[Nick]

Black over cashmere is a fine combo

36k-Mile 1996 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 6-Speed

Bid for the chance to own a 36k-Mile 1996 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 6-Speed at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #102,821.

bringatrailer.com

Indeed, gorgeous.

how about this?
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2021-porsche-718-boxster-gts-2/

 

[Toshi]

Maybe it was mentioned elsewhere, but how come you didn't put the hot tub on the concrete surface under the deck? The view from higher elevation?

Under the deck you'd get some shelter from the weather, from the deck. And you wouldn't have to worry about shoveling snow out of the way in the winter? Less wet people tracking across the kitchen or whatever too.

It's ugly under there, it's icicles and dripping water from snow melt, and it's built up +/- being part structurally of the foundation so it's about 2.5' higher than the level of the weird extra door from the basement. Just not an attractive place to hang out at all. On top of deck with reinforcement will be much classier

Indeed, gorgeous.

how about this?
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2021-porsche-718-boxster-gts-2/

modern ones do nothing for me. to quote Watz, "meh"

• [in a Ferrari dealership]
  Roger the Car Salesman : My name's Roger, sir. May I be of some help?
  Memphis : That's funny, my name's Roger... Two Rogers don't make a right.
  [laughs]
  Memphis : Roger, I have a problem...
  Roger the Car Salesman : Yes?
  Memphis : I've been in L.A. for three months now. I have money, I have taste. But I'm not on anybody's "A" list, and Saturday night is the loneliest night for the week for me.
  Roger the Car Salesman : Well, a Ferrari would certainly change that.
  Memphis : Perhaps, mmm. But, you know, this is the one. Yes, yes yes... I saw three of these parked outside the local Starbucks this morning, which tells me only one thing. There's too many self-Indulgent wieners in this city with too much bloody money! Now, if I was driving a 1967 275 GTB four-cam...
  Roger the Car Salesman : You would not be a self-indulgent wiener, sir... You'd be a connoisseur.
  Memphis : Precisely. Champagne would fall from the heavens. Doors would open. Velvet ropes would part.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip> On top of deck with reinforcement will be much classier

Besides - it's way more difficult for "guests" to have sex in the hot tub up there 'cause all the neighbors will see them.

Unless, of course, they are exhibitionists. NTTAWWT.

 

[canadmos]

Besides - it's way more difficult for "guests" to have sex in the hot tub up there 'cause all the neighbors will see them.

Unless, of course, they are exhibitionists. NTTAWWT.

You think that'll stop them? I've heard stories of people on busy ass cruise ships partaking in extra curricular activities in their hot tubs.

 

[SkaredShtles]

You think that'll stop them? I've heard stories of people on busy ass cruise ships partaking in extra curricular activities in their hot tubs.

I think I covered those cases. Quite a few people, I'd wager, aren't comfortable having sex in a hot tub "in public."

 

[johnbryanpeters]

You think that'll stop them? I've heard stories of people on busy ass cruise ships partaking in extra curricular activities in their hot tubs.

Them what journey on cruise ships notably have little intelligence/common sense.

 

[Toshi]

was ok. very cold!

 

[Nick]

You think that'll stop them? I've heard stories of people on busy ass cruise ships partaking in extra curricular activities in the breakfast buffet.

I feel attacked.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I feel attacked.

Shit. If this is gonna be that kind of party, I’m gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes.

 

[Toshi]

For future reference, I was very pleased with my experience with Kyle. Chatted about a bunch of ski related stuff ranging from Larry (now slinging rental gear only in Eugene is the word) to where to ski (Wolf Creek, day after the storm), to the ever favorite gear choice question. He advocated for Duke PT over Shift, for the record, due to failures they’ve seen come to the shop on the latter, and said that he’d actually recommend the Cast system (with Look Pivots!) over all for 90/10 use.

Christy Sports on University in Cherry Creek, and he’s off Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (and Monday if there’s powder).

Freetour 2.0 Pivot 15

A Look Pivot 15 with the Cast Freetour 2.0 installed. The most refined hybrid touring binding on the market. Includes AFDs compatible with Gripwalk, Alpine 5355 and Touring 9523 norms.

casttouring.com

View attachment 190385

One of the bootfitters got Dispatch skis this season and likes them. But apparently he has something like 10 skis and likes all of them.

I should bring my boots back in for some more work by Kyle. Need a bit more room yet in the toebox. Right great toe toenail is partially blue, and left 5th metatarsal head is also a bit sore today. Will plan to go on Friday April 7 given his hours unless a goodly amount of snow is forecast for that day.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Not yet.

Pfft. Debt??

hesrightyouknow.jpg

 

[Toshi]

Skied. Ski buddy is one of my friends from wind ensemble.

 

[Toshi]

Those skis in question will be the Black Pearl 98s in 152 cm that my wife did not care for. Kid is 145 cm and rapidly growing. I bought them as ex-demos from Powder7 so they have heavy Marker Squire bindings on demo plates. I am hoping to have Powder7 remount them with the Pivot 14s at a BSL between 23.5 and 24.5 for her preferred boot, to eke out just enough adjustment on the arms to fit either.

For my reference when I make it in to powder7: the HF in 23.5 is a 275 BSL, 24.5 285. So a 280 mount should do the trick.

 

[Nick]

does your kid ski a 5 DIN binding. I'd think that would be too high for a girl her size. (at least for the time being)

 

[Toshi]

does your kid ski a 5 DIN binding. I'd think that would be too high for a girl her size. (at least for the time being)

oh, that is an excellent point that I did not think about. that will kill this plan indeed.

at her current age, BSL, height, and weight she calculates out to a 3 DIN if put in as skier type III. I don't have the Black Pearls handy (loaned to a work buddy's wife) but assuming they're the Squire 10 or 11 they go down to 3.

even if she grows 2" by winter and somehow puts on 11 lb she'd still only calculate out to a 4.

 

[Nick]

color matching > ACL

 

[Toshi]

Milestones that I will need to wait for:

She'll hit DIN 4 (so Pivot 12, Shift 10, or Duke PT 12 ok) at type III at 79 lb and any height.

She'll hit DIN 5 (so Pivot 14 ok) at type III at 92 lb and any height.

She'll hit DIN 6 (so Pivot 15/Cast ok) at type III at 108 lb and any height.

She's 68 lb now so has a ways to grow! The Salomon Shift 10 has a range from 4-10 and the Marker Duke PT 12 has a range of 4-12, for comparison/when I get those 159 cm Mindbender 106Cs for her mounted up eventually…


relevant reading, suggesting age 12 might be a reasonable time for her to get some skins on:

How Young is Too Young for Backcountry Skiing?

Taking your children out of bounds means facing a whole different class of hazards than you see at the resort.

www.outsideonline.com

 

[Toshi]

color matching > ACL

100% agreed.

I hope those Marker Squires have lower step-in force than the Tyrolia Attacks on her 140 cm current-season skis. She has an incredibly hard time stepping into those. Remind me not to get Attacks again!

 

[Toshi]

mobile windshield replacement for Land Cruiser is in progress



edit: also got it smogged this morning (passed as it always has except for needing a new $8 gas cap one year) and re-upped the registration. $3 specific ownership tax this year. :notbadobama:

 

[Toshi]

more kid + cat bed happenings about my house

 

[Toshi]

yellow wheels 993 Turbo from last page sold for $265k

 

[Toshi]

He also recommended adding some metal bolted plates on the facing towards and away from house interface of the outer beams as in this photo (so plates on all four sides ultimately):

Looking back for my brake posts makes me realize I never did this. Got to source some plates and lag bolts.

Got me some hot, dipped screws coming my way

The PSQ piling straps are a newer design that are designed to use 4 of those "Strong-Tie" timber screws on each side of the connection instead of 2 lag bolts as conventionally done. Should be easier to install for me.

Both those screws and the truss screws come with the proper bits (looks like 6 mm hex and T30, respectively), and the truss screws come with a little metal plate to align them for the proper 22.5 degree angle. I think there are some truss screws already spanning the big laminate beam and the stringers atop it, but it won't hurt to tie it in even better.

 

[6thElement]

View attachment 191783

Got me some hot, dipped screws coming my way

The PSQ piling straps are a newer design that are designed to use 4 of those "Strong-Tie" timber screws on each side of the connection instead of 2 lag bolts as conventionally done. Should be easier to install for me.

