Category Archives: Cycling

Two years with a Retrospec Mantra

I commuted a few miles a day for two years on a black Retrospec Mantra single-speed bike. I bought it from Amazon for $256 in October 2014. (more photos) It’s nothing special. Fairly low quality, but appropriately priced. The steel … Continue reading

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Commuter bikes

Popular attributes Around eighteen months ago I replaced my commuter bike and have been bringing it onboard Caltrain and to my office in San Francisco. Since then I’ve kept my eyes out for decent commuter bikes. Popular commuter bike attributes: … Continue reading

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I got a new bike!

Nothing special, just a cheap bike for commuting to and from the train station. I got one of the cheapest ones I could find that I’d be happy with: a Retrospec Mantra. Black frame, red wheels, pink seat and handlebar … Continue reading

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Casual Bike Shoes

I love clipless bike pedals, but the shoes tend to be ugly and uncomfortable. I’ve been looking for something better. Today I tried on some shoes from DZR. I couldn’t quite bring myself to buy any, but I definitely like … Continue reading

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Recent Cycling News

The cycling news over the past week has been insane. I haven’t heard many people talking about it and it seems like it hasn’t gotten much US press coverage. But holy cow. The story starts out slow… People have accused … Continue reading

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Clipless Bike Pedal Comparison

“Clipless” pedals are the type where a metal cleat bolted to the bottom of your shoe snaps into the pedal and keeps your foot attached. I’ve tried two new types over the past few months, which puts me in a … Continue reading

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Cyclocomputers

The Device I bought a new speed/distance computer for my new bike. There are a few large manufacturers of bike computers, but only CycleOps, Bontrager and Garmin support the ANT+ wireless protocol used by the DuoTrap speed/cadence sensor designed for … Continue reading

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I Bought a New Bike!

Old Bike I’ve been riding the same 2003 Fuji Silhouette since August 24, 2003. It’s served me well. I paid $500 for it and have ridden 8900 miles (averaging 1100 miles/year). I rode it to computer science classes at NCSU … Continue reading

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