The Water Cooler, Scuttlebutt, Chit Chat Thread
#4201
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,570
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1852 Post(s)
Liked 679 Times
in
430 Posts
In North Philly for work today, walking streets for surveying.
Man. I hadn't realized quite how bad the heroin had really gotten in some places.
A flop house had burned the night before on the corner we were on, still smelled of house fire. I probably saw 50 used needles, and I wasn't looking for them. No idea if I stepped on any, I was trying to be careful but they were just everywhere, along with all the broken glass from the fire. I had work boots on, so not really worried, but still not nice place to be walking around, even during daylight.
Man. I hadn't realized quite how bad the heroin had really gotten in some places.
A flop house had burned the night before on the corner we were on, still smelled of house fire. I probably saw 50 used needles, and I wasn't looking for them. No idea if I stepped on any, I was trying to be careful but they were just everywhere, along with all the broken glass from the fire. I had work boots on, so not really worried, but still not nice place to be walking around, even during daylight.
But the epidemic is bad in many places.
#4202
Version 7.0
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 13,139
Bikes: Too Many
Mentioned: 297 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1349 Post(s)
Liked 2,490 Times
in
1,462 Posts
@burnthesheep I looked at Zipp and Fast Forward and wheel builder and the carbon wheel pricing between models based on rim depth seemed somewhat rational. Retail pricing is generally a multiple of the bill of material with the multiple staying somewhat constant with final pricing adjusted due to markets and competition.
#4203
Newbie racer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 3,406
Bikes: Propel, red is faster
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1575 Post(s)
Liked 1,569 Times
in
974 Posts
Kinda what I thought. It just caught me off guard because I'm always a used buyer. I kept seeing ads and clicked on a few. That prompted the question. I'll still be a used buyer it seems. Lol.
#4204
Version 7.0
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 13,139
Bikes: Too Many
Mentioned: 297 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1349 Post(s)
Liked 2,490 Times
in
1,462 Posts
When I started racing, I belonged to a racing team that had a pro women's team. Each year, the pro team would sell their equipment. Some of it was not ridden or slightly used. I got very good pricing on wheels and other stuff from a trusted source. And we had team deals that were very good. Today, my racing team has team deals with manufacturers and we support and promote those sponsors. Although, the pricing is good, it is not as good as used. I assume you belong to a racing team / club that is supported by sponsors????
#4205
No matches
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 11,647
Bikes: two wheeled ones
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1398 Post(s)
Liked 444 Times
in
250 Posts
Supervised injection was certainly on my mind yesterday. They're working to put the first in the country in Philly I think, most likely within a few blocks of where I was. Lots of opposition, but yeah, the research I've seen seems very positive.
#4206
Newbie racer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 3,406
Bikes: Propel, red is faster
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1575 Post(s)
Liked 1,569 Times
in
974 Posts
I don't race enough to make it worth it for a team to hand me out a jersey. I don't feel like a couple cross races, one TT, and a couple road races per year is enough.
We have local "club" teams that you can get a pretty affordable jersey from and race for. But, I'm not aware of any stellar discounts of any kind through them.
I'd have to seriously up the race volume to make it worth someone's while. By like a factor of 3 to 4.
And Z-racing doesn't count. I'm trying to do one a week over winter in the fake world. TTT tomorrow night.
But........wheels wise......I'll post up what I'm trying to accomplish in the "racer tech" topic.
We have local "club" teams that you can get a pretty affordable jersey from and race for. But, I'm not aware of any stellar discounts of any kind through them.
I'd have to seriously up the race volume to make it worth someone's while. By like a factor of 3 to 4.
And Z-racing doesn't count. I'm trying to do one a week over winter in the fake world. TTT tomorrow night.
But........wheels wise......I'll post up what I'm trying to accomplish in the "racer tech" topic.
Likes For burnthesheep:
#4207
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,570
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1852 Post(s)
Liked 679 Times
in
430 Posts
There's a bit debate about them in the public health industry. Prevention researchers abhor them - they argue that such facilities offer implicit acceptance of illicit drug abuse and say more should be done to prevent. Harm reduction researchers like them - they argue that prevention efforts have not proven 100 percent effective, so we should do what we can to reduce the negative consequences of illicit drug abuse.
