The Flat Tire

This Better End Soon

2012-01-30T11:36:00.000-10:00

Cause as much as I'm getting tired of thinking about it, I'll bet you, the readers, are getting tired of reading about it.
You know what I'm talking about.
Well, it will end soon.
I promise.
Sort of.
I mean it's getting down to the nitty gritty.
Besides my previously mentioned option, I have two(three) more.
Basically it comes down to this:

Painted and lugged or:

Monocoque and nekkid.
Okay, I said I wasn't going monocoqued, but hey, I lied.
There's also a couple of other things like integrated or regular seatposts, and external and internal cables, mostly small stuff.
Both frames are older models on close out, probably the only way I'd be able to afford them.
I'm actually sort of hoping one or the other gets sold so I'm only left with one choice.
I also haven't totally eliminated some carbon Celesteness, though I admit steel celeste has a greater appeal.
What?
Option three?
Who said anything about option three?
I did?
Ah, the secret third option does not yet have the Tup Seal of Approval(TSOA). In fact it's sort of a desperation option.
Actually it's not desperation at all for I can always go back and consider some lugged steel.
Speaking of options, the fact that there are so many of them is really driving me crazy.
I mean it's pretty much the only thing I've been thinking about these past few months and I'll really be glad when it's over.
Getting a new frame is a personal thing with many variables involved, many that I didn't think of when I first started.
My problem with all these choices is magnified when you throw in my obsessive nature and the way I tend to focus on and target things indiscriminately.
Lemme tell you, I've spent some sleepless nights and days sorting it all out.
Well, not so much the days.
Being sleepless I mean.
So anyways, I'm getting ready to pull the cork so to speak.
Just waiting on a few emails to come back, then more hang wringing up until the Final Decision(FD).
Seriously, the quicker this gets done, the better.

Sunday Final

2012-01-29T16:02:00.002-10:00

Boy.
It was that kind of day.
Well not the whole day, just the riding part of the day.
It was bad.
Like really bad.
Think of your worstest day on the bike and double it and that's the kind of ride I had.
My poor legs.
At least I think they are my legs.
The way they performed today, I'm not too sure.
Could they be someone else's legs?
Sort of look like my legs.
Except that they were loudly complaining as the miles added up.
Screaming at me they were.
Stop! Stop!
I tried the Jens Voigt thing and told them to quiet down, but no, they weren't listening to me.
This was like the most agonizing ride ever!
Well okay, when I first started riding it was pretty darn agonizing too, so maybe it wasn't the most.
Pretty darn close though.
For the last three months or so I've been taking it easy, riding only on the weekends.
I guess now it's all caught up to me.
Time to pay the whomever.
The Lactic Acid God(LAG).
Oh yes, the LAG has reared his ugly head and made my bicycling time pure misery.
I swear I was only going like ten miles an hour!
Ten grueling, painful, burning, torturous miles per hour.
I sort of knew it was going to be bad as soon as I left the house.
The pedals just felt heavy and I found myself checking to see if maybe I was in a small gear.
Nope.
So it was small legs for nineteen miles.
I got fatigued fast, and recovery took like what seemed forever!
A huffing and a puffing all the way home.
Sometimes I get like this and oh, after about ten miles or so the legs come back and all is well.
Not today.
I feel so weak, so small, so unworthy.
I was sure folks on the side of the road were pointing at me, making fun of my slowness.
Look at that dude! He's hardly moving!
Yeah, but look at his bike!
I'm so ashamed.
Today, I couldn't even be a poseur.
I was a wannabee poseur.
Boy.
I've sunk pretty far.
Not for long.
It's time to get off the couch and hit the road and get back into shape!
Time to lay some rubber on the asphalt and put some fear into women and small children!
Time to lose these extra ten pounds I've been carrying around!
Time to call NORAD cause I'm going Super Sonic!
I'm sure the carbon fibre will help.
Maybe.

Sunday Early Edition

2012-01-29T07:44:00.008-10:00

The life of a bicycle.
As went through the parts bins over at Kvibe, the free wheel bin in particular, I began to think about the life of a bicycle.
It occurred to me that for the most part, a lot of those free wheels looked brand new.
Despite the rust I mean.
Oh there were some where the teeth were shark toothed to death, but there were some that still carried a hard edge, almost no signs of use.
That made me sad.
Images of a brand new bicycle, ridden only once or twice, then let by the side of house to rust away in the Hawaiian salt air came to mind.
Folks that bought a bicycle for some reason or another, no doubt with good intentions, then for some reason or another, let those good intentions slip away.
Then there are the bicycles that get ridden, and ridden hard.
Bicycles that were perhaps ridden to their limits, like that Vitus I got sitting in front of me.
Ridden till the wheels fell off.
That made me happy.
At the Old Bicycles Home, I wonder what they, the bicycles, talk about?

If they could talk I mean.
In other news, I received a package the other week from a land far, far, away.
From the other side of the world if you will:

I sort of left it unopened until now for I knew what it was.
Lemme tell you, it's something good.
Is it bigger than a bread box?
Maybe:

A while back, in my travels through Bloggerland, I came across something that made my ears perk up.
No, it wasn't on Chicks and Bikes though my ears perk up quite a lot while poking around there too.
It was on Aura of Past Shadows, our friend Trevor's photography site.
One image captured my fancy(that's my British accent), so much so that I requested, pleaded and begged Trevor for a print.
He very kindly complied:

Signed of course, and according to Trevor, one print of ten.
Pure black and white awesomeness!
Now of course I must find a frame.
A big mahalo(that's my Hawaiian accent) to Trevor for granting me a wish!
I'll try and send some sunshine over in your direction.
Today, we got more than enought sunshine to go around.
If you know what I mean.

What Tup Dragged Home

2012-01-28T14:37:00.012-10:00

Well not exactly dragged.
Loaded in the car is more precise.
Today, I spent a few hours doing my cleaning thing over at Kvibe.
Slowly but surely, we are getting rid of the bad and keeping the good, though I'm not sure they'll ever use the spare parts they got:

Parts up the yin yangs!
I swear I must have tossed like twenty free wheels today.
If you squint yer eyeballs, you can see that there's still a lot more stuff to go through.
What I'm trying to do is make some room so that folks can work on their bicycles without stuff hanging off the shelves and poking them in the back.
The bicycle stands were full today:

A repair and a build underway.
So anyways, today as I was cleaning out more wheels, like tons of wheels, I came across something that caught my eyeballs.
Well me being me, I offered to take it home and try and fix it up:

The Vitus 979 was almost full Dura Ace, just the down tube shifters were mismatched.
The only problem was this:

The down tube has separated from the bottom bracket.
I was naive enough to think that some JB Weld would fix that right up.
Wrong!
Frame is toast.
According to those that know about these things.
So instead I guess I'm stripping it down and taking the parts back where they can be of some use to someone else.
Pics later when I break it down.
The frame really is beautiful and nice to look at.
Lemme tell you though, I could feel the tension in the room.
You know, the Italians and the Frenchy.
Still, they should learn to get along.
This may have been a sign of things to come.
Maybe.

TUP

2012-01-28T11:06:00.002-10:00

That's my new handle.
Call me Tup!
Hey Tup!
Mr. Flat "Tup" Tire.
Yep, that's me.
The Ultimate Poseur.
I was up last night, thinking about my next bicycling related acquisition, and it dawned on me.
Like a revelation, a thunderbolt from the heavens it struck me down.
Okay, not really.
I was already lying down on the couch.
It did bruise and singe my already fragile ego though.
The thunderbolt I mean.
Anyways, I realized that I don't really deserve the bicycle frame that I am contemplating purchasing.
WTF am I thinking?
What makes me think I even remotely qualify to own such a bicycle?
The designers of this bicycle frame did not have me in mind!
Hell, I don't even deserve the bicycles I got now!
I mean they don't really represent the cyclist I am.
For one thing, I'm a pretty lazy dude.
If they made a lazy bicycle I'd be all over it.
Okay, I guess they make recumbents, but I'm not ready to be reclining and riding around just yet.
Electric bicycles sound kinda cool, but that's just shattering the image.
You know what's coming next, say it with me: image is everything.
Which is what my bicycles are to me, an image.
An image I've created, a fantasy if you will, conjured up by an over active imagination and sleepless nights.
I should stop watching le Tour.
All them fancy smancy bicycles and team kits flying around the French country side, that my friends is image!
Realistically, I should be on some cruiser bike with the foamy things on the handlebars, riding around the beach with a cooler in tow.
No spandex, no clipless pedals, just some shorts, a tee shirt and some slippers.
That's flip flops to you folks on the Continent.
Instead I dress up in uncomplimentary form fitted clothing and ride around in a peloton of one pretending I'm going somewhere fast.
The.
Ultimate.
Poseur.
At least I can admit it.
I mean once I realized it, I sort of came to terms with it.
All the world's a stage(race) non?
The thing is, in my convoluted mind, The Ultimate Poseur deserves The Ultimate Poseur Bicycle!
Something crazy expensive and unique, a mobile billboard proclaiming my Ultimate Poseurness.
Unfortunately I'm not crazy rich so I'll have to settle for Middle Class Poseur with Ultimate Poseur aspirations.
Look! There goes Tup!
What a poseur.
Yeah, but check out his bike!
Me and Reality.
We're not real close.

Getting The Message Across, Your Chance!

2012-01-27T20:32:00.012-10:00

Getting the message across is not an easy thing.
Especially when dealing with teens that today have all sorts of media at their disposal.
What I mean is that it becomes difficult to keep their attention.
No longer is it just about the book.
It sort of has to be a show.
If you know what I mean.
Science has always been one of my favorite subjects; I like to know why and how and things like that.
Not all of it is applicable in everyday life, in fact most of it isn't, so extreme measures must be taken to get the message across.
Okay, not really.
About the extreme part.
Today in chemistry class, the students got a lesson in well, I don't know what it was all about.
Combining stuff to make another stuff I guess.
Vinegar was added to a couple of small pieces of magnesium:

To show that something was actually happening, it was put in a large syringe and the students could see the volume increase.
Then the stuff was put into a test tube:

Most of then had to do this part twice as they it took a while to get the procedure correct.
Then the instructor came around, and:

What do you think happened?
Well, you will just have to try this yourself cause I ain't saying.
Okay, not really.
I'll tell.
I know how you all dislike suspense.
If you remember the Hindenburg, you know what happened.
Apparently, vinegar and magnesium together produce hydrogen and when the match was applied, well:

The hydrogen ignited, just not in that scale.
Though it would have been pretty spectacular.
The kids were impressed even thought he explosion was more like a small pop.
The message here being clear: don't drip vinegar based sauces around your magnesium framed bicycle.
Things could get sort of hot.
So anyways, one of the other classes I got is this:

I gotta say that kids, in this case juniors, are pretty dumb.
When it comes to driving around in a car I mean.
Most of them have no clue what is going on, how to operate a vehicle, or what makes a vehicle actually move.
Scary stuff.
Well, I present to you, the reader, this chance to make kids less dumb!
I have received permission to present a short thingy on bicycles, sort of a safety on the road thing, so that these kids know how to deal with bicyclists once they hit the road.
Here's your chance to get a message across!
What I need is your suggestions, scenarios, safety thingys, that will help these kids navigate the streets along with you, the bicyclist.
My lesson for instance, is that bicycles have the same right of way on the road, and that they are to be afforded all the same rights and courtesies.
Think of it as sort of road test for drivers, only involving folks on bicycles.
Sort of a here's the scenario, what would you do? kind of thing.
Steve A, are you listening?
If I get enough suggestions, maybe some pictures to illustrate, I can put together a Power Point(if I still remember how) to present to the class.
If it's good enough, maybe the Drivers Ed instructor can make it a permanent addition to the lessons and that would be a good thing.
A chance to send the next generation of drivers out with a positive message about folks on bicycles.
I hope.

The Kewlade

2012-01-26T21:32:00.004-10:00

Drink up.
You know it's good.
Don't worry.
I got more.
So says the advertising.
Wading through all the carbon fibre bicycle frames out there is like drowning in a pool of Kewlade.
It's all kewl.
Proprietary this, proprietary that.
Follow me!

This is like the bestest!
Unidirectional!
High modulus!
This puppy is like the mostest stiffest lightest frame ever!
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Ahhhhhhh!
Choke!
Heimlich please?
Thank you.
I think I got it out of my system.
Maybe.
Custom carbon!
Oh my!
Sell the kids!
Custom carbon is like Ferrari is like Unobtainium.
It exists, just not in the same space as I.
Is that the down tube or are you just happy to see me?
My down tube is bigger, and bigger is better.
Yes, but can you slice through the air with the greatest of ease?
Wind tunnel tested am I.
UCI legal I am not.
Add some ballast.
You mean like this thing around my stomach?
No, not that much!
Well at least the frame is light.
Right?
The nano-nano Mork like stuff.
Mindy would approve.
Laterally stiff!
Yet vertically compliant.
Like a pogo stick.
Can carbon boing?
No, but it can explode.
Catastrophically.
So I heard.
Did I say it's light?
No, you said expensive.
It's all in the weave.
Drink up and believe.

The Mayor's Limo

2012-01-25T08:23:00.000-10:00

Which is what we affectionately call the bus.
Or it's what I call the bus.
More appropriately, TheBus.
I forget exactly why I and other folks of my generation call it the Mayor's Limo, but I think it had to do with a former mayor, the one who started up TheBus, and his taking TheBus to work.
I don't know how long he actually rode TheBus, but ever since then, when we wanted to go someplace, we rode the Mayor's Limo:

That is until we all got cars.
Then the Mayor's Limo got sort of a bad rap:
"Eh, you can gimme one ride?"
"Brah, take da Mayor's Limo!"
Or:
"Man, my car stay broke."
"How you goin work?"
"I guess I gotta take da Mayor's Limo."
As time went by and we got older and spoiled, TheBus sort of lost its glamour.
If you know what I mean.
Well now, times a changing and the TheBus is cooler now.
Besides the air conditioning I mean:
"Eh, check out my bus pass!"
"Ho boy, you goin save plenny money on gas!"
Which is my motivation for revisiting TheBus.
My round trip to work is around 30 miles, which means I burn about two gallons of gas per day.
Not very economical, especially when you have other thing besides gas to pay for.
It would be difficult for me to ride TheBus on my dialysis days, since when I leave I'm in no condition to walk any long distance, so that leaves three days a week when I could conceivably ride TheBus to work and into town on Saturdays.
I could save $30 dollars a week or $120 dollars a month on gas.
A bus pass costs like $60.
Net savings, $60 a month.
Now sixty bucks is sixty bucks and now I'm really thinking about it.
Hard.
'Cept I ain't got no 'muter bike.
Maybe.
I could put a rack on the Ciocc:

I would need a rack for I carry a lot o'crap with me to work, plus I found out they got a shower there so I could change my clothes and be all zestfully clean for the rest of the day.
Well, I don't really want to do the drop bar thing in traffic, so maybe I can convert it to a flat bar:

Maybe.
Anyways, I've been looking at all the possibilities.
The thing is, I need to ride at least two times a week to make it worth my while so to speak, and to be honest, I'm sort of afraid to take the plunge.
Habit and all that.
Part of the reason is that Tuesdays and Thursdays would be the riding days, and I get out early on those days, early enough so that when I get home, I got pleny of time to get a ride in.
Something I wouldn't be able to do if I did TheBus thing.
There's some pros and cons I'm still working out, but I'd like to try it at least once, you know, to see how it goes.
So besides that other thing, I'm going to try and outfit one of the bicycles around here for work.
We'll see how that goes.
Or doesn't go.
Or something.
"Eh, how you came work?"
"I wen ride my bike."
"Allright!"

The State of the Flat Tire Address

2012-01-24T10:14:00.001-10:00

Check!
Check!
Is this thing on?
Check!
Ahem.
My fellow Flats, the time has come to discuss the present and the future.
In the present, everything seems okay.
Sort of.
Maybe.
Since our incorporation and the forming of the Republic, way back in 1972, The Flat Tire has grown epically, empirically, and estatically.
Our number one goal has been to inform and entertain.
Not anymore!
We here at The Flat Tire will not sleep until he have achieved complete global domination!

(insert applause)

We shall take the world house by house, street by street, municipality by municiplality, hamlet by hamlet, village by village, City to City(Gerry Rafferty album), state by state, country by country, continent by continent, well, you get my drift.
We will march on, spreading and assimilating, converting, by forced labor if necessary, the word and the will of Flat Tireness!

(insert wild cheering)

Now my friends, the time has come to talk about the economy.
We need you, the reader, to do your part!
To stimulate!
To revive!
To jump start!
The economy I mean.

(insert murmurs)

You need to get out today, and buy something!
Anything!
Some potato chips!
A burrito!
A new bicycle frame!

(insert jeers)

Uh, okay.
Let's not talk about the economy!

(insert applause)

Let's talk about uh, World Domination!
Yes, World Domination!

(insert wild applause)

Soon, and I mean soon, like very soon, the rest of the world will bow at your feet!
A virtual kow tow!
Ground kissing and all that!
The Republic of The Flat Tire will soon become synonomous with Power, Corruption, and Lies(New Order album)!

(insert wild cheering)

I mean Power, Consumption, and High Fives!

(insert crowd control)

Power!
Consumption!
High fives!

(insert crowd chanting)

Power!
Consumption!
High fives!

Okay, where's the buffet?

