Nokton48
Veteran
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Devil Dan,
A fresh camera is always great to have.
Are you saying that this is now a rare camera and mucho collectable? If so mucho cool., If not also mucho cool.
Cal
A fresh camera is always great to have.
Are you saying that this is now a rare camera and mucho collectable? If so mucho cool., If not also mucho cool.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I went on a ride today that started in the City f Yonkers and pretty much connected parts of the old viaduct that once supplied NYC’s water. Road to the Croton Dam. It was a group ride sponsored by an old geezer named Tom.
Lots of fun and I kinda had a perfect day.
Along the way we caught up an independent tandem with a guy and and a girl. The bike was an IBIS so I asked the girl if her name was Bonnie, because about 40 years ago Iron Mike with me and perhaps 2 or 3 of our friends went up to New Palz during peak fall foliage season to ride the carriage roads.
Independently we ran into this tandem couple that we knew from CLIMB (Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists) and we all rode together. The tandem did surprisingly well. Anyways this was a very fun day that happened close to 40 years ago.
So the girl’s name is Cindy, and pretty much the guy, Bob, is the same guy. Bonnie is now the ex And Cindy the replacement.
So how crazy is that on a trail I meet people I knew from 40 years ago?
Anyways pretty remarkable. BTW Bob is 65, my age, but he sports a muck long white hippy beard. He is a pretty hard core rider. Now I have his contact info, and we will be sure to get together and do some biking adventures.
Right now my legs are rubbery. Also exploited Metro North to get to Yonkers. $3.50 Senior fare. I love it.
Cal
Lots of fun and I kinda had a perfect day.
Along the way we caught up an independent tandem with a guy and and a girl. The bike was an IBIS so I asked the girl if her name was Bonnie, because about 40 years ago Iron Mike with me and perhaps 2 or 3 of our friends went up to New Palz during peak fall foliage season to ride the carriage roads.
Independently we ran into this tandem couple that we knew from CLIMB (Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists) and we all rode together. The tandem did surprisingly well. Anyways this was a very fun day that happened close to 40 years ago.
So the girl’s name is Cindy, and pretty much the guy, Bob, is the same guy. Bonnie is now the ex And Cindy the replacement.
So how crazy is that on a trail I meet people I knew from 40 years ago?
Anyways pretty remarkable. BTW Bob is 65, my age, but he sports a muck long white hippy beard. He is a pretty hard core rider. Now I have his contact info, and we will be sure to get together and do some biking adventures.
Right now my legs are rubbery. Also exploited Metro North to get to Yonkers. $3.50 Senior fare. I love it.
Cal
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Nokton48
Veteran
Yep Mucho Collectable IMO. It's solid silver stamped with all kinds of symbols, wonder what they mean? The purity of the silver bar no doubt. It's valuable as a historical piece, Me thinks. I thought they (Hasselblad USA) were wrong at the time, as far as it having no additional value, especially as time goes on. Did Ernst Leitz sign any of his cameras? That would be about the same deal. Kinds moot as it won't be sold for a good while anyway. It's what it's worth to a Hasselblad Collector, there are some out there.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Devil Dan,
Great for you. Anyways you are a clever devil.
I have a Black Leica MD2: no VF’er. It formed a great rig with a 21 SEM, but that lens got really costly to replace.
Snarky Joe was correct that I would want to get another one. It is annoying that Snarky Joe pretty much is always right. How annoying is that?
Anyways the original 21/3.4 Super Augulon is another interesting lens, but then again it too has gotten costly. I found really affordable Super Augulon 21/3.4 in “R” mount with box, hood and caps. Since I have a L to “R” Leica adapter it was EZ-PZ. Mighty clever, and looks mucho evil. The lens is minty and in “M” mount it would be mucho costly.
On the MD-2 it looks both savage and evil. I have a really interesting camera. Maybe not collectible, but mighty cool.
That 25 year anniversary Blad surely is mighty cool.
Cal
Great for you. Anyways you are a clever devil.
I have a Black Leica MD2: no VF’er. It formed a great rig with a 21 SEM, but that lens got really costly to replace.
Snarky Joe was correct that I would want to get another one. It is annoying that Snarky Joe pretty much is always right. How annoying is that?
Anyways the original 21/3.4 Super Augulon is another interesting lens, but then again it too has gotten costly. I found really affordable Super Augulon 21/3.4 in “R” mount with box, hood and caps. Since I have a L to “R” Leica adapter it was EZ-PZ. Mighty clever, and looks mucho evil. The lens is minty and in “M” mount it would be mucho costly.
On the MD-2 it looks both savage and evil. I have a really interesting camera. Maybe not collectible, but mighty cool.
That 25 year anniversary Blad surely is mighty cool.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Boy am I relaxed and tired. Feels great.
Went out for dinner. That was great also.
My “Newsboy” garnered a lot of attention. It makes an interesting gravel bike. I likely over aired the tires a bit. I ran a higher pressure in the tires that was better suited for smooth pavement like on the Empire State Trailway.
I have to look up how much Grafton Speed Controllers are worth. Bob says he has a NOS set in the packaging. My guess is $800.00 to $1K. This is kinda crazy.
Cal
Went out for dinner. That was great also.
My “Newsboy” garnered a lot of attention. It makes an interesting gravel bike. I likely over aired the tires a bit. I ran a higher pressure in the tires that was better suited for smooth pavement like on the Empire State Trailway.
I have to look up how much Grafton Speed Controllers are worth. Bob says he has a NOS set in the packaging. My guess is $800.00 to $1K. This is kinda crazy.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Crazy money: Currently there is a set of “unused” Grafton Speed Controllers with packaging with a price of $975.00 or best offer.
Again crazy money.
Cal
Again crazy money.
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Cal, if you’re looking for a 21mm to scale focus but want to spend less, search for an F mount 2.1cm O Nikkor. I think it’s every bit as good as the f/3.4 Super Angulon. To mount on a Leica you need an adapter, the best one being the Novoflex, but there are others. You could also make your own or have one machined. Once you get it, you can also stick it on an F or F2. It also takes normal size filters and a good B+W doubles as a hood effectively.
Phil
Phil
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
Thanks. This is useful because I still own my beloved F3P, and because I also have that Novoflex “F” adapter to mount on a “R” mount as well as “M” to “R.” I pretty much can mount my Noct-Nikkor 58/1.2 on my SL and SL2.
