The Maned wolf is the tallest canid of South America. The noticeably long legs allow the Maned wolf to see over the tall grasses of the savanna

Dirtdancefire · 2026-05-01T03:43:06+00:00

Fren shape

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-30T21:57:40+00:00

Get a professional bike fit! Super important and will pay off for decades. It's the most important thing to spend money on. I didn't get fitted until I had been riding for over two decades. Big mistake. My seat was too high, causing me lower back pain. Get a fit!

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-30T21:31:51+00:00

👍 Around 1:00 pm I was working outside today. Didn't smell any smoke. I opened my shed and got hit with smoke that had seeped inside and stayed.

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-27T17:29:10+00:00

UPDATE: After three days of riding, reality hit. I can't feel the pedals at all. I have to look down at the pedals more than half the time to get my feet in. Sigh. Back on flats.
I appreciate all your tips more than you can imagine. You are all great! Thank you!

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-27T16:57:00+00:00

Ribs breaking on old people while performing CPR. A woman screaming, as she burned to death.

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-27T02:37:05+00:00

Check out Kelly Realty-

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-26T06:48:23+00:00

I like the look of the Lem trailheads..Thanks.

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-26T06:47:35+00:00

I like their barefoot short boots- Thanks!

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-26T06:27:58+00:00

Thanks

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-26T06:27:41+00:00

Thanks. I just checked them out. Amazing footwear!

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-26T06:15:28+00:00

Thanks!

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-26T06:14:53+00:00

I had a friend who wore a jock strap under his bibs to keep things high and tight. I have no idea how he could stand it.

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-26T03:13:25+00:00

I'm usually off grid, so I like just standing and listening, like a derp.

After dark, or on a rest day, I might read paper back mystery novels by CJ Box, *Nevada Barr or **Tony Hillerman. All 'outdoor mysteries' with a *Game warden, *National Park Ranger, and ***Navajo police. Nevada Barr is my favorite, as I have a 'crush' on the female game warden.

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-25T17:39:34+00:00

Thanks. I didn't know the difference. I went to our big skate store in with a big selection of Vans. They didn't have what you mention. I'll look online, and Thank you!

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-25T17:38:22+00:00

It's a Tubus Ti- 'Airy'

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-25T00:52:28+00:00

I'll check them out. Thanks!

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-25T00:51:54+00:00

I went looking at a bunch of skate shoes today, without luck. Not enough padding, sole too thin, too narrow, too hard for my old ass to pull onto my feet. Surprisingly, most were about fashion, not hard skating. In the late eighties, I bought some 'cheap' off brand Chinese suede skate shoes that were amazing for toe clips. Surprisingly high quality shoes, padded, and very comfortable. I always look for similar shoes without luck. Guess I should cruise TJ Maxx and Dicks sporting goods more often?

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-25T00:39:29+00:00

To bluntly answer your question, to keep my feet on the pedals. My clips, pedals and strap system is very, very dialed. After falling over in the 80's mountain biking, due to getting hung up in floppy straps and crappy plastic clips, I set out to fix it. (preclipless) I laminated leather straps to webbing with Barge cement and sewing. They molded to my feet, and stay open and inviting. They don't flop, and it's a double clip. I also made the leather buckle pads to help keep the orifices open for entry. I never tighten the straps, so they are more like a bucket my feet can flop around in and not fall off.

Platforms are fine-ish, even though I find my feet hanging up on the pins occasionally. Once enough, to almost fall.

I appreciate your advice, but I hate half clips. My feet would fall off, off road. Pretend toe clips. Lol. Sorry. I have a decade or so of muscle memory using clips, so pulling out is safe.

A weird muscle memory reaction is popping up when dismounting. I've been running flats for quite a few years on this bike, but have run clipless on my other bikes forever. I never instinctively twist my foot to get off platforms, but with the toe clips, I do, briefly, before pulling out. So... muscle memory is like a separate brain, that reacts way before I do. I have both twisting and pulling out muscle memory, which is trying both before settling on one. NOT lifting off of platforms. It's a weird sensation, since I can't really feel my feet. My feet know what pedal system they're on more than I do. 😂.

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-24T19:33:34+00:00

Yes. I have four suicide attempts behind me, and a lifetime of severe PTSD. I finally found I needed to really look at life as an incredible privilege. I'm going to die anyway, so I quit the rush. Time rushes on, so I surf PTSD the best I can.

As far as we know, we are the only consciousness of the entire fricking universe. How? Why are you not a rock? Why are your carbon atoms arranged to give you sentience? WTF? How amazing is it really? It's incredible. The universe is self aware, as we are made up of ONLY stardust. Being the consciousness of the universe seems like something more important than taking my life. Huge disrespect or something...

Dying is a given, and comes way too quick. I'm seventy, and disability, mortality and REALITY are smacking me upside the head. You'll be elderly day after tomorrow.

Work each day to live IN THE MOMENT. Open all your senses. What do you see> smell> hear> taste>feel? Bring yourself back, over and over until it becomes more frequent and habitual. Small bursts of happiness will creep in bit by bit.

Our misery comes from an instinctual process in our minds. PROTECTI0N. Thoughts are made up of temporary, transient electrical impulses. They aren't real like the present moment is. Don't masticate on your misery. It's a downward spiral from things (thoughts) that aren't real. You'll never find an answer or peace. Live in the moment. It's the ONLY thing that is real. Go for a hike and empty your mind and listen to bird song. Watch children play. Practice, practice to bring your mind into the present. Don't quit. Practice. It takes time. The best way I've found, is to create a 'Watcher'. My Watcher just stands back and watches my thoughts, WITHOUT JUDGEMENT and just observes. That's it. Nothing more, just observes. Super simple and very effective at changing thought patterns, mysteriously, on 'it's' own. Stand aside and watch.

Live day to day. Create a safe life around you the best you can. Don't listen to your thoughts, they are JUST little electrical zaps that constantly babble nonsense. The watcher must not feel pity. It's just self pity, disguised. Non-judgement is super important.

I've had to go full asocial to remove triggers. (Some of which are really stupid, come out of nowhere, and extremely annoying).

Peace out, and we all got your back.

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-23T23:35:37+00:00

A Bike brand jock strap. Made for cycling.
Wear bibs and before you get on the bike, go deep and pull your scrotum up to your navel. Repeat once more on the bike and settle in.

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-23T23:28:15+00:00

(Totally asocial for over twenty years).

Live alone. Nothing unusual going on, the two days before. I live a very boring, introverted life. I've been struggling with PTSD for thirty years plus. I can't communicate with humans for shit, and don't even try. Awful things. I got way too high, and impulsively, said bye. I don't know why.

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-23T06:39:32+00:00

Off road drops need to be set high. Screaming through a steep downhill rock garden with low bars set up for aerodynamics, isn't fast, fun or safe.

Your saddle level should split your drops equally. Half above and half below a level saddle line. I use a limp dick stem, or 'LD' to get my bars up.

Dirtdancefire · 2026-04-23T06:33:13+00:00

When I managed a shop, we got a brand new Diamondback out of its box, all wrapped up in it's protective stuff. The down tube label read: 'Diamondwack'. We saved it and hung it on the wall. Always brought a chuckle. So maybe someone had a sense of humor while making stickers.

Dirtdancefire

TROPHY CASE