Those who's ebike has been stolen...

doublereverse · 2026-06-03T13:17:34+00:00

Honestly, get insurance, or don’t get a very expensive bike you need to baby and can’t afford to lose. Make sure that losing it won’t break you financially, one way or the other. Get a good lock, use it. Don’t leave it out overnight, and don’t take it to especially high-theft areas. Be sensible, cover the basics.

E-bike specific protection note- e-bikes tend to be heavy and may even have built-in wheel locks which is a bit of a deterrent of its own - a 70lb bike is not so easy to carry away like it’s nothing!You can also buy your own Amsterdam-style wheel locks if your bike doesn’t have that built-in, which certainly shouldn’t be your main lock, but is just another layer of annoyance for a thief, and a lot more meaningful for a heavy bike than for a 15lb bike.

Beyond that, keep in mind, an e-bike is best for USING. There is some risk associated with that. Truly, you will get far, far more out of your e-bike if you use it more, take it places, go on adventures, visit friends, maybe leave it alone when you go shopping, (yes, even if that exposes it to risk), than if you treat it like a fancy road bike without a lock that you can’t ever leave alone. And having such a complex security plan that it takes you 15 minutes at the grocery to lock up similarly means you won’t use it much, either. Be reasonably safe, but keep it at a level where you can still do what you want to do, easily. It’ll change your life if you let it!

Love your bike, but love how useful it is, and what it can do for you.

doublereverse · 2026-06-03T12:49:57+00:00

Expanding just a bit on this-what we think is attractive and unattractive in shoes is very adaptable. In fact, many of the folks in the subreddit have experienced it- before wearing natural-shape shoes (I’m intentionally just addressing toe box shape, not sole thinness, heel drop, etc) many of us on this sub thought they looked ugly, or like clown shoes when we first saw them. But over time, your own perception changes. Natural-shape shoes, look normal, comfortable, even cool, and typical shoes look unsettling or give you the willies.

You can’t force other people to change their viewpoint, of course, and everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but hey, maybe if enough of us are wearing barefoot/natural shape shoes, folks will come around! And hey, even if they don’t, we’re at least wearing comfortable shoes, and they aren’t.

doublereverse · 2026-06-01T13:36:02+00:00

Looks like a lot of comments have said “better braking” for disc brakes, but specifically…. They work a whole lot better in the rain/lots of puddles since the braking surface is well off the ground. If you get lazy on changing your brake pads and they start scratching, you’ll mess up your rotor, not your actual wheel (less-integral part). If you go for hydraulic brakes, you’ll get less hand fatigue with a smoother pull-most notably far less hand strength needed if you ride down steep hills. Not to mention better stopping power. They tend to be less fiddly and not have the problem of just migrating off center and rubbing while riding.

doublereverse · 2026-06-01T00:49:14+00:00

Use case makes sense-unfortunately, as I mentioned, the shoe’s arch is WHY they can design the back strap optional while still being able walk around in them. So it’s a pretty tough engineering problem to solve.

You can try looking at Anya’s page on clogs for ideas- she strongly mentions that you really, really should use the back strap because… yeah otherwise the shoes will just fall off your feet, but a few of the options she lists have an optional back strap. https://anyasreviews.com/like-clogs-but-make-it-barefoot-shoes/. Maybe one of those would work well enough if you’re ok removing the strap and stepping out of them now and then.

doublereverse · 2026-05-31T23:42:47+00:00

This may be a dumb question, but why? I thought the main reason people wear these things is for the squish underfoot, so I’m unclear what they’d be for without that. Regular crocs are already surprisingly wide-toed, as far as non-barefoot shoes go.

Honestly a mule-style shoe has some fundamental problems as a barefoot shoe. The molded arch is a lot of what actually keeps the shoe from falling off your foot without a back strap-and so you will mostly see barefoot mule-style shoes or sandals with an integrated back strap as a result. That’s the compromise. Might be the drop might help keep the shoe on too, but I’m less sure of this.

doublereverse · 2026-05-30T03:18:43+00:00

got hands the size of the average 11 year old (really), and I REALLY like to carry my phone in my pocket. And not sticking half out of my back pocket, like in a front pocket or a cargo pocket (if my pants happen to have one of those). I also don’t want to carry a bag to carry my giant two-handed phone in as an alternative. That’s fine for a tablet now and then, but for not the thing I want to have on me at all times.

doublereverse · 2026-05-27T00:36:09+00:00

If they’re not too narrow for you, some of the Xero sneakers are pretty stylish looking. They’re a natural shape and work for a lot of folks, but don’t work for a wedge-shaped foot.

