Lubricants Chain, Cable

by | Oct 6, 2014 |

Re senior club member MarcoPolo’s observation that some cyclists recommend lubing chain twice, I do not think it is necessary if one uses a proper viscous product that will completely coat the inner roller, bushing, and pin. For many years I have made my own mixture of WD-40 and and sewing machine oil. Last year I heard that sewing machine repair centers were using Tri-Flow, because it does not become sticky and it flows easily coating the moving chain inside components. That said some reviews have said if you let Tri Flow build up it does become sticky. Why would a smart mechanic let any lubricant build up and turn into gunk? I use the drip bottles applying only two drops to each chain link roller. The lubricant quickly is drawn into the link. Don’t forget to shake the bottle before using, especially in cold weather. I’ve been using Melody’s two ounce drip bottle for six months and it is almost empty. I wash and lubricate my chain once or twice a week if necessary.

Tri Flow is Mineral Oil and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, has numerous applications. Best brand name of PTFE-based formulas is Teflon by DuPont Co who discovered the compound. PTFE solid high-molecular-weight compound consisting of carbon and fluorine. PTFE is hydrophobic, disperses H20. One of the lowest coefficients of friction against any solid. Used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware. Lubricant reduces friction and wear. Also commonly used as a graft material in surgical interventions.

CORROSION PROTECTION Salt Spray Test (ASTM B 117) – 5% Salt spray for 100 hours. Excellent water displacing characteristics and stability.

Company Ronseal is a subsidiary of international paint manufacturer, Sherwin-Williams Company based in Cleveland, Ohio and is the world’s largest coatings company. Ronseal is based at Thorncliffe Park in Sheffield in the UK and Dublin, Republic of Ireland, which allows them to skip out on US corporate taxes… shame on them.

Walmart, REI, Amazon…

http://www.amazon.com/Tri-Flow-TF21010-Superior-Lubricant-Bottle/dp/B0002ITTK2 

http://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/category/tools/penetrating-oil/product/review-tri-flow-superior-lubricant-47704/ 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO64suG_pAA&index=4&list=PL2B0A500BFCEDB1A7 

Musculo-skeletal injuries

by | Sep 16, 2014 | ,

My daughter and granddaughter have suffered stress fractures. The following Government Printing Office monograph helped them understand the issues.
120 page monograph including footnotes for further research if interested. Full pdf below; Basic Combat training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (ACT).

Sonja M. Thompson, MD, Colonel, MC, US Army, Chief of Surgery Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center Fort Hood

 “This monograph is an excellent reference for lower extremity and back injuries, and contributes significantly to understanding the differences between women and men in the rate and distribution of musculoskeletal overuse and traumatic injuries sustained by our military members. This publication sheds light on the nature of the biomechanics differences between women and men, and how these differences result in notable changes in injury patterns that impact the length of healing time and ultimately impact the readiness of the unit. Drs Springer and Ross have provided us with an excellent tool for addressing the unique challenges healthcare providers face in providing the best possible care—both therapeutic and preventive—to our women military members.”

