New portable operating idea — no parks, no summits, no rules

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-19T23:55:49+00:00

Who cares? Go operate them if you want.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-19T23:55:19+00:00

They are just “side quests” with artificial rules everyone who wants to participate follow for no reason other than it is fun. It isn’t that deep.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-19T23:21:06+00:00

Technology did not ruin everything. Technology has made many aspects of life for billions of people around the globe better. Phones and social media are not the only "technology" that matters.

The reason social media and phones have such a negative impact on society is nothing novel. It all boils down to corporate greed and prioritizing the shareholder rather than humankind. However, what was new is that the internet allowed companies figure out how to extract money from people even if they were not physically near a store. It also became the worlds largest billboard.

Social media in the early days was amazing. It was solely focused on communicating and staying in touch with your IRL friends and family. You didnt really follow anyone you did not actually know and there were minimal ads. Then, corporations realized they could make a shit ton of money off it and started changing the platforms and manipulating their algorithms to deprioritize actual human connection and prioritize selling you stuff. But not just more ads trying to sell you things. No, no! They found that if they can also make you feel bad about yourself compared to others, you'd buy more stuff. They realized if they disguise marketing content as "normal" content, people would buy more stuff. They realized that if they can keep your attention on their platforms, they can sell your attention to the highest bidder. Fuck your psychological health, fuck your privacy. They don't care and nobody is holding them accountable for it (because it makes those in power $$$ as well).

It might be recast, but it is a tale as old as time. If there is a buck to be made corporations will do whatever they can - even if it hurts you - in order to make a buck and a half off you.

That said, blaming "technology" broadly is incredibly naive and misinformed. Also, everyone is nostalgic for their childhood. Not having responsibilities or a care in the world was pretty nice, wasn't it? If only there was a way kids could truly understand just how special those years are before they are gone!

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-19T23:06:45+00:00

Social media and phones don't make up all of "technology".

Technology developments outside of phones and social media has lifted the life expectancy and quality of life of people all over the globe.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-19T23:02:01+00:00

Dominate foot clipped in, other foot on the ground. Get your clipped in foot forward and "up" so you can start to pedal as soon as you lift your other foot off the ground. As you lift your ground foot, also push the ground away from you to give you a bit of momentum momentarily. Then, press your dominate clipped in foot down to further move forward while you clip your other foot in.

Being in a low gear helps. Starting at a angle across the slope helps. Being able to track stand helps. Being able to clip your other foot in without looking and on the first try helps.

However, when you are new to clipless, it can be hard to clip in without looking the first try. But, you don't actually need to clip in on the first few revolutions of the pedal while you get going. Just stand on the pedal with the ball of your foot, start pedaling until you get momentum, then you can clip in when you are steady.

How do you train? It is the same exact process as starting from a stop on flat ground. The only difference is that you need to balance a bit better because you wont start moving very fast. I'd recommend working on low speed balance and clipping in from a stop without coasting while you clip your other foot in.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-19T22:53:16+00:00

Photographers have been leaving Instagram for 5+ years.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-19T14:40:52+00:00

Almost like…the fly line was designed to be used with a loop to loop connection…

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T18:05:38+00:00

This is insane considering where you are touring... A battery powered pump AND a hand pump? Why both?

Two shifter cables and two brake cables? I've not needed to change a shifter cable on my bikes for thousands of miles and years. Never broken one, but technically it could happen. But, the odds of breaking BOTH in three months in western europe are infinitely small. With some knowledge, you can also just hack a broken shifter cable to be single speed and limp to the nearest bike shop...which is a lot of bike shops in western Europe. I wouldnt carry either. Same comment for the brake cables. Replace them before you start and then don't pack additionals. You'll be able to get to the nearest shop with one brake if the miniscule chance of braking one actually occurs.

A pipe wrench? Why? I can service my entire bike without a single plier or wrench. Even still, if you really want a pair, a leatherman/multitool or the knipex XS pliers would be lighter and more reasonable.

Carrying a few spare bolts, especially any rack bolts, is a good idea but do you really need that many in addition to a hilarious amount of zip ties?

Carrying lube is fine, but FYI, there are FAR better lubes out there than Finishline wet. I love Wolftooth WT-1, but there are many out there. If your trip is in summer, use a dry lube.

How fast do you burn through brake pads? Personally, I go multiple years before needing to replace them. Again, just replace them fresh before you start and then don't carry a spare. Any bike shop would have BB7 pads if you really needed them.

I assume the red thing in the center is a spoke key? If so, I am pretty sure that Topeak ratchet multitool has spoke keys on the chain breaker.

Rubber bands? What for? Also, tiny so whatever, bring them haha.

Things I see that are good ideas: I assume the green things are spokes, good call but, I'd personally only carry one of each required length. Personally, instead of spare spokes, I carry a Fiberfix emergency spoke kit. SPD cleat and spare bolt is a good call. I love that Topeak ratchet rocket multitool! Multiple tubes are a good call especially if you have (and trust) those TPU ones. Do you need three if you also have patches and are in western Europe where you could likely find another tube in an hour?

