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Polite Dinner Conversation
I attended a dinner party this past weekend. Seating was prearranged, so I was seated at a table with some acquaintances - some I knew better than others - which usually means some fairly stiff but...
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Tripping the Light Fantastic
Many cyclists have probably encountered this scenario: You come to a stoplight and wait for the signal to turn green. You wait. And wait. And wait. And . . . nothing. The light refuses to change. If...
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Classic Tubes: Reynolds 753
Any fan of vintage racing and touring bikes is more than familiar with the familiar green, black and gold decal signifying Reynolds 531 tubing. Regardless of whether someone preferred Campagnolo,...
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Interesting Idea - But Should It Be Necessary?
I just saw another bike-related Kickstarter that looks like it's on the verge of going down as a failure: The iLumaware Shield radar-enhancing taillight. With only hours to go, it had only raised 24%...
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Wool Jersey Collection
I got out for a ride on this chilly but sunny, beautiful fall day. Days like this are perfect for a classic wool jersey, and of course that's what I wore. The ride and the weather got me looking...
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Hi-Lo Hubs
I've written before about Campagnolo's excellent Record hubsets from the '60s through the '80s. Made with only the smallest (and primarily cosmetic) changes from 1958 through approximately 1985, the...
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Again With The Solid Tires? Really?
Two years ago I wrote that we appear to be in the midst of a flurry of airless tire "innovations," all of them apparently hoping nobody will notice that such things have been tried almost since...
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Retrogrouch Rules: Proper Bike Setup
Want to start an argument with fellow bike worshipers? Try to establish some "rules" for proper bike setup. Of course, bike set up can be a very personal thing, and ultimately, the only "rule" that...
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Old Is Good: Mavic Monthlery Rims
I'm gearing up to begin another wheelbuilding project, and that means locating more classic components. I recently wrote about a nice set of hubs I'll be using: a pair of Campagnolo Record hubs with...
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Pearl Izumi Softshell Pants
Regular readers know I do a lot of bike commuting, and I try to be a year-round rider even here in Northeast Ohio. That sometimes means putting cycling gear to the test, and pushing the temperature...
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Louis Vuitton Buys Pinarello
I'll bet a lot of Retrogrouch readers remember this:Or this:And almost certainly this:And even though there's nothing even remotely retro-grouchy about it, even the young ones probably remember...
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Current Commuting Numbers
I've just wrapped up another semester at work and it's time to look back at how I did on my bike commuting numbers. Overall, there's some good, and some disappointment.First, I should remind regular...
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Christmas Day Ride
Once again, I managed to get out for a Christmas bike ride - a tradition I've managed to uphold a lot more often than a person would expect for Northeast Ohio. There have only been a few years when the...
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Happy New Year
I know a lot of people who make it a tradition to get out for a ride on New Years Day, though that has not necessarily been a tradition for me. Nevertheless, when I woke up this morning, Jan 1, bright...
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New Hour Record
The cycling world has a new Hour Record champion to celebrate. No, Bradley Wiggins's record of 54.526 km is still standing (that's 33.88 mph for us Amuricans). But on Jan. 4, a diminutive 105-yr. old...
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Computerized Training For Toddlers - Dear God, NO
Remember Zwift, the computer-interactive stationary trainer for social-media-obsessed indoor cyclists? Well, why should adults be the only ones who get to pedal indoors while staring at an LCD display?...
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Winter Commuting - Not for the Faint of Heart
Regular bicycle commuters are well familiar with the astonishment and disbelief that almost always comes with telling people "I ride my bike to work.""How far is it?""How long does that take...
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Cycle Cinema: The Nelson Vails Story
I realize that the film was actually released a couple of years ago, but I only just recently got a chance to watch Cheetah: The Nelson Vails Story, which can now be seen on YouTube. It seemed like a...
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No More "Podium Girls" For Pro Cycling?
As a sport, bicycling has a woman problem. Long considered primarily a sport for men, bicycling has struggled to attract women in recent years, and every time the sport, or the industry, takes what...
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Trek 720 Recall
Just a brief post today about another new bike (and wheel) recall. Trek has announced a safety recall of their 2015 - 2017 720 touring model equipped disc brakes and Bontrager 24 spoke wheels....
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