Winter weather here in the Mid-Atlantic is pretty similar, my favorite move for winter cycling (and this also works for motorcycling where wind-chill hits so much harder) is a pair of deer/elk-skin roper gloves with a pair of merino wool liner gloves underneath. Good dexterity, and all-natural to boot
For a synthetic option that's like half the price of the above, I've heard good things about Handup's winter MTB gloves
Used to use them for commuting in the snow and winter MTB rides. They're not the most breathable but they are warm.
All that said the version of them that are currently sold look different and certainly less bulky than mine so i don't know if they're still as cold weather friendly
Lobster gloves can be a pretty good way to go, they're warmer than normal gloves but you don't lose dexterity like you do with just plain mitts. How much dexterity you need depends on your ride, though -- shifting gears is normally okay but some bells are impossible to ding with gloves on because of how the dinging part is made, for example.
Pogies are _great_, but take a bit of getting used to -- as with dexterity, if your ride needs you to make hand signals a lot because of traffic / intersections, then pogies will be more hassle than if you just keep your hands on the bars the whole time. I have one of these monobrow-pogies sort of things, exactly because I found that it was a pain having to take my hands out of pogies, or rather it was a pain putting them back in again. It doesn't provide the same amount of insulation as the more all-enclosed ones, but it still makes a huge difference because it reduces the effective wind.
I had never heard of pogies before, those look like they would work really well. But also that I would hate using them I think, with how my rides around town go.
While looking around I knew not all sizing would be the same of course, but I came across one manufacturer whose sizing guide placed me at a small. Everything else I wear is L/XL, sometimes down to a M for gloves if they run larger, but apparently these guys make gloves for giants :O
I wish it were easier to actually try on some of these, none of the local places that might have any meaningful selection are remotely convenient for me to get to while feelin' like butts, but dealing with the worse health problems is what's prompted me to make an actual effort to get some real winter hand protection.
Thinking about throwing a messenger-style porteur rack on the front of my bike soon, mostly so I have a good option for transporting heavier stuff like my locks without my backpack -- would make bicycling to the grocery store especially effective too, perhaps in conjunction with a Wald 137-style basket
Plus I just think they look neat and sometimes that's all you need
Maybe this is what you mean, but you could get a front rack that's flat, with no lip, and use a wald basket for volume carrying. I ended up getting a surly 8 pack rack that I've liked. I strap my sleeping bag there for camping, and I can easily strap my u lock to it with voile straps.
Maybe this is what you mean, but you could get a front rack that's flat, with no lip, and use a wald basket for volume carrying. I ended up getting a surly 8 pack rack that I've liked. I strap my sleeping bag there for camping, and I can easily strap my u lock to it with voile straps.
Yup yeah that's more or less the exact format of rack I had in mind, though I'm looking at my options for axle mounting since the Rush doesn't have any eyelets
Plenty of small companies making 'em with fixed/track/SS frames in mind too, with those axle mounts specifically in mind
Maybe this is what you mean, but you could get a front rack that's flat, with no lip, and use a wald basket for volume carrying. I ended up getting a surly 8 pack rack that I've liked. I strap my sleeping bag there for camping, and I can easily strap my u lock to it with voile straps.
Yup yeah that's more or less the exact format of rack I had in mind, though I'm looking at my options for axle mounting since the Rush doesn't have any eyelets
Plenty of small companies making 'em with fixed/track/SS frames in mind too, with those axle mounts specifically in mind
It just straps on to the front forks. Once I got it tight enough, it did stay in place on long tours. But at first, it started drooping a bit and rubbed against a tire before I tightened it again. It looks kinda cool though and it's really easy to put on any bike. Not for anything too heavy though.
I had never heard of pogies before, those look like they would work really well. But also that I would hate using them I think, with how my rides around town go.
While looking around I knew not all sizing would be the same of course, but I came across one manufacturer whose sizing guide placed me at a small. Everything else I wear is L/XL, sometimes down to a M for gloves if they run larger, but apparently these guys make gloves for giants :O
I wish it were easier to actually try on some of these, none of the local places that might have any meaningful selection are remotely convenient for me to get to while feelin' like butts, but dealing with the worse health problems is what's prompted me to make an actual effort to get some real winter hand protection.
