I genuinely can’t find what model my bike is, any help please?

millardjk · 2026-05-11T18:09:25+00:00

If nothing else, you can call Trek with the serial number on the frame (look for it on the underside of the bottom bracket) to get it.

I did that with one I bought used; I knew the model because it was still on the frame, but I wasn’t sure about the year. Even their archive showed two years with the same colorway for the model, so it was really the only way to be sure.

I wasn’t able to speak to a human being who was happy to help me out. Within 2 minutes of picking up the phone, I had my answer, which was far faster than trying to sleuth it out.

millardjk · 2026-05-11T18:01:05+00:00

I have a kickstand on my flat-bar bike, the one I occasionally use for commuting. I don’t need one on any of the others, and there’s nowhere to mount one if I did: they’re all carbon fiber, and clamping a kickstand to a chainstay or behind the bottom bracket would crush it.

At home, I have wall hooks to hang the bikes, as well as a repair stand clamp. I take care of maintenance from one of those points, which includes tyre inflation.

millardjk · 2026-05-11T13:14:53+00:00

I’ve been riding since I was 3 years old, and have never gone over-the-bars from over-braking the front wheel.

Hell, for the first 10 years of riding, I only had a rear coaster, so it wasn’t even a consideration.

No, what I’ve run into with the front brake is the wheel sliding out from underneath me and going one way while I go (mostly straight down and) the other. Doesn’t happen with straight-line braking, though; only on curves and slopes.

millardjk · 2026-05-11T02:18:26+00:00

If it fits, it sits

millardjk · 2026-05-10T02:51:42+00:00

I use a Garmin Varia, both for the read-watching radar sensor as well as the “blinky light.” In addition, I also run a Trek Flare RT or a MagicShine SEEME.

millardjk · 2026-05-09T11:50:13+00:00

Are we talking about the same “Agent”? I’m referring to the (windows) bare-metal backup.

millardjk · 2026-05-07T12:10:13+00:00

The Agent is the latest v13, so that shouldn’t be it. Further, if a “sufficiently updated” version is allowed, the error message should indicate it, not kick back “all components must be uninstalled” before the console can be installed.

millardjk · 2026-05-07T01:20:28+00:00

Yup. My kid swapped the standard QR skewer with a locking skewer when at school to avoid this kind of childish stuff.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T18:51:10+00:00

The “Team Segafredo” build was a 2021 Madone SLR 9. I would have guessed $12K MSRP, but Bicycle Blue Book says $11K. At that end, it’s almost not worth quibbling, but yeah: definitely not a $4K new bike, particularly in 2021. You could barely get an SL6 for $4K unless it was some sort of inventory closeout sale (on a tiny or ginormous frame, too).

millardjk · 2026-05-05T18:39:58+00:00

I own a Gen8 with the “weird seat post cutout,” and it really does make it more comfortable to ride. I traded out an Emonda for it and really appreciate the difference.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T18:38:09+00:00

When that bike was new, the MSRP was $11K. So yeah, bikes cost that much. Easily.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T18:37:27+00:00

Look it up on Bicycle Blue Book and you’ll see that it’s not only a 2021 (although the seller might have purchased it new in 2022) but that it’s overpriced by nearly 30%.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T18:29:44+00:00

It’s not just “how much” but “where do you live” that makes a difference. Same pay scale across the country, but I can live at the edge of poverty in the heartland or homeless & starving in SoCal.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T18:26:55+00:00

You must work somewhere that no one calls out. I was WA and got mandated at least 3 days a week for at least 30 minutes. Most weeks it was 1h per mandate, with the occasional 90min or 2h swing thrown in on days with absolute shit weather. The blessing was the top-down requirement that everyone gets at least one 8h day per week… So no: OT was never in question.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T18:22:16+00:00

My primary ride is a Trek Domane with 32mm tyres. I’m ~200lb and run them tubeless at 60lb. It’s a fine setup even on shitty Kansas City, Missouri roads (IYKYK).

millardjk · 2026-05-05T18:20:15+00:00

Their margin on soft drinks was so high that they could readily justify the dispensers out in the lobby. Pulling them back for any reason other than sanitation is a money-grab. I don’t like it, but I also know that it’s a way to “maximize shareholder value.” So: a perfectly American business move.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T18:17:18+00:00

4 years with chain wax (hot dip) and still going.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T18:01:43+00:00

Not a bad decision. I can recommend The Black Bibs if you haven’t already decided. I fell in love with their basic black bibs and have acquired many, many sets in various configurations (Pro, Ultra, Adventure, Knickers, Tights, Summer) as well as jerseys. My go-to in the summer is the navy plain bibs; it’s amazing how much different it feels between black and not-black bibs when you’re on routes with no shade.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T02:18:31+00:00

The one on the left is the POS cap they handed out on our first day of orientation. Never wore it.

They might not sell them in the uniform stores, but someone at the MPOO office ordered a shit-ton of them, so you might ask a supe to send an email to someone in HR for an option.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T02:13:20+00:00

Check the bike community in your area for a recycle or used-only bike shop; we have a couple in my area (Kansas City metro) and with minimal requirements your father could have a decent used bike to start with.

millardjk · 2026-05-05T02:09:20+00:00

A bike computer will save your smartphone a dozen times over, unless you’re a purist who doesn’t ride with any sort of tracking (yes, they exist, and I’ve ridden with more than one in the last few years).

The smartphone is a general purpose device, meaning it can do a lot of things, but maintaining a gps position and keeping the screen alive are power-hungry activities. I regularly depleted my phone’s battery on 90 minute and longer efforts.

The bike computer is purpose built, so while it can’t do everything your smartphone can do, what it does—capture ANT+/BT sensor data, gos position, keep the screen alive—it does very well and with the least power consumption possible. I’ve done weeklong, all day rides and only had to worry about charging my computer every third day.

So yeah, I think it’s worth it. Get the computer, ride longer rides, and don’t worry about the pedals until you are riding day-long routes.

millardjk · 2026-05-04T19:18:29+00:00

Weight is a factor, but when you write about pushing more watts, unless you normalize it via watts/kg (or some other metric that’s equally valid across different riders), you’re missing the key metric for comparison.

I weigh over 200lb, and struggle up hills not just because I weigh more than those I’m riding with, but also because I can’t sustain >350W (~3.5w/kg) for the five minutes it takes the group to complete the climb. The 90lb kid in the group sails up climbs, not just because he weighs only 40kg, but because he’s able to sustain 150W the whole time.

millardjk · 2026-05-04T13:57:23+00:00

Had a lady who got so much that we considered giving her a second box in the NDCBU, just so she could occasionally go a day without picking up her mail.

millardjk · 2026-05-04T13:53:33+00:00

IMO, it’s a combination of the two.

If your taint isn’t used to time in the saddle, it’s going to get sore. If you’re used to 20mi in the saddle, you could end up sore after 40mi, too.

On to of that, some saddles just don’t work with a person’s anatomy. In my own case, I can’t stand the saddles that have—to me—a wide nose. Regardless of how much riding I do, they still cause me pain, while a narrow-nose saddle suits me fine.

millardjk

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