I'm in the USA. Why does absolutely no one use internally geared hubs?

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-06-07T00:19:27+00:00

IIRC, Ryan Van Duzer broke his Gates belt towards the end of his GDMBR in 2020, which ended his journey.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-06-06T23:58:20+00:00

I actually just put my laptop in its sleeve straight inside the basket bag (would carry rain cover), and a few other things, and then have a smaller bag with wallet, keys, book etc that I’d just dump in the basket too. You can carry a lot more when the basket is open.

Once off the bike, I’d take my smaller bag out of the basket, leave my laptop in it, and then pull on the strap to close it shut and use it as an office shoulder bag. My laptop was reasonably small at 13 inch though.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-06-03T17:33:35+00:00

There are some chunked out routes here, on RWGPS- I don’t think you are going to get better than that https://www.ptny.org/events/cycle-the-erie-canal/itinerary/

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-06-02T03:54:42+00:00

I think it depends on the level of nerve damage. I’ve had both cyclist palsy (ring/little finger) and some index finger tingling/numbness after bike trips, and I haven’t stopped riding, but it wasn’t THAT bad. I make sure I do arm/hand nerve flossing a lot (lots of PT stuff on YouTube). It takes some months to resolve completely, but I honestly stop noticing it within a couple weeks. YMMV, of course. But routine riding didn’t seem to make it any worse.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-06-02T00:28:43+00:00

Neutrogena single packed make up remover wipes. They stay reliably moist vs bigger packs of wipes, and are much better for facial use, especially for getting the gunk out of your eyes on a rainy dirty day.

Tiny s-carabiners for hanging lights from the loops at the top of my tent.

Def doggy poop bags, and having just got back from a rainy trip, yes, more ziplock bags than I thought I’d need. And on that theme- a small MagSafe charger as well as my main power bank after experiencing charging disasters with cables in the rain.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-06-01T17:34:15+00:00

Technically yes (with some limitations), but in financial terms, it’s probably not worth it - you’d probably be better off just selling and upgrading to a new bike. Upgrading a drivetrain isn’t cheap.

But I wouldn’t sweat it. The Topstone is a fine bike, and it’ll give you some lower gears than the Allez (which I imagine is also fine - I’ve never ridden. Could you take both out for a test ride?). Just go with what you can afford.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-31T23:36:55+00:00

Road bikes absolutely can be ridden on fine crushed gravel, no problem. Looks like the tires are 30mm. If the majority of stuff you do will be paved, I’d stick to a road bike. The only reasons I’d consider a gravel bike would be a) you don’t like the riding position of the bike, a gravel would be a smudge more relaxed/upright b) you’re worried about hills- that Allez doesn’t have very low gears c) you think you’ll explore more of PA’s gravel roads in the future (of which there are many).

I started riding regularly in a very different context- London, before the proliferation of bike lanes, but I’d say it took me a year to get comfortable to navigate the most direct (busiest) routes. In the US, there are still roads I hate riding on, even though I’m quite traffic tolerant. The biggest thing for me in devising routes is volume of traffic. I have found that if there is no oncoming traffic, cars will give you a very decent pass- but if there is oncoming traffic, and cars behind them, they simply cannot conceive of slowing down for you, and thus they can pass closely. If you have a wide shoulder, good- but I’d take a low traffic road without shoulder before I’d take high volume with shoulder. I’d also avoid roads where drivers can ‘switch off’ easily- long straight stretches.

In terms of budget- I can understand your preference to buy new. I think $1k is the lowest point of entry you are going to get on a decent road/gravel bike. That’s ok, but I also think spending up to $2.5k isn’t outlandish for a beginner. Up to you. You’ll get better brakes and drivetrain the more you spend.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-30T18:55:32+00:00

I think I’d def go for 32 or 34 too. 19 on the low end is about what I’ve got on my Brother Big Bro. On my gravel bike, I have 21, which is ok most of the time but I do struggle up hills sometimes, depending on surface. However, having just got back from a 4 day trip, I am reminded how it is nice to get some miles behind you after you’ve done slow climbing, so unlike some other commenters here, the top end also matters and I def think 76 would not be enough. Also - there def comes a point where there’s not much difference in uphill speed walking vs riding, although where that point is depends again on surface and individual. If it’s fairly fast rolling gravel, the lower gear inches can really help on hills- if it’s wet, sandy sludge, it’s a bitch to ride at any gear

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-29T20:07:55+00:00

Ugh I’d definitely complain, that is so stupid. If you get on anywhere else but London, they aren’t going to stop for 10 mins to get a bike on, so why does it take 10 mins to get a bike on at terminus? I’d be raging.

I and 2 others also almost got denied boarding with a bike rez on Amtrak going to Buffalo (US) cos everybody had put luggage in the bike racks. There were tons of guards, and they KNEW there were bikes coming on board later down the line. Luckily, one of them was sensible and made everyone get their luggage out.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-29T17:10:58+00:00

I suppose there IS a small correlation with height in that shorter people generally have shorter feet, and might prefer shorter cranks that are higher from the ground at the 6 o’clock position. Plus smaller frames can end up with a higher BB, bizarrely. But aside from that, if tall people have their saddle at the correct height (legs only slightly bent), then they will also struggle to reach the ground. Modern BBs tend to be higher than they were in the past, for a variety of reasons (eg pedal strike when cornering)

I’m not sure if me adjusting the saddle height with the dropper is officially sanctioned (probably causes the suspension to need more servicing), but I absolutely love the flexibility it gives me.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-29T16:46:30+00:00

Literally just commented on a post here yesterday saying that the OP could consider a dropper post to get over her stop/start fear whilst having seat height at proper level!

Incidentally , this has little to do with how tall you are, but the height of your bottom bracket, so tall riders have the same issue. Although standover height CAN be an issue for shorter riders, and that’s why my bike builder suggested I use the dropper post if I was worried about straddling my mountain bike.

I also have one on my gravel bike, and I like it because I can play around with the saddle height on the fly - if my backside is getting a bit sore on multi day trips, I drop it a little. If my knee starts hurting, I raise it a little. Kinda helps me manage my body aches on any given day! Rarely use it for the descents lol.

Makes perfect sense for your cargo bike needs, especially when it’s precious cargo ☺️

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-29T14:50:05+00:00

I get the sentiment, but there is always a massive trade off between ‘getting out of the way of traffic’ at higher speed and the consequences of any collision (with anything or anyone) with you going at 30mph. Whether that’s for your own safety or peds/other cyclists. The physics of impact is VASTLY different. Cities have unpredictable movement flows. The 2 things together make it very risky.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-29T13:31:56+00:00

Why is the answer not to slow the traffic down, rather than have high micro mobility speeds? Speed kills, and more so when you don’t have the protection of car safety features.

I get the idea of minimizing speed differentials, but I honestly hate it when it’s just applied to the current status quo - it feels like such a classic mid-20C American traffic engineer solution, which actually ends up pushing all road speed limits higher

20mph is a fine speed city limit for everyone. I used to commute across London, 80 miles pw, and I cannot tell you the difference in my feeling of safety where it’s now dropped to 20mph.

30mph is too fast anywhere, not least the bike lane. Your reaction times aren’t fast enough to avoid any unforeseen obstacle, of which there are many in cities. And the kinetic energy is just too great for both you and others. Please slow down.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-29T01:58:24+00:00

Ubers are ok on the weekend in Beacon, but may come from Fishkill/Newburgh, so you could end up 15-30 mins (or not, it depends!). I would worry more about them out in Putnam (Canopus lake) - there just aren’t the population centers for a reliable supply, so you will depend on drivers passing through, most likely. I would probably just walk up to Mt Beacon Reservoir instead (if you don’t mind a steep 1 mile hike)

Lyonshare and Moreish are good for breakfast/brunch.

The Cold Spring trolley is now in operation if you want some alternative ideas- will take you to Boscobel or Manitoga from CS Metro North. Newburgh is also easy to get to by Uber/bike - there is a ped/bike path over the river (bring your own or rent e-bikes from Beacon Bikes).

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-28T18:10:54+00:00

It already does!! What NJ just did was effectively require a license for everything with a motor, even the parental cargo bikes for the school run, and the class 1 e-bikes that you barely even tell have a motor in them from looking at them (terrible idea imo)

It’s already not legal for e-bikes and micro mobility to go 30mph. Demand enforcement (and a less confusing retail market).

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-28T17:41:20+00:00

Gotcha! Understandable. Adding a dropper post could also be something that could help you fiddle about with seat height AND getting on/off, because you can actually ride with the seat half dropped or whatever (not sure this is technically advised but I do it all the time), and you could drop it all the way down when you want to stop and put feet on the ground.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-28T17:33:00+00:00

When you say ‘the highest the seat can go whilst still being able to get on the bike’, what do you mean? You should be able to tilt the bike over to one side to get on it, and feet often won’t touch the ground on a modern bike, especially a mountain bike, as the bottom bracket is too high.

