A year ago I would have told you you were nuts. My fiance would go ride while I was playing golf and that seemed like a really good setup. Here we are, a year later, with multiple friends already taking the hobby on and now I'm pretty convinced I should. So, first thing is the bike. I would like something that is good enough that it helps me like the sport, but my budget is probably in the $1500 range with the idea that if I truly like doing it and do it enough, I'll upgrade quickly if I want to. The brands most accessible to me are Trek, Cannondale, and Specialized. Anybody have any pieces of advice or knowledge for me as I equip myself?

July 11 is a big anniversary for the WBB program.

Starting early this year but this team...



Added Heise back. Removed the oddity of Dwayne Pierce remaining a Cyclone.

The results?



The updated roster would be #15 after Illinois and before Arizona.



That projection is in the range of fighting for a top-four seed in the Big 12 tournament.



There is a strong possibility Houston and BYU maul the conference like... well, two cougars.

I've pretty much had it with my extremely poorly constructed wooden privacy fence. Another couple of sections succumbed to the strong winds a few weeks ago. Seriously considering bucking up and putting in a nice vinyl one in its place. We'll likely be selling in the next few years and I figure it would be a big upgrade on curb appeal. Anyone done something similar and had a good experience with a company in the DSM area?

Listened to the new Williams and Blum this morning and have some tips as a veteran European traveler. Went to Ireland for three weeks in 2016 (which is, sadly why we're not going next month). They referenced their sponsor, Northwest Bank, as a place to get Euros before you go. I recommend that you only get enough to get you from the airport to town as you will get a better exchange rate from a bank ATM in Ireland. Don't get more than 100 euros if getting them in advance.

Be sure to use a bank ATM only, either inside of a bank or just outside. Do not use Eurolink or Euronet or similar continent-wide companies as you will get hosed. Avoid airport ATMs or exchange kiosks unless its a dire emergency.

Always transact and pay for ATM or any credit card transactions in the local currency - that is the Euro. You will be asked either by the machine or the waiter etc, if you want to convert to the dollar - the answer is no. You can check with your local bank to see if their network is compatible with European banks, We've had no problems and we are small town.

It's a good idea to let your financial institution know when and where you will be traveling so your card isn't refused. Some credit card companies no longer require notification but it's a good idea to double check there as well.

Credit cards will be readily accepted in cities, maybe in rural areas, When we were in England last spring, we had to use cards, there were basically no cash transactions. Even a Euro or less for a pay toilet was by card.

If you are going to Northern Ireland you will use British pounds instead of Euros, although I think some places will take both. N Ireland is part of the United Kingdom along with England and Scotland and their currency is the British Pound.

Also if going into Northern Ireland, as of this past January you will need an ETA authorization to enter the country. Not Ireland, just Northern Ireland. You'll need to get it online in advance. It costs about $16 and is good for two years unless you passport expires before then. We connected at London Heathrow on our way home from Portugal in May and even though we never left the airport, we were advised to each have an ETA. You need your passport when you apply and the ETA is automatically added to the passport.

You can check TripAdvisor.com for specific info on Ireland by reading the forum page or checking on activities. The best place to get cash in Italy in 2022 was actually the Post Office.

Last thing, if you're renting a car in Ireland I'm sure you're aware that they drive on the wrong (they say right) side of the road. We were on a tour bus and the first morning as we approached a roundabout I leaned the wrong way and nearly ended up in the aisle. I didn't drive there, but my brother did once and he recommended taking all the insurance you can get. Double check with your personal insurance or any credit card support, but the shoulder on the very narrow rural roads is either a stone fence or thick hedgerows and trees. Lots of scratches.

Have a great time everybody. We'll be watching!! Go Cyclones!

Final X is this Saturday at 1pm. David Carr vs Messenbrink is the first match on the card. They have a best 2 out of 3 series to make the world team.

Lots of people’s opinions on this matchup have shifted since the US Open finals where Messenbrink won by tech. I think David made a few stupid mistakes in that match that let it get out of hand. I expect Carr to be locked in and give Messenbrink a war.

Hi All,

Looking for some recommendations on HVAC companies to install a new furnace and AC.

I have, Neighbors, C&K and One Hour doing estimates.

Any others I should consider?

The Dublin game is SO important and such a wild card. - First Game - Unknown stadium and field - International Travel - Rival Game - Conference Game - Sometimes I think ISU knows what we are doing before we do As far as "Expectations, ...
Uh yea-uh WE ARE ALL WIZARDS and FEMALE WIZARD CHICKS

The Minnesota thread had me thinking - what musician would you like to have seen in their prime?

Prince or Bowie for me.

On That Note alert: Best-of music series heads up!

For advance notice only, do NOT post selections in this thread.

This week at “On That Note,” we begin our annual best-of series. We’ll explore favorite albums (or singles) from years with the same last digit as this year — 5.

On Tuesday, or possibly Wednesday, I will launch the first segment, with focus on 1965 and 1975. We’ll continue that theme for two subsequent weeks.

We want to provide a heads-up if anyone wants to do preliminary research on what music you like from those years.

Again: Do NOT post clips in this thread.

On That Note is hosted weekly by @cyclones500 @CycloneRulzzz and me.

I hesitate to copy & paste paywall content, but I will here to get this recruiting thread going. Matscout Willie does a nice job of summarizing where we are & where we should go.

