Please keep an eye out. Was stolen last night likely. Thank you kind community 💗

Episode 3 of the Wheelie Good podcast, by the Bicycle Alliance of Washtenaw, is a conversation with master bike fitter Maxine Bratus! It’s easy to understand why cyclists of every skill level—from weekend jaunters to professional triathletes—wait at least three months to meet with Maxine. After 19 years, she still smiles with her whole face when you ask her about her job.

https://bicycleallianceofwashtenaw.substack.com/p/episode-3-j-maxine-bratus-on-the

https://preview.redd.it/rfjdy1h6hn3e1.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0707ff794c53488ab992fbc4309d9655656f6e3

Good evening,

I'm looking to see if anyone has any experience going this way on a cycling trip from New Buffalo to Holland. Any fun sites to see? Any good hills to tackle? How safe is it on the roads? Being from Kzo I can take a train and ride up. This is probably going to be a trip that I'll take sometime in the spring/summer when my relatives are coming to visit. Thank you!

Hello! I'll be coming in to the Dragon Trail Area on Saturday, and wanna know how it's been? Is it too late to do the loop? Is there snow on the ground? Has it been getting super muddy with any rain? (I know it will rain on Friday maybe)

TIA

I just purchased my first "legit" bike, a Trek ALR 5 Driftless, and I'm planning to enter my first race next season. Ive been riding at least 3 times a week with my old bike, covering about 15 miles per ride, and I'm gradually increasing my distance to train for a 50-60 mile race next year. I'm in good shape and have been cycling for quite a while, but I would appreciate some suggestions for a first-time race of that distance. Is a 50-60 mile race too ambitious for a beginner racer, or should I consider starting with a shorter event? What race would be worth doing for my first time? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

The quick question: Is the bang for the buck worth it for this event?

The question with some background info: I've done the 36 mile course before, but never the race. Many gravel races in MI cost less and include an after ride meal, drink tokens, t-shirt, etc. Aside from the fun of participating in such a big event like Barry-Roubaix, what is the draw of the event?

I'm definitely not trying to yuck anyone's yum here, just asking the question.

Who here has done Lumberjack 100? Thinking about giving it a go, looks like a big challenge. Are there aid stations spread out or just every lap? How does it compare to coast to coast 200 in difficulty for those who've done both? Obviously different being a mtb race but just from a fitness standpoint...Thanks!

Who's racing? I'm signed up for wave 6 of the 36 mile.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/vanburensp

Van Buren is on Lake Michigan and is an important resource for touring cyclists and a pretty little park.

I'm pretty new to the sport and looking to replace my worn out gravel tires. My current set came with the bike and are 45mm Maxxis Ramblers.

I ride mostly offroad on a mix of surfaces: compact dirt, crushed limestone, and some loose rocky/sandy/washboard farm roads. Some courses I ride (not race) that are nearby are Dirty Donut, Kal-Haven, and Barry-Roubaix.

Any advice on whether I should stick with 45mm, go wider, or narrow it down a bit? Is there a sort of do-it-all tire for SW MI? What are you guys running? Also open to specific brands/models. My bike can officially accommodate 50mm tires but can be pushed to 2.1in in the front.

obligatory bike related photo from the BRX course:

https://preview.redd.it/eixflwy6mizd1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c7fd1f5d42c30688dd92fad6d6eb353b1df56e6

Great to have warm weeks this late into fall 🤩

I raced the Iceman Cometh race up in Kalkaska/Traverse City on Saturday and just wanted to comment on some awesome people who basically scrapped their race to help someone. It happened somewhere in front of Wave 17, maybe around mile 7 or 8. It was a very fast, twisting part with blind corners and suddenly I heard voices yelling very loudly up ahead through the bushes.

I hit the brakes, came around the corner to see a racer laying motionless on the ground. Oh man it looked kinda bad. And there were no less than 10 riders that pulled off the trail to check on the person, yell ahead warning, and physically protect them from being run over. I wasn't able to find an update on the hurt person, I really hope they're ok.

But it just really hit me how cool it was for those people to stop like that. People who trained all summer for this race, some of them maybe overcoming injuries or using this race to get over personal challenges in their life. But in that moment their placing or time meant nothing because someone needed help.

It's what I love about this community - if I'd been behind the person I know I would've stopped and I like to think we all would.

PC Rob Meendering from a handful of years ago. Cheers! 🍻

Alright everyone.

I’m in the (very) early stages of planning a challenge of sorts for our sub next year.

The Challenge would be similar in sign up to how the Bike Month Challenge went last year. A user would be required to have Strava (I believe the free version would suffice) and would be required to join the challenge. I would set that all up.

Then the required amount of miles/rides/ whatever would need to be completed in the allotted timeframe. I’m unsure at this point of mileage or timeframe requirements. Again, very early planning.

Anyone who entered and completed the Challenge would be awarded an embroidered patch from Monsterologist featuring our very own Michigan cryptid, the Dogman.

What I need to know is how many people would be interested in something like this? Would it be extremely dependent on mileage/timeframe?

I’m trying to get at least a vague idea of participation interest so I can continue communicating with the person that runs the Monsterologist site on getting a price nailed down for the patches.

I had hoped to potentially get the patches custom designed with wording pertinent to our subreddit, but it’s looking like that may be a long shot.

Anyway, weigh in here on your thoughts and if you’d be interested.

Thanks.