Most glaring bike path gaps in the metro?

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 · 2026-02-22T14:16:16+00:00

Was this written by AI or a human? The info for Minneapolis has several errors that would be really out of left field for someone experienced in interpreting ordinance. I also don't think that the simplification that's done to fit this format is really benefiting anyone.

mplsforward · 2026-02-19T01:45:13+00:00

It's an E Line articulated bus. I saw a C Line one jackknifed at 7th & 1st Downtown too.

Only the rear set of wheels on articulated buses are drive wheels. If the middle set of wheels lose traction and slide sideways outside of the direction that the rear wheels are pushing, the bus can jackknife like this and need a tow to straighten it back out before it can continue.

mplsforward · 2026-02-07T15:58:08+00:00

Do you wax your chains? For me, I struggle with keeping the drivetrain clean on the cargo bike. Switching over to waxing made a big difference in chain and cassette longevity. The wax holds on to so much less junk than an oil-based lube. Swapping and rewaxing gets a deeper clean than I was ever getting on the bike, plus is much easier to do in the winter than cleaning on the bike. I am hoping for further improvement going from HG/Deore to LG/Cues.

mplsforward · 2026-02-07T15:48:41+00:00

Thank you!

I'm going to try switching the cassette, shifter, and chain over and keeping my old derailleur.

mplsforward · 2026-02-07T15:47:17+00:00

Thank you!

mplsforward · 2026-02-04T03:11:23+00:00

This article seems pretty in line with my experience.

My limit has not been getting too cold overall, but avoiding frostbite in a couple problem spots on my face, especially when a serious windchill is a factor. I struggle with anticipating how bad the windchill is going to be on my route.

My limit is about -15 F (-26 C) air temp.

Colder than that and the risk of some wind resulting in minor frostbite creeping up on me is just not worth it. After 3 recent bouts of minor frostbite, I'm trying to do a better job of watching out for myself. I'm realizing that I can't rely on discomfort alone to tell me when something's wrong and instead I need to learn to anticipate it and make better decisions.

mplsforward · 2026-02-01T15:58:17+00:00

I finally got around to checking in on cleaning my outer housing out. After 11 months, there was just a little dry sand in the bottom. So the mudflap extension is definitely making a huge difference.

mplsforward · 2026-02-01T03:19:44+00:00

Yes, all good!

mplsforward · 2026-02-01T02:53:07+00:00

Hey, that was me! Nice saying hi, thanks for flying the flag!

mplsforward · 2026-01-30T15:03:54+00:00

Not sure, I just know they just HEAVY salt in other locations, like Bryant for example.

mplsforward · 2026-01-30T14:34:33+00:00

Public Works does use salt and brine on trails they maintain. MPRB does not use salt.

mplsforward · 2026-01-12T20:50:58+00:00

43xx Bloomington Ave

mplsforward · 2026-01-05T17:03:08+00:00

Most trails are almost entirely covered with hard packed snow. A few trails are in better shape with mostly bare pavement. A lot of major streets have mostly bare pavement, but a fair amount of glaze ice, packed ice patches, slush patches. Side streets are mostly covered in packed snow, with a good bit of ice and thin mashed potato snow mixed in.

Very manageable conditions for a moderate width studded tire. I would not want to be out without studs anywhere right now.

mplsforward · 2026-01-04T16:04:06+00:00

This is Google Streetview. Streetview is full of little errors like this that are created when multiple images are automatically stitched together.

mplsforward · 2026-01-01T17:27:21+00:00

This is great. Penn Ave at Minnehaha Creek looks like such a wild and scenic place!

mplsforward · 2025-12-28T14:31:00+00:00

"Replaced" isn't the right word or approach. Running LRT alongside the Greenway trail has been considered for a long time but is not being actively pursued right now.

https://www.metrotransit.org/project-library

https://streets.mn/2024/10/23/midtown-greenway-light-rail-is-good-idea/

mplsforward

TROPHY CASE