kain0m profile

Absolutely. I recommend "not just bikes" on Youtube for any north American to get a perspective of just how perverted the NA lifestyle (and urban/suburban planning) has become. It is all about a deep car fetish, it dictates peoples' entire lives, and there is no element of choice. If the city is designed properly, you can do a lot of things more easily by walking/cycling/public transport than by car. If the city is designed properly, you can do a lot of things more easily by walking/cycling/public transport than by car. We're a family of three living in a suburban house, and only own one car - like most our neighbors. I am fortunate enough to be able to cycle to work safely and efficiently. My company doesn't even provide free parking for employees, instead they subsidize public transport tickets - a 5.000+ employee automotive company. 

Just to clarify: I love cars, and I work in the automotive industry. It just shouldn't be the "be all, end all" solution to personal transport.

Well written. I've bought into a "gnarly" hardtail a few years ago, and I agree - it is a different experience, but it is a fun one. They are amazingly capable, and it is easy to forget you're not on a squishy big bike. That is, right up until the moment where you're chasing one into a rock garden.

What I find is that riding a hardtail makes finding flowing lines so much more enjoyable - all of a sudden, you're gliding though some pretty nasty terrain, and picking up speed in the process.

There is a very similar multi-tool by Topeak. It's called the ratchet rocket, and come with good quality bits. There's also a version with torque sticks or a chain breaker and tire levers in the same pouch. Love that thing!

Side note, I never thought about using the extension as a handle. Makes total sense, that's why theres a hex in the end of the ratchet! Thanks for the tip!

Oh yes, the good old 3D printer. It solves many problems you did not have before owning a 3d printer. My first "real" print was a little bracket to attach the front of a kitchen drawer that had broken. I've also printed a holder for my shoe horn, a stand for my fountain pen, parts for RC drones, phone stands,... 

The real challenge is to know when NOT to print something, but to use another process.

I think that manufacturers have totally lost touch with their customer base.

On the one hand, they are selling a "message", a "lifestyle" with their products, to appeal to the ape-brain. They create pages upon pages of marketing blurb, shoot fancy videos, pay influencers to promote their product, etc.

On the other hand they ommit even the most basic specifications to a point where it is basically impossible to judge if the product suits you or not. Like I recently looked into cargo bikes. You'd be amazed how hard it is to find information about size and weight of those things. You'll know it's perfect for your modern, urban lifestyle, and that the grips are made out of 93% recycled rubber, but you won't know if it fits in your shed.

And the third dimension is the legalese. The "don't microwave your cat" kind of BS, that is just there to cover their a**es from any possible attempt at litigation. To the point that no-one ever reads the information, because we all know Tide pods aren't snacks - so even the last bit of potentially helpful information has been diluted into uselessnes.

Battery Electric vehicles are a great way to hurt the environment today. MAYBE they'll be net-negative in the long run, but that is 15 years out. Many EVs in the rust belt will never last long enough to reach that.

And then there is the whole "green electricity" lie - about solar, wind, and hydro power being zero carbon. Big picture, they are less carbon intensive than other forms of power, but far from "zero". Especially solar power has a huge up-front energy cost, which at this point is provided mainly by chinese coal plants.

Emissions and global warming are a fantastically complex topic - but I am afraid battery EV's are nothing more than a shiny band-aid on the actual problem. The have the potential to reduce carbon emissions, but only in the best-case scenario. A Tesla operated in Germany emitts more NOx than a Diesel car would be allowed to, and about 80-100g of CO2 per km (which is comparable to an economy car...). And then there is the whole peak-power issue and overrating the grid to compensate for that - leading to gargantuan efforts in infrastructure, causing more CO2...

NB: I work in the development of fuel cells for EVs. The situation is marginally better there, but the only solution is a drastic reduction in individual traffic, combined with high taxation of international transport, reduction of planned obsolescence, etc. As long as we ship most of our goods halfway around the globe, just to throw them away after far too short of a period, we are never going to even make a dent in the climate with EVs of any kind.

If you have a feel for it, of course, this is plenty fine. I'd hazard to guess it is more accurate than the +-15% Range of this Gizmo. Just don't expect single PSI accuracy...

I've seen the Makita pump used to re-seat 33" offroad car tires, so I'd guess yes. But then again, I always have a pressure bottle on hand for seating stubborn bike tires, so I am fine with a floor pump.

I think one of the main misconceptions is that "fast=flow". No, riding bikes is not about being fastest, unless you're racing. It id about having fun, feeling the flow. Going fast is where you get hurt, and hurt badly.

Letting off the brakes is great advice. It greatly increases the stability of your bike, frees up the suspension and your body. And when you find a natural braking spot, HAMMER on the brakes (without locking them up).

By going 5-10% below your limit, you'll get rid of 95% of crashes. And if you're doing it right, you'll get just as much enjoyment. You'll miss the "holy sh*t, I almost just died" moments, but you'll get to ride more since you're not broken half of the time.

Trouble with most trails and especially bike parks I know is that they are too steep. A good bike trail should have less than 5% gradient, yet most are closer to 10%... This encourages either going WAY too fast, or constantly dragging the brakes.

One final tip: stop riding trails when you're tired. If you did six laps of the park, and towards the end of the last one you're hanging on for dear life, just let it be. If your buddies wanna go for another lap, fine, let it be. The last one will not be fun, you're simply trying to survive. And then you get hurt and you can't for a month - it's simply not worth it.

I think the majority of people ride too far back. The front wheel needs much more attention (read: pressure) than we give it intuitively, especially with slack head angles and long bikes.

And then there is the point of ellbows out: It is necessary. But it is also necessary to have movement in both directions.

My way of thinking about this is: On a bike, 80% of the mass is the rider, and 80% of that is the torso and head. If this mass is stuck in any corner, it limits the amount the whole system (i.e. bike + rider) can move before it looses control - this is true in both directions. The same way that a trophy truck has 50% negative travel, the rider needs to be centered in his  or her "travel" - that is arms and legs.

A dirtbike on a pump track is great training for this - you can't move swiftly ony pumptrack if you rely on suspension. Once your riding posture is where it needs to be, you have the ability to "pull the bike towards you" on the uphill part of a hump, and push yourself perpendicularilly off the inclined plane on the way down.

On a FS bike, you want to acheive the same thing - a "resonance" with the bike and terrain. Release pressure on the way up, and push on the way down. This generates the flow in your riding - you work with the suspension, not against it. And it most certainly isn't possible when you aren't centered in your "travel" - because then, you are stuck with reacting instead of acting.