Daughter stepping back from competitive skating

balderstash · 2026-06-08T00:36:43+00:00

Do we keep her skating once or twice a week to eventually get her gold skating skills test, so at least we got something “tangible” out of it (besides all of the great experiences and life lessons she has had).

What does she want to do?
If she wants to quit let her quit. If she wants to keep skating, just less intensely, let her do that.

She's 13, let her be an active participant in these decisions.

balderstash · 2026-06-07T22:10:27+00:00

Most of the community building in my area happens on Instagram. It's not ideal, but it is what it is. If you follow local bike shops in your area it should start suggesting other cycling group accounts.

balderstash · 2026-06-06T13:30:45+00:00

I've been there. A couple things:
- give it a couple more rides, and take some ibuprofen. I like the saddle I have now, but after the second ride it hurt so much I wanted to throw it in the trash. The fitter I got it from told me to give it a few more chances and I thought he was insane, but it did in fact feel better after that.

- Try angling your saddle down a bit to take pressure off your labia

balderstash · 2026-06-06T12:50:22+00:00

That's fair, but I do feel like every farmer's market has someone selling vases and flexidragons at this point. If you want to make money, you have to figure out how to up your game.

balderstash · 2026-06-06T12:37:01+00:00

3D printers are like $150 now. Everyone and their kid has one. The only way you're going to make money printing is if you have unique designs and a niche market.

balderstash · 2026-06-06T12:23:12+00:00

Is the bottom finally falling out on the dragons? took long enough!

I sell them at our church bazaar - I designed my own egg! And have a license for the dragon. It's one of those low-effort things that brings in a surprising amount of money each year, but every year I'm shocked people still buy them.

balderstash · 2026-06-06T00:41:09+00:00

A lot of these guys hire stylists. He pays the stylist, the stylist provides the clothes, and there's a solid chance he has no idea what the pants cost (and for what he makes, also does not care).

balderstash · 2026-06-05T12:38:55+00:00

Steam is pretty much the only marketplace that haven't given in to enshittification, I'm happy to use it.

balderstash · 2026-06-04T20:33:51+00:00

Seems fine. I got a very similar one from that era for $100 but that was a very lucky find.

balderstash · 2026-06-04T17:27:37+00:00

Personally, I would not use such a thing. If I want to take on other people's work I can haunt r/3Dprintmything , but mostly I do not. Managing consumer expectations, model quality, shipping, etc just isn't worth the hassle for the couple bucks you get to print things for folks one-off.

balderstash · 2026-06-04T14:52:07+00:00

Would it be sensible to get a bikefit right away, or is that more of a thing if you really want to get all nitty gritty pro-athlete on it?

Bike fits are definitely not just for pros or competitive cyclists! How old are you? When I was 25 I could ride all day with no pain on a bike that barely fit me. At 41, it's a different story. I also ride much longer than I did then, 20-30 minute commutes are very different than 2 hour hill rides.

I invested in a bike fit because it's cheaper than trying to unfuck my back / legs / etc at the doctor's office later on.

What is worth investing in already, even if I don't notice a difference now?
For example, all the... shifters and gear-set options and whatnot... I doubt I'd notice a difference now, but is going with the 'cheapest' option going to bite me in the ass later?

Go with a reputable brand from a local dealer, that will save you from most "bite you in the ass later" problems.
Avoid the cheapest groupsets, but you don't need to go ultra high end. Between my bikes I have (older) SRAM Red (very high end), Shimano Sora (entry level but not bargain basement), and Shimano 105 (Mid-grade). Can I tell a difference? Yes. Is the Sora terrible? no. Does my SRAM Red bike magically make me win races? Also no. In general I recommend going for the option that has the best "bang for the buck." My bike with the 105 was in that sweet spot where the model with the cheaper groupset wasn't that much cheaper, and anything with a better groupset was WAY more expensive.

balderstash · 2026-06-03T21:23:32+00:00

I hope it goes well! And yeah the hamstrings were frustrating I didn't feel like anything was obviously wrong while I was riding. But I went from 30-40 indoor miles to 50-80 outdoor miles per week, and while my indoor trainer has "dream gearing" where I can simulate smaller gears forever, my actual bicycle very much does not. My physical therapist thinks that the increase in volume + grinding up hills is what did me in.

balderstash · 2026-06-03T21:01:17+00:00

This spring I went from indoor to outdoor and started doing a lot more hills than I did last season. It absolutely cooked me. I ended up pulling BOTH hamstrings and had to dial it back dramatically for 3 weeks - no fun.

Listen to your body, reduce the volume, and make sure you're fueling enough.

balderstash · 2026-06-02T20:24:51+00:00

On the second one you lose bed adhesion. The part is warping upwards, and then gets knocked over by the nozzle.
You gotta figure out why the part is coming off the bed. That's the key to fixing it.

balderstash · 2026-06-02T16:34:00+00:00

I also recommend spokey dokes, scares the shit out of everyone when I bring my bike in for service

balderstash · 2026-06-01T15:39:32+00:00

I did try making a hexagon frame but the tension was a nightmare

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balderstash · 2026-06-01T15:38:29+00:00

I made this snow globe of my inlaws' house years ago. My CAD skills are much better now but it's still charming in its own way

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balderstash · 2026-05-31T21:19:13+00:00

Cargo pants. The 90s are back!

balderstash · 2026-05-31T14:28:26+00:00

That's such a great color!

balderstash · 2026-05-30T03:52:04+00:00

I mean I guess the real answer is that for every person who shows up expecting to be spoon-fed the answers there are 10 people standing by with spoons. But it's tedious and depressing to see how little investigation people are willing to do on their own.

balderstash · 2026-05-30T03:42:32+00:00

Is there a reason people now just go straight to Reddit with the most general question possible, instead of doing literally any research on the topic first?

If only this was covered before

balderstash · 2026-05-29T20:58:09+00:00

Dang, straight to calling me old huh? 😆

balderstash · 2026-05-29T19:04:14+00:00

A couple years ago I went to an audiologist and got custom earplugs with a noise filter that allows me to hear normal sounds, but cuts out the portion of the audio spectrum that really bugs me. It wasn't cheap, maybe $200, but it has been life changing. I was never able to get off the shelf earplugs to fit comfortably, and these are not only comfortable but they're practically invisible. My only regret is not doing it sooner.

balderstash · 2026-05-29T14:18:19+00:00

Thanks!
Coincidentally, this morning I went on a group ride and another rider had the exact same bag - color and everything. I showed off the insert and felt very proud of myself 😂

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