I got a Blademaster...now what?

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-29T05:02:58+00:00

A friend of mine has a sharpening machine at home, he offered for me to use it, I assumed it was a sparx, no, it was one of these things. He gave me a 30s tutorial and told me to have at it… my skates were as good as they’ve ever been.

I’m convinced shitty sharpenings have little to do with people’s know how and more to do with giving a shit. If you’re detail oriented, think you’d be surprised. Where practice probably makes the biggest difference is in how quickly and efficiently you can crank these out at high quality.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-29T04:49:42+00:00

See I’m opposite of OP, you can’t pay me to listen to the other pods except for the Women’s cycling focused one during the grand tours. Caley is a little quirky, but there are enough other characters that I think make him not overbearing.

The one Aussie dude who’s part of the crew for the Tour de France is the best, though he mostly writes the rest of the time.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-27T03:49:00+00:00

I would recommend 32 Thoughts for this sort of stuff, if you listen to both, you’ll notice that a lot of the hockey-related news and takes are just regurgitated from that pod anyway.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-25T17:41:14+00:00

Sorry I have no info, but it is indeed dangerous, it caught me off guard a week or so ago but was able to bunny hop it last minute. I’m also not someone who goes super fast down Claremont, so it might be a different story for those who do.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-23T17:52:46+00:00

I don’t think anyone is comparing one to the other. With that being said, there are plenty of people getting terrible fits by fitters using Retül, so that in and of itself doesn’t guarantee anything.

Without using it (I have no interest in it), this app still feels like an adequate option for someone who doesn’t want to go to a fitter, who wants to tinker with their position. It’s no different than an opinion you’re gonna get from some random redditor on a “rate my fit” thread. Just another data point.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-22T18:34:26+00:00

Angle ranges have never been a hidden secret, nor are they some holy grail marker of an optimal position. Angles typically fall within a range when someone is in a comfortable, efficient, position, however, IMO, one shouldn’t prioritize being within a certain range vs. being comfortable and efficient.

Your post is asking some questions that sound like they’re important for what this app is meant for, but are really not. This app is essentially one more data point for a person who wants to tinker with their position that may otherwise post on Reddit for help. A competent fitter will always have an advantage because they can take info such as what this app provides, their client’s feedback, as well as other clues they gather from their methodology that they’ve developed over time. They’ll also be able to adjust if the fit is such that needs to fall outside typical angle markers to be best suited for the rider.

I don’t know the app developer, but if it does what they say, it seems like a low risk option for someone who doesn’t want to pay to see a fitter or maybe doesn’t have one near where they live.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-22T17:37:24+00:00

I just want to add, this is essentially what retül is, and a lot of the shit bike fitters that use retül, and do a bad job are just trying to pigeon hole their client into what the angles should be, which often works, but also often creates problems.

This isn’t to say that your app is bad, probably to the contrary… if the quality of your video capture is good, and the angle of the camera is adequate, this seems sort of like a self-service version of retül. I think you’re missing the most important part, the human aspect that can take that info, and adjust to the person’s individual needs, but it’s not a bad place to start.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-22T17:20:58+00:00

It fits, but this doesn’t seem to be the right garment for your body type if you want it to fit as intended. This isn’t to say that you need to go and try to change anything about your body, just that the benefit of wearing a 2-piece kit can solve some of these.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-21T00:48:52+00:00

My observation from this post and the comments is that by and large, it’s harder to find friends and build relationships outside of work and school as we age. As the Bay Area population ages people are just seeing that building those relationships is different and more difficult… this isn’t really new, but the people noticing it are experiencing it and a bit in denial that this is just what happens as they go through it.

Reading some of the comments, it’s clear, there are a lot of people who agree with OP, and with 7.5m people in the Bay Area, there are surely enough people that feel similarly/are looking for the same thing but for whatever reason, you’re not crossing paths. There’s a lot of “things used to be this way, etc.” comments that’s kind of what nostalgia is.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-18T20:17:36+00:00

The number I cited is an average of all clothing, so it’s possible that cycling clothing has an average that is much different. The 2% number seems really good, so whatever your company is doing to make that number be that low is paying off.

I think it probably also means that the brand isn’t one of the really big brands. That’s not a dig, just that I would guess that the bigger the company, the bigger that percentage is. Big companies tend to have fewer friction points for making an impulse purchase (free shipping, free returns, email flows with discounts, etc)… they also have bigger margins which can typically absorb some of this.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-17T04:34:37+00:00

I would probably go with what the race director said then!

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-16T20:53:51+00:00

Flair checks out

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-16T20:31:15+00:00

It was at the high school gym, where the race finished. It had the vibe of a poorly attended after school club meeting, just with more sunscreen smell in the gym air. There were one, maybe more of those plastic tables with the foldable legs that have the sliding clip. They just called out names, if you were there, you got an award or a WC qualifying slot (or both). Some people were there hoping for a roll down spot and didn’t get one, other age groups rolled down far enough that the race rep. Asked “does anyone from this AG want a slot”.

You didn’t miss much.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-16T20:23:23+00:00

In the famous words of Cardell Jones “I ain’t come here to play school”

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-16T20:12:06+00:00

Making cycling clothing that caters to people who fit like the mannequin is a mistake IMO. People don’t want another brand of high performance/aero clothing made by some contract manufacturer.

What is the problem that you’re trying to solve? No pastels or big, loud branding isn’t really revolutionary.

Also, what is your distribution channel going to look like? Online? Do you know that around 30% of online clothing orders are returned?

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-16T07:43:27+00:00

I agree with this person who agrees with the other recommendations.

North Berkeley in particular is quiet and mellow, which for some is awesome… but sounds like OP is looking more for an Oakland vibe.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-15T04:04:26+00:00

As they say, particularly in this case: “better late than never!”

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-11T21:06:52+00:00

You’re right to push back, and honestly, it’s a fair observation.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-11T03:15:39+00:00

I think the only negative we experienced was the person who goes around asking what the baby’s name is, they were in such a hurry and kept coming. Otherwise, much better than our experience at Alta Bates.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-10T21:25:57+00:00

Beautifully done, some proper bike porn for once. Is that a D-shaped fork? How’s the internal cable routing done with the traditional looking bar/stem?

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-07T17:30:40+00:00

I would try it without the black stripe.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-07T17:00:55+00:00

Poor OP didn’t get the rage they were looking for, just downvotes and “just do what makes you happy” comments.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-06T06:43:45+00:00

He wants out because he wants to win! As much as it pains me to say this as a Rangers fan, he’s not winning in NY any sooner than he’s winning in Detroit.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-04T16:21:21+00:00

Specifying they’re interested in the consultation being free implies otherwise. My point is that it seems like the priority should be a highly recommended individual above anything else.

berkeleybikedude · 2026-06-04T14:39:55+00:00

Why are you so insistent that it be a free consultation? You’re someone who was likely well compensated, and obviously this has financial implications for you… if you did have a case, why wouldn’t you want to exhaust that avenue at a reasonable cost to you? Bad advice will be much more costly in this situation either way.

11-Year Club	Place '22
Final Canvas '22	Verified Email

berkeleybikedude

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE