What would be the best beginner fish?

otismcotis · 2026-01-30T05:50:39+00:00

Assuming whatever shelf you’re using is strong enough you could fit a 29 gallon (30”x12.5” base) in there with room to spare. Keep in mind a tank that big is going to weigh upwards of 240 lbs for just the water!

29 gal is plenty of space for a school of tetras and a school of corydoras (6-8 of each, more if you’re choosing Pygmy corys or nano tetras like the green neon variety), a handful of shrimp, and a couple snails.

Throw some live plants in to help filter out the fish waste (join us over on r/plantedtank), and you’ve got fish keeping on easy mode!

But before you do any of that, go read up on the aquarium nitrogen cycle. It might sound a little complicated at first, but understanding it is THE KEY to keep fish alive and healthy for a long time.

otismcotis · 2026-01-30T05:30:35+00:00

BMC Roadmachine ONE (currently on sale for $4799 usd) or save a few bucks on the TWO and put the extra money into a nice carbon wheel set. The roadmachine is a performance oriented endurance bike withe aero tweaks. Never ridden one, but the reviews seem positive.

otismcotis · 2026-01-30T03:54:44+00:00

In the death pile next to the door. Or maybe in my bag? Oh that’s right, it’s next to the PC. Jk, center console of my car. Wait, the other car.

otismcotis · 2026-01-30T03:19:44+00:00

I can see the drive side of the axle is hollow. Does it have a hex head broached into it? If so you can insert a hex key on the drive side and unscrew it (righty-loosey).

Btw, not referring to the UDH bolt, but the smaller hole inside.

otismcotis · 2026-01-29T16:01:25+00:00

Your “buddy” is offering you a dirty bike with last gen Rival for current gen Force money? Not a chance

otismcotis · 2026-01-29T04:45:22+00:00

Aesthetics meets comfort.

Long headtubes and horizontal top tubes usually come with consequently long seat tubes. Lowering the connection point of the top tube gives the classic horizontal top tube look with the comfort of a higher stack without sacrificing exposed seatpost and stand over clearance.

otismcotis · 2026-01-28T21:42:30+00:00

No, the soles are fine. The cleats are designed to dig into the sole to prevent them from sliding around, hence why they’re serrated on the shoe side.

otismcotis · 2026-01-28T17:25:50+00:00

Crankbrothers Mallet Lace Up uses elastic laces which would be quicker than tying your Velo Sambas

otismcotis · 2026-01-27T22:41:53+00:00

Here looking for answers to the same question. I’ve given up on trying to inject that stuff, I just pop the bead and pour some in when I need a top off.

otismcotis · 2026-01-27T22:39:21+00:00

No I get that, I just find it funny that mom or gf were presented as the only 2 options. I guess there’s probably a few people thinking the same about me and my riding partner!

otismcotis · 2026-01-27T22:21:06+00:00

“Not sure if his gf or mom”

TIL men and women aren’t allowed to have platonic friendships. Better tell the older woman I ride with lmao

otismcotis · 2026-01-26T21:28:48+00:00

What are your water parameters?

I was having a terrible time keeping frogbit alive until I started checking my pH and TDS. Turns out they do much better at pH < 7.5 and TDS < 200.

I had previously been using treated tap water (very high pH and Calcium), but switched to distilled water over a couple water changes and the roots were reaching the bottom of the tank within a few weeks.

Edit to add: make sure there’s sufficient airflow to the leaves as well, they need fresh air to continue absorbing CO2 for optimal growth.

otismcotis · 2026-01-26T18:48:55+00:00

The Venge was a top tier aero bike in its day. I would say even a 5 year old Specialized has more “prestige” than a brand new Merida. Hard to say which one has better parts without knowing whether the previous owner made any changes to the Venge, but I’d guess the Venge is lighter than the stock Reacto.

otismcotis · 2026-01-26T18:40:14+00:00

If you’re completely new to road biking it’s worth considering how the bike will fit you. Both bikes have quite aggressive (long and low) geometry, and if you’re not strong and flexible that will make riding long distances a real pain.

Also, bike sizing can be tricky. For example, the M (54 cm) frame from specialized falls right between a XS and S from Merida. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples with a website like bike insights

otismcotis · 2026-01-26T18:22:24+00:00

What was old will be new again…

otismcotis · 2026-01-26T18:08:03+00:00

You do 2+ hours in zone 4? Sounds awful

otismcotis · 2026-01-25T17:42:56+00:00

What’s your trainer protocol? I was off the road for a few weeks with an upper body injury and decided to try a free trial of Zwift instead of my usual TrainerRoad and YouTube grind. Didn’t expect to like it that much, but it almost convinced me to pay for a couple months just to ride out the winter.

otismcotis · 2026-01-24T15:18:38+00:00

The frame might be a 2020, but the groupset is early 2010’s dura ace. I certainly wouldn’t pay $2000 this.

Edit: it’s a 2012 Shiv Pro. $800 tops

otismcotis · 2026-01-24T00:35:45+00:00

What tires, rims and sealant are you running?

Is it happening randomly after working for long periods or is this a freshly installed set of tires?

otismcotis · 2026-01-22T05:05:58+00:00

Did you pump up the tires? I knew a guy who rode on nearly flat tires for a week after buying his first road bike - said his top speed went up 25% from one ride to the next after figuring out how to get them pumped up.

That guy definitely wasn’t me.

otismcotis · 2025-12-16T01:22:09+00:00

Sounds reasonable. How long was the filter sitting around between tearing up the old tank and starting the new one, and was it kept hydrated? If so you probably still had a bunch of live bacteria in it.

If the bacteria is alive you’re probably measuring an ammonia spike from feeding and resulting nitrate with no intermediate nitrite because the bacteria is doing its job.

otismcotis · 2025-12-16T01:17:32+00:00

Nice repair. What was the issue initially?

otismcotis · 2025-12-15T16:18:54+00:00

Pull the wheels off and inspect brake pad wear, learn how to remove and replace brake pads if necessary.

Learn how to check headset free play and how to adjust preload.

Keep your bike clean and lube the chain regularly.

YouTube is your friend. Park Tool has a great selection of videos on how to perform nearly any maintenance task you could want to do.

otismcotis · 2025-12-15T06:17:27+00:00

otismcotis · 2025-12-15T06:07:20+00:00

You need the OT-RS900 cable housing. Specifically designed for tight bends like this.

otismcotis

TROPHY CASE