stormyotter88 said:Nothing beats the feeling of grinding your way up a tough hill on a bike. With a motorcycle, you’re always guessing: if it makes it, fine, but if it doesn't, you're stuck. It just feels better knowing you actually earned the climb through grit and persistence, rather than having an engine or a car do all the heavy lifting for you. Don't even get me started on those dirt trails... how would you even get a car up there anyway??
Oh, they get there alright. I once saw a car abandoned in a pretty ridiculous spot deep in the Appalachian Mountains. It took a local sheriff's deputy three days just to haul it out!
driftingcanyon16 said:It’s honestly just like that. Rocket propulsion 😁
It's not exactly rocket science—I saw some kind of chain on a bike once🤷, but hey, I'm trying!
Jesse Williams2, listen to this: You don't feel like riding, so you just hop on a bike and go. You hit an intersection and have no clue which way to turn where you won't get stuck, so you just pick one. That's my whole vibe. If the light is red, I try to blow through it, and if I can't, I just pivot and change direction. Everywhere. Just letting things happen. Eventually, I end up somewhere I've never been, or maybe back where I started, but via a route I've never taken. Life is just constant motion...
I’m a driver through and through. I drive everything, everywhere, any time, any direction. You could wake me up in the dead of night and tell me to head to Romania—as long as you’re footing the bill for gas—and I’m out the door before you finish the sentence. BUT: nothing beats the rush of getting on a bike when time starts feeling subjective. Try doing what I do in a car, a streetcar, or a bus (or a motorcycle, assuming you don't break every traffic law in the book)—trying to get from one end of the city to the other in 30 or 40 minutes? Forget it. Not to mention when there's a miles-long traffic jam and I’m just flying past them. They’re cursing while I’m grinning; they’re staring at red lights while I’m rolling through them, or they’ve got a green light and they're stuck, while I’m moving again. It’s an exponential high. And that’s not even mentioning the descent down the old trail by Arlington National Cemetery. People think I’m a lunatic—probably my bike thinks so too—but whatever.😂 I tried riding slow once. Managed about 100 yards before the momentum just took over.🤷 Even on wet pavement, I love it. On a bike, I feel almost as free as a bird; there have even been times where I felt exactly like one. Then there's the acceleration, or bouncing over gravel, or a slow climb up Mount Rainier via the road or through the woods, only to hammer it down the asphalt and weave through cars. Or you hit the dirt path and your kidneys take a beating. It’s madness, I’m telling you.
I always have a backpack on me. I cram everything and anything into it. If I need to pick something up in town and it fits in the bag, and it isn't negative 800 degrees out, I'm taking the bike. I’ve ridden through snow. I always get some miles in right after New Year's while everyone else is still passed out. Besides, Patrick King7, bike rider just look at the signature.
Could this actually wreck a fork? Say, if you’ve got a budget fork paired with a massive rotor. From what I've gathered, some forks have a specific limit on the max rotor size they can handle.
Oh God! Turns out I’ve become quite the damsel in distress...
That sounds like you're blowing things way out of proportion. Why the meltdown? A short cable, a shoe, a guy who already had a girlfriend—it's not that deep. My advice? Go for a walk, get some fresh air, run a mile or two, or hop on a bike for a ride with me. All your problems will vanish, except for one: that cable is still going to be too short. No joke. You just need to clear your head, preferably on your own. Physical activity works wonders. I call it "productive exhaustion." If you have a bike, come ride with me—though honestly, it’s basically like riding alone since nobody can actually keep up with my pace. Once you're moving, all this stress becomes a thing of the past. Seriously.
silentpanther15 said:yeah... sure, they aren't puncture-proof, but you can still slice right through them. Tubeless setups don't fix that reality..
haha, let's be real—no system is bulletproof unless you're running full rubber. I remember back when I was a kid riding this little bike; we used to run full tubes. It was an old Russian bike my brother used to ride before me. Those tires were basically Swiss cheese—covered in tiny pinholes and long slits, some five to ten centimeters long. After a rainstorm, you could actually see water seeping out of the tread. We had them filled with some kind of sealant foam. Probably wasn't the worst way to go about it, just maybe a bit heavy!
wanderingbadger10 said:What's the point of having tools or hex keys? If something gets stuck, just loosen it with your bare hands.