Both those screws and the truss screws come with the proper bits (looks like 6 mm hex and T30, respectively), and the truss screws come with a little metal plate to align them for the proper 22.5 degree angle. I think there are some truss screws already spanning the big laminate beam and the stringers atop it, but it won't hurt to tie it in even better.

I didn't know it was piling straps I needed, but that's what I'd visualized I needed to reinforce a section of railroad tie retaining wall thingy at our house.

 

[Toshi]

Finally test-built the bike jump ramp I bought over Black Friday. Serious business, especially with the orange extension on it.

330 lb bike + rider weight limit so I can use it, too! And at its lowest settings Mariko will start to learn to jump.

 

[Toshi]

I should get either a Loveland season pass or the Pass Card for next season.

Season pass:

- $589, including access the remainder of this season (closing date May 7)
- for a $5 RFID card, 3 free days at Monarch that I potentially might use to hang with @Pesqueeb
- those Monarch tix midweek would otherwise be $5 RFID card for season + $64/day as an Ikon Pass holder
- don't think I'd use any of the other benefits

Pass Card:

- $95, including the first day's lift ticket
- $95/day tix during regular season, every 5th ticket free
- mysterious "Membership rewards on days 3, 8 and 13"

Let's assume I'd do 5 solo days at Loveland and 1 day at Monarch, all midweek. That seems realistic.

Pass: $594
Card: $449

If I went up with @Nick then additional days would be at the passholder-buddy rate, which isn't published for this season but is most likely cheaper than $95. I think overall this favors getting the Pass Card (which I did buy in a prior season iirc and then ended up never using it? or maybe just I hallucinated that hmm).




edit: bought one for the 2019-2020 season. and looks like I went up once that season to Loveland.

 

[Toshi]

Wrote some shit (derivative of our prior work, which made it easier). This is for an April 30 deadline for an October meeting in Sendai that I would like to go to on the university's expense. Everything in red is just promised at this point but should take an hour to whip up, optimistically. The data underlying them exist as does my code to make the surface plots.

 

[Toshi]

 

[Toshi]

I'm getting the itch to change out my commuter bike for something with better aero positioning. Maybe that godforsaken recumbent idea again (but those long chain runs are so ugly!) or maybe just a "gravel grinder" to be all hip and such.

Things I'd like:

- 1 x 11 or 12, maybe Alfine 11?
- belt drive?
- drop bars if an upright bike
- hydro discs
- room for at least a 30 mm tire + fenders
- rack eyelets for my fancy Tubus rack

The commuter has a few thousand miles on it and like I said I feel that itch... hmm

Soma Wolverine frame, 50 cm, black since that orange was pretty obnoxious
Soma Wolverine thru-axle fork, black
Gates CDX 55/22t belt drive setup with red 118t belt and a Surly spacer kit for my freehub
[]

As one might infer from this incomplete parts list I'm going to repurpose the following parts from my current commuter bike: wheelset (DT Swiss 350/XR 331), tires (47 mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus), seat, rack, crankset (Alfine single ring/sprocket) []

Cross-posted from the daily thread:

I rode it to/from work today. I like it. It turned out much as I had hoped.

I rode my acoustic drop bar-with-hydraulic-discs, fendered, single speed, belt drive, commuter around on errands in the horrible wind a few days ago, and I'd be much more keen to substitute a few slow-commute days on it in place of my e-commuter if it weren't a single speed. See original post of commuter bike desires.

Thus I'll burn some time between cases this afternoon to investigate what it'd take to add an Alfine 11 +/- Di2 setup, while keeping the belt drive and hydro brakes.

Gates has a tech bulletin from 2021: The MU-UR500 was the 2nd gen Di2 shifting motor thing for the rear hub and that limited chainline apparently. Only two sprockets from Gates are compatible with the MU-UR500, but with the 3rd gen MU-UR510 any of their 22-36t options seem to work.

So let's assume an MU-UR510, compatible with Alfine 11, the SG-S7051-11 in particular. That looks to be Centerlock only so a new disc rotor would be needed. Apparently one needs to buy the axle nuts separately as SM-S705? 409% gear range over 11 speeds, ranging from 0.527 to 2.153 ratios for figuring out what Gates gearing to use at a later time. Would need to have Universal build it up as a new wheel, of course: would stick to the same rim as that works well for this application.

