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Today June 2019

bloaker

Sincerely A Dick
Nov 14, 2011
3,643
5,770
Recovering from another great day at Fujimi Panorama.
For the longest time I was an "Earn Your Turn" guy. If you want to ride down it, you better ride up it. About the time I turned 40, I started using lifts for the big rides. Instead of 2 descents, I can get anywhere from 6-9 in a day.

This is after 3 runs.

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I am totally beat. It is a different kind of fitness and not one you can really get without "just doing it a lot"

Rode with 5 buddies varying in skills. This made being up front a blast as I was taken to my limit with 2 other riders. We also had 3 riders who were at this park their first time, so I got to take breaks waiting for them. Little did they know... I needed it.

All in all, everyone came home in one piece and with a smile on tier faces.
 
Recovering from another great day at Fujimi Panorama.
For the longest time I was an "Earn Your Turn" guy. If you want to ride down it, you better ride up it. About the time I turned 40, I started using lifts for the big rides. Instead of 2 descents, I can get anywhere from 6-9 in a day.

This is after 3 runs.

61439796_10157210343017808_3475769328727490560_n.jpg


I am totally beat. It is a different kind of fitness and not one you can really get without "just doing it a lot"

Rode with 5 buddies varying in skills. This made being up front a blast as I was taken to my limit with 2 other riders. We also had 3 riders who were at this park their first time, so I got to take breaks waiting for them. Little did they know... I needed it.

All in all, everyone came home in one piece and with a smile on tier faces.


Not familiar with your post.
But are you saying you take a lift with your bike and ride downhill?
 
Yes. A lift to the top of a ski resort with my bike to go down.
Here is a video from last year at the park.

 
So glad the June 2019 thread is started! Just want to shout out to whomever the suave guy in the long sleeve Tokyo Cycling Club jersey was on Arakawa, 8 km north of Kita-senju at 5:00 PM today, just starting out as I was finishing up a 50k ride. First, I do like the cut of your jib, mate! Second, seeing a recognizable thing when you are finishing up your last few km is really awesome. It gives you that fresh burst, especially when the last 10 minutes is a cool down, and the wind is going against you (which it always seems to do here, regardless of which direction I ride...)
 
Does earn your turn count if you are going to ride back up it? As in ride up hill 1, go down hill 2, gonna turn around and ride back up hill 2, and then go down hill 1. What's the "rules" on this?
 
Does earn your turn count if you are going to ride back up it? As in ride up hill 1, go down hill 2, gonna turn around and ride back up hill 2, and then go down hill 1. What's the "rules" on this?
'Earn your turn' is basically no assist.
Shuttle Runs (load your bike on a van, get dropped off at the top and picked up at the bottom) and lifts always felt like cheating. That said, the area I lived in didn't quite have the same elevation as where I rode this weekend. Yes I could have "earned my turn" this weekend, but it simply would not have been as fun.
I still have an opinion on it tho - if all you do is lift/shuttle, then you are a "downhill mountain biker" not a cyclist or mountain biker.
Downhill is a different skill set I am still working on and it is physically draining. I am amazingly sore today for having no big crashes at all. However when thinking of cycling - pedaling should be part of the equation. Some DH guys don't even want to ride their bike anywhere flat. They prefer to push. That is still mind boggling to me.


Additional info - I am riding an "enduro bike" that is meant to climb and descend. It has a strong bias toward descending tho.
A DH bike has no intention of climbing ever. The gear ratios are very limited and they only run a handful of gears. A solid DH bike maybe in the 20kg range or more. So again, not ripping on the discipline as I find it incredibly fun. It just isn't "cycling"
 
Thanks for the explain Bloaker. Why do I see so many road cyclists stop pedaling when going down a hill? Everything I've read says, get on the dropouts and keep pedaling, albeit in a higher gear. Is this wrong?
 
the wind is going against you (which it always seems to do here, regardless of which direction I ride...)
That'll be the air going the wrong way. If I remember Meteorology 101, as the land mass heats up during the day, the air rises above it, drawing the relatively cooler air from the ocean as an onshore wind. For the Tokyo area, this translates as an awful headwind when you're cycling upstream in the morning, switching to a bloody awful headwind just as you turn round and head for home.
Why do I see so many road cyclists stop pedaling when going down a hill?
I think it depends on the hill. Like many others here I use a compact (50/34T) crank, to make riding uphill nicer. Even in top gear, once I get above 50 km/h on a descent I don't see any point in pedalling as I can only transmit a few watts. It's more fun, and more sustainable, to get in a tuck, concentrate on my line, and let my legs have a rest before the next climb.
 
Yes. A lift to the top of a ski resort with my bike to go down.
Here is a video from last year at the park.




That was so cool.
 
Yesterday I was commuting with my copilot.
She likes the occasional rides to school/work (mostly the 40kph downhill).
Yesterday I swung by her school after grabbing the mail and asked if she wanted me to take her on the bike or later with mom and the car.

