YellowJersey

I have a small window where the stars (and hopefully weather) align to do my Icefields Parkway trip. It's a bit cut down from my original plans. Originally, I wanted to ride from my front door in Calgary to Jasper and back over about 10 days. I've had to cut it down to leaving from Lake Louise to Jasper back to Lake Louise; about 460km round-trip. I then intend to chip away at the 200km between Calgary and Lake Louise and back (400km round trip)  in early September as I can do those as day-trips. I'd probably go Calgary-Banff one day, Banff to Lake Louise to Canmore another, and then Canmore to Calgary. So, while it won't be in one go, I'll have done Calgary to Jasper and back this summer (fingers crossed!).

Here's a screenshot of my route. I'll get dropped off at Lake Louise Thursday morning. Depending on how I'm feeling, I might do a bit more on the last day and ride past Lake Louise to either Banff of Canmore as it's mostly downhill; and from there I'll get picked up and driven back to the city.

 I've got one mountain pass per-day. I'm pretty excited.

 

12 hours ago, fpo said:

Anyone have good tips on how to not get your bike stolen?

 

I'm considering making a bicycle my primary vehicle (only vehicle) but because I heard that decent ones start at several thousand, and they look a bit bigger than my pocket, I'm a bit concerned. 

 

When I'm home I can take it inside, but when I go elsewhere... 

Especially if there isn't a bike rack, is there anything I can do? 

 

I saw Taran looked at a folding bike but it doesn't seem practical and it's still enormous but now it's also a worse bike. 

If you want to be really careful, I recommend carrying two locks: a cable lock and a bar lock. Make sure the cable lock goes through the frame, both wheels, and the seat (wheels and seats can be easy to pop off and walk away with, especially if they're on quick releases). The bar lock would be secured through the frame and the rear wheel (the rear wheel is more expensive than the front). This is the bar lock I use: https://www.thebikeshop.com/product/kryptonite-new-u-new-york-lock-standard-307164-1.htm

100km today in 4 hours and 26 minutes. Just a "short" ride today.

Total this year: 1,811km

On 8/15/2022 at 9:54 AM, Origami Cactus said:

yeah, i brought a "female" bike, and it has the seat a bit higher. Now my knees don't hurt, but it is sitting in the repair shop now because it was so broken.

Fingers crossed it works out for you.

On 8/8/2022 at 11:55 PM, Origami Cactus said:

2m, using a 27" frame. 

The biggest size I could find was a 28" frame. But I see your point.


117km today in 5 hours and 10 minutes. No wasp stings or cosmic anvils descended from on high.

Total this year: 1,711km.

So long as neither phone is locked to another carrier and both phones take the same type of sim card, then yes, you can.

I think I saw a brief glimpse of Fury3 in there somewhere. My first PC was a DOS machine and I used to play Reader Rabbit and Super Solvers Midnight Mystery and some underwater game that I think was by the same study. I also remember changing my mouse pointer to yellow and browsing Encarta for hours.

3 hours ago, DynamicTypo said:

i more meant just in general  for buying a camera and camera equipment. 

Oh. Yeah, in that case, then you can get some good stuff on black friday / cyber monday.

3 hours ago, Origami Cactus said:

Okay. Getting a full leg extension is almost impossible for me, so this is probably where it comes from. Seat is already max height, but I have really long legs.

 Sounds like your bike is too small for you. How tall are you?

3 hours ago, ToboRobot said:

I used to ride about 35km each way as a work commute.  

It sucked at the beginning but you build up your fitness.  You also need to eat and sleep enough.  I ate ALOT more than normal.

You also need to make sure you bike is properly sized and fitted to you and that you have good equipment/clothing for the ride.

When I was cycling across Canada, we ate 5 meals and burned 12,000 calories per day.

11 hours ago, Origami Cactus said:

How can you ride 100km every day?

I can ride 20km and I feel fine during it, but next day my knees are really hurting.

Well, I've been cycling since 1997. So probably just used to it by now? If your knees are hurting, you may need to adjust your seat height. You should be making an almost full leg extension on the down stroke. You could try getting your bike fitted (where the bike shop makes adjustments to make sure your seat post and handlebar positions are correct). You could also try cycling shoes with clips to make sure you're applying pressure to the right part of your foot (so your foot isn't too far back or forward on the pedal)?

