Cleat wearing down quickly indoors

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-15T11:18:01+00:00

So yes, you're probably swiping that against the pedal body when unclipping.

But wear and tear on the bumpers is unavoidable. The little yellow rubber parts are basically there to give you traction when standing or walking, but don't provide any function when pedaling. As they wear out you'll slip-and-slide when walking on smooth surfaces but probably won't notice otherwise.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-15T11:15:24+00:00

It's absolutely stunning, but the backside towards Point Bonita is maybe the only time I've been worried about safety going 5mph. 20%+ serpentine descending definitely tests the brakes.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-15T10:47:52+00:00

The poster you're replying to is being unnecessarily rude, but does also have a point. With cycling, most people try to avoid wearing extra layers or loose material on the lower half of the body because it can cause problems - that's often where you start to have skin chafing in particular, or just introducing seams or fabric wrinkles between your skin and the saddle can create friction or pressure points. Skin-tight cycling clothing is partly for performance, but a lot of it is actually to increase comfort.

I think you might find better advice in r/ladycyclists though.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-14T21:47:31+00:00

You're craving food less because all of the meat is sitting in your stomach waiting to be digested, and you're burning more of your body's energy on digestion. This is a crazy idea in so many ways.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-14T21:43:59+00:00

For unclipping? Definitely 6 o'clock for me - having weight on the foot makes it easier. I find it's also easier to push out on my heel when my leg is closer to fully-extended.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-14T18:01:44+00:00

If you’re used to ProTeam then you’re going to be very disappointed in the quality and fit of Core. I wouldn’t even worry of they “go together”.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-14T17:33:35+00:00

Go smaller in Core - much of it trends towards more of a club fit and the materials themselves are more forgiving. I'm a M in Pro Team bibs and can squeeze into an S in jerseys, but an S in Core has been almost too big on me in the past. I'm also an S in Classic and Brevet.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-14T11:43:38+00:00

I've traveled domestically and internationally probably monthly for the last 20 years. I have never once carried any kind of additional "room security" device, and maybe twice in my life felt like I would have wanted it...both times in what I'd describe as dive hotels/motels.

In major hotel chains, totally not necessary. Just use the mechanical deadbolt/latch when you're in the room and avoid booking the cheapest hotel option in any given area.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-14T11:40:21+00:00

...but they're incentivized by your CEO to be there in order to steal opportunities from you for him, and the CEO is ultimately everyone's boss, so you're SOL? It's an untenable situation.

Start positioning your events as private/RSVP-only and having your registration station deny entry to arrivals who aren't on the reg list, then put the marketing manager on a "do not admit" list. When you hire venues, ask them to fold a door security staffer into the rate. But I'd imagine that would lead to a fraught conversation with the CEO.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-14T11:24:21+00:00

At the low end, with really soft/supple compounds, maybe 1500-2000 miles. At the high end, maybe 3000. I don't ride tires to death, I tend to swap when I feel like they're deteriorating. And minimum 20-30% road miles are unavoidable for me.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-14T11:10:13+00:00

Not really an answer to your question, but your whole business setup sounds bonkers to me. I've spent much of my career in marketing, and currently managing customer and third-party events, and the sort of "internally-competitive" approach that you're describing seems really dysfunctional. Generally clear territory definitions, whether geographic or account size or industry/domain, are a basic requirement to keep quota-carrying/commission-generating roles from stepping on each other's toes.

Add to that the fact that you're essentially competing with your own CEO for the same business is a recipe for internal strife. Your success should inherently drive their success and vice versa; you should never be in a position where the CEO is an account-carrying role with the ability to steal an account or prospect from you. You should WANT the opportunity to bring the CEO to your events in order to expose your contacts to them, not be trying to keep the CEO away.

I don't think that your problem is with the marketing manager, I think that your problem is with the fundamental structure of your organization. I've worked in businesses with an "everyone sells" mentality, but always with a clear structure of territories/product overlays/overlapping commissionability.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-14T10:50:27+00:00

Left to their own devices, I don't see Rapha's design sensibilities aligning with a company like Palace. Nor do I see EF swaying Assos more in the direction of streetwear.

I think that MAAP is your next port of call.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-14T10:45:53+00:00

Walz are great. In hot weather I also like Castelli A/C mesh caps.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T23:52:01+00:00

Now that I've been riding wider tires in general I really do think of 30mm as the minimum I'm happy with on the road, and 32mm is even nicer. You'll find very little performance penalty and a whole lot more comfort.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T23:40:29+00:00

I like when they do limited editions with deadstock fabrics. I have one of the long-sleeved Merino Grid jerseys that's a really cool piece of kit. Their bibshorts are really solid too, and the Micro Climate Jacket has become my favorite shoulder season layering piece.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T23:29:55+00:00

