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Giant Metal Robot posted:I'm making stem/snack bags as gifts for a few bikes friends and testing the prototypes on my commuter. This is a pretty nifty attachment that you could use, depending on the strap orientation for the Velcro: https://rockgeist.com/product/spacelink/
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Jan 18, 2021 11:20
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Giant Metal Robot posted:I'm making stem/snack bags as gifts for a few bikes friends and testing the prototypes on my commuter. That's super snazzy, I love it! Much fancier than the solution I made so I could clip a portable speaker to my bike, I knotted shoelace looped around the handlebars.
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Jan 18, 2021 18:30
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   Some pics of my buddy out and about. I normally carry everything in my backpack, and I have an x-blade mudguard I put on in wet weather. Also I'm now dedicated to keeping my bike inside and repositioning everything around it. Had a real dodgy guy door knocking and casing out my building the other day.
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Jan 21, 2021 08:54
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Animal Friend posted:and repositioning everything around it This is the way.
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Jan 21, 2021 09:09
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I really need to remember my phone has a camera so I can take a picture of Elegant George next time I see him. EG is a grey heron I see regularly on the way to work and it always cheers me up. Anyone come across interesting fauna on their commutes?
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Jan 22, 2021 19:23
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100YrsofAttitude posted:I really need to remember my phone has a camera so I can take a picture of Elegant George next time I see him. EG is a grey heron I see regularly on the way to work and it always cheers me up. I ran over a big loving rat in Battery Park heading home one night.
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Jan 22, 2021 19:35
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sat on my keys! posted:I ran over a big loving rat in Battery Park heading home one night. Boy, I gotta say if a rat got itself run over, it's not much of a rat. I've thrown out a few dead rats from the basement where my bike is kept, and saw a mouse scurrying about around there the other day. I'm mildly worried I'll find one in my saddlebags one day.
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Jan 22, 2021 20:36
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At my old commute i used to ride downhill next to a horse pasture and they used to race me along the fence sometimes 
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Jan 22, 2021 20:42
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100YrsofAttitude posted:Boy, I gotta say if a rat got itself run over, it's not much of a rat. I've thrown out a few dead rats from the basement where my bike is kept, and saw a mouse scurrying about around there the other day. I'm mildly worried I'll find one in my saddlebags one day. It decided to run right across the path in front of me. Those lower Manhattan rats don't give a drat, they go where they please.
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Jan 22, 2021 20:54
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alnilam posted:At my old commute i used to ride downhill next to a horse pasture and they used to race me along the fence sometimes That’s sort of magical.
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Jan 22, 2021 21:29
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Got paced by an owl once. Kept swooping next to me then landing in front of me and waiting for me to go past again. She was so close I could touch her and she was dead silent I think she was using my headlight to spot prey. It made my hair stand on end it was so cool.
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Jan 22, 2021 21:33
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EvilJoven posted:Got paced by an owl once. Kept swooping next to me then landing in front of me and waiting for me to go past again. She was so close I could touch her and she was dead silent I got swooped by a large owl 17 years ago (eurasian eagle owl, they're huge for owls). Dead silent, super cool, my hair stood on end too. That single encounter turned me into a bit of a bird lover. On my commute I see deer at least once a week and the occasional fox or badger. I've seen moose twice, had to brake for one of them. They don't look both ways before crossing the road.
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Jan 22, 2021 21:45
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100YrsofAttitude posted:Anyone come across interesting fauna on their commutes? 
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Jan 22, 2021 21:55
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There's a bald eagle that hangs out on the floating bridge that I (used to) commute across. Miss seeing that guy. Also an insane number of bunnies.
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Jan 22, 2021 22:26
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All these stories are super-cool and you're all very lucky. I'm pretty sure I saw an owl in the day-time back in high school swoop just over me as I came back home after school because I can't explain any other bird being that large and quiet. Owl's are intense. Aside from my heron I was saw a kitten/young cat in a field. I hoped it wasn't a stray but I didn't stop to find out.
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Jan 22, 2021 22:55
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Deer and bunnies are so common in the city now it's not really all that special when you see em.
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Jan 23, 2021 00:32
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There are ospreys around San Diego that perch on a few spots along different routes I take, and there is a nest just off of a very popular route that I rode for the first time last week. They are so loving metal. Some of the waterfront parks have huge rabbit populations and they scatter when you ride near. Gotta make sure you don’t rush. The dumb bastards over.
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Jan 23, 2021 01:18
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Anza Borrego posted:There are ospreys around San Diego that perch on a few spots along different routes I take, and there is a nest just off of a very popular route that I rode for the first time last week. They are so loving metal. Love ospreys. We have one that lives next to our velodrome in a nest on our lights. It's pretty rad except that it shits all over the corner near its nest.
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Jan 23, 2021 01:42
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kimbo305 posted:This is the way.  The couch I'm sitting on folds out into my bed ("I sleep in a racing car...") So there's not much else space. I've always hated that lamp but now I'm liking it. Just need a tray for now while I find a stand that fits. Sometimes you gotta improvise. Also I see ducks on the commute I take with my sister when my rostered days off match her working days. And the occasional black swan. Normally chill but the ducks like to catch the morning sun on the tarmac bike path when they've got ducklings with them. So you have to dodge the tiny ones and the occasional parent ducky charging you if you don't leave enough room. I have almost been forced into the river by an angry duck.
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Jan 23, 2021 03:34
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Animal Friend posted:Just need a tray for now while I find a stand that fits. I got two 30" shoe trays so I could let the bike drip off on the floor before moving/wheeling around. In your situation, that might be too much of a nightmare to deal with shuffling. A single 30" would be fine with the bike vertical like that. If you need bigger, you could look at dog crate pans, which are really the same thing.
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Jan 23, 2021 08:21
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I have a long john problem. In the cold season I ride in long johns, with various layers on top depending on conditions. I switch pants when I get to work but usually the long johns stay on all day. For long term comfort and lack of smell I like thin merino wool the best by far, except it wears out too fast. After a few months of commuting the crotch disintegrates on the models I've tried. This is annoying and expensive. Does anyone know of a product with a stronger crotch yet thin and comfy merino for the rest?
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Jan 23, 2021 09:00
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Holes are essentially a feature of any lightweight merino knit fabric. Synthetic blends will increase the longevity. I recently got some merino underwear that is ~15% synthetic and I haven't managed to instantly wear holes in it. E: I use uniqlo heatech long johns. Not wool, but cheap and comfy. CopperHound fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Jan 23, 2021 |
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Jan 23, 2021 17:42
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100YrsofAttitude posted:I really need to remember my phone has a camera so I can take a picture of Elegant George next time I see him. EG is a grey heron I see regularly on the way to work and it always cheers me up. I'm a Canadian nature lover and professional naturalist, living in Australia. Every goddam day I get a stupid grin because I see extremely-common stuff like gum trees (Eucalyptus) and parrots (so many parrots!). These things are boring to my Australian colleagues, but I have also seen an eastern water dragon a couple of times on my commute - I think the same individual - and before I started biking I saw a few echidnas a handful of times when I was coming home after dark. And the usual parent-duck hissing and charging me because they have chicks. Speaking of herons, there's a white-face heron that hunts in the ditch beside the MUP I ride on, when the ditch is full of water from recent rains. I've seen it enough times, I should give it a name - Elegant George is a good one, but obviously taken  alnilam posted:At my old commute i used to ride downhill next to a horse pasture and they used to race me along the fence sometimes That's great! Once, so far, a kangaroo (we have a couple of distinct mobs of Eastern Grey Kangaroos around) paced me on the other side of the fence, but only for a few hops, maybe 20 metres. And I've been swooped a couple of times by magpies. Australian magpies will aggressively defend their nest territories, an area of maybe 200 m around whatever tree they've chosen. I see other riders with zip-ties on their helmets as magpie-deterents but the stand-out encounter I had was the maggie that swooped in silently beside me, pacing me for a bit just off my right shoulder, then SCREAMED a challenge right in my ear. Worth noting, at least one human fatality caused by magpie has been confirmed: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-16/magpie-swooping-attack--man-dies-near-woonona/11515246
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Jan 24, 2021 07:46
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Kangaroos are pretty great. Back when I actually commuted to the office I'd go through this nature reserve most days and most mornings there would be a mob of kangaroos on the last stretch before I got to work. They (usually) get out of the way when they hear you coming... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUsKjLWapIk 100% agreed on magpies, they're dicks. Thankfully I've only known one rider to have blood drawn from an encounter. I've been tempted to bribe some of the locals so they leave me alone during swooping season.
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Jan 24, 2021 10:42
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https://twitter.com/BrandonWC/status/1352718654731939842
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Jan 24, 2021 11:49
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So that's what that's called. "Idaho stop". Go figure.
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Jan 24, 2021 12:08
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Hey pretty new to cycling, looking to trade my car in and just getting a bike to bring to work. My commute would be about an hour each way. Is there an advantage to spending the megabux over something that is 500-600 ?
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Jan 24, 2021 19:53
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I generally don't advocate going expensive on a first bike because there's the chance you might want a new one in a few years when you have a better idea of what you're looking for in a bike after some experience riding.
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Jan 24, 2021 20:03
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Depends on what you can get for 500. There's some decent entry level bikes with everything you'd need without having any parts that would fail early. We're you looking at specific bikes at a local shop? Bike inventory is a major problem in some areas.
