@trouble @ascentale @grammasaurus @bikenite I have a road bike with curved handlebars that flare to the side. It isn’t a common configuration. I’ll think about how I steer next time I cycle. I have flat handlebars on my e-bike, but it’s a pretty heavy bike. So maybe I was using more force than necessary out of habit. #bikenite

@ascentale @MartyCormack @bikenite #BikeNite A2:
I haven’t tracked specific seasonal changes, but some of the most interesting riding I did was in wine country while study for my WSET (wine certification) - you can really feel the different micro climates and transitions in climate zones while you’re on a bike. Oh it’s warm and sunny? Yup this winery makes Zinfandel. Cooler & misty? Here’s your Pinot noir and Chardonnay.

@ascentale @gcvsa @bikenite A7: I ride a 2013 (ish) globe daily (I think) in an area with lots of other, much nicer, bicycles. I don't have any rational fears about my bike being stolen, but I worry anyway. Longest I've left my bike locked up in public is a 9-5. #BikeNite

@ascentale @grammasaurus @bikenite A5: for some reason, I need a step through bike in order to get the seat height I prefer (hip height). That's all I've thought about on my regular bike. In the cycling studios, I definitely use body parts to measure where everything is.
I'd like to know more about your deep dive into bike geometry though! #BikeNite

@ascentale @pete @bikenite A4: my husband is who made me get my own bike, upgrade from the occasional bike share. He doesn't really like my defensive biking style (take the lane) or me biking after a drink or me stopping at red lights and waiting for the green though.
My parents express a bit of worry when I bring it up, but then they also let elementary school me bike to school alone.
#BikeNite

@ascentale @MartyCormack @bikenite A2: I like to notice the different flowers and tree states, but not an expert. I'm more likely to note down street or building changes, especially the start of construction season, does that count?

Ex: "some no parking signs are up on the street over, I think they're putting in speed humps!!"
I usually tell my husband but sometimes I'm tell someone I know would be interested.
#BikeNite

@ascentale @xtaran @bikenite I haven't participated in a while, today seems as good as any day to restart!
A1: I'm in #SomervilleMA. I generally don't bike to my mother-in-law's place for dinner even though it's only 4 miles away. We usually have to bring a bunch of stuff and would have to bike back in the dark after a drink. A cargo bike might change things, but this one is probably on infrastructure.
#BikeNite

@ascentale @gcvsa @bikenite #BikeNite A7: I have two types of bikes: nice bikes and cheap bikes. The cheap bikes are what I use for most around town transportation. Two stories come to mind:
1. Was flying out for a long weekend and rode to the airport, but the ferry I needed for the last mile wasn’t available, so I had to lock up in the middle of downtown for a whole weekend. Was real nervous about that, but it was amazingly still there when I came back. 1/

@ascentale @pete @bikenite #BikeNite A4: the utility and joy of biking was instilled in me at a young age by my parents, so they’re very supportive even as my biking has become more ridiculous.

As far as other folks in my life, biking is fortunately fairly common in our area for our age group. I’m slowly trying to persuade more folks to bike as safe, low stress routes become available around us.

@ascentale @grammasaurus @bikenite I am not sure, but when I got my 100 lb ebike, it is a lot harder to get going with that extra mass you're trying to balance left to right. I haven't been on a regular bike since getting it in July, so have gotten used to feeling wobbly every time I have to pedal starting from a stop. Workaround has been to never stop, just slow to about 5 mph at stop signs. Despite having decades of biking experience, I still teeter and almost fall over some times. #BikeNite

@fgbjr @ascentale @bikenite #BikeNite A1 follow-up: I first thought, you are replying to Q8 instead of Q1, as that question mentions more or less something that fits your description: Hauling a car up a ramp pulled by (multiple) bicycles. Then I noticed that it fits Q1 as well.

@PamelaSchure @ascentale @grammasaurus @bikenite what are you used to riding / comparing to? MTB compared to hybrids, cruisers, and tourers have very different steering configurations, generally leaning towards "less effort to turn".

My first time on a road bike with drop bars (horns) was very strange switching from pulling on flat bars to steer to pushing to steer
#BikeNite

@oheso @ascentale @arnodegroote @bikenite All fair, though I have to wonder why what should be quality shifters have reliability issues. And then I think of my old dead Schwinn with original shifters still on at 39 years old being used for daily bike commuting.

And then I think of the kinda cheap brifters Trek threw in the replacement when all I wanted was the one shifter fixed.

Sorry, pre coffee brain.

@ascentale @gcvsa @bikenite A7 interested in how you track your bike… #bikenite

@ascentale @xtaran @stereo4x4 @bikenite A6 Phil, topic for another #bikenitepq Have you ever ridden a bike that fell apart while you were riding it? What happened? #bikenite

@ascentale @grammasaurus @bikenite A5: Well, well, I didn’t know bike geometry was a thing. I felt pretty good that I had my bike fitted to me so I could ride longer distances comfortably. Then I borrowed a MTB in Cumbria and felt like I was off balance the whole ride. It had something to do with the flat handlebars. I kept over adjusting during turns. Maybe bike geometry has answers. TBD #bikenite

@ascentale @pete @bikenite A4. My husband got me into cycling. Now I cycle more than he does. Reason: I’m happy to cycle for more reasons than he is. He’s a MAMIL type though. He can’t just jump on a bike to run an errand. On the cost side, his bike is worth much more than my REI end-of-season special. He can sell mine for whatever he likes if I’m not around to use it. #bikenite

@realSiegfried @iris @jessta A3 In the Netherlands, I overheard my cousin’s wife discuss the merits of helmets. She named a few people she knew that had died due to a lack of helmets on bikes - and she volunteered at the local hospital. When I’m there, it’s 50:50 whether I wear one or not: rural and bike lanes, I’m more inclined to risk it. Interestingly, Dutch road cyclists there definitely do wear helmets. They are going a lot faster than the other cyclists, though. #bikenite