Ended up going with some Showers Pass gloves made right across the river, a lot of local reddit nerds seemed to think highly of them, and they're currently on sale as well, hooray!
Ended up going with some Showers Pass gloves made right across the river, a lot of local reddit nerds seemed to think highly of them, and they're currently on sale as well, hooray!
My complaint with those is that they don't really offer anything a handlebar bag doesn't already give you because of how close it is to the handlebars and its size.
My complaint with those is that they don't really offer anything a handlebar bag doesn't already give you because of how close it is to the handlebars and its size.
One thing racks like that seem to be super handy for is supporting larger handlebar bags, like a Fab's Chest or similar, to keep it up and forward from the wheel
That and holding smaller lashable stuff like coats
After racing a few alleycats on my commuter bike, slowly raising my intensity and volume day by day to try and get into a local fixed gear closed-course crit race. I don't think I'm necessarily gonna win or even finish but dammit, I finally have something approaching a competitive impulse for the first time in years
I am also treating myself to building a crit bike accordingly, since my commuter bike is not really built for such, and this thing is gonna be a spicy meatball
In further dadification, it looks like I'm getting a Tern HSD. We got a big Urban Arrow already, but we have to change kindergarten this summer to one much further away and the tern is just way more flexible as a commuter at the same time.
At least it looks like we can save a bunch of taxes buy leasing it through my job. Even with buying it after three years leasing it's supposed to save like 25-30% on the total including the inspections, spare parts, and insurance the job pays for. These tax rules are all a bit absurd to be honest
My dad put my mom's old training bike in the shop for a refresh and asked if I want it -- the other one I used back in college got stolen, so I'm a little burned on losing her last one, but I know my parents would rather it get used. But but but I also need a good outdoor storage option since I don't have space for an inside rack, and Texas sunshine does Bad Things.
But my, it is a beauty, (someone else's) 1985 Trek 500:
Ran my third alleycat race on Sunday, feeling in much better shape than even just the one I did in February let alone the Thanksgiving charity one in November
Did take a very hard fall in literally the last corner of the race, where a downhill->flat transition had deposited some surprisingly deep sand into the tight part of corner (and my line was *very* tight). Nothing broken thankfully because the entire left side of my body distributed the whole impact, but my hip, shoulder, and ribs all definitely have some bruising. Plus one very skinned area of about two square inches on my elbow
No gore in the spoiler, just a big image of me looking cool with my bike
(Also damn I finally look good in a medium shirt and size 32 shorts again)
Edit: also solid fuckin' reminder to wear a helmet, I've been cocky lately and occasionally commuting without one but wore one for the race, and my week would be much worse if I had not
HerrCronIt that wickedly supports taxationRegistered Userregular
I'm getting back into cycling (tore my ACL last summer, had surgery last November, finally confident enough to be cycling outdoors again) - I'm using the city's bike share for my commute, a grey lump of a bike that weighs 18kg and has a frame only a mother could love, but the fire & forget nature of it is a real big bonus.
My own bike, for longer rides on the weekend and my hopeful return to triathlons, is a Cannondale Synapse. I swore i had a picture, but apparently not.
I'm finally getting it fitted, which is gonna cost a couple of hundred and also take half a day, but I'm hoping the improvement from actually having the bike fitted to me will be worth it.
Now Playing:
Celeste [Switch] - She'll be wrestling with inner demons when she comes...
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age [Switch] - Sit down and watch our game play itself
the passenger carrying upgrade on the back is missing as are the wheelguards and the stirups for the passenger aren't mounted yet either. Makes me wonder why they said the bike was sent to the workshop for assemby before sending it out.
Mini Clubhouse, so basically the same.
They didn't even calibrate the brakes, so that's what I have to do today
Edit: is it normal for the back wheel with Nexus hub gear and e-motor to not turn so easily and make like a "chhhhh" sound? Or another thing that goes on the bad bike shop list?
