AustinBike

Yeah, yoga is a good idea. Any stretching is a net positive.

I'm up for that. Just say when.

Speaking of slashes, I had two sidewall tears in Bentonville. Not ripped through but enough of a cut to let air out.  I put a tube in one, but for the other I took the tire off, cleaned it up on the inside, put on a boot and then put lots of crazy glue on the outside. More than a month later it is still holding. Plan to pull the tube on the second tire and use that same process. Originally I was skeptical of the crazy glue method but it seems to be pretty solid. I am still skeptical of the boot, I believe that the Stans inside the tire will eventually loosen up the boot adhesive.

Change your Stan's. Since you just got it and this is cold weather, you're good for 5-6 months. You can tell when you put air in if a little fluid comes out. In the summer put in an ounce or so every month or two. You'll eventually find the sweet spot. Basically it evaporates or dries out.

Also, Pump your tires up to about 40 and spin them before putting your bike away for the first week or two. This help seal the bead on the rim and fills in a little extra goop in areas where you might need it.

Otherwise, generally trouble free.

Sometimes flags can’t be upside down 😉

four stars for the original forts and two blue stripes for the 2 branches of the river. 

Just rode in the jacket I bought yesterday. 48F outside and it felt GREAT. Best bike jacket I have ever worn. Kept me warm, blocked the wind and kept me from sweating from the venting. Sleeves come off too. Great deal at 30% off:

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/cycling-clothing/mens-cycling-clothing/outerwear-raingear/performance-elite-transformer-jacket-11-4207

There are still some left.

I will be there about the same time with the same plan, but I will be in the slow group. 

I dropped about $300 at the Lamar store yesterday - new osprey, jacket with removable sleeves, wool socks, new seat, etc. Everything was 30% or better. 

The clothing was pretty picked through, was hoping for some long sleeve jerseys and there was nothing. Their shorts/pants were worthless. Their prices are pretty high, even with the 30% off they were priced about the same as Pearl Izumi on Amazon and I prefer that brand over performance's cheap attempt.

Yeah, the problem is that I have shopped online (email required) and they correlate that to my credit card name. If I were Bob Smith it would be a much more difficult task. But there are exactly 2 people in the country with my name, one in TX and one in CA. So when I buy it is easy to make the connection.

Every time I shopped at Performance they would take my email address and start spamming me daily. To the point where the last time I went in there I specifically told them DO NOT EMAIL ME to which they guaranteed that they will not.

And then Monday morning I had a new spam from them.

For this reason alone I am fine with them going out of business. They do not understand their customers. It is trivially easy to add someone to an unsubscribe list, but to automatically re-subscribe them because thy made a purchase? That is just wrong.

21 hours ago, RidingAgain said:

Hey AustinBike, where in Jamaica did you ride? I lived there for many years.

Can't remember, it was 20+ years ago, before I was really documenting everything. It was 90% double track, nothing of note, very forgettable, it was part of a side trip on a planned vacation

If you want something send me a PM so that I can track requests (first come, first served), don't reply to the message.

I will leave stuff on my porch in central Austin:

D-Link DIR-859 WiFi router 802.11AC https://www.amazon.com/D-Link-AC1750-Gigabit-Wi-Fi-Router/dp/B00PVCZI40/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1542296066&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=dir-859&psc=1 
D-Link DGS-2205 desktop gigabit network switch - 5 ports https://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DGS-2205-5-Port-Desktop-Switch/dp/B000FIVDIA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542296025&sr=8-3&keywords=Dgs-2205&dpID=41ldqkaHQtL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
D-Link DGS-2208 desktop gigabit network switch - 8 ports https://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DGS-2208-8-Port-Desktop-Switch/dp/B000FITKK8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542296042&sr=8-2&keywords=Dgs-2208&dpID=31hjB0%2BRNNL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
TP-Link AV500 Powerline adapter kit (like this https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Powerline-TL-WPA4220-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B0141JH8P0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1542295901&sr=8-5&keywords=tp+link+av500&dpID=31roC5KC2fL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch )
Penpower WorldCard business card scanner (like this: https://www.amazon.com/Penpower-WorldCardColor-Color-Business-Scanner/dp/B0001R05T8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1542295859&sr=8-5&keywords=penpower+worldcard+pro+business+card+scanner&dpID=41c-sbNSHsL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch )
Amazon Echo Dot wall mount (mounts your Dot right to an outlet, off the counter) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0756GYPNS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Speaker switch box (allows 4 pair of speakers off a single pair of stereo outputs https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=9995 )

Also have a round patio table (48") with a glass top. That is on the curb waiting for me now.
 