LBF

2012-01-23T10:08:00.001-10:00

It's so embarrassing.
I'm just like a wahine.
You know, like at the cosmetics counter.
Or like shopping for a dress.
It's like the dress gotta match the bag and the shoes.
Or vice versa.
Well I sort of feel like I got the bag, all I need is the dress.
If the bag were the group set I mean.
Of course the wheels are the shoes.
I swear, I got all sorts of convoluted plans, it ain't funny.
Okay, it's sort of funny if you aren't me.
It's like I'm looking at this, looking at that, maybe the the color isn't right or maybe they don't match the shoes.
Or maybe I should wait until they go on sale.
The one thing I can't do is buy it, wear it with the tags still on and then return it later.
I never got how women can do that.
I mean I wear some pants, it's a done deal!
No way they're going back to the store.
So anyways, this is what started it all:

I been busy perusing some alternatives to my game plan and lo and behold back at the Holy Oracle of Our Mother of All Things Celesteness what should I stumble upon but some carbon fibre goodness!
Now I'm not really all into the carbon fibre thing, I prefer classic lines, but a nice Carbon Celeste Devil is not out of the question.
Well, since I had stooped so low as the even think about carbon fibre, I decided a little dose of decadence couldn't hurt.
Could it?
Well from celeste carbon goodness, it escalated to this:

Unobtainable Carbon Goodness(UCG).
One of those I could afford it, but only to hang on the wall goodness.
I also looked at everything in between.
Okay, I also admit that when I went to the LBS to get them spokes, I poked around for a bit, looking at the year end specials and such and well, the carbon bug sort of bit hard.
So smooth and shiny!
Unobtainable Lightness of Frameness!
So I started to brush up on my carbon fibre intellect.
Made in the Far East they are.
Most of them.
No Far East carbon for me.
It has to be special.
Exclusive.
Lugged.
If you know what I mean.
Cookie cutter monocoque just doesn't cut it.
Get it? cookie cutter? cut it?
Nevermind.
Well it seems that I have a new plan.
What? Boy Mr. Flat Tire, you are worse than a girl!
That's what I said.
I'm just like a wahine.
Every wahine needs that LBD, the Little Black Dress.
The dress that's appropriate for all occasions, still looks classy, and doesn't make you look fat.
You can add a bit o'nastiness to that too.
What color is carbon fibre?
Stay tuned.

Sunday Final

2012-01-22T15:35:00.006-10:00

Womp! Womp! Womp!
Okay, not really.
More like:
Wiggly! Wiggly! Wiggly!

Well, that's not very Wiggly.
It was.
Wiggly I mean.
If you, the reader, have been following along at home, you know that I picked up this Rockhopper a while back and on its maiden voyage I broke a spoke.
As usual, it's taken me some time to get to it, seeing as how that was the first and last time I rode that bike.
So this morning, after my deep thoughts, I started in.
I took off a spoke and took it to the LBS.
Well, what happened was, a few of them spokes were of the galvanized type, so I took one of them off hoping to replace it with a SS spoke.
It turned out them old spokes were the wrong size and had been laced up wrong:

You can see that the spokes had been laced up incorrectly over the opposing spoke, as I found out later it was because they were shorter than the original spokes:

So off I went, back to the LBS with the correct spoke this time for five, since I had to replace the bad spokes.
Still following along?
So anyways, I replace the spokes and start truing up the wheel.
Sort of.
I mean I got it all side to side straight.
Then I spun it up and noticed it was not perfectly round.
So I started to try and take out the out or roundness.
Which made the side to side all goofy.
Which is what you see in the video above.
I'd like to say that I spent like ten minutes on them spokes, but I did not.
Take ten minutes.
The fact is, I don't exactly know how long I was fooling around with it, though I did notice that I started with the football game and was still messing around with it at half time.
So where did it get me?
Right back to where I started:

You can see the zip tie on the fork I used for the side to side thing, but the wheel is still sort of ovoid.
Ovoidal?
Elliptical?
You catch my drift.
Anyways I gave up after a bit, my fingers were getting tired.
So while I was sitting there, turning them spokes, suddenly a vision appeared in my head.
Carbon fibre!
More on that later.

Sunday Early Edition

2012-01-22T07:55:00.004-10:00

Soul searching.
That's what I've been doing.
Though I didn't really know it.
When I first started riding a bicycle, regularly I mean, I had no idea it would lead to this.
It all happened so fast, without even thinking about it, without any kind of plan.
One day, I woke up and suddenly bicycling was a large part of my life.
Sometimes I wonder what I would be doing know if it wasn't.
I'd still be carrying those extra pounds, out of shape, riding the couch.
Okay, I still spend an inordinate amount of time watching Law & Order.
Sometimes though, I do manage to pull myself away from the tv to get out and smell the flowers.
So to speak.
My living room wouldn't be crowded with all sorts of things bicycle and bicycle related, my book shelf would have a bit more space on it, and I'd probably be making more clay stuff.
I'm not quite sure what happened.
I look around me sometimes, and it's like I wonder who lives here, who owns all this stuff?
It's gotta be me; I don't see anyone else coming and going.
I'm not quite sure what to make of all this.
I also find myself in a sort of transitional period.
Admittedly, I'm not the same as when I first started riding.
I mean I'm not itching to get out like before, not as hardcore if you will.
I don't know, maybe I've hit a plateau.
Or maybe I've found a comfort zone.
Which may be a good or bad thing.
I feel like my enthusiasm for riding has waned.
I don't daydream about being out on the road, my yearly mileage has dropped and I do get lazy.
On the other hand, I feel more involved with bicycling than I have ever been.
At this point, I feel like it's not only important to do, it's also important to do something.
Maybe my enthusiasm is just going in another direction.
Priorities changing and all that.
I'm even rethinking the whole Quest for Frame(QFF) thing, maybe redirecting some of the funds to where it will do more good.
I mean I'm pretty much already good.
More gooder than most.
If you know what I mean.
No? You, the reader don't know?
Volunteering over at Kvibe the co-op place is responsible.
For the attitude change I mean.
Seeing these kids pop in, ready to work for a bicycle is enlightening.
I mean just getting a bicycle is a big deal, and we're not talking no carbon fibre Dura Ace fifteen pound wonder bike.
We're talking just a bicycle.
I've only been out there for three days and lemme tell you three is days is more than enough to shift the paradigm.
More on this later.
For now, lemme just see if I can hit the road today with my Campagnolo equipped bicycle and see if it makes me a better bicyclist.
I'm sort of hoping is does.
Then again, I think I know the answer.

A New High

2012-01-19T22:38:00.010-10:00

In more ways than one.
Or maybe it's a new low.
I'm not sure.
I mean for sure it's a new high, but it may also be a sign that something is very much wrong.
Or very much right.
I'm so confused.
See when I first got into this bicycle thing, I new I had to get me some tools.
I had a set of metric hex wrenches already, of the Snap On persuasion, so I thought I was pretty much set.
I even got a set of hex wrenches for a 3/8" drive ratchet.
Being for automotive type usage though, they were kinda on the bulky side to use and keep handy.
So I got me a multi-tool:

One of them Topeak Alien jobs with like every tool you'd ever need to work on your bike.
Which was a good thing for I got some use out of it, but it was kinda big and heavy to be carrying around with me.
So I looked for something more manageable.
Since by that time I had two bicycles, I got two of these:

I thought them Park I-Beams were great!
Only the essentials, fit right in the saddle bag.
One day, the Formerly Evil Hoku gave me this:

Topeak Mini-8.
Nice.
Great for working on the bike and I could leave them other tools in the bags.
From there is sort of escalated.
Maybe exploded is a better description.
I guess it makes sense, for the bicycle thing sort of took off too as bicycle started to come and go.
Well I decided that I needed one of them three way Park tool thingys, and some Torx wrenches, and another Torx when I got all Campagnolo Crazy, and then it was a hassle to use a multi-tool so I needed some individual hex wrenches, and then you get some free hex wrenches when you buy stuff like Bicycle Mufflers, and then I needed a 10mm hex for them Ultra Torque cranks which I had but was too lazy to get for by this time, all the Snap On hex wrenches were back in the roll cab where they actually belonged.
Then for Christmas, I got another set:

Awesome!
I think.
All these tools may be indicative of some deep rooted psychological problem.
You know, like maybe I didn't have enough toys as a kid.
Or tools.
Which is crazy, for as long as I can remember, I've been surrounded by tools of all kinds.
I've also lost more tools than I can remember, which is part of the reason why I bought Snap On tools.
I mean you just don't lose Snap On tools!
They cost so much you tend to keep track of them like they were made of gold.
Which I think they are.
Made of gold I mean.
Anyways, back to my deep rooted psychological problems, which I don't want to burden you, the reader with, but what did I find myself doing tonight?
Looking for more hex wrenches!
I don't know where it came from, but suddenly, out of the blue, I decided that it would be way cool to have me some hex wrenches of the titanium variety.
Unfortunately for me, someone actually makes some.
Well I was able to stop myself from certain hex wrench doom by taking an impromptu inventory:

Still, them titanium hex wrenches would be pretty nice.
They won't rust and I could save me some weight in the ole saddle bag.
Then again, if I did that, I'd have to get me one of them compact chain tools.
Or two.
I mean at this point, a couple of more tools to the pile won't really make a difference.
If you know what I mean.

On Your Mark!

2012-01-17T21:28:00.008-10:00

Ready?
Go!
Like molasses in winter.
I swear it was agonizing watching the kids today working with circular saws.
As I said earlier, most of them have never worked with tools, much less power tools so I suppose some apprehension is in order.
They all lined up saws in hand:

What proceeded was the World Slowness Record in Cutting a Two by Four(WSRCTXF)!
I swear, some of them must have took like five minutes to cut through that wood!
Poor saws.
All wound up with no place to cut.
Push! I said.
I am, they said.
Okay.
I shouldn't make fun, this was only their second time.
It was like a power saw ballet, in slow motion.
Difficult to watch.
In other news, today this came in:

Oh yeah baby!
The Holy Bible of the Adult Erector Set(HBAES)!
That 80/20 stuff is extruded aluminium that folks use to make homemade frame jigs out of.
As you can see, the catalog is fairly large, telephone book sized, with all kinds of alloy goodness inside.
So much so that I don't know quite where to start.
Fortunately, I got a parts list.
Sort of.
According to the 80/20 folks, anything is possible!
Like this:

Or if you are feeling really crafty, this:

I was thinking Trevor might have a go at that one.
All them cupcakes don't you know.
So anyways, once I figure out how to use that tome, I'll know what it's going to cost me to make a simple frame jig.
I think the parts will be fairly inexpensive, the shipping is thing that will kill me.
Being on an island in the middle of the ocean is not always a good thing.
Especially when ordering things that are really long.
Anyways, we'll see if this frame building thing is feasible or not.
If anything, that lizard cage looks pretty cool.
Don't touch that dial!

This Should Be Interesting

2012-01-16T20:24:00.005-10:00

Maybe.
I mean I'm not really sure, as "this" is still in its infancy, but I think it will be.
From my point of view.
I think.
First of all, this all started off with an email asking me if I'd be willing to volunteer for some bicycle thing in Kailua.
Sure, I said.
Wait.
Before I said sure, I thought about it.
There I go, thinking again.
Well I thought about it for a while and eventually the conclusion was: what harm could it be?
Very hesitant was I, especially since the volunteer part was vague.
Well today it started out here:

Here, if you, the reader, have been following along at home, is the state capitol.
Sort of a nice place to visit, sort of intimidating if you are there on business.
Still I thought allright! now we're playing with power!
Using the Secret Senator Key(SSK), up to the second floor we went:

Ahem, no bicycle parking downstairs.
So anyways, visiting the Kailua district Senator were we.
To talk about this thing, let's call it code word: This
So we spent a couple of hours discussing This, along with some folks with the Hawaii Bicycle League, eleven of us were there.
Lemme just say right here, it was way cool!
Though it was not my intention to get this deeply involved.
I imagined maybe standing out in the road, direct some traffic or something, but it appears that I will have a small, really small part in getting This off the ground.
So what is This?
This, starts off with an idea.
It seems that once you have an idea, you talk to some folks with similar ideas, and off you go!
Okay, not really.
To be honest, This sort of started off small, then grew big, then went back to small.
All things considered, those of us involved in This, still have no idea what This will be.
Not all the details anyways.
For now, This is about bicycling, and that's good enough for me.
Okay Mr. Flat Tire, why so secretive?
Good question.
Well, This is the first time I'm involved with something like well, This.
I'm not too sure what I'm allowed to post.
In other words, I expect that there will be some barriers, and I'm not sure if naming names is prudent.
I mean I haven't even learned the secret handshake yet!
Here are some things I learned today:

Bicycling is a small community. In the big picture, bicyclists carry a really little stick.
Except if it is an election year.

It helps to have folks in high places on board. Especially someone who knows how to navigate at various state and county levels.

You will probably have to consider interests other than your own. I see compromise in the future.

Volunteers are essential. Although it may seem small, there's a lot going on behind the scenes that get large pretty fast.

Which is what I hope to bring here.
The behind the scenes stuff.
If I'm allowed.
Need to get that Top Secret clearance don't you know.
Anyways, hopefully there'll be more in the coming weeks.
Actually, months.
Stay tuned.
This should be good.

Sunday Final

2012-01-15T15:00:00.007-10:00

Looks can be deceiving.
Fooled today was I.
Oh it started off all fine and dandy, the Celeste Devil and I just cruising along.
During the few and far bewteen rides I've been doing, I've been on a bigger gear, Rocking the Big Ring even, and my average cadence has fallen some.
This worried me, for I was quite happy with where I had built my cadence up to.
It wasn't that long ago when I was happily turning 90 rpms with naught a worry in the world.
Now, 80 is more the norm.
So today, I decided to try and see how much of my aerobicness I had lost.
Not too much it turns out as I was seeing 90-100 quite often and with deceptive ease.
This was the first ten miles of my ride.
The weather lied to me as when I got to park I saw this:

Kailua Bay looked like a freakin lake!
Flat, flat, flat.
This dude looked like a duck, you could see his wake:

If you, the reader, have been following along at home, you know there's this thing where the wind turns and blows from the south, called Kona winds.
Well today, it was like that, the wind was all bass akwards with some fairly strong cross winds.
Actually felt like a wind tunnel.
Of course with the wind, I felt like I could go on forever, no need to hit the nitrous as super sonic speeds were achieved with ease!
Going the other way was a different story.
Oh the pain!
The fire in the thighs!
I swear I was trailing smoke!
Please oh please let it rain some liquid nitrogen!
All that and I was only going like 12 mph!
It was like one of them horror movies where every time I looked up, the end seemed further and further away.
I found myself in some kind of lactic acid hell where the road and wind never ends.
Someone please tell me who's idea this was!
I was so cooked, I ate a Snickers ice cream at the 7-11.
Then I was supposed to meet up with some fellows for a little ride around Kailua.
As I stood straddling the Celeste Devil, surveying the lay of the parking lot, the wind gusted and this fell not ten feet from me:

Okay, it wasn't a really large branch, but it was big enough.
I thought about Steve A, and how he was looking forward to a helmet impact test with coconuts, well he almost got his wish.
Sort of.
I took the falling branch as a sign and decided to head back to Flat Tire Central.
Not before I saw this:

Oh yeah baby!
A new burrito place!
Time to renew my Quest for Burritos(QFB).
Full report will follow.
As soon as the wind dies down.
Or I get some new legs.
Or something.

Sunday Early Edition

2012-01-15T10:09:00.003-10:00

I think I'm done.
It's over.
Well, sort of over.
I have to admit, I don't spend all of my waking hours thinking about bicycles and riding anymore.
I don't sit around and dream about this or that or the other thing, this bicycle or that bicycle, this group set or that group set.
I sort of feel like I've reached the end.
Almost.
The acquisition phase has run its course.
As far as the number of bicycles I need goes.
Yesterday, while I was sorting through all the junk parts over at Kvibe, some nice gentleman brought in a really nice Nishiki mountain bike.
My trained eyeballs immediately noticed it was something in my size with nice paint and a solid looking drive train.
Normally bells and whistles would have been going off in my brain.
Calculations would have begun immediately, the cogs and gears turning and an injection of delusional logic would have sent about a GAGILLION watts of power to the bicycle lust part of my brain.
Didn't happen.
Oh I looked and admired, but for the most part I found myself to be in a fairly passive state.
That caught me by surprise.
What was wrong with me?
I checked to see if I was feverish and I checked my pulse.
No, I wasn't dead.
Normally I would have been in Stage III Acquisition Mode(SIIIAM), but I looked at it, and went about my business.
Once I came home and thought about it, always dangerous, that thinking stuff, I realized I no longer have Bicycle Want(BW).
Or need(BN).
I mean I hardly find the time to ride the four bicycles I have now.
If you, the reader, have been following along at home, you know that four bicycles is needed for the you must have a back up to the back up to the back up.
I think I got that part covered.
Okay I lied.
I still have Bicycle Want, but I'm about to cover that part too.
So what's left?
Where do I go?
Where do I take this, this "hobby" that has consumed my life for the last three odd years?
I have to admit, somewhere along the line it feels as though a switch has been turned, not off, but to another terminal perhaps, as my feelings toward bicycling have changed.
I no longer spend hours and hours and hours on the eVilness or eVilist searching for some imagined grail.
Gone are all the Nashbars and Performance links from my favorites toolbar.
The fact is, my bicycle wish list is at an all time low!
Only three items left to go.
Okay, I'm not counting the tools, you know you can never have enough tools.
Now that one path reaches an end, what fork in the road do I take?
There are no road signs ahead, no guiding lights or maps.
The questions I ask myself are relevant, for I truly am looking in another direction, trying to find out where this road will lead.
I mean there are no dead ends in bicycling, you just turn around and go someplace else.
If you know what I mean.
So what's left?
I dunno.
I suppose I just follow the wise suggestions of the Great Sage JRA(GSJRA).
Time to get up and go ride.
When you really think about it, that's all there is to it.
This bicycling thing I mean.

