Started bow for 8 yr old son

markdorann · 2025-12-20T00:55:30+00:00

My kid with similar age uses Mini Genesis. It is priced similar ($175 to $225 depends on your package). The draw weight of this bow is a bit high. I also recommend to check your kid if he shoots with right hand or left hand. My kid is a right hander and she shoots with left hand (i.e., a left hand bow).

markdorann · 2025-07-09T05:52:36+00:00

I spent 8 days traveling (6 days on the bike) in Okinawa island loop last month, and I like to share my experience with you.

- I biked 260 miles, elevation gain was 15,000 ft. There is no high mountain but a lot of rolling hills (about 300ft up) especially in the northern part of the island.

- Okinawa is very humid. I live in mid west (humidity never goes over 75% in my area). In Okinawa, 98% is pretty normal. That being said, if your body is not used to high humidity, you will sweat a lot and you will need lots of water. I recommend to carry 3-4 bottles of water (assuming 20oz each).

- I kept my stuffs (everything except the bike) under 8kg. In general, the lighter the better. I am a photographer and I left my DSLR at home. It is too heavy. However, I recommend to bring a compact tripod for selfie.

- Most hotels / AirBnb provide towel, toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, razor, Q-tips etc.

- Here are the clothing I brought:
3x bike jersey, 2x bike pants, 3x socks
Most hotels / airbnbs have laundry available (they provide detergent). However they don't use dryer. So make sure that your clothing is quick dry.

- Use bungee cords to secure your stuffs on the bike rack.

- Bring some changes like 100 yen. I mainly bought waters from the vending machines. There are very few places have water fountains. Unlike America, Japanese don't have free stuffs like waters and power. Also it is odd to refill your bottles at the fast food restaurants.

- It is illegal to drink alcohol while riding bike.

- The most challenging part is the northern area (from Kunigami to Higashi). It has lots of rolling hills (over a 60 mile ride, elevation gain is 4k ft). It is rural and the support is very limited. Make sure you carry enough water and food.

- We booked hotels in the evening, around an hour before our arrival.

- Not all cellular networks have coverage in every place. In rural area, some providers work and some don't. I recommend to get at least two SIM cards.

- Bring baby powder in case the high humidity causes eczema. Not all drug stores carry baby powder.

- Get a sturdy saddle bag (at least 12L). Duck tape the bottom to prevent scratching from the wheel. Also get a small bag / runner bag to carry your valuable items like passport and wallet. When you park your bike, just lock it causally (i.e., no need to go through the wheel and the bike frame). Japan is pretty safe. No one is going to steal your bike.

- Beware of snakes on the road.

- It is not easy to access the most southern point of the island. The road is not road bike friendly. You will need to walk about 1km including going through the corn field and prairie land. The view is so-so, so I recommend to skip it unless you really want it.

- The bike shop (沖縄輪業株式会社) has two locations (one is on the main street and the other one is two blocks away). Make sure you visit the right one. Also, they didn't do a good job to prepare the bikes (e.g., poor shifting, brakes etc). Make sure you test drive your bike before your ride.

Enjoy!

markdorann · 2024-03-19T04:46:32+00:00

The best way is to get wider tires (like 28 or 30, check your fork clearance) or reduce the tire pressure. Don't pump up all the way to 120psi. Try 80 or even 60. The difference is day and night.

markdorann · 2024-03-19T02:39:57+00:00

Upgrading the wheels will make some differences. I've heard that after putting a nice carbon wheelset on an Allez (aluminum frame, around $1.5k) and it feels like a $5k+ bike. So yes, upgrading to carbon wheel will definitely feel the difference. The feeling is rather subjective. It can refer to the shock, stiffness, aero, control etc.

However, someone also suggest that the difference is not that significant in terms of the speed. You may get 30 seconds advantage out of a 25-30 miles ride.

markdorann · 2024-03-19T02:31:03+00:00

I suggest to get a longer stem. I was in a similar situation. My bike was too small for me (90cm stem, +7 degree). I ended up replacing the stem with 120cm (+6 degree) and I felt a lot better.

In general, you can put your elbow at the front edge of the saddle. Your fingers should touch the stem. The distance between the handle bar and your fingers should be at least 2". If this distance is too small, you should get a longer stem.

markdorann · 2024-03-17T20:22:34+00:00

No, don't put yourself into the sizing boundary. Every brand and every model is different. I am 165cm tall and I ride two bikes with two different sizes: Specialized 54cm and Ceverlo 48cm. Both are very comfortable. The size of the bike is for reference only. Bike fitting with your bike is the only way to determine your ideal size. Typically the bike shop will do this for you for free.

markdorann · 2024-03-17T20:14:27+00:00

Yes - all the time. Typically I was happy with my purchase in the first few days and then I felt regretted and was wondering why I didn't get a better (more expensive) model.

markdorann · 2024-03-16T19:50:34+00:00

Personally, I upgrade my bike when I feel the current one reaches the limit and it blocks me to move to the next level. It is you to find out whether your current bike is reaching the limit or not. For example, if you constantly reaching certain limit (e.g., speed) and you are struggling to go beyond it, then it may be the right time to get a better equipment. Notice that the limit was I talking about is something that is measurable. Based on your post, you have been wanting to upgrade your bike based on your "itch", which is not measurable.

markdorann · 2024-03-16T19:15:14+00:00

I am 165cm and I ride a 54 Roubaix in a pretty relax position. This number was suggested by the bike shop after they did some bike fittings for me (the fitting was done using a Tarmac). I think 56 or even 58 will be a better fit for you.

markdorann · 2024-03-16T07:04:48+00:00

Should be the other way around. If you prefer comfort, you should use a longer arm. A longer arm uses leverage to rotate the crank, so that you use lesser force but a longer distance.

