Bike Tinker

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  • officebeam

    officebeam, originally uploaded by BikeTinker.

  • testing the commute route

    testing the commute route, originally uploaded by BikeTinker.

    I’ve been riding part of my projected commute, in order to see the danger zones, and also just get fit enough to do the whole thing. There are some sketchy intersections on Sonoma Mountain Parkway, where whole lines of cars are turning right.
    I’m just as slow on my bigger fixed gear as my normal one, but I need to make up 10 seconds between each light in order to not get caught by the red. That’s a goal. 10% faster. I’d like to be 10% lighter, too. I think those are attainable goals, maybe by July.
    I’ll keep you posted.

  • Moscaline Scoops NAHBS

    Go here, read this, it’s funny.

    http://tsaleh.blogspot.com/2013/02/nahbs-bad-press-review.html

  • Hillbubba’s rack rack and rack hack



    View from this side, originally uploaded by Hillbubba.

    Platrack on a mini rack, with a hub area rack prototype attached.

  • Thanks Eagle Scouts of Troop 73



    Thanks Eagle Scouts of Troop 73, originally uploaded by MannyAcosta.

    From Manny. Totally cool bike repair box on Mt Tam. Stash caches like this would be pretty great all over.

  • Spacer light mount.



    Hey Tink, originally uploaded by Uncle Bicycle.


    It’s a decaleur of sorts… In that you could mount a bag on there with a couple problem solvers handlebar cage mounts.

  • meeting of the minds



    meeting of the minds, originally uploaded by cyclotourist.

    That’s me in blue, talking to Gino at the West Point Inn. I’d never met him in person before. Photo taken by Cyclotourist, who was visiting from Redlands.

    Riding my Bontrager for the first time in 8 months, and the first time back in California in 7 years made me realize that compared to the Privateer, my Gravel Roadster is a waste of time to ride.

  • Mt Tam with Cyclotourist and Gino

    I went for a ride on Mt Tam today with my friends David and Gino. I’d met David twice, and Gino never, in real life.
    I grew up in Mill Valley, but lived in Santa Rosa for years before moving to Oregon, so it’s been a long time since I rode up Railroad Grade. The Bontrager was an Annadel machine – I’m not sure it’s ever been up Tam.
    I loved it. David seemed to enjoy it, and we rode Hoo Koo E Koo simply because there’s a bike named for it. “A great bike,” said David. His wife had one.
    I had started out with a “yeah this town used to be nice,” attitude after a dog walker gave us a dirty look after we gave him a friendly greeting. Later, though, EVERYONE was nice! Man do people like an ‘on your left’ or a friendly bell-ring.
    At Avatar’s Punjabi Burrito (no photo, but this phone takes terrible pictures anyway), a woman stopped, and said, “are either of you from here?” Expecting a request for directions, I said, “I grew up here, but I haven’t lived here for years.” Deniability, right? In case she asks after some boutique that’s cropped up in the last 15 years.
    She said, “you two are having the Perfect Mill Valley Experience, with the bikes, and this kind of food.”
    We were like, “we just rode up Mt Tam, so I think you’re totally right.”

  • Light Rack in Action



    Light Rack in Action, originally uploaded by Uncle Bicycle.

    That… Is a cool idea.

  • Gryphon w Dugasts



    Gryphon w Dugasts, originally uploaded by Singular Cycles.

    Fantastic looking setup from Singular’s Flickr stream.

  • kung fu panda



    kung fu panda, originally uploaded by BikeTinker.

    I miss Kung Fu. I wish I had a fresh pair of these shoes, too. On the other hand, I can see the stars most nights, and I don’t need-need fenders on this bike, even in winter.

  • Fall Cleanup

    Fall Cleanup

    I tuned up the Google Doc for the Tire Pressure Calculator. I added Triathlon bikes, linked the title back to the explanation page (which I cleaned up), and put in a big Black Friday ad for the Android Tire Pressure App.

    I also cleaned up the right column here, moving the PS graphic up where it belongs. I need to review everything else over in the right column. If there’s a relevant blog I should check out, let me know – my blog reading has been severely limited in the last 6 months.

    Now, off to play Thanksgiving video games with my newly 12-year-old son!

  • Front bag conversion on Problem Solvers

    Front bag conversion on Problem Solvers

    I bought a cool seat bag on the Riv list from someone who had hacked it to be a handlebar bag. I liked it so much I wrote it up for the Problem Solvers blog.

    Carradice seat bag as a bar bag

  • rivendell garage sale haul

    rivendell garage sale haul

    This is the first Rivendell Garage Sale I’ve been to.

    I got to meet Flickr, forum and facebook friends I’d never met in person: Manny, Joe, and Harry. It seems like it should be weird to meet online friends in the real world, but it never turns out to be weird. It’s normal and good.

    Rivendell is really hard to find. I’d been there before, but my landmark had been completely remodeled. I kept seeing the bicycles descending, but I couldn’t quite see where they were disappearing to! I drove around the same three blocks about four times. Google Maps is kind of misleading. Basically, you have to find Dirito Automotive (giant), and make a right into the driveway between the Hertz place and the Pho place. Up the hill, left, park. I’d like to paint a giant bicycle on the street, with a big arrow.

    There were some great deals, and a $400 SimpleOne frame that had been repaired. Too small for me. I heard someone got a $400 Atlantis frame right out of the gate, but I didn’t see it.

    I got some good stuff for very little money. Here’s my haul at home – click through for notations. 

    rivendell garage sale haul, originally uploaded by BikeTinker.

    I felt like I’d made out like a bandit, with Rivendell virtually paying me to take things away, so I asked, “Is there a tip jar?” Joe said, “No, but there’s a pile of money on the counter.” I threw down my last three dollars, and prepared to leave. Harry gave me directions, and reminded me that you can’t get out of the East Bay for free. Whoops. Every bridge in is free, but the same bridge out costs $5. Rather than retrieve dollars from the pile of money (that can’t be okay), or sell back the Nitto prototype Dove bars, I walked two block to the ATM and bailed myself out of Walnut Creek.

     

  • How to break a stem

    Put a 25.4 mountain-diameter bar in an old road-diameter stem. Tighten it enough to keep the bars from rotating, and SNAP! oops. Leave the bike in your garage for years.

    I’m pleased – my friend moved from Portland to Petaluma, and now I can fix the bike I fixed up for her before. I turned her road bike into a city bike, broke the stem, bought a new stem and kept it in a box for YEARS. Jeeez. So now the new stem holds new drop bars, and the city bike is turning back into a road bike,  but with fenders.

  • Hillbubba Grip King Mod



    Hillbubba Grip King Mod, originally uploaded by Snug Harborman.

    I’m addicted to pedal hacks, and even though I don’t have the Rivendell Grip King pedals, Hillbubba’s side plate mod for them is right up my alley.
    They provide side support for wide feet, and a little extrao gription.

    You can hunt him down on Flickr, Etsy, or the Rivendell Google Group.