She choose wisely.
We went a longer way and looked at fish, turtles and ducks in the river.
She waved to everyone that would look at her and we jammed to the "Trolls" soundtrack the entire ride.
About 2km from home, we needed ice cream!!!
AfP_4My44lkiuNH3AXPySE89wzqJI6IO2BE2x-JNEEtbfQ2703NsaCP8GD8cLL2qK2Pydt5cRk7JAga_E0fAs_hcgW-a-_wUtk-hkjxCLQkHVZS3w5uWTXhi96OI7vxmbEL1CzG5I6iSbOr2yvYldYjeDUMyacpzbpU9eJx1TtSyKrXSK5j0Lzky2amWJeWckJYNYxJ5tLZdvixV58xFQt8p2h-2IfDOU7QrDmmjaVx6JvTyhoEaXf0rKsuqYWmDjVtAAWOEpWG6Ryy009b-RQWBj9YrLzrcJj7DJvz7u0nw97sJmVA6hZHjP54ZQAt8rTRvyS158KZc2uyRNQfeD9YX43AYg72cYmobbCpDaKC2nhBLfJ9Grtqwum1ma_MDm0787VTKZ2YNcVPJ9a_gqNdTSL-_RGJH-OxbOc81GZiD9KBrVgR9QGch3Asph5BAsi1EbhzRASrVXT2nWKFWBZbqbyVVrMS2kAcACTYhJr2jdXZ06zYbeWoE7Ao_6xQuDpTPZljCadz2qIIsbERJ1p5NnrPHOfnX19VBbaPi6434J43bq5VnTCKQuCzMbMoEig_BXKpMKIrTbE546cpB-6fLasrZiYq-g9EejPh3xhfvYjxdRCcp9eMTUkmNzbFxhi9lJQg53gHKuzOzxMZqxewLGoV2bUvN=w1079-h810-no
 
she has gotten bigger. suggest you stop nurturing or one day she will be waiting for you at the top of climbs.
 
she has gotten bigger. suggest you stop nurturing or one day she will be waiting for you at the top of climbs.
It is hard to believe she is still only 4. She has been getting more confident on her bike, but still wants her training wheels even though she has mastered a balance bike. The latest bribe from dad.... You ride this bike around with no training wheels and we will buy you a new bike. Any bike she picks!
 
Take the pedals and the training wheels off the bike for a while (training wheels teach a kiddo very little that helps ). When she gets back in the habit of balancing the bike throw the pedals back on. BUT there is plenty of time even if Santa gets to deliver the new bike. They all learn at their own pace.
 
It is hard to believe she is still only 4. She has been getting more confident on her bike, but still wants her training wheels even though she has mastered a balance bike. The latest bribe from dad.... You ride this bike around with no training wheels and we will buy you a new bike. Any bike she picks!
I recommend she goes full custom. Possibly a Ti Baum or a Stinner would be nice. You did say "any" bike 😜
 
I recommend she goes full custom. Possibly a Ti Baum or a Stinner would be nice. You did say "any" bike 😜
And I mean almost any bike.... I am steering her away from "frozen" huffys.
In all honesty, if i could get her interested in something high end... I would be happy!

I am sure I will regret that comment in years to come. but for now... I want her to get on with "real bikes"
 
Take the pedals and the training wheels off the bike for a while (training wheels teach a kiddo very little that helps ). When she gets back in the habit of balancing the bike throw the pedals back on. BUT there is plenty of time even if Santa gets to deliver the new bike. They all learn at their own pace.

She has no problem balancing. That's the parts that is infuriating.
She just doesn't want to "start" without her feet on the pedals, so she uses the training wheels to lean while getting ready.
I take the training wheels off... she wont go near the bike.
It is so irritating. I have removed, installed at least 4 times so far.
She has her mind made up she will ride without them when she is 5 years old, but until then, she needs them.

Can't argue with pre-school logic.
 
Hey bloaker
Get her a unicycle. That will do it. That will build up her confidence real fast. Did it with my daughter while she was in kindergarten
 
My CX bike - "Adventure Eric" - will be getting a makeover.

The original clear-coat has been flaking off for some time, and finally got bad enough that I'm actually going to do something about it.

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Eeek! I hope I can put it all back together. I should really tap out the crank bearings too, but I'm nervous about damaging them. I'll be rebuilding using a new mainly Shimano R7000 groupset but with R8000 levers.

IMG_2987.JPG

I bought some Spray.Bike paint. Y's Road in Futagotamagawa were very helpful, allowing me to peruse the importer's dealer website to see what colours were actually available. My first choices weren't, and I don't want to wait possibly months for a restock, so I went with:

Main colour: Pop Bomber + Nagoya Blue Keirin Flake
Accent colour (for inside the fork and chain stays): Fluoro Blue

Test sprays on the inside of a dustbin lid were encouraging...

IMG_2988 copy_0.jpg

Lots of sandpaper, masking tape and tired fingers over the next few days, I suspect.
 
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