Do you do a full bleed, or do you just push some more oil in?[/quote]
When I was just doing maintenance on a fleet on 6 cargo bikes I was just topping off. But now that I have my own I"m going to do a full bleed every few pad changes.[/quote]
some thoughts…
1: I think part of it is that my calipers are old and maybe a lil leaky.
2: Im using the cheap af all steel rotors.
my plan:
buy new ice tech rotors.
buy m6000 cuz cheap.
run metalic pads.
The goal being to have consistent pulling brakes that are predictable and dont fade hard a minute into a descent.
Question: If I’m running metalics do the rotors matter as much? Would the ice tech jawns address the fade w/ organic pads sufficiently(I would really prefer to run organics)? SHoukld I try to get metalic pads with steel backing to try and insulate the pistons/caliper a bit and put the heat back into the rotor?
if you move to metallics you gotta ditch the cheapest of the shimano rotors that tend to come with lower end brakes equipped with organic pads. they’ll say for organic pads only on them. they might not help with heat management as much, but even a move to rt66s will give you better feel.
I would consistently get fade on a few routes with the RT56 rotors and organic pads. I put on RT86 rotors and metallic pads and now only get fade if I’m really standing on the brakes. For the organics, it didn’t seem to matter if I had the finned backs or not.
The metallic pads will squawk a little more if you rotors are dirty, at least until the crud is cleared. Other than that, I get a lot more consistent braking in the crud.
So I destroyed the zipper on my relatively new Gore rain jacket last Friday being a hamfisted idiot trying to take it off quickly at a stop light.
Went to a bunch of bike shops in search of new jacket but was underwhelmed by aesthetics and overwhelmed by ridiculous prices.
Stopped at REI and found this on the sale rack. Its one of REI’s new in-house branded Co-op jackets that replaced Novara.
At first I was very skeptical of the convertible Vest/Jacket contraptions but whoa…this one seems different.
First of all, it uses about 10 MAGNETS on the back and two small zippers on your chest to detach the single piece “cape” (see sleeves).
Other interesting features I like:
Folds down very compact. No need to carry vest AND rain jacket.
Aesthetically attractive IMO, no gaudy logos!
It is possible to quickly rip the sleeves/“cape” off at a stoplight without removing jacket because zips on chest & magnets out back.
Only $83 !
Nice slim fit (I usually wear medium but the size small was perfect over two thin wool base layers)
Neck is nice and wide, even on size small!
Reflective touches everywhere including the horizontal lines woven in every inch or so, across the butt area, chest, big stripes on the sleeves that don’t look too bad compared to Shower’s Pass implementation.
Just enough pockets but not too many.
No armpit zips, pits are just open all the time but have a flap that keeps water out.
Great ventilation in vest mode across the shoulder blades.
When you fold the jacket for bag stowing the neighboring magnets allow you to fold it perfectly in half and stays bundled in bag.
I weighed my three rain jackets and this one still weighed less than my casual hooded rain jacket despite having a bunch of magnets tipping the scales. However It was not as light as the bare bones Gore rain jacket it is replacing.
Things I dislike:
Not sure if material is very water proof in a downpour, doesn’t appear to be (maybe it dries quickly though?)
No double zipper to allow unzip from the bottom of the jacket (if you’ve ever had a jacket that has this feature you will understand how this prevents chest bunching)
Wish they had a version in a non-obnoxious yet visible orange color.
Wish they had a wide strip of reflective material along the base of the cape (same width as seen on sleeves)
Wish the chest zippers (that removes cape) zipped all the way up and underneath the collar like the rear magnet does on the back of the neck.
I recently bought this Bontrager Velocis rain jacket, and literally everything else I’ve owned or worn pales in comparison, including a multi-hundred dollar Gore jacket. The retail price would be totally fair, but the closeout price is crazy, and if you work for a a Trek dealer, you’re a goddamn fool if you don’t buy this jacket. I’m probably going to buy a second to save, in case I crash and scuff up my first one. Unfortunately, that cool orange is all sold out, so you’re left with black or roadside construction worker safety yellow.
I would write a review, but this one says everything I have to say about it.
Since everyone is talking about jacket scores, I just got this Showers Pass jacket from the REI gear attic for $65. They returned it because the reflective stuff isn’t perfect, which is a known issue. It fits great and has all sorts of zippers for ventilation. Unsure about rain performance yet.
I’ve been wearing the Showers Pass IMBA jacket all winter and goddamn it’s the best shell I’ve had.
Price has almost doubled since I bought it for some reason.
[quote=Tail Hook Lengthener]I recently bought this Bontrager Velocis rain jacket, and literally everything else I’ve owned or worn pales in comparison, including a multi-hundred dollar Gore jacket. The retail price would be totally fair, but the closeout price is crazy, and if you work for a a Trek dealer, you’re a goddamn fool if you don’t buy this jacket. I’m probably going to buy a second to save, in case I crash and scuff up my first one. Unfortunately, that cool orange is all sold out, so you’re left with black or roadside construction worker safety yellow.
I would write a review, but this one says everything I have to say about it.[/quote]
Uh, so should I order the XL or the XXL? I am interpreting that this is sized like a trim fit bike jersey, and if I actually want to wear anything under it I should order a size up maybe? For reference Gore bike-wear stuff always fit way too small and I had to order a size up in them as well.
I’d always size up in rainwear.
If you’re riding in the rain, you’re not going to notice a little flapping of loose fabric amid the raindrops and generally crummy weather.
The greater likelihood that the sleeves will come down over your wrists makes it worthwhile too.
Next step: convince cycling apparel companies that they should make rainwear in bright colors only. I love my v1Gabba jersey, but matte black is absolutely the worst possible color to ride in the rain.
