Dude. That really sucks. Times like this I like to remember, "well my life is not so bad that I'm reduced to stripping peoples bikes for a living..." but that's a pretty weak consolation.

I've got a seatpost for you

@ Jeff - yeah, I don't do any of those deterrents anymore; it's been part of my developing grown-and-sexy identity to not have my bikes look like bombed-out post-apocalyptic war machines anymore. The flip side is that they're less secure and more attractive to thieves.

@Jules - I'll take the seatpost if it's used and you can let it go for cheap. Thanks!

hey, what's wrong with bombed-out-post-apocalyptic-war-machines?

If he wasn't such a misogynist-antisemite-whatckjob Mel Gibson would ride a sweet-ass fixie...

"Beyond Velodrome"

i've got a stem for you

might have saddle and bars too (definitely have ergo bars, might have round bars)

if you decide you want to go downtube shifters instead of SIS, i also have new tektro brake levers that are awesome

@tito --sorry to hear about the theft. I have a few stems and posts, but not in the sizes you're seeking. And I have a Deda newton silver drop bar in 40cm, but it's not round. I crashed it and it's scuffed on one end, otherwise it's in good condition (well, the decals were stripped off). Contact me offline if interested... normswygert at gmail.

Thanks all. I'm definitely looking for round bars and SIS shifters, but I appreciate all offers. @Willy - gonna take you up on the stem and a saddle if you've got it.

Gonna take my time and build this guy up again cheaply as possible - on the upside, with this dry weather I've busted the old Gios (aka my First Wife) back out for commuting. Pretty sweet.

@ Tito. That sounds awful... I've had my seat/post taken before. God help the guy I catch doing that. I now have the lockdown kit on wheels/seatpost and have two-part epoxy filled the head of hex bolts to thwart douche bags with an Alan Keys. (You can get it out later). Also my bike looks like S-H-ONE-T.
I have an old Bontrager carbon seatpost you can have.

Posted By: titoThanks all. I'm definitely looking for round bars and SIS shifters, but I appreciate all offers. @Willy - gonna take you up on the stem and a saddle if you've got it.

Gonna take my time and build this guy up again cheaply as possible - on the upside, with this dry weather I've busted the old Gios (aka my First Wife) back out for commuting. Pretty sweet.

Round compact? Like short and shallow? I have a set of deda newton shallows, aka italian bend in 40 ctc.

I would love to catch one of those cnuts trying to steal my bike. Happened before to me and you just feel so ducking violated. I'd lose it pretty quick if I came back to my bike when the twat was in action. I'll tell you all my story about what I did do when I caught someone stealing another persons bike after leaving a night club at our next post-race coffee.

Now, related to this thread:

1)Does anyone have an old trainer/rollers (functional ones) that are just cluttering up the house and they don't want them? Not looking for anything fancy, modern or even quiet, just something as a last resort for when the weather's really too bad to get out even on my training bike. Would be willing to pick up and act as 'disposal' for anyone just trying to get rid or will pay a small amount, whatever you think the item is worth.

2)Does any one have a Garmin Edge 500 that they no longer want/require? Willing to pay a fair fee for the item.

I have an old trainer that works. It's a 1Up USA. Worst brand name ever, but again, it works fine. I'd give it to you for $25 or a sixer of really good beer.

^^^^ That's a steal. I think it is a great trainer.

Jeff, you have a deal.

Now, I am not totally sure about getting hold of 'really good beer' as there are many tastes in the US that quite frankly I don't rate, so, I will give you the cash so that you can invest in a tipple of your choice. Will try to sort something out about pickup, you live not too far from the Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn side, right?

About beer, as I live on Long Island I have been to the Bluepoint Brewery several times. You guys do know that in their tasting room (bar) at the brewery, they have all 14 of their current brews. Furthermore, the beer is ENTIRELY FREE and TOTALLY UNLIMITED. It's great, you don't even need to go on the free tour, you just get in the bar and drink as much as you like as long as you like. Like I said, been several times, fantastic. The only downside, it's in Patchogue, which means you pretty much need to drive (i.e. a designated driver is required). Patchogue is about an 1:15 by car from Brooklyn. Highly recommend though. Been 3 times.

Adam,

Jeff W. really likes Michelob ULTRA so I'm sure a sixer of that will be right up his alley.

Joe

Actually Jeff, I noticed that they have just released Bud Light Platinum. All the great taste of Bud Light but now with 6% ABV. How about that?

hahaha now u can be as fast as lance...after his comeback.

Adam,

If you want rollers in addition to Jeff's trainer... I have a set of PVC rollers. They are so-so and will bother any downstairs neighbors. Not sure of the brand. They are yours for free if you come pick them up from my apartment on the upper west. On that note, if anyone else want them they are the same price.

Gideon
917-239-2015

Hi Gideon,

I will happily get your rollers. I feel a little greedy acquiring rollers and a trainer so I will leave the option open to other club member who do not possess either for the next week. If anyone would like these rollers ahead of me as you have nothing else for indoor training at present, please chirp up here on the forum. If not, I'll drop you a text Gideon next week and we can arrange a time for pickup.

Thanks-

Adam

Bros,

It's like Africa-hot out there. Why are we even talking about rollers and trainers?

