#bikenite — Public Fediverse posts

Our collective faith in each others' creativity cannot be cultivated alone. Last weekend in-between apartment-hunting, I bicycled from Boston to Providence, imagining the journey taken by Roger Williams in the winter of 1636.

And I thought of the indigenous peoples who sheltered & protected him.

Williams was banished for advocating for indigenous land rights & religious freedom. His Wampanoag & Narragansett hosts sheltered him & helped him establish a city where rights were written into the code. We need more of that hospitality, courage, and creativity.

https://www.nps.gov/rowi/learn/historyculture/departure.htm

#bicycle #BikeNite

Tomorrow (May 14th) is Bay Area Bike to Work Day and Bike to School Day, which are both somewhat confusingly part of Bike to Wherever Days, which is basically all of May, which is Bike Month.

Anyway, it’s call for questions time! Add yours with the BikeNitePQ hashtag if you’ve got any. Thanks!
#BTWD #BTWD2026
—-
Next #BikeNite is this Friday at 4pm Pacific standard time (UTC-8)!

This is our weekly call for questions. Reply with any you'd like me to add to the discussion on Friday. Please add the BikeNitePQ hashtag so it's easier to find a Proposed Question. There is room for more!

(BikeNite is a Q&A type discussion on the Fediverse.) #BikeTooter cc @bikenite

@ascentale @bikenite Last week Sunday was the Minneapolis May Day parade with many great bicycle mounted floats. The loon was one of my favorites. Then on the way back I spotted this guy and his dog out for a ride. #bikenite #MNastodon

@edd @ascentale @bikenite I look forward to community discussion among various advocacy groups to come up with bettery categories for regulation (wattage is not the only factor in speed and a heavier rider needs more wattage to do hills, for instance), but I agree that a lot of what people are endangered by aren't actually e-bikes but e-motorcycles.

Amazon stops illegal e-bike sales in California following KCRA 3 Investigates request

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUGDSV7vSS4 #Ebike #Regulation #BikeNite

And our last question this week:

Q8. What did you see this week? Share a photo if you'd like. Cycling related or not is fine. Tell us about it!

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@yantor3d wonders why e-bike charging isn't simpler:

Q6. Is there an engineering reason an e-bike couldn't have a built-in rectifier so you could charge it straight from a wall socket, instead of hauling around your charging brick?

Let's assume the bike has a male plug so it can plug in using a standard male-to-female extension cord.

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@DurableAce asks:

Q5. If you want someone to be able to track your location in real-time on a ride, what do you use and why?

I'm ideally looking for something that runs on a smart phone but open to other suggestions. Bonus points if it is privacy respecting. I won't use anything from Meta or Google.

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@semitones asks:

Q4. Does this tire exist?
1. Puncture resistant
2. All terrain capable
3. Smooth-rolling

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@[email protected] @[email protected] A8: I stopped by Green Lake in the middle of my workout ride on Thursday. It was so nice and warm, I felt like laying on the pier for a nap. Except it was my bike that did. 😆

#BikeNite #BikeTooter #SEABikes #MastoBikes

@meganL

> On the coming recumbent

Woo! Does that mean you'll soon have wheels again?

@ascentale @xtaran @bikenite

#BikeNite #OffTopic

@meganL

> On the coming recumbent

Woo! Does that mean you'll soon have wheels again?

@ascentale @xtaran @bikenite

#BikeNite #OffTopic

@meganL

> On the coming recumbent

Woo! Does that mean you'll soon have wheels again?

@ascentale @xtaran @bikenite

#BikeNite #OffTopic

@meganL

> On the coming recumbent

Woo! Does that mean you'll soon have wheels again?

@ascentale @xtaran @bikenite

#BikeNite #OffTopic

@meganL

> On the coming recumbent

Woo! Does that mean you'll soon have wheels again?

@ascentale @xtaran @bikenite

#BikeNite #OffTopic

@ascentale @bikenite

#BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes

The most memorable thing of my week was finding out the temporary diversion on my commute was due to the death of a young cyclist. A twenty year old woman was killed by a construction lorry.

Sometimes I hate this city.

