What’s good?
The bug hath once again bitten me….
Youngest is going to kindergarten, no longer hauling her to daycare, no longer have a real need for the e-bike. It’s been a solid performer, and has definitely spoiled me…. But I feel like a complete schmuck on the commute home sometimes…..

So…..

A touring style bike was in the crosshairs and I’ve now landed on a Trek Checkpoint SL5 over the 520 Grando….

Anything else I should entertain in this this price range of $3400??



"Get ready....for your blessing....."
"Bury me by my Grand-Grand and when you can come follow me"

Think I'm the only dude on here posting about his motorcycle, lol.

About to dust off the Trek and Panasonics in the basement. They probably all need some new tires/tubes (think one of the Panasonics might have tubeless), batteries for lights and new brake pads for my older road bike.

How far is your commute? And what kinda E-Bike do you ride? I'm really thinking about buying one for my next bike.

don’t feel bad I really wish I was making another motorcycle post but those days are behind me for a while at least.



"Get ready....for your blessing....."
"Bury me by my Grand-Grand and when you can come follow me"

denver (or possibly westminster) to be exact. coming from little rock, AR. little rock is hilly as fuck and you can count the number of per-year non-rainy "nice" days (meaning clear skies, high 70 low 50) on two hands. most of the time it's too fucking hot and humid to ride here and that's not taking into consideration the hills or complete lack of bike paths and lanes

at any rate i am looking for a starter bike. i won't be commuting and mostly riding for pleasure/exercise. i haven't been on a bicycle consistently in over 3 decades but i am in "riding shape" due to spending several hours a week on my stationary bike. not trying to break the bank but i am considering this to be an investment so i am willing to spend if i know it will last me for a long time. don't plan on doing any off road biking. will be sticking to paths in parks and in bike lanes to start off

not *that* was loads of fun.

think I'm going to try and complete a century before the summer's over.

and gotta get on the empire state trail soon

"Get ready....for your blessing....."
"Bury me by my Grand-Grand and when you can come follow me"

As result of riding that, I've come to the conclusion that I am going to need a road bike if I do long rides like that again. Felt way too sluggish using a commuter/hybrid bike for that long a distance.

All up to me if I actually want to plunk down the dollars for another bike since I rarely bike for long distances like that in NYC.

Cool that you had a good time. The weather for this year's Five Boro Bike Tour was pitch perfect.

this: https://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/product/scott-sub-cross-50-men-bike

absolutely love it.

it will be a while before i get a road bike
i upgraded from an MTN - which remains my favourite bike even though its old as hell.
i intend to ride the MTN a lot more often over the summer - esp for rides where I dont need to keep up with a group.

There's a Critical Mass ATL group that does a once a month ride with about 200 people. It's about a 15 mile ride, but then I'll ride home after. So it ends up being near 25.

Road from my house to Stone Mountain. First time doing that. It was mostly flat, luckily. I'll do it again.

What are yall doing for water on long rides? I have two water bottles but I get reluctant to drink because I'll run out. Turns out I never run out because I'm not drinking it. That's not the move. Thinking about one of those goofy water back packs. :(

..but there are plenty of options to keep you hydrated while cycling.

Everything from simple water bottles/racks to backpacks with bladder inserts.

https://www.bikeperfect.com/features/best-hydration-packs


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I like to ride with as little as possible, but will check this out. thanks.

One thing I learned is how little I like riding in central texas. I love hills and mountains. I can get that in Austin so maybe I’ll start scheduling weekend rides. But right now, just from the house is a nah. Not nearly enjoyable enough versus the risk of getting hit.

..and I had to miss it (work).

Shout out to the PushThePace (KR)ew! Can't wait to bring these mean street stories to the masses.

*2 new track frame builds in progress (still dealing with sourcing parts), including a custom build by a black-owned company/designer.

As always, ride safe & swift.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

funny how things you avoid on a roadbike (like rocks) you're supposed to head for on a MTB.

My $3500 Cannondale still holding strong.

What the best cycling kits that have pockets? Main issue I'm having is biking while masked. It's kinda difficult to bike 25 miles with a mask so I need a better solution.

on this thing...lol

Is your route that densely populated? I dont mask up while running or bikng

>on this thing...lol
>
>Is your route that densely populated? I dont mask up while
>running or bikng

Main thing is streets are chock full of broken glass and safety hazards that puncture tires. Essentially it's a 25 mile+ bike path.

I'm not as bold as this old white man that used car lanes. That's right he rides his bike in car lanes.

Sometimes I trek to a dispensary. Edibles, biking, and masks don't mix well from what I heard.

You don't need an extensive bike but this frame alone is worth it. Don't bike in shorts is my advice.

there's always some hazard popping up on the streets. the tubeless tires have kept me going. didn't even know anything was stuck in the tires til got home and looked.

they do require a little more maintence. have to put air in them more frequently and also have to put sealer in periodically.

Hands down this feels like the best bike I've ever owned.
I flipflopped between the aluminum ALR 5 and then the SL 5 which is carbon... the groupset on the SL 5 was a little better and the storage bin in the frame of the carbon really won me over...i'm a sucker for gimmicky shit like that...although it's useful too...

Test rode the ALR 5 and came away on the fence and VERY unimpressed with the whole brake lever shifting setup. The ride also just felt uncomfortable. (I'm used to bar end shifters on my home-built cross bike and also used to thumb shifters on my e-bike. The brake lever shifters just felt sloppy and cumbersome and didn't inspire a lot of confidence...I was pushing the brakes while shifting, it was a 2X setup too, so the whole process was just....a lot.)
They were more focused on my complaint about comfort so he suggested I try a carbon frame Checkpoint...but all they had in stock in my size was the $8K+ SLR7... I gave dude the gasface off rip because I wasn't falling for the okiedoke upsell....but I caved and went ahead and rode it....
BLOWN AWAY!!!!! but it wasn't the carbon that won me over...it was the eTAP Shifters... I knew electronic shifting was a thing...but never understood the appeal... it made ALLLL the difference in the comfort and confidence level of the ride though.. I mean the carbon is definitely helpful...but the electronic shifting is the lick!

Fortunately they offer eTAP in the lower price point SL6 and they assured me the ride would be similar to the SLR7 just without the carbon wheelset and the RED version of the eTAP. Ended up having to go to a different Trek dealer to get my size and test a SL6. Sure enough...ride felt exactly the same with just a tad more weight since it doesn't have the carbon wheelset.

Off the shelf the bike was just under 20lbs...had the shop equip it for commuting for me...added fenders and a frame bag. I held off on the rear rack for now...still debating...i HATE to ruin the lines of this thing even more than I already have with the fenders lol...

Commute in this morning was only 1 minute slower than my normal commute on the eBike. This.Bike.Is.FAST! Fast AND more comfortable than my cargo eBike... I'm going to hate parting with the cargo bike...but I don't see getting much use out of it anymore. I'll probably miss it in the dead cold of winter and the extreme heat of summer though..