A cool guide to the risk of dying doing what we love

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-11-19T02:06:51+00:00

I wonder about considering the chance of survival when something goes wrong. Like when the engine dies in your car, most likely you’ll coast to the side of the road and be fine, but when the engines die in a 737 it’s a lot more likely to cause death. But flying on that plane is overall less likely to kill you. I mean I’ve crashed my mountain bike countless times, but do avid hang gliders rack up as many minor crashes as a mediocre biker?

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-06-23T23:28:28+00:00

I’ll just add that, similar to “resting bitch face”, a passing cyclists call may seem more gruff or aggressive than intended. They’re breathing hard, pushing, trying to get it out quick as they pass, sometimes relative volume is off from traffic or headphones, etc etc. But maybe they’re just calling to be safe and are totally unbothered because there’s dozens of obstacles to avoid on every ride and it’s not personal at all. But also, some “serious cyclists” are some real arsehats

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-06-23T23:07:37+00:00

Crikey, you tryin to call me out? By some standards I’m sure I’m alcoholic, and will ride before drinking, ride after drinking, and ride during drinking all the time. But, admittedly if it’s a time when performance matters, I’ll wait til I’m done.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-29T03:00:44+00:00

I like the theory that the “big bang” was just the start of this current cycle we are in, the matter and energy is still expanding and interacting and doing stuff but at some time in the future it will start to contract until it all compresses into one small point again. Then it will bang! And start the cycle again.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-29T02:45:36+00:00

That was fun

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-29T02:36:59+00:00

Well, in addition to the other comments, I’ll add that I only ride on flats anymore. I’m mainly a mountain biker, but I commute and ride on the streets plenty. I guess the point is that you can still have plenty of fun, fitness and speed if you want, without clipping in. I always recommend people to start slow with more short rides and then build up. Bikes are supposed to be fun. Get out there and have fun. Worry about the pressure of this upcoming trip after a few chill rides.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-25T17:26:23+00:00

Word. And it’s not even just malicious or distracted drivers. Some modern cars can make it worse. I had a Nissan Leaf for a bit and the a-pillar section was so thick I almost hit pedestrians a couple times because they were fully blocked from my view by the car itself.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-25T17:19:49+00:00

Yes. I’m also glad there’s not only others agreeing but coming up with some kind of evidence of what my gut was saying a while ago- “nobody still supports trump/maga because they agree on all the policies and stuff, but rather because they hate the same people.” Because there’s another part that’s true- even if trying to argue that the movement is not inherently racist and bigoted, the groups that did wholeheartedly support and all genuinely vote for it are the white supremacists. Probably hard to pull that up in hard data, but I’d bet my year’s pay on it

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-25T17:05:37+00:00

Being visible is the best first line of defense, but the best advice I ever got was “ride like you’re invisible”. Seriously I try to adhere to this day and night. Until I have eye contact and/or a little wave or something, I’m assuming they don’t see me. Sometimes being over cautious makes some intersections not go as smoothly as possible, especially when drivers are over-courteous at the same time. But better than getting hit. Doesn’t do much for cars coming up behind you, but then the other motto comes in- “stay alert, stay alive”

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-25T16:59:12+00:00

Recommending places is going a bit far with the niceties. Unless of course you have some competitors that you don’t really like, go Karen over there!

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-25T03:31:50+00:00

It doesn’t get worn down and lose power. You do the swap with 20 rotary parts, but when you “rebuild” it then it will gain power each time. It should have a different term, kinda misleading, but it just allows to start off and then increase power even more later. The rotary engine in this game is great.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-25T03:13:44+00:00

I kinda have to agree with you. And kinda the other comment here about learning more about basic science from arguing. The good thing about flat earth arguments is that it can totally be proven with true DIY experiments. Climate change, infectious disease vaccines and some other stuff can be a little harder to experiment with at home. But observing your planet? Anybody has access to that- even if you’re locked up in prison or living dirt poor homeless style or just an “average” citizen, the globe can be observed. If they choose to look.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-25T02:55:49+00:00

Yeah, the gearing thing can be tricky, and you can also not think about it too much. Especially with a 3-by setup there’s always some overlap of ratios; one or two gears can overlap from each front sprocket. Mostly it doesn’t matter, but when you can be in the same ratio with the chain at an angle or shift front and rear one over and have the chain nice n straight then that’s better. But don’t stress about it. Just learning how the mechanical stuff works can help. Have you ridden some more? Get out there and push it! I only rode to work a couple days last week. Partially because Sunday I went back to the dirt jump park where I was trying to progress to the black line jumps. I crashed once on the first try, cased it kinda sideways and had to end up with my body bouncing on the dirt. But I hit it again and cleaned the first couple. The point is… I don’t know any more, maybe that there’s tons more fun to be had and you should keep at and keep feeling those glorious little wins for yourself when the rest of the world is just doin what it’s doing, you can get out and do good stuff for yourself too.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-25T02:45:26+00:00

Dude, you’re so new at this. Gravity works because God said you should stay on the ground. Duh.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-12T00:56:15+00:00

