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Question of the Week

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    October 20, 2016 at 1:24 am

    “What is the Biggest or Most Common Physical Issue that Affects Your Riding?” . . . and no choice for knee pain/issues? Wow, kinda lame.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    October 21, 2016 at 6:13 am

    Pun intended, I trust

    Reply
  3. John Schubert says

    October 24, 2016 at 8:28 pm

    “Do You Believe (or Have Evidence) That Cars Give You a Wider Berth When You Wear Brighter Clothing and/or Use Full-Time Flashers?” No, but there is overwhelming evidence that your lane position matters. Ride farther to the left and people will make a lane change to get around you. This was captured on video, measured, and put in a technical paper by Dan Gutierrez and Brian DeSousa a decade ago. Keri Caffery and Mighk Wilson have shot lots of other video showing the same thing.
    People can see you in a black shirt from 200 yards away. But if you’re in the gutter, they don’t care. They try to squeeze by you. If you control the lane, they realize they have to change lanes — and they realize it when they’re still a hundred yards behind you.

    Reply
  4. Richard says

    November 3, 2016 at 1:05 pm

    This is with reference to the question: “How Long Do Your Shift and Brake Cables Typically Last?”
    I responded “Something Else”
    My brake cables and front derailleur cable have never failed, or showed signs of failing; however, I have replaced them a couple of times on general principles while doing other maintenance. My rear derailleur cable typically provides about 10,000 miles of service, and, thankfully, fails gracefully. The bicycle has Campagnolo Record 10 components with 90,000 miles of use.

    Reply
  5. Darell says

    November 3, 2016 at 3:51 pm

    Cable life – basically forever. I remove and clean them when I think about it. I inspect for wear. If anything is suspect, I’ll replace, but that almost never occurs. Sometimes I’ll replace if I need to re-route, or change the length for some other reason. But I certainly never replace just for age or mileage. What a waste.

    Reply
  6. Bryan Barrett says

    November 3, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    Brake cables last for many years. In fact I have never replaced brake cables.
    Shimano DA cables only last about a year. They always break at the shifter. I can always tell after a few strands break, the shifting gets sloppy. If you wait until the lead anchor breaks off, it can be hard to get the piece out of the shifting mechanism.

    Reply
  7. Darell says

    November 3, 2016 at 6:19 pm

    Difficult to make a blanket statement re. DA cables only lasting about a year. My “main” bike has Ultegra shifters, and the same cables that I built it with seven years and 40,000 miles ago. On the other hand, my riding buddy needs to replace his rear shift cable more than once per year. The difference? His shifters kink the cable more than mine, and he never cleans or lubes his cables. As long as the shifters are designed correctly (seems to be Ultegra and above) and the cables are maintained, they’ll get plenty polished at the bend near the anchor, but I’m here to tell you that they *can* last seemingly forever. Or at least they do in my case. On all of my bikes.

    Reply
  8. Harald Portig says

    November 4, 2016 at 2:14 am

    “What is the Biggest or Most Common Physical Issue that Affects Your Riding?” . . . I overheat. If I am not careful my core temperature gets to 104 degrees. It regularly makes me feel weak and bonky. Higher cadences make it much worse. Dehydration is NOT the problem.

    Reply
  9. Richard says

    November 10, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    This is a response to the question: Which foot do you put down at stops?
    When voting, I noticed that, on this question, I’m in a significant minority. My bicycling experience has taught me that symmetry and balance (within limits) is valuable, and I typically work toward symmetry in my bicycle related motions, including unclipping from my pedals with either foot. I typically do this randomly, as needed, throughout the ride, and have been doing it long enough that it has become an unconscious behavior. There are benefits to a rider being able to fluently unclip from either pedal, at any time, under any condition; it’s interesting that the practice isn’t more universal.

    Reply
  10. Roka says

    November 10, 2016 at 6:51 pm

    Cables – I’ve never broken a brake cable. I broke a rear derailleur cable once and I’ve lost a few front derailleur cables probably because my bar end friction shifter causes the cable to bend a lot.

    Reply
  11. Tim Rueger says

    November 10, 2016 at 8:28 pm

    “Which foot do you put down at stops?” – I actually wanted to answer “either”, but that wasn’t an option. I’ve started clipping out my right (dominant) leg on stops to relieve minor lower back pain traced to unbalanced leg strength. It’s tricky flipping around my balance so I don’t fall like a newbie. :^)

    Reply
  12. Michael says

    November 17, 2016 at 9:33 pm

    Flashers/blinkies should be outlawed on American Streets and MUPS. Steady only lighting, puhleeeze!. Flashers are annoying and irritating to other riders and it makes it hard for car drivers to pinpoint the location of the bike.

    Reply
  13. Robert says

    November 19, 2016 at 4:19 am

    In reference to which foot I put down, usually the right to avoid a chain tattoo.

    Reply
  14. Ray Mandeville says

    December 8, 2016 at 12:51 pm

    I always put my left foot down. If I were to fall after stopping, with the left foot down I would fall away from potential approaching vehicles.

    Reply
  15. Mike Feinstein says

    February 5, 2017 at 3:09 am

    Is there any creditable evidence that a blinking light use for daytime riding makes it difficult for car drivers to “locate” the bicyclist?

    Reply
  16. Mark R says

    February 16, 2017 at 6:39 pm

    I wish someone would invent something that made an audible sound when a car get’s too close. My Honda does that when it senses another car too close. But this would warn the driver and cyclist…maybe they have that already? If someone comes up with it remember me for 10%!

    Reply
  17. OMS says

    March 30, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    The criteria for determining which foot to put down at stops is really quite simple. Whichever foot is quicker at finding the pedal when you start moving is the foot you want searching for the pedal; getting through the intersection quicker is the priority. Virtually everyone has a foot that locates the pedal with less effort just as most everyone has one hand that is better at writing. That’s the foot to put on the ground.

    The nonsense about this choice deciding which way you’ll fall (into or away from traffic) only shows the rider is trying to hold their bike vertical when stopped – a very rookie mistake. Lean that bike over toward the grounded foot. The bike will return to vertical automatically when you start pedaling.

    Saying you’ve never replaced your control cables is similar to someone saying they’ve never had a flat. You are doomed to a failure in the near future. It’s a law of the universe. Cables are metal. Metal fatigues with use. Prevention is cheaper and less painful than cure. Normal aging is seen where cables rub the interior of the housing along the inside of curves. The cable will eventually become polished as material is removed. When you can see a slight flattening of the cable surface there, replace the cable. Simple, really.

    Reply
  18. Borntexan says

    April 13, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    Ibuprofen: current research says it’s bad for your heart and that taken with vitamin C the problem is mitigated. As a 69 yr old, I have all the pain problems…overwork, arthritis, bursitis, fms, spondilitis, sciatica and bad knees. What I know is that exercise, especially the comforting spin of cycling, is a great pain reliever. I do use a variety of otc pain relief when things get too bad, but one must accept pain as part of life. Reasonable exercise pain should be enjoyed…it’s good growth! The rest of it is simply minor inconvenience…like taxes. Just something that comes with a good, long life. Pain relievers should be used judiciously and with reserve.

    Reply
  19. Colin says

    May 7, 2017 at 4:30 pm

    sorry your argument about foot down is incorrect. As an all year round cyclist I have slid/slipped when putting my foot down in poor weather, LUCKILY I slid away from traffic not into it. I do agree that you are asking for trouble if you tryto hold the bike vertical (unless your bike measure was incorrect) as you’ll be at full strech and so more vulnerable.

    Reply
  20. BFC says

    June 1, 2017 at 2:21 pm

    My (Di2) shifter control cables are electrical wires…. My friend has wireless (SRAM e-tap).

    Reply
  21. Col says

    June 8, 2017 at 11:46 am

    That has already been invented…it’s called a handgun…

    Reply
  22. Six-O says

    June 15, 2017 at 6:58 pm

    Yes, I agree that they are annoying to many drivers. I point mine down about 45 degrees to avoid the beam directly hitting opposing drivers in the eyes. I think this is a good compromise to draw attention to my presence without being a pain in the a$$ to drivers.

    Reply
  23. Mr. Versatile says

    August 24, 2017 at 4:26 pm

    I fixed this problem. I have a partial chain tattoo on the inside of my right calf.

    Reply
  24. jack easley says

    September 4, 2017 at 2:09 am

    Stopping at red lights and stop signs; this is an old subject, but one I have not totally come to “grips” with. I stop or go very slowly at intersections that are busy with traffic. However, if there are only a few cars near, and I can see and hear around me, I roll gently through. I really don’t like to unclick and I don’t like to stop unless there is a real need to. I wonder what all has been discussed on this subject!

    Reply
  25. Johan says

    September 8, 2017 at 1:41 am

    A more revealing alternative to the “What Is Your Fitness Age?” is:

    My calculated Fitness Age is:
    1. Greater than 20 years UNDER my Actual Age
    2. Between 10 and 20 years UNDER my Actual Age
    3. Between 0 and 10 years UNDER my Actual Age
    4. Between 0 and 10 years OVER my Actual Age
    5. Between 10 and 20 years OVER my Actual Age
    6. Greater than 20 years OVER my Actual Age

    Reply
  26. jack easley says

    September 26, 2017 at 4:07 pm

    hey born Texan, as a born Tennessean at 70, I read you loud and clear-I ride roadie the most, but am on 2 week doc orders to not ride due to mtn bike crash last week-so much fun-drives my docs crazy!

    Reply
  27. jack easley says

    September 26, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    I at first read your reply as ‘overEAT’- that is my problem-at 70 and still working p/t, I get really hungry after a ride and bike shop clothes just don’t fit me.

    Reply
  28. Jeff Bass says

    March 2, 2018 at 2:59 am

    I have lights on front and back even during the day so that does help with visibility even when i have to wear darker clothing.

    Reply
  29. Mr Ed says

    March 6, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    If it annoys other riders they need to get off your wheel. Led, follow or stay home.

    Reply

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