Browsing around the Alfine 11 page the ST-R785 lever actually would be perfect for my application! as it's a drop bar lever for hydro discs with 11 speed Di2 shifters. I'd only need a right lever technically, if some outfits are selling them individually like on eBay.

A basic Alfine SC-S705 display would give gear position indicators and Di2 battery status. Not even sure if that'd be needed, and not sure what wires come with the system or what would be needed as extra. But I think that would do it to get 11 speeds.

Time to do some work for a bit then will figure out what this would cost (hopefully not much since Shimano gear, not Rohloff extravagance) and what gear ratios on the Gates would make sense. Also have to figure out what the BCD is on the Alfine cranks I run on that bike (edit: 130 mm x 5).

/me likes finding ways to complicate life. But this would be a fun project and would make this little used bike more useful, noting of course that the single speed aspect of it was my own damn fault in 2017

 

[Toshi]

with the 3rd gen MU-UR510 any of their 22-36t options seem to work. edit: 22-28t for Alfine.

409% gear range over 11 speeds, ranging from 0.527 to 2.153 ratios for figuring out what Gates gearing to use at a later time.

with my current 55-22t setup (and same belt and all for cost savings!) and 47 mm 29"/700c tires I'd get this range of gear-inches per Sheldon Brown's still handy calculator:

Top several gear ratios would be wasted but the first 6 or 7 would be quite useful on the road with decent spacing.

here's Alfine 8 in comparison:

Alfine 8 seems like it'd work basically equally well. Gear 6 might be marginally less useful. But it'd be a lot cheaper if I were going Di2...

but I don't need to go Di2. The problem then is that the cable pull of Alfine 11 non-Di2 between gears is its own peculiar beast, not the same as 11 speed road STI cable pull certainly which is a shame since my current levers are 11 speed STI. There exist 3rd party drop bar levers with Alfine 11-compatible integrated shifters but with cable actuated brakes. There's a 3rd party bar end shifter that's Alfine 11 compatible, and one might be able to mount bar end shifters as downtube shifters--I have such bosses.

 

[Toshi]

at her current age, BSL, height, and weight she calculates out to a 3 DIN if put in as skier type III. I don't have the Black Pearls handy (loaned to a work buddy's wife) but assuming they're the Squire 10 or 11 they go down to 3.

they are Squire 11s. took a while for my brain to process in the low light of the reading room that these were sideways numerals for the DIN settings on the toe piece here

up close, and rotated

Anyway, being Squire 11 demos per this link they have a toe height of 29.5 mm and a heel height of 28 mm. Not great, this. They do seem pretty light as an overall package at least--per that link they are 1935 g as compared to 1540 g for the non-demo 11s and 1724 g (? why? listed by Marker officially as 1630 g, the 11s as 1640 g) for the only-come-as-non-demo 10s.

Going to non-demo Squire 10 or 11 bindings would yield 19 mm up at the toe, 24 mm at the heel and shave off that ~0.8 lb on each foot. Both would have a 20 mm adjustment range at the heel piece.

Not sure which one would have an lower step in force as they use different heel pieces: the 10's "Compact 3" heel has "a very low step-in force" while the 11's "state-of-the-art Hollow Linkage heel with its wider boot holder reduces the step-in force by approximately 35%, even with GripWalk soles". I have no idea which would be lower. I have emailed Marker, and in any case the 2018 Squire 11 demos don't have this new heel--mine look different from that on the website.


edit: we shall get at least one more ski day in this season as a family, on Sat Apr 15. Baby Aya has a makeup lesson for a day she was sick. I'll have Mariko try out these 152 cm Black Pearls now that I've dialed the bindings down to DIN 3 and set them for her 275 mm BSL. If she can step into them fine and doesn't mind the height of the demo plates then perhaps I'll just leave them as is, but if she wants them lighter or the step in force is still a problem then I'll go with non-demo Squire 10s or 11s depending on the Marker official word on which is the lowest force option. I'd have them set up centered on 275 mm BSL (so would fit 22.5-24.5 Mondo boots in her current brand).


edit 2: Marker got back to me quick!

