Category: Gear
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Fujisan and Takaosan Dawdle
I had an easy-going ride on Sunday, setting out in single-digit temperatures (Celsius). Nana had not made any onigiri, so my first stop was at a convenience store for some food to keep me going throughout the day. I’d replaced the disc brake pads on Saturday. The front pads, which had been squealing for a…
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Get the cool shoeshine
I’ve been riding with Shimano’s SPD system for mountain bikes (as opposed to the more road race-oriented type) because it’s specifically designed to allow for walking in the shoe when off the bike. But for the past year or so, I’ve noticed that the walking has become more tricky — louder grinding of the cleats,…
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Afternoon in the Workshop
With a distinct lack of photos After finishing this morning’s post and a few other tasks, I decided it was time to unpack Kuroko from the travel bag and get things put away. I unzipped the bag and pulled out the wheel (in its own bag), then removed the saddlebag from the bike so I…
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Travel preparation
Taking the shinkansen in the morning. I realized as I was writing this that I hadn’t checked the tires before packing the bike. Fortunately I was able to reach the valves without undoing the whole process again (and the tires were fine).
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Bicycle Repair Man
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The search for the ultimate pump
I’ve been looking for a new tire pump since my Panaracer — very reliable until that point — nearly left me stranded as it removed the valve core after pumping up a soft rear tire. After some searching around and reading reviews, I decided to give the Lezyne Digital Road Drive a try. It’s more…
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Bonkers update
I’ve put just less than 500km on Dionysus since switching to the big fat Billy Bonkers tires. They’ve been great the whole time (after I adjusted to how much more effort they take to accelerate than the narrow, light Contis they replaced), and they make the bumpier sections of my commute much more comfortable than…
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Sunday afternoon
Following yesterday’s issues with the tire valve, I brought Kuroko up to the Workshop in the Sky. Mostly I wanted to clean and oil the chain, which I did without fanfare. But I also wanted to resolve the issues with the inner tube’s valve and the pump. I’d pumped up the inner tube itself yesterday…
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Getting the tire on the right way round
The forecast has been for rain all weekend, so I glumly concluded it would be a good chance for some bicycle maintenance. When I woke up this morning the forecast was improving — just a slight chance of rain in the afternoon — but when I looked out the window it was grey and misty.…
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Where is my comfort zone?
After riding a grand total of zero kilometers since January 8, this morning the stars aligned and I commuted to the office on Dionysus, sporting her new Billy Bonkers skins. With the change from the 28mm Conti slicks I shod Dionysus with on the upgrade from Ol’ Paint, I had three basic expectations: Cutting to…