Gear Appeal

I'll be cleaning my brake surfaces on my dad's wheels. After reading an article on brake maintenance, this seems important to me. I just hope that there is not too much grime from not washing the braking surface for so long. I don't think it matters too much. No one yelled that there are dire consequences in not washing your breaking surfaces.
Carbon wheels, according to the people who make money on them, need to be cleaned often with S

imple Green type cleaner and only their pads will work. I think there is some truth to this, but time will tell if similar brake pads can be applied to all types of carbon wheels. I think this cork break pad idea will dissolve just like cork will dissolve. The article was in Road Bike Action, December 2010.

Yesterday (Christmas) I rode 22 miles to Barefoot Landing and beyond, back by Watertower Road where the scenery gets primordial and the road is really smooth. I'll go even further back into Waterplace road next time. Thanks Myrtle Beach Bike Bandits for showing me this route. Here's a map of the route.

Looking into gear ratios, there are apps for Iphone and Android that calculate gear-inches and probably spoke ratios.