Newsletter Issue No. 1194

October 9, 2025

Technical Q & A: Vehicle Racks and Risk to Carbon Wheels?

Jim’s Tech Talk

By Jim Langley

The question that we’re tackling today is related to our article last week which included tips from the rack company Küat.

Reader Ken Stevens asked: “What about the issue of hot car exhaust damaging carbon fiber rims as per wheel company instructions such as on my Zipps: Do not expose Zipp wheels or rims to hot vehicle exhaust or allow the rims to contact any vehicle exhaust components.” Read more.

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A 1-Person Experiment That Begot 5 Betterments You May Want to Beget

By Kevin Kolodziejski 

You, that guy or gal who enjoys cycling, cares about your health, and is always looking for ways to better both. You made Anthony Cashmore’s list, you know — along with flies, bacteria, and bowls of sugar.

So how come? Read more.

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Knog Mid Cobber Rear Light Review

By Brandon Bilyeu

The Cobber comes in “Lil” and “Mid” sizes, the lights being 33mm (1.3 inches) and 62mm (2.5 inches) tall, respectively. The Cobber lights are built with a curved PCB using Chip on Board (COB) technology that creates a large array of LEDs that give a wide 330 degrees of visibility. This means the Cobber provides light coverage rearward and to both sides. The Lil Cobber image below clearly shows the LED array and wraparound coverage. Read more.

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Trail Tales: Bikepacking the Katy Trail

By Sheri Rosenbaum

Back in October 2016, I rode the Katy Trail in segments, either hiring a shuttle to drive us to a trailhead and then ride back to the hotel or sometimes choosing to do out-and-backs. After that trip, I pledge to return and bikepack the trail. 

Fast forward nearly a decade, and a member of my local bike club was organizing that exact trip. Read more.

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Fitting your ebike into rides with cyclists on regular bikes, Part 2

By Stan Purdum

I had what seemed like a milestone moment last week: I sold my 1995 Trek 520 touring bike on Ebay. It was a milestone in that it solidified for me the reality that, at age 80, I’m not going to be riding any more multiday, self-supported tours, at least not on an analog bike. I have one non-electric road bike left in my garage, which I occasionally ride for short runs, but I have now accepted that I am almost exclusively an ebike rider for the remainder of my cycling run. Read more.

Other Cool Things to Read

CyclingUpToDate: “On his terrain, Pogacar can do whatever he wants“
PEZ Cycling: Ultra-Fueling: Trans North Georgia Reflections
GCN YouTube: We Lab Tested A Dirty Chain, How Much Slower Was It?
Tim Ferriss YouTube: Breathing Protocols to Reboot Your Health, Fix Your Sleep, and Boost Performance

Question of the Week

Do you own an ebike?

Most Clicked Last Week

Riding Your Ebike with Cyclists on Regular Bikes

End Notes