It Could Be A Bicycle

2012-01-14T14:20:00.005-10:00

Sort of.
I think.
Well this semester, I'm no longer in the metal shop, I'm now in the wood shop.
I mean it's kind of a wood shop, they got wood tools, but it's more like a construction shop, where you learn to hang studs and frame and hang doors and windows.
Oh and learn how to use power tools.
Again like last year, I'm really surprised how many of these kids haven't held a tool in their hands.
Power or not.
So anyways, the wood place is right next to the metal shop so I'm still poking my nose in there to see what's going on.
Apparently some good things, like this:

I guess you'd call that a tricycle.
I mean cause of the three wheels and all.
Not really your traditional tricycle, or even like a Big Wheel, cause of the innovative steering mechanism.
The rear axle pivots and is controlled by the two handles there with the yellow grips.
Really kinda cool!
They added a seat after this image was taken and a couple of students were riding that thing around campus.
Just goes to show that if you give these kids a chance, they can come up with some pretty neat stuff!
I'm gonna try and see if I can get them some more frame fodder to fool around with.
Over at Kvibe, there's a lot of stuff getting tossed as I'm helping to clean up some.
Most of the parts there are just junk, trashed brake levers and stuff missing brackets and stuff so I'm helping them sort through all of that and keeping the things that are well, worth keeping.
I must have dumped like four five gallon buckets worth of worthless parts.
Tons of derailleurs missing screws and kick stands without mounting brackets were all tossed and taken to the dump.
My pay for the day:

A sort of nice pair of Dura Ace aero levers.
You know, just in case.
There's a bicycle thing in Kailua that's in the planning stages.
Something wonderful.
I don't know what's gotten into me, but I volunteered to help out.
I'll know more about it on Monday.
Stay tuned.

Thursday Stuff

2012-01-12T16:18:00.008-10:00

Boy.
I feel so guilty.
I'm not even Catholic.
I was supposed to ride my bicycle today, but I wussed out.
Wussy, wussy, wussy.
Boy.
Maybe I'm overwhelmed.
By bicycles I mean.
Surrounded I am.
No escape.
Well, except for the couch.
My bicycle sanctuary.
Oh yeah.
Anyways, to the stuff.
Traffic hazards:

Coconuts.
Falling from coconut trees.
Not big ones.
Small ones:

Small coconuts + skinny tires = not good things
If you know what I mean.
At least they are not falling on my head:

If not coconuts, then Hawaiian pahvay:

Right in the middle of the street!
Do you know why?
No clue have I.
Surrounded by bicycles.
Out to get me they are.
Whispers in the dark of night.
Possessed?
I think I need to be exorcised.
I mean I need exercise.
Or something.
It's all in my coconut.

What I Found

2012-01-09T21:37:00.005-10:00

So far.
I mean the journey is far from over.
Just getting started.
Sort of.
See the thing is, I've only been riding around on my bicycle for like three and a half years or so.
A neophyte compared to some of you, the readers, out there in Bloggerland.
If you you've been following along at home, you know that it's taken me a while, a lot of trial and error, to get to where I am today.
I mean I haven't bought any bicycle crap in a while; my eVilness watch list is pretty short.
At the moment.
I am for the most part, satisfied with the bicycles I have.
For the most part.
If you know what I mean.
Anyways, I began to think (which at times may or may not be a good thing) about all things bicycle related and how or what it meant to me.
Okay, it's not just about going out for a ride anymore.
To be honest, I didn't/haven't embraced it as a lifestyle, despite all my poseur attempts to do so.
I mean you can ride a bicycle and not be a bicyclist.
Sort of like how you can drive a car, and not be a driver.
Let me put it another way.
Bicycling is like surfing.
It is a lifestyle.
A cult even.
A sort of temple where others may worship, but only you know for sure how devoted you are.
Some may surf, but they aren't about to go out and hit up Pipeline when the outer reef is breaking:

Okay, that may not be the best analogy.
Folks ride bicycles, but not many go out riding around for twenty miles just for fun.
If you can call it fun.
What I'm getting as is that it takes a certain amount of dedication, or maybe it's an understanding or appreciation for what bicycling is all about.
Some folks get it.
Some folks don't.
Well, I was thinking(this might be a good thing) that perhaps I standing on the cusp of this understanding.
On the threshold if you will.
I had the gear, I had the motivation(sort of) and I had the right attitude.
Or so I thought.
In this case it was all image.
In this case, image is not everything.
Oh boy, I can't believe I just said that.
So anyways, I found myself walking this line, this grey area where either you are or you aren't.
Do I just ride a bicycle or am I a bicyclist?
I was sort of stuck on that line, undecided or uncommitted about which side to stay on.
So I started to think long and hard about what bicycling means to me.
Why I do it and all that good stuff.
Let me just say right here that there are no bad reasons for riding a bicycle, at least none that come to mind at the moment.
I started to think about where I was going, where this bicycling thing was taking me and if I was just following along or blazing my own trail.
Cutting my own path.
Following my own lead.
Or something.
Anyways, it came down to what bicycling has done for me(besides lightening my wallet) and what I could to for bicycling.
I like doing ceramics so much, to tell you the truth, I would teach that stuff for free.
Okay, don't tell anyone I said that.
I need to make a living don't you know.
So it was like I dig riding my bicycle so much, I'd like to others folks to enjoy it as much as I do.
Okay, maybe not as much as I do, I mean it would help the economy and all, but really, not everyone needs like four bicycles in their living room.
I just thought that I'd try and share my enthusiasm.
Well, I'm not exactly a feely goody kind of dude.
I mean I don't have like rainbows shooting out of my, well let's just say I'm not a feely goody kind of guy.
So what I decided I did have was some time, and some resources to share.
A certain skill set if you will.
While riding my bicycle was a part of me, I wasn't part of bicycling.
Sort of the part that was missing.
Time to give bicycling a kiss on the lips and see where it goes.
Sort of.
I think.
Anyways, it's time to start a relationship with bicycling.
As we all know, a relationship is give and take.
Mostly give.
If you know what I mean.

Sunday Final

2012-01-08T15:34:00.007-10:00

I've got to start training my eyeballs.
I mean you know, when you're riding around at like Super Sonic(SS) speeds, you gotta train your eyes to see things differently.
Most of it is all a blur.
A couple of weeks ago, I passed something in the park, but I went by so fast, I didn't really bother looking too closely.
Then about a week ago, I passed by it again, and like before, kept on going.
Well today, as I was Sub Sonic(SubS), I had a chance to slow down and see what the hell was going on:

Two weeks ago, there was something similar hanging there, between two coconut trees, but in all honesty, it looked to me like one of them reindeer made out of twigs.
You know, the ones with lights and there's one that nods.
Then last week, it looked like the reindeer was eating something as there were two thingys hanging there.
Well this lizard thingy today caught my eyeballs.
A dude named Storekeeper was working with found objects and making some sculptures.
I should have stopped earlier, but before those things were just hanging and there was no one around; today Store was busy working.
He wraps the plant material over wire:

As you can see, he uses different plant stuff to get different effects.
I sort of liked the use of the coconut fronds to make all them pokey things sticking out, and if you squint yer eyeballs, you can see some round looking leaves that look like scales.
Store said he plans to make a set of them and set them up sitting around a table.
I'd like to see it once he gets done:

Anyways, the weather here has been pretty nice, folks were out today taking advantage of the calm winds.
Funny, as I was riding around, the wind didn't feel so calm.
If you know what I mean.
It's sort of unusual as the winter winds are blustery and carry a chill.
Here's a couple of dudes taking doing their thing on the melted snow:

Sort of like water walking, except with some floaty thingys.
Cheaters.

Sunday Early Edition

2012-01-08T08:18:00.007-10:00

So yesterday, as I was acquiring the items for my welding table, I also came across from metal mesh stuff thingys.
Sort of like the stuff used to make roads or runways by the military, which is where it probably came from since around these parts there is still a large amount of military surplus stuff floating around.
A metal mesh is good to cut on, since the blow through has somewhere to go, mainly down, and is not reflected back at you.
Since it's still a lot of heat, the mesh needs to be sort of on the thick side, like this:

I've cut over some thinner stuff and well, it just doesn't last.
Because them mesh things are pretty darn large, I'll take a portable oxy-acetylene kit back there to cut it up.
Hopefully next Saturday.
The shelf I plan to make consists of a metal shelf:

The steel shelf is sort of necessary not only for heat protection, but also if I do any MIG welding, the ground can be clamped directly to the table.
The shelf will be bolted up to the angle iron I cut up yesterday:

I think the mesh will cover half the shelf, so that half will be for cutting, the other half for welding and brazing.
I don't think I need much space since I'll be only working on small stuff.
I gotta gotta go to the Man Store today and get some bolts to well, bolt it up.
Or I have this old entertainment center thingy, the kind where the TV can be rotated on top, so if the shelf fits, I may just use that for now.
More on that later.
I'm getting all this ready for the flux came in at the welding place:

Now I can start a cutting and a brazing and a cutting and a brazing.
The metal top, the shelf, will be useful as to hold the pieces of whatever you are working on in place you use these large magnets, which I still need to get.
Or you can clamp stuff up, but seeing as how I'm working with tubes, that may be sort of difficult.
Maybe I can get some Hot Brazing Action!(HBA!) going later today.
Sparks will be a flying!
You know, after I finish watching Law & Order.

Getting Busy

2012-01-07T14:09:00.007-10:00

So to speak.
I mean usually on a Saturday, I take it easy, plant myself on the couch and watch me some Law & Order.
Or something.
The thing is I could be riding, but coming off a dialysis day, it's not a good idea to go out and exert myself too hard.
Besides, I'm really lazy.
So I was thinking, since I don't ride my bike, I should still try and do something bicycle related.
More on this later.
Anyways, this morning I went out in hunt of angle iron January:

Over at The Warehouse, there was a bunch of angle iron I needed to make me a welding table.
I also got me a steel shelf for the top.
I cut the angle iron to make the legs and some supports, now I just need to bolt the whole thing up.
You know, later.
So after I was done scavenging in the parking lot, it was time for me to make good on an offer.
I decided sometime last year, to volunteer some time over at Kvibe, the local bicycle co-op place:

As I said earlier, on Saturday mornings, I'm usually sitting around thinking of things bicycle related, so instead of just sitting around, I decided to try and do something bicycle related.
Kvibe caters mostly to youths, who can come in and work on their bicycles or they can choose one of the many donated bikes to fix up and take home.
If they help work on it and learn about how a bicycle works.
They are quizzed before they can take their new rides home.
Moi, being the FNG, I just helped clean up the place as they are trying to make more work space:

For some odd reason, they had like a GAGILLION drive side cranks, but no non drive side crank arms.
Very curious.
We also dumped a whole lotta wheels that were just sitting around taking up space, and some frames that were on this side of toast.
While I was there, three young girls came in to get bicycles.
They were led in back to pick out some frames, then helped by the other volunteers to get their bikes in working condition.
By the time I left, all three were enjoying their new to them bicycles, riding around in the parking lot.
I don't quite know what my role will be there, I just hope to do whatever I can to help the folks at Kvibe accompish their mission.

For My Next Trick

2012-01-03T14:31:00.010-10:00

Vog.
It's what we call volcanic smog.
The Big Island of Hawaii has got to be about a hundred miles away, but when the wind gets calm or blows Kona, meaning from the south, we get vog across the island chain:

Nice weather don't get me wrong, but when the wind is Kona, it gets hot and muggy.
So instead of hitting the road, I hit the water hose and washed down my bicycles.
It's been a while since I cleaned the chains so that was also done.
I actually had to clean The Big Ring!
Anyways, last week I took some stuff over to the bicycle co-op place, Kvibe. I dropped off three frames and some wheels and in exchange I picked this up:

Just an old steel frame, one with a stuck seat post, that I can cut up and use for brazing practice.
To cut it up, I had to dig up the industrial stuff:

What I'll do is cut off the welds, smooth the tubes down then try and braze it back together.
Wait!
I need to mitre them so I had to dig up my hole saws:

Now them things don't cut perfectly.
It says 25mm, but you gotta give or take a few mm's mainly cause they are not perfectly round.
I'll probably have to cut long and do some filing to get a real perfect mitre, but I'm not really worried about that right now, I just want to see what it's like to braze together some thin tubes.
Unfortunately I don't have any flux, the welding place was all out when I got my torch so I'll be checking back this week to see if they got any in.
Then I'll cut that puppy up and do some magic.
Maybe.
I was going to start cannibalizing the frame today, but I go back to work tomorrow so I decided to take it easy and watch some Law & Order.
Hopefully I'll start in on that frame this weekend.
I'm also working on another small project:

My last meal so to speak.
You know, before I go back to the real world.

The Day Before the Day Before

2012-01-02T14:34:00.008-10:00

Which is today.
Which means that I go back to work on Wednesday.
Which means that I got only one day left of doing nothing.
Not that I'm doing nothing, but I'm trying my best not to do anything.
If you know what I mean.
Back to today, which was a gorgeous day!
The best day we've had since it stopped snowing last week:

Boy I bet the President ain't too happy about having to leave now.
It was clear and calm, with just a slight breeze, tropical weather for sure.
Even in the dead of winter:

If you squint yer eyeballs, you can see California way out there.
Okay, not really.
Maybe.
Since it was a holiday and all, the traffic was really bad, cars were all lined up looking for parking:

Things can get a bit crowded when it's like this so sometimes it's better to take the lane with the cars and avoid the pedestrians with their surfboards, kayaks, beach chairs, strollers, and coolers who use the bike lane to get to the beach.
Which is to the right in the photo above.
I had to yell "en guarde!" a couple of times to let folks know I was coming up and passing them, even though I was just out for a cruise.
Sub sonic don't you know.
Anyways, getting around by bicycle seemed the way to go today, as these folks found out:

Great start to the new year!
I got one day left to get another ride in, and hopefully the weather holds up.
Then it can rain all day.
Once I go back to work I mean.

No Such Luck, More Bamboo

2012-01-01T23:11:00.011-10:00

Boy, I'm kinda sad.
No Presidential sightings for me.
Okay, I didn't try as hard as last year, but still, you'd think I'd at least see a convoy or something.
Well, I did see this:

Some USCG fellows, protecting the canal.
The ducks didn't mind.
I saw a new sign up at the public right of way:

Obamaland is off the right.
No sign of any boats patrolling or anything.
Maybe they got a submarine parked out there.
So anyways, off I went to get in my first miles of the year.
A huffing and a puffing I was since I haven't been riding recently.
What's that up ahead?
Gee that bicycle looks kinda funky!

Bamboo!
Very cool.
Rider/maker Pat said he put it together at a place in New York. Apparently you can order a kit to make it where the carbon tape and resin is supplied.
More images:

Pat wants to try to get the parts together so that he can help others put their own bamboo bicycles together.
Sort of crude, I mean it's not like a Calfee or anything, but hey! he made it himself and that's all the cool it needs.

I was impressed!
Maybe I can make use of some of that bamboo I got over in the gara- uh studio.
Something to look into and hopefully I'll see Pat again, motoring along the bike paths.
Especially since I plan on getting in like a GAGILLION miles this year.
Weather permitting.
Sort of.
Maybe.

Have a Happy and Safe One!

2012-01-01T08:14:00.002-10:00

In Search of the Prez

2011-12-30T13:26:00.005-10:00

Yes, it's that time of year again.
I started sort of late cause I was busy getting ready to contribute the economy and all, but now it's on!
The search for the President.
He's around here somewhere, I just gotta find him.
Every year, he takes his vacation right down the road and every year I manage to somehow miss him!
Like he's avoiding me or something!
Take yesterday.
I was sitting around, watching Law & Order while he was like a mile and half away eating some shave ice(that's a snow cone to you folks on the Continent) with his family and friends.
See, I was thinking of going out for a ride, but I was kinda tired from finishing up all that kadomatsu stuff, so I was just taking it easy on the couch.
I think they got Secret Service folks watching me, you know so that like when I'm at home, the President can go out about Kailua without me following him around.
He's at the same place:

If you squint yer eyeballs, you can see the tent where all them Secret Agents hang out.
I stopped at the corner last year, right there on the left and was told in no uncertain terms to keep moving along.
By some lady cop with a side arm!
They were going to like remove me by force!
Well I got the message and went on my merry way let me tell you.
Ever since then, I think I'm on some kind of list or something, cause I never seen the President or his convoy or any kind of sign that the dude even exists!
Somewhere, way out over there, is Obamaland:

The beach is actually closed off for like a hundred yards or so from where he's supposedly at. They probably got like Navy SEALs swimming around under the water over there, ready to confiscate your surfboard if you get too close.
Maybe I should paddle a surfboard over there just to check it out.
Okay, maybe not.
I'm telling you, sometimes I think the President is like still in Washington and all them pictures are like of him in front of some blue screen with images of Kailua added in afterwards.
On the other hand, maybe I'm just going too fast and I've passed him but it was just a blur.
I'm Super Sonic don't you know.
Anyways, I got like a couple of more days to try and catch of glimpse of the most powerful dude in the free world.
Tell you the truth, I don't know what I'm gonna do if I ever see him.
Maybe just wave, or give him the shaka sign(it's a local thing).
Maybe ask him for some free trade agreement with Italy.
Or something.