Likes For topflightpro:
#4208
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,570
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1852 Post(s)
Liked 679 Times
in
430 Posts
I don't race enough to make it worth it for a team to hand me out a jersey. I don't feel like a couple cross races, one TT, and a couple road races per year is enough.
We have local "club" teams that you can get a pretty affordable jersey from and race for. But, I'm not aware of any stellar discounts of any kind through them.
We have local "club" teams that you can get a pretty affordable jersey from and race for. But, I'm not aware of any stellar discounts of any kind through them.
Likes For topflightpro:
#4209
Version 7.0
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 13,139
Bikes: Too Many
Mentioned: 297 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1349 Post(s)
Liked 2,490 Times
in
1,462 Posts
What is interesting is that there are many "racing" clubs where only a few members actually race. However, the non racers usually have access to the same deals with the exception that some deals may require a minimum number of races per year.
Part of the problem for cyclists joining teams or clubs is the lack of promotion of the clubs describing their features and benefits of membership.
When I started racing my thinking was simple. Get a coach, find a pro bike shop and join a racing team. And I became a member of BF and learned a lot from all concerned. YMMV.
Likes For Hermes:
#4210
No matches
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 11,647
Bikes: two wheeled ones
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1398 Post(s)
Liked 444 Times
in
250 Posts
The one he worked with was in San Francisco.
There's a bit debate about them in the public health industry. Prevention researchers abhor them - they argue that such facilities offer implicit acceptance of illicit drug abuse and say more should be done to prevent. Harm reduction researchers like them - they argue that prevention efforts have not proven 100 percent effective, so we should do what we can to reduce the negative consequences of illicit drug abuse.
There's a bit debate about them in the public health industry. Prevention researchers abhor them - they argue that such facilities offer implicit acceptance of illicit drug abuse and say more should be done to prevent. Harm reduction researchers like them - they argue that prevention efforts have not proven 100 percent effective, so we should do what we can to reduce the negative consequences of illicit drug abuse.
Maybe it was one of the clandestine ones that have existed at various times in places.
#4211
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Redlands, CA
Posts: 6,313
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 842 Post(s)
Liked 469 Times
in
250 Posts
What is interesting is that there are many "racing" clubs where only a few members actually race. However, the non racers usually have access to the same deals with the exception that some deals may require a minimum number of races per year.
Part of the problem for cyclists joining teams or clubs is the lack of promotion of the clubs describing their features and benefits of membership.
When I started racing my thinking was simple. Get a coach, find a pro bike shop and join a racing team. And I became a member of BF and learned a lot from all concerned. YMMV.
Part of the problem for cyclists joining teams or clubs is the lack of promotion of the clubs describing their features and benefits of membership.
When I started racing my thinking was simple. Get a coach, find a pro bike shop and join a racing team. And I became a member of BF and learned a lot from all concerned. YMMV.
Next year we're going to have a nice team; 2 domestic pro caliber racers, and 4 other really fast guys, all great climbers. Unfortunately I'm 45+ and they're all under 30.
#4212
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2953 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times
in
1,417 Posts
My team has an expectation that you will race and there is a reimbursement scheme if you meet a minimum number of races, plus work at the race we put on, and do other team activities. But we also know that we're all amateurs and have families and full time jobs, etc. Sometimes members go to other teams or take a year or two off from racing, seems like eventually they all come back. We have a pretty solid group of 3's and 4's, a handful of 2's, and a couple of Juniors. It's a fun hobby and these are my friends. That's the most important thing.
#4213
Not actually Tmonk
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 14,228
Bikes: road, track, mtb
Mentioned: 142 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2693 Post(s)
Liked 3,238 Times
in
1,705 Posts
SDBC is a pretty good community. The club at large has over 800 members, the dues of which are used to partially fund the racing teams. Anyone can join, but there are race day and volunteer requirements like @caloso's club, which are different at the 4/5, 3, and 1/2 level. Good participation among the juniors, men and women's teams, masters not so much. It seems like a lot of the guys on the men's time rise through the ranks, then start having family or just get burnt out. There are good (great) master's teams in socal, but SDBC is not one of them hah. Must be a demographic thing. Plenty of aging club members, racers not so much.
