Wow, that little bastard!  I'd put a small chain through it and wear it around my neck. 
I wrapped my commuter handlebars with inner tubes that blew while racing out at Floyd, kind of like the skeletons of pirates hanging on my prow - tremble, all yee small parts, who disobey the bike!

Very specific ask, does a tire exist with the bombproof-ness of the conti gatorskin, the low weight and low rolling resistance of a road race specific tire, and that comes in tan wall? I'm hoping for 28s and the closest I've found are the Vittoria Corsa Controls or the Panaracer Gravelkings.

Donellys are great. Vittoria Corsa Controls are better for road, and even better, Redbeard can get you a killer deal on them.

The tire exists. They're hard to find these days - the sidewall is 70% unslashiumm with a hangtight backing. The rubber is made from the paw skin of 3500 gekkos and the bead is titanium fibre.

Nearest dealer is at the crossroads round midnight...

Jules said:

The tire exists. They're hard to find these days - the sidewall is 70% unslashiumm with a hangtight backing. The rubber is made from the paw skin of 3500 gekkos and the bead is titanium fibre.

Nearest dealer is at the crossroads round midnight...

And it can both be installed and removed with bare hands.  So easy, an eight year-old can do it.

The tread is smooth on the road and knobby on dirt.  

Weight is under 200g

Some say it’s not a tire at all.. ..others say it’s the only tire that’s ever existed.

Panaracer Gravelking PLUS TLC seem to be well reviewed. I have the none "PLUS" version which I like. 

https://road.cc/content/review/271655-panaracer-gravelking-plus-tlc-700-x-35-tyre

tire question here. I've had giant tubeless but they've failed me pretty much for the past year.  I've had two punctures that wouldn't seal and in another instance rim tape failed.  So I'm taking my carbon rims and getting back to inner tubes ... but my vittoria tires tend to puncture easily as well.

So ... what are folks' experience with using sealant in inner tubes?  The old mountain bike days we used Slime ... when I go online there isn't much info regarding sealant and road tubes.

i found the sealant needs to be monitored more than the manufacturers recommend. I check every few weeks or so to make i dont need to top it off. 

Scott Kuhlke said:

tire question here. I've had giant tubeless but they've failed me pretty much for the past year.  I've had two punctures that wouldn't seal and in another instance rim tape failed.  So I'm taking my carbon rims and getting back to inner tubes ... but my vittoria tires tend to puncture easily as well.

So ... what are folks' experience with using sealant in inner tubes?  The old mountain bike days we used Slime ... when I go online there isn't much info regarding sealant and road tubes.

It can be done, but I don't think I'd bother unless it's for cyclocross.  I think the stuff will last longer in a butyl inner tube than it does in a tubeless tire. 

I assume you're riding Corsa CX's or some other really supple tire.  The ride is great, but, to me, the sealant and its attendant hassles are not worth it--I'd go with another tire that has a better casing.

Have a roller question.  Bracing for a long haul indoors, figure it might be a good time to learn how to use rollers.  Do the rollers need to sit on a perfectly flat surface?  The way my room is set up I only have enough space if my front wheel sits on a thin rug and back wheel is on the floor.  It’s only a couple cm difference.

This happened , they are shipping a replacement 
anyone hearing if this is a common problem 

Yikes!

RichPolk said:

Have a roller question.  Bracing for a long haul indoors, figure it might be a good time to learn how to use rollers.  Do the rollers need to sit on a perfectly flat surface?  The way my room is set up I only have enough space if my front wheel sits on a thin rug and back wheel is on the floor.  It’s only a couple cm difference.

Flatter the better.  It's mostly so the frame doesn't wobble as you're riding.  The wobbling could lead to the rollers moving underneath you and that's not a good thing.  If you can add some kind of pad, it would probably be a bit more stable.  

Hey Guys,
My oldest boy is just about ready for a proper drop bar bike - which in this town means a gravel bike. Incredibly there seem to be precious few of these online that don't cost as much as adult bikes.  

I'm thinking seriously about building my own, and would love some opinions.

This is the template I'm thinking of trying to emulate - that's a bmx frame, isn't it?

https://bombtrack.com/2020-beyond-junior/

Jules said:

Hey Guys,
My oldest boy is just about ready for a proper drop bar bike - which in this town means a gravel bike. Incredibly there seem to be precious few of these online that don't cost as much as adult bikes.  

I'm thinking seriously about building my own, and would love some opinions.

This is the template I'm thinking of trying to emulate - that's a bmx frame, isn't it?

https://bombtrack.com/2020-beyond-junior/

The geo looks similar, but I don't know of any BMX bikes that have vertical QR dropouts. They usually have horizontal track style dropouts.

There's a FB buy and sell group called something like "short people bicycle swap meet". Every now and then there's a good post. Maybe avoid telling them you're shopping for a child. 

@Jules 24" wheel CX bikes, as Dan suggested is a good one.

Frog has this bike, but yes, the price is adult-sized.  https://www.frogbikes.com/Road-Bike-Frog-58

With kid bikes, I'd start with checking for used rides.  Then again, you've got three kids, and you probably have a garage, so you could keep bikes for all three and pass them through  the family.

Another way might be to find the smallest MTB frame with 20" or 24" wheels and repurpose.

We are definitely re-using an arsenal of bikes...

I have some vintage 24" Clement silk TT tubulars. nice and wide at 18mm. If he is old enough to ride a real bike - then it is time for him to learn how to glue up tubs properly :-)

ian ellis said:

I have some vintage 24" Clement silk TT tubulars. nice and wide at 18mm. If he is old enough to ride a real bike - then it is time for him to learn how to glue up tubs properly :-)

I have an old 80's Sekine with friction shifters in my mom's basement. I'll try and get a photo for you all. I've often thought of rehabbing it for him, but modern brakes seem much less "decorative" than the suicide friction pads of old It even has those old fashioned extensions for the tops...

Ah turkey wings, aka suicide levers and death grips. Pre-roadies days, my old Schwinn World Sport had them and the bolts rattled loose after a while and they promptly fell off one day as I was flying down 5th ave. That was pretty pretty pretty scary.

@Jules ,Is that from The Stranger things set?

Got one of those turbo legs on it. Big fan. 

Mark Taylor said:

@Jules ,Is that from The Stranger things set?

That is from 1982 Canadian Tire, I'm willing to bet.

So I'm in the market for a new bb I think. I hear a bit of squeaking and it's been about 10k miles since I got my bike. I legit have no idea of anything how bbs work or what they are really. Let me know some recommendations, so I don't look like a totally idiot asking for a new one

@cpulvidente budget an hour or two for youtube on the subject. BB's are a mess of standards, but you'll quickly figure out what kind you have. Start by reading your bike's specs on the manufacturer's website.

Also when it comes to chasing down squeaks don't neglect to check:

- seat post & rails
- pedals
- cleats
- water bottle cages
- zlurph confabulator
- wheel quick releases
- chain
- headset
- brake hoods
- bartape

any of these could also be the culprit