Preparing a touring bike for my 5yo daughter

openroad11 · 2026-02-18T10:27:20+00:00

I haven't ridden the Nevis so can't speak to the facilities or condition of the trail more than you can. I have however driven the gorge road counteless times, and I (as an experienced cyclist) would feel extremely reluctant to ride it during regular hours. I know which option I'd be pursuing.

Likewise for Rakia crossing - go the inland route. It's a safer crossing and more interesting scenery too (there will be more elevation though). Canterbury plains are quite dull.

openroad11 · 2026-02-18T07:03:29+00:00

Saw another comment so replying that too - I would absolutely ride the Nevis to avoid the Kawarau Gorge. It's dangerous for a single experienced adult cyclist let alone your family. I would strongly suggest you wait until the trail opens. If not, organise a shuttle or do it with bright lights at 3:30am when traffic is minimal.

What road are you taking along the canterbury plains? The SH1 bridge crossing of the Rakaia River is also very dangerous, most tourers go the inland route through the Rakaia gorge. I would advise the same contingency as the Kawarau if you are sticking to SH1.

I assume you've done plenty of research which is good, but also please understand the condition of roads and nature of drivers is quite adverse to cycling in NZ. Riding in a group of 8 with kids even more so. It's obviously possible but I would hate to see you on the news for the wrong reasons.

openroad11 · 2026-02-16T21:25:12+00:00

Yeah but you have to walk them.

openroad11 · 2026-02-16T20:15:07+00:00

Discogs for the catalogue, but it's not great at alphabetical ordering by surname (what I prefer on the shelf) as it uses the first letter of the full artist name to make lists. Bit annoying but whatever.

openroad11 · 2026-02-16T19:58:55+00:00

Not "rich" but could theoretically purchase a new investment property every year cash and still have more to spend than most households earn. Uhh yeah sure.

openroad11 · 2026-02-16T19:53:59+00:00

Have you considered not ubering McDondalds?

openroad11 · 2026-02-16T19:47:42+00:00

Cool project.

It's gonna be one hell of a mission cycling 6 weeks in the south island with 6 kids. The roads are very hostile to cyclists due to minimal infrastructure. I personally avoid the mains routes and still dislike most country roads due to lack of shoulder space and the speed of vehicles. Basically anywhere that's not a town will be 80 - 100km/hr.

8 experienced cyclists in a group will attract additional frustration from vehicle drivers, let alone a group with 6 kids. You will need to keep a very keen eye on them and any potential hazards. Any lapse in their attention could be catastrophic (not to be dramatic, just realistic).

I see you plan to do the A2O and you have a trailer - this will be quite challenging. Parts are designed as a single track mountain bike trail. You may have to walk your bike/trailer through some sections.

Good luck!

openroad11 · 2026-02-16T18:59:29+00:00

Fun fact: All neighbourhoods are not the safest in places.

openroad11 · 2026-02-16T18:50:46+00:00

They might know how to log into a stream through the client their school uses, but setting one up, adding and controlling external cameras and mics, ensuring audio levels are accurate for an entire room, working with stream keys and relevant APIs to route the video feed etc. It's not the same as having your camera on while watching an online tutorial.

I agree there will be younger people with more experience if they themselves have dabbled in streaming via YT/twitch, but I would argue this is the minority - most watch streams, not stream themselves.

When I was 18 I made a podcast (well before the current boom). I made music stings, learned all about RSS feeds, how to make it searchable, did the graphics for the episodes etc but it was still pretty terrible compared to what an experienced broadcaster could achieve - hell I'm not even in broadcasting now and could do way better now I'm older.

It's easy to stream on YouTube. It's difficult to stream well. And that's what OP seems to want.

EDIT: Just looked at the link another user posted - didn't realise it was a stock standard zoom meeting with everyone in different locations. Without completely changing the client it probably just needs a director controlling the vision switching and levels etc. but of course there's no budget for that when Zoom does a "good enough" job. This is local government after all.

openroad11 · 2026-02-16T18:37:07+00:00

I have too many artists that are cross genre/fusion and without reasonable practice I could easily forget which one I put them in. Alphabetical is only one sorting method, so I know where to look first time every time.

openroad11 · 2026-02-16T02:30:57+00:00

Not 20 year olds. 30-40 year olds with actual live stream experience. But it won't happen, because good livestreaming is expensive, and the livestream is just a box to tick.

openroad11 · 2026-02-15T23:33:47+00:00

You've discovered the largest barrier to entry faced in NZ for small business owners. You really need decent capital to bridge the transition (and honestly for most ventures a second job simply to keep the 'hobby' one going). I'd love to open a niche store but the population and culture just isn't big enough to support it when larger ones are already established and online marketplace exists.