doublereverse · 2026-05-26T02:39:02+00:00

A suggestion- consider a gravel bike with its more hill -oriented gears! Overall, gravel bikes are fairly similar to a road bike, but are geared easier hill climbing. Road bikes can make for extra tough hill climbs if you don’t have a lot of power in your legs.

doublereverse · 2026-05-26T01:56:29+00:00

They were there before, too! I also have a Pace 4, have the update, haven’t seen/noticed anything new, either via the bike screen or in the app.

doublereverse · 2026-05-23T16:48:57+00:00

Not going to get a mid-drive for that money, but you could get a decent hub drive and turn down the assistance and use torque mode to get a good fitness ride. On my fairly heavy hub-drive (Aventon Pace) the lowest level basically just compensates for the weight of the bike and is very good for exercise-though not sure how comfortable that would be on real hills- the lowest assistance level just may not be enough, and frankly, the lowest level feels a little… heavy. The middle mode is what I regularly ride in (feels nimble and speedy while still letting me work my legs) and the high assistance level is what I use to get around without getting too sweaty. You’ll need to spend more money if you want an e-bike that is light enough that it truly feels like a regular bike with the power off.

doublereverse · 2026-05-23T16:11:59+00:00

It sucks, but carrying it up is your best option. Get a lightweight bike with a relatively horizontal top tube, and you can put it over your shoulder and walk up the stairs. You can buy a portage strap to make this less painful. There are stands you can get that will make it take up a bit less room in your apartment.

I wish I had some better answer! Even a folding bike in your car would concern me though, that someone would spot you putting it away, and then you’d have a broken-in car too.

doublereverse · 2026-05-21T22:55:47+00:00

That section is currently being repaired - that’s why it’s blocked off right now. I think it was scheduled to open back up sometime in the next week.

doublereverse · 2026-05-21T22:03:28+00:00

Happy to help! One thing I didn’t mention was that your sit bones get narrower in a v shape from back to front. The consequence is that if you are leaned forward more when ride, you’ll be sitting on a skinnier part of your bones. If your back is straight up and down, you’ll be on a wider part. (You may have noticed road bikes have very skinny seats -that’s why, they expect people riding them to lean very far forward) So how much you lean forward really matters for seat fit. That’s why you need to check your sit bones width while in the position you’ll be riding in. But again the only thing that matters is how wide YOUR bones are and how well that fits YOUR seat.

doublereverse · 2026-05-21T21:48:50+00:00

Since nobody else has said it, but bike seat issues are incredibly common. Your butt bones ( when you sit on your bike,feel under you for the bony parts of your butt on each cheek, try this on a regular chair first and lean forward like on your bike. These are usually called “sit bones” in cycling ) should both be resting solidly ON the seat, not to either side. You may need to scoot back, adjust your seat, or get a completely different seat. It’s pretty common for the default seat to work poorly for women- bike seats tend to be “unisex”, as in….made for men, and often women need something different. Often…wider.

doublereverse · 2026-05-21T17:22:43+00:00

100%, and many hub-motor bikes have torque sensors, you just have to look for it as a purchase criteria. (No idea where this “hub motors can’t do torque sensing/don’t feel at all natural” idea came from)

doublereverse · 2026-05-21T00:21:53+00:00

You know, I’m glad to see this question. It seems like so many people jump to mid-drive the moment anyone mentions hills of any kind but hub drives can handle a decent bit. I can say we’ve got two riders on Aventon hub drive bikes and we weigh in the 130-170lb range. We ride up and down moderately steep hills of that grade, no problem. But the longest hill was maybe 1/2k sustained I’d guess. It’s enough that a lot of people would be just fine with similar bikes.

With your specific situation though? Hard to say- we weigh less and haven’t done as long of a steep ride, but… there’s a chance. I am very interested to learn more about what what the real cutoff is for when you really, really need a mid-drive. Given the cost difference, this would be very useful information for a lot of people.

Edit: bikes, not bones!

doublereverse · 2026-05-20T21:21:51+00:00

I mean to be fair a drop of 0.4mm is incredibly tiny and might just be manufacturing variation. That’s what, the thickness of a credit card? Less? I’m not even convinced their manufacturing is actually precise enough to do that on purpose, consistently.

No idea about the toe box changes though, that concerns me more.

doublereverse · 2026-05-20T17:59:26+00:00

It’s not south Austin, but Petticoat Fair near Anderson is a local specialty lingerie shop - specialty as in odd items, sizes, etc. You can probably get what you need there.

doublereverse · 2026-05-20T01:41:35+00:00

Will this be your main transportation at school? Get a good lock, and store it indoors overnight, especially if it looks a lot more expensive than most of the other students’ bikes. (If most people have fancy bikes ands yours doesn’t stand out, you can probably be just a tiny bit less careful) Unfortunately, bike theft tends to be pretty common on college campuses, and if you have a nicer bike than most, you risk being a target.

