On cycling [draft]
This post is in progress - I don't have a draft function on my website, so... Bring on the public drafts
I love riding my bikes. There is too much to say and not much I can articulate beyond simple bullets. Mostly because I prefer to be out than writing.
- No ride is perfectly smooth, consider type 2 fun
- Quality of a ride depend on hydration and excretion
- Handlebar bag are the purse you need
- Music is only a nice to have
- Hip packs compress the bladder
- Layering rules
- Technical materials are often overrated
- Snack, carboloading is a bad idea
- Don't chug water
- Close your mouth, breath through your nose
- A bike isn't an armchair, discomfort is normal, don't agonize over ergonomics
- Four bikes does not make you 4X happier than one bike (Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility)
- Quit strava already
- Upgrade the tires firsts
- For long ride and bikepacking, consider YAGNI (You ain’t gonna need it)
- Buy basics locally, buy the fancy, special stuff online
- Sanity is somewhere between miles 2 and 5
- Learn to talk to yourself, or strap something to your handlebar
- You can, and should change your chain, break pads and tires yourself
- Nobody cares about your watts
- Stop (at least) every hour
- Beware of cars and dogs
- You will never fully understand gear ratios and derailleur adjustments, try anyway
- Lube the chain everytime you get out further than 3 miles
- Steel is all you need, be honest with your needs and desires when buying
- Find the right side saddle, marry it
- Don't be too nice, you're the one sweating
- Anticipate, wether on asphalt or in nature you're the smallest around
- Cables over electronics
- Don't ride stock pedals
- Group rides are odd
- If someone wants to talk about bikes, it's a hit or miss
- Cycling as a few sub-niches that don't uderstand each other
- Popping a tire bead is very rewarding
- The rain is not ideal, strong wind is much harder to handle
- Keep your helmet on - great conversation starter, and filter
- What goes up, goes down
- Cables > hydraulics > electronics
- It is always worth it, once you are out
- Stretching makes a huge difference
- Dead hang after a ride
- Patch kits
← Index Published on 2024-03-28