Have you met Sprocket?
Posted on July 31, 2010 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak, Misc, mobile-post | Leave a Comment
This is my new kitten Sprocket. She loves to help her papa build wheels. Thought you’d like to meet her.
Also, wondered if I could post pictures in my mobile posts. About to find out I guess.
Onward
Cripple Bike
Posted on July 21, 2010 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak, Mechanical, Wrecks | 1 Comment
This is a backfill post. My good buddy Chase can’t seem to quit getting hit by cars.
This is Chase in the emergency room at Harborview in January
This is Chase in the emergency room at Harborview in June.
This might be a better picture yet.
Last month Chase got left hooked by a girl in a VW while he was riding in the bicycle lane on 2nd avenue. He’s in the lane, she hits her blinker and makes a left turn and boom – Jess is calling me in hysterics because her boyfriend is getting carted away in an ambulance. When it was all said and done he busted his wrist and got a cast all the way to his armpit.
That’s swell, but how’s a fella supposed to ride his bike still?
VOILA! Ze Cripple Bike!
I used a set of SRAM trigger shifters I had on the shelf and hooked his backup bike up. Along the top are the shifters for the front chainring and the front brake, the bottom shifter and the bottom brake lever control the rear brake and the rear shifting.
He’s been riding for weeks now, works great he says.
Who said bike wrenching wasn’t fun?
Onward
100717 – Suiattle
Posted on July 19, 2010 -- Edit Post
Filed Under .83, Bike Kwak, Camping | Leave a Comment
First time coming up here this season – summer has taken it’s sweet time getting here and seems to be here on sufferance. When we left Seattle it was grey and cool and threatening to rain. Even here in July we’re reminded that warm and favorable weather in Seattle is rare and valuable. It’s good to go bike camping, even when there’s a crack of opportunity.
This was the first bike camping trip for a couple people. Deven had never gone, and for my girlfriend Elizabeth this was a completely new experience. Before me she’d never bicycled. Over the last 6 months or so she’s taken to it very well. Bicycle camping was right up her alley. She’s been riding my Pacer
which she likes a great deal, but for this trip I outfitted my old Trek 7.3 with meaty 38mm WTB mountain tires, a Titec H-Bar I had set aside for the Pugsley (never to get built now) and a rack and voila – one perfectly excellent trail bike was born.
We stopped at my favorite little cabin and poked around for a moment to take pictures and explore some, and then hit the road again.
They’ve done some things to improve the road up here. They fixed the Forest Road bridge for example. No pics, but the link will show you where on the map it’s been fixed. Also, further down at Downey Creek, what used to be this 
is now this
While the bridge is far nicer to traverse for us for obvious reasons, it’s also far easier for others to as well. There were other improvements in the road/trail – the segments of singletrack are now completley gone and the road there fixed, as well as the super narrow part just before the Downey Creek bridge – that’s been dug out, widened and flattened. Even the road you drive in on has been improved. Raw spots in the road have even been blocked and evened off and dips flattened out with gravel.
This has goods and bads associated with it. It means they’re fixing the place up, which is great. But that means our time of having this place to ourselves is coming to an end. So it’s important we get up here as often as we can now before they fix the road and open the campsite again and flood it with Winnebagos and 4 wheelers.
Anyhow, onto happier topics. I brought the Karate Monkey of course.
Campsite was durn nice. Blocked and leveled camp space for the tent. Picnic table and firepit to ourselves if we chose.
This is Elizabeth. She’s kinda magical to me.
Elizabeth took our cook bag over to the common area and started making lunch while I was finishing up making camp. I was working my way over to her at the communal kitchen table about 50 feet distant when I heard the sound of large lumber falling. I glanced up, noticed movement above and screamed RUUUNNNN!!!!!!!!!!.
The top half of a tree snapped off and came crashing down on top of the picnic table they’d all been sitting at.
The main trunk (a little over 14 inches in diameter) landed directly onto the kitchen table as they were unpacking food and whatnot onto it. We’re talking 500lbs+ of lumber randomly falling from around 60 feet to land directly on our heads. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say it would have killed anyone who hadn’t moved.
Kevin had to cut his bike out from under the tree. Fortunately the elevated BBQ he’d laid his bike against took the brunt of the impact and his bike came out more or less undamaged.
These collapsable SVEN Saws we’ve taken to carrying with us came in very handy for clearing the lumber and freeing stuff, but again made me wish I’d sprung for the slightly larger 21 inch version over the 15in version we usually pack.
The whiskey survived (ha!) but several foodstuffs were destroyed, a good part of our kitchen kit ate it, and as stated Devon’s DLSR is now a homeowners insurance claim. Lame, but a small price to pay when you consider the possibilities. When we inspected the trunk, the thing just came apart in your hand like pulp. Some sort of disease in the wood.
