Always carries a spare belt AND a pull rope" yeah that guy has definitely been stranded before and he's not doing it again. I bet he also packs a whole tool set and a satellite phone while the rest of us are out here running on hopes and dreams. Did you ask him if he keeps a spare set of hands in his jacket too?

funny you mention koolmist because i actually tried that stuff once and it made my whole shop smell like a chemistry lab for a week lol. i ended up switching to a semi-synthetic mix that was like $30 a gallon but you dilute it 20:1 so it lasts forever. the thing that really sold me though was a tip from an old timer online years ago where he said to run a little more coolant than you think you need on stainless because the heat builds up fast in the cut zone. i used to get that blue discoloration on my chips and now they come out silver every time. still hate cleaning the machine every friday but whatever its worth it to not blow up tools.

Hey @sarahsullivan, did you ever try switching to a lighter hammer? I had a similar shoulder issue and dropping down to a 2 pounder let me focus on speed and heat management instead of just brute force.

Chill, it's just rice. Not that deep.

Bent my hanger at a gravel race last fall and rode the whole thing thinking my legs were just shot. Got home and the thing was tweaked like a pretzel. What really got me was how I kept blaming my new pedals for feeling weird under power. Turns out the whole drivetrain was fighting itself the whole time. Now I tape a little Park Tool bubble level to my top tube for shits and giggles on long rides.