I also own a Leica SL2-MOT, but that does not have a mirror lock up.
Does the F-mount 2.1 cm O Nikkor require a mirror lock up?
Cal
Thanks. This is useful because I still own my beloved F3P, and because I also have that Novoflex “F” adapter to mount on a “R” mount as well as “M” to “R.” I pretty much can mount my Noct-Nikkor 58/1.2 on my SL and SL2.
I also own a Leica SL2-MOT, but that does not have a mirror lock up.
Does the F-mount 2.1 cm O Nikkor require a mirror lock up?
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
We were to have a zoom call today with the brand, but that looks to be pushed till tomorrow.
There was a sense of urgency to do the shoot at our home with stylist, hair, makeup and pretty much a full crew this Thursday, but that seems too close for them, and it looks to be getting pushed back to next week.
So here is my delusional fant-A-C: If this gig matures with a follow through and becomes a regular gig, I perhaps would have some “crazy-money” where I would consider buying a fully loaded IBIS Xcie with electronic 12 speed and a carbon wheel upgrade. This is a mucho crazy full suspension cross country racing bike made of carbon fiber in the U.S. that weighs only 23 pounds, but costs about $13K.
How insane is that? Actually not so crazy since I live literally two blocks away from “some of the best technical single track in the Northeast, meaning Blue Mountain Preserve. Pretty much I would be in heaven and this would encourage me to basically ride-ride-ride and ride. I likely would get a Nite-Rider lighting set up.
”Don’t tell Maggie.”
Anyways getting paid to stay fit would be a dream come true. Pretty much the space I want to live in is having 3 hours of riding a day with an occasional century in warm weather, and hour or two mountain bike hard rides for strength all winter. If I keep the time of cold exposure short I can do fine, also know that last year we only got a dusting of snow and it was a very mild winter.
Today I’ll let the day warm up and jump on my Newsboy.
I have to call my friend Bob and Cindy to inform them about the Grafton Speed Controllers set on EBAY for $975.00 or best offer.
Also know that this modeling gig likely will lead to a donation by the brand to our local homeless shelter because it is aligned with their thinking. We are also considering sharing the wealth and separately making a donation. In Chinese culture luck is spread by giving away part of any winnings.
Anyways the greedy part of me sees the possibility of getting another one of my delusion fant-A-C’s fulfilled. If that happens it would be mighty cool.
Anyways I have not forgotten about the pump-track. That natural bowl that currently is a construction staging area needs to be developed. That would be mucho cool if Blue Mountain Preserve had a pump track. Pretty much I would change the IBIS Alibi to a single speed with a 48 inch gear and then add a Rock Shox XC to convert it into a full blown pump track bike with a set of 2.1 wide Schwable Billy Bonkers a fast rolling tire designed especially for pump track.
On a pump-track bike the physics is akin to pumping like on a child’s swing. Hills are pumped by standing on the pedals and shifting body weight rearward than forward and is timed with the approach and the creating. On a well designed pump track no pedaling is required, you can approach pulling 3 G’s in a turn, and leaning the bike can approach 70 degrees.
Does that sound like fun? Pretty much not so different than a roller coaster, but on a bike with no rails. How crazy is that? BTW really great for developing bike handling skills and strength.
Cal
There was a sense of urgency to do the shoot at our home with stylist, hair, makeup and pretty much a full crew this Thursday, but that seems too close for them, and it looks to be getting pushed back to next week.
So here is my delusional fant-A-C: If this gig matures with a follow through and becomes a regular gig, I perhaps would have some “crazy-money” where I would consider buying a fully loaded IBIS Xcie with electronic 12 speed and a carbon wheel upgrade. This is a mucho crazy full suspension cross country racing bike made of carbon fiber in the U.S. that weighs only 23 pounds, but costs about $13K.
How insane is that? Actually not so crazy since I live literally two blocks away from “some of the best technical single track in the Northeast, meaning Blue Mountain Preserve. Pretty much I would be in heaven and this would encourage me to basically ride-ride-ride and ride. I likely would get a Nite-Rider lighting set up.
”Don’t tell Maggie.”
Anyways getting paid to stay fit would be a dream come true. Pretty much the space I want to live in is having 3 hours of riding a day with an occasional century in warm weather, and hour or two mountain bike hard rides for strength all winter. If I keep the time of cold exposure short I can do fine, also know that last year we only got a dusting of snow and it was a very mild winter.
Today I’ll let the day warm up and jump on my Newsboy.
I have to call my friend Bob and Cindy to inform them about the Grafton Speed Controllers set on EBAY for $975.00 or best offer.
Also know that this modeling gig likely will lead to a donation by the brand to our local homeless shelter because it is aligned with their thinking. We are also considering sharing the wealth and separately making a donation. In Chinese culture luck is spread by giving away part of any winnings.
Anyways the greedy part of me sees the possibility of getting another one of my delusion fant-A-C’s fulfilled. If that happens it would be mighty cool.
Anyways I have not forgotten about the pump-track. That natural bowl that currently is a construction staging area needs to be developed. That would be mucho cool if Blue Mountain Preserve had a pump track. Pretty much I would change the IBIS Alibi to a single speed with a 48 inch gear and then add a Rock Shox XC to convert it into a full blown pump track bike with a set of 2.1 wide Schwable Billy Bonkers a fast rolling tire designed especially for pump track.
On a pump-track bike the physics is akin to pumping like on a child’s swing. Hills are pumped by standing on the pedals and shifting body weight rearward than forward and is timed with the approach and the creating. On a well designed pump track no pedaling is required, you can approach pulling 3 G’s in a turn, and leaning the bike can approach 70 degrees.
Does that sound like fun? Pretty much not so different than a roller coaster, but on a bike with no rails. How crazy is that? BTW really great for developing bike handling skills and strength.
Cal
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Nokton48
Veteran
Morning Cal,
Makiflex 150 Xenar HRU D23 Octobox 150 by Nokton48, on Flickr
Plaubel Makiflex 150mm Schneider barrel Xenar 4x5 Fuji HRU XRAY D23 1:1 8x10 Aristo #2 RC Omega DII laser aligned. Dektol 1:2 Broncolor Octobox 150 with frosted bulb and Octobox Supplemental Diffusion. Backround by David Maheu "Tim Kelly Classic".
Makiflex 150 Xenar HRU D23 Octobox 150 by Nokton48, on FlickrPlaubel Makiflex 150mm Schneider barrel Xenar 4x5 Fuji HRU XRAY D23 1:1 8x10 Aristo #2 RC Omega DII laser aligned. Dektol 1:2 Broncolor Octobox 150 with frosted bulb and Octobox Supplemental Diffusion. Backround by David Maheu "Tim Kelly Classic".
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Devil Dan,
Lovely contrast.
Call me a geek, but I love all the technical info. That D-23 dies a nice job. I’m mucho glad that I rescued/salvaged a lot of lab equipment like a triple beam balance, lab glassware, a glove box, magnetic stirrers, ultrasonic tank to make and mix my own developers.
Thanks for being so generous.
Cal
Lovely contrast.
Call me a geek, but I love all the technical info. That D-23 dies a nice job. I’m mucho glad that I rescued/salvaged a lot of lab equipment like a triple beam balance, lab glassware, a glove box, magnetic stirrers, ultrasonic tank to make and mix my own developers.
Thanks for being so generous.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I’m waiting for the temperature to reach 50 degrees so I can see what the old man and his bike can do today. I’ll stay local and try to further develop a good training loop. Perhaps I’ll head south to Croton, and beat myself up on the hills and the climb north; or maybe I’ll head up Croton Avenue and head towards Katona again to visit the Dam in Katona. If I can I’d like to do a 4 hour ride.
My goal is regular base maintenance that involves 40-60 miles a ride at least every-other day or better 5-6 days a week if I can. If you do the simple math pretty much 250-300 miles a week on a bike and pretty much as much or more mileage than what people do on average on their cars. Pretty much this would allow on a good day to do a surprise Century (100 mile ride) to scrub out my veins.
The benefits are a low resting pulse for me well under 50 that at times could hover around 40 BPM or even under, and a blood pressure lower than 100/60 that can even go to 90/50.
These low numbers are possible because even though I’m 5 foot 10, I am a skinny bitch who only weighs about 152 pounds. Theses new FJALL RAVEN G-1000 pants have a 27-28 inch waist and are well tailored for a skinny, but muscular body.
Angiogenesis happens, meaning there is a growth in vascular capacity, any plaque or obstruction is either eroded away by blood flow, of bypassed by a brand new growth of a vein.
Another benefit is pretty much you can eat as much as you want and not gain weight. I figure at a moderate pace I burn 400-500 calories an hour. Food also has an exaggerated meaning and tastes better and is mucho satisfying.
Then your skin has this youthful glow… With exercise I sleep better and deeper. Oddly I feel more refreshed.
So the point I’m trying to make is how biking can be a lifestyle, but also that biking can be very-very addictive with perhaps the only downside is owning more bikes than is practical. Eat-bike-rest; and repeat. For me a happy life. Also the endorphin high is better than weed or any drugs. Happy-happy.
My friend Bob, I have not seen in about 40 years, is still a skill tall guy. I should mention that his long beard is kinda feral and he resembles an old hippy from 1969, but he is 65. In a way he resembles and looks like Gandalf the Sourcerer from the book “The Hobbit.”
Cal
My goal is regular base maintenance that involves 40-60 miles a ride at least every-other day or better 5-6 days a week if I can. If you do the simple math pretty much 250-300 miles a week on a bike and pretty much as much or more mileage than what people do on average on their cars. Pretty much this would allow on a good day to do a surprise Century (100 mile ride) to scrub out my veins.
The benefits are a low resting pulse for me well under 50 that at times could hover around 40 BPM or even under, and a blood pressure lower than 100/60 that can even go to 90/50.
These low numbers are possible because even though I’m 5 foot 10, I am a skinny bitch who only weighs about 152 pounds. Theses new FJALL RAVEN G-1000 pants have a 27-28 inch waist and are well tailored for a skinny, but muscular body.
Angiogenesis happens, meaning there is a growth in vascular capacity, any plaque or obstruction is either eroded away by blood flow, of bypassed by a brand new growth of a vein.
Another benefit is pretty much you can eat as much as you want and not gain weight. I figure at a moderate pace I burn 400-500 calories an hour. Food also has an exaggerated meaning and tastes better and is mucho satisfying.
Then your skin has this youthful glow… With exercise I sleep better and deeper. Oddly I feel more refreshed.
So the point I’m trying to make is how biking can be a lifestyle, but also that biking can be very-very addictive with perhaps the only downside is owning more bikes than is practical. Eat-bike-rest; and repeat. For me a happy life. Also the endorphin high is better than weed or any drugs. Happy-happy.
My friend Bob, I have not seen in about 40 years, is still a skill tall guy. I should mention that his long beard is kinda feral and he resembles an old hippy from 1969, but he is 65. In a way he resembles and looks like Gandalf the Sourcerer from the book “The Hobbit.”
Cal
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Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Cal,
Yes the 2.1cm Nikkor is a mirror lockup lens. As it is not a retrofocal lens like most other SLR lenses wider than 50mm, it has virtually zero distortion. I love this lens and other non-retrofocal wides due to shooting in the city and buildings not having distortion in the image. It’s a pet peeve of mine and why I prefer rangefinders for wide angle shooting but SLRs for longer than a normal. Once Leica started making their wides retrofocal so they could image better on digital sensors, I was done with the hype of the marque.
As for the 2.1cm Nikkor, they won’t fit on a stock F3 since the F and F2 have a small tab that orients the lens and prevents the whole body from rotating inside the mount. I modified my Novoflex F-LTM adapter by JB welding a small plexiglass tab to the interior to make the adapter identical to the throat of the F2. The other part of the F3 which doesn’t allow the 2.1cm to mount properly is the AI metering collar.
Phil
Yes the 2.1cm Nikkor is a mirror lockup lens. As it is not a retrofocal lens like most other SLR lenses wider than 50mm, it has virtually zero distortion. I love this lens and other non-retrofocal wides due to shooting in the city and buildings not having distortion in the image. It’s a pet peeve of mine and why I prefer rangefinders for wide angle shooting but SLRs for longer than a normal. Once Leica started making their wides retrofocal so they could image better on digital sensors, I was done with the hype of the marque.
