New York August 2022 Meet-Up

Get her a bigger cog on the hub to allow her to use a wider range of gears. If it is a 3-speed, you can get as big as 22 teeth.
There is a funny conundrum that I've noticed and been a party to over the last 30 years. It's the boyfriend bike / girlfriend bike paradox. The boyfriend is stereotypically the avid rider, gear head, weight weenie, etc. The girlfriend want to ride a bike to do some errands, at best; so the boyfriend gets the girlfriend a bike which weighs 2 or 3 times what his bike does and has either 1 or maybe 3 gears, none of which are actually decent for riding. He wants to ride more and share this healthy mode of transport with her, but she's hobbled by the tank she's trying to move, so the bike never gets used. Now, if the girlfriend gets the opportunity to take a spin on a bike that has a decent spread of gearing, a good saddle, some good ergonomics and doesn't weigh as much as a motorcycle, then she may actually ride it.
I'm guilty of this in the past, but not anymore. We both are the same height and can fit the same bikes. That said, Bethanne has a cargo trike that she primarily rides, but also has a 1958 Rudge 3 speed (bicycle, not motorcycle.) So, if I have a bike that does something special (fat tires, tons of gears, cargo capability, ergonomic adjustability, whatever) then she may want one as well.
You may try her out on a real decent bicycle instead of setting her up for frustration and soreness on a 40lb cruiser. People's Bicycle in Beacon is a good shop. If not there, find a good shop with a woman working who can properly fit her for a bike and the right saddle. That is, if she wants to, of course.

Phil Forrest
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Get her a bigger cog on the hub to allow her to use a wider range of gears. If it is a 3-speed, you can get as big as 22 teeth.
There is a funny conundrum that I've noticed and been a party to over the last 30 years. It's the boyfriend bike / girlfriend bike paradox. The boyfriend is stereotypically the avid rider, gear head, weight weenie, etc. The girlfriend want to ride a bike to do some errands, at best; so the boyfriend gets the girlfriend a bike which weighs 2 or 3 times what his bike does and has either 1 or maybe 3 gears, none of which are actually decent for riding. He wants to ride more and share this healthy mode of transport with her, but she's hobbled by the tank she's trying to move, so the bike never gets used. Now, if the girlfriend gets the opportunity to take a spin on a bike that has a decent spread of gearing, a good saddle, some good ergonomics and doesn't weigh as much as a motorcycle, then she may actually ride it.
I'm guilty of this in the past, but not anymore. We both are the same height and can fit the same bikes. That said, Bethanne has a cargo trike that she primarily rides, but also has a 1958 Rudge 3 speed (bicycle, not motorcycle.) So, if I have a bike that does something special (fat tires, tons of gears, cargo capability, ergonomic adjustability, whatever) then she may want one as well.
You may try her out on a real decent bicycle instead of setting her up for frustration and soreness on a 40lb cruiser. People's Bicycle in Beacon is a good shop. If not there, find a good shop with a woman working who can properly fit her for a bike and the right saddle. That is, if she wants to, of course.

Phil Forrest
Click to expand...

Phil,

”Maggie” is only 5’2”. As a couple her shortness makes me look really tall. This exacerbates matters. In fact today I have to do more “Digitals” of us as a pair. Same thing: jeans and a plain T-shirt. Anyways already being a model is intrusive and invasive. I hope we did not make a mistake.

I tried to get Maggie into a Merlyn Ti bike that was being sold on EBAY for “no-money,” like $700.00 for an old bike with XT 7-speed, but she wanted a bike with a step through. Also she fell for hipster marketing and went with a style she liked. Her bike is a porker.

I explained the advantage of a light bike, and how the exaggerated weight will handicap her. As usual she “cheaped out” and cheated herself wasting money. I figured if it didn’t work out I could recycle the Merlyn to me and had a plan “B.”

Then Peekskill has some steep climbs, butt hills (hills that strain your butt just walking up them), and long ramps. The hills for her are dangerous for climbing and for descents. Pretty much a bad idea. Then I bought a Seasucker Talon bike holder that I mined at my Audi Dealer that had an old price of $250.00 when online they sold north of $300.00. My loses are compounding… Anyways I figure the Sea Sucker I can use for me, although one of my bikes easily fits in the trunk if I lower the back seats flat.

