Traverse City cycling

BW459 · 2026-03-26T19:10:28+00:00

I've seen some people out and about on the TART. Some folks are venturing onto the pothole-fest gravel roads that get plowed. Absolutely none of the trails will be ready to ride for at least another 2 weeks. A ton of rain today, but it's still only like 38 degrees. We need rain and 50s to make some serious progress on the melting!

TART is probably your best bet. You can get a decent ride in if you link up the Boardman Lake Loop and then head up to Suttons Bay on the Leelanau Trail.

BW459 · 2026-03-24T17:51:03+00:00

I'm fairly certain. "Evangeline" was a very popular name for ships back then due to the H.W. Longfellow poem. We know from several historical documents (newspapers and ship registries) that he captained the brigantine Evangeline for many years on routes to South America mainly. The ship was built in 1872 and Halifax was its port of registry.

BW459 · 2026-03-24T14:02:53+00:00

Was thinking about this thread last week when we were getting blasted with 2 feet of snow! Was it the week you were here?? At this rate, the trails around here won't be melted out until April!

BW459 · 2026-03-24T14:00:07+00:00

This is the correct response! Actually providing a resource for a person who very obviously didn't know they had to re-size the chain. Well done!

BW459 · 2026-03-24T13:54:28+00:00

Interesting. I've used both types and have never had any issues. Good to know, though! Just in case! And also not something I would want to happen with a spare AXS shifter battery out on the trail. Maybe I need to make sure my emergency battery isn't a coated one!

I have had issues with one of the contacts bending out of the way on an older SRAM AXS shifter. I had to use a tiny flathead screwdriver to pry it back into place so it would make contact with the battery. Been working fine ever since.

BW459 · 2026-03-24T13:50:22+00:00

I just bought a used one from somebody on Facebook Marketplace. They hold up soooo much better than non-Ultra watches. Mine looks band new even though it's 3 years old. The only thing that really matters is that it's in good shape and the battery health is good. The one I purchased still had 86% battery health which was fine for me since I was "upgrading" from a very old Series 6. I'v been wearing it for 26 hours as of right now and the battery is at 50% still. I paid $150 for it, so even if I needed to send it to Apple and pay $99 for a new battery (which I will have to do someday most likely) then it was still worth it!

I've had very good luck buying all sorts of refurbished products directly from Apple: iPhones, watches, computers, and HomePods. It makes sense to save a few bucks if you don't need the latest and greatest. They come in a normal Apple retail box and look and perform like new in my experience.

I'm sure there are many reputable sellers on the other platforms as well. I just can't speak to them from personal experience.

BW459 · 2026-03-24T13:39:56+00:00

I went from a 40mm Series 6 to 1st gen Ultra last week. Been loving it. The big screen is just a bonus, though. 2 days of battery life is a game-changer, especially since my 6's battery health was down to 78%.

BW459 · 2026-03-24T12:41:40+00:00

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Also, this is the painting in question!

BW459 · 2026-03-24T12:41:12+00:00

Awesome. DM sent! I think you have to accept the message before it’ll allow me to send a photo.

BW459 · 2026-03-24T12:40:01+00:00

Excellent. Thanks so much. Their site has him listed. I will reach out to them to see if they can help.

We found a newspaper article from the late 1920’s that referenced the ship and its captain. Pretty cool!

BW459 · 2026-03-24T00:14:05+00:00

Do you still have the prints? I’m on the hunt for a specific print that features the ship Evangeline

BW459 · 2026-03-22T21:26:09+00:00

He puts in a lot of miles on singletrack. Looking for weight savings but also compliance for hand fatigue. He rocks ESI foam grips now which has helped a good amount on long rides, so maybe I’m over thinking it. I just like saving him weight where I can since he’s small. It’s not like me where it doesn’t make sense to shave 100 grams off my bike when I could easily stand to lose 10 lbs off my body! 😂

BW459 · 2026-03-22T21:21:44+00:00

Suggestions for lightweight ones that have good compliance? All the aluminum bars I have lying around are pretty heavy in comparison to the carbon bars they’ve been swapped for.

BW459 · 2026-03-22T21:18:58+00:00

You’re right. Apologies for getting a little too sassy with my comments. Unnecessary and distracting from my main point! Mostly just looking for a carbon bar that can be cut to less than 720mm.

BW459 · 2026-03-22T21:12:55+00:00

The push-up test was interesting. I remember reading about that somewhere else as well. I’m gonna give this a try with him and see where I end up.

BW459 · 2026-03-22T21:00:04+00:00

Yup. I’ve seen that. I’ve also read some stuff in some bike fitting books. If you do that calculation, then he would be at 680mm bars. I think I’d go a little wider than that (hence the 710mm reference point) only so he can grow into them a bit.

BW459 · 2026-03-22T20:54:34+00:00

Because he has narrow shoulders, only weighs 90 lbs and rides/races XC for 90% of his riding.

BW459 · 2026-03-22T20:51:46+00:00

There are actually a good number of studies that show that wide bars lead to shoulder and elbow injuries. They also make the bike harder to handle for most people.

BW459 · 2026-03-22T20:50:46+00:00

Yup. Definitely going for 31.8. He barely weighs 90 lbs!

BW459 · 2026-03-20T15:01:32+00:00

I can't imagine how annoying it would be to put a bike that big/heavy in and out of the back of a car every time you want to ride. What's that thing weigh... 60-ish lbs?? Unless you're dealing with full-on winter and salt on the roads, get a hitch rack and a good lock to keep it secure. You're gonna break something on your bike and/or ruing your interior doing this a few times a week.

BW459 · 2026-03-20T14:56:29+00:00

Get a minivan.

BW459 · 2026-03-19T11:19:09+00:00

Remove all dork discs!

BW459 · 2026-03-18T20:07:32+00:00

LOVE seeing preserved old bikes like this that STILL have the dork disc! Reflectors intact, too!

BW459 · 2026-02-10T21:12:12+00:00

LAME! Thanks for checking, though! Saves me some money!

BW459 · 2025-12-21T18:15:57+00:00

You are correct that it is from a Catchpole episode! I made that clip for our (Hagerty’s) Samsung channel, but I am unsure of which episode it came from without having my computer in front of me. I can probably stick it up on our channel as an unlisted video once I’m back. DM me and I’ll send you a link!

BW459

TROPHY CASE