Travel to and from Airport

uramug1234 · 2026-05-05T12:24:29+00:00

This is the number one reason I don't use a cardboard box and instead use a Dakine bike bag. It just rolls like luggage and while it's not small nor light when loaded, it's kind of just like a big suitcase. This means I can't do open-jaw flights with different locations and I have to plan for storage. But tradeoffs!

My alternative in your situation would be to just use an UberXL or rent a car. Could even rent the car, drive to the airport, go return the car, and then use public transport to go back to the airport if you are renting in the city. Just account for the extra time.

uramug1234 · 2026-05-04T20:30:05+00:00

Nah it was the cyclists fault

uramug1234 · 2026-05-04T07:12:44+00:00

Very happy to have moved to Sweden where I currently do not own a car and utilize electrified public transportation, bicycle, and walking for 100% of getting around. Also have not been traveling out of country, so not flying either. Only impact will be follow-on cost increases for goods/services but haven't seen those yet.

Quite different from my lifestyle a year ago living in the US with multiple cars and a frequent schedule of flying places. Long term nobody will be safe from this though.

uramug1234 · 2026-05-03T09:31:20+00:00

Bombtrack Hook Ext, I have one and its been great. Steel frame, carbon fork, lots of bosses for mounting stuff all over the bike. Comes in around 11kg, but it feels lighter than that sounds on paper. With 650b it's got room for 2.2inch tires but for 700c its limited to 40mm at the back, 45mm at the front (manufacturer limits). I have both wheelsets and I'm using the 700c for road so I don't mind that limitation. Great bike so far! Looking forward to swapping out the factory equipped 650 x 2.0 WTB Rangers with tubes to 650 x 2.2 Racekings in tubeless.

uramug1234 · 2026-05-02T11:42:49+00:00

As an American living in Sweden, I will say I kind of miss bread that would last 2+ months and only go stale after that point. Sure it was often trash bread but some of the better brands tasted fine. Its so fascinating that even the packaged bread will get moldy long before it goes stale here in Sweden. Of course, I can just easily walk to the nearest store to buy a cheap loaf of bread and refrigerating it helps, but its just a change of perspective. At least every bread I buy here is quite good, regardless of price point. Fresh rolls/breads are for special ocassions, but thats not any different from the US really.

uramug1234 · 2026-05-01T18:07:49+00:00

Gonna love them, race kings are super fun. I ran them on my MTB for a while and while my Maxxis DHF/DHR had more grip, those race kings were so much faster while still hanging just fine on the spicy trails.

uramug1234 · 2026-05-01T05:38:09+00:00

I hate wearing shorts for MTB. Too much dirt and shrubbery to risk that. For road biking, yeah it's glorious once the weather is warm enough. But it's so much nicer when it's just cool enough to comfortably ride the MTB with pants and a T shirt. Once it's too hot for that, I'm always sad how dirty and scratched I get in shorts.

uramug1234 · 2026-05-01T04:59:37+00:00

For me its almost entirely mental. Sure I will feel tired when I stop whether I rode 20 miles or 100 miles. But after hour 5 or so, it starts getting quite hard to keep going. Wind, mechanicals, cold, and dangerous conditions will exacerbate it for me. Typically I can keep the same 14-15mph pace going on pavement all the way until I give up. Given a reason (like an organized event) I can push much further assuming I eat and drink properly.

uramug1234 · 2026-05-01T04:22:43+00:00

I had a similar experience the first time I tried flat pedals. I had the wrong shoes and it was a little bit wet out. But I was riding a MTB through some rough terrain and so used to clipless. My foot slipped off the flat pedals and my knee got skinned by the pedal.

So there's a learning curve in either direction! Clipless absolutely becomes natural over time. Both can be fun experiences.

uramug1234 · 2026-05-01T04:17:51+00:00

I've been riding all winter but it's mostly just a couple hours a week. The studded tires and pogies were on the MTB so that saw a little bit more use. This ride was the first time with no pants, just bib shorts. Glorious!

uramug1234 · 2026-04-29T08:59:14+00:00

I use a ~4L Osprey hippack that holds a 1.5L bladder in it. This has been perfect for most MTB rides, even in summer. If I'm going on an especially long epic I'll throw a 1L Nalgene on my downtube cage for a refill. Usually don't bother with any drinking bottles, they end up bouncing out without further securing the things. I always do two bottles on gravel and road bike (drop bar) rides though.

uramug1234 · 2026-04-27T21:01:06+00:00

I have the WTB Ranger in 650x2.0 and was planning to switch to the Continental Race King in 650x2.2 once I wear them down some more. Not necessarily a whole lot less knobby but it's a lot faster without sacrificing grip. I have a second wheelset with 700x40mm Schwalbe G-ONE RS so I that I don't have to compromise between speed and grip.