Had that fallen at night Torrey would have been killed in his tent, no question about it. Pretty sure the part he’s digging out was the part where his head was supposed to be.
It drove a branch 7 inches in diameter into dry ground 6 inches deep just inches from Kevin’s tent beside Tory. Here’s a crappy picture I took that doesn’t do this statement justice.
Once camp was cleaned up, we celebrated by standing in the river and drinking heavily into the evening. Koos surprised us all by showing up later that afternoon with a backpack and riding his fixed gear. Derricks arrival was later heralded by bottlerockets in the middle of the night as he arrived from Whistler.
Day 2
Morning is my favorite time in the mountains – always has been, but even I slept in after the shenanigans of the day/night before. Even so I was still up before most. Woke up, made fire, coffee and breakfast. Wandered about lazily, broke camp. Nice way to start out the day.
The abbreviated tree to the left is the one that snapped off.
Fred’s “dinglespeed” 2 speed automatic transmission one-of-a-kind freak bike. Fun but a strange contraption.
Spent the remainder of the morning/afternoon lazing on the beach on the banks of the river drinking the remainder of our booze, did some exploring up the river, read books, and come afternoon made our way back down to the cars.
Great time with great friends. We need to get up here at least one more time before the summer is over, before the road is fixed and everything opened back up to the general public. Need to take advantage of this crack before it’s time passes, and all we have left are these silly blog entries to help us remember how great this whole place is when just outside the reach of everyone else.
Onward.
(Not my best written post, but since I never update figured it was better than nothing. Please excuse.)
You know what’s great?
Posted on June 13, 2010 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak, Mechanical | Leave a Comment
Seriously. These guys carry everything at pretty decent prices. I’d totally forgotten about them. Used to be you could only buy from them if you were a larger outfit with a proper account and a pre-approved credit line. Now with the magic of internet, it would appear they are open to the rest of us.
I just purchased a pack of 50 ball bearings and a tube of Dupont Teflon grease for a very reasonable price – and they’re exactly what I wanted – not whatever the store happened to have in stock. The ball bearings I was excited to see are extremely high grade – made from 440 Carbon Steel, and rated grade 24 – this is the same steel that high grade knives are made from. I believe the only higher grade ball bearings you can get are ceramic bearings, but the price/hassle differential for ceramic seems silly and holds little interest to me.
Oh yeah, I’ve been overhauling hubs lately. Suddenly I care about ball bearings and grease.
I was laid off at the beginning of April which has given me time to wrench on bikes. Friends bikes, my bikes, others bikes. Getting laid off was less than great but it’s a good time of year have a bunch of time to yourself, springtime in Seattle being what it is*. Between job hunting it’s given me the opportunity to take my wrenching in directions I’d previously not gotten into; for example I sorta painted a friends bike and have since begun exploring frame painting in general (using parts of THIS and THIS as my guides). I don’t know if I’m going to do it or not but I now have a bike that needs painting so… maybe?
Speaking of bikes that need painting:
I also decided to overhaul my LeMond – this turned out to be a lot more involved than I planned.
Rewind a year: I bought the LeMond used off Craigslist for a song. Complete bike, original Shimano 105 gruppo, Reynolds 853 steel. But after purchasing it I discovered an oddly located crack stretching across the bottom of the seat tube, bottom bracket shell, and chainstay. At worst it’s a crack in the frame; at best maybe just a funny scoring/cracking of the paint. Without removing the paint and looking at it though, there’s no way to be certain. I couldn’t hear anything; couldn’t feel anything. So decided it was probably just the paint. Probably.
Probably.
Fast forward to present day.
The LeMond has been on loan to Chase for much of last season after his bike got crunched in a car accident. When he returned it he said he’d begun to hear/feel a toc toc toc noise when climbing hills – and I wondered if it was that bottombracket afterall. Guess it was time to find out.
So off the wall it came. broke it down to bare frame and cleaned EVERYTHING. Overhauled the headset and both hubs – disassembled cranks and chainrings and cassettes, put some interrupter brake levers on it, rewrapped the bars and put it back on the road; Sure enough you could totally hear it when climbin- toc toc toc. Crap. It’s really there. So begun the long frustrating (and expensive) process of troubleshooting.
By the time I finished I’d sanded the paint off every crack or ding on the entire frame including the bottom bracket (yay it was fine!), replaced my bottom bracket, my cassette, my freehub body, my chain, and my rear derailleur, overhauled the rear hub 3 separate times, recabled it twice, taken it to 4 different bike shops including Aarons - also twice. Irritated doesn’t begin to cover this.
