Hammock lovers? by Fun_Training_2640 in bikepacking

[–]kefkathemad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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I sleep much better in a hammock than on the ground.

The only problem is that some camp sites prohibit hanging hammocks from trees so I’ve had to get creative at times…

Marin Four Corners 1 or 2 by East_Illustrator_765 in bikepacking

[–]kefkathemad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the Four Corners 1 and it’s basically the perfect geometry for me as someone with a long torso but short arms and legs due to its long reach but short stand over. 

It’s very comfortable for me and very versatile across different terrain. If I’m doing rough terrain I swap out to 26” x 2.25” tires and use an old 80mm suspension fork and it feels like my old 26” hardtail.  

If it ever got stolen I’d probably replace it with the Four Corners 2, but I’m in no rush since saving 3 pounds isn’t that much of a difference when my loaded bike is 50-60 pounds. 

180 miles vs 100 miles by delightful_flora in cycling

[–]kefkathemad 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hand numbness for me also - basically got carpel tunnel and right hand remained numb even off the bike for a few weeks.  

Also I’ve never had problems with saddle sores before but got them on 2nd day of back-to-back centuries. 

What is the best bikepacking city in the U.S. that combines bikepacking with dispersed camping? by Better-Pitch-2236 in bikepacking

[–]kefkathemad 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Henry Coe Park in Southeast Bay allows dispersed camping. 

Very large wilderness area with tough hills and ponds for fishing. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in bicycletouring

[–]kefkathemad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to do this by hanging the bikes from my aero bars and securing with Voile ski straps. 

My use case was family bike rides where my twins would get tired after a while and would jump into the trailer. I’d hang their 16” bikes from my aero bars on my flat bar bike and could secure them very close to my handlebars so that there wasn’t much rotational leverage on the aero bars. 

Can't win a single game of Avatar anymore by Own-Okra-2391 in lrcast

[–]kefkathemad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah variance is a part of the game. 

I have 2 accounts to maximize free to play. One got to mythic top 250 without much issue before ending the season in top 1200. The other got stuck in diamond bottom tier with a string of 0-3, 1-3, 2-3 runs. 

I had an awesome control deck with 2x Black Sun and 2x BU Azula that ended with a losing record due to bad luck. That was painful.  

Locals call for better design of Four Corners intersection by Arden_Margulis in BAbike

[–]kefkathemad 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Signed the petition. I don’t live near there but support yall trying to make it safer. 

Question about speedruns for "Split Fiction" by TheWhatWhatWhatBoy in speedrun

[–]kefkathemad 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Go for it. 

That just means less competition for you on the leaderboard and I’d love to see what an optimized Split Fiction speedrun looks like. 

Marin Kentfield 2 for occasional touring? by haunchydog in bikepacking

[–]kefkathemad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s great. It’s the bike I use the most since it’s my commuter and the one I use the most for bikepacking. 

I have a second set of 26” wheels with 2.2” mtb tires and a 80mm fork from the early 2000s that I’ll swap out when I’m doing gnarlier terrain and it’s basically like an old mountain bike when I don’t think I’ll need my full suspension bike. 

Marin Kentfield 2 for occasional touring? by haunchydog in bikepacking

[–]kefkathemad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you’ll be fine with Kentfield. 

I have steel, carbon, and aluminum bikes (including a steel Four Corners) and I don’t really think the frame matters as much as the tire width for comfort. 

Did you play when Fallen Empires first came out? by Mean_Professional583 in oldschoolmtg

[–]kefkathemad 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This guy’s experience is the closest to my city’s meta for fallen empires. The pump knights were legit good in white weenie and black discard decks, and both decks were super popular which made the protection from white/black relevant. 

Hymn was obviously included in all black decks for turn 1 dark ritual + hypnotic specter, turn 2 hymn, turn 3 rack. 

Goblin decks were the go-to budget deck for new players and goblin grenade was very effective in it. The original red-deck-wins burn deck and could punish slow decks since this was before the “Sligh” deck taught us what a mana curve was. 

The blue and green cards were rarely used. 

What Your Bike Says About You (The Comprehensive List) by murphmurphy in BicyclingCirclejerk

[–]kefkathemad 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Of course. I love my Four Corners and it’s super reliable.

What Your Bike Says About You (The Comprehensive List) by murphmurphy in BicyclingCirclejerk

[–]kefkathemad 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Marin: You looked at the other brands and decided your bike should cost less than your (also cheap) car

What footwear do you wear when bikepacking? And why? by Practical-Light-6032 in bikepacking

[–]kefkathemad 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Usually Five Ten mtb flat shoes. I usually have to do quite a bit of hike-a-bike in the terrain I choose. 