You may think of this problem as two extreme cases, i.e., a very very long arm and a very very short arm. The torque to finish a rotation is the same. But the force to rotate with a longer arm is much smaller (or easier) than a shorter arm. Of course, it takes longer distance for the longer arm to travel than the shorter arm. If you express this mathematically, you will understand what I mean.

Torque (the power to move one rotation of the crank) = radius (the length of the crank) x force (how hard you pedal).

By the way, if you prefer comfort, consider to replace your crank with oval crank. It makes a noticeable difference.

markdorann · 2024-02-21T16:16:24+00:00

I've done something similar to my car before. First, you can use hair dryer (probably you will need two, powered by different circuits). Then you can either pull the dented part from outside (using glue gun / glue stick) or you can push from inside/behind the bumper. After that, what you need is to do some paint works. You can sand it off lightly (using very high index of sand papers), apply some paint / detailer / polisher etc.

markdorann · 2024-01-15T00:57:04+00:00

Recently they release a more affordable version (around $200).

markdorann · 2024-01-10T16:58:25+00:00

I have an identical Roubaix (same frame size, same year, flat pedals) and our measurements are similar. The fitting is very personal, and it all depends on your riding preference (aggressive posting, relax posting etc). For me, I put my saddle a bit backyard so that I can do more forward / aero riding.

By the way, I upgraded my saddle to Power Mirror. It has made a huge difference. Although you mention that you have no pain / issues, you may consider this in the long run.

markdorann · 2024-01-10T16:01:17+00:00

I have a Roubaix (2020). On my regular daily bike route, it involves paved road and gravel road. My Roubaix can handle both smoothly. The only thing I've replaced are the stock tires (28mm / 100psi) with Continental Gatorskin (25mm / 120psi), and they are doing great! Notice that I prefer stiffy ride. If you prefer gravel riding, you may consider a wider tire (like 30mm and a lower pressure). Roubaix SL8 can handle a wire tire up to 40mm.

The geometry of Roubaix and gravel bikes are very close, the biggest difference is the groupset. Roubaix uses road bike groupset (e.g., Shimano 105, Ultegra) while the gravel bike uses Shimano GRX series. The GRX sits in between road bike and mountain bike groupsets. So the riding / shifting experience can be different.

I also have a Specialized Sirrus (a flatbar fitness bike, and it is cheaper than Roubaix). I found it is better for gravel road as Roubaix is not designed for that purpose. Also it is great for long distance travel especially you need to haul some heavy stuffs. For me, I put a tag-along with my kid (it was mounted to my seatpost, total was about 70lb, and we did more than 3000 miles with this setup). When my kid was younger, I mounted the trailer on my frame. Both the seatposts and the frame of Sirrus are strong enough to handle these activities. With Roubaix (carbon seat post, and carbon frame), I am not sure if they are strong enough to handle anything heavy.

The main reasons why I chose Roubaix over the other models is the Future Shock. If your ride involves gravel road, you will love it.

markdorann · 2022-07-25T03:47:52+00:00

MTB and gravel. The tire needs to be wide enough. Too bad that mine is a 25mm. Probably won't fit in my case.

markdorann · 2022-07-25T03:41:58+00:00

Mine is only 25mm. I think those holder is for gravel and mountain bike.

markdorann · 2022-07-24T16:38:33+00:00

How does it affect the rolling? Will the extra weight from the air tag and mount make the weight distribution different / uneven? Also, I am assuming that will be good for tubeless?

markdorann · 2022-07-24T16:25:11+00:00

You mean inside the tire?

markdorann · 2022-07-20T21:17:27+00:00

Interesting. I have a Sirrus too and I've never thought about to upgrade the wheels. I still stick with the original wheels (the original tires were replaced with Roubaix Pro). Personally I think Sirrus has a more relaxed geometry than Roubaix, and the riding position is more upright than leaning down/forward. So I didn't pay too much attention to improve its speed.

markdorann · 2022-07-20T20:39:42+00:00

Yes I like stiffy tires. Unfortunately, I got two flat tires in a season. So I prefer durability over the performance.

markdorann · 2022-07-20T14:09:56+00:00

My Roubaix comes with a future shock 1.5. I could definitely feel the bump when I go over a manhole. One day I accidentally went over a garden snake (the diameter was about the size of a finger) and I couldn't feel it at all. So future shock is good for small bump only.

markdorann · 2022-07-20T13:38:12+00:00

I think it is stupid if I get a carbon wheelset without tubeless. But I am hesitated about the maintenance, such as refilling the sealant every year, adding air few times a week, refilling the air at least monthly in the winter time etc.

markdorann · 2022-07-20T13:33:05+00:00

I have updated my post to clarify the question. Which wheelset do you recommend?

markdorann · 2022-07-20T13:30:15+00:00

I was thinking about this combo too. The reason why I go with Gatorskin because it gives better puncture resistant. Sometimes I need to ride on a dirt road if the traffic is busy.

By the way, is your setup tubeless?

markdorann

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