It's the sixth sad little white tent surrounded by police tape and subdued police officers that I have seen. Sends a chill through me and tears to my eyes just thinking about it

@ascentale @plactagonic @bikenite

Another one for "yes custom , I make them myself"

eBay cordura, webbing, bungee, and ripstop by the metre.
1. Glue (soudal)
2. Sew load bearing seams
3. Water proof with glued strip or spinnaker tape

#BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes

Attach with
Magnets for road bike top tube food bags
Velcro/straps and bungee for frame bag

Seal with
Magnets for top tube
Roll and clip for frame and saddle

@ascentale @Amgine @bikenite

#BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes

//Non-answer

RResistance - tyre choice and correct pressure so much more important

steering - geometry ie position, centre of mass, fork trail etc so much more important

Mullet setup - no agreed best setup . I often use 650b plus large on front and 700c plus narrower on back as I find it stops wrist jarring. But mainly because after using it once through necessity I found it drives purists apoplectic

@rand @ascentale @eq @bikenite

Wax for the win.

I carry my bike up / down 4 flights of stairs for every ride and I hate getting oil everywhere. And I find chain wears less. It looks nicer. The cassette, derailleurs, and chain ring stay clean.

I used motorcycle racing wax which is sold as with added solid particulate lube and is a fraction of the same stuff sold for push bikes

#BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes

@ascentale @kimu @v_perjorative @bikenite

#BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes

A when you stop thinking about it as the same bike

B no one knows

@ascentale @elliek @bikenite

I find bibs preferable to waist shorts as they are more comfortable - they hang rather than being cinched.

I wear dhb / aeron which is a problem as wiggle went out of business

Very rarely under trousers - will often pack trousers and wear over to when not cycling

#BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes

@ascentale @elliek @bikenite

#BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes

Any ride whenever possible I wear bibs. I have literally put on bibs of sort of length every single day for years. I don't mind quick rides or slow rides with out - but I prefer with bibs.

It started as I wore suit and dress shoes etc every weekday for 20 years - I wasnt ruining those, so I was changing to commute, so I might as well go whole hog. I specced a shower and lockers for the office at first office refit

@ascentale @xtaran @bikenite

#BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes

Sunny :-) Lindon

Son Dynamo, B&M iqx, two B&M mu (I mount on seat stays and under a certain height German law recommend one in each side). All wired internally.

Road bike (normally not needed as it's for summer and tend to not ride in dark) Exposure Joystick, exposure tracer.

Helmet - Exposure Diablo (ridiculous light 2000 lumen)

I have lezyne femto pair for emergencies.

Dynamo is way over 100,000km without fault

@dgodon @oheso @moira @yantor3d @ascentale @xtaran @bikenite

Brighter yes, but not sure as effective.

My commute used to be alongside an unlit river so I spent a lot of time comparing. I had an assortment of good usb lights but I preferred to ride with my Son Dynamo/ b&m lights.

Only fast nighttime off road / unfamiliar is a usb spotlight preferred and then in combi with dynamo floodlight. In these cases exposure Diablo on helmet mount

#BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes

@ascentale @geonz @bikenite #BikeNite A3: I just discovered today that there's a clothes series (socks + jersey) named #rideforGino (https://soxfootwear.ch/Marke/rideforgino/) in memory of the professional cyclist Gino Mäder (see https://rideforgino.ch/en/rideforgino/ + https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gino_M%C3%A4der) who died after an accident at the 2023 Tour de Suisse.

Other forms, especially for car traffic victims: Setting up Ghostbikes, organising memorial rides as for #Natenom or for #HoriaBogdan Cretescu next weekend: https://www.provelozuerich.ch/magazin/silent-ride-fur-horia/

And our last question this week:

Q8. It's already May! What did you see this week? Share a photo if you'd like. Cycling related or not is fine. Tell us about it!

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@plactagonic asks:

I just "sent order" for custom made full frame bag. *

Q7. Has anyone had any experience with custom made bike bags? Are they what you wanted or you would buy something off the shelf?

* It is more a friend of a friend who does sawing for fun and reclames material from all over the place and it is first time she will do something like this.

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@Amgine asks about rolling resistance:

Q6.
* Any lay-person resources to learn more?
* Is larger diameter generally better?
* Why is the standard #bicycle #wheel 700c / 26" ?
* W/gyroscopic forces, the turning CoE moves forward of the wheel centre, even > r (e.g. the demise of delta motor trike.) Is this greater w/larger diameter?
* Is this a factor in drive wheel vs steering wheel? I.e. if they must be different, which should be larger?