__________________
"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
#4214
Not actually Tmonk
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 14,228
Bikes: road, track, mtb
Mentioned: 142 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2693 Post(s)
Liked 3,238 Times
in
1,705 Posts
Didn't there used to be an Eating Status thread? Anyway, it's been a lovely afternoon of hanging out and doing chores at home and relaxing after my big ride (PTO day).
Made some chicken parmigiana from scratch, sauce and all. Did the standard seasoned flour/egg/bread crumb assembly line before frying in hot oil briefly and baking with fresh mozzarella and shredded parmesan. Did a three-stage (fresh) basil thing, once into the saucepan after onions and garlic to wilt briefly before adding crushed tomato, once on top of the chicken before ladling the sauce over and going into the oven, and finally a little bit fresh for garnish. Served with spaghetti.
My god this is good! Perfect after a big day on the bike and a massive deficit. Pairing with a glass or two of (California grown) Bordeaux blend red and I'm stoked.
Made some chicken parmigiana from scratch, sauce and all. Did the standard seasoned flour/egg/bread crumb assembly line before frying in hot oil briefly and baking with fresh mozzarella and shredded parmesan. Did a three-stage (fresh) basil thing, once into the saucepan after onions and garlic to wilt briefly before adding crushed tomato, once on top of the chicken before ladling the sauce over and going into the oven, and finally a little bit fresh for garnish. Served with spaghetti.
My god this is good! Perfect after a big day on the bike and a massive deficit. Pairing with a glass or two of (California grown) Bordeaux blend red and I'm stoked.
__________________
"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
#4215
Newbie racer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 3,406
Bikes: Propel, red is faster
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1575 Post(s)
Liked 1,569 Times
in
974 Posts
There's two around me I'd consider, mostly it's a proximity kind of thing and I see their riders on our weeknight workout rides already. XII State.
There's plenty of others, but they meet a bit too far for me to spend the time to make it to their group rides/practices or whatever.
I think my best bet is to pick that one that's more involved in cross and next year get the kiddos involved in that a bit. Both seemed like they enjoyed riding the practices I did and they could hang out with me at those events as they are very family friendly and I could contribute more that way. Both riding or support, since it's a one-stop-shop half day kind of thing.
In other news, I've been about to lose my marbles over Zwift and my phone. Huge battery drain. HDMI/power cable adapter not working off and on. Etc.... Tonight going to try the wife's macbook that has bluetooth. Keep it plugged into the wall and run companion/Discord on my phone for the race. I just hope the versioning works fine there and that there aren't any freeze-ups.
There's plenty of others, but they meet a bit too far for me to spend the time to make it to their group rides/practices or whatever.
I think my best bet is to pick that one that's more involved in cross and next year get the kiddos involved in that a bit. Both seemed like they enjoyed riding the practices I did and they could hang out with me at those events as they are very family friendly and I could contribute more that way. Both riding or support, since it's a one-stop-shop half day kind of thing.
In other news, I've been about to lose my marbles over Zwift and my phone. Huge battery drain. HDMI/power cable adapter not working off and on. Etc.... Tonight going to try the wife's macbook that has bluetooth. Keep it plugged into the wall and run companion/Discord on my phone for the race. I just hope the versioning works fine there and that there aren't any freeze-ups.
#4216
Globo Gym lifetime member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Redmond, Oregon
Posts: 5,204
Bikes: Fast ones
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 410 Post(s)
Liked 614 Times
in
306 Posts
In other news, I've been about to lose my marbles over Zwift and my phone. Huge battery drain. HDMI/power cable adapter not working off and on. Etc.... Tonight going to try the wife's macbook that has bluetooth. Keep it plugged into the wall and run companion/Discord on my phone for the race. I just hope the versioning works fine there and that there aren't any freeze-ups.
__________________
#4217
Newbie racer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 3,406
Bikes: Propel, red is faster
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1575 Post(s)
Liked 1,569 Times
in
974 Posts
Ok, figured out a possible problem with what I was doing with the phone/Zwift.
The OEM iphone charger is too low a wattage to both keep it going and have an HDMI adapter plugged in.
I would need to go buy a stronger wattage wall USB charger to do that.
That would hopefully resolve the gym Zwifting issues. Hopefully using the macbook at home works better also.
The OEM iphone charger is too low a wattage to both keep it going and have an HDMI adapter plugged in.
I would need to go buy a stronger wattage wall USB charger to do that.
