Newsletter Issue No. 1212

February 19, 2026

PAC Tour’s Road e-Bike Tips

Jim’s Tech Talk

By Jim Langley

For many years now I have received the newsletters sent out by Lon Haldeman and his crew at PAC Tour. In case you haven’t heard of PAC Tour, they put on supported rides across the USA, and shorter ones in different areas of the country. Read more.

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ASSOS Spring/Fall Gloves P1 – Quick Review

By Sheri Rosenbaum

As I was packing for a week of riding in Tucson, Arizona, I realized my favorite lightweight full-fingered gloves had seen better days. The fingertips had worn thin, and they’d earned their retirement after countless miles of riding. Read more.

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Riding an Ebike Is Good for Your Mind, Mental Health and Well-Being

By Stan Purdum

“E-Bikes Could Help Slow Cognitive Decline” was the topic line on a recent e-newsletter from Bicycling magazine, and it’s likely to draw in readers — particularly senior cyclists looking for a reason to give ebikes a try. The headline on the actual article was “Why Older Riders May Get a Surprising Benefit From E-Bikes,” and the subhead, also a catchy one, said, “Even if you aren’t working as ‘hard,’ your brain may get a bigger boost.” Read more.

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How Do I Cope with Early Darkness?

QUESTION: I’m in Louisiana. It’s not cold here. It doesn’t snow. Winter riding should be easy. But the early darkness is killing me. I feel like it’s dangerous to ride when it’s dark. Worse, not riding on weekdays makes me feel sedentary and I can’t get motivated to ride even on weekends. How can I deal with this? — Mike P. Read more.

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Weak Muscles Predict Accelerated Aging, Disability and Death

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

A study of 1,275 men and women found that those who had very weak handgrip strength had signs of accelerated aging, as measured by deterioration of the DNA in their cells (J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle, Nov 9, 2022). Previous studies have shown these DNA tests: Read more.

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Other Cool Things to Read

Cycling Weekly: My friend will keep riding with the 20mph group, even if it bankrupts him
Bike Radar: Five top road bikes you won’t see at this year’s Tour de France
Canadian Cycling: Who actually killed the drop bar mountain bike?

Question of the Week

Do you ride in the dark?

Most Clicked Last Week

Innicycles’s Ingenious Threaded-to-Threadless Headset Conversion Kit

End Notes