The second trip to ABR finally yielded what I think is the culprit. Mikes last guess is that after 10 years the rear rim is finally worn out, and where the spokes have crossed they’ve become pitted. So when I climb a hill the worn out rim allows the spokes to flex ALOT, and the pitted spokes rub when they flex and voila there’s my toc’ing noise. We greased the nipples on the rim with Phils and the sound actually got worse; in a strange way it sorta gives this theory legs.
Being unemployed is a great opportunity to get a lot done, but I have a bicycle habit to maintain and big purchases like replacing custom rear wheels sorta throw that deficiency into high relief. I need a red rear rim. Preferably Mavic. I’ve been watching eBay. Oh and a job. No I’m not looking to eBay for that.
This post needs pictures. Eh. At least it’s a post I guess. Finally.
Onward.
Ben Country 5 – success
Posted on May 9, 2010 -- Edit Post
Filed Under .83, Bike Kwak, Camping, Donts | 1 Comment
But seriously – FUCK BIKE TRAILERS.
Pictures forthcoming.
Onward.
04/19 2010 Filmed By Bike film festival, Portland Or
Posted on April 23, 2010 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak | Leave a Comment
Here are my pictures. I don’t actually blog anymore. Click the picture for the image gallery.
Carry on.
FHR – initial report
Posted on March 1, 2010 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak | Leave a Comment
From the Twitterverse
1130am
I’m on top of baker hill – vodka checkpoint in effect http://bit.ly/9BRgxO
1150am
Patrick just passed the vodka checkpoint – didn’t even slow down
1155am
2nd place Evan stroky – 3rd tall Bryan
1230pm
Zomg I’m shitfaced plZ come drink vodka @baker hill
1250pm
I love my job
130pm
I’m out of vodka – I think I drank it all – greyhounds are my drink of choice afterall. Shortcut baker hill if you want Fuggit.
145pm
I can barely stand up going to chili feed go fuk yrself zomgzzzzzgkjkjgssthphth
150pm
Btw I didn’t even get to sit in my chair thanks assholes
—
Real post and pics forthcomming
FHR – February 28 – it’s coming
Posted on February 19, 2010 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak | Leave a Comment
5th annual .83 Waffle Ride
Posted on February 9, 2010 -- Edit Post
Filed Under .83, Bike Kwak, Wrecks | Leave a Comment
75 bicyclists with trailers and bags and booze + One park on Mercer Island + waffles = Wafflegedon.
In the spirit of theft, I’m stealing everything to make this post. Go me.
DERRICK:
1. im drunk
2. whiskey bar linsday suicide. girl met us, amangeed to post on the internet bbefore us. unacceptablbbler.
3. bacon.
3. eggs
4. waffle mix
5. we didnt get arrested on mercer island
6. fuck you ad your mckaniclals.
7. hitting on happy stick daveswife for shits n giggles.
8. cchina something karoke
9. wafffle mix EVERYWEHERE
10. henry kaoke telling htem to go fuck and die.
-11. us leaving karaoke joint in a hurry
12. hooverville
13. hooverville served us last call
14. hoovervillethrew us out
15. hooberville barback yelled at as for waffle mix EVeeyrwhere
16. china harbor
17. looked like we were going to get in fist fight at china place
18. karaoke joint that threw us out gave me back my helmet and jacket
19. ride to car
20. uh oh. problem
21. home
322. eat my ass. awesome
http://point83.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7898
ANDRE:
Hello my name is Derrick, I will be your problem for the evening
Adam
Batter Up
Warming Up
Old Crow
Karaoke at Bush Gardens afterwards
GREG:
JENI:
Will link to flickr accounts and get permissions tomorrow. I just wanted to get this put up finally.
Onward.
Dear Shitheel
Posted on February 2, 2010 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak | 3 Comments
It only took me some 4 hours in my car to get to Port Townsend this Saturday. Rain. Traffic. More rain. More traffic. Ferry schedules. I’d also footed the bill for a tank of gas and paid for two ferry rides. So to say I was disappointed when, after finding Chase, Christopher and Jess at Sirens Pub pleasantly already half loaded, and we cheerfully wandered over to the Water Street Brewery to partake in the Strange Brew Beer Festival only to be told that they had in fact just moments ago ran out of beer completely… to say I was disappointed would definitely fall a little short of summarizing my feelings on the topic. What a bummer.
But it turns out, that wouldn’t be the best part of this story. If I thought the disappointment for spending all day to get to a beer festival that didn’t have any beer was awesome, it really didn’t begin to compare to what happens next. This is where you come in, Shitheel.
Because in the brief 50 minutes it took me to find the three cyclists who’d invited me to join them (I was going to give them a ride back to the Mukilteo ferry terminal since it’d become a rainy dark mess out there), and while I was being shot down at the gates of Awesometown and being detoured to No-beer-ville in Gofuckyourselfistan; It’s in this oh so brief period of time that you, Shitheel, took it upon yourself to STEAL MY MESSENGER BAG OUT OF THE BACK OF MY CAR.
