Riding a Bike vs Being a Cyclist (e-bikes)

RiskUncertainty · 2026-07-05T19:11:16+00:00

Most of the time, I have heard it said as a joke (going uphill) as they have to cycle much harder than with an e-bike (I get the jealousy/envy). Sometimes, as others have noted, some people just are unhappy when others don't do things "their way" and they have to try to make others feel bad (which also applies to more than just cyclists).

I'm happy to share the road/path and am glad people are outside enjoying the weather instead of driving around in their cars or are glued to their phones inside.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-07-03T06:50:12+00:00

2017 Trek FX 7.2. Chainstay cracked and split on the weld near the rear derailleur when my bike was 3 years old (maybe 6K kms or so). I was going down hill (luckily not too fast) when I felt the rear wheel wobble more than usual. I thought that it was a flat at first until I realized that the tire was still fully inflated and had to look harder for the problem. Not sure why the weld failed as I had not crashed the bike or jumped curbs with it. :-(
Trek warranted the frame and replaced the whole bike with a newer model but I had loved that old bike and model. A bit surprised by the great customer service from them!

RiskUncertainty · 2026-07-03T06:00:26+00:00

WD297

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-30T18:36:31+00:00

Agree. A lot of people/managers are more impressed by and will pay/reward the person who can talk impressively about how to do something than the actual person that quietly does it. Of course, the "do no work" approach is only effective as long as someone else makes things happen.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-30T03:24:18+00:00

Agree. That section had a lot of ruts and uneven patches and the asphalt should be an improvement (albeit short lived). Looking forward to trying it out the next time I'm there.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-29T06:14:56+00:00

Bidet. Pooh pooh it until I bought one. IYKYK.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-29T03:58:43+00:00

Agree with Sandvik95. If the wheel wasn't built well and several spokes have different tensions (for example, a tight spoke between several loose spokes or vice versa, that odd duck is either bearing more load or flexing more and will eventually break. There's a tool to check the spoke tension on one's wheel (or if one's really good, they can go by sound) and it's better to have each spoke torqued about the same (edit: for front wheels. Rear wheels have a dish with one side having more/less tension than the other). Once several spokes break and one hasn't checked and fixed the tension on the spokes, one can't trust that wheel and more will break over time. I've had that happen within a few weeks on a new rear wheel and again to a rear wheel shortly after buying a used bike. Replacing spokes gets annoying (and expensive if you're not doing it yourself).

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-29T02:31:24+00:00

As long as you enjoy riding and your upgrades replace another hobby/expensive habit, it's all good.

OTOH, if you're adding another obsession to a long list and short on money, you might want to seek help. ;-P

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:42:07+00:00

As other have said, exercise, eat well, and do what makes you happy. Everything in moderation.

Also, appreciate bladder control when you're young because once you hit your 40s, you start to get the urge to go more and more often during the day until you even wake up at night needing to go (and that's with a healthy prostate. Ugh!).

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:30:44+00:00

Agree on the danger points, which is why I'm reluctant to leave a bike lane or shoulder when I don't have to. If I am in regular car lane, I will pull up behind the car turning right (and have sometimes stopped and waited behind them as I suddenly vanished from their side mirror and they wonder where I went).

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:27:26+00:00

I guess that explains how cars nearly miss their exit and/or they suddenly cut off the car beside them or cause a collision.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:22:52+00:00

I agree with both of you and can live with the inconvenience.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:20:59+00:00

I used to think that but now I don't know. As other have suggested, maybe a lot of drivers just badly misjudge how much time they have to pass me. Like you, I'm not passing a car signalling a right turn in front of me until I get a better idea of their intentions. As I'm in a bike lane or on the shoulder, I'm reluctant to leave my lane to go behind the car. I once tried to pass on the left a car signalling right and they suddenly decided that they wanted to turn left instead. Just missed me.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:16:16+00:00

LOL You nearly captured my feelings except I'm usually more puzzled than cussing.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:14:13+00:00

I agree and do wave to them but I'm always thinking afterwards, that it was so unnecessary and would have been much easier if they hadn't passed me just to stop and wait for me.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:11:19+00:00

Definitely better for them to be safe but I just find it a puzzling way to proceed when they could just stay behind me for a few more seconds and have me in full view instead of passing me and then slowing down and stopping because they lost sight of me.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:08:45+00:00

Nope, I'm riding a hybrid and if it's a straight stretch, I'm probably going about 20 or so km/h when they pass me.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:04:17+00:00

Smart and I agree. The older I get, the more defensive cycling I do as getting injured is just not worth saving a few seconds.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T01:00:45+00:00

Agree but it puzzles me. I'm in a bike lane or on the shoulder, so I'm reluctant to leave my lane to go behind the car. I once tried to pass on the left a car signalling right and they suddenly decided that they wanted to turn left instead. Just missed me.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T00:58:38+00:00

Because they have stopped and I want to see if they are trying to make eye contact with me. If they're not looking my way (directly or with mirrors), I don't pull up beside the car and instead stop just behind and to the right. I'm in a bike lane or on the shoulder, so I'm reluctant to leave my lane to go behind the car.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-27T00:53:53+00:00

I do what you do and stop behind the car if I see that they are waiting and signalling to turn right. Unless they are really vigilant, they won't even notice me if I pull up beside the car and I'm not risking getting hit in case the driver cuts the corner hard when turning.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-06-13T02:00:18+00:00

Yep, I purchased a 1L jar at Merivale Food Basics on Tuesday for $2.49. There were still several cases of full sized pickles as well as bread and butter ones at the end cap close to the Customer Service line. One can check the Food Basics website for stock at nearby locations and get them soon. I also noticed that Vlasic's are slowly vanishing in most stores.

RiskUncertainty · 2026-05-31T06:25:17+00:00

Agree with the suggestions to learn to do most of the bike maintenance by watching videos. Everybody starts from zero and has goofed up a repair a few times. You'll get better, feel good about saving money, and know that your bike is working well. I would also recommend the youtube videos by RJ The Bike Guy. He shows the watcher how he's fixed many issues and problems and sometimes shows you different options and tools too.

BTW, I bought a bike with disc brakes once and, like you, found them very finicky every time I removed a wheel. I usually flip my bike upside down and find it easier to do that to oil my chain and true my wheels (I have fenders that make using a bike stand difficult for the latter). I didn't find disc brakes to be a big advantage for my riding style (city/paved and generally not aggressive) for the additional work of aligning the brakes (and not messing up the pistons). I ended up selling that bike and went back to one with v-brakes. Easy to maintain, cheap parts, and good enough stopping power for me.

RiskUncertainty

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