Hmm, I have a derailleur, I did notice some crunchiness to the Bosch motor, I feel it mostly in vibrations in the pedals, and it's certainly a lot more resistance to turn the rear wheel by hand, but it's something I would ask about.
Compared how well our other bikes' rear wheels with hub gears are coasting.
My alfine is like silent and super easy going, while the Nexus on my wife's bike sounds and feels similarly "rough" and also a bit dragging, but not as much as the new one's.
So maybe I'm just used to better quality. Gonna ask the closest shop for an opinion anyway.
0
MichaelLCIn what furnace was thy brain?ChicagoRegistered Userregular
Daughter took her first ride on a geared bicycle last weekend and adapted decently.
Walmart special, so gearing is rough but will be enough for her. Weirdest this is the left grip shifter is marked LOW - - - - - - - HIGH. Which implies there's a gradient between High and Low, but it's just a regular 3 front, 6 rear. So that's not super helpful in teaching her how to change.
I had a patched-together second hand bike for a long time which had a 2 gear front and deraileur, but a 3-position shifter, and it was always a bit of a crap shoot (depending on who had last serviced it) whether the high gear would correspond to the middle or left most shift position.
Earlier this month, I bought a new bike for the first time in about a decade and a half (a Trek FX 3). I had done a few 25k rides and 40k ride earlier in the month, but today was the first day where I had a ride planned that the weather wasn’t awful, and I finally got a 50k ride in.
I’m a little bemused by my Garmin right now. Even a 5k run will tell me my recovery time is 13+ hours, and a 10k run will usually say 20+ hours. But cycling 50k? 8 hours of recovery is apparently all Garmin thinks that I need. And don’t get me wrong, I believe it, I’ve planned my long run for tomorrow morning in the expectation that I’ll be recovered by then. But it’s still weird and a little funny to me.
Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
Earlier this month, I bought a new bike for the first time in about a decade and a half (a Trek FX 3). I had done a few 25k rides and 40k ride earlier in the month, but today was the first day where I had a ride planned that the weather wasn’t awful, and I finally got a 50k ride in.
I’m a little bemused by my Garmin right now. Even a 5k run will tell me my recovery time is 13+ hours, and a 10k run will usually say 20+ hours. But cycling 50k? 8 hours of recovery is apparently all Garmin thinks that I need. And don’t get me wrong, I believe it, I’ve planned my long run for tomorrow morning in the expectation that I’ll be recovered by then. But it’s still weird and a little funny to me.
Bikes can do amazing distance with much lower effort and other than mountain biking it's fairly low impact as you don't hammer any joints or have other impacts, so it's just muscle recovery.
Earlier this month, I bought a new bike for the first time in about a decade and a half (a Trek FX 3). I had done a few 25k rides and 40k ride earlier in the month, but today was the first day where I had a ride planned that the weather wasn’t awful, and I finally got a 50k ride in.
I’m a little bemused by my Garmin right now. Even a 5k run will tell me my recovery time is 13+ hours, and a 10k run will usually say 20+ hours. But cycling 50k? 8 hours of recovery is apparently all Garmin thinks that I need. And don’t get me wrong, I believe it, I’ve planned my long run for tomorrow morning in the expectation that I’ll be recovered by then. But it’s still weird and a little funny to me.
Really not sure what to make of what's normal for cycling and recovery, I usually just do what I do and don't pay any mind further
I've been riding a Trek FX 1 since 2017 and used to have a 4km commute with a record of 45km in a day going across town that I still remember hurting like hell after
Now my commute at my current job is 25km one way and I split the day probably 50/50 at my desk and walking around a warehouse
I feel like I manage it pretty easily and often go out of my way after work for grocery runs (I have a rear pannier rack and two 16-20ishL bags)
But on the other hand I hate running and never do it even a little
Well, kid at least loves it
Really bit of an adjustment from the twice as heavy Urban Arrow.
+7
HerrCronIt that wickedly supports taxationRegistered Userregular
Had my bike fitting, apparently everything was wrong.