10 hours ago, DynamicTypo said:

I still would like to know if it might be a better idea to wait until a sale like black Friday or cyber Monday?

 For a full frame camera? You could. But there is a significant price jump going to full frame with the additional lens costs. I'm looking on BH right now and none of the cameras in the $1000 range are ones that I would really recommend. I think you're thinking about it a bit too much.

6 hours ago, DynamicTypo said:

I definitely like the idea of having lots of lens options and future-proof, and I'm not sure how true this is but mirrorless will probably have a longer lifespan because of the lack of a moving part. would a APS-C be okay for taking star and night sky pics, or is that more of a lens based thing. weight and size isn't really a concern of mine. I am willing to go a bit above budget if its worth it, also would it be a better idea to wait fir something like cyber Monday or black Friday for better deals? 

Stars and night sky is more of a lens thing than a sensor thing. Having a bigger sensor helps, but there are techniques you can use. The big difference is noise in the image; bigger sensors handle noise better. For nighty sky photos, I highly recommend getting a star tracker; a device that moves your camera along with the Earth's rotation so you can take exposures several minutes long. I use one for my star photos. Alternatively, you can stack photos; take multiple exposures and then merge them in post to even the pixels out and reduce noise. Alternatively alternatively, you can get a star tracker and stack photos; this is what I do for my photos.

 For the stars, you want a nice "fast" lens (meaning that the aperture has a low number). I use a 20mm f/2 on a full frame sensor (as the APS-C sensor is smaller, my lens would be 1.5x magnification and would be the equivalent of a 30mm f/2. This is called "crop factor" https://petapixel.com/what-is-crop-factor/

100km today in 4 hours 46 minutes. A relatively short ride. A wasp stung me on the arm about 25km from home, that one still smarts. This was my first time trying to the "spongy wonder" seat I ordered (had to get a new seat post to actually mount it). It works well; it'll definitely take some getting used to, but I could see it being a long-term solution for my broken "The Seat." It's much better than the Hobson Easyseat II I bought and then returned. I'm still going to at least price out some custom work to get decent rail on The Seat, but if that fails, then the Spongy Wonder seat is good enough to replace it.

 I also hit 60kmph going down a big hill where the speed limit was 50kmph. Breaking the speed limit on a bicycle is always satisfying.

Total this year: 1,594km.

12 hours ago, DynamicTypo said:

USD

 

Ok, so there are two paths you can take as a newcomer.

1) Buy an older DSLR style camera. The advantage here is that you can get these relatively cheap. The disadvantage is that DSLRs are largely being phased out in favour of mirrorless cameras, so don't expect new bodies or lenses.

2) Buy a newer mirrorless style camera. The advantage here is that new bodies and lenses are coming out all the time. The disadvantage is that it'll be a bit more expensive. I'd recommend this path, but I tend to think longer term. Others will probably disagree and say that the savings from buying a DSLR outweigh the lack of new stuff.

The next thing we need to decide is sensor size. For interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs), there are three sensor sizes: full frame (biggest), APS-C (middle), MicroFourThirds (MFT) (smallest) The benefits of a big sensor is that it tends to have higher image quality. The disadvantage is that the cameras tend to be more expensive and the lenses tend to be bigger, heavier, and more expensive. For you, I'd recommend going APS-C as it's a nice middle-of-the-road that keeps the cost and weight down but retains good image quality.

 For APS-C cameras, I'd look at Sony or FujiFilm. BH Photo has a Sony A6100 that comes with a 16-50mm lens combo (called a "kit") that fits your budget and would probably be a good starting point. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1502816-REG/sony_alpha_a6100_mirrorless_digital.html

 Alternatively, FujiFilm has an X-T30 II that comes with a 15-45mm lens, but it's a bit more expensive here https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1662378-REG/fujifilm_16759732_x_t30_ii_mirrorless_digital.html