Right, because if you're dealing with a hex bolt buried an inch deep in a hole, your fingers are definitely going to do the trick. Incredible logic there. Is anyone else having trouble getting this forum to load, or am I just losing my mind?
I carry a wallet and a small hex key set. That’s it, even for trips over 93 miles. So far, I’ve dealt with one shredded tire—it was a lost cause with five or six holes, so I didn't bother patching it, just bought a new one—and two punctures. One was at a shop in 3.1 miles, and the other was at some random roadside mechanic. Because of all that, I’m still without a pump, patch kits, or anything else for repairs...
Steven Cooper3 said:The route you mapped out is actually solid. 👍
Here are a few other ideas for up there: - A singletrack/forest road running from Hunjka to the government meadow. The Great Trail isn't too demanding. - Hunjka-Danjka-Šumarev grave to the old Barn Hiking Trail. It's a hiking trail, but parts of it are blocked by logging work or debris left behind. From Shumarev grave to the barn, it's just gravel. - Hunjka Snowy Queen through the meadow. A forest path. Just head west and ride until you hit the Snowy Guy.
Those are much better options than hitting the main road, at least in my book. 😉
Yeah, the route is great. I think it was about 60 miles up to 44 miles, and most of that—pretty much all of it—was on gravel!! Gotta try those suggestions. Better to stick to the woods than the pavement. 🙂
Steven Cooper3 said:The Den is trash and you're in Forest Hills now. From here, you've got a few ways to go.
You can cut through The Den toward Oak Ridge and take the road by John Smith from up there, or just grab another trail.
If you head into Forest Hills, you can hit Markham and then catch the gravel path toward Hunjka. From Markham, you can head east toward the Markham thorns and then out to Videwater. From Vidowood, there's a gravel stretch leading toward Green Valley.
Every one of these routes has alternatives. If none of this works for you, let me know and I can map out some other options. 😉
I drove it out—it’s decent. There’s actually a spring near the old quarry. I stayed on the pavement up to Mount Whitney, then hopped back on the gravel toward Upper Kustošija. Once you hit the Kustošija District, you've got three choices. Go straight (mostly downhill) toward 1.9 milesFifth Avenue, veer left (a steady climb toward the Miller and Lukšić areas along Sixth Avenue), or go right (a steeper climb than the left side) to reach Upper Sparrow. From there, it's mostly downhill unless you swing into Pustakov at the cross. Then you're looking at three more options: straight down—which is a serious drop (50+ feet)—there's a sharp bend (a textbook 90-degree turn) that leads back to Upper Sparrow, or veer slightly uphill before a long descent that hits the Kustošija District and then Fifth Avenue. It's a mess of intersections and turns, but you always end up back on Fifth Avenue, or if you hit Pustakov and head toward Mount Rainier, unless you miss those side paths that lead—guess where?—right back to Fifth Avenue.🙂 Basically, all roads lead to Fifth Avenue.
Got towed. Ended up with a ticket ($100) plus the impound fees ($167). There wasn't even a sign posted, but apparently, I technically violated some municipal code—Section 112, subsection 3, or whatever. Not that it matters; if I’d known, I wouldn't have done it. My question is: can you actually challenge the tow itself? As for the parking fine, fine 🤷, I'll take the hit, but I'm not happy about it. My car wasn't blocking anyone. It wasn't on the grass. There was at least a yard of space left for pedestrians, and the cops told me the gap between my car and the wall was fine. It wasn't obstructing traffic by any stretch. I heard once that if a vehicle isn't causing an actual obstruction, they aren't supposed to tow it—just write the ticket. Looking for some help here. Even just a starting point for a decent appeal would be great.
Just when it finally feels warm enough to actually get out there, the wind picks up... and now there's snow. 🙂
And I was actually looking forward to spring. 😠
🙂:2up:
Real fun.
Today was actually a decent spring day, so I took advantage of it and went for a little ride (32 miles). It was pretty calm, almost zero wind—barely noticeable.
Ugh, I'm calling it. Once I saw the snow starting to fall, I decided to just stick to a car and public transit combo. I've been getting soaked for the last few days, and now there's wind on top of it. Better to just wait for better weather.
