i havent used a threaded valve nut in years, on my own bikes or customers

they are a hassle, have no real purpose if everything else is done correctly, and most annoyingly, they can come loose and rattle while riding

4/13/2010 9:14:17 AM

I never get flats and I'm riding on a 40 year old bike with tires that look like this:



And when my Continental Gatorskins arrive I'll never get flats ever.

[Edited on April 13, 2010 at 11:56 AM. Reason : ]

4/13/2010 11:55:58 AM

consider yourself very lucky

though saying that you will now "never, ever" get a flat pretty much means that you'll flat pretty regular lol

4/13/2010 5:49:51 PM

yup

i run michellin service course tires and have had ONE flat but I think any tire would have where it happened. No problems with them, and my rolling resistance is soooooo good I just fly past people down hills and can ride my momentum up the next

4/13/2010 6:44:55 PM

picked up a Novara Forza (REI house brand) at a sale a couple weeks ago for $250 - love it so far, it's in like-new condition and rides great, hoping to bike the 16 miles to work at least a couple times per week after I get a bag rigged up

4/13/2010 11:27:26 PM

I finally got my new (to me) 2008 Cannondale Lefty 29'er. Just built it up last night, I hope to ride it this weekend.

4/14/2010 3:01:51 PM

I've also got a couple race photos:

Snowball Crit:


Jefferson Cup: (in the field and then after I got dropped off the back)

4/14/2010 3:09:46 PM

65 degree water. I'm pumped. My swimming leg is gonna be ugly, hopefully I'll make it up on the bike and run.

4/14/2010 8:01:42 PM

$40 on Craigslist. Now I just need some shoes.

4/15/2010 1:01:37 PM

$40 on Craigslist. Now I just need some shoes.

4/15/2010 1:03:28 PM

I have an old pair lying around. What size you wear?

4/15/2010 4:34:24 PM

44 EU, US 10.5

4/15/2010 4:39:41 PM

i got a almost brand new pair of nike poggio II, ruby red. Worn maybe 5 times.

How much you lookin to spend?

4/15/2010 4:42:07 PM

No more than $40-50. I've been keeping my eye on Nashbar's stock. They have some Diadoras for $44.99 that are in my size.

4/15/2010 4:43:05 PM

bonktown... seriously. They have some northwaves that have popped up multiple times over the last week for 41.99

4/15/2010 5:15:22 PM

Has anyone participated in an Urban Assault Ride? New Belgium's got one in two months in Charlotte... how hard could it be?

4/16/2010 11:43:32 AM

Looks like there's at least a couple of other people that also mountain bike

Got the day off, and I'm thinking about hitting up Crabtree. Man, I need to get back in shape

4/16/2010 2:50:12 PM

If you're online right this moment, Bonktown has the nice Northwave shoes on sale for $30, and they have several pairs of size 44 available.

4/16/2010 6:56:16 PM

not anymore, I saw them and they are gone. my size too, but I don't need them. I keep it open on my browser all day

4/16/2010 7:07:33 PM

Put the Continental Gatorskins on my bike this evening. They look good.

4/17/2010 11:34:21 PM

just got home from the tri this morning. Cricket was the only one to contact me about pics, so i got a ton of him. they are downloading now but will not be up today, probably tomorrow when I get off of work.

I'm worried about my swimming, but after watching everyone now not so much. First actual 'tri' with the swim portion that I have been to in person. I think I can do this

4/18/2010 10:48:03 AM

actually here is one from this morning. more to follow

4/18/2010 11:01:26 AM

Hillsborough St finally claimed a tire on the way to the show last night

4/18/2010 11:28:59 AM

Finished the tri in 1:31:21. I really feel like I could have been faster, but I was very conservative on the bike so I didn't blow out my legs. Probably going to do another one in a few months.

4/18/2010 12:49:14 PM

^^^ nice work Cheerwhiner. I was dead after the bike, didn't have much left for the run. It's a shame I think that's my strongest event. I've never done an open swim in competition, so I seeded myself at the back of the pack. It was 40 min until I hit the water.

