Several Questions??

[BHOFM]

I did a search for some of this and the thread were several years old, so rather than
bring up a lot of old stuff, (considered rude on some forums) I will start fresh.

Chain lube:

I tried some industrial spray lube I had on hand and it collected dirt at an alarming rate,
two or three days was bad.

I cleaned it all good and started using 3 in one oil. Applied generously and then
wiped off a couple time.

I do this once a week and it doesn't seem to get that much dirt and the chain
is still oily. This is about 200 miles.

Is there any thing better and cheaper? I don't mind the once a week thing.

Shifting at night:

Is there a trick to tell what gear you are in in the dark? Some places I down
shift two or three gears and then I up shift too many some times. I know this
is sort of silly, but the gears are so close it is hard to tell some times where
you are.

Touchy brakes:

My brakes are very good, in fact too good. I put a bit of Armorall on the pads
to lessen the braking and keep them quiet. About every two weeks I need to clean
the wheels and pads because I lose too much braking.
Before I started spraying them I had the back wheel come off the ground a couple
times.

Rechargeable batteries for the head light:

Worth the problem of charging or just buy batteries and go.
I can get them in bulk eight for $3 for good batteries. The head
light uses three AAA. They say it will burn for 130 hour but this
I need to see!

Snacks:

What kind of snacks do you take on a three hour ride?
I take raisins, nuts, dry cereal, Cheerios! I am looking for
more variety? No salt or sugar if possible.

Water:

I take flavored water, no nothing but a hint of lime or lemon.
Some have told me to just take plain water.
Opinions??

 

[Scotty_Dog]

Chain lube:
Everyone has their favorite, mine is ProLink. Use as directed.

Shifting at night:
I don't need to know what actual gear I am in. I shift the bike into a gear that is right for me at that particular time.

Touchy brakes:
I would never advise you to apply anything to your brake pads that lessens your braking ability. Your brakes might not be properly adjusted and/or you should read up on proper braking technique.

Rechargeable batteries:
My light system uses a rechargeable battery pack, so standard AAA batteries are not an option. To save on money, I would use rechargeable batteries if I were you.

Food & hydration:
Everyone is different. Eat snacks that provide you energy without upsetting your stomach. Same with what you drink. Lots of nutritional science involved that I know nothing about. For me, I only take water on short rides of an hour or less. Longer rides might warrant fig newtons and a 50/50 mix of water and Gatorade

 

[BHOFM]

Chain lube:
Everyone has their favorite, mine is ProLink. Use as directed.

Shifting at night:
I don't need to know what actual gear I am in. I shift the bike into a gear that is right for me at that particular time.

Touchy brakes:
I would never advise you to apply anything to your brake pads that lessens your braking ability. Your brakes might not be properly adjusted and/or you should read up on proper braking technique.

Rechargeable batteries:
My light system uses a rechargeable battery pack, so standard AAA batteries are not an option. To save on money, I would use rechargeable batteries if I were you.

Food & hydration:
Everyone is different. Eat snacks that provide you energy without upsetting your stomach. Same with what you drink. Lots of nutritional science involved that I know nothing about. For me, I only take water on short rides of an hour or less. Longer rides might warrant fig newtons and a 50/50 mix of water and Gatorade

I love Fig Newtons! Thanks.

 

[Scotty_Dog]

I love Fig Newtons! Thanks.

I've heard other cyclists rave about Paul Newman's brand of "Fig Newmans", but have never tried them myself. Besides being organic, they are supposed to be more moist (less likely to crumble) and incredibly tasty. Now I'm hungry...

 

[alienator]

I'm not sure why it matters why it's important to know what gear your in. If I feel I need to be in an easier gear, I just shift to an easier gear. Likewise, if I need to be in a harder gear, I shift to a harder gear. In other case, if I'm out of gears, I'm out of gears.

DON'T put Armor All on brake pads. You may find that one time when you really need your brakes, they're not able to give what you require. Proper brake technique is what is required.

 

[64Paramount]

I've heard other cyclists rave about Paul Newman's brand of "Fig Newmans", but have never tried them myself. Besides being organic, they are supposed to be more moist (less likely to crumble) and incredibly tasty. Now I'm hungry...

They are very good!

 

[Crazymike]

I use white lightening as chain lube.
Your braking problem is your technique. Skidding or your back wheel lifting means you are riding out of control.
Recommend not to use armorall on brake pads or on tires.
Squeaky brakes is a mechanical problem...you did not mention that problem.

 

[alienator]

Skidding or your back wheel lifting means you are riding out of control.

How does this mean he's riding "out of control", particularly with respect to lifting the rear wheel?

 

[BHOFM]

The brakes when "clean" are too sensitive to even use. The back will slide when
you run over the slightest little bump, as in sidewalk cracks. The front is just down
right scary! Even with the Armorall the brakes are super good for about ten days
then they seem to fade a bit, but not enough to be thought of as dangerous.

The only noise I get from them is when I peddle hard some times the calipers are
not centered perfect and the wheel will touch and make a squeak. Tapping the
lever will stop it.

The bike has full suspension if that makes any difference about the braking actions.

