Unsliced

7,589 reputation

11845

bio	website	loaf.org.uk
	location	London, United Kingdom
	age	41
visits	member for	2 years, 8 months
	seen	21 hours ago
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Coder. Geek. Cyclist. Rower. Ex-academic. Dad. Occasional manager. Part-time webmaster. Been on the Interwebs for longer than most realise there has been one.

Gentle opinions, strongly held.

@unsliced

	7,589 reputation	bio	website	loaf.org.uk	visits	member for	2 years, 8 months
11845 badges		location	London, United Kingdom		seen	21 hours ago

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153 Comments

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2d	comment	Is having your hands “on the hoods” of drop handlebars safe for braking? I'd agree - riding on the hoods is fine so long as your hands are big enough to get around them. The only time I ever go to the drops for reasons of braking is on steep descents where your grip on the levers is more sure; braking on the hoods isn't so comfortable when sustained but is fine for momentary use.
May 1	comment	Solid Foam Rubber Inner Tubes For Mountain Bikes One of the answers to the question you (mostly) duplicate points to some suppliers - bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/3891/425 - but also explains why you probably don't actually want to bother ...
Apr 2	comment	Is a bike faster than a car for the first ten metres? Somebody else will be along in a while with some equations, but my experience of such boxes (known as advanced stop zones, ASZs, in the UK) is that cyclists are quicker away because we, erm, tend to predict the green light better than the cars, so there's a time lag before the vehicles go as well as whatever minimal acceleration advantage.
Mar 11	comment	How do I estimate how long it will take me to ride my commute? This is almost the only reasonable answer because while Strava does naturally attract people wanting to race over the segments, those segments allow you to track your relative ability too. The OP is obviously a competitive type wanting to mark himself against the crowd, so I'd whole heartedly recommend Strava for this.
Feb 19	comment	Do my Shimano 7900 Dura Ace chainrings need replacing? If the chainring is visibly deformed to the extent that someone is, independently, pointing it out to you, then that is feasible. It will wear down over time and if you've been particularly hard on it - many bad gear changes for example - a few thousand km is not out of the question.
Feb 7	comment	Size medium or large There are better, more general questions about sizing frames - e.g. bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/3049/…, bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/4030/… - this question will be of little use to anyone else even if someone can productively answer the original.
Feb 6	comment	Would you do a 15mile + commute on an electric bicycle? Which one? This is a poll; it seems like market research for an e-bike company. This certainly isn't a real question in the Bicycles.SE mould - there isn't going to be a definitive answer, just lots of opinions.
Feb 4	comment	Why do current, entry-level shimano rear derailers have large-diameter pulleys? Cheaper materials might need to be made bigger and thicker to be as strong as higher end alternatives? Minaturisation needs to be quite expensive.
Feb 1	comment	About 20-30 people bike to where I work. What equipment/supplies should we have on hand? @mattnz I have a friend who owns a shop who does this - he goes into schools, workplaces, sports clubs and similar with a toolbox and a stand and does simple maintenance on bikes while explaining his methods and showing how easy most of it is. Of course, he is also selling his shop and its services ... but that's not a problem, everyone wins: he gets new customers and people get their bikes looked over and tweaked and learn some new skills.
Jan 31	comment	About 20-30 people bike to where I work. What equipment/supplies should we have on hand? @MarkRushakoff having a stash at work isn't going to be helpful at the time, but a problem on the morning that you've botched at the roadside could then be dealt with at work, rather than possibly risking worse on the return leg, so it's definitely better than nothing. And, of course, at the very least it shows you're an understanding employer - and at the fraction of the cost of a car parking space. And 3 miles is not a long commute :)
Jan 25	comment	How to cope with boredom whilst cycle touring? @Oli sure, I cycle with an earpiece. So do most professionals ... and most drivers drive with their windows up and the radio on. The presence of an earpiece is not, of itself, intrinsically dangerous. Beware, though, that this is like helmets, there are entrenched positions on both sides - bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/623/… - but then, you knew that when you left a comment like that, right?
Jan 16	comment	Do shops that sell used bikes normally also sell used parts? Yes. Many cities have some form of bike co-op which offers shared workshop space, tools and advice (e.g. lbk.org.uk) - these will generally act as an exchange for used bikes and parts too. Your local bike shop will almost certainly be able to point you in the right direction.
Jan 11	comment	How to protect myself when falling off the bicycle This is a decent answer - but it needs to be a little less sensational. The repetition is fine if you're in a lecture delivering the answer, but as a written piece it could be made shorter and snappier - and better laid out. Worth a +1 but it really needs tightening up.
Dec 27	comment	What to look for when buying bicycles for children Ditto Specialized - my kids are working their way up the HotRocks range and while they're not cheap, they are very solidly made.
Dec 27	comment	Cheap alternatives to avoid tire punctures The best advice is to keep the tyres properly inflated (pressure repels sharps really well) but, off-road, you may have good reason to explicitly run them soft, so that's not going to work so well for you in those times.
Dec 18	comment	What would cause variable air resistance on a day with no wind? I'd +2 if I could. Maybe add the "on a cold and dry day, there's roughly a 10% increase in air resistance when compared to a hot and humid day" as an opening TL;DR.
Dec 12	comment	Helmet Camera pros and Cons There are questions relating to helmet cameras - but this isn't one. Bicycles.SE is a q-and-a site - could you rephrase this to ask a real question to which you are interested in the real answer?
Dec 10	comment	A famous cycling Race, Place or Climb beginning with the letter “D” What's the context - are there going to be 25 other questions for the other letters?
Dec 4	comment	Can I store my mountain bike + suspension hanging from the front wheel for the winter (in an unheated garage)? If you're worried about the effects on the wheel the you could periodically rehang it, partially rotating the wheel, to even out the stresses.
Dec 4	comment	Fixed gear: slipping It is quite possible you don't have a lockring - they are a small bolt type circle with a few notches in them for grip with a specific lockring tool - e.g. wiggle.co.uk/miche-fixed-track-sprocket-lockring - you are able to ride perfectly well without one - but for road use it is safer to use one.