Technically I didnt spend a penny, after all the hatred around here I took it as partial payment for some design work I did with State Bicycle Co. Like I said in other posts, working with the founder and owner was great. They really do care about bicycles and our community. They care about the products they sell too. I feel they were entry level bikes up until now. Thus they got a bad rap because they weren't necessarily aimed at people that would be on this forum. After everyone pooped on this thing before it was released, I figured I could subtract some payment for trade. I then could post an honest review on it. I hope I get break in weather to put in some serious miles, but its not looking great.

"Today I" will drink more Jim Beam than yesterday.

ATTN: Seau (and whoever else) here they are. This is of the first one I made, and have worked out minor kinks since then. The filing is finer now. Sry for potato pix. Also I suck at photo uploader/BF photo uploader sucks in the first place. Click for enlarged image.

Protip, host on imgur.com and then wrap the direct link in [IMG] [/IMG] tags.

Today I am sore. 40mi of race pace Wolfpack Hustle... on my track bike. 49x16, brakeless.

1,800ft, 18.5mph avg. Mostly flat with lots of headwind on the second, northward half. Sorry knees.

Seriously, thank you for this tip. Is there a general size that works best, or does it not matter?

I cannot imagine that on that gear. good for you.

Got in a 20 on my originally-supposed-to-be-social, taco-truck-tour ride (but no one shows up, so we go hard, for us [not wolfpackhustle pace], most times).

I hate riding in the country at night. I also hate hills. Ride leader steers us out into the country. Know what happens when you ride in the country at night? You can't see the hills, so you can't dread them in advance. This is a good thing! I was looking for light-shine on utility lines to tell whether the hills were going to be over after they looked short, so I attacked hard (and had to revise that theory real quick). After a few of those, it was more like, oh well, get it done, manage your energy.

Real talk, if you go on a mixed fixed/geared ride, should the geared riders not take point once in a while (not like we were doing a pro paceline or anything, but still, I spelled the other fixed guy on a climb after he'd been leading for a while on purpose, even tho I was medium sufferface)? Nothing makes my blood boil like someone drafting and then I hear them change down a few gears... and then sit there on my wheel... COME AROUND AND PULL ME DAMMIT! is there etiquette for this sort of thing? Should I be right to get mad? Take a pull!

Learn to flick an elbow. If you're right, you'll get invited back the next week.

The etiquette is to drop out from the front and let them take the lead.

Geared or fixed shouldn't make a difference. If you can't handle taking a pull or having others draft you while you ride your fixed gear then just hang back and draft others or don't take out the FG.

This isn't actual "paceline" stuff, these are like, recreational riders (myself included). So the elbow flick or pull off and wait [that I have read about on google, but never seen IRL... i'm too slow to get on the local paceline rides that go at 20+ mph on a fixed) never works. I have actually tried those things, and then these particular ppl I ride with just half wheel or pace you when you try to "pull off." I came around the other fixed guy who had been pulling for 5 miles or so and said "let me take a pull" and expected to be relieved at some point and it never happened. LAME. They also complain about the fixed gear guys "going too hard" on hills. I thought it was generally understood that wheel sucking forever was frowned upon, but who knows. It got to the point tonight where the other fixed (stronger than me) guy was basically cashed on a hill and I was determined to sit in 3d wheel and wait for the geared rider to go up, and then I had to go up because I couldn't sustain <60 rpm with half the hill left.

PM sent.

Sounds like a boring group. Drop em

they're the group I got, so I guess i'll [stop *****ing here] try peer pressure on em or get strong enough to ride with the roadies who know paceline discipline. I enjoy the "show up on tuesday, ride wherever, who knows where" aspect of it and the beers after. I should also get a road bike, that might help with the ability to ride with paceliners. Also, lose another 30 lbs so I can hang with the roadies. All things in the plan. Thanks for telling me i'm not crazy, tho.

the good
the bad

and the ugly?

keep in mind i'm 6'1 and 250 lbs (down 30 but still FAR too fat). it was originally a social ride, tho. They're good people, i just get frustrated at times. The "scene" here is, as far as I know it, is "fixed gear and others with loads of goodwill doing longish social rides [meaning 10-20 mile rides]" and "paceline hardasses going [longer] at +20 mph averages" that I just. cannot. do. There's not a lot of different cohorts of riders going at different paces for varied distances here, it's sort of roadie or not, and then you take what you can get. It varies based on who shows up. I envy the Californians. You guys got a ride where you go hardish, fixed, for 15-20 miles and then drink IPAs? (I would probably get dropped anyways)?

I do this all the time, but solo. Everyone's welcome though.

^ Yeah, I call that "saturday". Occasionally with others, but doesn't really matter too much, it's great either way.

today i found this guy on tumblr:

sinikl, I think you just need to be more vocal. Drop off to the left and tell the next guy you're spent and that someone else needs to pull. Teach them paceline etiquette.

Haha, nice crocs!

Just this morning I rode the Lake Front Trail to work and some broadie drafted me for like 4 miles. Me, on a beat up old fixed gear bike with a stretched chain and ****ed up wheelset and rubbing fender and both of my knees are covered in bruises from some **** that happened last weekend. He said "thanks for the pull" when I got to where it was time to turn off.

I didn't mind though I could understand being annoyed if it happened all the time. I just thought it was funny that a dude on a fancy road bike was drafting my (slowish) ass.

im really glad im not the only one that uses this word

i am easily amused and will beat a portmanteau like that to death.

not gonna lie, i just googled that word.

apparently thats 51% of the vocabulary that the gf and i use on a daily basis