I don't run up to the stops real hard, just coast and then brake to a full stop.

I really don't need to know what gear I'm in, just as an old pilot, I like to be
aware of the bike. You just learn to keep check on all the systems all the
time.

 

[alienator]

The brakes when "clean" are too sensitive to even use. The back will slide when you run over the slightest little bump, as in sidewalk cracks. The front is just down
right scary! Even with the Armorall the brakes are super good for about ten days then they seem to fade a bit, but not enough to be thought of as dangerous.

The bike has full suspension if that makes any difference about the braking actions.

I don't run up to the stops real hard, just coast and then brake to a full stop.

The problem with Armor All on the brakes isn't what happens as you approach a stop sign: it's what happens when you have to make a panic stop. The last place you want to be praying for more brakes is in the last seconds before you hit something. Also, with the Armor All on the brakes--and you said you repeat this about every 10 days--is that the braking action is actually changing over those 10 days That change in braking complicates the emergency stop scenario even more.

You're on a mountain bike, so you're cg is lower than it would be on a road bike, which means that with all else being equal, you're bike should be less likely to lift the rear wheel than a road bike. The suspension does complicate things a bit. Under braking, your front suspension will start to compress. This causes a weight transfer to the front wheel. It is possible that your bike's front suspension (and rear, too) doesn't have enough preload, meaning the front end dives too much. Likewise, running off road tires, with relatively low pressure, can increase weight transfer under braking. I'd suggest that you take your bike to a good bike shop and explain to them the issues that you're having. Hopefully they can help. It's also possible that your brakes are adjusted badly. Again the LBS can help here, too. In the interim, what kind of brakes do you have? Can you take a pic of your bike and brakes? How big are you? What tires are you using and and to what pressure do you inflate them?

As a pilot, you know how import being current is. After all, practice does make more perfecter, right? With this in mind, it'd be top idea for you to find an empty parking lot or low traveled section of tarmac on which you can practice braking. You have to be confident in your braking because in an emergency things happen very quickly (again, you know this from flying). My last emergency stop on my road bike happened when I was traveling downhill at just north of 40 mph. Hard braking had my rear tire chirping as it would lift slightly and settle back down cyclically. That meant that I was on the limit with braking. Once the rear tire lifts off the ground, you can't increase braking any more. Any further energy put into to stopping the front wheel would only go toward making the bike rotate around the front wheel. The point is that confidence in my brakes and practice paid off as I certainly didn't have time to think about what was happening. I certainly glad that I didn't have Armor All on my brakes! Likewise, I didn't have time to coast and then start braking.

 

[BHOFM]

I will get a picture in a few minutes.

I have replaced the tires with a road tread, Kevlar. The knobbies were showing
a lot of wear at 600miles. These have over 700 miles and look great.

The LBS won't even look at a bike unless he sold it to you. Our only options are
Lewis and Clark and Wal Mart. Every one I have talked to works on their own.

I fix them for the neighborhood kids.

It is an $88 Wal Mart special. Just a get started bike to see if I really wanted to
do this. My next bike will be better, but not from the LBS!

BTW, even when the brakes start to soften up a little, at no time do I feel they
are inadequate for an emergency. At least I know they aren't going to lock up
unless I want them to.

Pictures:

 

[64Paramount]

You might try changing the brake pads, perhaps the stock ones are a bit soft and are sticking to the rim when you apply the brakes.

I'm just throwing that suggestion out as an idea, I've seen pads get hard with age and not provide good braking, but I've not encountered pads that provide too much braking.

But, pads aren't expensive so it might be worth a try. If you do try new pads, it might be best to wipe the rims down with alcohol to remove the Armour All so you get a good test....

 

[BHOFM]

I thought about that, but with out a LBS, Wal Mart is it. And the pads are the
same as came on the bike.

We have a shop, but he won't even talk to you if you didn't buy the bike from
him. I am going to run over to Lewis and Clark, I was told they have bike stuff.
It's a sixty mile round trip..

I have been looking online.

Any one know about:

JensonUSA.com - Your Mountain & Road Bike online parts supplier!

They seem to have stuff at a reasonable price. And a lot
of choices.

 

[dhk2]

I've worked on literally hundreds of new Wal-Mart bikes collected for "Toys for Tots". The brakes are terrible, period. Most can never be adjusted to work for more than a few stops. Your LBS is certainly correct is turning you away; because they know whatever they do, even if the labor costs equals what you've paid for the bike, you'll be back very soon.

Might be acceptable to ride on a trails, or at low speeds, but I'd never recommend anyone take them downhill at high speeds. Suggest you don't waste time and energy trying to make a $88 bike work properly; your enjoyment and safety is worth a lot more than that.

 

[BHOFM]

The brakes are fixed.

Lewis and Clark Outfitters opened a new store just down the road and I didn't
know about it till I checked online for a phone number. They have a full service
shop and all kinds of neat stuff.

Cleaned the wheels real good and installed a new set of pads. The were longer
and narrower than the originals.

Good braking, no grabbing, no noise.

$18!

Very nice people as well!

 

[64Paramount]

That's good!