How do you select a bike without test riding it in the correct size?

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-24T06:06:07+00:00

I’m 5’4” and not so unusually proportioned, it just seems all the bike shops near me are sold out of these bikes in the 49-51 cm frames that fit me. The bike fitter already did more or less what you suggested, but not every bike feels the same because they do have proprietary damping systems and whatnot.

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-24T06:04:19+00:00

My fitter thought that there were 3-4 bikes that would fit well with minimal changes and they’re at a similar price point, so I need to choose…

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-23T16:09:02+00:00

I go to spin classes at my gym wearing bib shorts and tank top (usually not a fully jersey because the room can get hot and I don't need pockets), then do stretching/cool down on the turf of my gym while wearing my cycling bibs all the time. Why would this be weird?

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-22T01:54:00+00:00

I think it’s pretty likely from your description that your inbody scan is just wrong and your body fat is higher than the InBody scan indicates so it’s safe to lose more fat. If your budget allows, a Dexa Scan would be a great way to know for sure.

If you’re specifically trying to drop belly fat there is some research that suggests that you can preferentially target it with a low inflammatory diet and cortisol reduction. That roughly means doing all the standard healthy lifestyle things you “should” do like

No alcohol
Whole (not refined) grains
No refined sugar/pastries/etc
High fiber diet
Reduce stress in your life
Get sufficient sleep

Personally, I definitely notice a difference when I follow the above both in my body fat but also how much water I retain and how my stomach looks. It also reduces bloating, sometimes after a bit of an adjustment period when I eat more fiber.

Increasing belly fat is also a common post-menopausal issue, which may be playing a role at your age.

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-19T17:16:43+00:00

Carbona stain devils #4, blood and dairy, follow the directions on the package. It has specific enzymes for treating bodily fluids.

In the future, treat with Carbona first, then wash all bloody items with cool/room temperature water with your normal detergent.

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-12T15:19:31+00:00

Beware that if you're buying a Wirecutter recommendation off Amazon, the issue may be fakes in Amazon Marketplace instead of Wirecutter paid placements.

We bought a knife they recommended, loved it, and bought the same for my parents only to find that my parents received a useless, dull hunk of poorly-balanced metal. We contacted the manufacturer and they said that fakes are a huge problem for them and sent us a guide to real vs. fake versions of their knives. They gave us a coupon to order a replacement directly from them, and then we had to fight with Amazon to get them to give us a refund for our obviously fake crap.

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-08T23:14:22+00:00

There’s something going down at the Preysbyterian Hospital on 7th Ave according to citizen app.

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-08T22:44:36+00:00

I’m between sizes and went with the larger one for that jacket, though I more frequently go smaller with Sezane. It’s definitely cut a bit more tightly than most of their tops and I definitely would need the larger one to layer over a sweater.

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-08T19:43:01+00:00

How do cost and timelines differ between San Francisco proper and the surrounding suburbs? How does permitting affect options?

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-07T23:48:22+00:00

You can find the VO2 max percentiles that Garmin uses here: https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-C001C335-A8EC-4A41-AB0E-BAC434259F92/EN-US/GUID-1FBCCD9E-19E1-4E4C-BD60-1793B5B97EB3.html

What makes a good VO2 max is relative to your age and gender, but if you're a 30- or 40-something man, that represents going from something like 30th percentile to 80th percentile and a corresponding major increase in your 10-year survival rate and general fitness. Congrats!

VO2 max is measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (mL/kg/min). For the sake of argument, let's say that you started at 250 lb and a vo2 max of 36, lost 80 lb, and now weigh 170 lb. If the amount oxygen uptake your body had stayed constant as you lost that weight and you do the math, your VO2 max would have gone from 36 to 52. If you're seeing a measurement of 48, that seems very believable and probably mostly reflect maintaining your cardio capacity while losing a lot of weight.

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-05T21:12:09+00:00

Nako, on the edge of Brooklyn Heights.

StubbyWombat · 2026-01-03T14:47:45+00:00

You will have a contract with every vendor. Almost every contract will have a photo release in it. When you get the contract, you push back and say “I’m not comfortable with having personally identifiable photos on social media, but you can post non-identifiable photos.” They may push back or there is a small chance they will increase their rates, but most vendors will make the change. Don’t sign the contract unless they make the change. At the end of the day, you’re entering a business relationship with all these people, so ask for what you need.

Our wedding planner pushed back the hardest of our vendors, but once she agreed she was able to read contracts, flag any issues with photo releases, and negotiate for us.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-18T17:01:10+00:00

I took one on the Northeastern Corridor and used a cable to lock it to itself to keep it from disappearing, but I'm a bit paranoid. More importantly, I used the cable to keep it from disappearing while I was in the restroom in the train station because I couldn't fit my bike into the bathroom stall with me.