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter cc @bikenite

@Amgine asks about rolling resistance:

Q6.
* Any lay-person resources to learn more?
* Is larger diameter generally better?
* Why is the standard #bicycle #wheel 700c / 26" ?
* W/gyroscopic forces, the turning CoE moves forward of the wheel centre, even > r (e.g. the demise of delta motor trike.) Is this greater w/larger diameter?
* Is this a factor in drive wheel vs steering wheel? I.e. if they must be different, which should be larger?

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter cc @bikenite

@Amgine asks about rolling resistance:

Q6.
* Any lay-person resources to learn more?
* Is larger diameter generally better?
* Why is the standard #bicycle #wheel 700c / 26" ?
* W/gyroscopic forces, the turning CoE moves forward of the wheel centre, even > r (e.g. the demise of delta motor trike.) Is this greater w/larger diameter?
* Is this a factor in drive wheel vs steering wheel? I.e. if they must be different, which should be larger?

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter cc @bikenite

@Amgine asks about rolling resistance:

Q6.
* Any lay-person resources to learn more?
* Is larger diameter generally better?
* Why is the standard #bicycle #wheel 700c / 26" ?
* W/gyroscopic forces, the turning CoE moves forward of the wheel centre, even > r (e.g. the demise of delta motor trike.) Is this greater w/larger diameter?
* Is this a factor in drive wheel vs steering wheel? I.e. if they must be different, which should be larger?

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter cc @bikenite

@Amgine asks about rolling resistance:

Q6.
* Any lay-person resources to learn more?
* Is larger diameter generally better?
* Why is the standard #bicycle #wheel 700c / 26" ?
* W/gyroscopic forces, the turning CoE moves forward of the wheel centre, even > r (e.g. the demise of delta motor trike.) Is this greater w/larger diameter?
* Is this a factor in drive wheel vs steering wheel? I.e. if they must be different, which should be larger?

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter cc @bikenite

@eq asks:

Q5. Is there something for oiling the chain that is

1. PFAS-free
2. Not old black, second hand engine oil?

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@geonz asks, after receiving a confusing call from an unknown number:

Q3. How can we celebrate the lives of leaders in the cycling community when they leave us?

Please see full post here for the backstory: https://mathstodon.xyz/@geonz/116451626805639493

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@elliek asks about padding:

Q2. When do you decide to wear chamois padded shorts/bibs? Are padded shorts/tights as comfortable as bibs? Do you ever wear a chamois under jeans or other clothing? What brands do you prefer?

Full Q with more context here: https://zeroes.ca/@elliek/116454780580506674

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@ascentale @bikenite Late Saturday AM here in central Minnesota catching up on #bikenite Didn't notice anything special happening for Earth Day, which in retrospect is disappointing. But the weather was nice and there were a lot of folks out during the day on the paths. #MNastodon Note: ticks are out and active! #mpr https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/25/tick-season-seems-to-be-off-to-a-fast-start-and-some-experts-worry-about-future-illnesses

@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] A6: Got this at the Bike Everywhere Day table hosted by Seattle Electric Bike two years ago. They sell Tern bikes. #BikeNite #Tern

And our last question this week:

Q8. What did you see this week? Share a photo if you'd like. Cycling related or not is fine. Tell us about it!

(Also, it is Day 24 of #30DaysOfBiking)

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@grammasaurus asks:

Q7. Is there someone in your community who’s a very quiet bike superstar? I just discovered one in my town a week ago. I’ve provided a photo as a clue.

https://mastodon.social/@grammasaurus/116453235479118487

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@bikenite Hi #BikeNite, I'm back in Oakland, CA. We ran our #BikeBus for Earth Day and I was disappointed that there weren't many riders.

My guess is that, in terms of transportation, assuming one has the means, convenience usually wins unless one is more specifically committed to a cause?

@Amgine asked a little while ago:

Today I was digging through crates at Bike Kitchen, looking for a decent kickstand. And it raised a couple questions:

Q2a. #LBS which build up frames are cool, recycle hardware, and teach people to DIY. Do you know of one locally?
Q2b. I am still looking for the perfect two-leg kickstand. Any recommendations?

Bike Kitchen is on #UBC campus: https://www.thebikekitchen.ca/

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@Amgine asked a little while ago:

Today I was digging through crates at Bike Kitchen, looking for a decent kickstand. And it raised a couple questions:

Q2a. #LBS which build up frames are cool, recycle hardware, and teach people to DIY. Do you know of one locally?
Q2b. I am still looking for the perfect two-leg kickstand. Any recommendations?

