This from the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/nyregion/mom-subway-stairs-death-malaysia-goodson.html

It will break your heart. 

It also points to the problem of long elevators while managing the unwieldy. 

When I first rode the elevators at the terminal of the 7 line at 34th Street, I was immediately struck with the potential for danger to self and others should anyone on the extremely long segment lose control. An epileptic seizure, orthostatic hypertension, heart attack, whatever, might prove fatal.

Feels like 9W has worse ice conditions than in previous years. There are always areas to watch out for but yesterday i was headed north somewhere near Columbia University and all North bound lanes were covered in ice. Turned out there was just enough traction that I was able to ride over it. Is there a drainage issue that has gotten worse this year? Any thoughts?

Oh, you know I wasn't there.* I don't ride in the cold. But Bob Schmon did and reported what I write in the headline.

*I write from balmy, tropical...Cleveland. It costs as much to fly to Rome this week as it does here.)

If MNRR maintains their current restrictions on our group activities, we can't plan anything this year using most of their territory unless we start rides from the edge of the subway. It will be very difficult to ride in any territory in Putnam or Dutchess Counties this way. Forget about rides in Ulster County unless you are willing to ride up from a late-in-the-day NJTransit connection that you have to come back to by 3:30pm. 

I know it's early, but what is winter for if not to dream about spring! I assume the club will once again plan Memorial Day Weekend in the Berkshires. Why not take an extra day off and make it a 5-day adventure? I've prepared routes and posted them in the Ride Library for a 2-day self-contained trip to Great Barrington. There are route options for every level of rider and each can be modified for various lodging locations. (You can still do the standard return to either Poughkeepsie or Dover Plains to catch the train.)

I come across numerous references that bike shops often have take-off parts bins. (Take-off parts being items that came on a new bike that the customer swapped out immediately for something else (eg. different saddle, handlebar, stem, etc..)

I can't recall seeing one in any shop I've walked through, but perhaps I just didn't notice.  Can anyone specify a shop they know that has one of these?

Anyone use Panacer Gravel King tires? Are they suitable for both gravel and road? Right now on Compass Stampede. I understand the Gravel King will be a bit more puncture resistant. How is the ride quality? Right now I'm using it for winter road riding.

I go for runs in relatively thin shoes, with some (wool, ideally) sock underneath. But not much sock thickness; not enough room for it.

This setup is fine for running, even to a fairly low temperature (significantly subfreezing), but sometimes I'm on a Citi Bike to get to a run meetup or similar. My feet get cold riding that way, especially the toes.

Today I routed around this by bringing my shoe covers along, just wearing them over my running shoes. Whilst Citi Biking. Totally worked! :)

I took my first Tailwind class yesterday and had such a bad experience that I wanted to give everyone a heads up. Based on my class yesterday, I wouldn't recommend them. 

I'm a newer cyclist, so I was really excited about the prospect of being coached on my form. However, there wasn't any coaching. The guy who introduced himself as the coach, Gabriel, spent the entire class scrolling through his facebook and occaisonally reading the onscreen instructions aloud. He didn't provide feedback to me or anyone else. When I asked him for help in improving my form, he told said he wasn't a coach and couldn't help me.