Kaz

239 reputation

bio	website	kylheku.com
	location	Vancouver, Canada
	age
visits	member for	8 months
	seen	May 8 at 16:33
stats	profile views	9

Check out the TXR language http://www.nongnu.org/txr

	239 reputation	bio	website	kylheku.com	visits	member for	8 months
5 badges		location	Vancouver, Canada		seen	May 8 at 16:33

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51 Comments

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May 8	comment	What can I do to help me sustain frequent long-ish rides? @TalFishman Oh, taking stops, or generally, using your brakes and going slowly down the hill, will add to your time, for sure, but not significantly to the overall effort.
May 4	comment	Is cycling better than walking to lose weight? I agree. For instance, let's compare, oh, squeezing a tennis ball with cycling.
May 4	comment	Why are single-speed bikes with disc brakes hard to find? It might be difficult for the cyclist to get just a front brake at the retail level, but I would think not for a manufacturer who orders thousands of them from a supplier.
May 4	comment	Is a bike faster than a car for the first ten metres? An ant is faster than a bike for the first nanometer, too! Problem is, the finish line is located at the last nanometer, not the first.
May 4	comment	What can I do to help me sustain frequent long-ish rides? Just because you have to make stops doesn't mean you don't get the benefit of coasting downhill! The one "waste" is when you're already off the hill and on the flat, and you cannot keep the kinetic energy because there is a stop. Well, that kinetic energy isn't something you can keep for long anyway. Within a few hundred yards, most of it is dissipated in air drag.
May 4	comment	Will a bike stand that holds one wheel damage my bike? What exactly is this contraption good for, if your bikes have kickstands?
May 4	comment	Why are single-speed bikes with disc brakes hard to find? But this issue affects the rear. Who cares about rear brakes. If a bike was to have only one brake, you'd put it on the front wheel, not the rear, and if it was to have only one disc brake, it would go in the front. In other words, this answer doesn't explain why there aren't single-speed bikes that have a disc brake in the front. (Either just that brake, or that brake in combination with some other kind of brake in the rear, like a hub brake.)
Mar 27	comment	What advanced cycling skills are useful for a commuter or city rider? About looking backwards: maybe get a rear-view mirror to help with that (though you obviously have blinds spots then, like a motorist), but it eliminates some of the shoulder checking.
Mar 27	comment	What advanced cycling skills are useful for a commuter or city rider? Same here. Commute to work daily, do not jump curbs. Cars do not have to jump curbs, and I go where cars go. This is a question about urban commuting, not kids doing tricks after school.
Mar 4	comment	I need help on how to make my bike faster Replace the legs which drive the pedals.
Mar 2	comment	Are tow-hitch bike racks legal? Not really a bicycle question. "Can I attach such and such to my car so that it meets motor vehicle laws".
Mar 2	comment	New Chain causing skipping on cassette - will this work itself out or is it unsafe? 5000 miles out of a casette is what you can expect? Wow, that's like ... an oil change interval on a car. And I'm assuming that's a good quality casette, not something from a "bicycle shaped object?" Geez what an industry, this cycling.
Mar 1	comment	What subtle factors affect performance in unsubtle ways? @Kibbee Ah yes, good point. It might be a good idea to stick a piece of tape at the insertion line, or make a mark with a permanent marker.
Mar 1	comment	What subtle factors affect performance in unsubtle ways? But the first one doesn't change from ride to ride, unless you have loose bolts (e.g. your seat post slips down and you don't know it), and the second is obvious (you know you're struggling because it is hot and humid). Not exactly a "subtle factor".
Mar 1	comment	BMX stem slipping; how to stop? Don't use a cheater bar on anything, unless it is required to produce the specified Nm or lbft of torque.
Mar 1	comment	What subtle factors affect performance in unsubtle ways? Alas I was going to add food reactions to the list, indeed.
Mar 1	comment	What subtle factors affect performance in unsubtle ways? Are you kidding? Tail wind can provide a stupendous boost in speed. With even a moderately brisk tail wind, I'm keeping up with cars. At least until the next hill. Also, I've tried drafting behind the tail gate of a large truck. Boy, what a difference that makes. Air drag is the culprit in cycling, make no mistake. There are few losses elsewhere. You've got your tires well pumped up for very little rolling resistance and the machine has lubricated bearings.
Mar 1	comment	BMX stem slipping; how to stop? Indeed, if things are slipping in spite of correct bolt tension, it's some other problem. Maybe a shim is needed.
Mar 1	comment	Is it possible/sensible to add a suspension fork to an old mountain bike? You should not compare the cost of upgrades to a new bike but to buying a bike of comparable age, grade and condition which has the feature you want. How much would it cost to get a 1993 bike similar to yours with an original or retrofit suspension fork. Subtract from that how much you could get for your bike if you sold it. The result is likely close to zero. So the upgrade path is actually free. Of course, the good thing about your used bike versus someone else's is that it's the proverbial "devil you know".
Oct 27	comment	Is it really going to damage a bike to wash it with a hose? "Water under pressure" probably does not refer to tap water from a hose, but 1500+ p.s.i. pressure washing. It is possible to use pressurized water, and not simply not aim it in such a way that it either directly hits sealed bearings or ricochets off something else and then hits the bearings. Just like when you cut food with a knife, you keep the knife away from your fingers. Pressure washing can get grit out of a bike chain and clean parts of the bike that are far away from any bearing, so if you have access to this tool, why not use it.