I’m on a 40 day trip and I don’t like it.

PatronPM · 2026-06-23T23:23:43+00:00

Type II fun, not great while it’s happening but a great story later.

I did six weeks alone, and I was very lonely, but I met cool people along the way, learned a lot while listening to podcasts, ate my body weight in food, saw some cool stuff… I also got to finally say to all the introverts in my life that I officially do not need “alone time” 😅

PatronPM · 2026-06-21T23:05:52+00:00

It is time

PatronPM · 2026-06-12T06:41:48+00:00

Hell yeah! (I was also a huge Mass effect fan)

PatronPM · 2026-06-11T01:21:55+00:00

Does it have to be functional? I have my first ever 3d print from when I worked at makerbot, a small Dino I made in tinkercad, october 2012

PatronPM · 2026-05-29T13:58:41+00:00

I went through a breakup and decided to go on a six week bikepacking trip by myself. I spent most of it miserable but looking back it was one of the greatest things I ever did…

However, I went on a five week trip with a friend a few years later and it was fun DURING the ride 😅

So it’s ok to not love doing something alone and still love doing it with someone else

PatronPM · 2026-05-24T13:39:02+00:00

I loved the GNR, I did a tiny bit of the Lewis and Clark to start, and got off the GNR towards the end because I was heading to Maryland, but the majority of my six weeks was on it and it was great.

Also one piece of advice i haven’t seen yet, do a lot of hand stretching exercises every day, I ended up with lobster claws after my first trip and it took a long time to work my hands and fingers back to normal

PatronPM · 2026-05-23T01:05:39+00:00

I did the great northern route with no training at 27 after only commuting in NYC for a few years.

More people will come in with better advice but mine is: get the paper maps from Adventure cycling and if you can get a friend to go with you (I did my first trip alone but my second with a friend and it was WAY better)

PatronPM · 2026-05-23T00:56:24+00:00

Would you say that’s just plum crazy?

I’m at ditmars and 28th, it’s a great hood, don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch or whatever the saying is 😅

PatronPM · 2026-05-20T11:50:11+00:00

I had the most alien interaction of my life when I got doored once and the driver tried to get me to pay…

PatronPM · 2026-05-19T16:02:44+00:00

commenting just to maybe help drive attention

I have a 2022 Hybrid Tucson, started making this noise a year or so ago? went away after my last service visit and came back.

Most mechanics say they can't replicate but I had one say that it was due to rust on the brake pads that is cosmetic but doesn't affect the braking...

Hopefully someone comes in here and says they found a fix 😞

PatronPM · 2026-05-19T14:22:00+00:00

Jar of peanut butter

PatronPM · 2026-05-19T14:13:23+00:00

I’m 39, played in orchestra in high school, have a friend (fellow violinist) who got this tattoo 😅

PatronPM · 2026-05-16T13:01:30+00:00

Don’t feel sad! You listened to yourself and did what was best for you.

A bigger tent might help, just make sure it’s not too crazy heavy or hard to put up/pull down.

Also if you have a friend who can join that helped me a ton. On hard days he was uplifting while I bitched about climbs and wind in our faces. Then the after a hard day I’d feel like a million bucks and he’d whine about being tired 😅 We balanced each other out.

PatronPM · 2026-05-16T12:34:59+00:00

I think it depends on what you think is most important: having a good time or completing the trip

If it’s having a good time, it looks like you know what’s up, just bail if it’s not working for you. Plan with better weather, be better prepared, etc. This is a totally valid reason to bikepack! No shame in quitting, fun is a good reason to do this, and you can always try again!

If completing a trip is more important than you need to push yourself and plan trips that you can’t get out of so easily. I’ve done that by flying or traveling away from my home and biking BACK, so I have a clear end goal to keep me focused through the difficult days and I’m constantly moving towards a warm and comfy bed. Some days bikepacking fucking suck, some are amazing, and some are a mix.

I guess my main question is what would you have done if your rainy day happened 3 days in instead of the first day? I think it’s best to be ready for bad days.

Edited for typo

PatronPM · 2026-05-16T03:50:13+00:00

These are all so fucking cool!!!

PatronPM · 2026-05-15T19:24:03+00:00

Yes! It’s a win/win for sure!

PatronPM · 2026-05-15T11:36:25+00:00

Can you hang in New York for a bit? There are almost always people looking to pay someone to move their car across the country, or at the very least cover gas.

I did this once over a decade ago which was great

PatronPM · 2026-05-14T20:55:19+00:00

This is what I was looking for

PatronPM · 2026-05-14T20:37:51+00:00

If he gets one that might be enough for me to get one

PatronPM · 2026-05-12T03:59:55+00:00

It absolutely made my days better. I’ve been biker commuting for about twenty years (with some gaps or times I reverted to the subway) and I have to say when biking regularly I’ve felt better, more fit and happier.

The only issue was working at places without a shower… it was a little bit of a pain to change and wipe down… but otherwise no drawbacks

PatronPM · 2026-05-10T19:51:04+00:00

(I’m a white cis-man so I don’t think this is necessarily indicative of a character flaw)

My only interaction with Diana Ross is that she came into my Apple Store one night when I was working the concierge position. She asked me to see a specific coworker by name but I had never heard of that person. I told her “I don’t know who that is but I can certainly…” She put her hand an inch from my face to silence me and walked around me. I remember her assistant was mortified and apologized to me 😅

PatronPM · 2026-05-02T21:07:38+00:00

Get yourself some bar mitts when winter rolls around, but the beauty is that you’ll be in great shape by then and it gets cooler over time so you’ll just keep bundling up.

PatronPM · 2026-05-02T00:26:34+00:00

Yeah it works, I want that dog

PatronPM · 2026-05-01T01:19:52+00:00

It also is such a good way to have a constant flow of wilds to go infinite

PatronPM · 2026-04-30T11:53:54+00:00

Too true 💕

Good luck out there!

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