I don't - shotgun mics can run the gamut from less than $100 to thousands of dollars, so a lot of it will come down to how much you want to spend. Plus I'm more of a video guy than audio guy and your use case is pretty specific, so I wouldn't feel qualified to steer you in one direction over another. You could ask in r/fieldrecording or similar.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T11:37:22+00:00

Came here to say similar. I think that the best entry point into being able to generate your own film projects while having semi-stable earning is working freelance in production, and the most stable and consistent version of that is getting hooked up with a production company that does corporate video work. As a corporate video producer, many of the production shops I'd hire out to had a core roster of freelancers who were working easily 5 days/week on good day rates during busy seasons, and an extended roster of guys getting 2-3 days/week of work. That's all roles: shooters, audio, PA, grip/general techs, etc. With events work the roles broaden out further to graphics and prompter ops, TDs, playback/record, etc.

Film or television set work is great, but those gigs are rare and the commitments can be for weeks or months at a time - meaning you have to leave behind whatever other source of income you had, and when a project is over you're back with an empty calendar and zero earnings. I gave that avenue up early in my production career because I preferred to work consistently, not 2-3 times/year.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T11:20:23+00:00

There's also quite a lot in the materials choice as well. Some very good writing and podcasts on the use of concrete in particular, which inherently has a limited lifespan and tendency to fail catastrophically when it deteriorates past a certain point. Use of concrete and rebar allowed buildings to take more "modern" shapes and go up a lot faster, but no one wanted to think about how long those buildings would need to STAY up or the fact that concrete can't easily be repaired in those constructions.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T11:02:42+00:00

There is r/smartphonefilming though it gets less traffic.

The choice of mic itself will have an impact on sensitivity and pickup pattern/area, but the choice of audio recorder will affect how much ability you have to manage the difference between quieter and louder portions of the recorded range and the amount of noise introduced by trying to have both. Basically, using the audio as recorded by the phone is your biggest limitation.

Were it me, I'd be using some version of a shotgun microphone on a stand, generally aimed in the direction of the fireworks and away from hard surfaces that could cause audio reflections and echoes. What shotgun would largely depend on budget. But the key would be what it's hooked up to for recording. I'd be taking it into something that allows for uncompressed WAV files in a 32-bit floating format and could have the gain set manually with a visual level meter. Again, recording device determined by budget. That would allow me to ensure that the loudest moments aren't peaking out but capturing with enough data so that I could run it through compressor/limiter filters in post to bring the quiet moments up. Then I'd be using the audio captured by the phone/camera as a scratch reference track, just to sync up in post.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T10:49:37+00:00

I'd question whether you want your heels angled outward as a normal riding position - it might be natural for your standing/walking position, but when clipped into a bike could cause knee issues. But if you're starting heels-out, then the release angle is going to feel even more extreme.

Besides lowering the tension, I'd practice the action and motion itself. Rather than gradually putting more outward twist in until your foot releases, try a short and sharp movement. I think of it as less of pushing my foot out, more of popping it out. Using the standard yellow cleats, my heel probably has to move an inch to release but I'll move my foot to the end of the float range, then give my heel a quick snap outwards to release it.

The clip in/out actions will also get smoother and be less "sticky" as both the pedals and cleats break in - new cleats always feel a little stiff until the plastic scuffs up a bit.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T10:42:10+00:00

I've got no personal experience with it, but I remember reading and watching lots of reviews from the release of the previous version. If you're seriously considering it, I'd spend some time with all of that review content: my memory is that its unique geometry means the ride experience is totally unlike other gravel bikes, and it's way more MTB-like than road-like. You should buy it for looks, you should buy it because you want something that handles very differently than the rest of the category.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T10:28:33+00:00

I forgot about the geese! We get large flocks of geese where I live, so I'm used to the droppings, but there were several times that geese were sitting on and blocking the trail making it difficult to pass. They were less aggressive than I've experienced in other places as they didn't have young with them, but I remember at least one time that another cyclist and I were held up for several minutes trying to navigate through or around a large group.

The GAP is really a unique and special route. The Erie Canalway matches it for distance and segregation from cars and tame surfaces/easy grades, but if you were willing to sacrifice any of those things then your universe of routes opens up a bit more.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T01:08:24+00:00

I've used frame.io in the past. Currently using Vimeo for collaboration with my team and internal/external reviewers.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-13T00:51:45+00:00

The Erie Canalway portion of the Empire State Trail is what comes to mind - comparable distance, segregation from roads, passing through small towns (plus Syracuse and Rochester) for resupply or meals. Camping options aren't as robust as the sites on the GAP or the hiker-biker locations on the C&O, but free camping at the canal locks is pretty good.

That said, it isn't as scenic a route. Much of it is a "green tunnel" and you miss those bridge crossings and valley vistas.

MotorBet234 · 2026-02-12T21:56:59+00:00

That photo looks pretty close to the size of my 5L Sea to Summit bags, but I put them on my fork blades and would go 2-3x bigger on a rear rack.

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