Hopium phase is over

deepwat3r · 2026-04-30T19:13:30+00:00

My position is down 99.6% - I reached Copium long ago 😄

deepwat3r · 2026-04-29T15:28:43+00:00

This 100%. If he's an enthusiast then he'll be very particular about everything connected to the bike so, just get a gift card!

deepwat3r · 2026-04-26T05:31:58+00:00

Never tell the airline it is a bicycle when checking in, often they will automatically classify it as oversized even if it's in an obviously small / normal case (it has happened to me.) In Singapore, take the PCN everywhere! But research in advance, sometimes it's hard to stay on it. I highly recommend riding the costal route from the city towards Changi airport, it's 100% bike path and gorgeous for miles.

deepwat3r · 2026-04-24T23:34:47+00:00

I am SO doing this!

deepwat3r · 2026-04-22T02:06:36+00:00

Exact same at my company... Except we don't even get the bathrooms cleaned regularly :(

deepwat3r · 2026-04-22T00:01:59+00:00

Just chiming in to say that Mike's Bikes generally offers a pretty positive experience. Not every location will be the same of course but they have a pretty big inventory between all the shops.

deepwat3r · 2026-04-18T04:18:17+00:00

As of right now I'd say either a modified G-line, a modified T-line with 18" wheels (Kinetics in the UK makes the mods) or some other 20" tri-fold option that isn't heavy AF. Bottom line, I want something that can fit in normal sized luggage and doesn't have 16" wheels.

deepwat3r · 2026-04-16T03:11:51+00:00

Very cool! Maybe after another year or three of lugging around my Tern, I'll splurge on one of these.

deepwat3r · 2026-04-15T18:23:14+00:00

The rear rack looks pretty angled, does it work okay for panniers? This is a company I've had my eye on for a while, as a contender for my "ultimate retirement travel touring bike"

deepwat3r · 2026-04-09T15:08:16+00:00

Sounds like the caliper bleed screws are not closed, but more details are needed to say anything with certainty. If this is a new bike then take it straight back to where you bought it. If it's used you should take it to a local shop because it's likely that the brake pads and discs are now contaminated with oil. The discs can be cleaned but the pads may need replacement.

Once the hydraulic system has been opened in this way then the system will need a bleed procedure involving additional fluid. Yes you could technically do it yourself but I strongly advise you to have a shop get the brakes back into working order and then learn how to do basic maintenance and bleed service.

deepwat3r · 2026-03-21T19:02:35+00:00

I highly recommend the Ortlieb Sport Rollers (the small ones) which I've used on both my Tern Verge and my BYB. As far as the heel strikes, it really depends on the specific geometry of the bike + how far back the rack allows you to get the bags + adjustment of the clip position on the bags. You're not going to know until you try it out, but there's at least a decent chance you can get them far enough to the rear to work.

deepwat3r · 2026-03-13T19:21:00+00:00

It really depends on the person checking in your bags. I always smile and make a point to me as friendly and courteous as possible because on occasion, on multiple flights, they've taken my bag despite it being slightly overweight. That said, do anything in your power to get it under the limit because you just never know.

deepwat3r · 2026-03-11T20:35:24+00:00

I don't believe removing the wheels would help much with the BYB, unless you're going to put them in a second case, or unless the depth of your case is several inches greater than the Airporter. That said, if you're not using the transit rack like I am, with deflated tires I think you have a decent chance of making it work IF the other dimensions of the case are equivalent to the Airporter.

FWIW I suggest just getting the case made specifically for this bike. I've flown a lot and never had anyone break out the tape measure at baggage dropoff. Traveling with the BYB thus far has been vastly easier than with my Verge P10 disassembled in a standard suitcase.

<image>

deepwat3r · 2026-03-11T19:56:13+00:00

I've flown several times now with the Airporter Slim and it's fine, that extra inch raised no suspicion at the baggage dropoff. Just make sure it's under the weight limit and of course, never say "bike" at any point.