Also ever try to educate someone who has a PhD? Pretty much they pretend they are smart in everything and can be “know it alls.”

So I’ll let this play out and die. Oh-well. I admit I’m a delusional artist.

The bike has 7 speeds. Some low end Shimano group. I offered to change the tires (wire beads) to lighter high end folding tires that have Kevlar beads, but like I said she is a know it all. Oh-well again. I could change to a smaller chainring.

This is a bit like throwing out my old spoon that I had bonded with that served me fine. Stuff like this is why men have shorter lifespans…

Scot Nichol of IBIS fame actually started building tandems so he could avoid the problems you mention with his future wife. A smart guy. Not so sure a tandem would work for me because Maggie does not like being controlled and would be an awful stroker, and she is so anxious that she would likely get us killed if a captain.

Oh-well again.

So pretty much men get struck in a death trap. I conceded that getting her a bike was a good intention, but was a mucho bad idea. “No act of kindness goes unpunished,” they say.

Meanwhile I still wonder if I should be a selfish dick and buy me a new IBIS Exie carbon fiber full suspension bike that weighs 23 1/2 pounds made in the USA so I have a reason to live?

Anyways I like how I was able to clean some rocky climbs on the 30 inch gear trials bike. The feel for slow riding and developing track stand balance is advancing rapidly. Because the Steel IBIS is so aggressive and unforgiving it speeds up the learning. My friend A.J. Was right, it will make you or break you. I’m further along than I thought. What happens at Blue Mountain so easily is getting your front wheel trapped in rocks. The development of a track stand buys time to stay on the peddles.

Slow riding I find to be a great challenge, and pretty much I can stay safe. About 2 hours though is the limit because fatigue can lead to getting careless and sloppy or poor judgement. I like playing it safe, but skill is developing. Nice thing is I can practice easily in my back yard, my driveway, or my dead end.

I will edge up to my driveway curb to border in my front wheel to simulate the wheel trap that happens easily at Blue Mountain, then I’ll figure how to hop out and over. In my driveway is a curb that ramps up and gets close to a foot tall. Kinda perfect to practice. Also I have some pressure treated 4x6’s and some cinder blocks to create a trials section. I also have some small logs, but I have to get some monster fat logs to practice on.

Anyways for a workout I could use a 30 inch gear to ride with Maggie. She is that slow, pretty much walking speed.

Cal
 
Nothing wrong with a step-through frame. They increase confidence for many riders. Maybe the bike needs a triple crank with a good granny gear?
 
Cal,
The only way you can go biking together is if you get Lyn an electric bike. Those are serious hills around your place, and I can imaging she doesn't go for the pain/pleasure exercise routines that you like. It will always be a mismatch. With an electric assist bike she will avoid the pain of the hills, while enjoying riding longer and farther. A lot of people with electric bikes actually burn more calories because they ride longer. Just being on a bike and moving her legs is good exercise at her age.
If she needs a comfortable 'older person bike' she should get a Biria. They are very well designed German bikes, with well proportioned frames with very low instep. They are light aluminum frames for an upright utility bike. Probably the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden. Perhaps not your style bike but maybe it is more her style?

https://biria.com/bike/eb-easy-7-most-popular-model-stock

https://biria.com/bike/electric-easy...ck-august-2022
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Nothing wrong with a step-through frame. They increase confidence for many riders. Maybe the bike needs a triple crank with a good granny gear?
Click to expand...

Phil,

It is still a slow heavy bike that weighs about 40-45 pounds.

Somehow I need to come up with another plan. I have mucho spare parts so I could build another bike, except I will hedge my bets and pretty much make it where It would be a useful bike for me. Plan “B” is utilize the 26 inch narrow retro wheel set to build an urban oriented geared Mountain bike. I need a small frame though. Pretty much recycle a lot of my spare parts, the key would be a frame and rigid fork.

I could easily make a 21-22 pound bike. Pretty much half the weight.