"The Squire 10 would have the lower step in force between those two. The 11 is referring to the first generation of Squires and is easier to step in than those.

Hope that helps!"

 

[Toshi]

The astute reader at this point might be asking why I don't get kids bindings for the 140 mm Rustler Teams that Mariko was on this past season (the ones with the Tyrolia Attacks that are so hard for her to step into, thus this side quest for low step in force). The answers to that are that at 90 mm underfoot most kids bindings' brakes won't fit, and the one so far that I've found that has a 90 mm brake option has some weird JRS Base system:

JRS 7.5 GW CA

The JRS 7.5 GW CA junior binding allows easy entry and exit at a low weight and is compatible with all ski boot types (A/C/GW A/GW C). Thanks to JRS technology, the JRS 7.5 GW CA can be mounted on all skis with pre-mounted JRS Base.

www.tyrolia.com

I guess this one does have a 95 mm brake and no weird plate system:

TYROLIA SX TEAM 9.0 GW CA BRAKE 95 [D] SOLID BLACK

TYROLIA SX TEAM 9.0 GW CA BRAKE 95 [D] SOLID BLACK

www.skateshop.gr

but it's also Tyrolia, maker of the bindings with which Mariko has struggled so much. hmph. between-kids-and-adults equipment problems indeed.


edit: Salomon has the L7, which actually seems aimed right at this segment:

A perfect choice for growing feet, this lightweight junior binding is designed for young skiers who have already transitioned to adult boots or are keen on keeping the same ski set when they do. GripWalk-compatible, lightweight and easy to step in, this binding is the perfect long-term choice for young skiers.

L7 Gripwalk - Junior - Kids' All-Mountain Bindings | Salomon

A perfect choice for growing feet, this lightweight junior binding is designed for young skiers who have already transitioned to adult boots or are keen on keeping the same ski set when they do. GripWalk-compatible, lightweight and easy to step in, this b

www.salomon.com

80/90/100 mm brakes, DIN range 2-7.5, 28 mm adjustment range in the heel, and works with everything: alpine and GripWalk adult and junior boot soles. Christy Sports in Centennial has them in stock, too. Assuming I go for these for the 140 cm skis I'd have them set it up such that they'd span 247-275 mm BSL (so roughly 20.5-23.5 Mondo boots).



Update in case anyone cares: I went to said Christy Sports on Saturday and they'd already switched over to patio furniture mode! All ski gear out of the shop and only accepting rental returns. Powder7 has a 95 mm brake Marker Free 7 that should work, though.

Marker Free 7 Ski Bindings - Powder7

Marker Free 7 Ski Bindings for sale with free shipping from Golden, Colorado. ...

www.powder7.com

 

[Toshi]

Alfine 8 seems like it'd work basically equally well [as Alfine 11]. Gear 6 might be marginally less useful. But it'd be a lot cheaper if I were going Di2...

but I don't need to go Di2. The problem then is that the cable pull of Alfine 11 non-Di2 between gears is its own peculiar beast, not the same as 11 speed road STI cable pull certainly which is a shame since my current levers are 11 speed STI. There exist 3rd party drop bar levers with Alfine 11-compatible integrated shifters but with cable actuated brakes. There's a 3rd party bar end shifter that's Alfine 11 compatible, and one might be able to mount bar end shifters as downtube shifters--I have such bosses.

As one can see from the above train of thought posts going with Alfine would be quite the pain in the ass.

Di2 has its own unique and extensive set of components from batteries to junction boxes, and it wouldn't work with my cable 11 speed STI shifters, of course. (At least no cable pull compatibility issues!)

Conventional non-Di2 Alfine has its own unique cable pull, and thus it has shifter issues: wouldn't work with my cable 11 speed STI shifters, integrated drop bar levers with Alfine shifters exist but wouldn't work with my hydro discs, and I'd either be stuck modifying the clamp on flat bar RapidFire shifters or going with a 3rd party bar end shifter +/- converting it to a downtube shifter via more hacks.

Whew.