Inossidabile

2011-12-29T13:18:00.006-10:00

Oh my.
Here I go lying again.
Okay next year, I promise that I'm never going to lie to you, the reader, again.
Maybe.
Anyways, my latest prevarication involves the use of stainless steel as a frame material.
I said I didn't like it.
Well, now maybe I like it.
I'm not sure.
Thing is, the folks over at Pelizzoli World have unveiled their new inossidabile frame called the Aeta.
You can check it out on their flickr thingy here.
I gotta say, I'm impressed.
The more I think about how much I ride near the ocean, the more stainless appeals to me.
Mainly, I wouldn't have to worry about hosing my bicycle down so much.
Then again, I do it anyways, since some of my hardware has begun to show some rust and oxidation.
There is more to stainless than meets the eyeball though.
I mean finish is important, like in a satin/brushed finish or polished.
Then there's the whole lugged thing again.
I mean a lugged SS frame would be mondo cool, but not for the wallet.
If you know what I mean.
So now I've sort of been harboring the thought of going with SS, maybe just a little, but not really.
The thing is, will I want a SS frame sometime in the future?
If so, I should just jump on it now.
Personally, I don't really like how they look and from what I'm reading there's really no advantage other than the corrosion resistance.
The salt air around here is pretty much a killer though and you really can't argue the bling factor.
Not that I really want to go around looking like the Silver Surfer on two wheels.

Still, I have to consider it as an option.
I mean it's not like I'm going to order a frame everyday, so I guess I want to make sure I'm making the right decision.
Maybe I should just wait, and then go with something like this later:

That sure is pretty.
That sure is expensive.
That for sure means that I must be out of my mind.
More on that later.

Vacation From My Vacation

2011-12-26T21:38:00.006-10:00

Which is what I need.
Seriously, I haven't worked this hard since well, the same time last year!
So far, since school let out, I think I've had only three days off, days where I could just kick back at home and watch Law & Order.
Mostly it's been mud and breathing in bamboo dust.
Which is has a sort of pleasant smell.
The bamboo dust I mean.
I think I'm going to get some small bamboo plants, you know for the lanai, so that I'll be able to hear the bamboo rustling in the wind.
Very zen.
Don't you know.
Anyways, all I know is that this had all better be worth it and that frame I'm a gonna order with the bamboo funds better be freakin spectacular!
Speaking of That Thing Which I Will No Longer Name(TTWIWNLN), I've got some late breaking news.
More on this later.
Well, I got like three more days of bamboolage then I can finally rest.
Maybe even get on my bicycle.
Three more days of this:

Oh the carnage!
Normally I'd feel sort of bad, about all the bamboo, but it sort of grows like a weed and it grows pretty darn fast.
Like a grass, which is what bamboo is.
Large grass sculpture:

Those are the ones that will go to some businesses or something, at this point I don't really care where they're going, as long as they're going.
Someplace.
Which they were:

All loaded up and going someplace.
I just have to remind myself of a simple equation: bamboo = new frame.
Boy, let me tell you, it's hard to keep remembering that.
Especially when I can be doing something else.
Like kicking it back and watching Law & Order.
If you know what I mean.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:32:00.001-10:00

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Brakes!

2011-12-22T14:04:00.008-10:00

Oh yes you do!
That's what My Friend Kyle(MFK) said to his kid.
Who was trying to ride his BMX style bicycle sans braking action.
I packed up said bicycle and brought it in to the Flat Tire Skunkworks to see if I could work some stopping magic.
I gotta say, even when them brakes were working correctly, they were mighty strange:

I forgot to take before pictures cause once I got them side cutters in my hand, I just started right in!
Lemme tell you, cables and housing were a flying to and fro!
Remember, I am a professional, don't try this at home.
Anyways them ring thingys around the head set were where the cables were attached. Seems like each brake lever actuated both cables which them pulled up one of them rings, which in turn pulled on the two brakes.
The rings were so that you could spin the handle bars completely around without the cables getting wrapped around the head set.
Go figure.
I mean it was sort a neat set up, but not really practical.
Sort of like the rear brake:

You can see where the cross over cable runs around and then crosses behind the seat post.
I was going to undo it, but I just left like that.
After looking at it for a bit, I decided that maybe it was so that the cables wouldn't interfere with the chain ring, which was sort of close to the caliper arm.
Boy, check out them gold cable end crimps!
The front was interesting too:

The front brake cable went down into the quill part of the stem, out the bottom of the fork and back up to the upside down looking caliper.
I stared at that for a minute, trying to think of a possible reason it was done that way, and I decided it was a parts bin thing.
You know, that was what they had in the parts bin.
So anyways I changed out the cable splitters and put in some new housing and cables and now MFK's kid is good to go and stop.
It felt pretty good, making use of my Jedi Skilz on something other than my own bicycles.
Even if it was one of them bicycles I should have taken this to:

If you know what I mean.

To the Market

2011-12-21T13:58:00.007-10:00

So today we had a sort of half day off, just finishing up the present batch of them kadomatsu thingys.
If you've only been recently following along at home, you can go back to here to see what the hell I'm talking about.
Every year we make these things and peddle them around to make some extra cash.
Okay, we don't actually go and peddle them around, we take them to some other folks who peddle them around:

This is a place were veggies come and go.
Here in Hawaii, everything not locally grown is shipped in via boat or air distributed by folks like this.
Containers are constantly coming and going here, here being the most humungasoid refrigerated building I've ever seen.
Today, we dropped off two hundred of them bamboo thingys, right up to the loading dock:

From there, they somehow make it to other folks' doorsteps, so that they can have the right equipment for bringing in the new year.
The kadomatsu are place in front of the door for good luck, then discarded after a week or so.
We don't just make small ones:

These are going to some larger clients, corporate sized we call em.
We also do some for a restaurant in Waikiki.
This is how the bicycle bling treasury is made.
At least around these parts.
I'll be doing this for a couple of more days before and after Christmas.
Then I got some other plans:

More on this later.

Working Vacation

2011-12-20T22:17:00.004-10:00

Is what this is.
I swear, I'd rather be back at work.
Cause lemme tell you, I'm working harder now that I'm off than when I'm actually on.
If you know what I mean.
You don't?
Well today for instance, I was up around the same time as when school is in, except that instead of heading for school, I was headed deep into the jungles of well, here.
Which normally would be all fine and dandy but it's been raining off and on for the last week or so and where I was it was mostly on.
Raining on me I mean.
The thing is, that's where the bamboo grows.
Deep in the jungle where there's like plenty of wetness.
So anyways, I was off at the crack of dawn, and I returned after darkness fell.
Boy am I bushed!
I didn't even have time to take any pictures!
Well okay, I got one picture:

If you squint yer eyeballs and look through the trees you can see the stream, where the water is all brown from the rain.
No flooding like the last time, but when the water gets brown, it usually means you should keep an eye peeled for flash flooding.
Anyways, all I got was that one pic and like I'm a picture taking fiend!
Busy I was harvesting the bamboo for the kadomatsu.
More on this later.
Now, I just want to lie down a bit, and well, lie down.
Vacation, smacation.
I swear I get more rest at work.
On the other hand, what I'm doing now is a major contributor to the Flat Tire Bicycle Blingness Fund(FTBBF), a fund that needs to be replentished yearly as there are no major contributors.
There are of course, major expenditures.
So it's Hi Ho Hi Ho!
Off to work I go!
Oh boy.

TFTMFGDT!

2011-12-19T00:10:00.001-10:00

I've been thinking a lot about That Thing Which I Will No Longer Name(TTWIWNLN).
So much so that it's been keeping me awake at night.
I mean who would've thought that choosing a color would be so difficult!
Well I decided I needed some help.
Some magical help.
So I present to you, the reader, The Flat Tire Magical Frame Graphic Designer Thingy!(TFTMFGDT!).
Basically what I did was I made an outline of a frame in Windows Paint then I moved it over to PS to clean it up.
Then I just started to add colors.
So far I like this one the best:

Black with red panels seems to work for me.
The thing I had to keep in mind was the chrome lugs and how the colors would contrast or blend with the chrome.
Still, that's sort of boring.
I thought about maybe a magenta:

Okay, maybe not.
I figured that I wanted it to be visible, but maybe that's too bright.
So I thought this might be better:

Some high visibility danger zone scheme.
Looks pretty safe to me.
I didn't want safe, you know, I was wanting something unique:

Now that looked cool!
Still, perhaps the whole cowness thing is bit over done.
Maybe some happy polka dots:

Or maybe not.
Since I was doing dots, and since I sort of like giraffes too, this might work:

Then I thought that's plain crazy!
I mean giraffes and bicycles have nothing in common!
Well unless you count tall bikes.
I guess I was having a bit too much fun.
So here's a chance for you to have some fun too!

All you gotta do is save the blank frame, then open it up in Windows Paint or PS and go to town!
By the way if you use Paint, don't forget to save it as a jpg and not a bitmap as them bmp files can get sort of large.
Actually, white may not be such a bad choice too.
Anyways, hopefully some magic will happen and I'll stumble upon some paint scheme that I like.
Before I go crazy that is.
Unless it already happened.
The crazy part I mean.

Sunday Final

2011-12-18T15:59:00.009-10:00

Yikes!
Double Yikes!
More on this later.
So anyways, I went out today and took the Rockhopper on a short cruise.
Cruise is the word, for running them 1.95 inch tires is like plowing through the sand. I mean I put in like 60 lbs of pressure in them, but they still felt like they were flat!
The Rockhopper also has them oldfangled Biopace rings, the ones I have a hard time spinning with, so for the most part I was just pedaling along at about 30 rpms.
No really.
The good thing about them fat knobbies is that I can ride on the grass again without worrying about falling over.
Makes taking short cuts through the part a breeze.
So I stopped off for the obligatory winter picture:

You can't really tell from the picture, but the wind was blowing a bitter cold!
Blew my bicycle down like three times!
That's the first yikes!
I also forgot about my broken spoke.
I remembered when I heard it go ping!

That was the second yikes!
Luckily, this being an oldfangled bicycle, there were about 67 spokes left so the wheel was still ridable.
All that low rpm spinning was making the thirsty so off to the cream soda place I went:

I tell you, running around on a mountain bike feels strange now after all them miles on the a road bike.
I mean there's the low rpms and all the resistance coming from the tires. I tried to hit the gas a couple of times but all it did was propel me from slower to just slow.
I mean even when you're going sort of fast, it still feels slow.
If you know what I mean.
So anyways, some storm clouds were heading in my direction so off I went!
Time to head for home.
I stopped off at the LBS for some cables and a new spoke, but somehow I lost the broken one between there and there.
Luckily, I stopped off just in time: snow storm!
The melted snow in the road:

Maybe I need some studded tires or some tire chains or whatever it is you folks on the Continent use.
The nice thing about them knobbies is that they don't track too much water.
You know, like the in your face water.
There are a few things that need attention like them said knobbies. I guess they're so old, the sidewalls don't look too good. I'll need to take care of that before I go on any off road expeditions.
Hopefully I'll be able to get one in during the break, maybe after Christmas.
Stay tuned.

Sunday Early Edition

2011-12-18T09:30:00.008-10:00

Back in the jungle!
In the rainy jungle.
Like in tropical downpour jungle with flash flood warnings.
No pictures, I was afraid for the camera.
You'll just have to take my word for it.
Anyways, it's that time of year.
The dreaded kadomatsu making time.
More on this later.
As I was busy all day yesterday, this morning I was able to put the Rockhopper on the stand:

Yay! the stand finally gets some usage!
The Topeak bottom bracket stand thingy for some reason would not lift the frame high enough off the floor. The rear wheel would catch as the stand thingy flexed so I was forced to break out The Crane.
I think maybe the bottom bracket of Rockhopper is like way off the ground.
Okay, let me just say right off the bat that I lied.
Again.
Boy, I'm sort of making this a habit.
Them button thingys on the canti brakes are like the best thing ever!
Makes adjusting the pull quick and easy.
I mean compared to them other cable hanger thingys.
Adjusting them brakes took me all of like five minutes.
I knew my old Ergon grips would come in handy:

I also got a better look at some of the rusty oxidized parts:

Not too sure what I'm going to do about them cranks as the oxidation is under the paint.
The paint is a problem too, as I revealed earlier, it's actually a really dark purple so I'm not sure I'll be able to touch up the rusty spots.
I'll have a run by the ole Manstore later to see if I can find some spray paint.
If not, maybe off to the car parts place and see if I there's some touch up available.
The good thing about this bicycle is that it doesn't appear to have been ridden much.
Which I guess is a bad thing too.
The tires show every little wear:

All the little nubbies are still there, even down the center.
Hopefully I'll be able to wear them down a bit.
It's been snowing here off and on as I'm writing this, but maybe I'll make it out on the road anyways.
You know, since I got me some knobby tires now.

Coming Full Circle

2011-12-16T07:55:00.008-10:00

Sort of.
The thing is, I've been keeping my eyeballs peeled for another mountain bike.
Preferably a steel mountain bike.
I mean I had a steel mountain bike, the Lanikai Express, which now resides in Kaneohe, and I sort of regretted giving it away.
So when this Rockhopper appeared on the eVilist, I just had to jump on it.
When I went to look at it, it was pretty much sold.
The bicycle was obviously stored indoors, not like most of the bicycles that come up for sale.
The frame was in good condition, despite some spots of rust and the wheels and hubs were mostly free of oxidation:

I don't know about you, but that's pretty good for a bicycle from the seven speed era!
At least for around these parts.
The bicycle was clean!
I test it rode for about thirty seconds, just to make sure the shifters and brakes worked.
So I sort of pointed out to the seller some stuff that was wrong with it; I guess it came out half hearted cause when I offered him, he stood pretty firm.
I did get him to come down a bit, but in the end I suppose I paid a bit too much.
It's okay though, for as I said, I've been looking for another clean steel mountain bike and was happy that this one was a Rockhopper.
So anyways, I spent most of yesterday slowly working it back to ridability.
I changed out all the cables and housings with some extra stuff I had sitting around.
It's got these buttons on the canti brakes that promise to make my life a brake adjusting hell:

The shifters also needed some fiddling around with as all the grease had dried up and they were sticking something bad.
I took off the covers and shot some Triflo in there and kept working them until they started working right:

Interesting in that you can see the different spacing for each shift.
I also like how the "fingers" walk the ratchet back down.
Now I just need to adjust the derailleurs and the brakes and I'll be on the road for a shake down cruise.
Insert Jay Ferguson music here.
Oh wait, I forgot, there's also a broken spoke I gotta replace first.
Anyways, it's sort of funny how I started off on a Rockhopper:

Now here I am back with another one.
Like eight bicycles later.
Oh, and despite what you think, it's not really black and nasty.
You Trevor are going to like this one as it's actually a really dark yeppers! purple!
I guess that means I'll be needing a furple jersey and some furple socks.
Or something.

Diary of a Mad Person

2011-12-15T09:40:00.009-10:00

6:33 AM - Get up, still dark, go back to sleep. Dream of Molteni orange.
8:27 AM- Really get up, check emails, check blog, check other email, then brush my teeth. Okay, I did something else, but you, the reader, don't need to know about that.
8:41 AM - Give The Pooper two cookies, check the TV to see if Law & Order is on, it's not, check the news. Start thinking about what color to order my frame in.
8:43 AM - Check CL, which from now on will be know as the eVilist. See ad. Respond.
Look for car keys.
8:45 AM - En route.
8:50 AM - Despite better judgement, stop off at bank ATM. Feeling conflicted.
8:52 AM - Creating justifiable reasons out of thin air commences. Goes well. I am now on a mission.
8:59 AM - There's still time to turn around. I am compelled to drive on.
9:04 AM - Find house, see object of desire(OOD) in yard. I am no longer thinking rationally.
9:14 AM - Inspection of OOD begins. Great shape! This is not good.
9:20 AM - Test ride lasts twenty seconds. I half heartedly point out that I'll need to change certain items in order to get OOD in working condition. The comments go unnoticed.
9:22 AM - Haggling commences.
9:22:21 AM - Haggling ends.
9:24 AM - Although it's too late, still trying to justify my actions.
9:27 AM - Proceeding back to Flat Tire Central.
9:43 AM - Arrive at Flat Tire Central convinced I did the right thing.
Sort of:

9:55 AM - Becomes obvious to self that self needs counseling.
Or something.

That Thing Which I Will No Longer Name Update(TTWIWNLNU)!