Saddle was too high, handlebars were too high, aeros were too low, and the crank was too long. The guy was kinda stumped at how I've managed to take this bike anywhere, let alone through a triathlon.
A bunch of work later, and everything felt a lot more more comfortable, so of course I hit a badly aligned manhole cover and went arse over tit off the bike, so the wheels are now misaligned, maybe a bit buckled so I need to find the time to fix that before I can really try it out properly.
Never rains, pours, etc...
Now Playing:
Celeste [Switch] - She'll be wrestling with inner demons when she comes...
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age [Switch] - Sit down and watch our game play itself
I took a couple of mountain biking classes recently to try and make sure I know how to ride a mtb that's less than 30 years old, and while theoretically there was nothing there I hadn't seen on youtube, having someone watching me and saying "weight forwards" or "elbows out" really helped because in my mind I was sure I was getting it right, but my body was, in reality, doing something completely different.
Also took their 'how to jump' course which was incredibly helpful to overcome the mental "nope that is too big" barrier that blocked me from anything more than, I dunno, 6 inches high. Just doing the same jump over and over again got past the first "this is very scary and I don't want to do it" problem, because I'd seen other people learning this stuff be okay, so I knew it was possible for people without skill. (youtube "jumping made easy" videos are always made by someone that's an expert, so, sure, of course jumping's easy for them and it's not as convincing as watching someone that's not good yet do a jump and be okay). Then, after the initial fear had worn off, I had enough mental capacity left to concentrate on weight / timing / etc. I wasn't getting a _lot_ of air, but it was significantly more than I'd ever managed before, and now I'm at the point where I can go and practise.
Technical question -- has anyone here done a hydraulic brake bleed before? With cable brakes, when they get a bit spongy / too much travel, it's easy -- turn barrel adjuster at lever end, potentially turn barrel adjuster at brake end, or if things are really loose, undo the pinch bolt, tighten up the cable, do the bolt up again.
But looking at "how to bleed hydraulic brakes" it seems super annoying, there's all this business about 'tip your brake levers to X angle from horizontal' and stuff. Is it just a matter of following the steps and it'll work out okay?
and while I'm being a retrogrouch, I also switched to tubeless tires a few days ago, and while maybe they have less rolling resistance / fewer punctures / let me run lower pressure, I'm not convinced they're the magic improvement that I was hoping for. Weight saving was maybe an ounce after taking out inner tube and putting in sealant, it was a lot more hassle getting the tires on and airtight enough that I could inflate them (water + dish soap did the trick in the end), and trying to find where the initial slow leak was (valve core not tight rnough), it's much more awkward to put it underwater when it's the entire wheel that I have to submerge rather than just a bit of inner tube. (in the end I just smeared soapy water over it until I saw bubbles, which worked but was messy).
That said, I went out to the in-town ski-hill-that-is-bike-trails-in-summer and I was generally surprised at how much traction I have when I pushed it a bit, and climbing up a couple of short-but-steep bits of trail in the neighborhood it felt easier than I'd expect, so maybe there is something to it? I'm not going to put tubes _back in_ to do the comparison in both directions, though, sheesh.
Technical question -- has anyone here done a hydraulic brake bleed before? With cable brakes, when they get a bit spongy / too much travel, it's easy -- turn barrel adjuster at lever end, potentially turn barrel adjuster at brake end, or if things are really loose, undo the pinch bolt, tighten up the cable, do the bolt up again.
But looking at "how to bleed hydraulic brakes" it seems super annoying, there's all this business about 'tip your brake levers to X angle from horizontal' and stuff. Is it just a matter of following the steps and it'll work out okay?
The object of bleeding is to replace the fluid without introducing air anywhere in the system. It's a little finickier with bike brakes than motorcycle or car brakes because the narrow hoses and small cylinders mean that little bubbles make a bigger difference
All the stuff about the angle of the levers and such is just to give you the best possible chance that bubbles work their way to the top of the system and into the reservoir (where they're out of the circuit that closes when you brake and therefore don't affect braking performance)
It's not difficult per se and as long as you're careful to eliminate air from the syringe you're using to pump fresh fluid in it should be fine
Well, finally got one brake bled properly. It took me four goes before I got it working -- before I started, I had full braking but the lever was maybe 1/2" from the bar at the end. After the first bleed, the lever hit the bar with almost zero change in resistance, which was a bit demoralising; I tipped the bike around, tapped on the hose to shake bubbles loose, etc, with no obvious improvement the second or third time - I kept seeing bubbles come out, though, which told me that at least _something_ was happening, so I kept going. Fourth time I just filled the entire syringe up with fluid and sent it all through, and that time it did the trick, so maybe I should just have been doing that from the start.
(this is the first time I've been doing bike maintenance that seems like it would be genuinely impossible if I wasn't as _tall_ as I am, because reaching down to the back of the bike to push on the syringe only just left me able to stretch up and look in the little cup on the handlebars so I can see bubbles coming out. If I was an inch shorter I would not have been able to do it, though I guess if I was shorter I'd have a smaller bike so maybe it all works out even).
I'd love lots of updates on how the HSD is working out for you. We're moving into an urban apartment where parking is a little farther away. I'm thinking of getting an e-bike to transport a kid on good weather days and as my general bike for when the wife and kids are on their own.
Two kids: 3 and 6 year old. But I expect I'll only haul one at a time. I'm deeply conflicted between getting a (probably Tern Quick Haul) long tail or short tail. Long tail seems like it would be a pain in the city to get through barriers, reposition at stop light crossings, etc.
Posts
For a synthetic option that's like half the price of the above, I've heard good things about Handup's winter MTB gloves
I just ordered a pair over Black Friday, though they won't get delivered till sometime in January.
Used to use them for commuting in the snow and winter MTB rides. They're not the most breathable but they are warm.
All that said the version of them that are currently sold look different and certainly less bulky than mine so i don't know if they're still as cold weather friendly
Pogies are _great_, but take a bit of getting used to -- as with dexterity, if your ride needs you to make hand signals a lot because of traffic / intersections, then pogies will be more hassle than if you just keep your hands on the bars the whole time. I have one of these monobrow-pogies sort of things, exactly because I found that it was a pain having to take my hands out of pogies, or rather it was a pain putting them back in again. It doesn't provide the same amount of insulation as the more all-enclosed ones, but it still makes a huge difference because it reduces the effective wind.
While looking around I knew not all sizing would be the same of course, but I came across one manufacturer whose sizing guide placed me at a small. Everything else I wear is L/XL, sometimes down to a M for gloves if they run larger, but apparently these guys make gloves for giants :O
I wish it were easier to actually try on some of these, none of the local places that might have any meaningful selection are remotely convenient for me to get to while feelin' like butts, but dealing with the worse health problems is what's prompted me to make an actual effort to get some real winter hand protection.
Plus I just think they look neat and sometimes that's all you need
Yup yeah that's more or less the exact format of rack I had in mind, though I'm looking at my options for axle mounting since the Rush doesn't have any eyelets
Plenty of small companies making 'em with fixed/track/SS frames in mind too, with those axle mounts specifically in mind
You get pretty limited by size and weight when you don't have the eyelets. I had some issues. I bought this https://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Tetrarack-M1-Rack-Front/dp/B0858767BS
It just straps on to the front forks. Once I got it tight enough, it did stay in place on long tours. But at first, it started drooping a bit and rubbed against a tire before I tightened it again. It looks kinda cool though and it's really easy to put on any bike. Not for anything too heavy though.
Ended up going with some Showers Pass gloves made right across the river, a lot of local reddit nerds seemed to think highly of them, and they're currently on sale as well, hooray!
https://showerspass.com/products/crosspoint-waterproof-knit-wool-gloves?variant=40545600176328
Hopefully being made locally and being seemingly well regarded means they actually work out as promised locally, hah
Hmmm they do look promising, I'm gonna give them a go too.
Cheers for the link!
https://wholegraincycles.com/
My complaint with those is that they don't really offer anything a handlebar bag doesn't already give you because of how close it is to the handlebars and its size.
