Posts by Ryan Thomas4

I figured as much. I suppose I'll just settle for the internet generation.
Oy vey.

Based on the recent posts, my (likely flawed) take is that you might have spent a little too much time flying over the handlebars—probably from trying to force an endo on a bike both with and without suspension.

It turns out wearing a helmet actually helps with safety.
Just saying.

Casey Allen said:It isn't just about comfort; there's a safety element too. If you have to slam on the brakes, having a fork that absorbs some of that force might make you less likely to go flying over the handlebars.

Jesse Sanders39 said:I think you're generalizing a bit here. Suspension is a safety factor for several reasons, primarily because it absorbs part of the braking force from the front; sometimes that's negligible, but other times it's enough to keep you on the bike.

Both of you are right that suspension absorbs force (though it's more about inertia than pure braking force)
But perhaps we're overlooking how a compressing fork actually shortens the distance between the rotation point—the wheel center—and the rider's center of mass. This means you'd technically need less torque to flip over the bars.
So, that pretty much offsets a good portion of the force absorption...
Of course, that's all fine in a lab setting with identical bikes, riders, and brakes under perfect conditions.
In the real world, any difference in how someone handles a sudden stop usually comes down to the rider themselves.
In other words, if you grab the brakes like an amateur, you're going over the bars regardless of whether the bike is
rigid or has suspension.

William Miller20 said:Regarding suspension maintenance, during my time trekking through 22 miles the maintenance was basically zero.
Unless you count wiping the outside once in a while... 🙂

That is, until you realize you've been riding for hundreds of miles on a permanently locked fork because water leaked in and rusted everything out.
I have some photos if you're interested.
Preventative maintenance exists for a reason.

Sam Jones4 said:The city being discussed is the capital of Ireland.

I suppose you can ignore that link to the traffic regulations I shared earlier.

But—I’d still suggest looking over some of the local traffic laws and driving etiquette in Ireland.

Bryan Evans77 said:Three lights—especially after adjusting for daylight savings, I think they should be mandatory 24/7, just like for cars.

Not quite. 😉
The law requires headlights for motor vehicles, while bicycles are required to have lights from dusk to dawn and whenever visibility is low.
I tend to run mine regardless, though, maybe more for my own peace of mind than anything else.
It's the same reason I always wear a helmet and a reflective vest.

Sam Jones4 said:Wearing layers, definitely. I have a shower at my office, which makes things a bit easier.

- Regarding clothing, if you have a place to change, I’d highly recommend technical or athletic gear. Things like moisture-wicking shirts and pants. They dry faster, you don't sweat as much, and the ride is generally more comfortable.

Sam Jones4 said:I've never heard of that spray before. WOW, that's great news. Do you happen to know the name or what it costs?

you can find something like this

Sam Jones4 said:By the way, I got my driver's license ages ago, but I barely remember anything about it...

You could brush up here
But—briefly, to echo what Litra mentioned—just don't do anything reckless that puts you or others at risk. 👍
The biggest danger usually comes from human error. Either your own or someone else's.

My advice: don't quit. It might feel pretty exhausting at first, and you'll probably find yourself making excuses for why you shouldn't bike (like it looks like rain, or it's too cold, or foggy, or you just aren't feeling it).
If you stay consistent, one day you'll realize those excuses have flipped (the rain isn't that heavy, it's not actually that cold, fog means fewer people on the bike paths, or you just don't want to deal with the subway rush). Eventually, you'll feel restless when you actually can't take the bike to work.
Enjoy your commute 👍

EDIT:
@Acheron - nice post 👍

My apologies, I accidentally included an extra https:// link. I've fixed it now. 👍

Robert Murphy6 said:I understand the theory behind calculating distance and time, but it doesn't quite work the way you described. I found an online workaround using the INT function. I also ended up adding some IF statements just to keep the fields blank until a value is actually entered.

