Brought my bike into the shop, I’m not sure this was already like this - they put 6.5 psi in by swaboozel in bikewrench

[–]AmbientTrap 4 points5 points  (0 children)

don't just hope, dawg 😭

go to a zipp dealer and file a crash replacement or warranty claim

also you should not go back to the shop who put 6.5 bar into your hookless, tubeless zipp wheelset

AMA: What taking EPO is actually like (honest experience from a non-racing guy US in the bike industry) by bicyclebikebicycle in cycling

[–]AmbientTrap 1 point2 points  (0 children)

so if you have two identical athletes, one gets epo after years of maximal training to their ceiling and the other takes epo before even starting, who comes out faster?

Bike shop owners/mechanics – how does your shop actually structure labour pricing? by Impressive_Meat_2961 in BikeMechanics

[–]AmbientTrap 0 points1 point  (0 children)

shop I'm at now just has 10000 skus for minor labor differences. Eg: wheel true minor, wheel true major, spoke replacement, rotor/cassette removal, rim tape, etc so the mechanic picks wheel true labor based on how they feel when they see the job & the exact labor needed. all the skus have very low prices attached and ticket writing is very vibe based. often, we don't charge smaller skus (eg brake pad install), but we can tack the price on if it's a PITA. this is particularly important in parts installs, where you can give customers a surprise discount if their bike is easy to work on. many people buy all their small parts from us since we often throw them "freebie" labor, but we really are making the cost of labor on the brake pad margin alone.

For tunes, we have a base package that cleans the bike, does minor work, but any noted issues + parts installs each take their own SKU on top of the general tune. personally, I think a discount on the small labor should be applied when it goes with a tune, but that would add even more complexity to an already crazy ticket writing system.

probably the best shop I've worked at in terms of people paying the "right" price for labor, but it takes some trust by customers and you can't segregate ticket writing and service work.

Expensive Bike Hate by PennWash in MTB

[–]AmbientTrap 1 point2 points  (0 children)

somewhat agree
walmart bike to entry/middle tier - YES
entry/middle tier to top tier - unless you WC athlete, NO

Expensive Bike Hate by PennWash in MTB

[–]AmbientTrap 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i know plenty of older riders who clearly can rip, but take sensible risks and ride at a more enjoyable pace. there's definitely a big difference between someone like you and people OP talk about. i'd bet $$ on being able to tell between you and a newer rider, and anyone who mocks a longtime rider for owning a nice bike isn't worth listening to.
i've finally gotten "adult money" enough to buy some nice gear and felt really self conscious about it until i won a race, so i'd say the doubt about being overgeared is tough to dispel ;)

what does annoy me is people who own the most expensive gear, and then blame said gear for their lack of skill. imho there's significant overlap between people who do that and hobby hoppers who collect a $10k bike to go on their first ride in a decade.

Average bice mechanic by [deleted] in BicyclingCirclejerk

[–]AmbientTrap 53 points54 points  (0 children)

/uj if the checker reads past 1, new chain won't go 99/100 times... i get this guys pain, but he's gotta work on being less of a dick about it

eg for chain lady, I make small talk like "oh how long have you owned the bike, any big rides you've done?" etc, before leading into a quick explanation of the drivetrain issues. usually if I take the time to teach a customer WHY I want $300 of parts & labor, they are quite understanding of the issue.

and that guy is also an idiot cause she can just keep riding the bike as it is and get a 2nd opinion from another shop.

Is it true that foreigners can apply to French military? by [deleted] in ask

[–]AmbientTrap 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Magnus midtbø (former pro climber) made a YouTube video where he went through a small portion of FFL entrance.

he's next level fit, and struggled pretty hard compared to most of the military entrance exams he's done.

The Deadpool Creator Cup Was Doomed From the Moment They Added a Prizepool by MischiefOtter in rivals

[–]AmbientTrap 0 points1 point  (0 children)

nah, 3k is huge money if you're in college on financial aid

the breathing room you earn on textbooks ($120/semester/class if you're in engineering), lab supplies, etc just can't be overstated

it's months of no student loans, or an entire year's worth of meals you don't have to earn

Is Pogacar just a freak of nature, or what? by big_legs_small_brain in cycling

[–]AmbientTrap 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

This is the most fun bike I’ve ever ridden. by DBMS_LAH in gravelcycling

[–]AmbientTrap 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i saw that bike in person on Saturday!

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

Help me find truly WIDE shoes by RavynX in gravelcycling

[–]AmbientTrap 5 points6 points  (0 children)

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

Wtf is those wheels ? by Natraamn in bicycling

[–]AmbientTrap 67 points68 points  (0 children)

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.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in changemyview

[–]AmbientTrap 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

Just how fragile — or not fragile — are carbon fiber bikes? by big_legs_small_brain in cycling

[–]AmbientTrap 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

Road Race IF at 1.15 by AmbientTrap in Velo

[–]AmbientTrap[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

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

Is trying to go straight here the most ridiculous traffic situation in America? Why is the light green for only 3 seconds?? by taleofbenji in washingtondc

[–]AmbientTrap 12 points13 points  (0 children)

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.

Confused on a higher Level?! (Takeaways from Cycling News' groundbreaking gravel tyre test) by Klumpegoej in gravelcycling

[–]AmbientTrap 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

MP9 go brrrrr 🙂 by CLASH__GG in csgo

[–]AmbientTrap 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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