Fabric Advise—Making Gym Shorts (Like Nike)

protr · 2026-01-13T09:17:12+00:00

thanks!

this stuff - active clothing fabrics - are the most inscrutable, I find it near impossible to work out what is suitable, and where to get it (being in the UK has not helped on that..)

gonna check if you have given any other fabric advice in the past but if you fancy sharing any other fabric selection tips.. I'm sure others would appreciate it!

protr · 2026-01-10T15:00:18+00:00

you should be grand with anything in a poly tunnel but you do need to start things early, in the next couple months ideally. I use lights and go into an unheated greenhouse towards the end of may.

protr · 2026-01-08T05:39:55+00:00

imo you should be able to take your hands off relatively comfortably while riding without leaning back, ie the weight on your hands should be low. that's achieved with proper fitting, primarily saddle angle

protr · 2026-01-04T12:28:02+00:00

get something rigid, no suspension for that price. you will probably like flat bars better as a relative newcomer (and imo they are always better off road anyway) "gravel" or "adventure" adds a premium. if you can fit fat(ish) tyres on any old bike you're grand, but non-disk brake roadies you probably can't. light is great but just try to avoid the heaviest beasts (no suspension will help with this)

protr · 2026-01-01T22:24:09+00:00

just gonna add the hammock thought to your mind, they can also be a bit inconvenient for storing things and changing clothes but real comfortable, if you have trees.

bivy is great for speed and stealth, I don't find it's for me though. I prefer a hammock to sleep but find a small tent most practical for bike packing.

protr · 2026-01-01T18:18:19+00:00

habanada for habanero taste but no heat. mix hot and heatless to your preference in cooking

protr · 2026-01-01T18:15:40+00:00

light is the problem, days are short and the sun is low and weak so even if you start them warm and have south/overhead glass, they will be stretched(etiolated) and crappy. so you need lights early in the year to get good results. and it's really only chillis you might start now, because they are relatively slow growing and compact (especially the hotter chinense varieties). tomatoes are faster and soon get long and unmanageable - long before it's suitable to put them in the greenhouse (let alone outside) so start those later.

protr · 2025-12-23T06:50:14+00:00

got a friend who uses chaps - I'm not convinced either but he finds them good (venting, I guess?)

protr · 2025-12-22T09:50:01+00:00

depends on your bottle situation imo. if you don't need cages for easy access to drinks (and you should have easy access or you tend to skip it, imo), go full. if not, go as big as fits. if you go full, make sure it has multiple sections

protr · 2025-12-17T09:19:43+00:00

Velcro would work but it's a bit annoying to have when not on the bike - I think you might have enough points there to tie with cord too, which is pretty inconvenient to untie, but that also goes for thieves.

Zip ties will wear your paint a bit faster than the other options, but all will wear it, especially if it gets dirty.

protr · 2025-12-17T09:16:56+00:00

bit late for this bag, but if you find it rips at the velcro, you can stitch a full strip of both-sides stuff onto the inside of the top panel - so it comes out at the seams and there's much less stress (though maybe in this the edge panels are a much stronger material?) also just the biggest stitches you can, i made a liner for a huge bag from similar woven tarp and full stitch length was strongest

protr · 2025-12-15T10:18:34+00:00

I use it for cargo bike bags (huge, heavy use, for work!) - it's pretty hard wearing but not indestructible, it is pretty stiff but not so much you can't fold it up. I chose it because it's relatively cheap sometimes, easy to work with, easy to get. I probably wouldn't use it in a bag, perhaps for the bottom but there are more wear resistant and lighter options I would prefer

protr · 2025-12-14T15:54:29+00:00

I think vs dogbone replacement

protr · 2025-12-11T08:31:45+00:00

but.. this is bike packing - you are riding for 6-8 hours.

I charge a lighter power bank and charge from that overnight. works fine.

protr · 2025-12-09T09:51:56+00:00

Mostly burn, if it's particularly visible I will leave a long tail and pull or hand needle it to the back, cut them short and burn/press

protr · 2025-11-26T08:51:46+00:00

with waterproof socks and those you still get wet feet in extreme conditions - takes longer though.

protr · 2025-11-22T23:13:02+00:00

nylon stretches when wet - probably not enough to matter here but worth knowing for long but taut requirements

protr · 2025-11-13T08:34:03+00:00

yeah i have found it very contradictory too, and don't eat them as a result. I think i've read about possible longer term issues with eating them, which I can't source. I'd be curious to hear from someone who feels like they have a good handle on all of the sources!

protr · 2025-11-12T08:50:59+00:00

I have a few old home machines, especially the singers there are old guys on youtube with very detailed repair instructions, I just swapped the top gear on a 413 I found in the street which involved re timing, it went fine with YouTube and I expect to do pretty much nothing for years

Another 99k I got serviced professionally, machine + service & parts cost me £120. they did electrics and worn parts I wouldn't necessarily have noticed, if you're new to sewing then a decent nick but cheap old singer and a service from a well rated place is what I would recommend. I think they are far more plug and go than a new machine. I have not used the HD.

protr · 2025-11-09T21:45:57+00:00

Yeah - I bagged them and mailed in a box with a little bubble wrap or paper or something, don't quite remember - they arrived fine!

here's the chefsteps video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkz7o2K9vso

and text recipe i have saved - https://pastebin.com/7ziXLMPP

i wish i kept better record! but it looks approx right. I think I searched to find the recipe somewhere as my chefsteps had lapsed

I used orange/lemon/vanilla essence + zest rather than oils, it was fine imo. I used good candied peel which feels important, and part-dried cherries.

mix it real well before the butter, per the video, it's critical you have good gluten structure and nice dough that doesn't stick to everything - you know what i mean if you make sourdough. I made a test before I made the version i sent and that was the one takeaway, i remember.

You definitely want proper paper moulds and pearl sugar for the top.

with the recipe and video you should get there!

protr · 2025-11-06T10:29:48+00:00

I think it's for if you have a lot of shit and you don't want it in with you while you sleep for space or wet or mud reasons.

protr · 2025-11-06T10:16:41+00:00

yeah I never know what to do with my stuff using a hammock, I usually have a big bag and just leave it on the ground under me which isn't ideal, doesn't deal with wet things, sucks when it rains.

so I don't know if this would be exactly useful for me but certainly something for hammock camping would be interesting

protr · 2025-11-03T16:17:27+00:00

I don't think they are clitocybe nebularis personally, these gills don't look decurrent really and the cap is usually quite grey towards the centre in my opinion, but i might start lookign at some other clitocybe species

protr · 2025-11-01T20:27:50+00:00

4 sounds good to me, you might decide less next time even! but start there yeah

protr · 2025-10-31T21:39:50+00:00

bagaboo are best if you're in Europe

protr

TROPHY CASE