This is how lenses work. For example: 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6mm. The "15-45mm" is the focal length. Since this lens has two numbers, it's a zoom range. 15mm is the wide end and 45mm is the narrow end (how close or far away things are). Now, these numbers can be a bit confusing, but just be aware that the bigger the number, the closer your subject is, the lower the number, the farther away your subject is. To start out, something like a 15-45mm would be a good zoom range. The "f/3.5-5.6mm" refers to the minimum aperture (the size of the hole at the back of the lens that the light passes through en route to the sensor. The lower the number, the more light passes through when the lens aperture is wide open, which is beneficial for low light, but it means the "Depth of field" (the amount of the photo that's in focus) is smaller. You can change aperture settings and "stop down" (make the aperture hole smaller) to let in less light in order to increase your depth of field so more of the photo is in focus (this is what we landscape photographers often do).

 Let us know if there's anything else you need. I know this can all be a bit daunting to get into.

Is that $900 USD? What currency are we talking?

Mucho Burrito's alright, but nothing special. Costa Vida and Fat Bastard Burrito are my two personal favourites; sadly, there aren't any of either in BC. Fat Bastard's tequila lime fried chicken burrito... muy bueno

3 hours ago, Dankpixel007 said:

I agree, it was just "you suck" from the sidelines, it came across awfully

Yeah. I know the "Colton, you're fired" thing is a long running joke, but wow, this one was just mean.

162km today! Just over 100 miles for the Americans. I'm beat.

Total this year: 1494km

I've never thought 4k was anything special. Too hard to drive for too little of a difference, imho. 1080 works fine for me. I do have a 1440 monitor and it was a nice little bump up from 1080, but for me, I have no desire to have 4k content/games. (I don't expect anyone else to agree with me, though)

101km today in 4 hours 26 minutes. Got home just as the sun was setting. I saw a snake today, though I don't know what kind; it was sunning itself on the bike path. I also saw a few deer with their antlers.

Total this year: 1,332km

On 7/29/2022 at 1:05 AM, RollyShed said:

As I've got older I've put on a bit of weight and am now 157 lbs (71kg) and lost height so down to 6'. So I need to keep riding to try and keep fit.... with toe clips...

Damn, you make me feel self-conscious about my weight! I weigh about 90kg (200lbs) and am around 190cm.

Two reasons for rising sea levels:

1) Most of the melt is coming from glaciers, which are on land, thus taking mass from land and transferring it to the ocean. You are correct that melting sea ice doesn't contribute additional mass to the ocean, but that brings us to our next point:

2) Matter expands when it's heated, so as the planet (and oceans) warm, the water expands, thus increasing their volume. As sea ice decreases and is replaced by dark, heat absorbing open water, more heat is added to the oceans thus causing additional expansion.

126km in 5 hours 46 minutes today. Got home just after sunset. I thought I saw a beaver, but it turned out to be a duck once I got closer. It was stupid hot today (about 30C) and I went through 3L of gatorade and 4L of water throughout the ride.

Total this year: 1,231km

16 minutes ago, ET_Explorer said:

There is only three ways to induce sleep.

[1] Lemon Balm Tea, [2] Melatonin (taking at night), [3] Have an orgasm.

Wait, people have orgasms for other reasons? I fap before bed like clockwork. "What can I do? It's wank-o-clock!"

12 hours ago, Mr-G-Man said:

Saw biking amd immediately got all excited, til I realised it was crosscountry, and not mtb. Unfortunately, I've kinda fell out with biking due to an Achilles tendon injury sustained. Luckily, Covid lockdownss gave me a good and long rest on the tendon, which allowed it to recover quite quickly actually. Surgery also helped too. It's still nowhere near perfect, which is an absolute shame considering I'm only 13, and have already suffered an injury like this. I can't bike anymore as any pressure on it for more than 2 hours causes immense paain, and it then it just drops out. Soccer has been quite a good therapy though.

Man, if I get to a point where I can't cycle anymore, just put a bullet in me. (I'm 38 though)

3 hours ago, Brian McKee said:

What laptop is it exactly? Acer with these specs will be worth less than something like a thinkpad. But realistically I wouldn't pay above 150 usd for that machine.

It's in the OP, "Asus N56NJ with a bit of a hodgepodge of parts"

Any idea what kind of framerates to expect in Minecraft and Roblox with these kind of specs? I have a guy who's interested.