TMoney

Did my first virtual ride on Zwift. It is very weird not to have to worry about steering the bike. I feel like I was in the matrix. It is pouring rain out, so yeah, I see the appeal of riding indoors. I also am able to tighten the pedal tensioners to their “death grip” setting because there is no falling off a stationary bike. I also noticed, while looking at what cadence other people ride at on Strava, that all of Brent’s Strava pictures are of food. You can’t make this stuff up. 😂

It’s a shame he killed himself by going full MAHA and thinking an all-fruit diet would cure his cancer. The Reality Distortion Field had its limits. Hoisted on his own petard, to be sure, but he is missed.

I’m coming up on 200 miles on the new bike and still very much in the honeymoon phase. I did a 35ish mile ride today and had a blast. This thing is a riot to get out and ride. I love how much distance I can cover, and it feels like a proper machine. The farm roads where I live are infinite, and with the radar I’m not caught off guard when motorists do want to overtake. I’m starting to get used to the clipless setup. No wipe-outs since the initial one. As I’ve developed a more deft touch on the brakes it is easier to dismount under control. I still have close calls every now and then so not ready to crank the pedal tensioners up yet, but I’m getting there. I’m ready for a bike fit and booked one with a local place that a co-worker recommended that uses the Retul stuff. I don’t know what I’m doing outside of going by feel, so hoping they can help me out. I’m not sure if my saddle is right or not, and I do get some shoulder soreness on longer rides. I can see fit being more and more important as I do longer rides. I’m also going to bring the bike back to the shop for a break-in adjustment and cleaning. She is getting filthy and I don’t have access to a hose to spray it off.

You are looking sharp! 🎶 You are looking good! 🎵 (Seriously though, hall of fame ad jingle)

As someone who works in local government (City Attorney/County Counsel-type) I would say try and learn everything you can, listen to what other residents tell you, and try and figure out how things really work. There are a lot of smart, capable people at the local government level who really care about making sure the trash gets picked up, water comes out of the tap, and that the buses run on time.

Happy birthday and I hope the recovery goes smooth. Careful on those stairs!

Happy birthday!

My favorite driver he is not, but is there any doubt who the best driver of this generation is?

Happy birthday, Stretch!

RIP wallet. Ended up buying a Cannondale Synapse. I had about 7-8 people who helped advise on this (thanks, Brent, Al, Nate) and at the end of the day I decided to give an endurance road bike a try. There is so much good content on YouTube as well. I really liked the GCN videos to get me up to speed on everything. The single most important factor in my choice ended up being doing the demo weekend on the Specialized Diverge. I learned: I want something that feels faster than Diverge did on road I wanted a nicer group set than whatever came on the Diverge Carbon Comp I don’t particularly enjoy riding on dirt roads (at least so far) 54 was probably the right size to get for me That I wanted carbon That I didn’t like a 1x That I didn’t want suspension Putting all that feedback together, I focused in on endurance road bikes. A bike that is not the fastest but easy to control and comfortable for long distances on road sounded like just the ticket. The Synapse seems to be a well loved bike throughout the years and now comes with a slick tech integration where the shifting, light and radar all run off a single battery. I had no light and radar to bring to the table so getting them as part of the package seemed like a good idea. People hated the v1 of the tech stuff but they just refreshed with a v2 setup that seems quite a bit better thought out. The massive down tube storage also means I can fit all the tools in there and don’t need a saddle bag. I struggled with the e-bike vs. regular bike debate. I really wanted to demo a fancier e-bike for the weekend but after calling around for hours the only e-bikes available to demo were either eMTB or motorized beach cruisers. Neither would be a good test. A co-worker also said this, which has stuck with me: “If you are buying a bike for fitness, why the heck would you buy an e-bike.” Yes, that besmirches what modern e-road bikes are, but they also are not entirely wrong. I will be giving up a lot of rides until my fitness level improves, but that was a trade off I was comfortable making. I think if I still lived in Marin it would have been e-bike all the way, but climbing is optional in the Sacramento River Valley. I’m super excited to go out and log some miles! Already failed to clip out at a stop and “pulled a Brent,” so we at least have that out of the way. The shop helped me relax the pedal tensioner so now it is a little more forgiving. Finally, celebrated the first ride with an appropriate cake. 😉

Because I am impatient, I installed the iOS/ipad release candidates. After spending a day with them, I think two things: 1) Apple’s decision to re-write the entire design language is going to make this their most polarizing in a long time, 2) I think they nailed it. I was hesitant, but after a day I can't see ever wanting to go back.

You guys are probably right. You are definitely right that looping around the parking lot is maybe the most useless test case. The MY25 bikes are out of stock for new orders and the MY26s should be incoming soon. I have a little time to make up my mind. I’m gonna try and see if I can demo a nice road bike just to be sure.

Happy birthday!

Argh, every time I’m back the bike I think “I don’t need the assist.” The point is to suffer, right? I tried the Creo and it was honestly a little overwhelming with the assist. I think i need to try some other stuff before making up my mind. A more dedicated road bike, for starters. Like giant defy/trek domane/cannondale synapse

E-bike is gonna be it for me. Who am I kidding? I’m like the bare minimum of cardio fitness to do these rides and these are the easiest 25 miles will ever be because flat farm roads. I did 50+ miles on the Diverge and I feel confident this is the right choice. I will say, I am not sure people are on about with these 1x front chain rings. Nice to have a bunch of climbing gears but I never felt like I had exactly the gear I wanted for the public roads. I'm certainly fit enough to ride a road bike around on these farm roads but I get the feel that if I go back to Marin the constant up-and-down will end me. Going faster than my power output would otherwise allow also has some appeal.