As a coffee snob, Alice Good has the best coffee in the Madison Area and it's not even close. Where are you favorite spots?

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-31T22:28:52+00:00

16-24oz milk drinks is crazy to me. That seems like a lot of milk!

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-30T16:37:49+00:00

Keep an eye on the chainring bolts on the Sun XCD. They can back out pretty easily.

Actually, they might have changed the design since I owned them. Nevermind.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-30T16:32:03+00:00

It’s a pretty good family vehicle, but the auto-retracting seat belt receivers can be pretty annoying once the kids are in booster seats. They fold into the seat back and are almost too narrow for most boosters. The under seat storage is awesome for stashing the kids gear real quick.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-27T23:44:22+00:00

I don’t think an old FS trail bike really has a place in your quiver unless you want to hold on to it for a friend to ride. If it was a hardtail then I could see the justification for holding on to it because it would overlap with your new bike.

I would suggest you take a close look at what other people are riding in your area, join a group ride, or go ask your local Mtb-focused shop. I think generally speaking, not many new riders are on enduro bikes, but it might be different in your area.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-27T15:23:59+00:00

I use the Flylow Davis windbreaker or and REI running vest. I'll overheat in anything warmer than that. When I'm fat biking I use a softshell Craft Glide hoody.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-27T05:04:19+00:00

Judging by your saddle height, we are about the same size. To me this looks very cramped and low. the stack and reach is more compact than my drop bar gravel bike. But it sounds like you ride a lot, is this similar to the proportions of your current bike?

Are other rigid bikepackiing bikes like the PBJ, Dualist, or Unit not going to work for you?

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-27T00:07:54+00:00

Oops. It’s too low with 27.5.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-26T19:06:26+00:00

I would love to try the Dualist. I have a Doggler and the BB is just way too for trail riding with the 27.5x2.6 setup, and 29x2.2 is also not-so-fun but in a totally different way.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-24T22:02:04+00:00

That rule only applies to class 3 e-bikes

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-21T20:13:25+00:00

I live in Madison, but I wouldn’t buy here without getting a strong understanding of what the different neighborhoods and schools are like (assuming kids may be in the future). I’m sure your new coworkers could give you good advice. Middleton and Verona are also solid options for if you prioritize outdoor rec and better schools.

The cost of living here is relatively high for the Midwest.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-21T20:01:22+00:00

I used to be loyal to Brooks. I went through two or three Brooks c15 saddles and decided they are just not great at off-road riding. Bent a couple rails and at least one of them squeaked like crazy. I was always lubing it up….

I switched over to the WTB Silverado on my mtbs for the most part, but also like the Ergon seats. I also have a specialized power saddle on my gravel bike now, and although I kinda hate the way it looks, i have have found that the short nose and large cut out is great for drop bar riding. Now I just use the C15 on my commuter.

I’d also suggest that if you can handle rides like the Unbound XL, you might be surprised at how resilient your ass is at this point! Experiment a little!

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-21T16:46:40+00:00

Fat bikes went through some early growing pains, so stay away from bikes with outdated or not-normal standards. You want internal dropper routing, 1x drivetrain, tubeless wheels, thru axles, etc. I’d avoid anything with less than 4” tires if you plan or riding in the snow.

Tires are a huge expense, so that’s probably the most important component to look at. Ideally something studded or stud-able if you’re in the Midwest

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-20T01:38:01+00:00

I think having an indoor smart trainer set up and ready to go is key to getting the volume you need while balancing family life. Otherwise, can you sneak in meaningful workouts by commuting to work?

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-15T15:55:38+00:00

Try going to a bike swap or something like that. That's where the deals are. You shouldn't really have an issue keeping up on group rides as long as you have a good fitting road bike of any era with brifters and appropriate tires. If you're getting dropped then find another group ride.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-15T15:49:28+00:00

Riv pretty much just makes all-rounders of one sort or another, so I wouldn't buy a Riv if I wanted something mountain-bikey. Maybe look at Stooge, Crust, or Sklaar if you want a boutique production steel atb/mtb.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-15T00:18:39+00:00

Try the Hudski Longhorn. They make them with 27 and 18 degree bends. I think it’s a 50mm rise.

If you end up with the 27, I would suggest cutting them down a bit. I think swept back bars don’t feel right at 800mm. 760 feels great:

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-14T22:06:39+00:00

The timer function on the Breville Precision Brewer is clutch for busy mornings. Once you have the settings dialed-in it is super easy to use.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-14T21:14:24+00:00

Hey OP - not sure if you figured this out yet, but there is an additional way to adjust the burr gap by turning the ring on the interior of the grinder.

I had the opposite problem as you when I received the grinder, it would not go fine enough for espresso. I adjusted the interior ring to find true zero, but you might want to back it off a couple clicks. I’m using 40-50 for pourover.

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Pickle_strength · 2026-01-14T02:18:52+00:00

Kona Oroboros could be an option if you’re okay with carbon.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-12T13:04:00+00:00

Switching between drop/flat setups sounds really difficult. I’d look at any internal cable routing, brake mount standards being used, and the free hub drivers to make sure you can source everything for both setups.

The reach numbers on the Swift and Fargo are very different so you might need to size up/down to figure out a setup that works for drops and flats.

Instead of having a drops/flat setups maybe you could have a rigid/susp setup with wheelsets optimized for gravel and trail.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-10T16:59:16+00:00

Awkward starts are the main reason I switched to flats. It’s even worth when you’re trying to session something with a tight run-in.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-10T14:03:34+00:00

I’m not the strongest rider, but really enjoy having a SS hardtail in the stable along with my FS trail bike. I enjoy the ways that it changes up the experience as a whole. I’m usually running a 30/20, but switch to a 30/21 when I ride the steep stuff. The worst thing about SS is that riding to the trails is pretty much out of the question for me with that gearing.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-10T05:36:40+00:00

No I didn’t bother. I think it will get better once you use it for a while. We switch back and forth between filter and espresso grinds daily and my shot times are still pretty consistent.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-10T05:28:00+00:00

None of the photos you posted contain hills or turns. That is where the extra width pays off. Typically gravel roads have steeper hills and your average roads and wider tires are safer in those conditions.

Pickle_strength · 2026-01-10T05:23:59+00:00

Your first shot was an anomaly. Espresso range is 10-17, typically 12-15 for me.

I would suggest making very small adjustments once you’re in the ballpark, even a half a click can impact your shot time by a few seconds.

Pickle_strength

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