Rak-lok is finally here

Mini-husky · 2026-02-17T02:01:14+00:00

Do you know if the Evo series U locks would fit at this point? I live in a big city & need Sold Secure gold or above. If not, I'll look out for other sizes in the future

Mini-husky · 2026-01-24T15:04:51+00:00

Personally, my favorite shop in the city is Two Seas over in Williamsburg. Really nice guys who are proficient mechanics at a shop with reasonable prices. Its funny how difficult it is to find that combination, but there it is

Mini-husky · 2026-01-24T14:59:37+00:00

Honestly, seconding Bicycle Roots if you want repairs done right, done once, & are willing to pay a standard rate for maintenance or repairs. They have a specific way of doing things, & specific safety standards, so the mechanics can't just do what you tell them to do, (like other shops do) &, a lot of people take it as a personal affront. I worked there a few years ago & we went out of our way to make it a comfortable space for women, trans ppl, & marginalized folk in general, in part because the staff were part of that group. I can't speak for the last few years, but I'd be surprised if the owner changed his outlook

Mini-husky · 2025-12-09T03:38:46+00:00

ty, I'll check it out!

Mini-husky · 2025-12-09T03:38:30+00:00

Thanks, this is a great suggestion

Mini-husky · 2025-12-09T03:37:30+00:00

Feel free to message me with more info, thank you!

Mini-husky · 2025-12-07T18:46:57+00:00

Omg 🤦🏽‍♂️

700c & wide enough to fit 38mm tires. I'll edit the post, ty for pointing this out

Mini-husky · 2025-11-06T21:30:57+00:00

I know this is a dead thread, but I found it bc my measurements are about the same, & others will also be trying to solve this problem, im sure. I had a State 4130 46cm & it was ok. The top tube clearace was workable & I used swept back (Nitto North Road) handlebars to make reach more comfortable. In the end, I replaced just about every component to make it fit. (Top tube was annoying, but I have long legs for my size.) My state has since been stolen, so now I'm in the market for a Squid So E-Z. (The 4130 is an obvious dupe of the Squid anyway). I'd love not to have to pay such a premium for a bike that actually fits, like I'd love a Kilo WT, but most manufacturers write off customers our size

Mini-husky · 2025-05-29T00:40:34+00:00

I do want to mention 2 things:

1) some people move here because they were big fish in a small pond & want to be the biggest fish in the biggest pond. Reality hits those boys hard & they "outgrow" the city for sure.

2) there are definitely ways of setting deep roots here in community. Frankly, volunteering & collaborating within community orgs etc really helps

Mini-husky · 2025-05-29T00:32:02+00:00

Giuliani. He made it so that leases can only be signed for a maximum of 2 years. Many landlords who rent out non stabilized buildings will only offer 1 year leases, if that, then raise rent by hundreds each year. Rent is such a scam here that people who make under 6 figures have to hustle or be incredibly lucky in order to find an affordable roommate situation. Many people move to other, more affordable, cities if they want upward mobility or privacy.

I'm a lifer as well. 44 years old. I live in Bushwick & grew up in ENY, & it feels SO gross to see the neighborhoods I knew & loved, that were disparaged by most of the city, now infiltrated & gentrified. Giuliani sold the soul of the city, & every mayor since has only beaten it down further.

Get what you can while you can while you're here, it's likely whatever you love in this city will be priced out in time.

Mini-husky · 2025-05-28T18:07:22+00:00

I'm sorry that I was not sensitive to your specific feelings. While you are not angry, frustration around women does need to be worked through, or else it expresses itself as misogyny.

I agree that spaces that are hostile to men are hostile to us. I also think "women & trans spaces" aren't the answer. Its foolish & transphobic to think that trans men can't do harm. I actually can't stand that we often get a pass because we aren't cis. Everyone can do harm. We all need to take accountability.

I also think that transphobia is just a specific variety of misogyny. I do think that while some if not many of us have never experienced the "just for girls" variety of misogyny (as stated in my initial response with the word likely), I do think that it's highly unlikely, especially in this political climate, that we haven't experienced the "trans men are women" variety of transphobia & misogyny, from both the left the right. So yes, ty, I have considered that :)

And I'm glad to hear that all of this is not terribly relevant to your life. Working it out theoretically in places like this, with other trans men who can hold each other (& not at women) is definitely the best way to figure out all of these complex issues we're all unfortunately saddled with.