4/18/2010 3:28:14 PM

Who can tell me about Nashbar's shipping times?

4/18/2010 4:15:56 PM

I did the tri today in 1:26- 5 min better than last year and I have a cold.

I think my transitions were faster, and I held it together through the bike portion.

I'd tell y'all the times for each leg, but the stupid website still has 2009 results . Slackers!

4/18/2010 4:25:15 PM

^^ About 5 days for what I ordered.

4/18/2010 4:50:11 PM

you all should have sent me a pm with your race no or your phone no and send me a text...............i was there the entire time, basically because Cricket was 238 and I got lots of other people

with that said I may have you.............send me a message with race your race no and I will see if i have a shot with you,or describe what kinda bike, what ya wore, etc!

4/18/2010 6:13:35 PM

I was #99, white Scott bike. Red Target jersey, black shorts.

Official times are up. Finished the swim in 59th place, which is interesting because I thought I really stunk it up compared to how I thought I would do. My first transition was awful, and my bike time was way too slow, definitely could have shaved 5 minutes there if I'd known how much I'd have left at the end. I'm relatively pleased with my run time though. Probably going to do another one in June.

4/19/2010 3:02:41 AM

If you guys are thinking about another one soon, try http://www.woodlaketriathlon.com . It's cheap, great atmosphere and a good course.

4/19/2010 9:28:00 AM

Can I swim without a wetsuit?

4/19/2010 12:35:41 PM

I was wearing a navy tank, gray shorts, and a white and red NC State hat for the run, and had a
yellow Giant OCR 3 for the bike. I was hanging out by the dude with the yellow LeMond all through the race.

Oh yeah, I was #201.

Here were my times for the tri on Sunday:

swim-16:22
T1 - 3:00
Bike- 36:14
T2 - 1:27
Run: 29:13 (I never said I was a fast runner , my time was only 3 sec faster than last year:beatup

Total: 1:26:14.5

[Edited on April 19, 2010 at 12:48 PM. Reason : sdfsd21]

4/19/2010 12:46:43 PM

^^yep, it's usually wetsuit legal, but only a handful of people use one because the swim is so short and the water is usually plenty warm by memorial day weekend.

4/19/2010 12:52:10 PM

So do I just swim, cycle, and run in bike shorts?

4/19/2010 1:43:41 PM

I would recommend shorts that are designated as triathlon shorts. They're made of materials that absorb less water and dry faster, so the butt-pad won't be waterlogged while you're biking. Also, they're designed to be more comfortable and have less chafing on the run portion as well.

Probably doesn't matter as much if you're doing a sprint tri, but a good pair of triathlon shorts are definitely worth it for Olympic distance and longer.

4/19/2010 1:46:04 PM

I wonder how long my run would be affected by cycling and swimming beforehand. I have no idea how long the swim would take, but the cycling portion would definitely be my slowest overall. I could do the run in about 22 minutes.

4/19/2010 1:48:04 PM

Quote :

"So do I just swim, cycle, and run in bike shorts?"

That's up to you, but alot of competitors will wear triathlon shorts. They are lycra/spandex like cycling shorts, but they have a thinner pad that won't soak up the water and will be more comfortable on the run. If you want to look for something like that, try the hannulink store on ebay. Quality stuff for around 20-25 bucks.

Then again, some people will wear a speedo and tanktop for the whole race or others change for every leg.

^As long as you don't kill yourself on the bike, I would imagine you can keep your run pretty close to that. Definitely practice going from bike to run though as there is really weird feeling your legs get after you get off the bike and try to run immediately. It takes some getting used to.

[Edited on April 19, 2010 at 1:56 PM. Reason : d]

4/19/2010 1:53:42 PM

These aero levers

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180494582633

should fit on my steel bar without an issue, right?

4/19/2010 2:36:11 PM

For the longer distances I'm going to get me a pair of tri shorts for this season, and just wear a supportive running tank and sports bra up top. I like that shit locked down.