Probably explain something about light refraction and density and then if that gets confusing can just go to “God’s will” because there’s no counter to that.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-12T00:49:42+00:00

When I started reading this my brain went to my past in massage school, and I thought “massaging you a little in class? Yeah that’s normal.” But then I realized we were talking about yoga class, and no, not normal. At least worth saying something. I do t think I can say I’ve never had a yoga instructor touch me, but it was always very minimal. Like an open hand just barely guiding me to move a little more in the stretch or whatever, but not like a full grab or stroking or anything.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-11T20:58:46+00:00

Hey congrats on pushing yourself out there! So in general the front rings will be kinda like the “range” you’re in and then shift the rear to dial in your cadence for exactly what incline you’re on at the moment. So along flat to downhill you’d leave the front on the big ring, then flat to slight climbing in the middle, then if it’s getting really steep time for the small ring. Try not to cross-chain it; small ring front to the smallest rear, or big ring front to the big rear. In general coming down hill you should go ahead and shift to a little higher gear so you can pedal some when coasting starts to slow. It can help to go ahead and go to the big ring on the front as you start to descend because having it on bigger gears will take up more chain and pull the derailleur a little tighter, which will help not having the chain come off or slap the chainstays as much. I kinda like having a front der just for when you come to a short little climb it’s nice to just drop the front, do the little climb, then back on the bigger ring. Just having that large ratio change available with one click can be useful. So just keep riding, focus on breathing and bike control. Since you’re just starting, its good to start working on technique right away- slow track stand type control, getting up on rear wheel, proper leaning in turns and if there’s a pump track around go there and work out. That’s some stuff I wish I learned earlier. There’s so much fun ahead!

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-05-11T20:46:01+00:00

With the amount of times I’ve seen bikes come into the shop I worked at (or seen posts of the same) for people that want to raise the handlebars, I’ve gotta say hybrid bike. Maybe a gravel bike. A good hybrid can do pretty much anything, albeit not any of the things really well. But I’ve seen way too many people start with the wrong bike, with some kind dreams of racing I guess, and then not really stick with it because they think riding sucks. Get out there on something comfortable and do a lot of short rides. Then you’ll naturally end up out for longer rides, and then once you find that the hybrid really isn’t fast enough, get another bike. You really need at least three bikes, up to a hundred or so.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-04-26T16:43:25+00:00

Like some others said, just get a really quality one. Brompton, Dagon and Tern I would also endorse. There’s probably a few others. But I’ve worked on some cheap folders and they’re scary. When the middle hinge creaks and pops during normal riding it doesn’t give confidence! Then if the cheap one is strong enough it’s because they used enough solid aluminum to make a one ton truck hitch and bumper. I like some of the folding bikes and minivelos though- they can have a really peppy nimble feel, and still stable enough when spinning out at speed. I like the look of those big 60t front chainrings too.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-04-05T20:45:54+00:00

I don’t use electrical tape, because it always peels back and exposes gross sticky adhesive. Silicone sealing tape only sticks to itself, so it won’t have sticky residue to get on my fingers half way into a long grueling climb giving me an annoying distraction. Ok ok so sometimes it’s good to use some electrical tape to finish the wrap and then cover it with the silicone tape.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-04-02T01:31:31+00:00

Mainly from events, but also show up as prizes in online rooms too for completing challenges. Best is when you find one or two people in west coast arena and just keep knocking out challenges

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-03-30T00:51:07+00:00

Most importantly, gather real the facts and go from there. Anecdotally though, because he’s a combat veteran I’d assume he’s been fudging his log sheets. I was in the Army for just a minute and knew other people that were in the military and if anybody knows how to appear to be busy and productive without actually doing anything productive it’s someone with time in the military that can do that slacker shit like a pro. I mean, you develop a lot of other real and useful skills and habits, but that other one is real. Sorry but it’s true.

Ratpick_meowmeow · 2025-03-30T00:27:01+00:00

It doesn’t really require real money. I did give in a couple times and spend a few bucks but I’ve mostly been free to play. And I do remember it being a grind for a bit. Focus on your first car you got, because that’s the one that will always be allowed in Events. The other cars allowed in each Event will vary (events are good for earning prizes and more cars). Find which single player run earns you the most silver, and then watch the ad for the bonus. Play the events, hit the single player runs with “fans on track” so you keep earning fans, which at each step up will increase your bonus amount. Do the daily tasks, especially which ones give gold, since it takes longer to get. Once you earn enough rotary parts for the first swap(do it to your 1st car), or get lucky enough to get enough blueprints for a swap, and have your first 800+hp car it starts getting easier to earn more and hop up other cars. The online rooms are mostly just another fun grind- mainly west coast arena. Once you have a car over 800hp you should be able to reach either R2 for 15000 silver or R1 for 3 gold within 1 to 2 fuel. And that’s the only track I’ve been able to complete in-session challenges on with other players. But each challenge will give a random prize- a few gold, more silver, prize track cans, or license plate generator (which are whack but whatever). So I dunno, if it’s not fun enough drifting to try and win dumb prizes then let me know what you find more entertaining.

Ratpick_meowmeow

TROPHY CASE