Pathophysiology. A progressive decline in the muscular support of the bone, secondary to muscle fatigue, may lead to the transmission of excessive forces to the underlying bone. Muscles that are not adapted to repetitive work, and therefore lack endurance and muscle mass, may be unable to support the long bones of the lower extremity. Muscles may also contribute to stress injuries by concentrating forces across a localized area of bone, thus causing mechanical insults that exceed the stress-bearing capacity of the bone. The aforementioned pathophysiology of stress fractures is a simplified model; however, other physiological and anatomical factors, such as those mentioned previously and others that are beyond the scope of this text, ultimately contribute to the occurrence of a stress fracture. The
endocrine system plays a vital role in bone health. Male and female competitive endurance athletes with abnormally low sex hormone levels are predisposed to stress fractures. The “female athlete triad”—which refers to the combination of amenorrhea, osteoporosis, and disordered eating— may predispose a female to stress fractures. In attempts to minimize body fat to further increase athletic performance, a female may find herself in an estrogen-deficient state leading eventually to decreased bone mineral density and increased risk of stress fractures. Although not specific to military women, amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea are common findings in competitive female distance runners.
Diagnosis. The history of a patient with a stress fracture is typically one of insidious onset of activity-related pain. The pain is generally well localized and described as a mild ache occurring after exercise. As time and activity participation continue, the patient may report more severe pain or pain that occurs at an earlier stage in exercise. The most obvious finding on physical examination is localized bony tenderness, which may also be accompanied by periosteal thickening, redness, and swelling if the stress fracture occurs in a superficial area of the body. The physical examination should include evaluation of limb biomechanics to identify potential predisposing factors e.g., leg-length discrepancy or malalignment, muscle imbalance, weakness, excessive subtalar pronation, or lack of flexibility. The differential diagnosis of stress fracture may include nonbony pathology, such as exertional compartment syndrome, nerve entrapment, muscle strain, bursitis, traction periostitis, or medial tibial stress syndrome. Bony pathologies that can mimic stress fracture include infection and neoplasm. Although a classic history of exercise-associated bone pain and typical examination findings of localized bony tenderness have a high correlation with the diagnosis of stress fracture, various imaging techniques are also available to the clinician for further evaluation. Additional diagnostic imaging studies include radiography (plain X-ray), bone scintigraphy (bone scan), computerized tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Radiographs are typically normal for the first 2 to 3 weeks after the onset of symptoms and may not reveal positive findings, such as periosteal reaction, cortical lucency, or a fracture line for several months. Therefore, radionuclide imaging (bone scan), which is highly sensitive for detecting stress injuries, may be used to confirm a clinically suspected stress fracture. Changes may be seen as early as 48 to 72 hours after the beginning of symptoms.Fractures that have a propensity for progressing to complete fracture, delayed union, or nonunion are considered high-risk fractures and should be treated more aggressively. Fractures that have been identified as high risk in the general population include fractures of the femoral neck (tension side), the patella, the anterior cortex of the tibia, the medial malleolus, the talus, the tarsal navicular, the fifth metatarsal, and the great toe sesmoids. Tibial stress fractures are common in both men and women; however, women appear to have more femoral, metatarsal, and pelvic stress fractures than men. Researchers studying 2,962 women undergoing basic training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot found the most common sites of stress fracture (in descending order of occurrence) to be the tibia, metatarsals, pelvis, and femur. Each will be considered independently.

Durango Loop Tour 2014 Judy C.

by | Sep 10, 2014 | ,

Let’s see, where do I begin?  It was great!!  You would have loved it – we just kept climbing and climbing to the top of every pass.  We were challenged everyday.  The two passes from Durango to Silverton – Coal Bank Pass and Molas Pass were especially hard as we were basically climbing from Durango  straight to Molas and then, a very quick ride down to Silverton, where we stayed at the Grand Imperial Hotel. The day had been gorgeous and the sun was shining.

My favorite pass was Red Mountain out of Silverton.  It was the perfect pass, a lovely road with a nice shoulder all the way to the top, plus there was almost no traffic!  The view from the top was gorgeous.  And the ride down into Ouray was epic, through winding roads surrounded by red mountains, ending at Mouse’s Coffee and Chocolate shop in Ouray.  But then, that afternoon, things changed.  A head wind (35 mph) blew up and made the climb up Dallas Divide a nightmare.  The relatively easy climb when there are no winds turned into a climb of epic proportions.  I was never so glad to see the top.  And, then, rain clouds rolled in and the rain hit not far after the turnoff to Telluride.  I was glad to have a support vehicle pull me in to drive to town.  I only did 63 miles that day.

Telluride was a typical ski town, with its mining history buried in the mountains around it.  We had a great dinner that night in a brew pub.  In the morning we left Telluride and headed straight up out of town.  Telluride sits in a river valley and the only way to leave is up.  It was tough with no real warmup.  At least the day was calm and sunny.  We finally reached the top of the plateau above Telluride and then, started the climb to Lizard Head Pass.  It actually seemed easy after the haul up from Telluride.  At the top of the Pass it was basically all downhill to Cortez!  However, going downhill for miles and miles gets a bit tedious after a while and I started to long for a little climb.  We passed through the little town of Rico where there was a delightful coffee/lunch place and gorgeous flowers everywhere.  We did stop and then, continued our downhill jog.  Finally, I got to Dolores and knew there were only 8 or 9 more miles – I can do it!  Except there was a “little” hill right out of the town being repaved.  They let me ride up the shoulder and from the top was a straight shot to Cortez on newly paved wonderful shoulders.  I flew those last miles and got to the motel so fast my hair was on end!  I did 76.5 miles that day.

Our last day was beautiful.  The road was great with shoulders.  We passed Mesa Verde as the sun hit the top and made it red.  The road was interesting with a couple of big climbs, but not steep.  We hit the small town of Mancos and stopped for coffee and locally grown plums.  After Mancos the road began its serious climbing.  It went on for many miles, but flowed somehow.  I got to the little ski area of Hesperus and one of our group said it was the top.  I said I don’t think so, and I was right.  We had another mile or two of climbing, but then, the down to Durango was incredible.  I never used my brakes.  We all met at our original motel, packed up our cars, went to lunch in Durango and drove back to Santa Fe.  We did the DEATH RIDE and lived to tell the tale, and as far as I know, no one had a flat the entire trip!