tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post5369379188344738534..comments2024-02-06T10:31:24.491-07:00Comments on Watching the World Wake Up: Gumweed, Darklings and Killer MiceWatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-61542137523723112072010-08-16T10:08:00.515-06:002010-08-16T10:08:00.515-06:00Jube- Ah, that sucks. Sorry for the bummer. And he...Jube- Ah, that sucks. Sorry for the bummer. And here you were trying to be all humane... Small consolation: my next post involves a small animal-capture story with a happy ending.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-85161162585695285902010-08-15T21:48:03.159-06:002010-08-15T21:48:03.159-06:00Your account of why you avoid Darkling Beetles str...Your account of why you avoid Darkling Beetles struck a nerve with me today, Watcher. I, too, try to avoid them on the trail. <br />Why kill something "out of laziness or convenience"?! But all those spared beetles probably don't make up for the mouse I killed today. He was in our house, and I caught him in a plastic food storage container with the intent of taking him several miles away to release him. I gave him air once, but then I went out for a few hours and when I came back he was upside-down dead. I killed him via neglect and I feel really bad. <br /><br />Sorry about your finger and about the stalls in your life. Hope things turn around for you soon. Keep your butt, er, I mean chin up.Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10896006691904225007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-83242585277457912942010-08-13T19:41:49.684-06:002010-08-13T19:41:49.684-06:00Hey guys- so first off, look again- I installed a ...Hey guys- so first off, look again- I installed a new CARBON bar. I love the feel of carbon bars on an mtb, have been riding them for ~10 years, wasn't switching back now. But my old bars had 7 years on them, thousands of miles and a couple dozen Gooseberry trips- I was getting spooked. KKris' post didn't really change my mind about carbon, but it did remind me of veteran bars, so I couldn't resist poking fun.<br /><br />SBJ- Good to know you have a torque-wrench, and I'll hit you up next time. For this install I did my seat-of-pants torque-test: absolute minimum tightness under which controls/bars don't spin when I take a hit.<br /><br />Enel- Lightweight road bikes aren't scary- not till about 50MPH anyway. Or when a Camry turns left without signaling. BTW, would love some more tarantula pics.<br /><br />mtb w- Yes, Friday the 13th. You'd think after my recent luck I would've made it a bike-free day. Fortunately my (short) ride today was uneventful.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-38505899737044705892010-08-13T16:53:07.374-06:002010-08-13T16:53:07.374-06:00Thanks for the post KK.
I think the problem wit...Thanks for the post KK. <br /><br />I think the problem with carbon is mainly with weight weenie carbon. I run full carbon DH bars which are probably twice the weight of the XC version and have zero worries.<br /><br />Steel and Ti supposedly last forever, but they break too. Al often fails catastrophically as well. There is no guarantee of a bend.<br /><br />Anyway, the moral is to inspect your stuff to try to catch it early. I understand that Carbon is a more difficult to evaluate and catch the small early warnings than the metal stuff.<br /><br />I would love to see more manufacturers taking carbon from the ultra light weight category into the ultra strong and stiff regardless of weigh category. Ibis is a good example of this.<br /><br />Personally, I would be terrified on a 16lb road bike or 20 lb mtb, but maybe I could learn to trust it eventually:)Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-35898525666389481192010-08-13T11:17:38.196-06:002010-08-13T11:17:38.196-06:00Lots of interesting info. I'll have to watch ...Lots of interesting info. I'll have to watch for bugs that raise their hind ends as I ride or walk past - evolution certainly can take unexpected paths. <br /><br />Love the photo of the mice, particularly the one laughing/howling - made me laugh.<br /><br />Happy Friday the 13th!<br /><br />mtb wAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-48175271809817532010-08-13T10:22:17.693-06:002010-08-13T10:22:17.693-06:00Loved learning about the beetles and mice. Flower ...Loved learning about the beetles and mice. Flower was cool too. I'm spending too much time on the road--no cool plants that grow in asphalt, though a few weeds are poking through the cracks in my driveway.<br /><br />Could have saved you the cost of the aluminum bar by lending you my torque wrench. Aluminum is actually the material that fatigues. Carbon just breaks, as Kris mentioned, often catastrophically, but rarely when it's installed correctly (torque wrench is the best $75 I've spent on tools ever). Your Thomson seat post is designed to bend when it fails; not all alloy parts are.<br /><br />Can you tell which of your commenters are at least as interested in bikes as they are in nature?Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-9450900708499126122010-08-12T15:13:02.694-06:002010-08-12T15:13:02.694-06:00Fatigue isn't what concerns me about carbon fi...Fatigue isn't what concerns me about carbon fiber composites. And as Enel noted, they don't fatigue (for all practical considerations).<br /><br />I don't like carbon because it usually fails catastrophically (whereas metal will often bend first), determining if a carbon component is damaged / dangerous is not as easy as metal, proper installation is critical, and often there is no weight savings or it's insignificant.<br /><br />Here's my post Watcher referred to:<br /><br />http://kanyonkris.blogspot.com/2010/07/reducing-my-carbon-footprint.htmlKanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-49754724171674174402010-08-12T09:23:32.398-06:002010-08-12T09:23:32.398-06:00Stem is too long and I still can't believe tha...Stem is too long and I still can't believe that is a 2.4:)<br /><br />Our Gerbil simply pounces on and loves to eat as many invertebrates (specifically crickets) that the kids can feed it. Who knew they so fierce?<br /><br />Since when does Carbon fatigue?...I need to read the post. I didn't think it really did.<br /><br />We have lost of Stink beetles, as well as big, fast moving beetles similar to the stinky ones except not as smooth and glossy with more defined body segments and run quite fast.<br /><br />PS: Tarantula migration time is here for us and I frequently seem them road killed on the trails right now.<br /><br />Probably my most random comment. I am obviously interested in the finger post. Finger tip injuries are one of the best healing of all injuries if you can keep a surgeon away from them.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.com