One thing racks like that seem to be super handy for is supporting larger handlebar bags, like a Fab's Chest or similar, to keep it up and forward from the wheel
That and holding smaller lashable stuff like coats
I am also treating myself to building a crit bike accordingly, since my commuter bike is not really built for such, and this thing is gonna be a spicy meatball
At least it looks like we can save a bunch of taxes buy leasing it through my job. Even with buying it after three years leasing it's supposed to save like 25-30% on the total including the inspections, spare parts, and insurance the job pays for. These tax rules are all a bit absurd to be honest
But my, it is a beauty, (someone else's) 1985 Trek 500:
Did take a very hard fall in literally the last corner of the race, where a downhill->flat transition had deposited some surprisingly deep sand into the tight part of corner (and my line was *very* tight). Nothing broken thankfully because the entire left side of my body distributed the whole impact, but my hip, shoulder, and ribs all definitely have some bruising. Plus one very skinned area of about two square inches on my elbow
No gore in the spoiler, just a big image of me looking cool with my bike
(Also damn I finally look good in a medium shirt and size 32 shorts again)
Edit: also solid fuckin' reminder to wear a helmet, I've been cocky lately and occasionally commuting without one but wore one for the race, and my week would be much worse if I had not
My own bike, for longer rides on the weekend and my hopeful return to triathlons, is a Cannondale Synapse. I swore i had a picture, but apparently not.
I'm finally getting it fitted, which is gonna cost a couple of hundred and also take half a day, but I'm hoping the improvement from actually having the bike fitted to me will be worth it.
Celeste [Switch] - She'll be wrestling with inner demons when she comes...
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age [Switch] - Sit down and watch our game play itself
the passenger carrying upgrade on the back is missing as are the wheelguards and the stirups for the passenger aren't mounted yet either. Makes me wonder why they said the bike was sent to the workshop for assemby before sending it out.
They didn't even calibrate the brakes, so that's what I have to do today
Edit: is it normal for the back wheel with Nexus hub gear and e-motor to not turn so easily and make like a "chhhhh" sound? Or another thing that goes on the bad bike shop list?
My alfine is like silent and super easy going, while the Nexus on my wife's bike sounds and feels similarly "rough" and also a bit dragging, but not as much as the new one's.
So maybe I'm just used to better quality. Gonna ask the closest shop for an opinion anyway.
Walmart special, so gearing is rough but will be enough for her. Weirdest this is the left grip shifter is marked LOW - - - - - - - HIGH. Which implies there's a gradient between High and Low, but it's just a regular 3 front, 6 rear. So that's not super helpful in teaching her how to change.
Earlier this month, I bought a new bike for the first time in about a decade and a half (a Trek FX 3). I had done a few 25k rides and 40k ride earlier in the month, but today was the first day where I had a ride planned that the weather wasn’t awful, and I finally got a 50k ride in.
I’m a little bemused by my Garmin right now. Even a 5k run will tell me my recovery time is 13+ hours, and a 10k run will usually say 20+ hours. But cycling 50k? 8 hours of recovery is apparently all Garmin thinks that I need. And don’t get me wrong, I believe it, I’ve planned my long run for tomorrow morning in the expectation that I’ll be recovered by then. But it’s still weird and a little funny to me.
Bikes can do amazing distance with much lower effort and other than mountain biking it's fairly low impact as you don't hammer any joints or have other impacts, so it's just muscle recovery.
PSN: Robo_Wizard1
Really not sure what to make of what's normal for cycling and recovery, I usually just do what I do and don't pay any mind further
I've been riding a Trek FX 1 since 2017 and used to have a 4km commute with a record of 45km in a day going across town that I still remember hurting like hell after
Now my commute at my current job is 25km one way and I split the day probably 50/50 at my desk and walking around a warehouse
I feel like I manage it pretty easily and often go out of my way after work for grocery runs (I have a rear pannier rack and two 16-20ishL bags)
But on the other hand I hate running and never do it even a little
Really bit of an adjustment from the twice as heavy Urban Arrow.