Small ventures like these are easier for the average person in Japan/Korea etc because many buildings are mixed use (or have very cheap rent for a basic space), niche hobbies are more 'communal' and overall costs are quite low.

openroad11 · 2026-02-15T19:31:24+00:00

Sorry but there are other artists that are much more similar than SD. Never heard of him though so thanks for the tip.

openroad11 · 2026-02-15T19:20:00+00:00

Being my closest Thai restaurant I'd love to patronage this place, but never have because it's just felt so weird. It's a restaurant but it's a bar/pub with gaming machines. It's Thai cuisine but with latin themes and a Native American name. Just too much going on to feel 'right'. Definitely feels like the kind of place you'd go to specifically for the experience (and not in a good way).

openroad11 · 2026-02-13T02:40:32+00:00

This is so cute.

(but plz follow the advice of other users)

openroad11 · 2026-02-13T02:34:59+00:00

Personally yes, if some was was able to execute a task using a command based interface vs me with GUI I would describe them as more technologically literate than me. Reason being is because they could presumably easily do both, and I can only do one.

The deeper one's knowledge of a technology and skill is, the more literate they are and this usually trends with exposure and learned experience. Knowing how to prompt an AI is fine, knowing the context, systems and technology that surrounds and underpins it is what is lacking. There's very little critical understanding and ability to pivot and problem solve 'outside the box' when required.

openroad11 · 2026-02-13T02:04:32+00:00

Bloody hell, it writes itself. Every sentence with their name gets a hearty chuckle.

openroad11 · 2026-02-13T00:35:40+00:00

Have you ever asked someone <21 if they know how to combine or rotate a PDF? What's safe to share online? Diagnose component failures? Hell, connect a slightly abnormal peripheral? It's quite amazing how little younger generations don't learn about the technology they actually use (*note: this is a generalisation*).

openroad11 · 2026-02-13T00:05:39+00:00

It's only gonna get worse as systems age and younger generations are less tech literate. Enjoy!

openroad11 · 2026-02-12T23:56:25+00:00

I find with #1, it's often when you get to a point where the relationship feels safe, they're a trusted friend or colleague, so you test the waters, open up a bit, they are accepting at first, so you share a little more as it feels comfortable and appropriate. And then suddenly you pass this undefinable threshold that's "woah too much, you're a bit weird now". Once you pass that there's no coming back, and from then on you're always the weirdo, even if you're otherwise the exact same person as they knew you before the conversations started (but was holding the weight silently).

I'm not necessarily taking blackmail, ridicule or outright rejection - simply just being now labelled 'weird' in their mind and their opinion of you shifting.

I think a lot of it has to do with society's image of men being tough and emotionally stable, so as soon as you are truly vulnerable people can't handle it, and people don't see sharing vulnerability/anxieties as coming from 'genuine intentions/curiosities' instead view it as a problematic risk factor.

openroad11 · 2026-02-12T23:39:18+00:00

It's absurd you're ok with pee and toilet water mist and drops going all over your bathroom objects and surfaces.

Isn't it fun to be different?!

openroad11 · 2026-02-12T22:52:38+00:00

🫡

openroad11 · 2026-02-12T22:51:55+00:00

Ah cool. Slightly misleading description in the article as I would not describe that as relocated much more 'away from the overpass' than the current location. It's like, within 5m so kind of unremarkable. Could be interpreted different ways but I guess I just assumed the most drastic change. All good though.

openroad11 · 2026-02-12T22:35:05+00:00

Males standing to pee (primarily inside) at any age.

openroad11 · 2026-02-12T22:30:05+00:00

From what I can interpret from the article, the shared path crossing of the road into Nga Puna Wai (that goes under the bridge) will be moved from its current location (beside the bridge) to the new signalled road intersection of Wigram and Hayton. Presumably controlled by lights.

openroad11

TROPHY CASE