Cal
 
CNNY said:
Cal,
The only way you can go biking together is if you get Lyn an electric bike. Those are serious hills around your place, and I can imaging she doesn't go for the pain/pleasure exercise routines that you like. It will always be a mismatch. With an electric assist bike she will avoid the pain of the hills, while enjoying riding longer and farther. A lot of people with electric bikes actually burn more calories because they ride longer. Just being on a bike and moving her legs is good exercise at her age.
If she needs a comfortable 'older person bike' she should get a Biria. They are very well designed German bikes, with well proportioned frames with very low instep. They are light aluminum frames for an upright utility bike. Probably the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden. Perhaps not your style bike but maybe it is more her style?

https://biria.com/bike/eb-easy-7-most-popular-model-stock

https://biria.com/bike/electric-easy...ck-august-2022
Click to expand...

Devil Christian,

I think you are right, but her bike handling skills are a huge deficient, then there is the anxiety problem…

There is a IBIS tandem I would buy, it happens to be sized right, but it is local pickup only in California.

I just might build another bike for me anyways. I figure all I need is a frame.

Just trying to stay sane. Back at Grumman my friend Jack use to say, “I’m loosing my will to live,” when dealing with frustration, but the lazy slacker in me says, “Oh-well.”

I had a second breakfast, so I think I’ll go for my 2 hour ride. Walked into downtown Peekskill to buy some food from the farmer’s market. I like biking alone, it was Maggie’s idea to get a bike BTW. I kinda knew this would happen. Oh-well.

Cal
 
Cal,
she is not confident because she doesn't have experience. On hills it is even harder, because when you go slow it is trickier to keep balance. The riding position on these birias is very relaxed, combined with the low instep it is very easy to step off if you loose balance. Having the confidence that she can step off without falling will make her more relaxed about riding, and she will want to ride more. Tandems are a nice idea, but not great. The second rider is forced to pedal at your pace, so neither of you will be enjoying the ride.
 
btw,
If she is electric, she can set the pace. It can be like those track bike races where they have a moped riding ahead setting the pace. It could be a good workout for you!
 
Christian has the right idea with the electric assist bike. Aside from that, if you find a good small framed mixte, you can build a super light bike. I built a 1960s Bottecchia mixte up as a single speed back in maybe 2009 and it weighed 18lbs. Set up as an upright with 21 speeds, you'd probably be looking at 23lbs if done right. One thing you may have to continually test out is the saddle. Remember an upright bicycle needs a spring supported saddle and women need saddles made for their physiology. That's why I recommend having a woman fit her for a bike, or even custom build it. It's not cheap but it may mean the difference between her riding or not.
 
My hope is that “Maggie” forgets about the bike. “$2.3K is a lot of film or guitar strings,” I say.

About 2 decades ago I fixed up an old Raleigh 3-speed for her. Basically it was her bike, but it needed maintenance, a good cleaning and new tires. She never rode it, not even once. So I say, “Oh-well…”

My friend Tim, kinda told me the time is now to start playing and practicing. I think he is right. Too much being a house-slave and being overwhelmed by all this stuff that had to get done in a timely manner. Now the kitchen is complete I can take a needed break. Some details have to be finished, but the kitchen is functional.

I have a new wooden door and a new storm door for the rear kitchen door. The existing fiberglass door stands out as being odd with all the other wood doors and all the wood moldings and trim. In my garage I have a set of attic pull down stairs. Next week the cedar shed will likely get delivered.

The Knotweed needed to get weeded again. I put in a half day last week, and a half day again today. A great surprise is that other invasive plants are now growing and replacing the knotweed. The Knotweed last summer was a monoculture that was a thicket, but now I have all these native invasive plants propagating. Some patches of Milkweed are getting established, but one oddity I can’t explain is down by the marsh grass I have feral cherry tomatoes growing. How did that happen?

Also the marsh grass is filling in and spreading.

Still have more Knotweed weeding to do tomorrow. Tuesday they expect 90 degree weather again, so I need to get it done tomorrow. So anyways I’ll be practicing guitar every day now on out.

Maggie’s son-in-law shot a 200 wild boar. Dropped it with one shot. I cooked some ground wild boar as a sausage pattie and had it on toast. Had a smoky flavor, and I was surprised that it was so lean. After cooking one side I added olive oil to brown the second side. Anyways I like it. I don’t think this is the first time I have eaten wild boar.

Back in the day a bunch of us at Grumman would go to “Homer’s” where they had a buffet of wild game dishes. I ate rattle snake, bear, elk, rabbit, alligator, and of course venison. Still have some more ground wild boar, and also a wild boar steak.

So I took my friend Tim’s advice and put in a few hours on an acoustic guitar. I also ended up putting a smaller shim under the saddle to lower the action. I figure I need to play the “Hog” because it needs to get “played-in” and still has to open up.

In about 10 weeks my new Santa Cruz Model “F” with get delivered. I paid half to place the order. Know that Santa Cruz only makes about 400 guitars a year. This Model “F” differs from the all all mahogany Model “F” I already own in that this one will have a Red Spruce top (Adirondack) and will specked out as is a 1934 model with old growth wood that is at least 80 years old, meaning the wood was harvested 80 years ago and has been aging.

The hype with old wood is that basically wood is made of cellulose cells and resin and is not so different than say a graphite composite, but over time the resins dry and crystallize. Pretty much the wood gets stiffer and lighter over time. In a way old wood jump starts the vintage path of the old guitars that weathered and changed through age. Of course it has to be built right, and playing-in effects the tone also.

So pretty much I will have two very different Model “F”: one is 1 1932 spec; and the other a 1934 spec.

So it looks like half my garage will become a digital printing and music studio that will be heated and insulated. Pretty easy to sound proof and it is great that the garage is detached from the house. The 1966 Chevy C10 is a Rat-Rod and will get parked in the driveway because I need a 10x20 studio. The old truck will be like a piece of jewelry for the old house. How cool is that?

Don’t forget that I have a 300B single ended triode stereo to set up in my studio.

I figure I’ll do the darkroom in my basement.

Cal
 
Phil, for some reason over here in Europe I have seen plenty of Chinons, K mount with A mode. CE4 is the one I got last summer, $15 find with a 50 1.7 that is deemed as good as the Pentax own brand lens. Those have battery though.
Non big brand OEM Japanese SLRs are bound to fit the bill, either m42 or K mount. However as of sourcing 30 is another matter.
​​​​​​

Calzone said:
I also started rescreening windows and got 6 done. Remember my Baby-Victorian has 40 windows. The new screening is more transparent than the old. More light enters the house and the view is not veiled. I love it.


Cal
Click to expand...
Reminds me of my estranged friend whose family apartment is from the early 20th century. Lots of tiny panels and imperfect glass. He always argued for the beauty of how the light shone thru in summers on those old panels, refracting them. I counteracted with energy saving arguments. And also, unafforable rich housing in an old world capital.
AN advantage of the pandemic for some white collar jobs is that one can live in a smaller more affordable town.

Grew during the 2008s years and somehow now with stable income I am glad at least that personal finances are good. But in many ways I am content with little and saving up, being thrifty is even a hobby on its own.

The war in Eastern europe is also an energy menace for Western europe now.

Looks like a dark fall coming in, pun intended. Made a philosophy of life to try to enjoy and be a bit minimalist.
 
Prest_400 said:
Phil, for some reason over here in Europe I have seen plenty of Chinons, K mount with A mode. CE4 is the one I got last summer, $15 find with a 50 1.7 that is deemed as good as the Pentax own brand lens. Those have battery though.
Non big brand OEM Japanese SLRs are bound to fit the bill, either m42 or K mount. However as of sourcing 30 is another matter.
​​​​​​


Reminds me of my estranged friend whose family apartment is from the early 20th century. Lots of tiny panels and imperfect glass. He always argued for the beauty of how the light shone thru in summers on those old panels, refracting them. I counteracted with energy saving arguments. And also, unafforable rich housing in an old world capital.
AN advantage of the pandemic for some white collar jobs is that one can live in a smaller more affordable town.

Grew during the 2008s years and somehow now with stable income I am glad at least that personal finances are good. But in many ways I am content with little and saving up, being thrifty is even a hobby on its own.

The war in Eastern europe is also an energy menace for Western europe now.

Looks like a dark fall coming in, pun intended. Made a philosophy of life to try to enjoy and be a bit minimalist.
Click to expand...

Jorde,

I can’t imagine not having a recession in Europe. They say 4 out of 5 recessions are because of energy prices.

Here in the U.S. we have had two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Technically in my book we are in a recession. Another number to watch is 400K initial claims for unemployment. In the past the initial claims for unemployment when it hits 400K it is a predictor of a recession. Janet Yellen and others say that because unemployment is so low that we are not in a recession. I beg to differ.

This is going to be a very tough winter.

So I think in the fall it will be a wake up call with the start of the heating season. Diesel is very costly right now already. Pretty much home heating oil is like diesel in the refining process, in fact with the addition of some kerosine to prevent a wax build up home fuel oil with a bit of kerosine can be a cheap substitute. I know this because my old boss ran a diesel this way.

I just saved $6.00 at CVS using “rewards” by meeting a minimum purchase threshold using two coupons. The cereal I bought (Granola) was a family size that was also on sealed to buy two packages to exceed the quota minimum purchase. I needed more protein fortified milk for me, and I had to go to the Supermarket anyways which is a walk from my house. I checked the price and availability at CVS knowing I would return to do further checking. Pretty much my price checking revealed that CVS had my milk and the price was close to a dollar less.

Ended up saving $6.00 and only paid $18.17. Percentage wise I saved a lot of money.

Cal
 
I am cool with eventually parking the 1966 Chevy C10 in my driveway when I put it on the road. Right now it is stored in the garage to preserve it. My dead end neighbor has an even shorter driveway than mine and his ex partner, now deceased, parked her car with the ass hanging out into the street of the dead end. The City of Peelskill is really great about plowing the streets, and even though my dead end includes only 2 houses my neighbor’s car never was a problem with snow plowing.

The C10 is a “Rat-Rod” where the patina and exterior condition is of no concern. I’m cool with allowing it to age further organically.

I also see wisdom in just fixing what I have to: the leaky rear oil seal, a valve job, new tires, front disc brake upgrade. The leaky oil seal likely means the clutch got wet with motor oil and needs to be replaced. I figure the 61K miles on the odometer is likely true, and that with a valve job the engine could easily be good-to-go for another 100K miles which is a long time for me the way I intend on using the truck.

I think it is in remarkable condition, and if I had to sell it I could recover all my money, but the fact is that I would love to keep it and would only sell if I had to.

Today put another half day killing Knotweed. I took advantage of the September like weather and weeded into the marsh grass. When it is mucho hot it feels like a tropical jungle in the marsh grass. The cool weather allowed me to spent the time needed to do a good job.

Looks like I can recycle the old kitchen fiberglass exterior door into my garage studio. This should help with the soundproofing and since it is an exterior door insulation R-value.

I also have a deadbolt and second lock on the door knob. I changed the silver hardware double lock to an oiled bronze to match all the draw pulls and the kitchen facet. I love recycling because this is the smartest way to build out my garage studio. I love to repurpose stuff and saving money. The door is a nice door, but fugly on our new fancy kitchen. Will look great as the inside entrance to my studio.

BTW pulling Knotweed is a pretty good workout. Four hours tires me out.

Cal
 
Austintatious said:
Global recession is here.

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/a...n-a-recession/
Click to expand...

Austin,

Pretty much I see a global recession also. This one has no precedent, and could be both long and evil.

I think many like me are spending now to maximize their purchasing power and are thinking that the FED won’t be able to “contain” inflation. The FED and other governments/Central Banks are exaggerating this spending, but the average Joe has lost income, is suffering, and is falling further and further behind.

People like me think inflation likely will exist for a while and better spend that money for goods or services now while purchasing power is still high and before prices escalate further. I understand how inflation erases accumulated wealth over time. Also the hysterical housing market, fueled by low interest rates (record low), kinda locked prices. Higher interest rates on mortgages freeze home owners like me who have 30 year mortgages under 3% into never selling because it would be financially foolish and reckless to sell and or buy when someone has a low locked in mortgage at a discounted record low rate.

In my book this is why the housing shortage got worse. People who secured a record low mortgage or refinanced have no incentive to ever sell, and if they did sell buying another home would prove to be a costly or a mistake.

In times of high inflation hard assets and real estate are the hedges to preserve wealth.

I don’t see the housing shortage going away, and the supply chain will continue to endure shortages as the world de-globalizes. Then add the costs to build out local supply chains/lines. Infrastructure costs money… Infra structure takes time to build… Globalization is dead.

Then look at the aging world population. Even China has negative population growth, and remember no economy can grow without a growing population. Pretty much India has a better chance of growing their economy than China because of Demographics. China like the U.S., Europe, and Japan has an aging population. India has youth on its side with a young workforce.

China tried to grow without developing a local domestic consumer economy. Pretty much their business model of exporting cheap goods has peaked. Nothing wrong with having an export economy. Germany exports luxury cars, precision tooling, and high tech, but China’s economy cannot compare. What really good stuff comes from China, well maybe Apple products that are just manufactured there.

The FED is way behind the curve. In the 70’s Vockner raised interest rates over 15%. There was double digit inflation, and double digit unemployment. High inflation persisted into the early 80’s. I remember in 1976, when I graduated high school that I could not find a job that paid minimum wage. I also remember in the early 80’s getting “COLA” increases in my pay at Grumman to account for inflation.

The real problem with inflation is the erosion of purchasing power over time. Also the people who remember and experienced the 70’s and that time of inflation was a group of people called “the Baby-Boomers.” This is one reason why I think I am not alone in my thinking about spending now. I am not just one individual, but I am part of a large group that remembers the 70’s and that history.

I figure I bought my house cheap, eyes wide open, knowing that it would require mucho work to update, repair, and remodel. I kinda know innately that the costs for the required work and materials has a big probability of costing even more in the future. I don’t see shortages going away anytime soon. Then there is regression-to-the-mean where disinflation and stagnant wages went on for many decades, now it seems a swing in the other direction that could last decades.

Cal
 
too bad it's not somewhere in NYC...


For 'Range-Rover' /Bob
it's too far from his normal commute to city to come to

Who thinks they will be there, besides Cal & I ... ???
 
helenhill said:
too bad it's not somewhere in NYC...


For 'Range-Rover' /Bob
it's too far from his normal commute to city to come to

Who thinks they will be there, besides Cal & I ... ???
Click to expand...

Helen,

I think Snarky Joe will be there, Fidel says he is coming, and Devil Christian. I don’t know about all the lurkers.

Generally old man Steve will be there.

I’m cool with a small meet-up. I just want to keep this going. Also I think I want to plan for some “Drive-by-shootings” up here in the burbs. Pretty much strange stuff to photograph is up here also. Lots of odd people too, but perhaps not as crazy as NYC.

The Beer Garden is in Astoria and for extra safety it is outdoors.

Cal
 
The C10 is a “Rat-Rod” where the patina and exterior condition is of no concern. I’m cool with allowing it to age further organically.
Wabi Sabi fan.
Me, too, Cal.
 
Calzone said:
Helen,

I think Snarky Joe will be there, Fidel says he is coming, and Devil Christian. I don’t know about all the lurkers.

Generally old man Steve will be there.

I’m cool with a small meet-up. I just want to keep this going. Also I think I want to plan for some “Drive-by-shootings” up here in the burbs. Pretty much strange stuff to photograph is up here also. Lots of odd people too, but perhaps not as crazy as NYC.

The Beer Garden is in Astoria and for extra safety it is outdoors.

Cal
Click to expand...

If I had a car or access to one I would have went, but I checked Google maps and it's to far of a walk, Funny thing yesterday I went to Long Island City
my Cousin got an apartment there by Court Street Station it was a quick ride on the (7) train.
 
Cal, does the truck engine run? If so, does it have a lot of blowby when running and you remove the oil cap from the valve cover? If so or if it has low compression, it probably has at least 100,000 miles past what your odometer indicates. I bought my 1972 with 43,000 miles on the 5 digit odometer and it had sat for over 20 years. That said, through some forensic work (examining brake pads, hoses, filters, interior wear, glazing seals) I found out that it almost certainly had turned the odometer over once, so I'm saying it has 149000 on it now. The crazy barn finds do happen but more often than not, when we find a vehicle that has a 5 digit odometer, it has likely turned over at least once. It turned out that my engine is a 1984 Stuttgart motor, not original to the car, but original to the model and over a decade younger. This came down to the forensic work of doing the injection pump timing and finding that my camshaft did not match any of the series 2.2L engines from 1968 - 1976. The things to check would be the suspension and body bushings, and brake shoes. The bushings in a vehicle that sat will just be cracked while those in a vehicle that got used will both be cracked and smashed / extruded / melted / what-have-you.
Phil Forrest
 
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