click”, but any pressure would result in the buckle popping open and the strap coming loose. I discovered this at the beginning of the ride to my dismay, but rode anyway despite the danger. I emailed Fox on Monday, but they replied with a stock, “please call our 1-800 number so we can sell you the replacement part” message. When I asked if this was a warranty issue, they replied with a cut-and-paste of their warranty policy, indicating that I should take it back to the dealer. Seems like they’re all “corporate” and don’t handle customer service issues in the same proactive manner as some companies still rooted in their sport do nowadays (Burton and HopeTech USA are good examples of companies with excellent customer service). Continue reading ‘Fox Flux MTB Helmet Update’