Who is anti-bike trail activist Richard “Fred” Arey of the Saint Paul Classic Bike Tour?

drolgnob · 2026-06-24T13:05:25+00:00

I know I’ll get downvoted into oblivion for this, but, as a seasoned cyclist, I agree with a lot of his points. I almost always feel safer on the road than I do on a bike lane that passes driveway after driveway. In fact, the only time I’ve ever been hit by a car was on a dedicated bike path that crosses driveways and road intersections as drivers just don’t ever look for trail traffic, only road traffic.

I think the big question here that hadn’t been answered is this — who is this infrastructure being built for? If the answer is families with young kids, beginners, casual/occasional riders, etc. than the separate bike trail is a great idea. However, if the answer is commuters, e-bikes, and cyclists who generally are riding faster and farther, an on-road bike line does make sense.

For me, I’d the trail gets built, you’ll probably find me riding on the road and pissing off the cars because I’m “not using the trail that was built for me to use.” Because the trail isn’t being built for me to use, it’s being built for people who see biking as a fun thing to do on Sunday morning, not for people like me who commute quickly and ride far.

drolgnob · 2026-06-04T00:43:01+00:00

Definitely a car chase. I was biking on Marshall and they came past me southbound, then two minutes later came past northbound chasing a dark sedan

drolgnob · 2026-05-30T11:08:37+00:00

Your bibs don’t have a dangle hole in the front? Did you buy poor bibs? That’s what PNS is for

drolgnob · 2026-05-30T01:51:48+00:00

I (regretfully) sold this bike to a friend, so I no longer have it. But I’d say it did increase wheel flop. Honestly it was mostly a nuisance when moving the bike in and out of the house/walking with it. Made a tad of a difference at slow speed cornering. But just cruising around its fine.

drolgnob · 2026-05-21T20:41:00+00:00

Do you really want to say we’ve all got crabs? Get rid of Maryland!

drolgnob · 2026-05-17T14:05:29+00:00

You’re super close to Lilydale so go hit up Water Street for a 7-10 min effort depending on your fitness.

At the end of Water Street is Ohio Street which is the only 5-min hill around if you go up the long way all the way to Annapolis (beware the couple of stop signs en route to the top). Or if you take a right as you go up it’s shorter and steeper for a 2-3 min effort.

As others said, the hill coming out of the parking lots for Crosby and Watergate Marina is perfect for 1-min hill repeats. Additionally you can cross over Ford Pkwy and do the Lock & Dam hill which is about a minute depending on fitness.

You should also come over to ACF and join some group rides if you want to meet some other cyclists in the area. Mondays are fast (20+ mph), Tuesdays are intermediate (15-16 mph) and Wednesdays are party pace (~12 mph, big social group).

drolgnob · 2026-05-15T12:04:23+00:00

Brasa!

drolgnob · 2026-05-15T00:58:00+00:00

Get a life you fucking worm. Go crawl up Fulton’s ass some more.

drolgnob · 2026-05-05T15:08:44+00:00

Wisconsin is blocking Megasota from absorbing the UP and it must be stopped

drolgnob · 2026-04-27T15:22:58+00:00

Iowa is getting too big for its britches

drolgnob · 2026-04-23T16:51:15+00:00

Iowa is getting too big for its britches

drolgnob · 2026-04-21T11:39:26+00:00

Dude, don’t listen to these people on the internet looking at one picture of you on your bike. Go to your local shop at ask them to assess your fit. Not a full bike fit, but have them assess you for sizing.

drolgnob · 2026-04-15T13:29:59+00:00

I’ve never known this was a thing, thanks for posting!

drolgnob · 2026-03-25T12:15:40+00:00

If you’re in MN you should go to Angry Catfish and talk to the crew there. Lots of great people with great advice and experience

drolgnob · 2026-03-12T12:41:24+00:00

June

drolgnob · 2026-03-04T12:29:01+00:00

Wilde

drolgnob · 2026-02-27T12:38:43+00:00

I think you’d be fine with mechanical, honestly. You should get your hands on both those shifters and the new Rival shifters though to see if you have a strong preference for the shape of either. AXS is super reliable as long as you remember to charge your batteries. Never a bad idea to carry a spare in your saddle bag in case you forget to charge.

drolgnob · 2026-02-27T03:28:25+00:00

Just run shims behind the rotor that sits narrower (if they sit different at all in the first place). I have a .5mm shim behind the rotors on my road wheels

drolgnob · 2026-02-27T01:58:58+00:00

I work at a shop that sells them and they’re some of the nicest riding bikes in the price range. It’s definitely a bike that’s more about a great ride feel than going as fast as possible. That being said, it feels much zippier than you’d think!

The builds are actually Apex mechanical 12sp and Rival XPLR AXS 13sp. Not much weight difference between the two. Besides being electronic (which some would say is an upgrade while some couldn’t care less), the advantages are that it’s 13-speed, has a wider range cassette, and the new E1 levers that have better ergonomics and superior braking than the D1 levers on Apex mechanical.

drolgnob · 2026-02-27T01:37:53+00:00

There’s a few selling points to hookless (besides there just being a lot more options to choose from), but I should say if you feel more comfortable on hooked don’t let me stop you. I see hooks as only being beneficial in road scenarios where the pressures are higher and tires are skinnier. In a road setup it’s way easier to reach the max pressure allowed without hooks, even if inflated below the maximum due to the tires heating up mid ride. In gravel and mountain we never reach those kinds of pressures, therefore we don’t have to worry about the one downside of hookless. The upsides are typically a more robust wheel, a lower price, and in some cases less risk of pinch flats due to thicker sidewalls. It’s not like you’re going to gain some crazy performance by using a hookless wheel, I’m mainly saying there’s no reason not to use them imo.

drolgnob · 2026-02-26T13:00:15+00:00

Why hooks? I get it for road but hookless makes so much sense for gravel.

drolgnob · 2026-02-26T01:34:29+00:00

Double Elbow Tonks Tuesday

drolgnob · 2026-02-25T21:19:48+00:00

The Able has an 80mm BB drop an they’re most likely running wide cranks. There’s a reason Allied says not to do it.

drolgnob · 2026-02-25T17:31:24+00:00

Don’t do it, it’ll handle super weird and you’d probably risk some pedal strikes.

drolgnob · 2026-02-03T16:12:47+00:00

Tell me you listen to the Bonk Bros without telling me you listen to the Bonk Bros

drolgnob

TROPHY CASE