As for the 2.1cm Nikkor, they won’t fit on a stock F3 since the F and F2 have a small tab that orients the lens and prevents the whole body from rotating inside the mount. I modified my Novoflex F-LTM adapter by JB welding a small plexiglass tab to the interior to make the adapter identical to the throat of the F2. The other part of the F3 which doesn’t allow the 2.1cm to mount properly is the AI metering collar.
Phil
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I now have real great training loop that is near my house. Just under 11 miles.
Just a block away is a steep climb then onto Washington Street to head south.
I live in a city of 25K, but surrounding Peekskill is it’s suburbs which is a township that surrounds and envelopes Peekskill. Pretty much Peekskill has a Motor Vehicle, a Social Security Office, A Westchester Community College, as well as a probation office just in case I get arrested for beating up some jerk and I have to visit my Parole Officer.
For me a big deal is having a New York Columbia Presbyterian Hospital nearby and houses in Peekskill have access to natural gas and sewers. In the township of Cortlandt people heat and cook on propane and they have cess pools to maintain.
So as soon as I make that right onto Washington Street I almost in Cortlandt. Perhaps all I have to go is about 100 feet. The zoning seems to be 3/4, or one acre zoning, and in some places perhaps 2 acre zoning. The housing is consistent will an upscale large Toll Brothers development. The square footage I would say is 2500 square feet or larger and pretty much these homes are relatively newish having been built in the past few decades. Pretty much modern homes with a few old farm houses.
Meanwhile Peekskill is a city with either homes of modest working class size or two family, with some multi-family thrown in for good measure. Also all the homes are old. My Baby-Victorian dates back to 1912. Really striking when you leave Peekskill, I ask myself, “Where did all the old houses go?”
So I pass Watch Hill Road the usual first right turn that will take me west towards the sleepy villages of Montrose, Buchanan, and Verplank which were just summer communities at one time. Indian Point also resides in this area: a nuclear power plant that currently is being decommissioned.
I head even further south. Washington Street is a series of long rolling hills. Some are brutally long where I lose speed and top out the climb at 5 MPH. Pretty much I am shown that I am an old man. The hill beats me up, but on the downhills I recover my honor and my speed. I still average 10 MPH overall. I start to use my standing technic to stay on top of the gears and to maintain my speed.
Along the way just 13 cars pass me going my way. Pretty much a rural back road with not a lot of traffic. Also the cars kinda yield and give me the lane. I have no problems with rushing drivers or anyone crazy.
I make a left onto Furnace Dock Road, and eventually I run into Maple Avenue. That will take me back north into Peekskill. I’ll be taking this to Hudson Street that begins at Maple and ends at the Peekskill Train station. Pretty much this is a very long descent where I could easily hit terminal velocity of 50 MPH by just coasting downhill. The limiting factor on speed is aerodynamics. By the time I hit Hudson only 5 cars have passed me going in my direction.
On Hudson I am able to hit almost 35 MPH by just coasting. I slow down and almost stop at every stop sign because I don’t want to get killed or pancaked by a car. Speed is easily recovered by coasting. The stop signs are 4-way, but you never know…
I turn to head south parallel to Washington Street to avoid cars and traffic. Pretty much I’m on lonely side streets to be away from pedestrians and cars. In Peekskill Washington Street has sidewalks and businesses.
So pretty much an almost 11 mile loop, 11.2 mile average speed, with a range of 5 MPH-almost 35 MPH that involves hills for strength and interval training. I can see me adding a lap when I’m stronger. A pretty efficient workout that only takes an hour. Pretty safe with very limited exposure to cars.
BTW I also saw a deer that could of been a hazard. I yelped to scare the deer off. I would hate to be taken out by a deer.
My friend A.J tells a story of a road race. He was in the pack of front runners when a deer decided to cross the road. Pretty much the deer was going to take out his rear wheel, but somehow he grabbed the deer by the snout.
The deer jumped really high and then landed taking out anyone behind him. The deer crashed on the bikers, and then there was a huge pile up. This was at the beginning of the race and relatively close to the start.
You can’t make this stuff up.
A.J. Told me another racing story. This time it was a downhill event, and the way this down hill went, each rider left the starting gate in 30 second intervals. In the mid section of the course was a huge rock garden. Of course at downhill speeds it was kinda deadly, but that is where the spectators gathered to see bloody carnage and the agony of defeat.
The rider just in front of A.J. Got swallowed up and snared and snarled in the rock garden, so A.J. Had no choice but go for a more dangerous line in the rock garden. His front wheel got trapped, and instead of doing an endo and going over the bars at downhill speed, he high hurdled his own handlebars, but the bike was doing cartwheels behind him and catching up.
A.J. Kinda knew he was gonna get hit with his own bike, but something kinda crazy happened when he moved his right hand back over his shoulder: he caught his bike by the handlebars as it was still cartwheeling; then when both wheels hit the ground he somehow mounted the bike without loosing his stride.
Of course the crowd cheered.
How crazy is that?
Also you can’t make this stuff up.
So now I am pleased that I have a really great training loop. Of course those hills will toughen me up. Lots of hard breathing, and after even one lap my legs are tired from the exertion. How convenient, and I’m not in any real danger from cars because of the limited amount of traffic.
I am so pleased. I started at 10:30 and ended at 11:30.
Cal
Just a block away is a steep climb then onto Washington Street to head south.
I live in a city of 25K, but surrounding Peekskill is it’s suburbs which is a township that surrounds and envelopes Peekskill. Pretty much Peekskill has a Motor Vehicle, a Social Security Office, A Westchester Community College, as well as a probation office just in case I get arrested for beating up some jerk and I have to visit my Parole Officer.
For me a big deal is having a New York Columbia Presbyterian Hospital nearby and houses in Peekskill have access to natural gas and sewers. In the township of Cortlandt people heat and cook on propane and they have cess pools to maintain.
So as soon as I make that right onto Washington Street I almost in Cortlandt. Perhaps all I have to go is about 100 feet. The zoning seems to be 3/4, or one acre zoning, and in some places perhaps 2 acre zoning. The housing is consistent will an upscale large Toll Brothers development. The square footage I would say is 2500 square feet or larger and pretty much these homes are relatively newish having been built in the past few decades. Pretty much modern homes with a few old farm houses.