3 hours ago, Anita Handle said:

I'm working on this. Finally got Old Man Fruehe out of state for a bike trip. We'll coerce him into riding Utah and Colorado and New Mexico too. But I would say that there is nothing within 9hrs that comes close to the volume and variety. At 12 hours, you're now in the Rocky Mountains...

Who you calling' old? Oh, yeah, me.

And being 9 hours away instead of 12-15 hours is a solid benefit.

4 hours ago, rockshins said:

Oh how this makes me miss riding in South Korea, mountains everywhere and easy access with the subway system going most places!

No shit. Great people, great food, great trails, massive fun. Shitty beer. Prior to Bentonville this was my favorite biking destination. Maybe another trip to Surisan with fried octopus and soju after the ride and I'd reconsider and put that at the top again.

1 hour ago, Seths Pool said:

really though? best bike trails you've ridden anywhere in the world??

don't get me wrong that place is fantastic. but not quite THAT good.

 

So far I have ridden in:

US - About 7 different states

International: South Korea (multiple trails), Germany (multiple trails) England (multiple trails),  Singapore, Jamaica.

So I can say that I have ridden around the world. I did not say that these were the best trails, bar none, for everyone, but they are the best that I have ridden. Your mileage may vary.

We recently did a trip to Bentonville and let me just say that if you have not been there or considered it, you need to put it in your plans NOW. You know how when you go to a ski town and every business caters to skiers, talks about skiing, and seems to be designed around the sport of skiing? Well Bentonville is like that - but for mountain biking. Best trails I have ridden anywhere in the world.

For your cold weather entertainment, here is some info:

Back 40: http://www.austinbike.com/index.php/united-states/333-back40 

Coler: http://www.austinbike.com/index.php/united-states/335-coler

Slaughter Pen: http://www.austinbike.com/index.php/united-states/334-slaughterpens

Blowing Springs: http://www.austinbike.com/index.php/united-states/332-blowingsprings

Hobbs State Park: http://www.austinbike.com/index.php/united-states/336-hobbs 

Yeah, we'll be going back.

1 hour ago, ATXZJ said:

You must have a balance of socialism and capitalism to keep each other in check. They both have their place in society and our "leaders" are failing to provide that balance and are instead shifting us towards a corporatocracy.

Yes.

Over and over again.

There is no pure capitalism, there is no pure socialism. These two concepts are on a continuum and every country fits somewhere along that line.

You would not want to live in a country of pure capitalism because capitalists are for shit when it comes to doing things for the public good. Roads. Yeah, everything is a toll road. Hope you paid your police monthly service fee because if you are robbed they won't answer your call. And for all that is holy, do...not...get...sick. Now, on the other end of things you would not want to live in a pure socialism environment. Yeah, everything is provided by the government, but you'd never be able to get what you need. Don't crap a lot, toilet paper might have been mis forecasted. Don't bother trying to go out to dinner, you won't find good restaurants.

Every country is somewhere on the continuum. And there is no "free market". That thing that people love so much does not exist as long as businesses can lobby the government to write laws that favor their business and hurt their competitors.

5 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

 

OK, so NIMBYUIYBYT I can understand that.  

In simple terms: In EVERYONE'S backyard or NOBODY'S backyard. Every morning (including the weekend) I hear the construction start at the Grove at 7am. It is in my backyard. Adler, the developer, and his cohorts all said density was great and that we needed to do this "for the good of Austin." I would be fine with that position if all of Austin was pushing density, but density conveniently skips many neighborhoods. It literally is about wealth and political clout.

Either we're all in it together or we're not. When we start targeting certain areas and bypassing others, it all falls apart.

20 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

You guys are all great reasonable people to discuss this stuff with!  BTW, TAF, I'll take the "youngster" thing as a compliment.

As far as private business employee affordability goes, this is where I think the free market is failing, and we as citizens are failing them.