2011-12-13T13:06:00.008-10:00

So I finally got a picture of the new frame the folks over at Pelizzoli are working on.
Well, not really working on since I got an image of an almost complete frame.
Unfortunately, I don't have permission to show anyone the frame and they haven't yet posted it up on their website so I feel kinda funny about showing the image.
Fortunately, it looks the same as their old frame, only without all the goodness of blingness like chrome lugs and such.
Italian Steel Goodness, in a plain jane kinda way.
The standard paint is going to be red with a white head tube and seat tube.
I'm telling you, I was looking at the frame, they call it the Curdomo(which doesn't seem to translate into anything), anyways I was looking at that frame all last night.
I'm still looking at it, thinking maybe I should just go with it.
I mean the price is right, and I don't have to think about the paint.
More on that later.
Well I got to thinking, that if I'm going through all this trouble to order a frame all the way from Italy, I better get what I want.
So I guess I'm going with the custom Spirit with chrome lugs.
Only now, because of the different in price, I'm going to hold off until January to order.
I find that I can't live without them chrome lugs!
The fork is also that double crown looking Masi type:

Though I gotta be honest, I've been thinking of a carbon fork, like from Columbus.
Yes I know, blasphemy.
The thing is, both my bicycles have carbon forks and I'm not sure how a steel fork will ride.
Actually, I doubt if I'll be able to feel the difference, but it's hard for me to accept something different.
Then there's that paint.
I've already asked and there's no upcharge if I want to go with two tone paint.
I was thinking some panels on the seat tube and down tube, or the same paint scheme as the new frame only in different colors.
Except now it's like what color?
I believe I can choose from this palette here.
If you look at the color chart, well there's like a GAGILLION colors there and I can't seem to make up my mind!
I mean it's not like it's "here's five colors, pick one."
That would be sort of easy.
Instead, I've been looking at that darn chart and trying to visualize what the frame would look like with the chrome lugs and I gotta say, my head is about to explode:

Lemme tell you, picking a color sounds easy, but it's not.
First of all, I gotta ride this thing and although I'm usually just a super sonic blur I do stop sometimes.
I'll have that bicycle parked in front of me in the living room where I can steal glances at it while I'm watching Law & Order so I better be happy with the paint.
Part of the problem is that I want this frame to be unique.
Okay, not Pegoretti unique, but classicalistic styling unique.
The thing is, since I've spent the best part of the year looking at all sorts of frames, all the paint jobs and color schemes I come with have already been done.
For instance I was thinking simple, like red with white panels on the seat tube and down tube, but that's what Colnago uses and it's pretty close to a De Rosa also.
Now I'm sort of leaning towards a solid color, and I'm about to break out the darts.
If you know what I mean.
Well I guess I got about a month to sort this out.
Choosing a custom frame is sort nerve wracking, not really what I expected.
I mean I thought it was going to be fun, but now it's sort of keeping me awake at night.
Sort of.

Late Breaking News!
Pelizzoli World has since posted up images of the Curdomo on their flickr page here.

For When the Cows Come Home

2011-12-12T20:27:00.007-10:00

So my experiment with carrying all my riding crap around in my jersey continues.
If you've been following along at home you, the reader, knows that I gave up my trusty waist pack as I'm sure it was costing me precious speed in weight and aeroness and I've taken to carrying all my stuff in my jersey pocket.
My solution was to just stick everything in a zip lock bag and well, stick it back there.
Unfortunately, them zip lock bags are slippery creatures and I didn't really feel safe with all my safety stuff in there.
So I began my quest for a Bag o'Stuffs(QFBOS)!.
I admit I was inspired by a phone bag I recently saw on some bicycle site made by Capo Forma. It was a pouch designed to carry around all the stuff I was carrying, luckily fate prevented me from ordering it:

Besides, it looked like a slippery little devil and it was in black, something I figured would be difficult to find if it got lost on the side of the road.
So I says to myself, where can I find a cloth bag, something that won't slide around in my jersey, with some pattern that would be easily seen say, on the grass or on the pavement?
Well, since I sometimes sell my ware over on Etsy, I figured what better than to have a handmade bag whilst at the same time, stimulating the economy?
If you are a regular reader you know that I stimulate the economy quite often.
As often as I can actually.
So anyways, I found this:

That's right moo-moo fans!
A cow pattern phone bag!
Perfect size for the jersey pocket and guaranteed to be seen if misplaced.
Unless you happen to misplace it near some cows that is.
I don't know why, but I've had an acute affection for the black and white cowness of this type of pattern, I even thought about getting that Assos cow jersey:

Let me tell if I had a black or white bicycle, I would have been all over that!
I mean it's not like I'm embarrassed by my eccentricity, I already have a cow pattern denim jacket:

Perfect, you know just in case I get lost in the snow.
The last time I was up in Vegas, I went to all the cowboy stores looking for a real leather black and white cow pattern vest.
Apparently, real cowboys wouldn't be caught dead or drunk in something like that for my search was in vain.
Well at least I have my cow phone pouch and my cow jacket.
I'll be all ready to go when the cows fly home:

Sunday Final

2011-12-11T16:19:00.017-10:00

Well, I got tired of sitting on the couch waiting for all that snow to melt, so I untangled the Bike With The Funny Name, inflated the tires and headed out the door.
I was sort of hoping those nasty winter winds would help and clean some of the dust off of the frame.
Off to market I went!
The supermarket is in one them small malls where there used to be shops for us locals, now it's mostly shops for tourists, which makes finding parking a pain, especially during peak business hours.
Sort of makes finding the bike stand a pain too:

I was here in search of more Dumas, as all of sudden I felt a need to read Ten Years After, the sequel to The Three Musketeers.
Bookends is a small shop that carries new and used books:

No luck in finding what I wanted, but I did find something of interest.
I also developed a craving, but decided to try and work it off so well, off I went!
Despite the sub-zero temperatures, some kids braved the elements and were playing some flag football:

It's sort of funny how once you get to a pedaling around, you sort of don't want to stop. I took a detour that led me about a mile off course, just for fun.
I came around into Kailua town and feeling like I had disposed of some fat that I was about to add, back to the market I went:

There are couple of new shops that recently opened up.
A Star Wars place:

Across the street, what is about to be my newest place to browse:

Boy they got endless aisles of Cooking Goodness!
Like everything you could ever possibly need to make well, anything!
I spent some time eyeballing these:

That just led to another craving so off I went!
I figure I just better head for home cause everything was beginning to remind me of food.
I stopped off at the marshy place to see what was happening:

Nothing but some local fowl and a duck fishing for dinner.
Dinner.
More food!
I better make a bee line for home!
Where I feasted on the spoils of my journey:

A book of short stories by Guy de Maupassant, something I was looking for anyways.
de Maupassant is fast becoming my second favorite short story author, next to F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Anyways, something to read while I'm all bundled up against the cold.
If you know what I mean.

Sunday Early Edition

2011-12-11T08:36:00.007-10:00

Do your ears hang low do they wobble to and fro?
I was thinking about this as I was riding around yesterday sans waist pack.
If you've been following along at home you, the reader, know that I trimmed down the amount of crap I carry around with me and have gone to stuffing everything in my jersey pocket.
With mixed results.
For one thing, that plastic baggy I carry is still sort of heavy:

Most of it being that antique phone I got and the weight of the whole thing makes the back of my jersey tickle the back of my knees.
I can feel it swaying back and forth back there and it's very disconcerting.
The good this it only happens when I'm off the bike.
On the bike, I really can't tell the difference between carrying that stuff in my pocket and wearing my waist pack.
Except now I got to strap my camera on to the top of my stem, which looks really odd.
So I'm thinking of just going back to the waist pack, only finding one a bit smaller.
The reason I got such a large pack was that I wanted to be able to stick my pump in there, well now I figure maybe I should try and use that mount thingy that came with it.
Thing is, should I mount it to the seat tube:

Or the down tube:

Or no tube?
Aesthetically, I don't really like how a frame mounted pump looks.
It just breaks up the lines of the frame and well it's just not pleasing to my eyeballs.
I'm also afraid it's going to rattle around on there and boy, I very much dislike rattles coming from the bicycle.
What I'd like is a center mount for my pump, then at least it's all symmetrical, even if it costs me a water bottle cage.
I don't use it anyways.
Anyways, I'm thinking maybe I go with a smaller waist pack, that way I can go back to carrying all the other crap around with me that I don't use but think I need, that way the back of my jersey won't stretch down and wrap around my ankles.
Actually I think one of them old school jerseys, the kind with the pockets in front would be kinda cool:

I guess you'd have to lose the collars though the woolness may help me get through these unbearable Hawaiian winters.
Anyways, that's where I left off last night, before I fell asleep.
At Atala I mean.
The Italian Racing Bicycle, by Guido P. Rubino, traces 40 marques, in alphabetical order, and gives some background and history of each.
As you can see, I only got to the A's, I left the good part for today.
You know, the Holy Order of All Things Celesteness(HOOATC).
A good record of the Italian brands, past and present; the present ones have websites listed so off I go to seek out new life and new temptations.
The Quest for You Know What(QFYKW) may not be over.
Sort of.
A great book if you are into that sort of thing and Flat Tire recommended.
Though probably not recommended for your wallet.

Getting a Bit Nippy

2011-12-10T16:21:00.007-10:00

Ah yes, winter is upon us.
Even us folks over here in the middle of the ocean.
I mean you just can't hide, when the ole Earth starts to tilt away from sun and the days get shorter.
Boy it's been a while since I've been out on the bicycle!
I figured I'd just take it easy and see what's in the legs so I just took a slow cruise around my Kailua.
Folks are all into the winter sports now:

Check out all that snow!
I felt sort of sorry for them.
It must have been cold.
The winds have a whipping around too, blowing me all over the road.
These folks fell victim to the nasty blustering winds:

Poor fella got his kite stuck up in that tree!
What bad luck!
He must have gotten snow blind or something.
I hope them other folks don't get like hypothermia from standing around like that all exposed!
I mean it's time to bundle up with the temperatures dipping into low 70's.
I had to put on a shirt last night!
Now I know how you folks on the Continent feel.
So tonight, I'm gonna turn off the fan and snuggle up in my blanket and dream of summer days riding around on some Italian Steel Goodness:

Nothing like a good book to pass away them cold winter nights.
Maybe I'll even have a bowl of ice cream.
You know, to keep the energy up.
I'm gonna need it cause it looks to be a long cold winter.
If you know what I mean.

Home of the Braze pt. III

2011-12-09T06:04:00.000-10:00

Okay, I lied again.
First of all, it's not like I intend to lie, it just sort of comes out that way.
So what did I lie about?
This whole frame making thing being easy.
It is easy, once you get past the hard part.
If you know what I mean.
So, you can braze two pieces of scrap together, now what?
Well it turns out there's a whole mess of whats.
First of all is the jig.
That's a whole 'nother DIY project of seemingly mega proportions.
Complex as it may seem, it actually doesn't look that difficult.
More on this later.
Maybe.
Anyways, you gotta find your tube set:

Nova Cycles

Boy, them tubes sure look pretty.
Looks are deceiving.
This looks easy, but isn't.
There are like a GAGILLION tube sets out there.
You got your Reynolds, Columbus, True Temper and the generic stuff.
This may take some heavy math as once you eyeball the tubes, you gotta match them up to the lugs:

All images from Nova Cycles.
Head tube, and seat tube.
Most important, the bottom bracket:

Then you got your angles.
Apparently, this isn't really important as these lugs are investment cast so they aren't perfect.
Meaning some work will be needed to get them prepped for use and the angles vary some.
Then some real rocket science.
The tubes need to be mitered.
This may be the hard part, I'm not sure for I've never mitered tubes.
At first it sounded easy, then I sort of thought about it and there are about a GAGILLION things that can and probably will go wrong.
Then again, I think I've worked through half a GAGILLION of the problems and solved some stuff, unfortunately that still leaves the other half.
I got a drill press and some bi-metal hole saws so the cutting part is not what's worrying me.
It's the holding the tubes in place while the cutting part is happening. I can see all sorts of vibrating and undulating action going on if things aren't set up right.
I mean you can't just clamp down a tube with walls less than a millimeter thick and I'm thinking drill speed is going to be sort of critical.
Not too fast, not too slow, but just right.
There's also the alignment to worry about, which mitering seems to play a large part in.
Then we're back to the brazing again.
In retrospect, it may be a bit more difficult than I realized seeing as how the tubes are so freakin thin and brazing the lugs which is different from fillet brazing.
Working with thin metals makes me nervous for it's fairly easy to burn through the stuff you're working on.
That and the potential change to the structure of the steel via excessive heat, making it brittle.
Of course there's more, like working with lugs and the prep, but I won't get into that.
Like I said yesterday, making a frame sounds easy.
Once you get past the hard part.
The thing is, I got about three quarters of the stuff I need for I've done some fabrication before.
I mean if you're starting from scratch it may take a lot to get going.
You are going to need to gather up all your stuff and then do some trial runs.
I'm pretty sure I'd go through some tubes before I got it right so you can write off at least one bottom bracket and maybe one whole set of tubes.
For me, I'd plan on doing at least two frames, the first one being sort of the test bed, the second one for keepers.
If you came away with two ridable frames, you may come out ahead.
Would I try it?
At this point, maybe.
There's very little(!) start up cost for me, most of it would be in materials.
If I was starting from ground zero, I would really have to think about what it means to me and how far I was willing to go.
I'm pretty sure the extra mile would be involved.
If you know what I mean.

Home of the Braze pt. II

2011-12-08T15:28:00.010-10:00

Okay, you're reading this backwards.
Part One is below.
For those of you coming up here from Part One, please read on.
All others, scroll down.
Anyways in Part One, you saw my first attempt at making a brazing connection.
It's a connection, that's about all I can say.
Brazing is like soldering.
In fact it is soldering and the metal needs to do the same thing.
Meaning you need to heat up both sides of whatever you are trying to braze, and let the solder/braze flow.
If the parts are not sufficiently heated, you'll get a cold solder/braze.
Using an O-A torch, you don't want to get too hot for you'll make a puka in the metal so to regulate the heat, you need to pull back on the torch a bit and not get too anxious.
Second attempt, this time on the corner of the joint:

Now we're talking!
Okay, this part was really easy as the brass just sort of knows where to go.
I mean it's not like brazing a flat surface.
Most of my corner brazes looked like this.
Boy did my head get all big.
Until I did the other side:

Still having trouble controlling the puddle.
You can use the pressure of the flame to actually move the puddle around.
Sort of.
My first concern was making sure the metal was "bonding" together, meaning I had the steel hot enough so that the braze could do it's thing.
I got a little better:

Kind of.
You can see that the lower tube didn't really get a nice cover of braze, it sort of all stayed on the top tube.
Then there was the tube that wasn't aligned very well:

There, the braze just dripped right on through.
Which is why them frame dudes mitre everything as close as possible.
Actually, I started to think that fillet brazing a frame isn't out of the question as long as your joints are set up properly.
A good one:

All in all I did five joints, each one getting a little better.
Once you figure out how to control the heat and the brazing rod, it's actually sort of easy.
What I learned in art school:

I'll have that piece of abstract art up for sale on my Etsy page soon.
Okay, not really.
What is real is that with a bit o'time and practice, I'd say building a frame at home is not out of the question.
In my browsing last night, I figured you can get a set of Richard Sachs lugs and drop outs and some Columbus tubes for around $300.
I haven't figured out the jig yet, but I'm thinking for a couple of hunskies more you'd be all set.
Next I think I'll try some MAPP gas and some silver braze I got somewhere around here and see how that works.
I've used MAPP on copper, but never on steel.
I'm sort of interested to see how it turns out.
Stay tuned.

Home of the Braze

2011-12-08T15:05:00.007-10:00

I lied.
I said I wasn't going to talk no more about frames, but well, over on One Speed: Go!, Mr. JRA got me all hot and bothered.
No really.
Like really really hot.
Sort of bothered.
Well anyways, I went into the shop at school and got some stuff together for it was time to test out my Jedi Skilz(JS).
I got me some square steel tubing with walls around oh 2-3mm thick:

That's right volatile gas fans!
It's time to light em up!
If you've been following along over on OSG you, the reader know that JRA and I have sort been having a conversation about making a lugged bicycle frame.
Well you sort of have to have some welding skills, brazing in this case, so I went and tried my luck.
By luck I mean I haven't done too much brazing, prior to this maybe like ten seconds.
Can you say adventure?
Okay it was longer than ten seconds, but it seems like about that long.
The thing about brazing is regulating the heat, the book JRA has suggests MAPP gas, sort of like propane in the can.
You can get the BTU's you need to get things going, but it's a bit slow.
As far as I can remember.
So an oxy-acetylene rig is preferred:

With an O-A torch, you can change out the tips from humungasoid to petite and regulates the gas and the temps.
I used a smaller tip and torch for brazing doesn't require as much heat as welding.
For brazing, you get a rod, usually brass or bronze or silver/bronze or something, apply heat to the joint and melt the rod to make the two parts stick together.
Basically.
So anyways, I cut up some lengths of that square rod and placed them together:

The thing about brazing is that the brass or whatever you're using gets pretty thin and it will fall between cracks in the stuff you are trying to connect.
More on that later.
Best to have the two pieces as close as possible, with no gaps in between.
So how'd I do?
Well, lemme just say that I won't be winning any awards for my work.
It took a bit to get things under control, but I think I did okay.
Maybe.
Sort of.

Part II coming up.

Thursday Stuff

2011-12-08T02:41:00.000-10:00

One of the things about ordering a custom frame is that you pretty much get to choose most of the stuff on it, like braze ons and such.
Well one thing I haven't given much thought to was the steerer tube and whether or not I want to go threadless or threaded.
I like the classic quill stem look, but I also like how a threadless stem can be stacked and adjusted.
Of course there's the best of both worlds:

Okay, I don't know exactly what's going on there and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know.
I mean seriously?
It's a freaking chrome Cinelli!
No really, seriously?
Why not just run one of these honking stems?

