CBaron

Build them... -CJB

This is true. Its a pretty uncomfortable photo, not for the squeamish (of which I can be). Glad you are on the mend and the pain is minimal. I really don't understand how that could be the case, maybe its the whiskey? But I'm glad you are doing better. Here's an MMA fighters interpretation of Barry's injury, except Barry's was worse and was on the bottom & top lip.

Yep, plane tickets are cheap. -CJB

All of this. My boys and I did it 2x's last year and when they dropped the price to $5 per. I considered that a bargain and would go again. (2 yrs ago it was $18 per person or something close!!) Considering I was bringing me and 3 kids it just wasn't cost effective until the price dropped. Whats the price currently? Cheers, CJB

Travis, doesn't come around the forum too much. But I don't think he'd mine me telling you they landed in Kerville, TX. -CJB

Thanks for the update. Me and my youngest son will be heading out in the morning to try and make the ride call. Cheers, CJB

Agh! triple post!

Double post

YES! Interesting that you bring this up. My oldest son is now 18 and just this week began getting credit card solicitations in the mail. My wife likes to keep a clean fridge, but this is one thing we wanted to broadcast to our kids loud & clear. CC debt = death! Besides our house (which is now worth 2x what we paid 3.5 yrs ago), we have no debt and are doing our best to train up our kids this way too.

I'd like to see some real discussion about this topic. I have some basic ideas, but not enough time at moment to put them down. Cliff notes: corporations maximize profit, employees work for less, investors/market benefit. Inflation goes up, wages don't. And I'm a big free market kind of guy, so please don't associate this hypothesis with anti-1%'er or capitalism sucks kind of thing. In simple terms the solution could be to be employed by an Austin (or SF or NY) type company but actually live and work remotely where its cheaper to live. My ideal scenario would be just that.....earn money from Austin employment but live in NWA in a house with low property taxes. Have a TX residency though so you can benefit from no income tax. All that being said, if we go back to the OP's original statements.....I think that if have not already purchased a place to live (yrs ago?), or have a strong high income job, or very good dual income family....Austin is just simply not the place for you. After all, how many of us would willfully choose to move to San Jose to take a teacher, fireman, police, bike shop job?!?! Later, CJB

Whats the story on this bike? Is this the wife bike or an out-grown kid's bike? -CJB

I usually try and arrive around 5:10pm just in case people are early and begin to roll out. I've been left before. But its so funny all the different times being thrown out. It can be a crap shoot from Tues to Tuesday. @Nando is OG so his may be the most accurate, @TAF time can be for the (not always attended) early lap, and my time is the 'safe bet' because sometimes I wait around for 20 min (see @Nando time). 🙂 I've also caught wind that there now may be a 6:20pm 'late lap' led by the newly employed @Teamsloan. YMMV See you all there at 5:10 😉 Cheers, CJB

FIYY -CJB

Would these fit a 90lb 12 yo? -CJB

Please keep sharing this info! We've got a Sr & Jr and once the Jr graduates we may find ourselves stepping out on something. Don't know for sure what that would look like, but my wife has long since wanted to try living in Europe. Agreeing on the location may be the challenge...she prefers Italy, I'd like Spain (Gerona) or Germany. I'd also be interested in Central America. I've been to Costa Rica before and while it was pretty great (ca 1998), I feel its also become too popular now. We live in the 78727 zip code and it looks like our zip may have increased the most. My theory is that its because our houses were generally cheaper than the other zip codes, thus demand has risen our prices at a greater %. I watched a video a few weeks back stating that there WILL NOT be a bubble burst here in the foreseeable future. Primary evidence for that was the fact that most of the 'hyped companies' who have announced their coming to ATX have not had those people/jobs arrive yet (Oracle, Tesla, Boring Company, new Apple campus). Buckle up, the rocket is going to continue climbing! -CJB

And to keep with the theme of increasing home values.... I house on the other side of our hood just got locked in at $100k over asking price, landing at $730k!! It was a slightly smaller house, with less updates that ours. That price would more than double the price of our home in under 4 yrs. (and we are in a school district that is less than sought-after). cRaZiNeSs -CJB

We were there 2 weeks ago speaking with the sale agent. He said nothing is available its currently all sold out. He would not even be able to discuss anything with us for 6 mos. THEN...if were able to get ahold of a lot for the next phase it would take 18 mos to get the house completed. So he said that we'd need to be on a 18 mo to 2 yr time frame starting now. AND EVEN THEN, he talked about how challenging it may be to actually secure a lot given how packed the wait list is. Just and FYI for any of you all... Cheers, CJB

Some good nuggets in here. Your a spot-on about bike geometry being driven by the West Coast. -CJB

Respectfully, I'd recommend the OP stay away from your offer. If OP was needing to work through his original question above, then I submit he would very much be overwhelmed with your info. He needs to learn to walk before he can run. I'm a fan of PVD but it legit takes someone with a strong understanding of fit and geo to grasp it. Later, CJB

That video belongs in the "parent bragging" thread! -CJB

All joking aside, I think these sort of economic parameters is what has birthed the tiny-house trends. Cheap, affordable, reductionist and potentially mobile. -CJB

We've got a Sr & a Jr (and a 6th grader). We are contemplating this same thing after our kids graduate. We've been here since the mid-90's and love the hills, lakes, food, etc.. But just last weekend we were both talking about how Austin has simply 'move away from us' over the passed 20yrs. I enjoyed the dope-smoking, birkenstock-wearing hippies, but I'm much less of a fan of the douchie, Lambo-driving 'shiny shirt crowd'. The cycling scene is amazing and that would be greatly missed. But I hear Bentonville has some good riding too.... 😉 On a real estate related note... In the past 6 weeks, I've had 3 separate occasions where someone in that world told me about a house that sold for $100k above asking price! And we are talking $4-500k homes. One of these people (a realtor) said that she is showing clients places out as far away as Jarrell(!!) as options to living in the ATX 'metro-flex'. WTF?!? @bestbike85 the answer to some of your questions are not unlike what has been happening in San Jose CA and Bay Area for past 10+ yrs. Blue collar, working type people simply just don't move in there. They move an hour away and commute in to the city. About 15 yrs ago I worked for a company that had home office near Malibu and I had heard some of the people that lived in the area talking about 50 yr mortgage loans! If your fiscally sensible and have a only moderate level job, then Austin is no longer a place for you. It just not... Later, CJB

I personally don't like it because the frame is a bit too future proof! 🙂 64* HTA! yahhhh no thanks. Later, CJB

Ouch! I suspected it might not be far off. I think your $600-(650) then walk away vice is sound. -CJB

This one isn't bad either. Its a bit lower end (I'm curious as to the retail price??) but has newer geometry and features. -CJB