Love,

tito

SRAM Red-Black compact crank for sale. Never used. Contact me via email if interested. BB30

FSA K-Force Light, Standard (53/39) 175mm BBRIGHT
Never used, came new with frame.
$400 and they'll be turning in anger beneath you and your Cervelo (I don't know if bbright fits anything else)

Posted By: Jules RoazenFSA K-Force Light, Standard (53/39) 175mm BBRIGHT
Never used, came new with frame.
$400 and they'll be turning in anger beneath you and your Cervelo (I don't know if bbright fits anything else)

With appropriate spacers, they'll fit in bb30.

Looking for a set of tall winter tights / fleece or windproof.

let me know!

Time to replace the mattress.
What are people who are side / back sleepers liking these days?
Tempurpedic fanboys need not opine (wife says too expensive)

The entire industry is a horrible scam. I would rather buy crack in Kathmandu.

High or medium density foam rubber

Cut to size at Canal Rubber

200-300 dollars

Cover with memory foam or down mattress cover

It is the bomb

I've had a Sealy Posturepedic Preferred series I got 6 years or so ago. It's help up nicely and I have no complaints. Extra firm.

That being said, I cringe at the idea of having to go to a mattress store. Those salesmen are creepy as hell. God speed.

Part 1

Sarah and I are in the middle of mattress shopping right now. A few things you should be aware of first.

1. Don't talk to JP about mattresses. He will regale you with stories of collusion, crookery and the customer getting screwed. All of which, I'm sure, are true, but ultimately not helpful for the task at hand. JP, I appreciate your broad knowledge base, but sometimes, you bring me down man!

2. Do not go on the internet and attempt to find out "how to buy a mattress." See above for comment about getting depressed.

3. Know that you will not find the same mattress online, or at any two retail locations. You will find all of the major brands, Sealy, Simmons, Serta, Tempurpedic, etc., but you will never find the exact same mattress at any other location. This is on purpose and part of what makes people so mad--difficulty in cross-comparison shopping. Many of the online sites will say to you that if you tell them the name of the mattress you liked at Sleepy's, give them the model name/number, and they will have their version of it for a much lower price. This didn't exactly work in our case, but whatever, that's the general sales pitch on offer from the online retailers.

4. Here's the drill down of how the mattress's are named/etc. First you have the brand name, like Sealy. Then within that brand they have many mattresses within all price points. These mattresses all receive a woman’s name, or something fruity sounding, like Yvonne or Elderberry (this is where the inter-shopping trickery is done…you will only find the Yvonne at Macy’s, Sleepy’s may have the “Yvonne” but probably calls it the “Chantal” or something). Within each lady name line, you have different levels of firmness in the springs, and plushness in the padding around those springs. Basically, you have your traditional mattress type (Macy’s calls them “tight tops”—insert your favorite gay joke here), then you have what’s called a “pillow top” (which looks like a traditional “tight top” with a comforter sewn to the top--again, more gay jokes). Within those two types there are further levels of “comfort” built in from ultra firm to super plush pillow top and everything in between. You will find mattress with firm springs, but super plus tops, and those with softer springs and firmer tops and seeming a million other variations. Make sense? Ultimately, you’ll have to test drive some to find your preferred level of cushion/firmness. Because once you figure that part out. Things get a little easier.

Part 2

Here's what's helped Sarah and I so far. Your first objective should be to narrow down the field. We've spent 3 nights in a row, testing mattresses. Each night for about 1 hour, because after a while you kind of get to the point where you can't tell anything anymore. Hence, limiting it to 1 hour or so for each effort.

I’m not super anal about this sort of thing, but I do like to make sure I’ve done my research and feel like I’ve done my due-diligence. Tonight, there was a family, where they came in and within 20 minutes the dad had said, okay, lets get this one. Bam, done. Sarah’s brother would be the same way. I'm sure that this family will be happy with their choice, because ultimately, whatever they get is probably going to be better than what they currently have. Anyway, I tend to drag things out a bit more. But I’ve also got other things I would rather be doing, so I do want to get it done ASAP.

There are different ways to whittle down the field. It sounds counter-intuitive, but your first “elimination” should NOT be on price. Because there are mattresses of every type at every price range. Do you want a foam type (like the Tempurpedic you’ve probably seen advertised on TV) or traditional coil spring type? This should be easy to figure out. And if you eliminate the foam mattresses for example, you cut out 1/3 to 1/2 of the beds in any mattress showroom that you have to lie on.

Then decide what level of firmness you want. 1st night we went to Sleepy's and did their Bed-Match marketing gimmick thing. It's mostly marketing, but it did basically get right the fact that Sarah and I like a similar kind of mattress firmness.

Then within the firmness (a function of the coil spring set-up), decide what level of “plush” you want. There’s a pretty wide range from mattresses that look like one piece (your basic “plush” model) to those that look like they have what they call a “pillow-top” addition to the main mattress body.

The pillow-tops are a big part of what you feel when you lie on a mattress and we had a friend recommend NOT getting a pillow-top, but cause once that breaks down (pillow-tops are usually made with some combination of foam and latex… manufacturers will brag about how their foam is memory foam, or dissipates heat in high tech ways), you’re kind of stuck with a mattress with a worn-out pillow top. But if you get a regular mattress, you can separately buy an expensive “pillow-top” style mattress pad to give you that extra layer of cush you may have loved on the showroom floor without worrying about being stuck with one that’s literally stuck to your mattress.