It works on my end. 🤔

(I added an IF statement to prevent those #DIV/0 errors from popping up in the statistics.)

It’s actually pretty straightforward 😉
=cell with mileage/cell with time/24
For instance, if you were looking at April 16, 2014, the formula would look like this:
=C121/D121/24

It might be useful if the Average speed could be automatically calculated within the Data input sheet 🤔

Harold Booth68 said:I biked to work today, 2.2 miles and on the way back, I ended up with a hole in my pants right in the crotch area 😁.
How do you guys deal with this?

If you have somewhere to change, maybe wear bike shorts or some sweats 👍

Oh, right.
All those arguments about saving gas or cutting down on travel time aren't really my main concern—to be honest, I just feel significantly better since I started cycling.
I also only tend to do 4.0 miles one way.

Rachel Jones8 said:I like it. 🙂
Now that I've "built" my own PC, should I start assembling watches too? 😁

It’s really not that difficult. It took me about 20 minutes to put mine together. 🤷

Rachel Jones8 said:Since I know data can't be permanently erased, I wouldn't want to pass those disks along; I'd rather just toss or destroy them. I suppose there isn't much point in keeping them, given they aren't heirlooms.

You could always repurpose the disk 😬

True 👍
Most of the ice was on the bike path in Washington, D.C., though I did hit some patches over on Ozalj...

I know yours is...
As for this one, I caught sight of it for the first time yesterday, though maybe the snow just made it stand out more 😬

To anyone out riding today—watch yourselves, because there's ice everywhere...

I guess I had a similar find today 😬

(it was tied under the seat with dental floss ☕)

I wasn't out on my bike today 😢
there was some rain this morning, and I didn't really feel like spending the whole day with wet sneakers...

George Fox24 said:If you were going to put in the effort anyway, I suppose using pop rivets would have been a better way to handle it.

Maybe, but 😬
- I don't actually own those pop rivet pliers
- the screws were more of an impulse buy🙂

@Jeffrey Garcia11/">@@Jeffrey Garcia11
How is the traffic over on Lucičev (near the Faxes)?
I've started avoiding that route because dealing with students constantly cutting through the bike lane is a bit irritating.🙂
I'd rather just take that stretch along Savska via the main road.☕

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:@Ryan Thomas4/">@@Ryan Thomas4 I suspect those screws are a bit too long; I'd be worried about them puncturing the inner liner. It might be wise to sandwich an old tube or two in there and crank up the pressure to the max.
It would probably help to add some anti-puncture tape, but at that point, you might as well just buy premium tires.😉

I lined the inside of the tire with a tube and some duct tape over the screw heads.
As for how much it holds up—well, we'll see. 😬

I realize the screws are oversized, but I grabbed them based on memory. I wasn't exactly planning a trip to the hardware store, I just stopped by the local shop and since I was already there 😬)
Since this whole experiment cost me roughly $3.25 and about half an hour of work, if it works, great. If not, who cares? 😬

Bryan Evans77 said:He's jammed them in too deep; they really should protrude about 3-5mm from the tire... if even that.

They stick out 6mm.
🙂
😬

Maybe I'll trim them down a bit with some pliers. 🤔

Put together a quick draft 😬


Anyway, I could use some advice on my route ☕
My car died on me, so I have to find a way to get to work, and honestly, I’m tired of sitting around—I actually want to get out and ride for a bit...
The route goes from Lisinski - Spanish POS
The Ljubljana Avenue (Chicago) route isn't really an option for me—over the last few days when I was driving through there, I noticed the pedestrian and bike paths aren't cleared enough for me to safely navigate past people on my bike. As for Ljubljana Avenue, I don't particularly feel like riding on the main road. ☕
My planned route would be— Vukovar → Ozalj → depot → through those narrow streets toward Drvinj (maybe Golikova?) → Anin → Chicago and then I'm there.
I think I can manage all of that on the road without too much trouble.
Any other suggestions? 🤔
Thanks 👍