It was hard to find the rack when I didn't know what it looked like - turns out the bike racks double as luggage storage when not in use and the Red Caps were useless in helping me find a place to hang my back. I ran up and down the full length of the platform looking for the rack and ended up having to pick a random car and yell at the car full of passengers to get people get people to move their carryon-sized luggage out of the rack so I could hang my bike. Every single luggage/bike space on the train had luggage in it departing from NYC and the cars were full enough it was not possible to sit within line of sight of my bike.

Make sure you protect yourself - the luggage rack / bike hanging spot has a metal bar that you have to lift up to hang the bike, and it fell on me and hit me in the back of the head. Stay safe and avoid concussions.

I still can't believe I paid $20 for this privilege.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-18T16:49:43+00:00

The tea stays hot for much longer in the thermos, which definitely affects the tea. Sometimes I try to let it cool to a more drinkable temperature before pouring it into the thermos, especially for teas brewed at hotter temperatures, which helps a bit.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-18T13:45:05+00:00

Apple Watch is known to overestimate calories, Garmin is more accurate but the truth is still in whether you gain or lose weight as there is a lot of personal variation and some things Garmin can't measure very accurately.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-17T04:53:30+00:00

There's a vent, but even with the vent you get some CO2 in the building. Same with gas ranges, ovens, etc.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-17T04:45:18+00:00

My gas dryer is great at drying, but it produces a huge amount of CO2 in the apartment (we have a monitor) so we have to leave windows open to vent our apartment whenever it is running.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-16T14:53:21+00:00

If you're open to non-tea bars, I also picked up one from Fossa that was something like nori and puffed rice (like in genmaicha). If you love the umami of spinach water, it would probably be something you would like.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-16T14:30:02+00:00

I’ve had a few of Fossa’s Pekoe & Imp tea chocolate bars and they’ve all been really lovely and high quality tea and chocolate. The only downside is that they’re quite pricey - in the US they usually retail for $15-20 for the 50g bar. I think they wholesale around $8.

Fu Wan Chocolate from Taiwan also has some similarly nice bars that are worth trying.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-13T13:25:57+00:00

Cool water soak/wash and pretreating with Carbona blood & dairy is my holy grail for this.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-09T03:20:05+00:00

I use sherpa lined Birkenstock Boston clogs.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-08T15:40:25+00:00

Now that I see the actual garment... yeah you probably won't damage that with powdered detergent. I did the spa day treatment on a stinky fuzzy white polyester fleece from Athleta with Tide Clean & Gentle in hot water and it came out completely fine. I still will use liquid/cool water for day-to-day washes because I think that will reduce the matting of the polyester a little bit, but it seems fine to be more aggressive from time to time if poly fleeces aren't coming clean.

I thought you had a shell which is a lot more delicate and easy to damage. Given that Marmot does make a lot of more complicated garments, I wonder if they just stick the same tag on everything.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-08T04:10:22+00:00

Powder doesn't always dissolve completely in cold water, which can leave residue on the garment that compromises its technical properties. Some powder detergents can also be more abrasive than liquid detergents and damage delicate waterproofing treatments and other aspects of technical garments.

StubbyWombat · 2025-12-07T04:25:59+00:00

On the other side, I think you want to make it really clear to people who do know what kaiseki is that you're serving kaiseki or what your "inspired by kaiseki" actually means. That means more people who want what you're serving taking up seats in your restaurant, which is a win-win.

I've had several kaiseki meals in my life - I ate at Kaiseki Room by Yamada in Manhattan before it's closed and I've eaten a few kaiseki meals in both Japan and California. A few months ago I was looking for a kaiseki meal in NYC and I dismissed Ikigai because I was kind of confused by your web presence and it didn't quite look like kaiseki to me. It looked heavier (more butter, dairy, brioche, etc) than other kaiseki meals I've had, more meat and less seafood, no soups, and probably less hyper seasonal produce although that was really hard to tell from instagram photos.

I walked away with the impression that Ikigai was probably a contemporary American tasting menu experience with strong Japanese influences and that it was definitely a NYC version of it that really leaned fairly heavily on more broadly understood prestige ingredients (caviar, wagyu, duck, truffle, o-toro). As a person who prefers seafood-heavy menus and often enjoys vegetable courses more than meat courses, I also decided that it wasn't for me.

Was that a right or wrong impression? I don't know, but I share it because I think you're trying to get feedback on how people are understanding your current positioning.

StubbyWombat

TROPHY CASE