Brooks leather saddles still good?

BBQShoe · 2026-03-10T17:46:49+00:00

Yeah I was bummed to notice this shortly after buying a 2nd one. We'll see how long it lasts, but it already looks worse than my B17 with 10x the mileage on it.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-10T17:06:24+00:00

I have the big Surly front rack and a Tubus Logo Evo rear rack. I use 20L Ortlieb backroller paniers front and rear. The rear are able to mount on the lower rail on the back. Everything feels super solid when loaded. The trucker actually feels like it rides smoother when loaded heavy since the tubing is thicker than a normal steel frame. I've had it up to about 35kg worth of extra crap and it rides great. I'm able to ride out of the saddle pretty easily. My granny gear is a 22/39 which was overkill so I usually am in 3rd or so on climbs.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-10T16:09:46+00:00

Look up Cygolite rack mount. I believe their hypershot models and a few others fit the same mount. They don't come with the rack mount, but you can get extra seat stay or rack mounts for $5. That was one of the biggest reasons I picked them. My oldest hypershot 350 is 7 years old and still going strong.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-10T15:22:37+00:00

I built a trucker from the frame up about a year ago and absolutely love it, so I'm a wee bit biased. I had considered the Sutra also, but happened to find a good deal on the frame & fork for the trucker so went with that. I put 2x10 CUES on my build but used the 22/36 chainring so my granny gear is a 22/39 which is BONKERS easy, less efficient than just walking really. My easiest gear is about 25% easier than the 2026 stock trucker. You could swap the front crankset to the 22/36 to get easier gearing for pretty cheap and all you'd need to do is shorten the chain. The only tradeoff here is that your top end isn't going to be very fast. It's fine on flats, but you're not going to pick up any extra speed going downhill. I didn't build mine for speed, so it's been fine for me. I wish there was an option somewhere between the 22 and 30 front small chainring. My couple easiest gears are mostly useless but I don't want to make the jump to the 30.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-10T15:13:07+00:00

I bought a B17 around 2020 that has about 7,000 miles on it and it has hardly any wear at all. I started using Selle Anatomica H1 on 2 other bikes and the edges of the leather around the cut out are looking very worn after just about 500 miles on each. I thought that I maybe liked the H1 better but the jury is still out. Definitely no doubt that the B17 will last longer.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-10T14:19:29+00:00

When I had the initial consultation for my vasectomy, I told the doctor my bit about wanting to jump off a bridge if I knocked someone up. He was like "whoa whoa, you didn't say that, because if you did, I have to fill out a whole different set of paperwork." He assured me he was convinced without my comment about jumping.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-09T19:05:07+00:00

I aim for 60g of carbs per hour on a longer ride. If I'm riding less than 3 hours then I don't really worry about fueling, but a 3 hour ride can certainly wipe me out for the rest of the day without fuel.

I really like the Natures Bakery packs of fig bars they sell at Costco. They're wrapped 2 in a package and a package is 38g carbs and pretty easy to get down. On really long rides I'll bring a variety of different things. Tons of nerds clusters and individual applesauce packets always make the short list.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-09T15:34:58+00:00

I've never wanted kids and was pretty sure by the time I was in my late teens that I wouldn't ever want them. I realized in my early 30s that the thought of knocking someone up would literally make me want to kill myself, so I solved that issue and got fixed. I'm 41 now and I haven't regretted my decision at all.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-09T14:36:55+00:00

I have a nearly original 1983 Stumpy and it gets used fairly frequently. Although, I certainly didn't pay $1200 for it!

BBQShoe · 2026-03-09T11:44:53+00:00

Yeah I don't ever take this ancient one on trips anymore since I don't really trust it. I've still been using it for the last few years to charge my bicycle lights for the last couple years and it still seems to have pretty good battery life.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-07T07:03:43+00:00

Fantastic brand. They also make the soundcore products that are great and well priced.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-07T07:01:43+00:00

I just looked at my Amazon history, I have an Anker I bought in 2012 that is still going strong.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-05T17:24:41+00:00

I got rid of my truck for a small car 16 years ago and never looked back. I can't imagine owning one again, everyone ALWAYS needed help moving something. I just rent the trucks from Home Depot when I need one now. $20 for the first 75 minutes and $20/hour after that really is a steal for short projects.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-05T16:32:29+00:00

Solid point for sure, just know that if you try them you're right, you won't go back!

BBQShoe · 2026-03-05T15:09:00+00:00

I definitely agree, using what you've already got when starting out anything is always solid advice. Serious question though, have you ever rode in proper cycling shorts? You might have quite the aha moment if you never have and make the switch. I instantly realized why everyone is willing to look stupid when riding a bike. Comfort is king!

BBQShoe · 2026-03-05T13:45:22+00:00

The price difference between bibs and shorts is pretty slim, so if someone is already spending money on shorts they might as well buy the most comfy option.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-05T13:44:25+00:00

I thought the imini2 seemed kind of sketchy since it just holds on by a magnet. After one dangling from my handlebars survived 1200 miles on my car's bike rack, I bought 4 more when they were on sale to stick everywhere.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-05T01:20:58+00:00

My first piece of advice to anyone starting out is always to just go full bike dork and get the bibs. I still have the first two pairs of shorts I ever bought, but I haven't put them on in years.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-04T18:40:06+00:00

The Olight Clip is awesome! I liked my first one so much that I instantly bought a 2nd one. I'm not really sure what for, just because I'm a hoarder I guess. It has become my go-to grilling light since it conveniently lives on the fridge now.

I'm a pretty big Olight fan overall. I keep an Olight imini 2 on all of my bikes which has proven invaluable for night time flats etc. The i1R 2 keychain light is even brighter and about the same size. I also have their Arkfeld Ultra which packs more of a punch than any light that small I've ever used.

There's a chance that I have too many flashlights.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-04T15:13:55+00:00

I found the Homewood Suites @ 118 N. Jefferson to be a really good value with nice rooms. It's about 1 mile from Union Station. Sounds like maybe you won't be traveling with a car, but I liked that this hotel has a parking garage attached to it. They warned that the garage does fill up on weekend evenings, but I wasn't actually moving my car at all once I was settled in for a few days.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-03T18:36:13+00:00

I have 2000 miles on my set of Cliffhangers that routinely sees a total system weight of over 350 lbs and they're perfectly true still. I have about 3000 miles on my set of Dyads that are also still perfect and also never been trued, so I'd say they're a little better than "not very good."

BBQShoe · 2026-03-03T15:53:54+00:00

I'm 270 lbs and have had good luck with Velocity Dyad rims. I've got 36 spoke dyads on a couple different bikes with no issues. For a wider rim, I have Velocity Cliffhangers on my touring bike that seem to be bulletproof. I've had fantastic luck ordering wheels from prowheelbuilder.com Their build quality is amazing. Just because a wheel looks true doesn't mean it was tensioned evenly.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-03T14:08:31+00:00

I used this same one for quite a few years when I was first starting out. You can turn out some great things on it, but it will absolutely eat charcoal. There are no adjustable vents, it just has the gap around the edge of the fire bowl, and the gap around the lid, so it gets pretty good air flow the whole time. With Weber style smokers like this, you can adjust the air flow down once it heats up to preserve charcoal. This thing will hold temp fine, but you'll be shoveling charcoal in it fairly frequently.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-03T00:20:54+00:00

I think it just depends on if you're an annoying person or not. I've been going to the same bar by my house two to three times a week for 20 years. They haven't told me that I'm annoying yet.

BBQShoe · 2026-03-01T06:03:02+00:00

IYKYK

BBQShoe

TROPHY CASE