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Jan 24, 2021 20:05
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Bingemoose posted:Hey pretty new to cycling, looking to trade my car in and just getting a bike to bring to work. My commute would be about an hour each way. Is there an advantage to spending the megabux over something that is 500-600 ? Being a complete novice in the matter I spent some 300 euro on my bike for a daily 20km (round-trip) commute, and haven't regretted it since. I love my bike. He and I get along great. It's this. It was also the only bike available to me during the first lock-down and I didn't feel like shopping around or going online, and frankly I had the first Covid-check to make use of so yeah. I don't know if I got ripped off or not but Coco and I have done great things together. I think it's really a matter of how far you need to go, the terrain, and the like. If it's not a long commute, then maybe an average bike would do? That's the impression I have but really I am NOT an expert by any means. Just someone who started doing this this year, has enjoyed it, and has never not worn shorts while doing it.
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Jan 24, 2021 20:26
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kimbo305 posted:Depends on what you can get for 500. There's some decent entry level bikes with everything you'd need without having any parts that would fail early. We're you looking at specific bikes at a local shop? Bike inventory is a major problem in some areas. Havent been looking but a friend of mine recommended spending like a grand or two on a bike because of how light the newer ones are.
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Jan 24, 2021 20:47
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Bingemoose posted:Hey pretty new to cycling, looking to trade my car in and just getting a bike to bring to work. My commute would be about an hour each way. Is there an advantage to spending the megabux over something that is 500-600 ?
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Jan 24, 2021 20:57
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Bingemoose posted:Hey pretty new to cycling, looking to trade my car in and just getting a bike to bring to work. My commute would be about an hour each way. Is there an advantage to spending the megabux over something that is 500-600 ? The biggest things to avoid in an entry level bike are a Tourney rear derailleur, freewheel based wheel set, and Tourney ST-EF41 flat bar shifters. Buy whatever model comes with parts spec above those 3 things and it'll be a bike that lasts quite a long time and will still be good enough youll not regret it down the line. Avoiding these three things is super easy. Just don't get a bike with Tourney written on the rear derailleur (the front one is fine as long as it's the Tourney FD that uses an Allen key cable bolt) or shifters that look like this: 
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Jan 24, 2021 21:00
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100YrsofAttitude posted:Being a complete novice in the matter I spent some 300 euro on my bike for a daily 20km (round-trip) commute, and haven't regretted it since. I love my bike. He and I get along great. It's this. It was also the only bike available to me during the first lock-down and I didn't feel like shopping around or going online, and frankly I had the first Covid-check to make use of so yeah. I don't know if I got ripped off or not but Coco and I have done great things together. So it really doesnt matter just find something that is comfortable and works? For me its a lot of miles on the highway and its cold as ef where I am.
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Jan 24, 2021 21:33
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Bingemoose posted:So it really doesnt matter just find something works? All comes down to how long something will work for. The cheaper you go, the quicker stuff will wear out and cost you retail to replace. You can prob get 9spd with hydraulic disc brakes for 800-1000 USD. 9 speeds should preclude the lowest tier stuff. Figure $2-300 for rack, fenders, locks, helmet. Stuff for your commute.
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Jan 24, 2021 21:58
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The problem with 9 speed is for some reason 9 speed Altus to Alivio just seems overly finicky when it comes to derailleur adjustment and hanger alignment compared to 8 speed. I'd much prefer 8 speed Altus for a commuter. 9 speed Deore and Sora are fine.
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Jan 24, 2021 22:03
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Bingemoose posted:So it really doesnt matter just find something that is comfortable and works? For me its a lot of miles on the highway and its cold as ef where I am. When I started bike-commuting, it had been more than 10 years since I'd owned a bike. I didn't know what I'd find uncomfortable or what might be a dealbreaker on a bike. So I found a partly-broken bike and fixed it up (wrenching on a bike is almost entirely a matter of using regular tools after watching a couple of youtube videos, I had no real trouble). After a month, that bike broke again, so I bought the cheapest "hardtail" mountainbike (front suspension, no rear suspension) I could find new locally, and I've been very happy with it. My commute is less than half of yours, and I'm never anywhere near to a fast road. I think leaving plenty of room (budget) for a future upgrade is the best plan. Get something "decent" for half your budget (I guess around $1K) and after riding it for a month, think about whether you'd like to upgrade to something lighter, or with a different geometry, or a different gear layout. All of the accessories - lights, helmet, lock, etc. - will transfer over, saving some money on an upgrade compared to a everything-new purchase.
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Jan 25, 2021 01:28
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ExecuDork posted:How much biking experience do you have? Very little I mountain biked for a couple of summers when I was young. But have barely ridden road bikes. It's also a lot of hills. Yeah I might look for something around 1k and see if I even enjoy cycling at all before I drop some serious coin.
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Jan 25, 2021 02:35
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Also consider bike parking situation at work and home. The more secure your parking spot is the more willing I would be to spend the big bucks. Inside on both ends of the commute is optimal.
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Jan 25, 2021 03:52
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Oh yeah security is important. I find my own situation good enough but bike theft in Paris is rampant so I barely use it for anything but my commute. Still our basement has been broken into before and my school’s bike parking could easily be breached so it’s not something I want to put too much cash into.
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Jan 25, 2021 10:18
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