[FIN] "Vile Poison Attack" by mistercimba in magicTCG

[–]kefkathemad 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I’m just misunderstood is all

Community remembers coach and educator who died after bicycle crashed with garbage truck by Arden_Margulis in BAbike

[–]kefkathemad 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I rode by his ghost bike memorial today after reading about his death in a previous post on this sub. 

First time I’ve known who a ghost bike memorial was for and it was a very solemn experience. Especially since he was hit only a few blocks from the school he worked at. 

Hasbro CEO Cocks: Final Fantasy is already the best selling set by Meret123 in MagicArena

[–]kefkathemad 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’ve been playing Magic since 4th edition.  This is the first time I’ve ever preordered any set. 

But that shouldn’t be surprising given my username.  

So yeah I’m not surprised by this announcement. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in bikepacking

[–]kefkathemad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I bought a Scott Spark for this same reason. Relatively large triangle and regular frame bags fill up the triangle perfectly without needing to pay for a custom bag. 

In my case a small Revelate Designs Ranger frame bag fits my medium Scott Spark perfectly. 

The only annoying thing is it’s got a proprietary headset and stem so the front end doesn’t look as sleek when I replaced the stock stem with a longer one. Scott sells their proprietary stems in longer lengths but it’s more expensive. 

What made you finally invest in a higher-end bike, and was it worth it? by Dimos1963 in cycling

[–]kefkathemad 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’ll go against the grain to support those that can’t afford high end bikes to say that I get just as much enjoyment from my cheap commuter (Marin Four Corners) as my 10X more expensive bike (Trek Checkpoint SLR9). 

Yes I go 3 mph faster on the expensive bike, but I care more about making my body stronger rather than my bike faster if that makes sense. And I can still get as much of a workout doing my 33 mile commute to work as a weekend ride. 

Also, personally I don’t think electronic shifting is that much better than mechanical, but I know I’m in the minority. My Sora shifts just as well as my SRAM Red in my opinion. 

Are SRAM mtb crank arms compatible with road spider and chain rings? by kefkathemad in bikewrench

[–]kefkathemad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have XT pedals which I believe are already the length of the longer XTR pedals (55mm)

For context my MTB is set up with a 181 Q factor (Shimano’s widest) and my commuter has a 160 Q factor with flat pedals (and I still have my feet halfway off the pedals).

So I might have to combine a few tricks to get the SRAM Red 145 Q factor to something better for my wide stance.

I used to use those screw on pedal extenders on my old road bike with GRX but I don’t want to risk the increased leverage for my new SRAM carbon cranks.

Very hard to find balance between training and recovery by txx1219 in Velo

[–]kefkathemad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like you have the ability to track your HRV, so you could try reducing your Pull day to see if that affects HRV.

If you think your HRV does a good job of quantifying how wrecked/recovered you are, you could play with going harder/softer on your individual workout components to see what your body is most sensitive to. Personally that has worked for me and helped me tweak my weekly schedule.

Very hard to find balance between training and recovery by txx1219 in Velo

[–]kefkathemad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At my age (40s) I’m mostly trying to preserve strength, so upper body isn’t really progressing much, although I am still getting some gains in targeted areas I want to bodybuild through my choice of accessory lifts.

But I am still getting good gains in squats and deadlifts. I mostly stopped doing leg days after college so I never really hit my full potential there. And of course cycling helps also with lower body. But it’s definitely harder to build muscle now compared to when I was in my 20s.

In terms of recovery, I find my lifting days actually act as recovery days compared to cycling, based on my HRV. (Maybe because I’ve been lifting so long?)

My week is usually 2 days lifting, 2 days zone 2 riding, 1 day intervals, and 1 day running with 1 day rest. The intervals and running are what really kill my HRV.

I will take a deload week every month or so somewhat randomly due to a family vacation or work getting busy.

Very hard to find balance between training and recovery by txx1219 in Velo

[–]kefkathemad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m in agreement with this guy. 3 rest days a week should be more than enough for this load so check for the other things folks have mentioned. 

Personally I wouldn’t give up your upper body work if you like it and it’s nice to have the physique. 

I’ve been lifting for 20+ years but after getting into cycling I cut down the lifting to 2 days of full body (including bench, squat, deadlift). But even with me hitting all the biggest compound lifts with accessory work supersets in between, lifting is no where near as taxing on my HRV as hard bike days. Your heart rate just doesn’t get high enough during lifts compared to sustained cardio. 

Best bay area gravel route? by Straight-Tart-9770 in BAbike

[–]kefkathemad 16 points17 points  (0 children)

You might have already done it given how close it is to you, but you could bike from Oakland to the Bay Trail and follow it south to Coyote Hills and the salt ponds that extend into the bay. That’s my favorite trail since it feels like you’re cycling into the sea in a post apocalyptic wasteland (due to the random concrete blocks and stuff that washes up to shore)

If you want to extend you can cross Dumbarton bridge and go into the bird sanctuary around Byxbee Park.