So ultimately what probably makes more sense is to either:

1) stick entirely with what I have (single speed, belt drive, not using the shifter part of my drop bar hydro STI levers at all)

or

2) ditch the belt drive and mount up a normal chain + non-Di2 derailleur system, which would work seamlessly with my 11 speed STI setup. this would also not require a new wheelbuild so would undoubtedly be cheaper than even non-Di2 Alfine, although I'll do up those numbers for completeness later today.

 

[6thElement]

How much vert is actually on your commute that's impacting your SS? If you're struggling that badly just alter your chainring/rear cog size a notch.

I used to love commuting on my SS and that had some climbing to deal with.

 

[Toshi]

Oh, it's fine, really. 68 gear-inches is not bad to push and it's only like 250' over 7 miles, mostly flat. But I like figuring out what might be possible to keep me entertained during the day between reading cases. Also note with belt length vs chainstay constraints it's not simple to swap ratios, plus each cog is like $100 for the belt drive system.

Roughed out prices:

105 11 speed conventional chain/derailleur setup: $124 (already have a chain so just cassette/chainring/derailleur, could even go off brand and cheaper yet). I guess technically I'd have to rewrap my bars so a bit more. There's the mental price of losing my lovely red belt drive though. Although that price is not worth $700+ to me.

Alfine 11 non-Di2: $833 + indignity of routing cable from a bar end or downtube shifter

Alfine 11 Di2: $1,366-$1,481 depending on if under bar "climbing lever" or fancy integrated hydro + Di2 drop bar lever


edit: Alfine 8 could be had as a package for maybe $550 or $600, especially if I go for a cheaper rim, too. Perhaps it is the option to go with. 32 hole Alfine 8 hubs out of stock at the moment, though, so all academic. Not going 36h as rim choice is very limited.

edit 2: just realized that the Alfine/Nexus cog mounting pattern isn't the same as the hyperglide cassette interface for my current cog + spacer setup. So add $105 for a 22t in that (so as to keep the belt/chainstay calculations all the same). hmph.

edit 3: yet another arrow in the side of the Alfine idea is that my Nexus 7 hub on my old-ass e-commuter from 2008 had very fuzzy feeling engagement, worse in some gears than others. Nexus 8 == Alfine 8 internally, and maybe the 8 and the 11 are better. But since I have the nice DT 54t star engagement setup (and STI 11 speed integrated levers!) I really should just go with the chain + derailleur. Maybe I can at least get a fancy chain.

edit 4: sounds like Alfine is just as mushy as I remember. and a pain in the ass to set up. yeah, I shan't be doing this.

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/12-things-that-ive-learned-as-an-alfine-11-owner/

 

[Toshi]

Revisiting my other bikes for fun with the same idea:


E-commuter runs 9 speed Shimano Acera now. I figured out Sunrace options in post 13,192. Browsing around Universal showed there are new 9 speed shifters from Shimano... but Linkglide. And Linkglide is apparently a whole new disjoint system, not compatible with the same-number-of-speeds non-Linkglide options. What a shitshow of standards.

2023-2024 SHIMANO Product Information Web

Going to 10 or 11 speed would be kinda stupid for that bike since I honestly only use the 13t cog +/- 1 if I get a close ratio one as in the above post. Maybe I should convert that one to belt drive instead. (and the removable dropout might even make it technically feasible! heh. not doing this.)


E-cargo runs a 7 speed freewheel. Boo freewheels. Apparently removal of said freewheel is a pain in the ass and a half due to axle/washer interference with usual tools. So that is going to remain entirely untouched.

Freewheel removal on Rad Wagon 4

Freewheel removal on Rad Wagon 4

forum.mrmoneymustache.com

Wife's bike is set up with 11 speed SLX/XT iirc and seems fine. Kid's bike is 12 speed XT non-Di2 and also is fine. My Pivot is 11 speed XT Di2 and is fine, and I have extra chains and cassettes in my tool bench for when riding season hits and I start wearing things out. So the only thing I can really potentially complicate, er, improve would be the e-commuter and acoustic commuter.

 

[Toshi]

I will wait until I decide whether to put a dropper and probably the same handlebar I went with on the commuter on the cargo bike and make one order. Getting the drive side axle nut off will be quite the pain in the ass as it’s nestled within a recess in the removable dropout plate, and the power and torque sensor leads emanate from within said hollow axle. Not really sure how I’d do it, actually.

Said special tool to remove axle nuts with power leads should be arriving soon.

Oh, it's fine, really. 68 gear-inches is not bad to push and it's only like 250' over 7 miles, mostly flat.

I will acoustic-commute in a few days with the 68 gear-inch single speed setup and see how that feels before pulling the trigger. I verified that my memory is correct and that the Wolverine has a nice sliding-vertical dropout setup that'll be straightforward to convert back to chain + derailleur should I go that route:

However, I am going to put a dropper, normal non-bulbous seat, and the nice wider swept bars that I have on my e-commuter on the e-cargo bike.

It's a long-ass double telescoping post (designed this way for standover + accommodating a wide height range):

Minimum insertion is 17 cm so overall I'm showing about 45 cm total length, 27 cm of that above the collar. Clearly I won't be able to find a post that drops 27 cm into a 17 cm insertion distance.

34.9 mm diameter for the big bottom section, and no factory internal dropper routing. Unfortunately, as best as I can tell a 120 mm drop (and probably too short overall!) RS Reverb is the only 34.9 external option out there. That would not be good on multiple levels. Thus I will bust out the drill and make myself some internal routing.

I'd route the housing along the underside of the top tube.

New hole to be drilled about here. (The 17 cm needed is about to the intersection of the true top tube and the seatpost, where those housings are--the top bar that goes by the seat collar is the start of part of the rack/rear cargo area.)

Then with internal access achieved +/- having a goofy loop to get down from the top tube and up into the seat tube without too small of a radius then I could run a lovely OneUp post, which is available in 34.9 mm in many length/drop combinations. Time to see what I'd need for the dimensions I have on this frame:

OneUp 34.9 posts on Universal come in:

360 mm length, 120 mm drop
420 mm length, 150 mm drop
480 mm length, 180 mm drop
(also 540/210, 610/240!)

On other close up photos I took but didn't post I'm 19 cm to the top of the seat collar, 47 cm to the seat rails, so either the 420/150 or the 480/180 should work just fine. Since the WTB Pure seat (edit: or rather a 168 mm width Specialized so that the wife might be more inclined to use it) I'll be using will have less stack height than the monstrosity that came with the bike I'll go for the 480/180.

Subscribing to the Universal Cycles newsletter now so as to get a coupon code as this will be a sizeable order even if just for the derailleur + chain option for the acoustic commuter. Ah, ElkGang15 for 15% off $300+, through Apr 16.

 

[Toshi]

I think I’m going to do daily tickets (with the Chase Sapphire discount) for Trestle this season, but go for the full fat Loveland season pass.

I figure the latter can be justified because if the snow is equivalent it’ll shave 40 min off my weekday ski excursions. That time has a value, and not having to mull over whether that’s worth the $95 - every 5th day free economics of the Pass card seems worth it.

Also possibly worth it is getting a nice wheel and pedals set up for GT7, especially since Mariko has been playing a bit as well. That one is a bit tougher to justify since many of my hours playing it are while on the Peloton, so clearly not wheel/pedals conducive.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I think I’m going to do daily tickets (with the Chase Sapphire discount) for Trestle this season, but go for the full fat Loveland season pass.

I figure the latter can be justified because if the snow is equivalent it’ll shave 40 min off my weekday ski excursions. That time has a value, and not having to mull over whether that’s worth the $95 - every 5th day free economics of the Pass card seems worth it.

Also possibly worth it is getting a nice wheel and pedals set up for GT7, especially since Mariko has been playing a bit as well. That one is a bit tougher to justify since many of my hours playing it are while on the Peloton, so clearly not wheel/pedals conducive.

View attachment 192248

Inane.

 

[Toshi]

Inane.

I do enjoy me some fake car-racing over the years

 

[ebarker9]

I do enjoy me some fake car-racing over the years

I picked up the recently discontinued Fanatec Podium F1 and Clubsport pedals. It's excellent, but the GT DD Pro is supposed to be nice. I think it's worth it to get the 8 Nm version, but the load cell pedal is "essential" if you're spending that kind of money on a wheel/pedal setup.

And yes, fake car racing is inherently silly but so is every other form of entertainment.