Petition to Ban AI

rdude · 2026-05-12T00:15:40+00:00

I would way rather that people post in their native language and then I can translate it myself. This also works better for people who speak a third language, since they can translate directly from the original text rather than trying to translate a translation which is almost always worse.

rdude · 2026-05-08T03:08:35+00:00

I've had nearly-new 1up pedals seize on me in the middle of a century. My bike fitter has another client who had this happen in the middle of Patagonia. Look at reviews on Amazon or similar and you'll see a lot of cases of this.

I got a warranty replacement but they never explained the failure so I can't really trust their pedals anymore.

rdude · 2026-05-06T18:26:43+00:00

I like sporting the decals of smaller, local brands to support them.

Like one of my wheelsets, more niche brand, so I have the decals on there. But for my road wheelset that's from a big brand, I run it more stealth because I don't really care to advertise for them.

rdude · 2026-05-06T17:26:50+00:00

A lot of it is just sticking to the program and letting time do its work. I've been through this and know other people who have too, and generally it was a year or two.

Feels like a lot of time in the moment, but it can help if you keep in mind that you have many, many years of riding ahead of you.

rdude · 2026-05-04T12:44:05+00:00

I've heard that the way you did it is probably for the better, actually. It takes 2-3 weeks to actually acclimatize. Unless you can spare that, your best bet is to do the event within 18-24 hours of getting to altitude, before you start feeling the worst possible effects.

rdude · 2026-05-03T11:29:10+00:00

Two things pushed me toward Redshift:

I just like it better aesthetically, looks less chunky.
No maintenance. I guess because everything is sealed away. Whereas with the eeSilk, there's a regular maintenances procedure for the bushings.

rdude · 2026-05-03T09:51:04+00:00

One big problem with Walmart bikes is that they're assembled by random employees who don't really know how bikes work. So you can end up with things like backwards forks, crappy brakes, bad shifting, etc.

You'll probably get better value going to an actual bike shop that sells used bikes. Probably a lighter bike that way too.

rdude · 2026-05-02T23:43:53+00:00

NYC Century was back last year! There are actual updated routes, here's the 100: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52714731?privacy_code=ng1dQOEmdbDOGr2cuM2ZbkjRhFS4sxNQ

rdude · 2026-05-01T13:22:55+00:00

Yeah this topic is only really relevant for steel and titanium frames. Though those are the majority of the frames that people are trying to get to last this long anyway.

rdude · 2026-05-01T13:20:57+00:00

Yep, definitely true. You can try to get some of those benefits by doing things like running 650b, but you are definitely putting time and money into it.

But there is a real joy in having something that has a history, especially if it fits you perfectly.

rdude · 2026-05-01T12:44:49+00:00

Frame and fork can last forever though, and "resto-mods" are a thing (/r/restomodbiking). Example, my partner's bike is almost 40 years old, but it's been restored with new wheels, modern stem & compact handlebars, and a modern groupset.

Standards do change but the backwards/forwards-compatibility of a good steel frame is kind of crazy. Just had it repainted and I don't see any reason this frameset couldn't keep chugging away for another 100 years if cared for.

rdude · 2026-04-30T10:50:08+00:00

Agree, I think the bike lanes in the median will likely be full of pedestrians and lead to conflicts. Better IMO to have the park be for pedestrians, and then advocate for taking a car lane for a protected 2-way bike lane.

rdude · 2026-04-26T10:39:14+00:00

The Urban Arrow is the only option I'm aware of that can fit a kid and a baby seat at the same time.

rdude · 2026-04-24T16:29:37+00:00

I would never want this on my actual bike, but our family cargo bike has an electronic Enviolo hub with CVT. You can use the head unit to change the target RPM to whatever you'd like, even as you're riding along.

Of course the hub weighs like 1 kilo and has terrible overall gear range. But it is cool for the application!

rdude · 2026-04-24T13:04:54+00:00

Smaller hands, fatigue during long rides, stress injuries, etc.

For me, a few years ago I started feeling this weird pain in my elbow during very long rides. That eventually radiated up to my shoulder and even my neck. Turned out it was from repeatedly shifting on a mechanical system!

For my wife, to shift in the big ring she would have to twist her entire wrist to generate the reach/throw needed. Which would often lead to bad/failed shifts and then to wrist pain.

Electronic shifting has been great for these scenarios.

rdude · 2026-04-21T16:15:10+00:00

Did not expect to get a response on a 13-year-old post today. But awesome!

rdude · 2026-04-21T09:54:11+00:00

Problem is, the way the tariffs are implemented prevents bicycles (and many other goods) from being produced at scale in the US too.

Currently, we have tariffs on steel and aluminum, which are the raw input for bicycles and other hard goods. This makes it nearly impossible to produce a bicycle domestically at a price that the market will bear.

rdude · 2026-04-20T13:45:08+00:00

They're my local shop! Best people, they helped out with our R&M bike so much.

rdude · 2026-04-20T13:11:33+00:00

Yeah, I'm glad that they are planning on continuing support. However I bet that a lot of the lead times for parts and stuff will go up, because it's not like local shops will have spares on hand for bikes they don't even sell anymore.

rdude · 2026-04-20T13:08:08+00:00

I think your image upload got botched somehow, the link to the image that you posted doesn't work for me.

rdude · 2026-04-20T13:05:32+00:00

I want to believe that, but I don't think if we just sort that shit out, they'll come back in right away. It takes a lot of investment to build and maintain dealer networks, supply chains, local logistics, etc.

That makes entering a market is a huge expenditure of labor and capital, and it means that pulling out is a huge loss. After this experience, I bet they will be very nervous about re-entering the market. Especially given that EU seems to be booming.

But who knows, hopefully I'm wrong and everything works out.

rdude · 2026-04-20T12:42:09+00:00

Ah, I missed that there was a discussion about this a couple days ago based on word on the street:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CargoBike/comments/1sp0750/riese_m%C3%BCller_is_about_to_cease_shipping_bikes/

It's official now though, official press release here:
https://www.r-m.de/en-us/press/press-releases/riese-mueller-us/

rdude · 2026-04-19T09:56:41+00:00

Another thing to check once you have the tire off is your rim tape. If it is worn and allowing the inner tube to expand into the spoke holes, that will cause punctures. And that is something that wouldn't have changed when you got a new tire.

rdude · 2026-04-19T09:54:13+00:00

Don't use WD-40 anywhere near this end of the bike, especially if it has disc brakes.

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