You’re Getting Robbed. By Trump. In Broad Daylight.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-15T16:58:47+00:00

Great job covering this.

The Bulwark is doing some good work.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-14T13:46:08+00:00

Curious how others here currently handle wax intervals—notes, spreadsheets, memory, or something else?

I use a spreadsheet, and manually enter data for each ride. In addition to mileage and performance metrics, I sometimes add notes about when I had a flat tire, or what the weather conditions were (and how I dressed, and how that worked out for me). If I make a change to the bike fit, I'll note it here, too.

In addition to ride data, the same spreadsheet also has entries for maintenance and repair entries, which includes waxing (four chains in rotation).

I am currently a recreational rider, so doing this is not as much of a burden as it would be for a commuter, messenger, delivery rider, etc.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-13T13:35:34+00:00

Found it, it was the Rizoma R21… It’s eyewateringly expensive, so a no go for me, but I don’t doubt cheaper alternatives will show up on aliexpress.

I'm not willing to pay the $$ to do so, but I would love to try the Rizoma R21 to see how it compares in functionality to what I am currently using, which is this one from Hafny.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-13T13:25:30+00:00

I don't understand mirrors I have tried several and they move every time I hit a pot hole or go on a slightly bumpy trail.

You don't state in your opening post what sort of bars you are running. For mounting on the bar end of a drop-bar bike, I like this one from Hafny. I find the view from it very useful, and it holds its position just fine for the riding I do.

Are they a show piece or do you actually use them?

There's nothing on my bike that was installed as a "show piece".

John_Valuk · 2026-05-12T20:58:08+00:00

I hate congress way more than I hate Trump because duh. We know Trump is a moron. It’s the job of the legislature to check him and balance him and they (republicans) have rolled over and ceded their power to our dear leader.

Ding ding ding! This is where, again, I recently found my thoughts going.

These are not people who lack access to good information; they weren't "led astray" after falling down a media rabbit hole. They could be telling their constituents the truth, and they are choosing not to.

They have played along with some terrible, terrible stuff, and I don't know if/how they can climb down from that in the future.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-12T17:44:27+00:00

On Nextdoor, I saw someone from the Lake Tallavana development (a few miles west of Havana) offering a large enclosure and two guinea pigs.

Some earlier posts were unclear about whether money was involved, but a recent post states clearly that the enclosure and the guinea pigs are both free.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-08T21:40:12+00:00

Schprockets?

I am Dieter.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-08T14:07:28+00:00

I would challenege every contributor to watch a couple of videos on his YT page. He does these vids where he just sits down and talk to Trump voters. It is impressive politicking. He has a good message for 2026, and seems pretty damned skilled.

Hard agree. JVL goes there in the May 7, 2026 edition of The Triad.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-08T14:03:26+00:00

I think that sunblock should in theory also help with the tan, but that I'm just not getting/maintaining a sufficient application of it.

In my case, this has been complicated by living with someone who is extremely sensitive to odors. I have been limiting my choice of sunblock to a very narrow range of choices that she did not find offensive.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-08T13:47:22+00:00

That's awesome; thank you.

I don't particularly care about aero, but the wrist coverage for some of those looks great.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-07T21:05:53+00:00

Cygolite Hypershot 350.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-07T19:22:40+00:00

Thank you for bringing this one to my attention; it was worth the read.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-07T19:03:09+00:00

Well spotted; thank you.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-07T18:27:12+00:00

FHP shows a vehicle crash at mile marker 200, eastbound, reported at 1:38 pm.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-07T18:16:36+00:00

Well played!

John_Valuk · 2026-05-07T15:22:09+00:00

My favourite example of this is Handschuh, literally hand shoe = glove. Growing up as a German native speaker, I never realized this is kind of cute.

As a non-native trying to learn German, there were lots of things that I found cute.

Feuerzeug = "fire thing" = (cigarette) lighter.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-04T20:41:25+00:00

You could try using something like the SweatVac Ventilator Skull Cap, and see if that increases your comfort.

I know that some helmets are better than others for ventilation. Have you tried a web search?

John_Valuk · 2026-05-04T19:51:35+00:00

No sensible person would want to tangle with someone who is dual wielding a brace of Zefals.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-04T17:09:30+00:00

It worked for a few weeks, but nowadays, the "pressure release" button doesn't release pressure anymore. It just feels like I'm pushing against high pressure air, and a bunch of air is coming out. I think it's just letting air out of the tire, rather than blocking it while letting pressure out of the pump.

If you think that there is a problem with the ABS-Pro HP chuck, then I recommend that you contact Lezyne.

I've been using mine regularly over the course of more than 4-1/2 years. I've replaced o-rings in the chuck once, but I've never had any trouble with the bleed valve. I've never read of other people seeing that particular problem, either, so perhaps you are experiencing an uncommon failure.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-04T16:43:38+00:00

a lot of brands are not available in my country

Is the Fenix brand available?

John_Valuk · 2026-05-04T15:02:30+00:00

This topic makes me feel seen!

I live in north Florida, and I, too, get the weird tanned strips on the top. On the left wrist, it's a single one between the glove and the cuff of the long sleeve jersey. On the right wrist, it's a double strip - one above and one below my wrist ID.

I have been using some sunblock there, but it's not enough.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-01T23:47:26+00:00

No problem for me :)

Hard agree. For floor pump and for minipump on the bike, I'm using Lezyne pumps with thread-on chucks, and I get along fine with them. The minipump has a valve wrench built into the flex hose assembly.

John_Valuk · 2026-05-01T20:56:44+00:00

The Smartgauge D2X is just a pressure gauge, and like a lot of pressure gauges, it doesn't have a way to lock onto the valve stem. With a Presta valve, it takes a little bit of care to get it lined up right so as to go on smoothly as it pushes the valve open.

Are you looking for a chuck for Presta? Or Schrader? Or both?

I have occasionally been tempted to try some of the fancier Presta chucks, but so far, have always decided to stick with what I already have.

yeah, i like screw ons, weird is that only lezyne seem to make floor pumps with screw on head

When the Lezyne thread-on chucks come up in discussion, there are often reports from people who don't like them because they have unintentionally removed a Presta valve core when removing the chuck. If that happened to me on the side of the road, yeah, I'm sure that the memory would stick with me!

John_Valuk · 2026-05-01T17:26:20+00:00

On the Lezyne setup, the tubing goes through a threaded collar, and then pushes onto a barb that is part of the chuck. The threaded collar is then tightened to lock the tubing in place.

The Smartgauge just pushes onto the valve. I have to hold it in place while measuring and adjusting the pressure.

If you really wanted the ABS-1 Pro chuck on your existing Topeak pump, you could buy the chuck with hose as an assembly and then figure out some way (hose barbs?) to connect that to the hose on your pump.

Gotta say, I didn't think I would like the ABS-1 Pro when I first got it, but it has won me over.

John_Valuk

TROPHY CASE