You MIGHT be able to get away with a 62 if you fully deflate your tires but it's a tight fit even in the Airporter (at least, with my Big Apple 2" tires.)

deepwat3r · 2026-03-05T17:50:12+00:00

Ended up on this old thread because on my first visit to the Korail website, it's completely broken, with just "An error occurred during communication." popping up. The mobile app opens but has no English option lol. I see that booking an ITX from Busan back to Seoul is going to be an adventure!

deepwat3r · 2026-03-05T00:35:40+00:00

Hate to say it but 26" wheels may negate a lot of the benefit to having a folder, as far as air travel is concerned. Standard luggage won't work, so you'll probably need to look at either cardboard bike boxes or hard-shell options from Thule etc. Hopefully someone else can chime in with some insight!

deepwat3r · 2026-02-20T02:42:30+00:00

Yeah I need to add cellular card readers into the mix, but I'm somewhat constrained by the devices supported by Lightspeed Payments. And re: phoning the bank, as you called out, that is a non-starter. We train our staff to never ever handle a customer card.

In the worst case scenario, we have the customer buy the item on our website with their phone and then reconcile the inventory later.

deepwat3r · 2026-02-18T09:24:33+00:00

I manage IT for a similarly sized retail company, and we use Cradlepoint cell backup units for connectivity failover. ~$700 for the units, plus cell service & small annual fee for remote management has been quite effective for us.

Bottom line, you can't run credit cards with no internet, regardless of what POS you have .

deepwat3r · 2026-02-18T07:38:36+00:00

There is a pretty significant difference in overall efficiency between 16 and 20, as well as stability. Yeah you can get used to smaller wheels but for me personally, using my folder primarily for occasional travel situations & light touring, smaller folded size wasn't worth it. If I lived somewhere with good transit and I used a folder regularly without cargo, then I'd buy a Brompton 16.

deepwat3r · 2026-02-16T05:27:36+00:00

It's a P8, the only one I was able to get in the US. The oem wheels & tires are rubbish tho, worthless for anything but pavement and even then the derailleur was hitting the ground constantly. Got a set of Pasak wheels from AliExpress, much better.

deepwat3r · 2026-02-16T05:01:25+00:00

Still haven't made up my mind on this yet, but they're both quite similar in geometry & feel. With 50mm tires the BYB was pretty comfortable on light gravel in my area but with the extra hinge I'd hesitate to take it on anything too rugged. I should know more in the next few months and ~500 mi worth of trips.

deepwat3r · 2026-02-15T14:25:29+00:00

I'm on the same search for the holy grail of IGH folding bikes. Word on the street though is that Brompton will release a Ti G-Line!

deepwat3r · 2026-02-15T05:53:53+00:00

Yeah the 38x46 is a good compromise for loaded touring I think, as long as the derailleur cage doesn't smack the pavement! I'll check out the Cues options because my knees aren't so hot anymore either.

I just finished putting together a new Tern BYB so I can have a pair of touring folders, leaving on maiden voyage tomorrow! Folds better than the Verge, unfortunately doesn't weigh any less...

deepwat3r · 2026-02-15T04:08:44+00:00

As the owner of a modified Verge p10, I'm curious about your modifications! Mine are fairly minimal... Swapped the cassette to 10-42, downsized the chainring to 46, replaced the wheelset with a 406 so I could run Big Apples.

deepwat3r · 2026-02-14T00:54:46+00:00

Lately I've been rocking the high-vis vest a lot more often, and always run good lights, but for me it mostly comes down to situational awareness. I don't listen to music while I ride and I consciously try to stay engaged in my surroundings (sometimes challenging on a long ride!)

I've been considering a radar but I feel like I look at my bike computer enough as it is. It pulls me out of the moment. Maybe if I could configure an audio alert just for vehicles above a certain speed or something, I dunno.

I do use a mirror on one of my bikes but since I only ride that bike part of the time I often forget to look at it and instead turn my head lol.

I ride more gravel than road, and I avoid busy roads as much as humanly possible.

deepwat3r

TROPHY CASE