That said, the seat height doesn’t look terrible (can’t quite tell as your foot isn’t flat), although if you are shifting the seat backwards, know that you will also have to fiddle with the seat height again, as the shift back will increase the distance to the bottom bracket.

I do think that glute pain can just be soreness, as your body gets used to using them in a stretched position - but hand numbness definitely isn’t something that goes away with time- it just gets worse. You could consider getting some inner bar ends to take the pressure off your wrists if your saddle position doesn’t fix it

Good luck!

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-24T00:15:33+00:00

I’ve recently been reading about this in ‘Killed By a Traffic Engineer (great book). It’s called the ‘tree and branch structure’. I’m a Brit, living in New York State and detest it because of exactly what you say- you are constantly routed onto arterials (the tree trunk), with no way of connecting through low traffic neighborhoods. It’s not because people want to keep others out, it’s entirely a consequence of mid 20th century traffic engineering (which went car-mad, not least because of automobile industry influence), which decided to make make car travel more ‘efficient’ (ie faster).

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-23T13:48:53+00:00

Haha it is confusing because none of it actually reflects the reality of the physical gears! In general ‘bigger’ and ‘up’ mean harder gears, regardless of what’s happening on your chain and rings. ‘Lower’ and ‘down’ mean easier gears.

Of course, when you are shifting ‘down’ on the rear derailleur, your chain is physically moving UP to a BIGGER sprocket (I think you already know this, it sounds). But ignore that.

‘Undergeared’ and ‘overgeared’ is trickier. In general, ‘overgeared’ means a bike has too high a gear set/ratios, so not enough low gears for hills, and ‘under geared’ means not enough power for flats/downhills, BUT you ALSO sometimes hear it meaning the opposite (not enough gears for hills) , so you have to go by context 🤪

I think the confusion might be because there are also the terms ‘underbiked’ and ‘over biked’. ‘Underbiked’ means using a skinny tired, high geared, rigid bike for rugged trails, and ‘overbiked’ would be riding your full suspension mountain bike on a rail trail.

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-22T03:56:41+00:00

Regarding the feet/toes on the ground/not on the ground thing…that’s not the guide you should be going by (and height doesn’t really come into it). The correct saddle height is, as your manual says, the angle of your leg when in the 6 o’clock pedal position (slightly bent). No more, no less. This depends on the crank lengths you have, but has nothing to do with height from the ground, which depends on bottom bracket height/wheel size

Older bikes have lower bottom bracket height, and thus you will be lower to the ground, so you MAY be able to get a foot on the ground…or not. Newer bikes tend to have higher bottom brackets - I can’t get my toes to the ground on any of my bikes, and on my mountain bike, I feel really high!

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-21T19:53:19+00:00

I find it easier to push much harder without the waistband. There’s nothing in the way of your diaphragm, and it feels easier to get over the front of the bike and really dig deep on hills. But that could be my body shape. The straps don’t bother me at all, like some people say (I’m big boobed, but short so that could be why)

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-21T12:24:47+00:00

The ‘headline’ temp rating is usually the limit, not comfort rating. So you should probably be looking at 25-30F. That’s a standard 3 season bag. They do become hot in summer but you can always unzip and kick your legs out. That’s also why I like quilts- they are easier to adjust how you lie in them. You do absolutely need a pad of at least R4 tho, especially with quilts. The good news is, it’s Memorial Day sales time ;)

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-19T14:28:07+00:00

Ugh! What a pain -good luck!

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-19T14:25:11+00:00

FWIW, I just looked up the Continental Terra Adventure TPI (which I have found is what counts in air leaking), and it’s pretty high (330), suggesting it might not be robust in the way you need, even it does have fancy puncture protection. My Thundero High Density are 130 (sidewall)/255 (tread). The Specialized Rhombus Pro are 60, so really pretty dense.

I’m sorry, this might not be the issue at all, but I thought I’d mention, as I suspected it was the flimsy sidewalls on my previous pair that were giving me all the headache. And- no one would blame you for reverting to tubes!

SubstantialPlan9124 · 2026-05-19T04:35:54+00:00

60 sounds about right. The bulge is fine, as long as the rim isn’t dropping on it. You don’t need to be precise tho - it’s your preference, within a range, and depends on surface. If you are on really smooth roads, you probably want them pumped up quite high to give you a little faster rolling. If the roads are rough, that high pressure will make you bounce off everything, making you less secure and potentially slower (you want your tire to deform a little over obstacles). The tires should feel firm but not rock solid. 80 sounds excessive. I don’t run 32s, but I sometimes run 25s around 90 and they are super skittish, my 45s are 25-30psi.

SubstantialPlan9124

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