what I have learned today.

[Efrogwr]

Toot Sweets (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)....

[grams]

That was quick.

[Auntie Helen]

That there are things called Chupa-Chups Melody Pops, a cross between a boiled sweet and a kazoo.

Those were a thing when I was a young

They are still a thing here in DE

[Kim]

That a Brompton isn't legally a bicycle in Texas.

[Cudzoziemiec]

That a Brompton isn't legally a bicycle in Texas.

Wheels too small? Folding frame not allowed?  And does this mean it's not legal to ride one, or just that you're not legally riding a bicycle if you do?

[Kim]

A bicycle has two wheels in tandem of over 20" in diameter, apparently.

It seems that USAnian law is a mess when it comes to non-standard human-powered vehicles, in much the same as it is with e-bikes (indeed, in some cases, a given configuration is only legal if it *has* electric assist).

[Diver300]

What restrictions apply to a Not-A-Bicycle? Does that mean that it can't be ridden on the roads in Texas, but is allowed in the shopping maul?

As an ordinary doesn't have both wheels over 20", does the same apply to that?

[Kim]

It was a throwaway comment in a wider discussion, but it seems that it's possible to end up in a state of legal limbo where your vehicle isn't defined, leaving you at the mercy of the common sense of the police ossifer / jury / insewerants company.

Unlike UK law, where if it's not a pedal cycle or invalid carriage or something, it's a carriage or motor vehicle by default.

[De Sisti]

An Ultegra CS-6500 9s cassette will not fit onto a Dura Ace 7800 hub (due to the 'stepped splines' on the hub).

[grams]

Is it 20 inches in actual measured diameter? Because almost all “20 inch” sizes aren’t.

(The nominal sizes relate to using a given rim with giant balloon tyres that we don’t use anymore)

[spesh]

What restrictions apply to a Not-A-Bicycle? Does that mean that it can't be ridden on the roads in Texas, but is allowed in the shopping maul?

Nah, you're expected to use your fists to clear your way to the bargains at opening time on Black Friday like everyone else - belabouring people with a folded Brompton in its travel case is considered a tad unsporting. 

[Mr Larrington]

Is it 20 inches in actual measured diameter? Because almost all “20 inch” sizes aren’t.

(The nominal sizes relate to using a given rim with giant balloon tyres that we don’t use anymore)

This ^^^^.  My grate frend gNick rode the Hotter Than Hell 100 miler out of Wichita Falls TX a few years back, on a (borrowed) Optima Baron, on which the front wheel was a skinny 406; which my back-of-a-jiffy-bag calculations reckon about 18” diameter when the tyre is pumped up.

[Auntie Helen]

Is it 20 inches in actual measured diameter? Because almost all “20 inch” sizes aren’t.

(The nominal sizes relate to using a given rim with giant balloon tyres that we don’t use anymore)

This ^^^^.  My grate frend gNick rode the Hotter Than Hell 100 miler out of Wichita Falls TX a few years back, on a (borrowed) Optima Baron, on which the front wheel was a skinny 406; which my back-of-a-jiffy-bag calculations reckon about 18” diameter when the tyre is pumped up.

I ride with 28-406 front tyres on my velomobile and had to set the motor wheel size to 18 inch to get speed readings that were similar to my Garmin.

[Kim]

It's Texas, so they probably have their own definition of an inch to further complicate matters.

[Diver300]

What restrictions apply to a Not-A-Bicycle? Does that mean that it can't be ridden on the roads in Texas, but is allowed in the shopping maul?

Nah, you're expected to use your fists to clear your way to the bargains at opening time on Black Friday like everyone else - belabouring people with a folded Brompton in its travel case is considered a tad unsporting. 

Reference to a deliberate misspelling from Terry Pratchett, although I don't know if Ankh-Mopork shops would be any more dangerous than those in Texas.

[Kim]

What restrictions apply to a Not-A-Bicycle? Does that mean that it can't be ridden on the roads in Texas, but is allowed in the shopping maul?

Nah, you're expected to use your fists to clear your way to the bargains at opening time on Black Friday like everyone else - belabouring people with a folded Brompton in its travel case is considered a tad unsporting. 

Reference to a deliberate misspelling from Terry Pratchett, although I don't know if Ankh-Mopork shops would be any more dangerous than those in Texas.

I expect Texas has more gonnes.

[Cudzoziemiec]

That Barnum & Bailey Circus was still operating a circus train till 2017. Each train (there were two) was approximately a mile long, though shorter in the last few years after they stopped using elephants.

[rafletcher]

That the Japanese TV show "Endurance", much loved of UK TV, was a minor programme in Japan itself, and featured students from competing universities.

[T42]

Just saw a video where a bloke easily slid grips onto a flat bar by blasting compressed air in as he pushed them on. He shoved the nozzle under the end nearest the stem.

[robgul]

Just saw a video where a bloke easily slid grips onto a flat bar by blasting compressed air in as he pushed them on. He shoved the nozzle under the end nearest the stem.

All sounds a bit complicated - what's wrong with the hairspray method? - spray the bars, slide grips on and the hairspray lubricates and then holds them in position, stopping rotation (you may have to cut the grips to get them off)    When I ran an LBS people wondered why there was a can of hairspray on the shelf in the workshop area!

[Kim]

Just saw a video where a bloke easily slid grips onto a flat bar by blasting compressed air in as he pushed them on. He shoved the nozzle under the end nearest the stem.

All sounds a bit complicated - what's wrong with the hairspray method? - spray the bars, slide grips on and the hairspray lubricates and then holds them in position, stopping rotation (you may have to cut the grips to get them off)    When I ran an LBS people wondered why there was a can of hairspray on the shelf in the workshop area!

Stereotypical cycle mechanics tend to have more access to compressed air than they do hair?

I'll have a try with compressed air next time.  I've found isopropyl alcohol works well (again, on the basis of what I have to hand).  As does washing-up liquid, if you don't mind the grips sliding off when it rains.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I can't envisage how this compressed air trick works. I can see it being potentially useful for removing grips. Firstly, how do you even get the nozzle under the end [of the grip, I presume] nearest the stem?

[JonBuoy]

I'm guessing that this is the video that T42 saw:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qseRtY5eX94

The grips that it seems to work really well on look like Ourys which are very soft rubber.  I don't have a compressor but do have a can of IPA so I just use that to fit my Ourys and wait a while for it to evaporate off.  They go on easily and stay put but getting them off again would undoubtedly be easier with a compressor.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Can someone explain to me the physics of that? Is it just that the jet of compressed air is reducing friction between grips and bars so making it easier to push them along?

I think I'll stick with lock-on grips anyway.

[rafletcher]

Can someone explain to me the physics of that? Is it just that the jet of compressed air is reducing friction between grips and bars so making it easier to push them along?

Yep, air is a fluid, so force it between the grip and the bar and the grip will slide more easily. It may also serve to expand the grip somewhat, reducing contact area.

I can think of more fun things to do with compressed air in a workshop.