Iowa State Cyclones
Needs: Everything

First Call: #42-Mac Crosson (IA) and #45-Max Dhabolt (IA)

Why: Guess how many commits ISU has for 2026. Wrong. Zero. They have no commits for next year and had just one (#14-Christian Castillo) in 2025. That's not to say Coach Dresser can't recruit. No, far from it. It's to say the Cyclones should have a gang of money. And they'll need it. 8 of this year's 10 starters will be JR's or SR's.

The good news is that the state of Iowa has an above average group of prospects in 2027 - ten Big Boarders in total.

If I were Dresser & Co., I'd start by locking down Crosson and Dhabolt to get off to an early start before hitting more both in-state and nationally.

Who They Are: Crosson and Dhabolt were both 3rd at state as FR and won state titles as Sophs. Dhabolt also made Fargo finals. Both are growing significantly and I think could project to very fine starters in the 165-174 range.

Others: #38-Dawson Youngblut (IA), #50-Gavin Landers (IA), #53-Grayson Fuchs (MI), #71-Brayden Koester (IA)

Made this list last year. We will be judged based on our record against the rest of the P4 conferences. I like to watch these games outside of all the Iowa State games, need to root for our fellow Big 12 brethren. I'll update this with wins/loses throughout the season.

Week 1

Nebraska neutral Cincinnati
Auburn @ Baylor
Utah @ UCLA
Georgia Tech @ Colorado
TCU @ UNC

Week 2

Arizona State @ Mississippi St
Kansas @ Missouri
Iowa @ Iowa State
Oklahoma St @ Oregon
Baylor @ SMU
Stanford @ BYU

Week 3

Pitt @ WVU

Week 4

UNC @ UCF
SMU @ TCU

Number of games against other conferences:
Big10 - 4
SEC - 3
ACC - 7

7 Home/6 Road/1 Neutral

On Monday's CF Daily Update, Jake Brend kicks off the 2025 Iowa State position previews with a take on how high Rocco's legacy can reach this year. He also provides an update on Curtis Jones and Hason Ward in the NBA Summer League and previews Paul Shirley's event on Thursday.

CFTV: What can Rocco do for his legacy? Plus a Cyclones in the Summer League Update

On Monday's CF Daily Update, Jake Brend kicks off the 2025 Iowa State position previews with a take on how high Rocco Becht's legacy can reach this year. He also provides an update on Curtis Jones and Hason Ward in the NBA Summer League and previews Paul Shirley's event on Thursday. https://youtu

cyclonefanatic.com

Introductory disclaimer: I do not have a business, nor am I trying to sell anything. (I wouldn't be good enough to do anything like that if I tried.) If you have a business and want to advertise, more info is here: LINK

This is a thread for people who want to post photos and get input from others - I accidentally deleted the one yesterday. I know there were several people in the "hidden talent" OT thread a few weeks ago who were bitten by the photography bug; share your photos here for input!

Well if you got hired for 100% remote work, you better hope you don't work within 30 miles of Des Moines. During the pandemic, Principal went out on hiring spree where they recruited a ton of IT help across the country. Now if you live within 30 miles of Des Moines, even if you were promised to be 100% full time remote, you now have to go back into the office. So if you live 35 miles from Des Moines, we think you can do your job from home but if you live in beaverdale, get the **** in the office.

Rather than polluting/diluting other threads, I decided to start a new one to address another aspect of this years team. Yes, the way to win games is to put the ball through the hoop and to limit the opposition from doing the same, so the discussions have revolved around the improvements needed/expected by returning players and potential of the new additions to this years team. Being CFers, we're all gonna lose our minds the first time things don't go our way and with our schedule/competition those opportunities seem abundant.

As much as sheer basketball ability, I think the leadership of this team will be a major factor--the ability of this team's leaders to hold things together during the tough stretches until we gel into what I believe holds the components to be very successful.

In my eyes, this is Lipsey's team, possibly one of the last four year starters in this new era and with a passion for ISU that will be tough to match. Jefferson returned to make this his team. Milan and Nate are invested enough to help with leadership roles. Our opposition will all have key or "go to" players but we may have one of the upper hands with a core of returning players that have "been there, done that" together. Looking forward to an exciting season (after our CFP run, of course)

(edited for those who were concerned)

I’m over my head in who is out there and who we have a legit chance at but atleast it’s a spot to catalog the upcoming rat race…

Goes without saying we need the BAP (Best Available Player) if I can steal from NFL Draftniks at our upper weights 174-197…

Only 2 I will throw in with my limited knowledge…
197- Novak from Wyo- only reason would bc he’s from Minnesota and maybe wants to get closer to home? Did we recruit out of HS?
197-Little from Little Rock…maybe he wants to join a top 5 national club

Saw this on Reddit and ESPN. Very interesting.

@brentblum - Thoughts?

Hey all!

Wanted to pass along that We Will is partering with the Iowa Speedway this weekend and will have several athletes in attendance on both Saturday and Sunday for autographs. Joshua Jefferson is also the grand marshall on Saturday and will tell the drivers to start their engines.

Ticket link here, make sure to use the code and We Will gets $10 per ticket:

http://www.indycaratiowa.com/wewill

Voting is open for the Cyclone Fanatic Movie Villain Championship


How to vote:
To select the favorite (the show seeded highest), choose the Heart emoji.
To select the underdog, choose the Rainbow emoji.
No other emojis will be counted.

Deadline to vote: Now through Saturday at 10 PM

Cucumbers and Tomatoes are loaded with blooms, but nothing is setting on, any suggestions?

Has anyone put one of these up before? I am going to put mine up this weekend. It is the MVP one and just the size of it is intimidating. I won it on a march madness bracket awhile back and now the kids are old enough to use it. Are they easy to put up?