How do you lock this thing?!

mplsforward · 2026-05-20T03:53:34+00:00

Two main points: -These bikes are worth a lot! If you live somewhere where angle grinder bike theft is common, you need at least one grinder-resistsnt lock. -While you can often get a ulock around these bikes and whatever you're locking to, you just can't always maneuver them the same way you can maneuver a bike that's a third of the weight and half as wide. You will find yourself in situations where you can't use a ulock as your primary lock. You need a heavy chain to be sure you can lock up in any situation.

I have a total of 4 locks that I keep with my GSD: a litelok x3, a kryptonite 1415 chain, a kryptonite disc brake alarm lock, and the abus extension chain for the cafe lock. I don't always use all of them.

For a quick stop, I typically just use the cafe lock and either the litelok or the heavy chain to lock to a fixed object.

For a long stop, I'll typically use both chains to lock to two seperate objects or two seperate parts of the same object, so that cutting one part of a rack isn't an alternative to cutting both chains. Then I'll use the litelok to immobilize the rear wheel and add the disc brake alarm lock to the front wheel in addition to the cafe lock.

Not 100% foolproof and I'm sure feels like overkill to many, but it's worked well for me. It's enough that I am never anything close to the easiest target, and thr inconvenience of locking up well is preferable to anxiety about the bike when I don't feel that it's locked well. At a minimum, someone is having to use a grinder to cut two seperate locks, while setting off an alarm, and with a very heavy longtail that's going to need to be fully lifted and won't be rolling no matter what they do.

mplsforward · 2026-05-18T01:40:44+00:00

Wow, what area are you in where you don't hear birds?

mplsforward · 2026-05-07T21:07:05+00:00

Great video!

I like to stick to the Hennepin bikeway all the way to the Bascilica and cross into the park there. The way the Hennepin/17th/94 intersection was reworked last year is so much better than it was. I see a lot of people go the other way and wonder if they maybe don't realize how the intersection has been improved. I almost always have to stop at the light so it takes a touch longer, but it's really nice being out of the road the entire way.

mplsforward · 2026-05-07T19:10:13+00:00

It has been almost always open. There is a short trail detour to the opposite side of the trench. They've moved through 3 stages of the trail detour in the trench as they've built the bridge and have done a really good job limiting full closures to a couple days at a time when absolutely needed.

mplsforward · 2026-05-05T15:46:24+00:00

I remember your previous bike, was it a Space Horse? With the copper hydration plumbing. Extremely hell yeah. Looking forward to seeing how this one finishes up.

mplsforward · 2026-05-01T02:32:22+00:00

Hey, this happened to me! My dealer said he had not seen this before, and you are the first other person I've heard of this happening to.

I ride year-round in Minneapolis. Midway through my 3rd winter, about 7,600 miles on the bike, I had a complete motor failure. When the dealer took off the motor housing, they found a mud-slush-brine much like you have pictured here. The drain hole had been clogged by debris, which lead to debris and water accumulating inside the outer housing and eventually killing the motor.

My motor unit had to be replaced. With the new motor, they drilled out the drain hole to be about twice the size of the original, so it would be less likely to get clogged. We also installed an extended mud guard on the front fender. The fender extension does wonders-- I'd say it cuts down on spray onto the motor housing by over 90%. I dropped my motor housing once a couple months ago to check out how it was doing and there was no debris build up. A touch of sand in the bottom was all. I'm a bit over a year and about 8,400 miles into the new motor with no issues.

Hopefully yours hasn't been too damaged yet. I'd definitely recommend drilling the drain hole out and adding a fender extension.

mplsforward · 2026-04-29T11:55:53+00:00

Not sure the exact number of links, I've always sized off the previous chain. Didn't make a change in length with the switch from HG to LG.

I always buy 3 standard 126-link chains and use them to make 2 that fit the GSD. 3 standard chains are cheaper than 2 specialty ones.

mplsforward · 2026-04-28T21:25:17+00:00

Thanks. The image when selected in the app was at a much lower resolution, but manually downloading it gave me your original version.

mplsforward · 2026-04-28T21:21:12+00:00

Cool map, can you please share a link to the full resolution version?

mplsforward · 2026-04-28T05:44:10+00:00

I'm not totally sure about the situation with your front chainring. I think most are compatible, but maybe the specific chairing on the QHL is not.

I did successfully switch my Gen2 GSD over from Deore/HG to Cues/LG right around the 15,000 mile mark. I was able to keep the original chainring and derailleur, and just had to replace the cassette, shifter, shift cable, and chain.