That would hopefully resolve the gym Zwifting issues. Hopefully using the macbook at home works better also.
#4218
Nonsense
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Vagabond
Posts: 13,918
Bikes: Affirmative
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 880 Post(s)
Liked 541 Times
in
237 Posts
I may be in DC over the summer. What's the racing scene like there? Does the collective approve of it? I've done Tour of Washington County but nothing beyond that.
#4219
fuggitivo solitario
C'mon, you've done this long enough and well enough that you don't need our approval
Quite a few crits, and not that many road races, at least when I was there. There's a weekly training crit series that I really liked. The main road races are Coppi, Miller School, and Page Valley, and it looks like the latter two (both about 2.5 hrs drive away) are no longer being held. MABRA is the local USAC chapter; the calendar really seems to have thinned...
It's also really hot and humid. One year a dude in my race (Coppi) actually suffered heat stroke, and this was the morning race. I think the organizers may have wised up to that and moved it to earlier in the summer.
If you have a car, quite a few of the races in PA (e.g. Millersburg) and NJ are not that far away either.
Quite a few crits, and not that many road races, at least when I was there. There's a weekly training crit series that I really liked. The main road races are Coppi, Miller School, and Page Valley, and it looks like the latter two (both about 2.5 hrs drive away) are no longer being held. MABRA is the local USAC chapter; the calendar really seems to have thinned...
It's also really hot and humid. One year a dude in my race (Coppi) actually suffered heat stroke, and this was the morning race. I think the organizers may have wised up to that and moved it to earlier in the summer.
If you have a car, quite a few of the races in PA (e.g. Millersburg) and NJ are not that far away either.
#4220
Nonsense
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Vagabond
Posts: 13,918
Bikes: Affirmative
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 880 Post(s)
Liked 541 Times
in
237 Posts
Dude when I did Washington County I distinctly remember feeling like my brain was boiling for the last half hour. It was nuts!
RIP racing scene Even if there are weekly crits to play bikes in I will be mostly satisfied.
RIP racing scene Even if there are weekly crits to play bikes in I will be mostly satisfied.
#4221
fuggitivo solitario
oh man, the memories
i had ~2.5 liters for three hours, and still ran nearly dry toward the end, sipping warm water. Would have been nice to have someone hand me an insulated bottle...
I never understood why they decided to run the longer races in the afternoon, when they could have done it in the morning (when it's a lot cooler)
i had ~2.5 liters for three hours, and still ran nearly dry toward the end, sipping warm water. Would have been nice to have someone hand me an insulated bottle...
I never understood why they decided to run the longer races in the afternoon, when they could have done it in the morning (when it's a lot cooler)
#4222
Killing Rabbits
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,697
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 278 Post(s)
Liked 217 Times
in
102 Posts
Ok, figured out a possible problem with what I was doing with the phone/Zwift.
The OEM iphone charger is too low a wattage to both keep it going and have an HDMI adapter plugged in.
I would need to go buy a stronger wattage wall USB charger to do that.
That would hopefully resolve the gym Zwifting issues. Hopefully using the macbook at home works better also.
The OEM iphone charger is too low a wattage to both keep it going and have an HDMI adapter plugged in.
I would need to go buy a stronger wattage wall USB charger to do that.
That would hopefully resolve the gym Zwifting issues. Hopefully using the macbook at home works better also.
Likes For topflightpro:
#4224
Version 7.0
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 13,139
Bikes: Too Many
Mentioned: 297 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1349 Post(s)
Liked 2,490 Times
in
1,462 Posts
Saw Ford versus Ferrari at the Lot Theatre last night and attended a pre-movie event that displayed the cars used in the movie. Amazing movie and maybe the best pic of the year with excellent acting. The racing scenes are superb and it is a reminder about what racing is all about - the perfect lap. I am not so sure that Ford will love the image created for them in the movie. My first car was a 64 blue Mustang inline 6 stick shift. And I always wanted a Shelby.
Likes For Hermes:
#4225
Not actually Tmonk
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 14,228
Bikes: road, track, mtb
Mentioned: 142 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2693 Post(s)
Liked 3,238 Times
in
1,705 Posts
Very cool @Hermes. I always dug the classic blue/white striped Shelby Cobras.
__________________
"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
Likes For TMonk: