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joewein

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Oct 25, 2011
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The best thing about July was getting both my vaccine shots (I'm old enough). The second best thing (but more fun) was riding the Greenline with @microcord last weekend.

Another hot month to get through! I keep the A/C off in my office most of the time, with just the fan running, to help me with my heat acclimatisation.

My Century ride this month will complete 9 complete years of "Century a Month". I had started doing Century rides in March 2012, but then in August between the typhoons and a family trip to Taiwan (highly recommended!) I didn't get my ride in. This will be 108 months from that. No more interruptions :)
 
Day 2 on the trainer. Maybe because I was able to ride so much in the US, I am hating this. I am pretty sure last year the lockdown had me missing biking so much the trainer was an exciting option to actually work my legs out. But since I am fresh off riding my bike a bit, it sucks by comparison. Did I mention it sucks? Maybe if I coukd ride outside the heat would make me wantthe a/c and trainer.


I dunno, but it sucks.
 
yeah I tried hard to at least like the indoor riding, but couldn't. right now @Aron B is selling in classifieds his indoor trainer he bought from me probably 5-6 years ago? never since have I ever had even the slightest urge to do it... so I know how you feel man
 
The second best thing (but more fun) was riding the Greenline with @microcord last weekend.
Not sure about the "with" in that: a more appropriate preposition might be "despite".

Anyone who rides "with" (i.e. in front of) me either gets accustomed to either (A) waiting or (B) just thinking "Screw this" and heading off ahead. Anyway, on yesterday's ride -- Takao, Ōtarumi, Makime, Yabitsu, Onekan -- @djentleman and all the others were very polite. Chug-a-lugging water and more dubious liquids by the litre, I got back as far as Futako-Tamagawa pretty much OK, but then my (virtual) power meter showed a drop to about 17 watts and I completed the ride less at maipēsu, more at overloaded-with-groceries pace. Total (wagaya back to wagaya) 184.8 km; and this morning I'm feeling good, though lacking any enthusiasm for another vigorous ride.

The air conditioner's turned off, of course. I'm not sure that it's ever been on since a few short periods in summer '19.

Thoughts on just-reopened route 70 between Miyagase-ko and Yabitsu: There were nowhere near as many motorbikes or cars as I'd feared, and none seemed to be piloted by an idiot. But remember: when you're heading down to Miyagase-ko and well over half the way there, you pass along a narrow section with a number of blind turns. If there's a conventional (not particularly noisy) motorbike coming down behind you, or even if there isn't, you might not hear the (electric?) car coming up to meet you. Three or four years ago I almost slammed into a car going around one of those corners; I've taken each very cautiously ever since. (There are plenty of other stretches where it's pretty safe to go fast.)
 
Not sure about the "with" in that: a more appropriate preposition might be "despite".
You're being exceptionally modest again :) I don't think you have ever kept me waiting on a climb (50 m behind doesn't count), while the other way round is certainly not true.

Regarding yesterday's ride, 184 km in heat like now, especially riding with younger/stronger riders, is a proud achievement. I would have loved to join you but was detained by computers.
 
Not sure about the "with" in that: a more appropriate preposition might be "despite".

Anyone who rides "with" (i.e. in front of) me either gets accustomed to either (A) waiting or (B) just thinking "Screw this" and heading off ahead.

I can definitely relate to this, although I imagine you are still faster than me.
 
For almost the entire month of July I was knee-deep in some home renovations - DIY re-flooring rooms in my house, and having the driveway modified and partially repaved by a specialist contractor friend. Every spare moment of evenings and weekends was taken up by that - I think I cycled a total of 20 km all month.

But as of yesterday both projects are officially complete and I can go back to 'normal'. I got off on the right foot by cycling to work this morning. The cold shower at the end felt so good! Planning to go up to the new GS Astuto Basecamp for a few days of construction work and cycling in Gunma, for O-bon.
 

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@Half-Fast Mike What did you use for edging on the ends of the flooring--something not visible?
That pic was just the cut laminate boards, seen edge-on below. They lie on top of the 'original' (20-year-old) hardwood flooring that abutted the big wooden, rather-worn step. I finished it with a plastic safety strip featuring a glow-in-the-dark insert. The angle, determined by extensive trial and error, is 18.3º ∓ 1 gnat testis from perpendicular to one of the walls.

"Dear sir, I object to the woodworking turn of this thread. When are we going to hear more about bottom bracket bearings and bicycle races?"

OK, I cycled home as well, through alternating sunshine and torrential rain. Got home, dried and lubed the chain - the while feeding at least five mosquitos - ready for another day.
 

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Well long story short, first bike accident yesterday after I was hit by a car turning right from a main road to a side road. I was going about 10/15km/h and got hit on the back wheel which sent me sprawling across the floor onto my arse and hitting my head. Good thing I had my Garmin with me and the emergency contact on as soon as I was hit, the device tried to contact my wife about things and let her know. I didn't have enough time to react to stop the device but then I was sprawled out on the floor.

The accident occurred less than about a 1.5km from my house on a stretch of road I've ridden many many times to get to the beach. Has put a stop to all training activities and rides now as things need to be sorted out and hoping the injury is just something that will heal with time. Having never been in an accident in Japan, I did not know what to do, but luckily the missus knew that had to phone police, no matter how small the accident, and contact insurance companies. The driver admitted it was his fault to the police so that made one thing easier in the long run.

Lots of police officers turned up to measure the floor, take stories, appropriate blame, etc but the driver was apologetic about it all and admitted his fault for not seeing me before he turned. Got to take the bike into the local store to get checked out, and then go to hospital according to the insurance company and my wife to make sure I'm not too banged up.

Fingers crossed I can get a new bike out of this (joking!) but in all seriousness I am hoping the bike is fine and it's just some surface damage to it. There are some obvious scratches to it, but I definitely need to get a new helmet as it's banged up somewhat and did its job.
 
Random Fact - I have never been hit by a car while riding on a mountain bike trail!
As @luka - MTBs are far safer! :D

Glad you are more or less OK.
 
Speaking of cats, this dickhead came within a whisker of knocking me off on my way home. Totally unnecessary. I have your number, SOB.

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As if that wasn't enough unpleasantness on my birthday (I'm 52), the sun seems finally to have fried the LCD panel on my long-suffering Garmin Edge 1000. I parked it next to a window this morning, not thinking about how the sun would move around by the end of the day. Doh! The 'sunburst' spot is mildly annoying, but with the backlight on it looks like someone's scribbled on it - not helpful for when I want to read the map, as I do when out tiling.

So - looking at @joewein in the first instance - can LCDs be rehabilitated? Or is it toast?

Assuming the latter, it seems I can get a replacement touchscreen & digitizer for around ¥7000 on eBay . Or I could contact Garmin Support and see how much a refurb would set me back. Michiko and I have been through a lot together. But there are no new features in the Edge 1030 that I really want, and they are expensive!

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So - looking at @joewein in the first instance - can LCDs be rehabilitated? Or is it toast?
Not an LCD expert, but I think the most heat-sensitive parts of LCD screens are the polymer sheets both sides of the liquid crystal layer in the sandwich. If those have started deforming then it's is indeed toast. A replacement screen from a Garmin whose USB port / PCB / battery etc. has died may be your best bet. I know you are very good at transplant surgery.

If anything happened to my Wahoo, I would buy another one, as I am not that confident about my surgery skills for current generation mobile devices.
 
Was thinking of going to Blue Lug sometime soon. They have two stores, Hatagaya and another near to Shibuya. Anyone know if one store is better than the other for any reason?
 
Was thinking of going to Blue Lug sometime soon. They have two stores, Hatagaya and another near to Shibuya. Anyone know if one store is better than the other for any reason?
Actually three stores > https://bluelug.com/#shops

I got a pair of custom 20" wheels built at Blue Lug Yoyogi Park a few years ago (excellent service btw) and have dropped by Blue Lug Hatagaya. They both have a good range of stock, with the Hatagaya store being perhaps a little larger and a little better stocked. I haven't been to Blue Lug Kamiuma but expect it would be on par with the other two stores.
 
Was thinking of going to Blue Lug sometime soon. They have two stores, Hatagaya and another near to Shibuya. Anyone know if one store is better than the other for any reason?
The Blue Lug website is also quite good. I bought some shoes from their website last year and received excellent service, very good communication, in English.
 
But there are no new features in the Edge 1030 that I really want, and they are expensive!
Well, except for a working screen, I reckon. ;)

If I were you, I'd get a new head unit. Don't just look at Garmin, there are other cycling computers out there. The Hammerhead Karoo 2 is supposedly very good, especially for people who like to navigate, for example, but is less expensive than the big boy Garmin.

I like my Wahoo Elemnt Bolt because of the zoom feature for fields, although I wish I had a color screen when I am navigating. (The new Bolt does, FWIW.)
 
Don't just look at Garmin, there are other cycling computers out there.
You make a fair point. However, there's a specific feature on Garmin that I would really miss for my tiling hobby/obsession: the ability to display multiple custom routes on the map display without following them 'live'. I'm not aware of other cycling GPSes that can do this.

I've been offered use of an Edge 1030 Plus (!) by a very trusting friend, to tide me over until the replacement screen I've ordered arrived from Shenzen. Will be interested to see the difference.
 
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