hotbike

Headed west on Hillside, turning right at Denton “5 corners”, continued west on Union Turnpike.
At 20 miles, the bike felt soft , spongy… suspecting a flat, I dismounted and squeezed, but both tires were hard (and besides I’m using Tannus Armour)…
So the seat feels soft! And I jiggled it and a U shape piece falls with a tinkle.
Looking at the iPhone map, there were five bike shops in the area. But Jamaica LIRR is closer than any of them. I lowered the seat so it was resting on the toolbox, and gingerly rode the 21st mile to the train station.

hotbike

Seat rails snapped . This happens when you put the seat all the way maxed forward or rearward.



Piece of seat rails, due to metal fatigue



I got train 1706 from Jamaica Centrale (I have an international audience who ask “Ou est le tren?”)

This was Wednesday, 23 February.

kaos joe

So, that's what we did.




It's getting kind of too warm for this. Early on the trails were nicely frozen, but even with the cloud cover things started to go mushy around 10am with 10 miles in, so we called it a day. "On the road again" soon......

hotbike

New Pedestrian Overpass st Mineola LIRR Station

Rode 12 miles, took Wheatley Road to Westbury LIRR, observed progress of construction project.
Went west on Westbury Avenue to Mineola and waited 38 minutes for train back to where I started the ride. Took photos of construction projects.
Saw a peloton of about a dozen cyclists going northbound on Wheatley Road, under the LIE overpass, hello if that was you...


My low-beam headlight switch, inside the fairing. Also the corner of the cyclometer.

BTinNYC 

Got out after lunch for my regular.

Moto at the O-Club, Ft Totten

Russ Roth

Local ride time has been really slim lately, mostly focused on finishing my thesis which should be of to the readers sometime next week. Managed to hit Hempstead Harbor and try out a couple of new trails on thurs. Today I managed to get in 8 miles on Massapequa trail with the youngest, older two rode to Bethpage with the wife. Quite impressed to see this one accomplish the climb over Southern both ways.



Couple weeks before I was in Rock Hill, SC with the oldest. Only had one crash when the girl in front of her slowed too much and slid down the track to crash at the bottom, no way to avoid. Glad whatever caused the small crease and etching in her frame's downtube didn't get her body. No injuries. Have to say, really liked the area and would almost consider moving there. I rode their crit course and river path both of which are sweet and make me wonder why LI doesn't have a similar crit course or even a top notch velodrome.

hotbike

Hillside Avenue and Braddock



LIRR at Kew Gardens

21 miles straight down Hillside Avenue, veering right on Kew Gardens Road . Departure board said I had a train home in 19 minutes, so I waited for it and took it home. If I had more time I would have ridden to Forrest Hills.

hotbike

Hillside Avenue and Braddock



Cyclist on Hillside Avenue

More photos from Hillside Avenue

kaos joe

Yesterday.....




And today, from the opposite shore.




Windy as heck today.

hotbike

Tanners Pond Road


Designated Model 317B, carried a bunch of tools, several pliers, screwdrivers. The new banana seat is quilted with three layers of yoga mat. The ride was super cushy.


Monolithic concrete bridge for the new three track mainline


LIRR contractors busy working

Tested a new bicycle seat by riding to New Hyde Park and back. I saw the 1:14 train here, so when I got to Mineola, the next train was 3:14. That’s when i chose to ride the bike home they whole way without cheating (by riding the train). Had two water bottles, a flask of coffee, and a can of seltzer, so I was fine. Map says it was 22 miles.

kaos joe

My first 40+ miler since I can't remember when. And tomorrow, back to winter.

hotbike

Thirteen miles this morning . Chain was skipping, but I believe it just needed oil.
Photo of my bike blocking the gates of the Russian embassy in Glen Cove.

hotbike

Great ride today. Full sunshine. Went south on 107, left on Brookville road, then muttontown road to Syosset. South on South Oyster Bay road to ___ Hicksville, west on John Street to Westbury. Ate lunch in Westbury. Westbury road to Mineola.

Brookville road near Tam O’Shanter


Hicksville

Charging the battery

The defunct Sears location in Hicksville

Papas frites con pollo

kaos joe

It WAS a fantastic day! We traversed some of the same roads, 35 miles from Bethpage to Glen Cove and back. Our bikes.......looked different......

hotbike

I might just buy a sealed BB

My drive side Bottom Bracket bearings failed the post ride inspection...

I saw 5 other cyclists enjoying the sunshine, don’t know if one of them was you. Helped out one guy who had a rusted chain, I had a freshly refilled bottle of Tri-Flow...
But my own bottom bracket went out on me.

kaos joe

We were a group of 6. One of the guys was not feeling well so we slowed down drastically on the return leg. I've had great luck with sealed BB units, mostly upper tier Shimanos. Even on the rear crank on the tandems where I'd imagine the spindle is under large stresses.

kaos joe

Back to back to the same destination. I ain't complaining. Stellar day.

hotbike

Bottom bracket working fine now, better than before.