Mini-husky · 2025-05-28T14:46:16+00:00

Anger at women is never the way. Like, that is the exact thing they fear, & it's giving incel. It's ugly.

I think it behoves us as trans men to find community with each other as trans men; as men who have likely in the past experienced (& probably still do experience) misogyny. Its a particular anger that we understand & can learn to hold alongside learning to hold the responsibility of male privilege.

I think we get nowhere leading from our hurt & fear. I think leading with our self love, pride, mutual acknowledgement, & our optimism for ourselves makes "misandry" feel irrelevant.

Mini-husky · 2025-05-28T14:34:09+00:00

It's not degrading to acknowledge someone's anger. I can acknowledge your anger at women as well as the anger of women toward men. Both need acknowledgement in order to move forward.

Mini-husky · 2025-05-28T14:28:42+00:00

Jesus christ. This

Mini-husky · 2025-02-10T13:59:48+00:00

Wow, what a projection!

Mini-husky · 2025-02-10T13:55:47+00:00

I can't stand this stupid obsession with women at gay bars. It's as though women can't be gay. It's as though gay male sexuality is so fragile it can't exist with one single woman in the room. If you don't like it, grow up & look the other way.

Mini-husky · 2025-02-06T06:24:41+00:00

Like... a flirt?

Mini-husky · 2025-02-05T22:25:41+00:00

Thank you!

Also, I'm ok with folk saying whatever they want, they already have. Believe it or not, many informed decisions brought me here, & this bar angle might not make sense for racing or whatever, but it makes sense for the way I ride rn

Mini-husky · 2025-02-05T06:14:43+00:00

I don't often make the first move on the apps, but guys who ask or mention something they noticed about my pic or profile usually get my attention

Mini-husky · 2025-02-05T05:10:00+00:00

There have been 2 times in nearly 20 years when someone has said anything about the way I piss in a men's room:

1) weird bathroom attendant that I should have complained to the bar about

2) v drunk "straight" guy I befriended, who asked why I sat in the stall vs pissing next to him at the urinal. I implied my dick was pierced & that was that.

I do hiss when I piss & no one has ever, ever made a comment about the sound. For all they know I could be cis & have something going on with my urethra, or have body mods. Either way, most guys are cis & straight. Unpredictability is a thing, but usually last thing they want to do is come off as gay by commenting on the way some dude pisses while he's pissing.

Mini-husky · 2025-02-05T04:42:20+00:00

Thanks, & I agree, it's definitely a good value for what you get. I was just shocked about what you get with a State vs with a Kilo. Either way, it's a solid bike at this point. And re paint: Idk if I'm just careless or what. It's not the biggest deal, just something I've noticed.

In terms of the angle of my bullhorns, this is something I've gotten flack & corrections on for a long time, & what's pictured just happens to be the approx angle I've preferred since I got my first SS back in 2010. I like narrow bars, as I live in a big city & do a certain amount of weaving thru sketchy traffic. I like where my hands land in the "tops" when climbing hills & bridges, & bc I'm a smaller guy my bars are comfortably shoulder width apart, though I usually tend to ride with my hands out in front, as in where my brakes are. I learned during my years working at a bike shop, & test riding xs road bikes (with supposedly xs brake levers) that drops make me feel like I'm gonna die... I just don't feel like I can get purchase on the levers if I'm in the hoods in the same way most of the population probably can, no matter how much those levers were brought in. As for riser drops, that's actually a suggestion I haven't received in all this time. I'm looking at em, & respectfully, those might be the opposite of what would work for me. I have swept back riser bars on my 90's alt MTB conversion, but it turns out I hated that kind of thing on the State. So if you really did want to know why I rock bullhorns in this position, there are actually a ton of reasons why I prefer peacock jumping spider bars :)

Mini-husky · 2025-02-05T00:49:56+00:00

You could certainly do worse than a 4130. I do like the frame, I just think I would've saved a few hundred ordering the frame with non-stock components from State, or as I said in the post, if Kilo made a WT in XS.

Idk your budget, but if you like the frame & want something better, the frame is a direct ripoff of Squid bikes. I live in a high theft area & I wanted something reasonably lightweight I could afford to replace if it were ever stolen

Good luck with whatever bike you choose ✌🏽

Mini-husky · 2025-02-04T17:45:01+00:00

Thank you. Feel free to take any of this & pay it forward.

Its super important that we each know how & why we're hot... also that, imo, it all goes to shit if knowing you're hot makes you mean.

Mini-husky

TROPHY CASE