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Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
I fear whatever I might get as a non-ridiculous second bike would just languish in the garage and gather dust once the Shuttle is back in action. It is hard to turn down the crack of assist.
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
23,928
14,450
where the trails are
Assuming my blast from the past sucks as much as its geometry and cantilever brakes would suggest, what’s my best play for bike coverage?

REI has weekly rentals for $450.

GBS will demo 4 times for $225 but I don’t think I can repeat this indefinitely.

Do I want to have a legit pedal-only bike back in the stable? So should I look for something I want vs hunting for a deal on backcountry? @Nick didn’t you win a Pedalhead? How does that ride? Building one up in 29” guise is somewhat intriguing to me, in theory.
I did win a Pedalhead. Rode it a while, sold the frame to someone wanting it, replaced it with an almost identical frame (stylus). I liked it a lot, but think that build would have been better as a 29r.

Renting a bike for those prices is insane. I'll lend you my 27.5 hardtail if you want to ride, just fix whatever you break.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
I just read 22 CTs in a row for a study. PACS system is similar to ours--I'm probably a bit more efficient in ours due to keyboard shortcuts missing from the study's one. The report I create is identical to the product I'd make were I reading this for real, here.

I averaged 10 minutes per study, so 4 hours 40 minutes for those 22 studies. So this means that I spend most of my normal workdays at about 50% load, as it were... and I am totally ok with that as I am not paid by the unit.
 

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
15,828
13,067
I'm sure the people in the images appreciate that you're not rushing through them too.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
I'm sure the people in the images appreciate that you're not rushing through them too.
Yeah, humans definitely make more errors when pushed for time.

In reality my real work would average a bit less than this because there are normal or nearly normal cases interspersed in between the cancer cases.

This study is all cancer cases.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
am sufficiently bored to have scheduled an appointment to get the Land Cruiser’s noisy blower motor (as in HVAC not supercharger) looked at. Jeff at Comprehensive Car Care mentioned as I scheduled it that often it’s just debris in the motor, so I carted the baby out to sit in her chair in the shade at the edge of the garage as I wrenched on the beast.

I’d done this before, also looking for debris as a cause of the longstanding high fan setting noise, so knew the devil I was facing, namely contorting oneself to see and get access to the screws holding the blower motor in place. These screws face up in the passenger footwell, behind and below the glovebox. There’s not a ton of room there—had to bust out the stubby screwdrivers, even.

There was no debris, still. There is a few mm of play longitudinally along the shaft of the motor itself so I think 163,000 miles worth of spinning up has simply worn out its bearings.

Upon relaying this to Jeff he said he’d get the part in (I offered to pay for it up front but he said we can just settle up after) before I drop it off. The Comprehensive guys are nothing if not honest.
Gah.

So after all this—me checking the motor for debris and asking them to order the part in advance—I drop off the Land Cruiser this morning to get the motor replaced.

They open it up and, lo and behold, they agree that the blower motor needs to be replaced.

And they don’t have the part on hand.

:facepalm:

Now I get to do this song and dance again next week, getting to and from Evans Ave. Edit: Decided to just leave it with them Wednesday through Thursday and forgo my planned Mountain Lion loop on Thursday so that I could get this done with.
 
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Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
No word from Pivot yet re Shuttle warranty claim per the GBS folks.

While on the phone with them I canceled my SB150 demo for Friday, as it looks like it'll rain, rain, rain.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
My spur of the moment eBay purchase should arrive tomorrow, the S-Works M2 hardtail. Things to do for it:

1) Check what year it is. I'm guessing 1992 but it could be 1991-1995ish, I think. This should be stamped on the inside of the left dropout, first two digits.

2) Figure out what size steerer tube it uses. (Looks 1 1/8") Fix Manitou or more likely sell the fork and swap to rigid + cable hanger. Or find a Mag 21? Hmm.

3) Rideability updates: pedals (dual side XT touring pedals from my commuter?), fresh brake pads if needed, modern tires.

4) Bling. I'm thinking a Syncros stem (I loved my old Syncros quill stem on ye olde 1992 Proflex. One like this only I'd need 1 1/8"), new modern flat bar of reasonable width (ok, not so modern and not so wide--I used to run this! or this generic one if I don't win the auction) with corresponding modern Ergon grips, and some flashy period canti brake levers if I can find them (Paul's? maybe just a clean pair of new Shimano short pulls). Touch up all the paint flakes with black paint.
 
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Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
I saw a dark red Kia Telluride on the street today. It looked much blander and blobbier in lower-spec trim than the top of the line dark green over cream model that made the show circuit and impressed @stoney and me a few months ago.



The shoulder line looked much weaker in the dark red, and the contrast to the dark grey plastic lower panels wasn't pretty. The small silver wheels also detracted from it, and overall it had little presence.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
I’m now cleared to stick with my 3 for the long term. And by that I mean at least a year since buying it. Maybe.

