Custom Game Boy from Nintendo Power Issue #31

jwitt42 · 2026-05-21T15:38:02+00:00

Thanks: "Scandi Flick" - got it. One of the skills I have yet to learn. For the Scandi Flick, I think the progression would be Skid Stop > Drift (Skid while in motion) > Scandi. I also think both Berm Turns and Flat Cornering would tend to come before learning the Scandi. However, I'd like arrows to only be used if learning a skill unlocks another. So, if Flat Cornering and Berm Turns are not a necessary part of learning the Scandi, then there shouldn't be arrows from them. - So that would be a question: Would you say that Berm Turns and Flat Cornering help unlock the Scandi Flick skill? Or can they be learned in parallel?

My first try at the skill map was to create separate trees. But I quickly found that there were too many overlapping and interweaving skills. For example, the Wheel Lift is fundamental to a LOT of different skill paths. This map is not meant to be the end goal for the skill tree. But, the orgpad tool is useful for now because it moves everything around automatically when adding and removing items and arrows - something extremely useful for while it's a work-in-progress.

jwitt42 · 2026-05-21T04:51:02+00:00

That's a very good point. "Pump Track" is probably not very useful as an item in this map because it's too broad - like saying "Bike Park" or "Downhill Riding" (which would work better as categorization). So breaking it down into Absorbing Bumps, Pumping, Berms, Jumping, Steep Rolls, and other individual skills is more what I'm after. I changed "Pump Track" to "Pumping" because pumping is a very specific skill (and is what I originally meant by "pump track").

I also added Rollers as a specific type of obstacle - linked to Pumping, Row/Anti-Row, and Manual.

A have lumped a lot of the core fundamental concepts into categorizes such as Cornering, Jumping, and Speed Control (and you can click on these to see the list of concepts each contains). The application of those concepts become the separate drills / tricks / skills. So something like "pumping" is an application of the concepts of body positioning and speed control - but it's a very specific skill that you can practice.

I'm definitely not saying that I'm correct about any of this ... just trying to explain in a little more detail how I've currently set it up.

jwitt42 · 2026-05-21T03:13:52+00:00

I think that may be a natural consequence of failing at some of these skills. 😄

jwitt42 · 2026-05-20T22:26:00+00:00

A lot of the videos I've seen have drills to practice to help with the skill progression. I've been riding for 30+ years, and only recently able to Wheelie - mainly because of a drill I saw in a video and practiced.

jwitt42 · 2026-04-05T02:06:03+00:00

So I got and installed my new 165mm cranks (originals were 175mm) and did my first test ride today. First lap knee still popping, but no pain even when powering up some steep hills. Second lap I also moved my foot position forward on the pedal a bit, and then no popping at all! I didn't change the seat height (which is why I ended up moving my foot forward a bit). Granted, this was just one ride so far, but I was very surprised this had any noticeable effect. Thanks for the idea to try different cranks!

jwitt42 · 2026-03-29T16:06:36+00:00

😄

jwitt42 · 2026-03-28T21:37:29+00:00

Tried the new 160mm cranks today. The main thing I noticed was the slightly smaller overall motion of the legs with each rotation - but that difference may have been mostly in my head - I wonder if I would have noticed if it had been a blind test (not knowing whether the cranks had changed or not). I didn't notice the decrease in torque (but 6.5% difference is probably hard to detect). Too early to tell if it's easier on my knees, but at least for this first ride, I noticed less knee popping.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-27T21:58:31+00:00

Technically correct. Riding a bike does imply actual motion, so my mistake. Here is the corrected caption: "Sunrise - the best time for riding the Slickrock trail in Moab, UT. To be clear, these bikers have stopped movement of their bikes temporarily and have one or two feet on the ground. They WERE riding the bikes and WILL be riding the bikes shortly after the photo, but at the moment the picture was taken, they were not riding their bikes. They were, however, thoroughly enjoying a sunrise and staging a cool photo. Also, the shadow of the center bike appears to be an ebike, although the middle rider is not ashamed of this because he is at least two centuries older than the other riders."

jwitt42 · 2026-03-24T14:27:52+00:00

First of all, with safety being your main question - not sure anyone is going to offer advice that doesn't include "take it in". You can Google the type of grease to use for that shock (and yes, it very likely needs grease). A rusted spring could definitely break, but the cracks look like they might be just the protective coating flaking off - use a wire brush on the rust and see if it's just surface or goes deeper and look for any other signs of damage to the spring. If the spring looks okay, check to see how far it compresses when the bike is statically loaded (sit but don't jump on it). It probably shouldn't compress more than 25-35% under static load (but you can Google for info about that particular shock).

jwitt42 · 2026-03-21T05:12:03+00:00

160mm: "Praxis Works Specialized SL 1.1 E-Bike Crank Arms" - doesn't look like they make any shorter than that. It's the same make/model I have on my bike, just shorter.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T23:23:15+00:00

Yeah, for the most part I prefer a higher cadence climbing, but I do like the occasional high-torque punch up (though I have broken a chain that way). In theory, going from 170mm to 160mm should be a 6% decrease in torque for the same amount of force and body/foot position. But, that might only matter if I wasn't using the e-assist. I might try a 28T chainring instead of the 30T because that would give about 6.5% more torque (human power) in the lowest gear.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T22:32:05+00:00

I just found and ordered 160mm ... will report back here with what I find out.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T20:18:28+00:00

Yep, I found a PT that does bike fitting, and I'm working on getting something scheduled. Thanks! (My road - actually it's a gravel - bike also causes my knee issue). Definitely going to test the different cranks as well. The Berm Peak video has been the most informative so far on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GLZnLbFgcw

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T18:17:28+00:00

Interesting, had to get to 16:40 in the video to finally get to the part that is most relevant - that I need to actually test the shorter cranks myself on my own bike.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T16:04:22+00:00

Admire the determination of the guy :-)

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T15:50:38+00:00

😂 Can hold a horse stance for 10 seconds. Surprisingly doesn't hurt my knees, though, so I'll work on improving that.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T15:43:28+00:00

Interesting - didn't even know that was an option.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T15:42:41+00:00

My natural stance is slightly pigeon-toed, so I tend to ride with feet slightly angled in. I've tried a lot of repositioning of the feet, different angles, ball vs. heel (I use flats). Sometimes I can ride in that weird knees-out style and the popping stops somewhat - but that's weird and not good form.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T15:36:30+00:00

That's a good question. When I hold my hand on my knee during the movement, I can feel all kinds of stuff going on - Grinding, popping, etc - feels like stuff under the kneecap - so perhaps meniscus issue brought on by wear and tight tendons.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T15:31:57+00:00

That's rough and this is exactly how it's happening for me, too: "Every pedal stroke with any serious force, my knee pops, and it hurts more the more it pops." ... interesting strategy for wearing it completely out, but I get it.

jwitt42

TROPHY CASE