AB, I agree with you on businesses taking more responsibility.  We'll all pay for that eventually just in a different way, maybe a more equitable way.  I was just reading about the per-head tax that was implemented in the bay area to help deal with homelessness.  This is for the tech companies that are creating the issue in the first place.  What do you think about that?  Interestingly, my company supported this even though it's going to cost us.

 

Disclaimer: I was in the tech business for ~30 years before retiring.

There are a couple things wrong with what the Bay Area is doing:

1. Taxing people will not solve homelessness

2. The tech industry did not cause homelessness

Homelessness comes from a variety of places, but it is primarily tied to drug/alcohol use or mental issues. The number of people who are homeless and could be helped by affordable housing is really, really small (from the reading that I have done.) Taxes and money help alleviate SOME of the problems for SOME of the people, but by and far, that is just money wasted because they are not helping to fix the underlying problems.

Tech is responsible for the fact that an 800sqft shack in San Francisco is $2M, but here's a tip: if you cannot afford to live there, you are free to live somewhere else. If you were able to bring the price of that shack down by 50%, would a $1M house now be "affordable"? If we believe in the idea that markets can adjust for these things then we should just leave it alone. Eventually those that cannot afford to live there will leave and housing pressure will relax.

I just don't see how taxing tech companies helps. That is just a "feel good, stick it to the man" action that is disconnected from reality. 

Also, I would love to have one of those houses on lake Austin, one of the really cool expensive ones. But I cannot afford it. What is the city doing to help me? Where are they drawing the line on "affordable" housing? Why is that line arbitrary. 

When people say density drives affordability, then you have to do that EVERYWHERE. Don't f--- with my neighborhood to make it more dense because it is "good for the city" and then exempt Tarrytown, Pemberton Heights and all of the other wealthy neighborhoods. If you are going to screw my neighborhood then screw all of them equally, don't pick and choose.

While I agree that more than teachers and firefighters need a break, why do I have to foot the bill for that?

We need public servants (teachers, firefighters, police, etc.) But waiters, retail people, the guy at the Jiffy Lube, why do I need to fund that? The affordability for those people is the responsibility of the business. Basically "affordable housing" is another way for businesses to not pay people enough money. No need to give them a raise if I am footing the bill for part of their house.

I am an economist by trade. All of these offsets only create more problems for us. The concept of affordable housing is just a subsidy by the taxpayers that allows others to shirk their responsibility. I'd rather give a fireman a $10,000 raise then come up with a convoluted housing strategy. 

Also, "affordable housing" is not affordable housing. It is lower priced housing closer in. 

If you want affordable housing, Buda, Kyle and Manor are pretty affordable. But they are not close to downtown. You are not providing "affordable housing" you are subsidizing a shorter commute.

When I lived in Chicago I used to drive an hour + to get from my house to my job. If we are concerned that police, firefighters and teachers can't afford to live in Austin I get that. Waive their property taxes. That is a better solution than the convoluted "affordable housing" scam that the city is working on.

6 hours ago, cxagent said:

Does it work?

sadly, not yet - but there is still a chance

I don't have any kids. But I pay for education because I don't want stupid people in this world. It is a tall order here, but education is important and worth funding. It ultimately protects my investments.

The chronicle did the math on them. Basically amounted to ~$5 per home per initiative. Based on the fact that my property taxes get jacked by $800-1000 per year, even if all of the initiatives passed it would be a drop in the bucket. If we don't invest in infrastructure we'll be...um...well..exactly where we are now. I don't have an issue with this, I had an issue with prop J getting defeated. Combine Adler with no prop J and you can be assured that there will be another CodeNext and we'll all be screwed. After the last debacle I'm surprised that everyone gave the city freedom to try it again. Oh well, when it happens I don't want to hear people bitch about getting bit by the snake they nursed back to health.

7 hours ago, Mattlikesbikes said:

Understood, I just know that nobody is talking about oil only fixes on the RS. Watching more videos, maybe I do try the tear down and move around of spacers inside, though I am interested in trying John's if it is a Low/Low shock.

 

Just looking for clarification, the compression setting is likely what would be keeping the shock from getting full stroke (at anything normal for sag/air pressure - I can get full travel, but have to start at 50% sag air pressure)? settings on the rebound side would just impact how quickly it rebounds?

Sent you a PM. If you want to borrow them let me know.