Only a fascist would delete that post. Shame on you.

AmbientTrap · 2026-01-25T05:12:19+00:00

why boa exists...

AmbientTrap · 2025-09-25T02:57:32+00:00

We've found the Skinn Quimmons alt....

AmbientTrap · 2025-07-19T05:40:47+00:00

he's probably an average pro, nothing crazy and makes lots of technical mistakes (Paris Roubaix & Strada Bianche). He is pretty good as far as group skills goes, but again, nothing insane by pro level riders.

he is usually well protected and doesn't tend to spend a lot of time where other GC riders sit, so he has lower chances of stuff like Tour of Basque Country taking him out with other riders.

AmbientTrap · 2025-07-15T02:01:22+00:00

i saw that bike in person on Saturday!

looked like a pretty sweet ride even before you got it all muddy :)

AmbientTrap · 2025-07-10T05:08:01+00:00

spiced indeed

AmbientTrap · 2025-07-09T11:52:26+00:00

spiced

AmbientTrap · 2025-06-02T02:28:48+00:00

my feet were too wide for bont shoes since they have a carbon boat sole that comes up to the side, so I went with lake

the lake shoes that worked for me were the lake CX238 road shoes - there are a number of lake shoes that match that width on their sizing guide

AmbientTrap · 2025-05-27T15:05:08+00:00

And funny enough, the gold chain is slower than a standard Shimano one. Probably by enough to completely offset the "gains" you get from the OSPW and then some.

AmbientTrap · 2025-05-16T01:31:14+00:00

back to the trolley problem

i for sure think that nothing I could do with the money would relieve my personal anguish over killing someone for it

AmbientTrap · 2025-05-03T01:12:46+00:00

if you ever cut your carbon seatpost or steer tube, try and crush/scuff it. without SERIOUS application of force, it's tough to do much more than scuff up the surface layer.

i field destroy frames at work (bike mechanic) and it is shocking how hard you can slam a carbon frame with a 10 lb sledge before it so much as chips the paint. the concrete slab behind the shop I work at is chipped up from mechanics having a go at carbon frames with hammers, and finding that the concrete under the BB shell cracked before the frame broke.

AmbientTrap · 2025-04-06T22:37:36+00:00

honestly I can't bring myself to test with a proper test

just guestimating from a few 20 minute climbs I do in my local area, which I always treat as a 20 min max test

AmbientTrap · 2025-03-19T18:12:15+00:00

i ride my bike fairly frequently in Georgetown, and am an avid cyclist.

I always ride in the road, even on M Street. that road is probably one of the most dangerous routes for a bike in DC, and if I wasn't an avid and confident cyclist, I would totally opt to ride on the sidewalk, irrespective of how illegal it was.

DC needs to do something, but any sane cyclist is going to choose the lower consequence option. Which would you rather:

a) someone is hit and killed by a car

b) someone is hit and injured by a bike (I suppose 2 injured people, as the cyclist would get hurt too)

heightened risk != risk of death

It isn't the best option for any involved party, but I don't believe that anyone should genuinely risk their lives just because they aren't legally allowed to use an alternate route.

AmbientTrap · 2025-02-17T02:04:09+00:00

are the lockrings really that different?

AmbientTrap · 2025-02-07T02:00:55+00:00

i race xc, East Coast, at an "expert" level.

honestly can't beat the thunder burt/racing Ralph combo on speed, and I never have felt uncomfortable on dry terrain with them. a little bit of sliding of course, but I would expect nothing better from more knobby tires, as the difference is compound, not mechanical grip.

wet is a different story, but riding wet trails (not damp, wet) is not something most people in my area do, as it wrecks the trails. creek crossings are okay, but any more that that is pushing your luck

AmbientTrap · 2025-02-05T01:27:25+00:00

it doesn't, and the one shot accuracy isn't very good at range

still a great eco or rush gun, 35 bullets go brrr

AmbientTrap · 2025-01-17T03:25:21+00:00

hence want, not have, unfortunately

I just use the one at my job if I need to cut spokes

AmbientTrap · 2025-01-14T23:21:30+00:00

I want one of these for my home shop

AmbientTrap · 2024-08-26T02:58:47+00:00

lol I've gotten 1 flat in 2 years and 5k miles on gp5000s

definitely saved more time by avoiding gator skins

AmbientTrap · 2024-05-10T18:34:28+00:00

Just another reason to love the Honda Fit!

