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Today June 2021

I also had a clicking sound today.

At first I thought it was the rear derailleur.

But I realised it was coming at the same time on each pedal stroke.

Pedaled one leg to ascertain it was on the left side.

Pedaled in and out of the saddle to check it wasn't the saddle or seatpost.

Sprayed some "oil in cleaner" between the BB and crank arms to check it wasn't grime in there.

Sprayed some "silicon spray" on the cleats and metal pedal contact points to check it wasn't a pedal/cleat interface problem.

Rode in regular shoes to reconfirm this.

Checked the play in the pedal shaft. A bit more on the left side was enough to convince me that it was a bearings issue.

I was all set on new pedals (for Shimano MTB pedals, which are relatively cheap, it's better to just buy new pedals rather than buy parts which I do for Shimano Dura Ace road pedals).

As a last chance saloon, I took the pedals off, cleaned off the grit, greased up the thread, and put them back in.

Hey Presto! Click gone!

Well greased parts make this rockin' word go round!

AndyView attachment 31673
Respect, @andywood, you even get Shimano pedals to need grease. (A feat I never managed. I threw mine away, even though they were still functioning perfectly.)
 
you know it's summer

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when the gravel kicks up dust
when the shirt stays open

20210611_130905.jpgwhen you shower at cold springs
when snakes recharge in the late afternoon sun

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and when all rides end at the beach!

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#teamimezi #imezi #imezi167 #167grv #imezisealant #プロジェクト167 #raphaprestige #grinduro #gfmyoko
 

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Respect, @andywood, you even get Shimano pedals to need grease. (A feat I never managed. I threw mine away, even though they were still functioning perfectly.)
Yeah that's what's great about Shimano Dura Ace, you can order every little nut, bolt, spring or washer.

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A lot of stuff I'm reluctant to throw away as there is often something you can salvage even from redundant parts, eg. A derailleur pulley or spring, that can get you going again quickly and cheaply.

Andy
 
Spent about 2 hours today working on the Green Monster aka Giant Escape RX Disc - the front derailleur was not being nice - either the cable tension was too much but it would not shift to the bigring. Took off the back wheel to make sure there were no obstructions, clear, back on it went. Lots of playing with screws, cable tension, position of the front derailleur to ensure it was parallel to the rings, and seems to be there. Not perfect but shall see how it goes. If worst comes to the worst, I can take it into Asahi Bicycle and see what they say about it.
 
How old is the Green Monster, (my 8' longboard has the same name).
With gear shifting it's good to go back to the start and reinstall everything after giving everything a great clean.
It's a good time to change cables and bar tape as well. If the thought of that sounds a challenge then LBS time.
 
I had to go to numazu today to drop off my van at a shop for some work to be done. A little body work, some electricalwork, and some suspension upgrades.

So I threw a bike in the back, picked up a buddy in yokosuka and we headed out. Numazu, to Hakone, to Odawara, and beach route to Zushi.

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I woke up this morning feeling pretty OK.
Last night I had some twinges in my legs just before bed like cramps were coming... luckily I avoided those.

Sitting here on my second cup of coffee and I had a revation -

I dont want to ride my bike today. :D

Flip-side - my Van is in Numazu, so if I want to go anywhere... it will be by bicycle this week.
 
H
I woke up this morning feeling pretty OK.
Last night I had some twinges in my legs just before bed like cramps were coming... luckily I avoided those.

Sitting here on my second cup of coffee and I had a revation -

I dont want to ride my bike today. :D

Flip-side - my Van is in Numazu, so if I want to go anywhere... it will be by bicycle this week.
Have had that feeling all week. Bikes have been sat outside, covered up, and not felt any desire to ride them after last weekend. Might do a short ride today over to Yokohama and back, to pick up some beers, but the heat is starting to play a part. I want to exercise under air conditioning. ;)
 
perhaps it won't be as entertaining if you don't speak Mandarin, but long story short, this guy built a self-riding-(driving?) bicycle... just when G7 is arguing about who will "win the 21st century"

 
How old is the Green Monster, (my 8' longboard has the same name).
With gear shifting it's good to go back to the start and reinstall everything after giving everything a great clean.
It's a good time to change cables and bar tape as well. If the thought of that sounds a challenge then LBS time.
It's coming up to two years old this summer so could do with a good strip down, clean, and rebuild to make sure everything is ok. A nice little summer project perhaps?
 
In other news, there's a guy walking a pet pig down the Arakawa right now 🐖
 

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Yesterday I did a rainy season ride to Doshi (on Strava), 164 km with about 1,900 m of elevation gain. I left at 6:30, not sure which route to take but headed to the Tamagawa. I was interested in a rindo between Mikuni toge and Tanzawa-ko, but not sure if it was a good idea to do on my own and it would be a long way back to Setagaya after Matsuda. Another option was a loop around Yamanaka-ko and back the way I came. Or take Rt24 to Tsuru, then Saruhashi and the Matsuhime tunnel to return via Ome.

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Near Aone I happened to meet @giant_ameba coming down Doshi michi (Rt413). He was already on his way home, having visited a new rindo between the top of Akiyama and the Rt24 tunnel. He warned me that rain was on its way.

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I arrived at Michi no Eki Doshi at lunchtime and went for a Japanese curry followed by tofu ice cream.

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After I had filled my bidons and was going to get on my bike again, it started to rain. I had not brought any rain gear. All I could do was put on my windbreaker as an extra layer, but that doesn't really keep off the rain and I knew my socks were going to get wet again too.

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It was 18 deg C in the rain at Doshi, a full 10 degrees cooler than at Sagamihara on my first conbini stop of the day. So I abandoned any plans that involved climbs of toge of more than 1,000 m and headed back down again.

The rain was consistent, not getting any stronger. Before I crossed back into Kanagawa near the Ryokokuya restaurant it stopped. I knew if I just returned the way I came, I would only be riding 150 km. So at Aone I turned left onto Kanagawa route 76 to ride back via Takao.

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Before the first tunnel I saw what looked like a former quarry, with all machinery for crushing rock and loading trucks already removed but there were some heavy machines parked there and where one would expect naked stone terraces they had finely crushed dark grey rock piled on them.

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Across the road from the quarry there was an area surrounded by an industrial fence with two large temporary structures, a bit like an aircraft hangar. I checked the sign boards at the site entrance and all was revealed: This was part of a tunnel construction project for the Chuo Shinkansen line, the maglev train between Tokyo and Nagoya. One of 9 emergency exits was being built near there. What I saw in the former quarry was some of the 145 million tons of waste materials from excavating 246 km of tunnels, about 85 percent of the total distance between Shinagawa and the center of Nagoya. The tunnel also passes directly behind the old quarry on Doshi michi shown earlier in this post.

The completion date of the line, originally scheduled for 2027, is now in the air due to the controversy over the hydrological impact of a tunnel in Shizuoka on the nearby Oi river.

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I was glad that, despite the clouds and the rain, I still managed to get one view of Mt Fuji yesterday!
 
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this guy built a self-riding-(driving?) bicycle
哇! The solution to a problem we didn't know we had. Gyroscope flywheel is gonna chafe if you try to ride it, though. Ghost riders. Need a new activity type on Stravr.
 
Finished installing Jagwire compressionless housings + new cables on my Ritchey and Cannondale. Looks sharp (IMO) and definitely better braking. All is right with the world (or will be, as soon as I do the same to my Surly).

(Now, what do I do with the extra 29 meters of brake housing I got from Amazon?)
 
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哇! The solution to a problem we didn't know we had. Gyroscope flywheel is gonna chafe if you try to ride it, though. Ghost riders. Need a new activity type on Stravr.
Technically it's not a gyroscope but a reaction wheel. A gyroscope maintains stability by spinning mass at high speed whereas a reaction wheel moves as needed to generate opposite momentum for attitude control. A bit like a balancing bar for a tightrope walker. They're often used for that purpose in satellites, to minimize propellant use.

I agree on the rest though. It doesn't make sense for unmanned bikes and as a safety feature for manned bikes, I suspect it's barking up the wrong tree. Taking turns at too high a speed, overestimating grip on loose surfaces, not noticing ruts and gaps in the road, almost colliding with other vehicles or obstacles, etc. probably play a far bigger role in crashes than issues with steering by the cyclist. If steering assist or a reaction wheel makes you feel safer, your next crash will only be at higher speed...
 
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