Meanwhile Peekskill is a city with either homes of modest working class size or two family, with some multi-family thrown in for good measure. Also all the homes are old. My Baby-Victorian dates back to 1912. Really striking when you leave Peekskill, I ask myself, “Where did all the old houses go?”
So I pass Watch Hill Road the usual first right turn that will take me west towards the sleepy villages of Montrose, Buchanan, and Verplank which were just summer communities at one time. Indian Point also resides in this area: a nuclear power plant that currently is being decommissioned.
I head even further south. Washington Street is a series of long rolling hills. Some are brutally long where I lose speed and top out the climb at 5 MPH. Pretty much I am shown that I am an old man. The hill beats me up, but on the downhills I recover my honor and my speed. I still average 10 MPH overall. I start to use my standing technic to stay on top of the gears and to maintain my speed.
Along the way just 13 cars pass me going my way. Pretty much a rural back road with not a lot of traffic. Also the cars kinda yield and give me the lane. I have no problems with rushing drivers or anyone crazy.
I make a left onto Furnace Dock Road, and eventually I run into Maple Avenue. That will take me back north into Peekskill. I’ll be taking this to Hudson Street that begins at Maple and ends at the Peekskill Train station. Pretty much this is a very long descent where I could easily hit terminal velocity of 50 MPH by just coasting downhill. The limiting factor on speed is aerodynamics. By the time I hit Hudson only 5 cars have passed me going in my direction.
On Hudson I am able to hit almost 35 MPH by just coasting. I slow down and almost stop at every stop sign because I don’t want to get killed or pancaked by a car. Speed is easily recovered by coasting. The stop signs are 4-way, but you never know…
I turn to head south parallel to Washington Street to avoid cars and traffic. Pretty much I’m on lonely side streets to be away from pedestrians and cars. In Peekskill Washington Street has sidewalks and businesses.
So pretty much an almost 11 mile loop, 11.2 mile average speed, with a range of 5 MPH-almost 35 MPH that involves hills for strength and interval training. I can see me adding a lap when I’m stronger. A pretty efficient workout that only takes an hour. Pretty safe with very limited exposure to cars.
BTW I also saw a deer that could of been a hazard. I yelped to scare the deer off. I would hate to be taken out by a deer.
My friend A.J tells a story of a road race. He was in the pack of front runners when a deer decided to cross the road. Pretty much the deer was going to take out his rear wheel, but somehow he grabbed the deer by the snout.
The deer jumped really high and then landed taking out anyone behind him. The deer crashed on the bikers, and then there was a huge pile up. This was at the beginning of the race and relatively close to the start.
You can’t make this stuff up.
A.J. Told me another racing story. This time it was a downhill event, and the way this down hill went, each rider left the starting gate in 30 second intervals. In the mid section of the course was a huge rock garden. Of course at downhill speeds it was kinda deadly, but that is where the spectators gathered to see bloody carnage and the agony of defeat.
The rider just in front of A.J. Got swallowed up and snared and snarled in the rock garden, so A.J. Had no choice but go for a more dangerous line in the rock garden. His front wheel got trapped, and instead of doing an endo and going over the bars at downhill speed, he high hurdled his own handlebars, but the bike was doing cartwheels behind him and catching up.
A.J. Kinda knew he was gonna get hit with his own bike, but something kinda crazy happened when he moved his right hand back over his shoulder: he caught his bike by the handlebars as it was still cartwheeling; then when both wheels hit the ground he somehow mounted the bike without loosing his stride.
Of course the crowd cheered.
How crazy is that?
Also you can’t make this stuff up.
So now I am pleased that I have a really great training loop. Of course those hills will toughen me up. Lots of hard breathing, and after even one lap my legs are tired from the exertion. How convenient, and I’m not in any real danger from cars because of the limited amount of traffic.
I am so pleased. I started at 10:30 and ended at 11:30.
Cal
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Calzone
Gear Whore #1
The abandoned house is getting some new widows installed. There is some steady progress happening. Starting to look less abandoned.
I feel a bit tire, well relaxed, but not hammered. After a layoff it is hard to start again. Yesterday was a start, and today I’m building on it.
I looked at my calendar and nothing is booked. The dental cleaning is behind me. It would be great to get some momentum happening, but life happens. Oh-well.
Lately I have been keen and excited with my two newer Santa Cruz Model F’s. Pretty much I think I have found my voice and recently something in my playing really opened up. Some harmonic connections are happening that are my voice and a style is emerging. Don’t know where all this is going, but it is very exciting.
The Dyson air purifier and humidifier is a nice design, but it seems the ability to humidify is very limited. I played with adding more fan airspeed to increase humidity level, but no improvement. Ideally I would like to have 50% humidity. I have it set to 60% and still end up with a steady level in the low 40% range.
I’ll have to experiment more. Fan levels above 5 become audible. Trying to avoid any noise level.
Also settings are in decades. Would be great to set 55% instead of being locked in at either 50% or 60%.
I’ll play around some more. Know I am stubborn…
I’ll try a louder fan speed to see if that is required. Also I think I will just hit auto and let the machine do its job. Pretty much I might be choking the performance because I’m limiting the fan speed. I think it could be me. Basically operator error or operator interference.
I think Devil Christian would be surprised when he sees the Baby-Victorian again. It has become a mighty cozy and cute house. Much has changed, and it is evident a lot of time and money is being spent. I think my new tools will drive him mad.
There also is a lot of character. A tricycle, a vintage bike in the hallway, and the Newsboy a rolling bike museum in my living room, plus all the detritus of construction.
I have a possible supply of 1/2 inch exterior grade plywood. My neighbor mentioned he somehow bought a pallet of plywood, but now thinks he needs to go heavier because he wants to add a 5 ton air handler. Hmmm… This might be better for my attic floor even though I’ll have to rip all the plywood to 2x8 foot.
One idea is to insulate the attic floor to limit heat rise, but then insulate the roof. Only part of the attic, a 15x16 foot space that basically is an A-frame will be usable space. Maybe the roof of the tower could become a walk-in closet and closed off storage area.
Devil Christian’s idea and advice is to maintain the sealed attic and have no venting. Pretty much the attic is already sealed. I have rigid panels with radiant barrier. One idea is to install this in between the rafters, backfill the remainder with rock wool, and then add a second layer of rigid foam with radiant barrier to really create a totally sealed envelope at the roofline.