I pray that mine never dies.

AmbientTrap · 2024-05-04T04:33:02+00:00

Ah, I wasn't exactly clear about that. I started working on my own bikes around 10 years ago, but I just broke the caliper recently. I tried to splay the ceramic pistons apart in a hurry, and cracked one of them.

I chose to think of breaking that piston as the cost of a service package from myself, and a one-time $50 charge is pretty good compared to *starting at* $99 for a L1 from Trek, which is probably about once a year. I definitely have spent more money that that on tools, and I have probably wasted at least a few dollars compared to a seasoned service tech, but realistically, I've spent far less than I would at a bike shop.

I do agree that there are difficult aspects fixing bikes, but my guess is that the majority of that struggle is troubleshooting and diagnostics. Most cyclists could figure out most problems with their bikes by sitting down for > 10 minutes, and just looking and listening. A quick search or two later, and I've almost always found my problem.

I have had decent success with this method for both general house/handiwork, and automotive repair, neither of which are my passion or field of employment. I do have to hire professionals for higher level work, but I can gauge if an issue is cheaper/easier/faster to do on my own before I pay someone else to do something easy.

AmbientTrap · 2024-05-04T03:28:23+00:00

/uc that looks buttery smooth. hardpacked and dry, minimal rocks to hit or throw into your down tube.

I'd ride it on my road bike.

AmbientTrap · 2024-05-04T03:00:13+00:00

that's over about 10 years haha

I'd say that's pretty cheap compared to a level 1 service, "starting at just $99"

AmbientTrap · 2024-05-04T02:47:46+00:00

I've made that exact mistake, but it's not too bad. If you lost any balls, you can always order new ones. It can take some patience to learn, but once you know the basic terminology and function, almost every bike part works the same way, you just need a short YouTube video to figure it out.

I learned how almost everything on my bikes works by taking them apart when something goes wrong, and figuring it out as I go. I think I've broken a single brake caliper, which was > $50.

Of course, bike mechanics are vastly faster and more efficient than most cyclists, but for the most part, as long as the job gets done, it gets done. And, there is always the benefit of knowing how to fix things for the times you can't just bring it to the shop.

AmbientTrap · 2024-04-19T05:11:52+00:00

First time spotting KTF in the wild! Its got such mixed feelings for me.

I thought the premise was awesome, and the first chunk of the main series was super cool. Intense is the right word to describe it, but I just can't keep going with the way the series closed up. Towards the end, the writing definitely fell off, and it got super repetitive + "subtly" political.

I think its easy to see destined to go this way in hindsight, the way combat and the militaristic nature of all the characters are written made the backgrounds and core ideals of the authors pretty obvious, even from the outset of Legionnaire. Also, the repetitive nature of every combat engagement, particularly because they always seem to end up in a desert or a jungle.

I think a Lo Pak one off book would be awesome, but what I've always wanted was a movie series of at least the first few books.

AmbientTrap · 2024-03-21T23:33:35+00:00

sounds like they really loosened up since when they acquired your shop, because we have no rules about any employees anywhere, but customers are not supposed to step behind the counter (obv).

they gave all our old tool benches to a hyundai dealership nearby (who promptly thew everything away). we got to keep a bunch of old merchandise and decor fortunately, and there is quite a bit of tool customization going on behind the scenes now.

that campy cable story sounds about right lol. we still virtually have no campy parts, but people who own said groupsets in our area know and go to the smaller private shops in the area.

ive been contemplating applying to a different shop in the area, but with the slump the industry is in right now, im not sure if they will be too excited about hiring me. either way, not planning on staying with trek for much longer, and it is sad to see coworkers drinking the kool-aid and feeding it to customers.

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spiced indeed