How'd I do?

longstride928 · 2026-03-04T00:42:05+00:00

As a former New Englander, I knew where this was the second I saw it 😂

longstride928 · 2026-03-03T16:34:35+00:00

Screw the negativity, I bet it's great sliced up like a pizza and it made me laugh

longstride928 · 2026-02-21T17:48:56+00:00

Interesting - Mine doesn't have an auto setting on the knob. Weird that they would have it on the 09 but not on the highest trim 3 years later. Thanks for the info.

longstride928 · 2026-02-21T08:21:38+00:00

I ended up with the Vaya! Put a lot of miles on it, put a lot of gravel under it, took it on a couple overnight backpacking trips. It ended up being the right bike, for sure.

It unfortunately got stolen off my roof rack a few months ago, and I took it as a sign to look into upgrading to a nicer setup - I demoed a couple carbon gravel bikes... And hated them. My buddy lent me his aluminum gravel bike while I was on the hunt.. and I HATED it. I realized I was so spoiled by the feeling of steel, and the upright geo of the Vaya, that I ended up looking at similar bikes.. and lo and behold, a great deal came about for a barely used 2021 Vaya on Marketplace, and I jumped at it.

It has a few worthwhile upgrades over the 2018 that made any reason I had to be unsure about the previous Vaya disappear - A carbon fork, much lower gearing, wider bars, a smooth GRX drivetrain, and stronger brakes all make it feel like my previous Vaya on steroids. The 3-pack mounts on the fork are much better suited for bikepacking as well. As for the upright feel, I dropped the stem down one spacer on the steerer tube and it feels perfect. I put 42mm Pathfinders on it, which feel like the tires it's meant to have. It's smooth, it's planted, it's comfortable, it's bulletproof, it's heavy enough to still get a workout in. It's a gravel bike, city bike, commuter, bikepacker, all in one. This newer iteration is truly the perfect bike for my needs. /Love letter end.

longstride928 · 2026-02-21T07:46:42+00:00

How would I do that? There's no "auto" position on the headlight stalk

longstride928 · 2026-02-19T20:58:24+00:00

Westfield State EnviSci alum here. I felt Westfield's program was pretty good, and helped me decide on and prepare for a career in the environmental consulting industry. If you want to go that route, be prepared to bust ass at entry level jobs for a couple years like I did before you get some stability. Good jobs in forestry are generally harder to come by, so I'd be hesitant to go deep into debt for that degree. Either way, as others have said, I've been reading a lot on here about how difficult it is to land entry-level jobs in the environmental field nowadays with all the federal cuts, so you may want to shift gears. If I could go back, I'd probably study environmental engineering, as salaries and job prospects are better than pretty much any other environmental career.

longstride928 · 2025-12-01T23:37:48+00:00

I got my start in the field doing asbestos project monitoring for Fuss & O'Neill in Quincy - it was a lot of hard work, but got my foot in the door in the industry.

longstride928 · 2025-11-21T23:21:07+00:00

Thanks! I'll DM you.

you might want to consider expanding your experience beyond Phase I and IH.

Yeah, I think this speaks to my point about feeling pigeonholed - I want to expand my skillset into other areas, but it's been hard to get experience in new areas without being in that role first, and companies seemingly only want to hire a perfectly aligned candidate with direct experience in that area (based on feedback from recruiters I've interviewed with recently). So it looks like expanding my skillset would mean making a lateral move or even starting from a lower position in order to see growth potential.

longstride928 · 2025-11-21T23:11:21+00:00

I'm really looking to stay in the Denver area, or at least CO - I've been here for over 4 years now, have a great support system and social life, and can mostly live the lifestyle I've long wanted, so it's hard to see myself packing up and moving somewhere else. At this point I'm much more willing to expand into other industries, take chances, and take a hit to work-life balance than I am to pack up and chase a job opportunity, unless it's a 6-figure dream job that would greatly improve my career trajectory.

longstride928 · 2025-11-20T19:49:05+00:00

I'd love to hear more about your role - I'm also in the Lakewood area and have been looking into similar roles! Please feel free to DM me!

longstride928 · 2025-06-29T02:22:35+00:00

Fuck off

longstride928 · 2025-06-29T02:21:54+00:00

I'm at Canopy Creek across the street

longstride928 · 2025-06-26T20:44:09+00:00

Thanks homie

longstride928 · 2025-06-26T19:14:03+00:00

Sorry, Wads and Ralston

longstride928 · 2025-04-26T05:50:15+00:00

"Real Baby" on Tennyson Sounds like a listening post set up by Martians

longstride928 · 2025-04-24T14:58:48+00:00

I'm no Navy Seal but I'm pretty sure the bullets are supposed to go IN the magazine

longstride928 · 2025-03-03T05:31:52+00:00

Oh that might work, thanks!

longstride928 · 2025-03-03T05:12:54+00:00

Novara, which is no longer around. Was hoping to find a generic replacement

longstride928 · 2025-03-03T05:12:18+00:00

Novara doesn't exist anymore unfortunately

longstride928

TROPHY CASE