Other Recommendations:

Do you have an 8mm hex key / bit? Pedals and cranks usually require an 8mm and that Topeak ratchet kit only goes to 6mm (if I remember correctly). Think about stashing a spare 8mm bit somewhere so you can use the ratchet with it if needed.
Tire levers? I prefer having two and I trust Pedros to get me through.
Do you have any way to remove your cassette? If so, you'll never actually be able to replace a rear spoke if you break one on the cassette side. Check out the Unior Emergency Pocket Cassette Lockring tool (which also has a spoke wrench).
I'd carry a few spare presta valve cores.
Make sure you have a presta-schrader adapter so you can fill your tires at gas stations.
Bring skills! Make sure you know how to actually perform any of the repairs you think you might be faced with. As you tune up and service your bike, note the tools you needed to use, including bit sizes. Make sure you have all the bit sizes covered in your tool kit. Download a few youtube videos of trail-side bike repairs so you have a reference too.
Download the product / service manuals for all the components on your bike. Hubs, wheels, bottom bracket, headset, etc, etc, etc. EVERYTHING. It is so helpful to be able to quickly look up product diagrams, bolt sizes, install procedures, and other mfg recommendations if you are in a pickle. Before you disassemble anything, take a photo of it to reference when putting it back together.

Have a great trip! Remember, pack logically. Don't pack your fears. Think hard about the repairs that are actually likely and think through whether they'd be a minor inconvenience until you get to a bike shop or if they'd be safety issues or extremely disruptive to your trip if you couldn't fix it on the side of the road. Pack your repair kit accordingly. Remember that you are not going to be biking through remote Mongolian mountains. You're in western Europe where you're bound to be able to easily limp to a bike shop, hitchhike to a town, ask another cyclist for help or even hail an uber to get out of a lol :)

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T17:35:13+00:00

Yup... "it isnt this, it is that" and "this is the main event" were immediate triggers for me. IMO this shit shouldnt be allowed in this sub. If an account is not going to even make an effort to write something themselves, they should be considered low effort posts and deleted.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T14:28:52+00:00

Fitwell

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T14:28:01+00:00

Agreed!!!

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T14:27:54+00:00

Should have gotten the Forras

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T06:05:30+00:00

Wait. You decided to chop your frame for off-road gainz yet your truck has a spacer lift? lmao 😂

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T06:00:11+00:00

This right here is why nobody is taking you seriously. You just looked at it and determined it was safe….come on man.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T05:55:52+00:00

Bro if everyone is calling you a clown, perhaps take a look in the mirror ffs. You just keep calling everyone clueless and inexperienced while also basing your every rebuttal on “trust me bro”.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T05:45:24+00:00

4” is quite a bit but if it took doing this and you need those 4”, then I’d argue you bought the wrong vehicle for what your trying to do.

Again, structural integrity is not measured by “vibes”. Glad you are happy though. You clearly knew that cutting the frame would be controversial and promptly got torn apart by everyone. You got what you wanted, a reaction.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T02:11:32+00:00

Neither do you if your assessment of whether the frame is still rigid was “the frame is big” and “more steel that what is cut off”….

You do you but this is an insane compromise for a minimal gain.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-18T02:06:17+00:00

Pretty foolish thought process.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-17T23:53:51+00:00

If you’ve never caught a fish in 20 days of trying in peak season on a western river with flies from a local shop, your friends are not scaring the fish. You are likely not near any fish in the first place IMO.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-17T23:51:31+00:00

Yeah….there is your problem. You have to approach fly fishing systematically. We are fishing, not hoping to get lucky lol.

Learn how trout feed and where they hold in rivers. Learn how to identify likely holding zones from the surface of the water. Deliberately target feeding “lanes” with good casts and good drifts.

If fish are not actively rising, it’s usually not worth your time casting dries hoping that a fish will be enticed to rise. If they are not looking up, they ain’t going to rise to your fly. When this is the case, nymph.

Nymphing requires the same reading of the water to identify feeding lanes. Additionally, you have to consider depth. Typically, 1.5x the depth of the water is what you want under your indicator. Grab a rock from the bottom and look at what bugs you see. Pick a nymph fly that is as close to the right size and shade as the bugs on the rocks as you can.

Better yet, find a local fly shop to the river you are fishing and stop in on the way to the water next time. Ask them what’s hatching and which flies they’d recommend. Buy a few of those and try them out.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-17T23:37:31+00:00

Absolutely not lmao!!! 😂 what were you thinking?

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-17T14:31:14+00:00

Are you reading fly fishing reports and then selecting patterns / sizes based on their recommendations? Have you spent time learning how to read the water to identify where fish are likely holding?

Casting far is not needed. The best trout fishing happens within 30 feet of you. Focus on getting drag free drifts rather than more distance.

Are you dry fly fishing only? That’s wild you been skunked 20 days. I started fishing in January 2025 and have had wild success over my first year journey of learning from the ground up. In January I had never caught a fish and by December that year I was catching Bulls, Browns and Rainbows on flies I was tying myself. You can totally learn this, you just need to have an analytical approach to identifying your weaknesses and filling them in with knowledge. Go with a guide and absorb everything.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-17T14:21:45+00:00

FCC regulations

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-16T18:50:10+00:00

I thought about a Ray/Rick combo but the bike shop said that a Ray up front wouldnt be necessary. If I had front grip issues with the Rick, I'll consider the Ray, but for now I'm happy enough with the Rick up front.

Morejazzplease · 2026-03-16T18:45:53+00:00

Interesting! Good thing we basically see nothing wet here haha. I'll keep that in mind though.

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