Speaking of custom bicycles, here's something I haven't seen yet in Hawaii, but photographic evidence has been gathered to prove that they have invaded:

That's right colored foil fans!
Scraper bikes!
On Craig's List!
Now I don't know about you, the reader, but I wouldn't want to purchase someone else's scraper bike, seeing as how they are customized and all.
I mean I bet there's something zen in saving up all my Hershey Bar and chewing gum foil and lovingly applying them to my spokes.
See them sparkle when I pedal on by!
Really cool.
If you did it yourself.
I forget what I was searching for, I think I was back tracking a keyword search on this blog when I came across this:

Oh no!
Poor doggie!
Then I looked at the expression on that pooper's face and I couldn't help laughing.
Out loud even.
Now I own a dog, The Dog, and I wouldn't want to see my dog looking like that.
Seeing that dog though, I have to wonder what the hell it saw that made it's eyeballs all gaga and to pull off that ankle breaking move.
Sort of reminds me of what small children look like when I ride on by.
Finally, another image I came by while doing my web browsing.
Again I forget what I was looking for, actually I couldn't even fathom a guess:

Part of Portrait of an Unknown Woman (1883), by Ivan Kramskoy, a Russian artist.
In the full picture she looks like she's seated in a carriage, but I cropped it down to focus on the expression on her face.
I don't know what she's thinking but she looks like I sort of did the one time I left my Tony Roma baby back ribs on the couch and The Dog decided it was for him.
Had to clean the BBQ sauce off his face.
She also looks like she's saying "if you write one more post about buying a new frame I'm going to slap you silly."
Okay, I get the message.
Sort of.

7 December

2011-12-07T02:01:00.002-10:00

A day to remember.
Maybe not so much for you folks over on the Continent, but for us over here, it's sort of a big deal.
I wasn't around when the bombs fell, but I am interested in that part of our history so I think back about Pearl Harbor often.
A school visit I made to the Arizona Memorial can be found here, and a picture tour of the USS Missouri and USS Bowfin museums can be found here.
I gotta say, the Arizona Memorial is not one of those tourist attractions where you go and enjoy yourself.
The mood is somber and it wouldn't be what I call fun.
It's a bit different from reading books about it, when you're actually standing on the place where it all happened.
Over on Ford Island, they just finished up the Pacific Aviation Museum and they've restored the control tower where you can still find bullet holes from the strafing.
Surreal.
I don't know what it's like to live under martial law and I don't want to know but it's interesting to think about tanks rumbling through downtown Honolulu and barbed wire lining the beaches.
Sort of reminds us over here that we are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and if I'm not mistaken, a strategic first strike target.
Being home to the Pacific Fleet and all.
No one seemed to think about all that back in 1941.
When that first bomb fell though, it changed everything.
Mobilized a country and turned the United States into the world power we are today.
It cost us a pretty penny.
If not for a victory at the Battle of Midway, most folks here have no idea how close they came to speaking Japanese, for at the time the Japanese made up roughly one third of the Hawaiian population.
Gee just think, I would've been a really bad Keirin racer.
Anyways, take some time today to remember the folks that gave their lives on this day.
Remember the folks who sacrificed from that day on to preserve the freedoms we all enjoy.
Let's hope that days like that day are few and far between.

Pearl Harbor 2011

Silca Presta Gauge

2011-12-06T13:51:00.010-10:00

If you've been following along at home you, the reader, know that I've been trying to scale down the amount of stuff I carry around with me on the bicycle.
I used to carry a waist pack, but now I've gotten rid of some non essentials and am slowly working on carrying my stuff in a jersey pocket.
One of the heavier items I carry around is a presta valve tire gauge.
Why, I dunno.
I suppose it's some OCD thing to have the correct amount of air pressure in my tires after I've had a flat.
I got one of them Meiser/Accugage thingys, we'll see it in a minute.
Well once on the eVilness, I saw this old Dunlop presta gauge that looked like a golf pencil.
Unfortunately, it went for something outrageous so my hunt continues for a small presta valve gauge.
Sort of.
I mean I found this:

It is what appears to be the head of a bicycle pump, I mean it's from Silca, but you can use just the gauge part.
As you can see it's sort of on the small side, but still a bit heavy as it looks like it's made of steel.
How does it work?
Well I used it once and then it quit.
Then it started working again.
I have no idea what happened except maybe some dirt got into the valve part cause after I blew it out it worked again.
Okay, my Specialized pump at 4 bar, the Accugage, and the Silca thingy:

Not too bad.
Let's try 6 bar, same sequence:

It seems to confirm my observation that the Specialized gauge reads a bit "hot."
Then again, I've only had the Meiser/Accugage to test against, but now the Silca seems to read around the same.
The Silca thingy was like eight bucks on the eVilness and as soon as I'm done here I'm going back to buy two more.
Small and cheap, something to toss in your seat bag.
Especially if you are like me and wondering about the air pressure in your tires bothers you to no end.
Oh yeah, Italian Air Pressure Goodness(IAPG).

A New Age

2011-12-05T23:00:00.007-10:00

That's what we live in.
I mean when you think back like ten years ago, hell five years ago, things were certainly different than how they are now.
Take a look around, there's all sorts of newfangled gadgetry.
Some good, some not so good.
This is true with bicycles too.
Okay, bicycles are mostly the same, two wheels a crank and a chain and off you go!
Sort of.
Nowadays, though we got all sorts of aerodynamica and electronica popping up, seems like just about every other day.
Case in point.
Campagnolo's (gasp!) EPS.
Well, it seems some of us(you Trevor!) have yet to see the light.
I mean the dark.
Oh yes, the Dark Side:

Okay, I see his point.
I mean sticking some digital silicon based battery operated whirlygigs on a traditional Italian frame just doesn't seem right.
Right?
Now I'm all for the classic look, but I think I'm a bit beyond ten pound rear derailleurs and Flintstone type shifting:

The stuff Fred and Barney used to use is now old school, just like the STI/Ergo stuff we got will soon fall by the wayside.
Ten years from now everybody will be using electronic push button shifting.
Trust me.
Batteries will get lighter and last longer and all the gizmos will get smaller and electronic shifting bicycles will be on the floor at Xmart for like $199.
Just like cell phones.
Computers too for that matter.
Two things that when they first came out were not for the masses.
What the hell do I need a computer for?
Cell phone? There's like a pay phone right over there!
How do I know this?
Folks have a need for things that do things for them.
Electric bicycles?
Electric bicycles with electronic shifting?
You, the reader, know it's coming.
Oh there will be some hold outs.
Small pockets of bicyclists riding around on steel frames with downtube shifters and their Nuovo Record.
Or some nano carbon folks extolling the virtues of last generation mechanical Dura Ace.
Tell you the truth, I'll probably one of them.
Resistance though, is futile.
Somewhere, there is an Area 51 for bicycles, with the newfangled stuff just waiting to be unleashed upon the world.
The Power of the Dark Side(POTDS).

Sunday Final

2011-12-04T17:03:00.004-10:00

Well, some interesting news.
Interesting to me anyways.
Seems there are some new things on the horizon for my favorite Italian Alloy Goodness(IAG) provider.
Not like next year, but maybe next, next, year.
Next to end of the post, there's a reference to a new chain ring set Campagnolo may or may not be coming out with, particularly a 52/36 combo.
Just my flavor of koolaid!
Well seeing as how this all came out of a foreign country, it is unknown whether or not this will see US distribution, but I am thinking that I'll wait and see.
So I think I'll be holding off on getting a new group until I know for sure if that combo is available.
If you've been following along at home you, the reader know that I've been thinking of something between a compact and a standard would be better for me, allow me to use the whole cassette.
In fact I've been toying with the idea of looking for a 36 inner ring, but there's all kinds of hullaballoo about finding one that will fit on Centaur cranks.
So if not next year, maybe in 2013 my prayers will be answered!
Oh thank you Madonna del Ghisallo!
My prayers to the Holy Oracle of the Mother of All Things Alloy bear fruit!
Maybe.
Besides, who knows?
Maybe next year I may be slobbering all over electronic Campagnolo.
Wait.
I don't have any kidneys to sell.
In other news, because I'm holding off on a new group, I've been eyeballing this recently:

It's more than I wanted to spend, but now some funds have been reallocated.
The folks over at Tommasini have some really nice bicycles in all sorts of flavors that are really nice to look at.
That Techno with the painted lugs sort of makes me forget about chrome.
Sort of.
Scott, the fellow who owns the red Pelizzoli I posted up earlier made a good point though when he said that the new Pelizzoli frame is a still a good deal considering the price.
Actually, it's not a good deal, it's a smokin hot deal!
I can't argue with that, even if it has the fat tubes.
I'm also beginning to appreciate the fact that it is custom, and according to the Pelizzoli folks, Signore Pelizzoli himself will work with me as far as geometry and size.
I've also been revisiting that upper tier, the Unobtainable Zone(UZ) where the air is thin and wallet even thinner.
The Land of the Holy Order of Lugness and Filletness(LOTHOLF) where the gods perform their magic on special tubes and forged dropouts.
A land where mere mortals like me cannot dare to dream of.
A special place where geometries are mentioned in hushed tones and far journeys are made to collect the sacred flux.
The top of the mountain where acetylene flows and argon gives life!
More on that later.

Sunday Early Edition

2011-12-04T09:36:00.008-10:00

A day at the fair!
Sort of.
So yesterday, was the the Big Day.
My Friend Kyle(MFK) and I got over to the craft fair place early and set up our stuff.
MFK didn't have too much stuff to put out for he had already done another sale but luckily them bowls take up some space so at least our shelves looked sort of full:

Each vendor has a ten by ten space so most of us use them pop up canopy thingys.
MFK supplied every thing as he does this sort of thing a few times a year, something I got to work on if I want to continue to do this.
Get some shelves and that tent thing I mean.
Some of MFK's work:

We call em bombs cause they are really big!
All of them are raku, meaning they've been fired in a different method I went over someplace around here.
Wait, lemme find a link.
Okay, it's here.
Anyways, I found that a lot of folks were interested in raku, something I should take note of.
Well, the fair opened up at ten, and right away I actually sold something!
Yay!
A sign of things to come?
Not really.
I did do better than last year, which is really not saying much.
Then again, if I look at it as sort of hourly wage, I did okay.
I came home with one less box o'stuff which is better than coming home with all my stuff.
Which puts me a little closer to Italian Steel Goodness.
If you know what I mean.
Looking at my stuff on the shelves allowed me to sort of rethink my strategy on what kind of things to make and on how I can maybe make this craft fair thing a better experience.
For both me and the customer.

Off to Market!

2011-12-03T06:34:00.004-10:00

This is the part I dislike.
Okay, I always say that but it usually ends up being a good thing.
I've got all my pots and stuff packed up and ready to go.
Sometimes I get a bit nervous about showing my things and putting them up for sale.
Especially this stuff for it's not what I really do, but I did do it so it's sort of what I do now.
Folks tend to see what they see and aren't really interested in your whole body of work.
I mean your first impression is often your only impression so it better be good.
I also worry about having to talk to folks about it, my work I mean.
Not that I don't like talking to folks, I mean I worked in sales for like eight years so it's not like I don't have the skilz.
It's just that I'd rather be the anonymous artist.
Buy the pot, not the person.
Yet folks do buy the person, so a little PR helps.
I'm just not a PR kind of dude.
I can be, but I don't want to be.
If you know what I mean.
Then there's that fine line between craft and art that us ceramic folk seem to teeter totter on.
Do I want to be known as someone who sells bowls at a craft fair, or do I need to seek status as a "legitimate" artist.
I'll be honest and say that the "legitimate artist" thing is nice for the ego.
On the other hand, there's something nice about seeing the folks that are actually going to use your stuff.
I mean the other stuff I make usually just sits around looking pretty while a bowl may be used or handled a couple of times a month.
Hell I got pots sitting around here I haven't picked up in years!
You can tell from all the dust.
Even last year I did mostly shelfware, so this year is kinda different whereas I got actual tableware.
I'm a little nervous how and if it will be accepted.
Especially since it's not my usual fare.
Anyways, all packed up!

That's five boxes of hopeful ceramic goodness.
Five boxes of potential Italian Steel Goodness.
I hope I ain't bringing it all back.

Mystery Leaf

2011-12-03T01:10:00.000-10:00

Not to be confused with the Mystery Tree, otherwise known as the Weird Tree Event.
Okay, the Mystery Tree wasn't so much a mystery as it was a rather large oversight by me, but it sort of was a mystery.
For a while anyways.
Well this is the Mystery Leaf, which turns out is not really a mystery too, but it does look mysterious:

No, it's not blowing around on the ground.
Look! there's no shadow.
Very strange this floating green thingy!
No like believe me?

If you've been following along at home you, the reader, know that the human eyeball is attracted to unusual things.
Attracted to the spectacle we are, probably some primal instinct to assist us in evading large animals with sharp teeth.
Well I was just standing there(JST) when I noticed this leaf floating above the ground doing a little dance.
WTF?
Okay it was early in the morning and I sort of wiped my eyeballs to make sure it wasn't a disfigurement of my imagination.
No, there it was, just a floating around.
Time for a Flat Tire Investigation!
Look!

What is this?
Some sort of anti-gravity leaf?
Are there more of them?
You know, so that I can attach them to my bicycle!
To go faster don't you know.
Wishful thinking on my part.
Turns out, this leaf was hanging down from this tree:

On a single strand of spider web thingy!
Where the spider went, I dunno, but looks like he/it needed to get down from that tree via express elevator.
Ah, the goofiness of nature.
Too bad about the leaf though.
Not being anti-gravity I mean.

Thin vs Fat

2011-12-02T04:31:00.000-10:00

What say you?
Okay, I've been making a lot of this whole frame thing and how I'm not exactly enamored by them over sized tubes.
I also sent along some wrong info the other day as far as the thickness of the Columbus Spirit tubing.
I searched and found info on those tubes here.
As you can see, the thin .38mm walls are for the triple butted Spirit tubes, not the tubes used for lugged work.
The lugged tubes are .45mm thin, which is about the same as other butted steel tubes.
The pages also show the various shapes of the formed tubes, some of which are available in Spirit, though not for lugged work.
Whew.
At least now I think them tubes won't be shaped like the Deda COM12.5 on the Ciocc.
Here's a good example of the two different tube sets.
Another bicycle frame I was looking at was a Zullo, Italian of course but sort of on that next tier.
The Spirit tube frames:

That one is brazed, this one is lugged:

The SL frame:

Pelizzoli SL frame:

The differences are slight.
The top tubes and down tubes are about 3mm thicker, not a lot, but enough for me to see a difference.
The SL top tube is 25.4mm, the Spirit is 28.6mm.
The SL down tube is 28.6, the Spirit is 31.7.
Seat tubes I think are the same.
The SL frames look a bit more graceful and refined, the Spirit tubed bicycles are more contemporary looking and well, fat.
Especially the stays, of which I am fonder of the thinner look.
If I wanted contemporary and fat I got a whole lotta other frames to choose from.
Like the Ciocc I got sitting in front of me.
Actually that Zullo on the bottom is starting to look pretty good too.
I dunno why, but I sort of got my heart set on a standard tubed(25.4-28.6) bicycle.
The differences are subtle but it's going to sit in my living room and I gotta look at it.
I'm not sure exactly how the different tubes affect the ride quality and stiffness, but I don't exactly generate the kind of power where I'm really worried about it.
So there, in a pair tube sets, is my conundrum.
If things don't work out, I may have to go back and take a look at something like this:

Which of course, is a whole 'nother ball game.
Or frame game.
Or something.

It Ain't Over Yet, What the Calculator Said

2011-11-30T20:25:00.005-10:00

It was over but now it's not over.
I thought it was sort of done, but now it's not done.
In fact, it sort of started up again.
The Great Frame Search(GFS) continues!
Sort of.
The word I received from the kind folks over at Pelizzoli is not exactly what I wanted to hear.
The standard Columbus SL frame sounds like it's going to be pretty basic.
I mean it's lugged and all, but no frills.
No chrome, no pantographed stuff.
Which is stuff I sort of wanted.
I mean I was dreaming of some chromed lugged goodness, and now I gotta rethink this whole thing as no options will be available on the basic frame.
Which also means no chrome fork crown and no chrome chain stay.
Which also means it's sort of getting away from what I consider Italian frame goodness.
The Columbus Spirit frame however is fully custom.
The thing is, I don't want no over sized tubes.
I want them skinny tubes, you know, a more classic looking frame.
Then again, it's not like the Spirit tubes are huge or anything.
They have extremely thin walls, like .38mm thin, so durability has me worried.
Not that I figure on crashing or tossing my bicycle around, but you never know.
The good part is that I suppose I could chrome the whole frame if I wanted to, not that I would, but I could.
I'll at least have me some chrome lugs and the fork is way nicer.
I'm not sure the custom options are enough to sway me towards the over sized tubes though.
So anyways, I've fired off another email asking about custom options.
The pictures of the standard frame should be coming around soon, so I'll be waiting to see what that looks like too.
Seems like I'm making some compromises here and this is something I didn't want compromise.
Well I sort of already am so I didn't want to compromise my compromise.
If you know what I mean.
Anyways, stay tuned.
This looks to get a bit more complicated.
In other news, I went and measured up all my particulars, you know, so I could send them numbers in and see what some online fit calculators said.
Actually only one calculator, the one over on the Competitive Cyclist site.
What it told me is nothing really new.
Bicycle size around 49 to 50 and a top tube around 53 so I'm right where I'm supposed to be, a Goldilock's like just right.
I'm just going to go with a slightly smaller TT, around 52 or so, 53 seems a bit too aggressive for me.
The thing about going with a slightly larger frame is the head tube is a bit taller, so that may help also.
Seems to me this whole fit thing is way too difficult.
I mean it should be easy, but I guess it's not especially taking into consideration that all men are not created equal.
Still it seems that with all the adjustments available, seat, stem etc., one could get pretty darn close.
The thing is, I'm not really sure how close is close or how far is far.
I suppose if I try enough things enough times I'll sort of get the hang of it.
Better to go by the seat of my shorts than what some calculator says.
Who knows, maybe I'm already fit, but I just don't know it.
Maybe as long as my bicycle isn't giving me any aches and pains, besides the usual I mean, every thing is okay.
In other words, maybe I'm looking for a problem that isn't there.
I mean I've ridden some 60 miles and come away feeling like I could go a bit more so it's not like the bicycle is beating me up.
Well okay, sometimes the bicycle beats me up, but then I just don't lube the chain until it learns its lesson.
Or maybe I've learned my lesson.
Or something.