(I’m still eagerly awaiting when I’ll get the FSD computer and software upgrades/updates…)
Along this line of thought, I think I might sell my Model 3.

Not now, of course--it's still awaiting a new bumper cover and its fender repair. Plus I do want to see what Tesla has up its sleeve with regard to what Full Self Driving looks like in the real world. The latter will likely take until the new year.

Taking until the new year lines up nicely with the sunsetting of the tax credits, too, which plays into my thoughts. To replicate my Model 3 (long range AWD, gray, 18" wheels, black interior, Full Self Driving package, including destination, ignoring tax) would cost, barring future price decreases:

- $54,350 net as of today in a no credit state
- $56,225 net as of 7/1/19
- $58,100 net as of 1/1/20

Of course, history has shown that the price has dropped shortly after the credits sunset but we will ignore that for now. Also many original buyers were likely in CA, with an income-capped $2.5k credit. The point is that it might be possible to land something like $49k for mine as a private party sale on the used market down the road given the differential with the future net cost.

So let us suppose that I could sell it private party on 1/1/20 for $49k, after Full Self Driving was rolled out and proved to be totally incapable of driving on snow and taking me skiing hands-off. Inclusive of the sales tax I originally paid and also inclusive of the time value of the $12,500 I had in my pocket earlier that'd be a net cost of roughly $264/mo. Even at a sale price of $45k that'd be $597/mo.

I'd be ok with either of those figures. (Note that the lease on that cursed XC40 was for a touch over $600/mo inclusive of tax, so a fair comparison. What's more, a year more yet with just the Land Cruiser and no Tesla would earn me enough back in non-realized Tesla depreciation to pay for my early Volvo exit, if that makes sense…)

Enough with the math that justifies why this might be a sane decision if Full Self Driving turns out to be less than impressive. What is the emotional reason why I'd let go a car that I actually quite like?

This is more complicated, but the gist of it is that fundamentally I am a cheap person.

I like my very capable yet slow and non-all-singing-and-dancing Land Cruiser just fine now that I have taken care of the two glaring issues with it (iPhone audio in and loud HVAC fan), and ultimately I think I should have something of similar capability available to use given CO weather, my skiing, and my need to get to work in all conditions due to my job.

Having lived with such a thing, I would actually be quite alright with not having a sleek, modern, quick electric car in my garage. What I had before all this mess would ultimately be good enough once more, and with two vehicles I wouldn't have to shuffle cars around in my driveway, worry about hail, etc.


Cliffs Notes: Teslas are getting more expensive net over time due to the tax credit sunsetting. If Full Self Driving sucks donkey balls and I can sell it for a good price, the Model 3 may exit the game around January 2020.
 
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Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,241
20,023
Sleazattle
So sad how luxury car buyers are losing government subsidies. I hope in the future those with great means find other ways for other people to buy things for them.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
So sad how luxury car buyers are losing government subsidies. I hope in the future those with great means find other ways for other people to buy things for them.
It’s only sunsetting for Tesla and GM at this point. I may well be able to reap the credits again for FCA, Toyota, or VW. Or all three.

And while your underlying snarky point is well taken, the only reason we have such kludges is because such credits are more politically palatable than a society wide carbon tax, apparently. (The reason they benefit people who make more simply reflects who demographically buys new cars. It’s not Joe Sixpack.) I would love for all those external costs to be reflected in the prices paid and let the market sort out efficient solutions but there is far too much entrenched opposition to this from effectively highly subsidized fields.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
My spur of the moment eBay purchase should arrive tomorrow, the S-Works M2 hardtail. Things to do for it:
Updated list:

1) Sell it. See: https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/d/denver-vintage-1991-specialized/6916893761.html

My gawd, it is awful to actually ride around! That stem length! How sucky cantilevers work! How narrow and stretched out cockpits used to be! Old tires are a trip, too, so narrow and low volume.

It was a fun trip back down memory lane building it up from its shipped state, though. I haven't worked on real cantilever brakes in eons, and never had an OG Answer Manitou. (This one indeed doesn't work as per the eBay ad.) I had a rigid fork first with a Girvin Flexstem on that Proflex 550, then a Rock Shox Quadra 10 after I bent the rigid fork being too extreme(tm), then an Answer Manitou Mach 5 SX on a Cannondale CAAD3 frame and so on through the later years. Never had a Mag 21, never had a Manitou 1/2/3/4.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
I had a rigid fork first with a Girvin Flexstem on that Proflex 550, then a Rock Shox Quadra 10 after I bent the rigid fork being too extreme(tm)




Syncros stem, narrow flat Ti bars with a spacer at the stem, Quadra 10, clipless, skinny Toshi from the wrestling years, and a sweet trackstand even back then. :D
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
Lemme know if nobody bites on that bike. My kid's gonna need a cheap bike for knocking around MSU in the fall and that might fit the bill.

