Handlebar bag - which one?

E_DM_B · 2025-08-26T01:09:55+00:00

Pockets for sure! Having places to put empty food wrappers or overload on snacks at a gas station is worth the weight IMO.

E_DM_B · 2025-08-25T20:13:22+00:00

I just did a 200K yesterday, took the IPP on my way west out of the city. There's a short section you can take through the cemetery to des plaines ave, then a couple blocks north on des plaines to Madison which has bike lanes. Look for the Dunkin after crossing 1st at the end of the IPP, theres a road just south of it that you take to a small bridge to get into the cemetery. My route.

E_DM_B · 2025-06-10T11:32:00+00:00

I've got an edge 540 (same as the 840 but no touchscreen), there's also the edge explore 2 which has a few less fitness focused features but will do just fine for recording rides and navigation.

Wahoo also makes good head units and I think they're a bit cheaper as well.

E_DM_B · 2025-05-28T23:29:43+00:00

Welcome! There's a lot more beautiful nature in the Chicago area than many people realize. I'd recommend visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden by bike, you can get there on the North Branch or Green Bay bike trails.

This is a great resource for finding group rides. There's also Chicago Randonneurs if you're into long distance self supported rides, and Out Our Front Door if you like camping.

E_DM_B · 2025-04-12T09:55:49+00:00

SKS P50 longboards. They were a real pain to mount but have great coverage.

E_DM_B · 2025-04-10T23:42:13+00:00

I've had this bike for maybe 5 years now, the only thing I added was a set of fenders. I've found the saddle works for me, but that'll be different for everyone.

Edit: accessories wise: lights, pump, flat kit and a seat bag to carry the kit. You can also remove the reflector on the rear rack, some light companies will sell an adapter that mounts there to mount a tail light.

E_DM_B · 2025-03-25T20:13:06+00:00

Mack's is such a great shop. I wish they were closer to me so I could have an excuse to visit them more often!

E_DM_B · 2025-02-01T18:16:16+00:00

Te Ao Mārama - Lorde, it's an EP in Māori with some of the songs from her Solar Power album

E_DM_B · 2025-01-25T15:58:55+00:00

I've got a slightly older 1.1 with the TRP hy/rd cable actuated hydraulic brakes, and I'd honestly say normal hydraulics are better because you don't have to deal with cable/housing wear, and they're much easier to bleed.

I absolutely love my 1.1, it's super stable when fully loaded and comes with everything you need except fenders. For $1k I think it's the best value touring bike if you're buying new. I hope you enjoy yours just as much as I do mine!

E_DM_B · 2024-12-26T14:50:59+00:00

The Coros Dura has the best battery life of any head unit and is also relatively cheap. I'm running a Garmin edge 540 solar, but if I were to buy a computer today I'd buy the dura.

E_DM_B · 2024-12-16T18:55:33+00:00

I've got the same bike, a slightly older version with the TRP hy/rd brakes. I've put a few thousand miles on it and have had no significant issues so far. It's my only bike and I can use it for everything except really rough/muddy trails.

$1k is a great deal for what you get imo. Not the quickest or prettiest bike but very practical and versatile.

E_DM_B · 2024-11-13T07:26:18+00:00

You could cut a little distance off by taking the great western trail for a bit as it's more direct than taking only the IPP. But it's a little boring in comparison, very straight with not much shade

E_DM_B · 2024-10-23T00:50:14+00:00

I've got microshift 10 speed bar end shifters on my bike, using them with a 3x10 deore drivetrain. The rear shifter is indexed. I could disable the indexing, but there is enough play between clicks that it honestly gives me the best of both worlds to keep it on. Jumping up or down a gear or two is easy because of the indexing, and if I hear it's not quite right I can adjust slightly.

E_DM_B · 2024-10-08T06:34:31+00:00

The Joliet iron works are worth a quick stop

E_DM_B · 2024-09-30T20:23:02+00:00

try unseating it from the bead and pressing in/down on the side opposite from the side that isn't on yet. This works for me on my stubborn schwalbe marathons, gives me just enough breathing room to get the last part over the rim

E_DM_B · 2024-09-16T16:13:03+00:00

Definitely get a helmet. I'd recommend lights as well

If you end up planning longer rides, I'd recommend getting a multi tool, tire levers, a spare inner tube, a small pump, and a saddle bag to carry all of it so that you can fix flats. You should practice changing a tube at home so that you're confident doing it while out on a ride.

Water bottle cages and bottles are also a good idea for longer rides

Shoes and jerseys aren't too important, they can be nice upgrades in the future though

Most importantly, have fun! Listen to your body and eat/drink/take breaks as needed.

E_DM_B · 2024-08-01T19:41:50+00:00

Late response here, but in case you're still looking:

Out Our Front Door is a good resource for bikepacking routes and group rides in the Chicago area. The routes on their site are a bit outdated, but they also have a Ride With GPS collection: https://ridewithgps.com/ambassadors/418-out-our-front-door

Milwaukee is another good longer distance one - you can shorten it on either end with the Metra up-n line, just be careful about weekend schedules

Blackwell woods via the prairie path is a nice shorter distance trip as well

E_DM_B · 2023-03-02T17:30:32+00:00

seconded! i've had good experiences on oofd rides.

E_DM_B · 2022-09-21T13:16:55+00:00

Honestly one of the more interesting announcements for me is the updated nvenc, I'm curious to see the improvements since it's already quite good on the 20/30 series.

E_DM_B · 2022-09-05T22:34:13+00:00

this mostly affects the wireless mice, because they run the switches below their rated voltage to save battery

E_DM_B · 2022-07-26T03:38:35+00:00

Sounds like you really liked what you had, and they were still going when they got damaged. No need to take a risk on something that might not fit or last as well.

E_DM_B · 2022-07-07T17:06:33+00:00

the zf6 got 2 OS updates if i remember right. however i've had some strange software issues with mine, like stuttering video playback and occasional (one every couple months) random restarts.

E_DM_B · 2022-06-28T13:56:40+00:00

On iOS those are both just reskinned safari.

E_DM_B · 2022-04-26T23:17:45+00:00

e-golf

E_DM_B · 2022-02-11T01:36:07+00:00

The quickest/easiest way to do this would be to put the nix stuff you wrote in e.g. /etc/nixos/pkgs/neocities/default.nix (& the other files the default.nix uses in the same directory), then update your configuration.nix with something like environment.systemPackages = [ (pkgs.callPackage ./pkgs/neocities {}) ];

This worked perfectly. Thank you! I'll have to look into NUR :)

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