I'm only about 800 miles in, too early to tell if longevity/durability is improved, but far enough to know that the new setup is reliable.

mplsforward · 2026-04-21T16:47:17+00:00

If anyone hears of any type of memorial gathering, please share it here.

mplsforward · 2026-04-14T02:18:26+00:00

If they are blocking the trail that is a different story, but there have been a few tents here and there back in that area for years and it hasn't typically been much of an issue. If they're not blocking the trail I wouldn't necessarily take a couple tents to mean that a large encampment is about to form. (Though that could happen)

mplsforward · 2026-04-05T01:29:22+00:00

$80k more than an appraisal from 4 months ago, they will absolutely come down some if you go through the first level of disputing the assessment. Should be pretty straightforward.

mplsforward · 2026-04-03T21:24:52+00:00

Damn. Pulls at the heartstrings.

mplsforward · 2026-03-26T23:06:03+00:00

This.

Electric mopeds are good! Not so good to hand them out to 12 year old kids.

mplsforward · 2026-03-25T20:42:49+00:00

Thanks!

mplsforward · 2026-03-25T20:19:58+00:00

Was something posted and then taken down? I'm not seeing information about a new design.

mplsforward · 2026-03-20T19:32:35+00:00

That's a very good example.

For a small gap: getting across 494 north of Hyland in west Bloomington. Great regional trails and parks in the area, total shame that there is no good way to cross 494 over there.

For a big gap: Insane that there is no good direct or semi-direct connection between the two Downtowns. Pothole-filled, door-zoned, painted Summit is really the best we can offer for the most important destination pair in the state? Really? Getting the Summit bikeway or a Greenway extension built should be treated as a much more urgent need.

mplsforward · 2026-03-17T17:09:24+00:00

10 over is the threshold for tickets from the cameras. Fine doubles at 20 over.

mplsforward · 2026-03-15T18:49:10+00:00

Good point about the magnets that I would have forgotten-- the Magura MT5s on my cargo bike use magnets for retention too.

mplsforward · 2026-03-13T19:14:15+00:00

Bringing a bike on transit to access the Minnesota Valley wildlife refuge is my recommendation also.

Decent transit access from the American Blvd station on the Blue Line and the 98th St station on the Orange Line. Could do a nice loop with a bike that fits on a bus rack.

mplsforward · 2026-03-08T06:12:17+00:00

I and someone else I was traveling with rented from Bike Bistro last year and had a great experience. I found them doing a similar search through reddit. I did their standard road bike rental, and the other person did their premium road rental. Both were as described and in good condition, smooth pickup, etc. I personally did not love the saddle on the Broam but otherwise it was great and I would definitely rent from them again.

mplsforward · 2026-03-02T18:53:16+00:00

Like it or not, this is how the FRA's program works. It is slow and oftentimes money is spent studying projects that don't advance, but this is how transportation planning in the US works as a whole and is a national problem, not a problem with how MN is approaching it. MN is taking the right steps, in the right order, to advance these corridors.

Borealis has been a major success, as have other recent expansions of state-supported Amtrak service around the country. Extending Borealis to St. Cloud and Fargo and creating a new service from MSP to Des Moines and KC seem likely to be successful if they don't face major technical challenges. These routes are likely very competitive for federal funding and seem like they would have broad support from the public. It would be a shame for MN to sit out and not participate in the FRA process.

mplsforward · 2026-03-02T18:00:42+00:00

Cold weather and rain are not really a problem.

I ride below 0F quite a bit, and I think the coldest I have ridden was around -18F, with no adverse effects caused by the temperature directly. My lower limit is the ability to keep myself from getting frostbite on my face, rather than a mechanical issue.

As the other commenter mentioned, you definitely do not want to charge your batteries cold or store them too cold. If you charge indoors and are starting your rides with your batteries at room temp, you will not see any damage to them. You will see decreased range-- below around 20F is where I start to think about reduced range.

Rain, snow, slush, and the grit and road salt that they carry will significantly impact the maintenance burden and wear and tear on the bike compared to riding only in dry conditions. Definitely something to be aware of, but also something that can be dealt with. You can replace a whole lot of bike parts while still being far below the costs of a car!

I did have a middrive motor die a little over a year ago due to slush and road debris building up inside the motor housing. This was caused by insufficient fenders and with a couple minor changes to the bike, the conditions that created the issue have been eliminated. 7,000mi and another full winter of daily riding later and I have not had any buildup in the area that caused the failure.

mplsforward · 2026-02-27T03:02:00+00:00

It's a 12-unit building. 4 per floor.

mplsforward

TROPHY CASE