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Old 05-28-20, 03:35 AM
  #13  
canklecat
Me duelen las nalgas
 
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 13,513

Bikes: Centurion Ironman, Trek 5900, Univega Via Carisma, Globe Carmel

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Yeah, I know the roads in the Metroplex are pretty bad in some places, from west of Fort Worth to Dallas and everywhere between. Most road resurfacing has switched to chipseal, even in cities. It's durable but mostly cheaper and quicker. Sometimes they claim they'll eventually come back and "fog seal" or whatever they call smooth asphalt topping. But most roads out my way in Fort Worth that have been repaved with chipseal or striated concrete still haven't been topped up and smoothed out in years. And with the current economic downturn I don't expect anything fancy in road maintenance for years.

My bikes are all older, rim brakes and quick releases. But my next bike will have disc brakes and thru-axles, and take 700x32 tires. I was leery of that stuff until I watched a friend do a couple of flat repairs and realized it's quick and easy. And the thru axles are beefy, stronger and stiffer everywhere. That's a plus for rough pavement. Although, to be honest, I've bent a QR only once and that was on the indoor trainer. No idea how I managed that. Probably didn't adjust the wheel holder properly.

There have been a few rides on damp days when my rim brakes slipped quite a bit at first. Usually it clears up after braking several times to wipe the rims and scrub off the road oil that splashes up. We don't get as much rain here as some places but discs would be better. And, apparently, a bit finicky for some folks to adjust, judging by the squealing I hear on damp rides. But no worse than some cantilever brakes.
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