Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171719)

Oh, and here's some tire usage that'll make the frugal among us proud. I noticed this when waiting around for the boys to show up last night -

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...262e15bb07.jpg

I had inspected my tires last week and thought that I had some good miles left, so this snuck up on me. I'm actually kind of glad that I didn't see this before leaving home - I would have been tempted to stay home. Instead, I just tried to be a little more conservative with rear brake and not hop too many curbs or do anything else dumb.

Originally Posted by Trsnrtr (Post 22170917)

Speaking of “crushing souls,” my legs are shot. I feel like crap.Tried to ride this morning and my legs are gone. I have a club metric planned for tomorrow and I may have to back out. On the other hand, it’s a slow group…

Originally Posted by ls01 (Post 22171533)

perhaps it it just melancholy....




Yes I did!

Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171668)

The discussion of oak mites and the mention of fleas gives me phantom itches. I hate little bitey ****ers and always have fairly itchy reactions to all of 'em.

Originally Posted by indyfabz (Post 22171682)

Yeah. I have heard people talk about fire ants. I think what got me was something tamer.

I was in the middle of nowhere and there was nothing to sit on besides the ground. Because my touring shoes are so big and bulky I have to take them off to remove my leg warmers. I managed to pick the worst spot for that. Two feet in either direction and I would have been ok.

Originally Posted by Mojo31 (Post 22171740)

The oak mites don't just bite - they burrow into your skin.

Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171759)

Even better.

Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171719)

I had inspected my tires last week and thought that I had some good miles left, so this snuck up on me.

Originally Posted by indyfabz (Post 22171763)

Had that happen. BITD I ordered tires and other stuff from Performance for an upcoming, hilly, two-day charity ride. Package arrives two days before the event with tires missing. Turns out they were backordered. Though my current set was worn, they looked like they would last the weekend. Got to the first rest stop on day one after about 20 miles and one long-ish climb and the rear looked worse than yours. Patches like that in several places. Hand to purchase a new one from the mechanical service provider. I kept wondering how I lost that much rubber in such a short period of time.

Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171719)

Oh, and here's some tire usage that'll make the frugal among us proud. I noticed this when waiting around for the boys to show up last night -

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...262e15bb07.jpg

I had inspected my tires last week and thought that I had some good miles left, so this snuck up on me. I'm actually kind of glad that I didn't see this before leaving home - I would have been tempted to stay home. Instead, I just tried to be a little more conservative with rear brake and not hop too many curbs or do anything else dumb.

Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171701)

It's been really dry here this year - too dry. The silver lining has been the lack of mosquitoes; I've only had one bite this year. I hate mosquitoes.

Originally Posted by phrantic09 (Post 22171817)

Is that the Michelin? How many miles. I just ordered a set because my Schwalbe are toast.

Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171837)

A little over 3k, which is a little more than I'd gotten out of the Schwalbe POEA

Originally Posted by phrantic09 (Post 22171854)

Nice, same on the POEA - roughly 3000. Looking forward to giving the Michelin a shot.

Originally Posted by rjones28 (Post 22171674)

I brush by a favorite beetle lunch hangout, during my lawn cutting activities. Dozens of the little buggers tumble on to me and the mower.

Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171719)

I just tried to be a little more conservative with rear brake and not hop too many curbs or do anything else dumb.

Originally Posted by Velo Vol (Post 22171941)

What do you normally do? Skid to stops at the light?

Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171837)

A little over 3k, which is a little more than I'd gotten out of the Schwalbe POEA

Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171696)

The winds stayed true and I got to go out and crush some souls last night - good fun. :D

Rather than sprint for town signs, I decided to spice it up a little and try to ride off of the front, instead, and see if I could hold them off. For a particular sign at the end of a 2-mile straight, I jumped with about a mile and a third to go, giving them a fighting chance to track me down. I gapped them in the time that it took for the dumbness of my move register and then I pushed to maintain that gap. Once they gave up, I wound down and rolled past the sign. I had tried to make that move last year, and got pipped at the line, so to make it stick was gratifying.

Also set a season best 60sec power record on that effort. Actually, in the last week, I've set season bests at 5sec, 60sec, 5min and 20min. Maybe that's the silver lining of the forced recovery, due to the wildfire haze.

Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 22171719)

Oh, and here's some tire usage that'll make the frugal among us proud. I noticed this when waiting around for the boys to show up last night -

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...262e15bb07.jpg

I had inspected my tires last week and thought that I had some good miles left, so this snuck up on me. I'm actually kind of glad that I didn't see this before leaving home - I would have been tempted to stay home. Instead, I just tried to be a little more conservative with rear brake and not hop too many curbs or do anything else dumb.

Originally Posted by DougRNS (Post 22171939)

is your mower battery powered or are you stuck in the 70's?