John M Flores

06/14/2026

Added thumb shifters to my . I like the mechanical simplicity, the ability to friction-shift the front derailleur (instead of the frustrating 'trimming' clicks of trigger shifters) and the ability to friction shift the rear if there are shifting problems.

06/09/2026

A short writeup and photos of our bicycle trip to the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania.

[I'm going to be writing more on my website]

We can confirm with 100% certainty that the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania are indeed endless. Endlessly hilly, endlessly challenging, but also endlessly picturesque and endlessly fascinating. Our original plan was to try and tackle a 250 miles route with about 25,000 feet of climbing in a

06/02/2026

I used to blast down PA154 through World's End State Park on my motorcycle, earplugs in, motor chasing the redline. The road has a wonderful rhythm, great sightlines, and good pavement. But little did I know what I was missing - the burble of Loyalsock Creek, the roadside waterfalls, birdsong, the gentle rising and falling of the land.

06/02/2026

for my family and friends...

05/31/2026

We'd been blessed with unseasonably warm weather. Then the temperature dropped 30 degrees F in a matter of minutes and the skies opened up. We weren't that far from Ricketts Glenn SP, thankfully, but I did start thinking about contingency plans in case the road washed out or something. It's no fun being cold and wet. It's potentially dangerous too. in Pennsylvania's on a

05/31/2026

Some days call for .

05/31/2026

I live for moments like this.

in Pennsylvania's

05/30/2026

in the

05/28/2026

I upgraded my Ozark Trail G.1 over the winter. Made some budget-conscious decisions (2x9 vs 1x, $15 rear derailleur, use stock front derailleur and rear brake and bars, sub $300 650b wheels, parts bin seatpost, saddle, bottom/crank, budget carbon fork, etc...) and some splurge decisions (RedShift stem mainly, but man those reflective hexagons better last!) and ended up putting ~$1100 on a $250 bike. Those little bits (stem cap, spacers, colored cable housing, etc...) add up!

I didn't weight-weenie my part choices (because that usually costs more) and ended up with a 25 # gravel bike that I had a fun time building (and learning a lot too). Recently did an 85 mile gravel ride (including some single track), and the bike did great. I am second guessing my choice of 650b; while I like the volume of the 47mm tires (and I have room for 50mm+), I had more pedal strikes on the single track due to the lower bb. I may experiment with shorter cranks (currently 170mm) but that will have to wait for winter. It's time to ride.

Could I have bought a comparable or better bike with the same money? Yes, especially if I looked at the used market. But did I have fun on this project and end up with a bike that I like? Also yes.