Still can't believe you're *actually* asking tree fiddy. :D
Don't punish him with this. Get him a Huffy instead as it likely would be better.

:D
 

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
Updated list:

1) Sell it. See: https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/d/denver-vintage-1991-specialized/6916893761.html

My gawd, it is awful to actually ride around! That stem length! How sucky cantilevers work! How narrow and stretched out cockpits used to be! Old tires are a trip, too, so narrow and low volume.

It was a fun trip back down memory lane building it up from its shipped state, though. I haven't worked on real cantilever brakes in eons, and never had an OG Answer Manitou. (This one indeed doesn't work as per the eBay ad.) I had a rigid fork first with a Girvin Flexstem on that Proflex 550, then a Rock Shox Quadra 10 after I bent the rigid fork being too extreme(tm), then an Answer Manitou Mach 5 SX on a Cannondale CAAD3 frame and so on through the later years. Never had a Mag 21, never had a Manitou 1/2/3/4.
Sell it on MTBR vintage forum, those guys are nuts.
That's not a Dart rear tire, some specialized model I forgot name of.

I've got a new, never built WTB phoenix frame with new WTB dirt drop bars, WTB OG seatpost and 140 GG hubset that I should dump on those fools. There are idiots riding frames 2x too small for them that seemingly have a lifegoal of riding poor fitting, obsolete bikes.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
Sell it on MTBR vintage forum, those guys are nuts.
That's not a Dart rear tire, some specialized model I forgot name of.

I've got a new, never built WTB phoenix frame with new WTB dirt drop bars, WTB OG seatpost and 140 GG hubset that I should dump on those fools. There are idiots riding frames 2x too small for them that seemingly have a lifegoal of riding poor fitting, obsolete bikes.
But then I’d have to pack it and ship it again. Either way it’ll be off my hands by early next week.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554


Lunacycle X-1

I’m sort of tempted to give this a try at its $3500 intro price… mainly as a commuter e-bike. 2 kW could certainly be fun and I would lock up such a bike on the rack at work. I have maintained my motorcycle endorsement all these years so it might even be legal if not for the lack of plates.

I would not take it on local class 1 e-bike-ok trails as it is blatantly not compliant with the letter and spirit of the rules. Plus I have no doubt my Shuttle would be a better performing bike on the downhills.

Oh, did I mention that Luna is offering a 1 week return policy? :D Such words are very sweet when they fall upon my ears...
 
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Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
Have you ever considered getting a motorcycle?
Yeah, might not do this one since it's very difficult to justify… its purpose would be for (illegally but unenforced as they have a strict no-motors policy) riding along the unpaved, homeless-housing greenway along which I commute.

I couldn't poach that on a motorcycle, as that's a bit beyond the pale, but on something that looks rather conventional, sure.

A motorcycle proper in a state with variable weather and no legal lane splitting makes very little sense.

Honda makes the perfect nerdcycle for him.

https://powersports.honda.com/2017/nc700x.aspx
In that series the NC700D Integra half-motorcycle/scooter thing is more appealing, honestly.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
I just went on an unpowered bicycle ride!






I followed my 4 year old on her kick scooter around the greater block, twice, no less. Nick’s Chromag with very sane tires at 30 psi feels like the Shuttle with a flat tire in terms of effort per forward progress.
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
23,928
14,450
where the trails are
I just went on an unpowered bicycle ride!






I followed my 4 year old on her kick scooter around the greater block, twice, no less. Nick’s Chromag with very sane tires at 30 psi feels like the Shuttle with a flat tire in terms of effort per forward progress.
#motors
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554


I cut it too close when trimming my beard tonight, so I decided to make a fresh start of it.

Colorado people will have never seen me beardless (other than when I interviewed) so it has been since 2013. Note similar baby face in 2009 wedding photos behind me.

FaceID didn’t recognize me, as one might expect.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
Lunacycle X-1

I’m sort of tempted to give this a try at its $3500 intro price… mainly as a commuter e-bike. 2 kW could certainly be fun
I think I've backed down from this particular precipice, because route and schedule changes will make a conventional bike commute more feasible.

With some currently in progress construction as per the below I will be able to pick a route that's majority paved and also almost completely free of interaction with cars (cross two minor streets in my neighborhood, cross a highway offramp at a crosswalk at a light, cross one major street near work at a crosswalk similarly with a light, and then mingling with cars for a few blocks when on campus proper).



New portion of the route will be from asterisk to asterisk paralleling the newly extended vehicle road. In the drawing atop this note the protected, paved path separated from the roadway by a median with trees.

With adding faculty members as we have at work (+2.0 FTE comparing October 10, 2018 to August 1, 2019 and adding another 1.0 FTE for July 1, 2020) we have been able to change how we staff the services. This means that I'll have more flexibility on most days to roll in late.

This flexibility will let me bike commute more, and, if I push it, maybe even drop a kid off at school, go on a quick loop of White Ranch on the Shuttle, and roll in more than a bit late...
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554