Saddle was too high, handlebars were too high, aeros were too low, and the crank was too long. The guy was kinda stumped at how I've managed to take this bike anywhere, let alone through a triathlon.
A bunch of work later, and everything felt a lot more more comfortable, so of course I hit a badly aligned manhole cover and went arse over tit off the bike, so the wheels are now misaligned, maybe a bit buckled so I need to find the time to fix that before I can really try it out properly.
Never rains, pours, etc...
Celeste [Switch] - She'll be wrestling with inner demons when she comes...
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age [Switch] - Sit down and watch our game play itself
Not sure I did it the right way around.
Or is there a grain to the tape? I guess the forward/top would match the bike - back to front.
Also took their 'how to jump' course which was incredibly helpful to overcome the mental "nope that is too big" barrier that blocked me from anything more than, I dunno, 6 inches high. Just doing the same jump over and over again got past the first "this is very scary and I don't want to do it" problem, because I'd seen other people learning this stuff be okay, so I knew it was possible for people without skill. (youtube "jumping made easy" videos are always made by someone that's an expert, so, sure, of course jumping's easy for them and it's not as convincing as watching someone that's not good yet do a jump and be okay). Then, after the initial fear had worn off, I had enough mental capacity left to concentrate on weight / timing / etc. I wasn't getting a _lot_ of air, but it was significantly more than I'd ever managed before, and now I'm at the point where I can go and practise.
But looking at "how to bleed hydraulic brakes" it seems super annoying, there's all this business about 'tip your brake levers to X angle from horizontal' and stuff. Is it just a matter of following the steps and it'll work out okay?
and while I'm being a retrogrouch, I also switched to tubeless tires a few days ago, and while maybe they have less rolling resistance / fewer punctures / let me run lower pressure, I'm not convinced they're the magic improvement that I was hoping for. Weight saving was maybe an ounce after taking out inner tube and putting in sealant, it was a lot more hassle getting the tires on and airtight enough that I could inflate them (water + dish soap did the trick in the end), and trying to find where the initial slow leak was (valve core not tight rnough), it's much more awkward to put it underwater when it's the entire wheel that I have to submerge rather than just a bit of inner tube. (in the end I just smeared soapy water over it until I saw bubbles, which worked but was messy).
That said, I went out to the in-town ski-hill-that-is-bike-trails-in-summer and I was generally surprised at how much traction I have when I pushed it a bit, and climbing up a couple of short-but-steep bits of trail in the neighborhood it felt easier than I'd expect, so maybe there is something to it? I'm not going to put tubes _back in_ to do the comparison in both directions, though, sheesh.
The object of bleeding is to replace the fluid without introducing air anywhere in the system. It's a little finickier with bike brakes than motorcycle or car brakes because the narrow hoses and small cylinders mean that little bubbles make a bigger difference
All the stuff about the angle of the levers and such is just to give you the best possible chance that bubbles work their way to the top of the system and into the reservoir (where they're out of the circuit that closes when you brake and therefore don't affect braking performance)
It's not difficult per se and as long as you're careful to eliminate air from the syringe you're using to pump fresh fluid in it should be fine
(this is the first time I've been doing bike maintenance that seems like it would be genuinely impossible if I wasn't as _tall_ as I am, because reaching down to the back of the bike to push on the syringe only just left me able to stretch up and look in the little cup on the handlebars so I can see bubbles coming out. If I was an inch shorter I would not have been able to do it, though I guess if I was shorter I'd have a smaller bike so maybe it all works out even).
I'd love lots of updates on how the HSD is working out for you. We're moving into an urban apartment where parking is a little farther away. I'm thinking of getting an e-bike to transport a kid on good weather days and as my general bike for when the wife and kids are on their own.
Two kids: 3 and 6 year old. But I expect I'll only haul one at a time. I'm deeply conflicted between getting a (probably Tern Quick Haul) long tail or short tail. Long tail seems like it would be a pain in the city to get through barriers, reposition at stop light crossings, etc.