Trsnrtr

My experiences with waxed chains was not good if you ride in a wet environment. They really get nasty in a hurry.

Trsnrtr

Yep. Plastic scraper and polishing spoodge.

rjones28 

So far, I've only needed to use a standard kitchen sponge on our cooktop.

indyfabz

I'm bored.

2manybikes

I'm waiting for the oil burner technician to show up. They said 8:30 to 1:00. It's 1:00 now.

datlas 

Go ride your bike. It's unseasonably warm out right now.

Jack Tone 

About chain lube, for what it's worth. I've used everything but wax dip. I've got spray wax with Teflon, chainL, Boeshield, and others. I've never noticed any difference in any of them. They all get dirty and they all lube. I had a mountain bike many years ago that I raced several mountain bike races, even broke and repaired the chain in one. The same bike with the same chain was then used as a commuter for about 7000 miles, all year round. Sometimes through creeks above the bottom bracket. It had the original chain on it still when it was stolen. The only lube I ever used on it was WD40. PS the chain was never removed or cleaned.

datlas 

We still use oil heat too. I suspect there are not that many of us left.

indyfabz

Stuck at work. Then I need to do some clothes shopping.

2manybikes

My parent's house originally had single line steam radiators connected to the original coal fired furnace (from the 1940s I think). They just added an oil burner where the coal fire would have been, It worked fine.

MoAlpha

When I was a kid, we heated this place with a mechanically fed coal furnace which my grandparents must have installed. Later, my parents put in an air-atomizing oil burner. When they died, we sold it to people who were going to live in it year-round. They were either going to spend 10,000/yr on fuel or freeze their asses off.

datlas 

Nice looking home. Where is it?

MoAlpha

Sharon Springs, NY

datlas 

I did a little research and apparently home heating oil is still commonly used in the Northeast, and is most often used in NY state and Pennsylvania. It's pretty rarely used outside of the NE.

We burn about 1000 gallons a year. The only alternative for us is electric (which is not cost effective) or we could get a big bad-ass propane tank and have propane heat. Likely sticking with oil for now.

datlas 

Sounds cold.

MoAlpha

Yes and although the average temp has obviously gone up, I think there is more frequent extreme cold nowadays. We use to spend a week or two there in the winters and I remember it being amazingly cold and snowy.

datlas 

Interesting. The TDU starts in 3 weeks but apparently rosters are not posted yet?

datlas 

I would not mind spending summers there but winter here is cold enough for me.

MoAlpha

Winter is not for skinny people. I was a fat kid.

indyfabz

Cyclist gives struggling koala a drink of water:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/video/aus...1sXsnBzwYjpLXa

datlas 

Kind cyclist clearly was not taking advice from @Velo Vol.

WhyFi

I think that induction is considerably easier because the pan is the heat element, so stuff doesn't get fried on to the surface to nearly the same extent. In the time that we've had it, I don't think that I've required anything more than a damp paper towel.

WhyFi

In the five days since arriving in VA, my son has spread his cold/fever bug to his sister and now to my wife. This morning, I woke with a little tickle in my throat so, so I did what any reasonable cyclist would - I risked running myself into the ground for the sake of piling on some mileage while I still could.

Got in some easy, smooth miles on the Cap2Cap trail between Williamsburg and Richmond. When I turned around, I was only 15 or so miles from Richmond. I was very tempted to push on, but knew that the wife wouldn't be pleased.

Meanwhile, my training stress tracker on Strava is saying, "whoa, whoa, whoa - what the **** do you think you're doing? Chill out, man."

indyfabz

I have a friend from the 'hood who now lives in anthracite coal country in PA. Her house has a coal furnace. When I rode across PA in 2017 I stopped at a c-store in a city called Hazleton. The place was selling large bags of coal.

MoAlpha

Makes sense.