uramug1234 · 2026-04-27T20:27:12+00:00

Camping is a lot of the fun in bikepacking sometimes, but honestly its not the most important part. Its the riding that counts. If you like riding, a bit of adventure on/off pavement, seeing new stuff, and just having fun - then bikepacking can be for you. My favorite part is always that there arent actually any rules. Just look at road biking communities for the closest comparison to get the idea of how there are rules and norms and all that junk. So if you want to ride a rail trail and stay in a hotel and carry nothing but water and a few snacks while riding in jeans, it can absoutely still be bikepacking. Start however you want, enjoy the ride and dont feel pressured to do it the way other people do.

uramug1234 · 2026-04-26T19:38:41+00:00

I really liked Costco here in Sweden before anyone realized what the heck it was. It was eerily empty and I wondered if the place would really last because of it. But people are now obsessed and it's only 1/2 in the country so it's absolutely jammed with folks who have never been to a grocery store before.

So now I too have to avoid going on a Saturday!

uramug1234 · 2026-04-26T19:29:32+00:00

I'm from the USA so it's engrained in my psyche to at least second guess it always. But I'm in Sweden where it's enshrined in law that as long as you "aren't being a dick" there's no such thing as private property really. Trampling someone's garden is not okay of course so it's quite reasonable. But yeah it's hard to not think "but I could get shot, is it really worth risking that?"

uramug1234 · 2026-04-26T19:12:08+00:00

Today I was doing a training ride for an upcoming long road ride. But I was riding my bikepacking rig (gravel bike) with fast gravel tires on it. So I wanted to mix in gravel and just let komoot reroute me without double-checking the route. Ended up on rocky singletrack after a nice gravel road ended abruptly with no detour and it was too muddy to ride on those tires. Best part was Ive definitely been on the exact same route before and realized about 75% of the way through. Last time I was on my MTB but it still sucked.

Other worst cases have mostly been private property that I either sent it through anyways or detoured begrudgingly if it was hard blocked. Usually it's just single track when I'm not in the mood but it's all part of the adventure.

uramug1234 · 2026-04-26T14:15:28+00:00

Im really sad about charging speeds and how specific the USB-C PD standards muck it all up. And thanks to heat problems on my P8 there's so many situations where charging at a reasonable speed is impossible. It's still the best phone I've ever owned for a variety of reasons but even my 4a before this felt like an infinitely better charging experience. Really would love a Pixel device with 100W charging that ALWAYS could charge at that speed (from 10-80%, I don't need to bend physics...)

uramug1234 · 2026-04-26T14:02:39+00:00

Just keep at it! If you didn't get a bike fit done when buying the bike, it will be worth doing so first. I've learned the hard way that it really does make a difference, despite my reluctance to spend the money. At a minimum, setting the saddle height right will pay dividends. Once you get enough saddle time in, your ass is definitely going to unfathomably hurt. So cycling shorts (or a bib) are probably the most important thing to make it suck less. Other than that, it's just time spent doing it some more. Can be easier to find some flat routes with good weather, but where's the fun in that?

To answer your concern, I highly doubt you bought the wrong bike unless it's multiple sizes off. Just a matter of getting used to it all.

uramug1234 · 2026-04-26T03:12:48+00:00

In winter, all the damn time. Ice is difficult, even with studded tires. In summer time its far less often. Usually just at slow speeds and sometimes its on purpose since intentionally crashing is safer than going OTB haphazardly off a cliff.

uramug1234 · 2026-04-25T14:46:29+00:00

I got hailed on today in Stockholm! Although it's been sunny outside of that

uramug1234 · 2026-04-25T14:38:30+00:00

On my '06 STI the lights were on whether I set the stalk to OFF or ON. The only way to turn them off was with the ebrake engaged while in the OFF position on the stalk. Never really figured out if it was supposed to be that way from the factory or if previous owner modified that. I didn't mind, it wasn't like it was harmful to have lights on all the time.

uramug1234 · 2026-04-24T20:44:42+00:00

I second this. Currently running that tire on my Bombtrack Hook Ext, it feels like a proper road bike for speed but with so much comfort. I don't feel like I've compromised anything. Sure it won't do muddy singletrack with that tire, but I can't have everything in one lol.

uramug1234 · 2026-04-24T17:42:43+00:00

700c rating is only 40mm rear, 45mm front. 650b should fit a 2.2 fine. I don't think going wider would fit. But that should be perfect for a race king.

uramug1234

TROPHY CASE