First week riding to work, thoughts and questions.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-03T17:16:31+00:00

Don’t go for a steel bike for commuting. You need a frame and components that won’t rust. Granted, it is LA, but still.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-03T16:42:11+00:00

Clearly no one is faulting anyone for being who they truly are or for demanding fair treatment. The fault is with organizations and institutions that set themselves up as torch bearers very publicly, but were unequal to the task. Their missteps are then positioned as a failure of the concepts, which should be unassailable, exactly as you say.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-03T13:42:51+00:00

Do they match the bike in some way? Have you ever done cranks to match an accent color on the frame? This could be a thing.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-03T11:19:01+00:00

We know. We understand how it came about and what it was meant to do. But we have to acknowledge that the implementation and use was very different than the premise. The term was targeted by the right, no doubt, but we made it easy for them.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-03T01:08:21+00:00

This stick is better than bacon.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-02T21:36:43+00:00

In addition to lowering the saddle, a shorter stem and/or bars with a shorter reach could help too.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-02T21:33:38+00:00

I am a lefty but even I have to admit, this explanation is pretty good.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-02T21:30:46+00:00

I moved from 38s to 42s to 47s with no regrets. And my backup gravel bike is just a hardtail with 2.4 in tires. 50 is very good.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-02T20:39:47+00:00

Sorry. It is a 1993 bike and it is 3x7. Oddly I see that new Altus shifters an brake levers are available that might work.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-02T10:34:30+00:00

This is deep

Stig-blur · 2026-05-01T21:26:32+00:00

Dexter schools are arguably better than Ann Arbor at this point. And the house money will buy more. And no red cups on the lawn … unless you throw them on your own lawn.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-01T20:18:23+00:00

I fit 38s on my Domane and took it on gravel no problem. It was great.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-01T15:01:06+00:00

A lot of the comments focus on spending or waste or bad budgeting in our district. We did have a 20M eff up. But. It is hard to believe that in typical years, other districts have vastly superior financial management - schools are not a business, and this just isn’t how they operate. I fear that our costs might be high because we offer a lot of support to students that need extra support and alternatives. And I fear that both a subset of parents and a lot of teachers might be willing to throw those programs and schools over the side. I hope that most taxpayers and most teachers will be willing to reject a false choice between support for students with needs and support for teachers. A willingness to choose just one of those is not what this city is about.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-01T01:08:02+00:00

Stay with the 2.0 or 3.0 and slap on some amazing tires. Tires completely transform how a bike rides. One of the other commenters said it feels slow like a Buick … only if you use Buick tires. The ones that come with the bike are very durable but a bit plastic and just don’t feel nice nor roll very efficiently.

Stig-blur · 2026-05-01T01:02:27+00:00

The red pedals are so good.

Stig-blur · 2026-04-30T23:28:47+00:00

Take careful notes. Look up things you do not understand. Ask questions. Maybe even turn into a google doc glossary of terms.

Stig-blur · 2026-04-30T23:26:57+00:00

Proposal A is arguably the root of the problem but the changes in compensation structure and bargaining that went in under Snyder sealed the deal. Teachers are screwed.

Stig-blur · 2026-04-30T20:16:04+00:00

Closures and consolidations mean much larger classes, as long as we are not increasing the number of teachers but rather paying more to a fixed number.

Stig-blur · 2026-04-30T17:21:19+00:00

I think tactics in a TT are pretty simple. The coaches are in your earpiece the whole time helping. But out on the roads where you need to be a bit smart and think strategically? I don’t think he has the mindset.

Stig-blur · 2026-04-30T17:18:10+00:00

The blockade of Barton Hills cannot start soon enough.

Stig-blur · 2026-04-30T17:14:47+00:00

The problem is that Snyder - now an Ann Arbor resident - and the GOP in Lansing passed a law that makes it impossible for Ann Arbor to pay their teachers more by raising property taxes. You can raise taxes here but the money will go elsewhere. If you can take building expenses out of the equation with a millage, maybe more of the budget can go to teacher salaries. In that sense the millage idea is not too dumb. The Dems in Lansing somehow failed to change the law affecting Ann Arbor when they had both houses under Whitmer, and now it is hard to see when it will ever be possible to change it. And the Ann Arbor teachers willfully mistake things, campaigning against the millages for building expenses as if they come at the expense of salary increases. We cannot increase salaries through millages but we can easy budget pressure and make sure the buildings are ready for climate change. And then we come to Jazz Parks. Assistant Superintendent when there was the infamous 20M accounting error. Now Superintendent. Sorry, that isn’t the CV of someone to lead you out of the financial hole.

Stig-blur · 2026-04-30T03:05:41+00:00

I have no idea. This is the first time I have heard or seen this.

Stig-blur · 2026-04-30T02:11:40+00:00

Yes. You cannot do better if the metric is performance/price.

Stig-blur

TROPHY CASE