Last Call, Homage

2011-11-29T15:10:00.006-10:00

Blink them lights, it's last call baby!
Okay, not really.
Well it is, for this batch of stuff anyways.
I got a few more loads of stuff to fire, then it's done for now.
I'm just finishing up the last few thingys and doing some touch ups to refire:

I gotta say, it's been sort of cool to be back making stuff folks can actually use.
Not being one to make utilitarian pots, this has been a trip back in time, back to when I had to learn to make all these forms.
Bowls were the eyeball opener as it took me a while to get back to Jedi level. Making a perfect bowl is an elusive thing and I'm still trying.
The thing about making stuff folks are going to use is that you really have to be aware of well, the end use.
There was a time when I'd scan the Crate and Barrel catalogs to see how many ounces this kind of bowl should hold as opposed to that kind.
Then I'd measure out the clay and try to crank out six or twelve bowls that were of the same height and depth.
I'd make U shaped bowls and V shaped bowls and big bowls and small bowls and all sorts of bowls.
Practice in this case, does make perfect.
For me, making bowls was something I just couldn't jump right back into, unlike riding a bicycle, there was a whole new learning curve.
The platters were cool
Working with a flat surface was different as far as the glazing part went.
You are a bit more free with ideas as you have more of a presentable area.
Not that I got creative with this batch, I'm beginning to see some possibilities.
Then there was the big Sell Out.
I mean putting some landscape on my stuff was like death before disco, but hey! you gotta do what you gotta do.
I'm already looking for some other recognizable land mass to incorporate into my designs.
No, not Diamond Head!
I haven't sold out all the way.
Yet.
I got to try some different things with the glazes and I'm more familiar with how they work.
I'm getting sort of tired and bored with these low fire glazes, but there are few more things I'd like to try.
There's actually a few things I'd like to keep for myself, like them Mondrian bowls.
They take a while to get out, but look pretty nice.
I did steal one more thing.
Okay, not really stealing, but more of a homage.
Just for you JRA:

Have ____ , Will Travel

2011-11-28T07:33:00.000-10:00

So I've been thinking.
Again.
That I carry a lot of stuff with me when I go out on my bicycle.
I just can't help it as all sorts of scenarios go through my head and I want to be prepared.
So I got this waist pack thingy, but it's getting all old and decrepit so I was thinking that I need a new one.
Or not one.
Let's see exactly what's in it:

Okay, you got your tire pump, tire patch kit, piece of inner tube, presta gauge, tire lever, note pad, pen, dental floss, lighter, small screw driver, extra batteries, aspirin, monocular, and a Waialua Soda bottle cap.
Now, do I really need all this stuff?
The thing is, I got a spare tube, tire patch kit, and tire lever already in the seat bag; I never use them.
I usually use the stuff in my waist pack.
Maybe that's a bit redundant.
The presta gauge I sort of need, I mean gotta fill back up to the correct pressure, non?
Note pad and pen, you know, for just in case I get like a brilliant idea.
Or need to get a phone number.
Or something.
Etc, etc.
Now somewhere around here is post that shows what I used to carry, which lemme tell you is more than you see here now.
I mean I really trimmed my load, for more speed and all that.
So now I'm thinking that the waist pack is not very aero and losing that will gain me a couple of miles per hour.
Besides it makes my back kinda toasty and sweaty.
Instead of what I really need, what don't I really need?
Wait!
There's more:

I almost forgot the essentials!
Wallet, check!
Phone, check!
Moolah, check!
Music player thingy, check!
Oh and don't forget the camera, that's usually on the waist pack strap.
Now what can I lose?
Well the thing is, once I stop carrying it, I'll need it.
You all know how that goes.
Okay, I can lose the wallet, I only use that sometimes, and carry just the needed cards.
Maybe wrap some paper around that and lose the pad.
Boy, I really don't want to lose the monocular, cause you just never know when you need to see something up close, like at the beach.
If you know what I mean.
It also turns out I don't need the patch kit since I got the same thing in both saddle bags:

Lastly, I'll just chuck the pump in my jersey pocket.
I was thinking of using the frame mount, but I don't really want to.
Image is everything don't you know.
Let's see what we got:

I think I could live with that in my jersey pocket.
It's sort of heavy, but it's mostly phone, and that presta valve gauge, but I'm working on that.
The gauge I mean.
I'll fold the baggie up and see how it goes.
It'll feel sort of weird without my waist pack, sort of nekkid and all.
Then again, nekkid is a good thing.

Sunday Final

2011-11-27T15:43:00.006-10:00

Oh boy.
First of all, it was sort of a nice day, the sun was a shining and the wind was a blowing.
Did I mention the wind was a blowing?
Let's check The Flat Tire anemometer:

Yessireebob!
A bit o'chop on the water there.
Which means, a little bit o'wind to deal with.
Well I wasn't going to power through the wind all day so I decided to take it easy on the pavement and just cruise around.
Let me tell you, just cruising around in the wind is not really just cruising around!
I mean I felt like I was a pedaling pretty hard but when I looked at the Prevaricating Garmin, I was like hardly moving!
Very annoying.
Part of it is that it's sort of side ways wind, so you kind of catch it coming going.
No free rides to day, nosirreebob!
So anyways, a funny thing happened on the way to the beach today.
First, the obligatory winter pictures:

These guys were out in the bay.
These guys were kinda way out there:

If you squint yer eyeballs, you can see the whitecaps way out there in the real ocean.
Yessireebob!
It was a windy today.
Anyways, I was like riding around on the Ciocc and suddenly! I was feeling pretty good.
I mean the bicycle was feeling pretty good, like my position was feeling pretty good.
Not stretched out at all.
Hmmmmm.
So I got to thinking.
Which is usually not a good thing for sometimes bad things happen when I think.
Anyways, I was thinking, just what is going on here?
The last time I rode this I wasn't liking it so much, but now well, I'm sort of liking it!
My overall position felt better than on the Celeste Devil!
So I got to thinking again, just what is going on here?
I figured that since I spent so much time off the bicycle, it would take me a couple of rides to get back that ole aero position and to get comfortable again.
My thinking is that more I ride, the more flexible I get and the more I get used to this whole road bike position thing.
Well I was feeling pretty good tooling around but then I started to get worried.
I mean here I am, about to order a new frame and I still don't know what the hell I want.
Should I order a 49, like the Celeste Devil, or a 50 or maybe a 51, the same size as the Ciocc?
Okay, I don't like that I'm using a 70mm stem on the Ciocc, that makes me think it's too big.
So maybe I should go right in between and go with a 50.
Or maybe I should go talk to someone who actually knows what the hell they are doing.
Or maybe I'll just keep the Ciocc and get another bicycle anyway.
Or something.
I think I'll try one of them online fit calculators and see what comes out.
You know, just to see.
Then I can get all confused all over again.
Okay, where's my measuring tape?

Sunday Early Edition

2011-11-27T09:58:00.010-10:00

There are good signs and there are bad signs.
I like good signs, you know, signs that things are going well, really humming along.
Bad signs, not so much.
Still bad signs are a sign that at least something's going on.
Then there are things that can be good signs or bad signs:

Usually this might be good sign, except right now it's a not so good sign.
Anytime I break out the Dremelizer on ceramics means I'm trying to fix some mistakes and/or things are being refired.
These things for example:

You can't see them here, but there are four little feetsies holding that thing up.
The thing is, them thingys warp and the feetsies get all wobbly and I gotta Dremelize them back into non-wobbly flatness.
Not very fun even using a silica carbide bit thingy.
Very slow going.
I did five of them, and it looks like only four are going to make it.
The last one is just too far gone.
Lesson learned.
Then there's all this demon dust:

It's like some eVil incarnation of Tinker Bell goes flying around in the kiln depositing little flakes of who knows what creating little imperfections in the glaze.
That need to be Dremelized out, reglazed and refired.
I've had to do four of them.
So far.
Then there's the What the Hell Was I Thinking(WTHWIT) bowl.
Seriously, what the hell was I thinking?

I loaded this up after coming back from dialysis, you know, when I'm really not thinking too good.
To tell you the truth, I don't remember loading it up at all, I just remember needing to get another load in.
Well it seems that I forgot to stilt this bowl, I stilt everything for the pots are glazed on the bottoms too.
What happens when glaze touches shelf?

Glaze, meet shelf.
Shelf says, how you doing? I like you so much, I'd like to make you a permanent friend.
Not happening says I equipped with chisel.
My once pristine shelf now has a nice round chisel mark reminding me of my doofessness.
Thank goodness I'm almost done!
Now hopefully someones buys this stuff as I still got stuff from last year:

Working with Ugo, OMG!

2011-11-26T09:17:00.008-10:00

So I found this video on Yootoob and I thought it was interesting.
Seems like Mr. Pelizzoli is giving some folks a tour of his shop and another dude is translating for him.
The translation is spotty, but the shop tour is cool.
Look at all the Italian Goodness hanging from the rafters!
All the pretty colors!
Reminds me of Santa's workshop.
Check out all the tubes laying around and the Chinese carbon frames.
If you look good, you will also see a couple of Viner frames against the wall.
I don't understand Italian, but I'm beginning to really like Mr. Pelizzoli:

If you listen good, you can hear Mr. Pelizzoli say how he worked under Ugo De Rosa.
Since we're all Pelizzoli today, here are some pics from Bloggerland citizen Scott, who kindly agreed to share pics of his bicycle.
I hope he doesn't mind, but I hit them up to crop and increase the contrast:

Holy works of art Batman! Check out them brakes!
Yes friends, the truly unobtainable.
The Eighth Wonder of the World, Campagnolo Delta brakes.
Even if I had them, I don't know if I'd actually use them.
I mean they belong in like a glass case.
Or something.
Chapeau Scott!
I've also been doing more looking around at them Columbus Spirit tubes. I'm not sure I like the over sized look and all but I'll wait for the pics of the new frame.
Maybe if just the down tube was OS, that would be okay.
I really like the thin tube look, it's classic and I think a lugged bike should have classic lines.
I think if I were going fillet brazed, that would be a different story as a brazed frame looks more contemporary anyways.
Okay, off to finish off the ceramic thing and undo a rather large goof I made last night.
More on that later.

Selling Out

2011-11-25T13:48:00.007-10:00

Whew!
I finally got out on the road today.
That guilty feeling was too much for me to take so I grabbed the Celeste Devil and off I went!
I was worried that after three weeks or so of idleness, the ole legs were going to take a beating, but after a few miles I felt fine.
Fine enough to take on The Big Ring.
The.
Big.
Ring.
I could feel my heart rate rising just thinking about it.
Usually I'm fine just leaving that thingy on the left side alone; I mean my left shifter must be just like brand new seeing as how I hardly use it.
Well I guess the the guilty conscience thing was really affecting me cause before I knew it I was a chugging along, my piston like legs driving me forwards at unheard of speeds!
Photographic evidence that indeed, The Big Ring was in use:

Well after seven miles I said Okay! enought of this! and I went back to happily spinning along my way.
Besides, I think I was blistering the pavement behind me and I think I saw some little girls fainting in the bike lane.
Okay, not really.
About the little girls fainting part.
Anyways, three weeks was not enough to affect my Jedi Skilz.
I felt good about getting back on the bicycle, for one thing, my box o'goods is filling up:

I should be happy about that, but I'm not.
Sort of.
In desperation, I was wel, desparate to find some new glaze pattern, I went ahead and did something I've never done before.
After reading some stuff about Fauvism, I decided to try some geometric pattern that actually depicts something with a local influence.
The thing is, stuff that sells around these parts is usually the stuff with honu(turtles) on them or dolphins or fish or flowers or coconuts or palm trees or waves or sea shells or well, you get the idea.
Them fauvists liked to use wild colors and stuff and that's what I wanted to do as I was sort of getting tired of the same color combinations I was doing.
So I took this:

The Mokulua islands just off of Lanikai, and did this:

I still haven't fired that thing cause I been looking at it and looking at it wondering if it's really where I want to go.
I mean talk about selling out!
Or maybe it's just a good marketing plan.
Or something.
Anyways, that plate is in the queue for the next firing so we'll see how it comes out.
Who knows, maybe I'll actually like it.
Maybe.

Thursday Stuff

2011-11-24T21:25:00.006-10:00

Boy, I can hardly move.
Hawaiian Paralysis.
My eye was bigger than my stomach, but I still ate it all.
I guess that's why man invented couches.
To recline on after you eat all that food.
So anyways, before I ingested like a GAGILLION calories, I was a busy doing my thing:

I got like twelve more thingys to glaze and as much as you, the reader, are getting tired of hearing about it, lemme tell you, I'm getting just as tired working on them.
I've already mangaged to run out of six glazes and it looks like I'll have to go out and get a couple more.
Since I'm all in a clay making mood, I figure I might as well make some mugs too, you know, to give away at Christmas.
Speaking of Christmas, anyone out there brave the early lines?
I guess I'm sort of lucky and cheap cause I get to make most of my gifts.
Good luck shopping now that it's every man for himself.
Well inbetween the glazing and a firing, I been reading this:

23 Days in July, by John Wilcockson follows the US Postal team during the 2004 Tour de France. It's interesting to read about some of the insider stuff that goes on, stuff that you don't normally hear or see through the regular media.
This was the year Lance was going for his sixth and unprecedented win.
It also talks about some of the history of the le Tour and some of the politics involved like how they choose the route and stuff like that.
Most interesting though is all the talk about doping.
The things folks like Hamilton and Landis said back then compared to what came out recently is sort of strange to read.
Sort of a were they lying back then or are they a lying now kind of thing.
Anyways, a good read if you are into bicycle racing and that sort of thing.
It helped me understand what the teams are doing and their stategies and all that stuff.
Finally, my brother and I were talking about doing a tour of the island next year, an around the island trip that would take around three days.
Part of the trip though involves some off road stuff as there isn't a road that circumnavigates the whole island. Out Kaena Point way, there used to be a road but it's unimproved and hasn't been used in as a real road in years.
We figure it's about 120 or so miles completely around, something we could do in two days but we want to do it at an easy pace with plenty of time for goofing around.
This may be a good test for an outer island biking excursion, we'll see how it goes.
Anyways, I feel like I should ride about a 120 miles tomorrow, just to burn off all that turkey and stuffing I ate tonight.
I gotta tell you though, something is compelling me go over and open up that refrigerator again, you know, just to see if I missed anything.
I shall resist temptation!
Maybe.
So anyways, I hope you had a nice and safe Thanksgiving!
Did you eat as much as I did?
I hope so, you know, just so that I don't feel so guilty.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T06:07:00.002-10:00

The Unknowns

2011-11-23T16:14:00.009-10:00

Okay, now that I've figured out what frame I'm shooting for, let's look at exactly what I'm shooting for.
Okay, let's not look at it, for there aren't any pictures available.
Seems the folks over at Pelizzoli are changing the line up a bit, coming out with two new road frames.
The first one, I guess is sort of a standard frame in standard even sizes with standard paint.
It will be lugged with NOS Columbus SL tubing with chromed drop outs.
I'm not sure whether any custom stuff like extra chrome will be available on this frame as it sort of sounds like it will be an off the rack offering.
Their custom frame will be lugged made with Columbus Spirit tubing, not sure if this is the old Spirit or the newer niobium Spirit.
This frame will have chromed lugs, drop outs, fork ends, and stays.
The fork will also be double crowned and chromed.
The thing about this custom frame is the Spirit tubing.
The top tube and down tube I believe are over sized, something I didn't really want.
The tubing is also really thin, so thin that the tubing comes in two different specs, one for welding and one for lugs.
There aren't a whole lot of frames out there using these tubes, I think because of the thin walls.
Of the two, the custom frame is the higher priced, coming in at around $400 extra.
I'm not sure that's worth the price of admission, so initially I was thinking of the off the rack frame.
The thing is, I don't really know the full story here, my initial contact with them was very brief and not too much info was exchanged.
The way I figure is, I want to see at least some pictures of these frames before plunking down on the Paypal button.
I gotta say, I'd be more than happy with that Corsa GP frame pictured on the website.
More on this as info becomes available.
Now, what do I put on this yet to be named frame?