Bike Kitchen is on #UBC campus: https://www.thebikekitchen.ca/

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@Amgine asked a little while ago:

Today I was digging through crates at Bike Kitchen, looking for a decent kickstand. And it raised a couple questions:

Q2a. #LBS which build up frames are cool, recycle hardware, and teach people to DIY. Do you know of one locally?
Q2b. I am still looking for the perfect two-leg kickstand. Any recommendations?

Bike Kitchen is on #UBC campus: https://www.thebikekitchen.ca/

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@Amgine asked a little while ago:

Today I was digging through crates at Bike Kitchen, looking for a decent kickstand. And it raised a couple questions:

Q2a. #LBS which build up frames are cool, recycle hardware, and teach people to DIY. Do you know of one locally?
Q2b. I am still looking for the perfect two-leg kickstand. Any recommendations?

Bike Kitchen is on #UBC campus: https://www.thebikekitchen.ca/

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@Amgine asked a little while ago:

Today I was digging through crates at Bike Kitchen, looking for a decent kickstand. And it raised a couple questions:

Q2a. #LBS which build up frames are cool, recycle hardware, and teach people to DIY. Do you know of one locally?
Q2b. I am still looking for the perfect two-leg kickstand. Any recommendations?

Bike Kitchen is on #UBC campus: https://www.thebikekitchen.ca/

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@ascentale
#bikenitepq

Question for Friday #BikeNite

Yesterday morning I decided to just put my winter bib tights (Red White Apparel) on first thing in the morning, knowing I was going for a ride later. I reasoned that I would then be all ready to go without thinking what a hassle it would be to get changed later. And that it would result in a more comfortable ride, which it did. I have to admit that deciding to wear them under my jeans for the morning was not the best decision I could have made, but it was undoubtedly better choice for the ride once I took the jeans off.

What about you lot? Do you wear your chamois padded shorts or bibs as a matter of course or do you make that decision based on the length of ride you're planning?

For us, I think a ride of over an hour is more comfortable with a chamois, where less time doesn't necessarily need it. That's around the 20 km mark.

We decided that bibs were the way to go for us, but there's no question that they are more of an inconvenience to put on and take off. Are there any who wear padded shorts or tights and have found them to be just as comfortable as bibs?

Steven feels that having a pair with chamois that are just like underwear would be the ideal solution, requiring basically no changing, just wearing them under jeans. Are there any who do that? And if so, are there brands that you prefer?

#EllieKPosts

Nearest tool for this. Lol. (Crank Bros. Tool purchased on recommendation of #BikeNite). New furniture supports swapped in! Back to sewing... probably tomorrow. #sewing #furniture

@rand @ascentale @bikenite I'm glad you asked, because while I was sure I'd read about it, I found they still have a website and now I have to investigate what is up. (Looks like it's there, but the last blog entry is 2014. And while I couldn't find any signs saying "archived...we're closed", I also couldn't find more recent marks on it.)

https://www.berkeleyside.org/2022/11/24/missing-links-bicycle-coop-closing-berkeley

#BikeNite #Berkeley

@ascentale @bikenite #BikeNite A8: The past week I saw a nicely restored #CitroënHY in a very spring-ish street with pink blooming trees, maybe cherry blossoms. And as I figured out that now not only #Ravemen but also #MagicShine has stackable bicycle lights with Garmin quarter turn sockets (and they even offer a Garmin socket as replacement part for the original blind cap of their Hori 1300 model), so I had to toy around with putting all such lights I have in one stack on Mr. #Winterbrompton.

@Amgine asks:

Today I was digging through crates at Bike Kitchen, looking for a decent kickstand. And it raised a couple questions:

Q7a. #LBS which build up frames are really cool, recycle hardware, and teach people to DIY. Do you know of one local to you?
Q7b. I am still looking for the perfect two-leg kickstand. Any recommendations?

Bike Kitchen is on #UBC campus: https://www.thebikekitchen.ca/

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

@Amgine asks:

Today I was digging through crates at Bike Kitchen, looking for a decent kickstand. And it raised a couple questions:

Q7a. #LBS which build up frames are really cool, recycle hardware, and teach people to DIY. Do you know of one local to you?
Q7b. I am still looking for the perfect two-leg kickstand. Any recommendations?

Bike Kitchen is on #UBC campus: https://www.thebikekitchen.ca/

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite