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Messages - Roverdrive

#1
Service & Repair / Re: Chain lube
January 29, 2023, 12:00:44 PM
Chain lube is like religion or politics - lots of different opinions and people ready to argue them  ;)  Go to a good source like "Sheldon Brown" and you can read the pros and cons of wet vs dry lubes.
I'm not sure about Rad chains but most come from the factory pre-lubed and should be good for at least a few hundred miles.  I thought my RR+ chain looked "bare" and hit it with the same lube I use on my road bikes - TriLube.  It works for me and I seem to get decent chain life if I lube every hundred miles or so and wipe the chain down good.  If you ride in the rain frequently you should probably lube more often.
#2
@sc00ter, I know this is a very old post but see you are still active on the forum.  You never followed up on your review.  Did you end up installing and using the adapters?  Would be interested in your opinion of them. 
#3
Service & Repair / Re: Flat out vs slime for punctures
December 09, 2022, 08:43:28 AM
I've never used any goop in my tubes as most of my riding has been on road bikes with relatively easy to change tires.  Thinking about it now that I have an RR+
Was wondering how much either/both of these products flow/move around in the tires after they are put in.  If the bike sits a while do they sort of pool in the bottoms of the tube and need to get re-dispersed by riding a little?
#4
General Chat / Re: Cruise control
December 03, 2022, 12:25:55 PM
I had one of those locking cruise control devices on my Honda 750 cause my hands would get tired and it allowed me to stretch out my arms when needed.  It disengaged one day when I was shaking out my right hand and the deceleration almost made me lose control.  Last time I used it.  I guess if you keep both hands on the bars and the motor cut-off works on the brakes it would not be too dangerous. 
Can't you just use PAS 5 and ghost pedal to keep the blood flowing in your legs without putting in any effort?
#5
General Chat / Re: cowboy hat instead of goggles
November 11, 2022, 12:47:59 PM
If you hit something head on you are gonna go flying whether you are leaning forward or back.  Add to that the protection a helmet gives if one of your tires wash out and you go down sideways makes a helmet a pretty good choice.  It's like insurance though, if you never crash you can say you never needed to protect your noggin.  If you do need one, it would be good to be wearing one. 
#6
General Chat / Re: Wobbly Wheels
October 31, 2022, 08:36:13 AM
I think the smaller diameter of the disk rotor is offset by how much force the pads can exert on the breaking surface.  Most road bike rims are relatively thin, and all of the higher end ones are aluminum (or even carbon).  They tend to use only mildly abrasive pads to reduce wear as thinning of the breaking surface can mean rim failure.  If rim brakes used similar pad materials and forces as disk brakes, rim life would be severely compromised.  I worked with a guy that used to "ride" his brakes all the time and he seemed to go through a rim a year!
#7
General Chat / Re: Wobbly Wheels
October 29, 2022, 07:11:42 PM
Speaking of physics, another problem with disk brakes that I don't see discussed much is they can be way harder on spokes and rims than rim brakes.  When the brakes grab the disk, the breaking force has to be transmitted through tension in the spokes out to the rim and tire.  Rim brakes do stress the spokes some but nowhere near as much.  I have seen several rear disk rims where fatigue cracks have grown out of the holes on both the drive and non-drive side of the rim.  With rim brakes, the only fatigue cracks I have seen in the rims have only been on the drive side. 
#8
Bad Boys is the way I learned in college, but that was 1973 ;)
#9
Service & Repair / Re: Battery dying at half charge
October 25, 2022, 07:37:54 PM
Have you tried balancing the battery?  Been reading up on batteries here and the Rad charger and BMS is supposed to bring low cells up to agree with the rest (assuming all are good) by leaving the charger running after the green light comes on.  Since you have access to measure individual cells try it and see if you can get those low ones up to 4.1
#10
General Chat / Re: Rad Expand Five handle bar Issues??
October 25, 2022, 02:08:40 PM
I think the OP is asking how the hinge mechanism is attached to the steerer tube.  I was going to reply with how a threadless headset works but there seems to be two connections.  Above the hinge is a standard headset like you are talking about, but it "looks" like the hinge engages the steerer with a single pinch bolt, which he has linked a video showing someone stripped out their bolt.  There was a special bulletin on some serial numbers where this is a recognized problem, but I don't know if Rad did a redesign or not.  Someone with one needs to chime in. 
#11
From the specs on the Rad web site, the front crank has a 48 tooth gear, and the rear cluster goes from 11 to 34.  There is a big jump between the 34 and the gear next to it.  I usually drop into the 34 to help the bike up a steep hill and without having to pedal too hard you can give the motor a pretty good assist. 
#12
General Chat / Re: Battery Swap?
October 25, 2022, 08:50:11 AM
No, bike mileage is not stored in the battery.  Have seen mention of memory resetting mileage to zero if the display is not turned off before turning off the battery but using her battery should be no different than taking yours' off to charge and putting it back on. 
#13
Rad Modifications / Re: NightRider
October 09, 2022, 11:02:14 AM
I don't ride in the dark as much as I used to but have had good luck with mounting my Klarus tactical flashlight using a Two Fish flashlight holder.  You can even get a remote switch for the light (to dim for oncoming riders) but with the Two Fish I just reach out and rotate it towards the ground when I need to avoid blinding someone. 

https://amzn.to/3SQo7Aj
#14
Have not used panniers yet on my Radrunner, but commuted for years on a road bike with them.  Typically ran just one, with computer and clothes, and never felt unbalanced.  Suggest mounting on the traffic side to make yourself "bigger" and help keep the cars at bay.
#15
I reported it to the mods as I'm sure others have too.  Maybe they are all out riding their bikes....