I didn’t notice it’s loss until we got to the Ferry Terminal because I was busy strapping bikes and drunk bicyclists into le auto at the time. (I ask Jess, can you hand me my camera out of my bag? Jess says, what bag?)
Yes, there went my Chrome Messenger Bag ($175), my Outdoor Research GorTex Hardshell Jacket ($300), my three pairs of gloves ($175), two MiNewt Bicycle Lights ($250), arm warmers ($50), Miscellaneous Bicycle Tools, tire pumps, and locks ($200), my wool Tam hat that I’ve been wearing for 20 odd years now, my sketchbook with my frame bag patterns, my camera ($400~), and my f’ing checkbook.
These are good and necessary tools to doing what I do, and replacing them isn’t cheap, or convenient. Or even possible in some cases.
I try not to put a lot of value on things – it’s just stuff after all. I’m not kidding. I’ll lament the inconvenience, or having to re-purchase, but I’m not sentimental about much and possessive/materialistic about almost nothing. I’m pretty good about giving stuff away – putting into the karmic pool I like to think. Well, turns out I was bummed about the hat. I guess after 20 years you get attached to something like that. Didn’t see that coming. Crazy. Anyhow, the rest?
Well I have renters insurance for $12/mo and apparently I’m told it covers things like this. I wasn’t looking forward to haggling with the insurance company about what was actually taken (no jeez I didn’t have receipts for it all anymore) but I can’t be the first person in that same position. Surely they wouldn’t deny my claim based on that? Heck Lee said his bike got stolen/banged up or something and BOOM they gave him a new bike almost no questions asked. He’s basically why I even got renters insurance. Seemed like a good idea, and possibly the only way to protect my bikes.
I think to myself, well maybe this will work out and I’d get to replace my stuff with new stuff. Not a horrible result given the options open to me. I could live with that okay.
So I called the Port Townsend PD from the ferry terminal, filed a police report and got my case number. I’d file a claim with insurance tomorrow if possible, cancel my checkbook on Monday – or whenever Chase Manhattan Bank decided to open up – and everything would be okay… ultimately. Inconvenient, frustrating and dis-empowering to be sure, and boy was I angry, but I’d be all right. Bruised ego but that’d be the worst of it. I finally said to myself, just chill out, this is going to work out. Blessing in disguise. Just roll with it and let insurance handle the details.
If this story’d ended there, it would have sucked but would have been okay. Yeah, no. We’re not done apparently. HERE’S WHERE IT STARTS GETTING GOOD.
The next day Port Townsend Police Department calls – they’ve recovered my bag! Sweet I say to myself – I get my sketchpad and hat back, and I don’t have to replace my bag – which I really like actually. Cop says everything seems to be in there that I reported, even the checkbook “which you’ll still want to cancel” he informs me. Yup. On it. But the camera was gone.
I’m like, dang. That’s a bummer, but I guess I’ll just file my claim for the camera. Not as good, but good enough.
The camera was $400. Turns out my renters insurance deductable is $500.
This, SHITHEEL, is where this story really gets awesome. Because not only did I waste an entire Saturday going to a beer festival that didn’t have any beer so you could steal all my shit, and not only have I been completely fucked out being able to file an insurance claim to cover it, but I ALSO get to eat the cost of a replacement camera AND the cost of gas and ferry rides a second time JUST so I can go back and claim what remains of my stuff.
Is there a cherry to put on the cake? WHY YES THERE IS THANKS FOR ASKING. Yes, the cherry on the cake here is it turns out I ALSO get to take a half-day of fucking PTO to do it because the Port Townsend Police Department Evidence Room is only open from 9am to 6pm Monday thru Friday. I must take time off work to drive up there and claim it in person I’m told (on the phone). Can’t mail it.
SO!
Dear Shitheel,
You should have just fucking burnt my bag. By leaving it you actually made it worse – you basically triple fucked me with this little added bonus. While I’m glad to get my stupid hat and bag and stuff back in general, I actually had a small dim light at the end of this fuckall tunnel that was my completely wasted and blown Saturday with the insurance angle. By recovering it, you even managed to fuck me out of that.
If I find you I’m going to break your fucking fingers off one by one and feed them to you, but I hope you like your new camera and the $30 you’ll inevitably sell it for on Craigslist.
Did I mention that one of my 2010 resolutions was to Try and Not Say the F Word for 2010? Yeah? Fuck you, you fucking fuck.
Die in a fire.
(Thanks to the Port Townsend Police Department though. I do appreciate the follow through. Lovely little town you have there.)
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