I saw some broken glass, and decided to mark it during a break in traffic. I thought of writing the word “GLASS”, but instead chose to make a pictogram, which is supposed to look like a broken bottle.

Big Rig Freightliner on 107

Covered part of my route twice. I usually go out and back or a loop. This was an interesting variation.

I took an early ride Saturday before the rain. The bike that came home from Hicksville, Westbury, Mineola with six bearings gone now has repacked 1/4” bearings (wish dot com sold me 6mm bearings, I had to remove them and do the job over)…

Russ Roth

Managed to get in 22 miles, Tobay to Gilgo with my oldest and a teammate/friend of hers, ok pace of 13.2mph average but mostly due to their talking as they rode, so not the best training. For both of them it was a shakedown run of their bikes.

My daughter's bike is currently a real frankenbike. Brand new Milwaukee frameset so nice US steel production. Running Rival AXS on the right with hydraulic brake. Force AXS on the left with whatever random brake I found in the parts bin. Supposedly the left rival shifter should be in this Sept. Origin 8 crank so the length would be good with a dead weight RPM BB I found in the parts bin that spins very smoothly, and a BMX chainring for Jr gearing. The rear wheel was swiped from my wife's gravel bike since it was an available 12mm thru-axle 11sp wheel while the front is from my wife's old gravel bike since its the only 15mm thru-axle road wheel we had. Tires are high end but what was on the wheels.

Have "new" wheels in the wings. I've got an older set of CK r45 iso disc hubs, and just received a new set of Mavic CXP pro 32 carbon rims. Just waiting on some spokes, nipples, a replacement thru-axle (hubs are currently 135 rear). Rims were wider than I realized, 21mm internal, so she'll be limited to 25c tires but that'll help with her gearing range. 41/11 is ideal junior gearing with a 23c tire, she's 40/11 but the taller tire will make up some difference. Hopefully I can get the wheels done by Sat's race but if not the bike is still pretty quick. Long term I'd like to get the BB replaced with something a lot lighter and get a narrow-wide ring on there hopefully getting it down below 20lbs, currently 21.3lbs. Once the wheels are finished the BB is the only reasonable place to lose weight on the bike.

kaos joe

I get the tandem off the hooks, and the temp promptly drops almost 30 degrees. Oh well. Nicely frozen ground and beautiful morning, but trails thawed before noon. Eked out 12 miles



better than nothing.

kaos joe

Winter is OVER!!!!

BTinNYC 

Nice ride in VT, and my first run at hills. My VT buddy told me we ARE RIDING FLATS, that's why we only did 1600'. 29 mile loop from Springfield to Chester.

kaos joe

In Praise of Stout Wheels

So, there I was, northeast bound on Old Country Rd, waiting at the traffic light at New York Avenue, headed up to Crab Meadow. It's a long light, so I was in the lane, waiting, rear flasher flashing away. In front of me, a filthy dilapidated tow truck. Behind me a gleaming new looking Mercedes SUV. At a full stop a good minute or longer..........WHAM! I've been rear ended by the tool in the Mercedes, at maybe walking speed, hard enough to make the bumper of the car ride up a couple of inches onto the rear wheel, so the car is jacked up a bit and the weight of it has my wheel quite stuck. W. T. F.

I didn't know my expletive capacity was so large or capable of such rapid fire. This sort of thing gets the adrenalin pumping you know. The driver stares at me in a bovine way. "BACK UP!!" He continues to stare in jowly stupefaction. "BACK THE **** UP!". Nothing yet. A good solid right foot to the grille rouses him from his torpor and convinces him it would be wise to, indeed, back the **** up. He does, and shrugs. He shrugs.

At that moment the driver of the tow truck steps out to have a say. Grizzled, in a similar state as his truck and yes, God bless him, a MAGA hat. The visual embodiment of every lycra jockeys nightmare. What does he say to this writer in his spandex?

"Hey man, are you OK? is the bike OK?" I tell him "this pork chop rear ended me", and I'm uninjured and the bike looks all right as well. He says "Yes, I saw it in the mirror....(shaking his head)....are you sure?If the bike is broken I can give you a lift". I thanked him, and gave him a thumbs up. Again, God bless him.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. First 50 miler of the year. Could have been worse, a year ago today I was waiting for Dr SawBones to screw my arm back together.





Bluer skies coming.....

Steve B.

Jesus Joe, I mean you got rear ended while on a Bike ?. Never heard of a cyclist getting rear ended. Did the Mercedes driver at least get out to see if you were OK or check for damage ?. What a tool.

kaos joe

I was at a dead stop at the traffic light and had been stopped for at least a full minute as it's a long light. He didn't get out. He seemed to think shrugging his shoulders pretty much satisfied his responsibility.