That's right more gears than you need fans!
I'm thinking of going eleven!
Except eleven may be a bigger chunk of change than the frame.
The thing is, Campagnolo has sort of dumbed down the lower end of their groups to something called Power Shift; you can only shift one gear at a time.
The stuff I got is called Ultra Shift, now only available on Chorus or Record, where you can do multiple shifts with one crank(push? sweep?) of the lever/button.
Veloce, Centaur and Athena now also use Power Torque cranks, sort of like Shimano with outer bearings in cups.
My stuff is all Ultra Torque cranks, with the bearing pressed onto the shafts of the cranks.
Now I've sort of gotten used to dumping multiple gears, especially when changing rings up front, so I kinda like the Ultra Shift stuff.
I'd have no problem going with Centaur again, except new Centaur is black.
In fact, everything is now black and nasty except Athena which can be had in alloy.
Confusing?
You bet!
I really like that classic alloy look, but it's only available in 11 speed Athena, which is only available in Power Shift.
To get Ultra Shift, I'd have to go at least Chorus, but that's all carbon/black too.
If you've been following along at home you, the reader, know that if I'm thinking Chorus, I might as well save up a bit and go Record, cause that's how I think.
To tell you the truth I really don't like the way Record looks, all black and nasty and stealthy like.
Okay, that carbon rear derailleur is pretty:

As you know though, I'm an Italian Alloy Goodness kind of guy.
Now I could find an NOS or used alloy group, but somehow that just doesn't seem right.
If I go used, I might as well use my Veloce.
Boy, this is a bit more difficult than I thought it would be.
I mean now I gotta fret over what I'm hanging on this unknown frame.
So anyways, there it is.
The unknown frame with the unknown group.
I don't even want to get into the Unobtainable Lightness of Roundness.
Hell I may not have any funds left over for wheels.

A Flat Tire Investigative Report: Pelizzoli

2011-11-22T13:18:00.000-10:00

Okay, not really.
This is not an investigative report I mean.
Well sort of, cause I did do some looking and a peeping and I did make an indiscreet inquiry of someone who actually went through the process of ordering a frame.
If you've been following along at home you, the reader, know that I've been looking at all sorts of bicycle frames.
Yes Steve A, I also spent some time on the Mercian site too.
To misquote a famous song, I still hadn't found what I was looking for.
I had only one set of criteria: lugged or fillet brazed steel.
The dream frames I looked at were all beyond present reach.
At that price, everything is pretty much custom geometry and to tell you the truth, I don't quite know exactly what I'm doing yet as far as geometry goes.
What I mean is, when the time comes to make the jump to the next tier, that Holy Grail of Frameness, I'd like to be able to have some input as far as the numbers go, and not just supply my height, inseam, etc.
For right now, I figured I'd save some money and go with something off the rack.
Why Italian?
Well I'm part Italian don't you know.
In fact I'm eating a pizza right now!
So anyways, as far as the other off the rack folks go, like say Torelli or Basso or the folks at the nuovo Ciocc, I wasn't sure exactly who was making the frames.
It seems that there's all these villages with small shops who are contracted to supply frames then logos are slapped on them.
Not saying that it's a bad thing, just saying that it isn't what I wanted.
The only place I found that I sort liked, besides Pelizzoli, was Mondonico as there is actually a person with that name involved in the frame production.
I also looked at Tommasini.
The thing about those companies, and companies like them, is that they are distributed in the US by other folks.
One word came to mind: middleman.
Not that it's a bad thing, them middlemen, I mean we're not just dealing overseas, it's more like two seas for me and I think it's good to have someone on your side that speaks your language and knows your laws.
Then again we're talking bicycle here, so as long as they got Paypal, I feel okay.
Besides, I exchanged emails with the gentleman whose bike I posted up yesterday, and he reported an excellent experience.
Now I knew of Pelizzoli from about the time I got my Ciocc.
Giovanni Pelizzoli started the Ciocc marque, then sold it to the folks that I assume run the company now.
I have to admit, having a Ciocc that had nothing to do with the original Ciocc sort of bothered me.
Like having something vintage only to discover that it was made last year.
Now being able to go direct was one of the main factors in my decision.
I save a some cash, maybe enough to get an extra gear.
If you know what I mean.
A lot less expensive if I were to say order a Tommasini Tecno.
I gotta say, when it comes down to frames in this range, I figure they are all about the same as far as craftsmanship and quality.
So what did it come down to?
Rarity.
I'm the type that digs being different.
Chances are I'll be the only one or at least one of a few who have a Pelizzoli here and that makes me happy.
Which is what counts the most.
Okay, okole happiness counts a lot too, but seats are inexpensive compared to frames.
Sort of.
I also decided that I wanted a bicycle with classic lines, meaning not over sized tubes:

I admit, this may change now that they are building with Columbus Spirit, I'll have to see what it looks like.
I gotta say, choosing a frame is pretty stressful.
I mean it's not like I get a new frame every year.
Okay, I sort of do, but this is a lot of cash and I got to live with it as well as ride it.
Well this is not a lot of cash, it's less than the other frames I was looking at and those frames were getting close to the next tier and forking over three grand for a frame is like well, forking over three grand for a frame.
It's something I'm just not ready to do.
The forking over part I mean.
Lastly, how could I resist getting a frame built by a cute old Italian dude?

eroicacicli

A little more about Pelizzoli can found here.
Okay, now that I figured out the who, I just have to figure out the what.
More on that, later.

I Give Up

2011-11-21T16:41:00.006-10:00

Seriously.
It's no use.
I just can't do it.
I mean I tried and tried but I just couldn't get a grasp on the whole thing.
So all bets are off.
No frame to end all frames.
This year.
The way I figure, I'll like never make up my mind.
There's like a GAGILLION frames out there that I want and choosing one is just not going to happen.
The more I looked into it, the more I studied up on steel tubes and lugs and brazing and seat stays and stems and all that well, it just boggled my mind.
Boggled.
I like that word.
I mean I don't even know why I'm so fixated on something Italian.
It's not like they cornered the market on frame building.
The Italians I mean.
Hell folks make bicycle frames like all over the world!
There's even a dude that makes frames right here!
Besides, I've hyped up this frame to end all frames a bit too much.
Okay, the Mother of All Frames may just exist, just not in my world.
So I'll just be happy to frighten women and children and scorch the roads with the Celeste Devil.
Oh Celeste Devil, how could I think of betraying you?
Wait.
Since I'm retiring the Ciocc, I still need a back up bicycle.
You know, just in case.
Did someone say Ciocc?
I think I said Ciocc!
You did, didn't you?
I mean it's not like I'm fixated on the Ciooc, even though the name sounds kinda cool.
Okay, I have been thinking about Ciocc!
Just not the Ciocc Ciocc.
The Ciocc Ciocc.
I like the way that sounds too.
Anyways, the new Ciocc is not the same as the old Ciocc.
So I think I'm just going to order something from here.
I hope this dude don't get mad at me for posting up his ride, but it's the only built up picture I got:

Going with Pelizzoli just sort of came to me.
In a dream.
Okay, not really.
Oh and that's not really the frame I'll be ordering as they are coming out with two new road frames.
One a 'standard' frame using Columbus SL, the other a custom using Columbus Spirit.
No pics yet as I think they are still working on them.
I've already sent off an email and will let you folks know what's happening.
Anyways, the more I looked into frames, the more I realized that there's this pricing tier I wouldn't/couldn't cross over.
Unfortunately/fortunately it was right where my budget was.
To get the type of frame I was looking at would have taken me north of three large, and I just wasn't prepared to head North.
I mean I want a nice frame and all, but seriously, I had a hard time visualizing myself on a three thousand dollar frame.
I'm delusional, but not that delusional.
I'm also not made out of cashola.
I work(sometimes) for my money.
If you know what I mean.
Besides, I hope to be around riding my bicycle to one day cross over to that next tier.
Maybe.
Anyways, I gave up and gave in.
Pelizzoli it is!
Now I just gotta figure out which frame.
That may take a while.
Oh, more on this later.

Sunday Final

2011-11-20T13:51:00.010-10:00

Well it was rain off and on today, so instead of trying to get a ride in, I figured I'd just finish up whatever I could and made some more stuff.
I tried something different, making a couple of small thingys on a hump mold:

Basically, you get slab and drape it over an upside down bowl shape thingy.
Let it dry a bit, add some feetsies and return to the upright position:

Because of the rain the clay wasn't drying to quick, I was only able to get two of em out, but I got three of them hump mold thingys so I managed to make some different shapes.
Some look okay, some not okay.
More on that later.
Anyways, I don't know why, but all of a sudden I'm all into making all kinds of useful stuff!
Stuff I don't normally even think about making!
I gotta say, there's a side to this utilitarian ware that's sort of challenging. I mean you sort of have to think about the end user and how stuff will work.
There's more to it than meets the eyeballs.
While on the wheel, I made some kitchen utensil jars:

Also managed to get out one more platter.
The others set up well and I was able to trim and finish them off.
Some of them were on the thin side, so I had to improvise and make some feetsies for them:

Usually you wouldn't do this in high fire clay, the clay would slump around the feetsies and warp.
This low fire stuff holds it's form pretty well so I'm not worried about slumpage.
Okay, all my wet work is just about done!
Because of the weather, I don't know how long this stuff will take to dry.
Now all I gotta do is keep a glazing and a firing and hopefully I'll have enough pottage to order me up a brand spanking new custom Reynolds 953 frame!
Okay, not really.
Maybe I can order me some tires though.
Oh and I keep forgetting.
Someone actually has to buy this stuff.

Sunday Early Edition

2011-11-20T01:19:00.001-10:00

Boy.
Now I'm really fat.
More fatness!
Well yesterday, I had to go and visit the clay place to get more clay and some new glazes.
On the way home I was forced to make a slight detour.
The other day, I spied one of these side of the highway vendors doing her thing.
Around these parts, it's not unusual to see folks selling all kinds of stuff like dried ahi or aku, flowers, or in this case pateles.
Okay, that's not how you really spell it.
Another word gone bastardized by us locals.
It's actually pasteles.
A Puerto Rican thing that has sort of found a place in our local diet.
Except that there aren't many Puerto Rican restaurants so I gotta get my fix by the side of the road:

I was just talking to someone at work about these things and how it's been a while since I had one.
Since you sort of have to track someone down who makes them, and that someone is usually parked on some road somewhere.
Besides besides the road, I think I had some when some dude came driving around in his car selling these things at lunchtime.
Or something.
All I know is that I only know of one place that actually sells them over the counter and that is called appropriately, The Pastele Shop.
Unfortunately it's over on the other side, closer to where I work.
Anyways, I turned the ole car around and followed the sign.
To this:

Which is how it usually is, with or without tent.
Anyways, the lady selling them was really nice and assured me that these pateles were not left over from yesterday or anything.
Sort of strange, but in the couple of times I've seen her there, I've never seen anyone stopped off there.
I was kind of thinking about that as I drove over, I mean I think she's sort of new to the patele game, meaning I've never seen her around before.
Well, the pateles themselves go for like $3.50 each, which is sort of pricy, but after I saw them I knew why.
They are large.
Maybe even extra large.
She also had some Spanish rice(SR) for like $5 in one of them 1 lbs. containers.
Okay!
Got home and wow! everything was still hot/warm!
The SR:

Now I've never to Spain.
Wait.
That's a Three Dog Night song!
Anyways, I've never been to Spain so I can't comment on the authenticity of said rice, but it was tasty.
Now the tricky part.
The pateles are wrapped in foil and cooked oh, I don't know how, but you have to unravel them to eat them:

Look at that puppy!
Usually they're only like about 2/3rds the size.
Okay, slowly unwrap, careful cause you don't want to spill the juice.
The juice is good.

You Like The Juice? Juice is Good? - watch more funny videos

Voila!

Available in spicy or mild.
Gonna try them spicy ones next time.
The Flat Tire.
You guide to island cuisine.
Sort of.

The Flatness of Roundness

2011-11-19T17:30:00.009-10:00

So I finally got around to doing some platters.
I don't really like doing platters.
Sort of like how I don't like doing bowls.
Not my best forms.
So anyways, you get some clay and center it on the wheel:

Now, instead of going up, we go down.
It's sort of strange for going in either direction takes a bit o'skill.
Going down means putting some pressure on the shoulder of that mound thingy and making the clay expand outwards.
Centrifugal force also helps here as the wheel is spinning at around a GAGILLION rpms:

The thing is you can't get all that clay flattened down at once.
It sort of takes four or five compression cycles to get it where it's in the Platter Zone(PZ):

Once you're in the PZ, you have to start to worry about the center and the flatness. Believe it or not, moving the clay outwards and down is not easy.
Sort of an isometric workout.
If you know what I mean.
The clay also doesn't want to be flat.
It tends to want to be convex, all humpty in the middle, so you got to work it flat, or close to flat.
Then you can start to work on the sides:

Once you get here, it's pretty easy going.
Except that now you have to slow the wheel down to half a GALLION rpms for the outer section is like spinning way faster than the inner part.
Centrifugal force here is doing it's thing and control becomes your primary concern as the outer rim wants to fly off into orbit.
Luckily my Jedi skilz came back after I made a mess of the first platter I tried to do.
Voila!

No, not done yet.
Because of the exposed surface area, the clay dries in different sections. The outer part dries faster than the middle part, so cracking and shrinkage is a problem.
I also have a habit of making these things really thin, so thin that I have problems removing them from the round bat thingy.
Tomorrow we'll see how it goes.
Let me tell you, making these things is a work out, if you're not in platter making shape, which I'm not.
In platter making shape I mean.
When doing bigger platters, you are pressing down with almost your whole forearm, trying to get that clay down and flat.
The good thing is that I've got more ideas on how to glaze these puppies.
Having a flat surface is easier to work with and I'm ready to try some new stuff out.
Maybe something special:

Decorating the Half Roundness

2011-11-19T08:01:00.008-10:00

I'm sort of running out of ideas here.
I mean I got all these bowls and it's like they all can't be glazed differently.
Well okay they can, but it's a pain to sit there and be all creative and such.
So what I've been doing is working in sort a series, glazing these things in like patterns using different colors.
Some folks want bowls in sets, but when I did these I made them in all different sizes and shapes. I haven't done a set of bowls in some time, or a set of anything for that matter.
At least some of them will sort of look the same.
I went back to my polka dot thingy:

I forgot how much I like doing this and there are more color combinations I can use.
It's fairly fast, each bowl only taking a half hour or so and doing the dots is faster than the taping off thing I was doing.
I mean still doing:

This is an old trick, contrasting the roundness of the bowl with some geometric pattern inside like a triangle or square.
Sort of difficult to keep the lines straight, but easier than the Mondrian thing I was doing.
I think I'm finding a rhythm now, the bowls are getting done in bunches.
The thing is my kiln is so small that now I'm only able to fire off two bowls at one time. All the smaller bowls are pretty much done.
So now I figure I might as well make big bowls, you know, to the size of the kiln, that way I'm not wasting so much space.
Thursday will be my last 'wet' day, as the I'll only have ten days from there to finish up.
Meanwhile, I got this invitation to do this fundraiser for one of the museums here, a sort of high mucka mucka thing where my work will be on display at the local Neiman Marcus for sale later.
Thing is, they want something new so here I go again, I need to come up with a couple of pieces worthy of the occasion.
I got until January 5 to get that in.
Oh boy, the pressure is on.

Something to Shoot For

2011-11-18T16:06:00.000-10:00

First of all, I've gained some weight this past couple of weeks.
I've not been riding at all and it's starting to show.
Mostly I feel like I'm lugging a couple of water balloons around in my pockets and my shorts have gotten a little tighter.
Not good at all.
Okay, I've only been sitting around on my fat water balloons doing the clay thing but I think my new found fatness is because of this:

That take out fans, is a Mini Chicken Cutlet plate from L&L Drive In.
The local evil food place.
On Mondays and Wednesdays.
Fridays, like today, it's this:

Richie's Drive In version of chicken with gravy.
The thing is, I really dig gravy.
Nice and thick brown gravy smothered over practically anything.
Or maybe just a bowl of gravy all by itself!
Okay, not really.
I'm not that gravy crazy.
Gravy is pretty groovy.
If you know what I mean.
Our military though, has got me thinking of changing my gravy ways.
If you've been following along at home you, the reader, know that I'm like the fastest thing on two freakin wheels around these parts.
I'm so fast I dry out roads when I pass by, so fast rain doesn't fall on me, so fast women and children run for cover when I pass by, so fast I wear out tires every time I ride, so fast the skin on my face melts off when I use the big ring!
Okay, not really.
About the skin melting part.
The army though, apparently is calling me out!
They think they got the fastest thing on the planet.
The thing is, I don't see no wheels:

Now 4,600 mph is pretty darn fast.
Myself, I usually top out at around 3,997 mph; I mean I'm already a blur so there's not much sense in showing off.
Besides the lactic acid really starts to burn at around 3,550 mph.
Now though, they got this thing that goes like Mach 20!
Like 13,000 mph!
That's really really fast!
I'll probably need a standard crank and like an 11-23 in back to get close.
Maybe a skin suit and one of them cone head helmets.
I figure I better start training if I want to be king of the hill around here, you know, show them military boys some real speed.
Some better tires might help too.
So I've decided to change my ravenous gravy smothered chicken eating ways.
Lose some of them water balloons and start burning up the streets.
Mach 21 don't sound that hard and it gives me something to shoot for.
Yup, time to lay off of them chicken cutlets.
Starting tomorrow.