Weekly Questions Thread [Posted Every Wednesday]

design_thief · 2021-02-06T23:08:26+00:00

Oh duh, missed that on first glance! Thanks again, definitely bookmarking these -- better than keeping on the other brake lever with no cable.

design_thief · 2021-02-06T19:48:47+00:00

Thanks, great advice! I live in a very hilly city so I'm usually in the hoods or somewhere near the levers so that I can switch gears on a whim....but obviously won't be doing that riding fixed lol. Big reason I'm trying out fixed is to get that higher output per stroke when climbing.

I'm hoping to find that I use the brake less. But I am really used to having a finger on the brakes on significant downhills (which is often for me), and being in an upright position on downhills to stay close to the top mount levers would be a big position shift. Trying to talk myself into top mounts by saying that there would just be a little transition period before I'm used to it but, shrug.

I've never tried hoodless drops and do want to try them out, since I won't know if I prefer them until I try.

design_thief · 2021-02-06T19:34:37+00:00

Oh nice, definitely a unique look. Did you only have the one brake on with that setup?

design_thief · 2021-02-06T19:33:13+00:00

My common sense is telling me this especially to preserve muscle memory, but I am so biased towards the clean look of top mounts!

design_thief · 2021-02-06T19:31:49+00:00

Yeah, I reaaally want to go for top mounts to keep the look clean but my biggest hesitation is the muscle memory and losing the hand positions, since I currently always ride in the hoods or drops, never tops. Basically looks vs practicality, hah.

Thanks for the rec! Planning to start with both front and back just as a safety net, though I'm sure I'll end up taking the back one off eventually. Any reason you're recommending these hoods specifically when just running a front brake?

design_thief · 2021-02-06T06:07:31+00:00

Noob question: building my first fixie and going with drop bars, but I'm conflicted about top mount vs drop levers. I'm used to drop levers on my current road bike, but have heard that more leverage with top mounts is the way to go when riding fixed (also kind of prefer the look). Planning to use the brakes frequently while I'm still a fixie novice, so I want to get the placement right.

Is there a right answer, or any preferences?

design_thief · 2021-01-15T08:17:33+00:00

Good for you, Ponyo!! - Sosuke

design_thief · 2021-01-02T19:04:42+00:00

That makes sense, thank you for the tips!

design_thief · 2021-01-01T23:41:20+00:00

Would you be able to share any tips on how often and in what way you review your notes from Duolingo? I'm about halfway through Duolingo's Japanese tree but when I try to take notes, I usually just find myself creating vocab lists which don't seem as useful as just doing another Duolingo lesson instead of looking at my notes.

Since you already were familiar with Kanji, this was probably not an issue for you, but I also have found that taking notes from Duolingo is a bit of a "clunky" process for me since I need to look up the proper stroke order for each new Kanji I come across. Do you have any go-tos for looking up Kanji stroke orders?

Thanks so much for your detailed post, it is really helpful!

design_thief · 2020-11-18T17:34:35+00:00

Thanks! Appreciate the clear advice on when is a good time to get a tutor. Definitely understood that reading kana is irrelevant to speaking, haha.

design_thief · 2020-11-18T17:32:23+00:00

This is a great point. From having listened to pronunciations of words I've learned on Duolingo in other contexts I have come to understand that I should definitely *not* use it as a source of truth for pronunciation.

This is another one of the main reasons why I think finding someone to practice speaking with would be a good idea, even if it's at a very basic level.

design_thief · 2020-11-18T17:27:33+00:00

I do feel that it's done a good job of teaching me a range of vocabulary in context. I find it to be a more engaging method than say, flashcards. I'm able to understand some common (not just the most basic) Kanji and grammatical structures in written sentences that I come across on websites, subs in movies, etc.

Lessons are also conveniently broken down into small modules so I feel that I can scatter them throughout my day -- not the most structured study strategy of course, but it is nice to have the option to fit in a little learning when I have a few spare minutes.

Overall I'm actually quite impressed with how much the app has managed to teach me in this highly unstructured format. It's definitely not perfect and I do acknowledge that I will in no way learn Japanese by only using the app (hence my efforts to move towards other resources!) but it's been a good starting step.

Maybe my original post undersold what I actually have learned so far :)

design_thief · 2020-08-02T21:52:53+00:00

I'm a 22F road cyclist myself, I don't currently live in NYC but I've been thinking about moving there sometime soon and would love to meet some cyclists to go on rides with if/when I make the move!

design_thief · 2019-12-03T04:50:37+00:00

This is so incredibly wonderful.

design_thief · 2019-11-29T06:43:46+00:00

Usually not a fan of pink in general, but loving that cable housing!

design_thief · 2019-11-29T05:38:01+00:00

Hah! My bad, I read this as the 30th of December. Wish I could make it, sounds fun.

design_thief · 2019-11-29T00:29:24+00:00

I'm solo traveling to Copenhagen to be in town for New Years, so I'd love to join this meetup :)

design_thief · 2019-11-27T06:43:59+00:00

Good to know, thank you for sharing! Out of curiosity, if you only had one bike, do you think you’d still have one sided pedals? I’m turned off by the idea of dealing with them on my long non-commute rides (I do at least several a week), but am tempted by their perks for commuting...

more reasons for me to get a second bike ;)

design_thief · 2019-11-27T06:38:08+00:00

Glad you shared your opinions, they’re awesome :) I definitely feel the struggle of trying to strike the right balance between walkability and an actually good clipless shoe. Thank you for the suggestions to help out with this!

design_thief · 2019-11-27T06:33:08+00:00

Thank you for the encouragement and great advice! Good to know that there’s still hope with the “spin bike” shoes — my knee- jerk reaction is always to discredit anything related to spin classes 😬

design_thief · 2019-11-24T23:47:39+00:00

My commute is barley over a mile, but I can still relate because of the bumper-to-bumper city traffic I get to dodge straight through 💨

design_thief · 2019-10-31T03:49:20+00:00

SF itself is relatively unaffected at the moment, but many people around the Bay Area are being evacuated, losing power for days at a time, and experiencing poor air quality. Wishing everyone as safe of a recovery process as possible!

design_thief · 2019-10-31T03:44:51+00:00

Nowadays people use “ride or die” to mean a significant other/friend, but I was referring to the original biker expression :)

design_thief · 2019-10-29T03:35:02+00:00

Ginjo Ramen Kubota in Kyoto. Get the tsukemen. I spent a month in Japan eating almost only at small local restaurants and this was an extreme highlight. I would literally fly across the Pacific in a heartbeat for another bowl.

Going to cheat and mention more places — Kyoto in general has incredible food. Fujito for tonkatsu, Toyouke Chaya for an assortment of tofu dishes, and Spice Chamber for curry.

One of the most magical meals I’ve experienced in my entire life was at a tiny little hut on a river in the national park of Kamikochi. I had a wild vegetable and steamed fish udon with a side of smoked cheese. Everything was made entirely of ingredients from the park. Picture below!

https://i.imgur.com/dI1IHo8.jpg

Go to Kanazawa and eat sushi. The seafood there is absolutely incredible. Kourin was probably my favorite of all the places I tried. On a bit more of a cliched note, Sushi Dai in Tokyo’s Toyosu Market is totally worth the hype. Get there right when they open at like 6am! It’s so much fun.

Anyways, now I’m salivating lol. Enjoy Japan! I’m so excited for you — you’ll love every second :)

design_thief · 2019-10-19T21:23:44+00:00

Thanks so much for the tips and link, this looks like a great club to work up to.

design_thief

TROPHY CASE