The envelope would be totally sealed and avoid “thermal bridging.”
Then there is a space that exist partially over part of the closet room, part of the bathroom, and part of the current master bedroom that has a lower roofline that pretty much would be walled in the the attic and be just a dead air space.
Not sure if I should fill this area totally with rock wool to effectively super insulate part of the roof to effectively make my roof smaller.
Just image a tiny house with 40 windows, a tower room, and a small roof with 4 different roof lines. Kinda crazy.
Next year I’ll have the funds to add a mini-split for the upstairs. I really only want to have the mini-split for at least the master bedroom, but my thinking would also include my attic. The mini-split would dehumidify the attic to prevent any mold growth. Realize that my intent is to really seal the roof where 25% of heat is lost.
The dead space might be a great location for an air handler for a 2-zone mini-split system. The heat or cold air would be ducted. Hmmm. Have to consult with Jack HVAC. The outside compressor would mount just above the first floor compressor. Hmmm. A pretty neat install.
Also the 15x16 A-frame space I want to insulate also for sound proofing. I will basically have my tube stereo set up there, some guitars, some amps, and also my digital printing studio. No “Maggie” factor, my own space free from crumbs, women’s clothing, shoes, and bags. Basically none of Maggie’s stuff.
Cal
I feel a bit tire, well relaxed, but not hammered. After a layoff it is hard to start again. Yesterday was a start, and today I’m building on it.
I looked at my calendar and nothing is booked. The dental cleaning is behind me. It would be great to get some momentum happening, but life happens. Oh-well.
Lately I have been keen and excited with my two newer Santa Cruz Model F’s. Pretty much I think I have found my voice and recently something in my playing really opened up. Some harmonic connections are happening that are my voice and a style is emerging. Don’t know where all this is going, but it is very exciting.
The Dyson air purifier and humidifier is a nice design, but it seems the ability to humidify is very limited. I played with adding more fan airspeed to increase humidity level, but no improvement. Ideally I would like to have 50% humidity. I have it set to 60% and still end up with a steady level in the low 40% range.
I’ll have to experiment more. Fan levels above 5 become audible. Trying to avoid any noise level.
Also settings are in decades. Would be great to set 55% instead of being locked in at either 50% or 60%.
I’ll play around some more. Know I am stubborn…
I’ll try a louder fan speed to see if that is required. Also I think I will just hit auto and let the machine do its job. Pretty much I might be choking the performance because I’m limiting the fan speed. I think it could be me. Basically operator error or operator interference.
I think Devil Christian would be surprised when he sees the Baby-Victorian again. It has become a mighty cozy and cute house. Much has changed, and it is evident a lot of time and money is being spent. I think my new tools will drive him mad.
There also is a lot of character. A tricycle, a vintage bike in the hallway, and the Newsboy a rolling bike museum in my living room, plus all the detritus of construction.
I have a possible supply of 1/2 inch exterior grade plywood. My neighbor mentioned he somehow bought a pallet of plywood, but now thinks he needs to go heavier because he wants to add a 5 ton air handler. Hmmm… This might be better for my attic floor even though I’ll have to rip all the plywood to 2x8 foot.
One idea is to insulate the attic floor to limit heat rise, but then insulate the roof. Only part of the attic, a 15x16 foot space that basically is an A-frame will be usable space. Maybe the roof of the tower could become a walk-in closet and closed off storage area.
Devil Christian’s idea and advice is to maintain the sealed attic and have no venting. Pretty much the attic is already sealed. I have rigid panels with radiant barrier. One idea is to install this in between the rafters, backfill the remainder with rock wool, and then add a second layer of rigid foam with radiant barrier to really create a totally sealed envelope at the roofline.
The envelope would be totally sealed and avoid “thermal bridging.”
Then there is a space that exist partially over part of the closet room, part of the bathroom, and part of the current master bedroom that has a lower roofline that pretty much would be walled in the the attic and be just a dead air space.
Not sure if I should fill this area totally with rock wool to effectively super insulate part of the roof to effectively make my roof smaller.
Just image a tiny house with 40 windows, a tower room, and a small roof with 4 different roof lines. Kinda crazy.
Next year I’ll have the funds to add a mini-split for the upstairs. I really only want to have the mini-split for at least the master bedroom, but my thinking would also include my attic. The mini-split would dehumidify the attic to prevent any mold growth. Realize that my intent is to really seal the roof where 25% of heat is lost.
The dead space might be a great location for an air handler for a 2-zone mini-split system. The heat or cold air would be ducted. Hmmm. Have to consult with Jack HVAC. The outside compressor would mount just above the first floor compressor. Hmmm. A pretty neat install.
Also the 15x16 A-frame space I want to insulate also for sound proofing. I will basically have my tube stereo set up there, some guitars, some amps, and also my digital printing studio. No “Maggie” factor, my own space free from crumbs, women’s clothing, shoes, and bags. Basically none of Maggie’s stuff.
Cal
Last edited:
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
It seems the Dyson air purifier/humidifier needs to be set in “Auto” to get the humidity level above 50%.
I have it set at 50% and it measures now 53%, yet the fan speed is still at level 4 which happened to be the manual level I set it at. Kinda funny how manual was lame, but now using Auto mode the unit is doing great.
The unit is not really rated to handle my entire first floor. It has a capacity of 450 square feet, but with a taller ceiling. My heat is set pretty low, but upon colder temps the air with higher heating load will get drier, and this will show the true limitation on capacity.
More experimenting ahead. So far I am just running my conventional oil heat to maintain a baseline temp to keep the house at least above a threshold. When I engage the mini-split I expect that the tighter regulation and lack of cycling will create energy savings.
At that point I don’t know how much humidity I can attain, perhaps not the ideal 50%.
I have an idea for a home brewed humidifier. In my past I had this major huge earthen clay urn that held 50 gallons of water. I grew Koi and used a German filter and an air stone to over oxygenate the water. Koi are pig fish, very smart, and can be trained. One Koi I named Shaq because he became supersized. He was a smart fish and would do anything for food. In a way he was like a killer whale at Seaworld because he would jump and splash to get my attention. He would eat out of my hand.
When I had guests, Shaq would actually scare people with his antics. He was just trying to be friendly. LOL.
So pretty much the air stone blew tiny bubbles that got squeezed upward by water pressure, and then upon reaching the surface they would explode. A tiny mist kinda was created on the surface that did not require heating or a lot of energy. Simple physics. Also these bubbles promoted evaporation. Pretty simple and dumb.
I no longer have the huge urn, but I do have a smaller one that can hold perhaps 4 gallons. I just have to hit a pet store for the diaphragm pump and a supersized air stone.
I’m tired of all the maintenance and cost of ultrasonic humidifiers. I’m looking for something simpler. I suspect that a taller column will create more water pressure (water weighs about 8 pounds a gallon) that I might do better with maybe a tall vase instead of a shorter urn.
Cal
I have it set at 50% and it measures now 53%, yet the fan speed is still at level 4 which happened to be the manual level I set it at. Kinda funny how manual was lame, but now using Auto mode the unit is doing great.
The unit is not really rated to handle my entire first floor. It has a capacity of 450 square feet, but with a taller ceiling. My heat is set pretty low, but upon colder temps the air with higher heating load will get drier, and this will show the true limitation on capacity.
More experimenting ahead. So far I am just running my conventional oil heat to maintain a baseline temp to keep the house at least above a threshold. When I engage the mini-split I expect that the tighter regulation and lack of cycling will create energy savings.
At that point I don’t know how much humidity I can attain, perhaps not the ideal 50%.
I have an idea for a home brewed humidifier. In my past I had this major huge earthen clay urn that held 50 gallons of water. I grew Koi and used a German filter and an air stone to over oxygenate the water. Koi are pig fish, very smart, and can be trained. One Koi I named Shaq because he became supersized. He was a smart fish and would do anything for food. In a way he was like a killer whale at Seaworld because he would jump and splash to get my attention. He would eat out of my hand.
When I had guests, Shaq would actually scare people with his antics. He was just trying to be friendly. LOL.
So pretty much the air stone blew tiny bubbles that got squeezed upward by water pressure, and then upon reaching the surface they would explode. A tiny mist kinda was created on the surface that did not require heating or a lot of energy. Simple physics. Also these bubbles promoted evaporation. Pretty simple and dumb.
I no longer have the huge urn, but I do have a smaller one that can hold perhaps 4 gallons. I just have to hit a pet store for the diaphragm pump and a supersized air stone.
I’m tired of all the maintenance and cost of ultrasonic humidifiers. I’m looking for something simpler. I suspect that a taller column will create more water pressure (water weighs about 8 pounds a gallon) that I might do better with maybe a tall vase instead of a shorter urn.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
The housing market and mortgages is an odd space. It was good timing for me because I held a job, otherwise we would not have been able to get a mortgage.
Pretty much “Maggie” had the cash to buy the house outright, but because she was not employed with a steady stream of income, and her income varied and was unpredictable she was disqualified dispite having a high income, assets, and mucho savings.
How crazy is that? If I lost my job basically we would be renters for the rest of our lives, or we would have to buy a house with cash.
Then we are in the pool of people who either bought homes during record low interest rates, or refi’ed at record low interest rates. Pretty much this pool of home owners exacerbate the housing shortage because we are kinda locked into our homes.
The housing shortage is bad, and pretty much here in the U.S. we underbuilt single family homes after 2007-2008, and it would take at least a decade of massive building or even 15 years to build back supply.
The high interest rates created by the FED is having a limited effect on slowing down the economy. I’m not so sure the bounce in the markets that happened recently is real with the thinking/speculation that the FED is done with raising rates. The big white elephant I see is housing. To me I suspect the bounce is a head-fake.
Pretty much the FED policy created big unintended consequences: a major housing shortage; and persistently high housing costs.
Perhaps the only people insulated from the unintended consequences are the homeowners that either own their homes outright or the mentioned group that hold mortgages at record low rates.
Know that there is a lot of hard selling and cold calls trying to get us to take equity loans because the value of our homes have become inflated. Perhaps this use of equity loans is why spending remains elevated. Not a good idea to increase debt in a time of rising interest rates, but I suspect that is what is happening and why spending remains high.
Can I call this lending predatory or is it that Americans are dumb? Living on debt is not sustainable. Also they say that 44% of our GNP is government spending. Our government is running on debt. Not sustainable. At some time in the future there will be hell to pay.
BTW wars are inflationary. What a mess.
It rained last night. Looks like it will dry up enough for a ride. Again I will wait for the temperatures to get mild.
At 8:30 AM we have a zoom call with the brand.
Still about half the leaves remain on the trees. Usually by now they are bare or close to naked. Looks like another mild winter and maybe/perhaps no snow accumulation at all this year. Last year almost no snow accumulation. I did not install or use my foul weather mats in the Audi last year.
I hope the city pushes back the leaf vacuuming back into December.
I wonder if the Dyson capacity was spec’ed for forced hot air which is the driest form of heating. Since I have cast iron radiators I enjoy a less dry heat. My wishful thinking is that the Dyson might be able to maintain 50% humidity to add comfort to my skin and breathing. So far it looks great. 52% and still half a tank of water after a full day.
Cal
Pretty much “Maggie” had the cash to buy the house outright, but because she was not employed with a steady stream of income, and her income varied and was unpredictable she was disqualified dispite having a high income, assets, and mucho savings.
How crazy is that? If I lost my job basically we would be renters for the rest of our lives, or we would have to buy a house with cash.
Then we are in the pool of people who either bought homes during record low interest rates, or refi’ed at record low interest rates. Pretty much this pool of home owners exacerbate the housing shortage because we are kinda locked into our homes.
The housing shortage is bad, and pretty much here in the U.S. we underbuilt single family homes after 2007-2008, and it would take at least a decade of massive building or even 15 years to build back supply.
The high interest rates created by the FED is having a limited effect on slowing down the economy. I’m not so sure the bounce in the markets that happened recently is real with the thinking/speculation that the FED is done with raising rates. The big white elephant I see is housing. To me I suspect the bounce is a head-fake.
Pretty much the FED policy created big unintended consequences: a major housing shortage; and persistently high housing costs.
Perhaps the only people insulated from the unintended consequences are the homeowners that either own their homes outright or the mentioned group that hold mortgages at record low rates.
Know that there is a lot of hard selling and cold calls trying to get us to take equity loans because the value of our homes have become inflated. Perhaps this use of equity loans is why spending remains elevated. Not a good idea to increase debt in a time of rising interest rates, but I suspect that is what is happening and why spending remains high.
Can I call this lending predatory or is it that Americans are dumb? Living on debt is not sustainable. Also they say that 44% of our GNP is government spending. Our government is running on debt. Not sustainable. At some time in the future there will be hell to pay.
BTW wars are inflationary. What a mess.
It rained last night. Looks like it will dry up enough for a ride. Again I will wait for the temperatures to get mild.
At 8:30 AM we have a zoom call with the brand.
Still about half the leaves remain on the trees. Usually by now they are bare or close to naked. Looks like another mild winter and maybe/perhaps no snow accumulation at all this year. Last year almost no snow accumulation. I did not install or use my foul weather mats in the Audi last year.
I hope the city pushes back the leaf vacuuming back into December.
I wonder if the Dyson capacity was spec’ed for forced hot air which is the driest form of heating. Since I have cast iron radiators I enjoy a less dry heat. My wishful thinking is that the Dyson might be able to maintain 50% humidity to add comfort to my skin and breathing. So far it looks great. 52% and still half a tank of water after a full day.
Cal
Last edited:
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
The 8:30 zoom call did not happen. Evidently our fee is still being negotiated. Oh-well.
Thinking of taking part of our fee and setting up 429 plans for the grandkids. One way or the other our local homeless shelter will get some help: the brand does contribute some profits to non-profits that support their ideals; we are thinking of doing a cash donation as charity; and in the least we intend on growing herbs and me tomatoes (don’t tell ”Maggie.”)
Our agent is pushing up the scale of our fee, so I think this makes it easier to increase our donations. Pretty much this is money that fell from heaven that we don’t need.
I will put some money aside for a slush fund. Maybe one day I could have the cash for a $13K IBIS Excie full suspension cross country racing bike. Maybe could also fund building up the 1966 C-10. This is money from heaven.
The more I look at the C-10, the more I believe it only has 61K miles and not 161K miles. Pretty much I want to just pull the head and get a valve job, new valve seals, and have hardened valve seats installed. Then the truck would need a new rear engine oil seal and most likely a new clutch. The OEM engine’s rear oil seal is leaky and certainly the clutch has oil on it.
The windshield has a crack and will have to be replaced to pass inspection, new tires to replace the dry rotted tires, and then spend about $1.3K to $1.5K on a new wooden bed kit. Thus I would have a truck that would be a local driver.
It would be a clean almost OEM 1966 truck with the only update being that the gas tank was relocated to under the bed instead of being in the cab behind the seat.
It would be a clean good looking truck that would be known as a “survivor.” Being original and only 61K miles has a lot of value added. The faded patina of the OEM paint looks distinguished and is a badge of honor. This truck will turn heads.
Cal
Thinking of taking part of our fee and setting up 429 plans for the grandkids. One way or the other our local homeless shelter will get some help: the brand does contribute some profits to non-profits that support their ideals; we are thinking of doing a cash donation as charity; and in the least we intend on growing herbs and me tomatoes (don’t tell ”Maggie.”)
Our agent is pushing up the scale of our fee, so I think this makes it easier to increase our donations. Pretty much this is money that fell from heaven that we don’t need.
I will put some money aside for a slush fund. Maybe one day I could have the cash for a $13K IBIS Excie full suspension cross country racing bike. Maybe could also fund building up the 1966 C-10. This is money from heaven.
The more I look at the C-10, the more I believe it only has 61K miles and not 161K miles. Pretty much I want to just pull the head and get a valve job, new valve seals, and have hardened valve seats installed. Then the truck would need a new rear engine oil seal and most likely a new clutch. The OEM engine’s rear oil seal is leaky and certainly the clutch has oil on it.
The windshield has a crack and will have to be replaced to pass inspection, new tires to replace the dry rotted tires, and then spend about $1.3K to $1.5K on a new wooden bed kit. Thus I would have a truck that would be a local driver.
It would be a clean almost OEM 1966 truck with the only update being that the gas tank was relocated to under the bed instead of being in the cab behind the seat.
It would be a clean good looking truck that would be known as a “survivor.” Being original and only 61K miles has a lot of value added. The faded patina of the OEM paint looks distinguished and is a badge of honor. This truck will turn heads.
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
The “Monster” fixed Raleigh, is almost done, with the caveat of “almost done” meaning that the frameset is in the stand, and nearly all the parts are dispersed about the house. The Velo Orange Enterprise rims just became available again yesterday, so one is on order from my LBS. I need to do a spoke length calculation for each wheel and get those cut. Also waiting on a 42cm bar and stem. The saddle is going to be taken from the “Schlepper” cargo bike, which will get an old Specialized saddle I have. I may overhaul the pedals and install the bottom bracket, cranks, pedals tonight, we’ll see. Once the last few components arrive, it’s just a matter of getting it all together. I’m looking forward to building these wheels. I have a Specialized front hub (aka, Sunshine, Suntour, produced by Sanshin) in fantastic condition with bearings that feel new. These sanshin hubs are essentially the same as the Suntour Superbe Pro, but diffent badging. It’s just like all the OEM stuff, contracted out to another manufacturer. Besides the Maeda freewheels, Suntour (owned by Maeda) didn't make anything; cranks were Sugino, brakes and levers were DiaCompe, bottom brackets and headsets were Hatta, hubs were Sanshin, seatposts and stems were Sakae Ringyo (SR) or Nitto, pedals were numerous production but a lot of MKS. Knowing this, I can save a ton on the same component, with a different name.
Tires are going to be Panaracer Gravel Kings (exact same TPI and moldings as the Rene Herse.)
All that said, eventually this bike will get a dynamo hub to power a set of lights, but that may be a bit longer into the future.
This cold or probably covid + opportunistic bacteria, has kept me off the bike for a full month. This week I’m finally breathing better and will probably be riding tomorrow.
Phil
Tires are going to be Panaracer Gravel Kings (exact same TPI and moldings as the Rene Herse.)
All that said, eventually this bike will get a dynamo hub to power a set of lights, but that may be a bit longer into the future.
This cold or probably covid + opportunistic bacteria, has kept me off the bike for a full month. This week I’m finally breathing better and will probably be riding tomorrow.
Phil