protwurst

This poll made me feel extremely average.

5 was actually an incredible save. Rear end trying its best to get around, and they avoided fixating on the trees. Shot the gap and stayed safe! Very impressive.

@m-i-l-e-s: yes! Very similar, just a bit beefier. Thanks!

My partner and I rode around Taiwan on our gravel bikes (it was a blast, definitely recommend while it's still, ... erm..., an option.) In any case, the bike shops has these awesome stands that just held the rear triangle for quickly lubing the chain or adjusting the derailer. It just held one of the chain stays. And elevated the rear wheel. I haven't been able to find them, but if anyone knows where I can buy one they were SO convenient.

my girlfriend and I biked around Taiwan on Cycle Route 1. It was incredible, and I'd do it again without hesitation. The food was amazing, and with the photo translate ability of Google Translate, we could easily get meals we wanted. What a cool place, especially once you get out of the more urban parts of the east coast. Of course, the owner of one of the Giant stores made fun of us for bringing gravel bikes with us ("too heavy! why not rent from us?"), but I'd encourage any cyclist who wants an adventure to consider it.

29er 5010?

@h20-50: but the points you listed were, on the whole, bad points. I don't feel like digging in to deep here on the things my female friends experience in sports and in the workplace, so let's just stay in the context of this article. In the context of this article and the decision made here, what I am telling you is that many women feel excluded from adventure sports, especially as beginners. It sounds like you are chalking that up to one of the "cons" or being a woman. But it's not some inbuilt thing that cannot be changed.To say there are pros and cons for each gender and then walking off into the sunset ignores the agency you have to make changes in the world. You can literally just paint over the sign and say "hey, sorry! We want women to feel welcome here because they belong here so we changed the sign to be less gendered." It's a single, small, positive step that is almost effortless.

@h20-50: Hi, I'm a man: Someone literally opened the door for me today. There's quite a lot of research demonstrating that more attractive (and especially taller) men are more successful and make more money than less attractive men. So it does apply. Not sure what you're getting at with "didn't have to work myself to the bone" so I'll leave it unless you care to expand. Mmm, drafts... this one varies from country to country, but it's true there's a gender difference in something so politically unpopular that it is unlikely to occur in our lifetimes. "Allowed to meet lower criteria". I've never been in the armed services, but my guess is that the smart strategy is to look at battlefield performance, not intake requirements. Note that in the US those have been dropped for both genders recently so that they can increase recruitment. Also, plenty of women have bough me drinks in bars. Dunno what to tell you, dude. Maybe you should smile more? In many ways men and women are on a much more level playing field than ever, which is dope. But talking to my female friends, sports (MTB included) is a place where they continue to feel uncomfortable and excluded by the culture. And a ton of the comments here basically brush of their experiences as unimportant. Which sucks.