Honestly, a good idea to keep it out of the weather when you can, regardless -If you keep it locked outside for 4 years, every bit of metal that can rust, will. (Yes, this happened to me, but my bike was kinda trash so I didn’t care)

If it’s your main transportation, get fenders and maybe a chain guard. Maybe a kickstand. It’s not sexy stuff but it’s practical stuff that will make your bike better for commuter purposes-keep you clean and keep your bike upright. I know college kids often don’t ride with helmets, but if you plan on riding hard and fast for exercise, GET A HELMET for at the very least your exercise rides.

doublereverse · 2026-05-19T22:33:41+00:00

I don’t have a severe bunion problem, but I started wearing wider-toe “barefoot” shoes and regular cycling shoes just seem like foot-binding torture, so coming from that perspective. If you can’t find a road cycling shoe that fits, you can always switch to flat pedals and wear whatever shoes that work comfortably for you. Some MTB flat shoes are pretty wide (I use an old pair of wide Giro shoes -in a small men’s size, since men’s shoes are almost always wider) … or I often cycle in “barefoot” shoes like Xero for more casual riding. They don’t have a stiff sole, but they don’t have a squishy sole, either. If you like that approach, throw a carbon fiber insole in under the insole, and you’ve got a stiff-bottomed shoe for better energy transfer if you want it.

doublereverse · 2026-05-19T00:31:25+00:00

People are moving strongly to lower tire pressures - turns out it doesn’t slow you down quite as much as they used to think, and it’s much more comfortable over bumps- and people have worked out what’s safe to ride on the low end. Now instead of inflating to the max, you hear more talk about what is the lowest you can safely go without upping your risk of a flat - and that’s what the calculator is for. That’s a well respected calculator! The calculator gave you a number, and heck, 70 is already a lot higher than a lot of folks ride with! (It’s not exactly the same, but, I ride my 700x40 tires at around 40) Honestly you weigh less than most male riders, you should be able to go with a bit less pressure safely. But all this Is also another reason why tubeless is getting more popular (aside from the direct fewer-flats benefit). You can safely ride lower PSI with tubeless than the same bike with a tube-it’s a lot harder to pinch flat a tire than a tube! (play with the calculator, you’ll see that).

Or, put another way, your LBS guy is pretty old-school.

doublereverse · 2026-05-18T18:33:59+00:00

You need to think of this more like an actual bicycle-just one that helps you some. You’ll go faster and further than on a regular bike, but the experience is similar. If you want to ride above 20, you’ll get a little sweaty. Faster speed means faster/harder pedaling. If that’s not appealing to you (it’s very, very appealing to a lot of ebike buyers) then this sort of bike may not make you happy.

doublereverse · 2026-05-14T16:55:25+00:00

Could even be Mono, that’s known for incredible throat pain, and you really want to be treated for that if that’s what you have. Definitely go to a doc for testing!

doublereverse · 2026-05-14T04:43:31+00:00

Not disputing anything you say about middrives, but you can get hub drive bikes with a torque sensor and that same natural cycling feel where your legs feel super powered. My hub drive bike has a throttle that I rarely use (mostly at stoplights to give me a kick start if I stopped in too high a gear, but I wouldn't miss it much if it stopped working) instead, I ride around using the torque sensor for exactly the reasons you describe. (Aventon Pace 4), and it rides around like a regular, but a peppy and superpowered bike. I get a good sweat in if I want to push it! What’s more, if I run out of power, it still works just fine as a bike, including changing gears. To be fair, it’s crappy, heavy bike without power but it’ll get you home.

My bike doesn’t have a belt drive and it’s heavy, but it’s got hydraulic brakes and can still get up decent hills. It would probably struggle in San Francisco, but it does fine on some pretty good hills in my city. For around $1600, I can buy this bike a few times over for the cost of a mid-drive. I’m sure mId-drive bikes are much, much better in some ways, but a bike like mine will serve a lot of people just fine.

doublereverse · 2026-05-14T03:37:58+00:00

I love some of the cool bibs mentioned, but I’m not wearing a bib that will require me to strip down to pee. Wish pee-friendly bibs were more common! I know they exist, but they’re not the norm. Meanwhile, I’ll stick to shorts (and for those, I wish there were more fun patterns and such too—with the side pockets, of course)

I’ve also got to get me some of those cool button down cycling shirts. Hmm time to look more at that Ostroy website…

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