For the sprint tri yesterday, I had no problem with just a quick-drying running get-up for the bike and run underneath my wetsuit- but it all depends on how much padding you need on your butt.

If you're not used to it, running will be affected by the bike portion- you need to practice 'bricking'- i.e. that weird feeling Jochristian is talking about.

4/19/2010 3:30:04 PM

jo, that looks like a fun tri. I might consider doing that one. I may try and switch to cycling shorts, I did that portion in my swim trunks, my ass as pretty sore.

Quote :

"I wonder how long my run would be affected by cycling and swimming beforehand."

I was thinking about this since it was my first tri. A little perspective about expectations for the running portion, I can run that course in under 20, I finished it in about 21 min 30sec. Pretty disappointing run.

4/19/2010 4:59:05 PM

So, those aero levers will work, right?

4/19/2010 6:56:15 PM

God - find some Sugoi tri shorts, they have a smaller padding in the seat and are comfortable for the swim, bike and run.

4/19/2010 7:19:03 PM

15:40.9 swim (meh, first time swimming competitively in open water, but not too bad)
6:08 T1 (just awful, wetsuit killed me, I won't be wearing one next time)
39:51.1 bike (also pretty bad, I legitimately think I could have shaved at least 5 minutes off, but I was going at an easy pace to avoid ruining my run)
1:48 T2
27:54.4 run (not terrible, but I think I could have gone faster. I had a lot left at the end of the race)

1:31:21.8 total time. My first transition was just terrible. I don't think I'll be doing the wetsuit again unless the water is just stupid cold. I was a little worried about the uphill start to the run so I took it easy on the bike, turns out I took it way too easy. I'll know better next time. No major complaints on the run, I think i could have gone a little harder on miles 2-3.

I'm definitely considering doing another one in May or June. I'll look into the woodlake one.

4/19/2010 9:16:28 PM

Does anyone know of a place to get a good used bike in Jacksonville, Florida? A friend of mine is looking at these & I can't say I'm a fan of any of these cheap softtails... isn't Next a $70 Target bike anyway?

<sub>http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/bik/1700510337.html

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/bik/1699998960.html

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/bik/1698374057.html</sub>

4/20/2010 8:56:24 PM

I wouldnt spend $70 on the lot of those

4/21/2010 9:23:33 PM

This weekend, I got a pair of Louis Garneau Elite tri shorts for $65 on eBay (normally about $120, see http://trisports.com/louisgarneau-mens-elite-triathlon-shorts.html for other specs), and they are comfy as shit on me, at least. I haven't taken them to the water yet, but did a run and bike today, and they were great. For $120, I would expect it to also give me a handjob while running, but it's definitely worth ponying up the extra cash and paying $65 instead of getting something lower-end.

4/21/2010 9:40:06 PM

My shorts are Garneaus. I'm not sure if they're tri shorts or not, but they're amazing. I got them for $79 at All Star Bike Shop on Wade Ave.

4/22/2010 10:51:02 AM

If they have a pad thick enough that if you were to try to run in them afterwards, it would be uncomfortable, they are probably cycling shorts. But yeah, LG is good.

I have three pairs of tri shorts and I would rank them by brand like this: 1) Sugoi - definitely my favorite with pockets on the back and a little bit thicker pad, but also my most expensive at $60. 2) Hannulink - Like these alot and probably for the money they are the best value, but the pad is a little thinner, best for shorter distance triathlons ($25) 3) Zoot - good shorts, but I don't wear them often because they are a bright color instead of black. They are also probably the most worn out of the three. Like the Hannulinks, I got them on clearance from the Hannulink ebay store (something like $12--probably because of the hideous color).

[Edited on April 22, 2010 at 11:05 AM. Reason : d]

4/22/2010 11:02:18 AM

based on what i had seen said about the other yakima bike racks... i'm going to get this one on saturday:



i only really need to transport my bike, so it should suit me just fine.

link: http://www.rei.com/product/738781

4/22/2010 11:33:07 AM