Sophia Hill22 said:The wind is a total nightmare when I'm out riding (it always feels like it’s hitting me dead-on!). Today was brutal—not just a breeze, more like a freezing gust from the Midwest. My face felt frozen solid and it completely killed my momentum... maybe I need to look into a better helmet for this kind of weather.
It’s unreal. It’s rare, if ever, that I actually get a tailwind. I don't understand the physics of it, but the wind is always blowing right into my chest. Logic says if I'm heading north and fighting a headwind, then heading south should give me a break, right?🤷 Wrong. Never. It’s exhausting. I don't mind pedaling like crazy just to move an inch, but I hate watching my speed drop from 20 mph down to barely 12. After a ride like that, my legs feel like heavy lead weights the next day.😂
crimsonbadger77 said:deer hunter😍 the law is what it is... but if you mess up, there's no second chances, buddy😠
It used to be great driving on the highway before they brought in the buses and made it a one-way street😠(not that I don't head out there occasionally). Those curves are something else—heavy throttle, hard braking, just plunging downhill. Pure madness. It’s beautiful out in the hills, though. A real rush.
crimsonbadger77 said:If you don't know where San Jose is... slight tangent, but whatever. I rode down from the peak... hit about 45 or 50 mph on one stretch. It’s a sick feeling. You can't even look straight ahead; your eyes start watering. And I was doing it in short sleeves and sweats, no helmet and all that. Thank God for the bike and my gear.😂
As if I wouldn't know—I was braking with my hands, my feet, my brakes, and my teeth!😂 Sometimes I climb up, then fly through the woods straight toward the ER! Basically, there are still some of us left, moving at the speed of a Queen's tooth45 miles/h! One time, I ran into some lunatic driving his car the wrong way on a mountain pass. Realizing I wasn't going to stop, I just let go of the brakes and squeezed right between the car and the guardrail!!😠
High-speed gale: My cousin was near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge when a gust ripped his fuel cap right off. It was tossing signs around like nothing; it’s no surprise it can blow a person away. Cars have an air resistance coefficient of maybe 0.28, while a human is closer to 2.something. You realize pretty quickly that a person is about eight times more sensitive to wind than the front of a car!!
crimsonbadger77 said:Ugh... I know the feeling. I haven't wiped out yet, but those sudden gusts catch you off guard. It’s a bizarre sensation. 😢
The other day, the wind was trying to knock me sideways on the Freedom Bridge and again over on Ilica Street. I had just hopped on a streetcar, leaning into the lee side at 23 miles/h, and decided to step outside for a second. The moment the wind hit me, it slammed my speed down to 16 miles/h. On the flip side, having it at your back is great 🙂!! I’ve never actually been blown over, but after being blindsided a few times, I wouldn't put anything past the wind—especially when you're moving fast.
Look, I’m big into cycling, and modern bike seats are supposedly "high quality," yet here I am dealing with hemorrhoids. When they first showed up, there was actual pain involved. Now, it’s more of a cycle—they flare up, they recede, they come back. It just rotates. To manage it, I always apply standard Nivea, Nivea Soft, or Baby soft right after my shower. I’ve had bleeding issues twice, but we're talking tiny amounts, like a single drop. As far as I can tell, this is the best way to handle things as long as you can still sit or lie down normally. It helps ease the strain from hard stools, though honestly, you're better off camping out in the restroom. Sometimes I'll sit there for 20 minutes and come out fine; if I rush or strain, the problems return immediately.
So, I’m also in the market for a new GPU. Right now, I'm still rocking a Gainward Ti 400 GF3 GS 64MB. Look, in today's standards, it's basically a paperweight, but considering it's six years old and managed to run Max Payne 2 and Far Cry without breaking a sweat, I wouldn't trust any other manufacturer. I’d recommend anyone stick with Gainward and Nvidia. Obviously, you can't touch anything under 512 MB these days—better yet, aim for 1 GB. I saw some at Best Buy. A buddy of mine has some off-brand card with only 128 MB and he couldn't even play Far Cry; well, he could, but he’d be seeing green from all the stuttering and freezing after five minutes. Gainward plus Nvidia equals a good time.👍