4fun

I own the 6 gallon pancake from HarborFreight and can attest that it’s loud, but have had no problems with it for 3+ years now. I mostly use it to top off and check tire pressures for bikes, but it works fine for doing the same for cars and I occasionally use it with a Brad nailer (also HarborFreight) with no issues. I bought the compressor and a 50ft retractable hose real for $50 cheaper than the compressor alone at Home Depot/Lowe’s. 

Finally got around to painting the frame we’re going to use for my sons build! I wet sanded last week and today we got the rattle can powder coat on, the decals on, and first coat of clear. I’m planning on sanding with 1000 grit, applying another coat of regular clear, then 2000 grit and finishing off with a coat or 2 of blue/silver fleck keratin clear.

18 minutes ago, Shinerider said:

Ugh - my J&J appointment for Friday got canceled.

Something isn’t adding up will the J&J vaccine. The national media are reporting that it is being paused due to 6 cases of blood clots within 2 weeks of people taking the vaccine. Being that they have already administered 7 million doses that would mean less than a 1 in 1million chance of getting a blot clot with the dose, which is much less than the 1 in 500,000 chance you have of getting struck by lightning. Not to mention that a blood clot is common complication  of having COVID 19. So I’m not sure what the logic is unless they FDA and CDC is not disclosing something. I can’t wait for this chapter to be over it’s turning me into a conspiracy theorist😂

8 hours ago, TheX said:

I have a unicycle that I would love to gift to someone here. It's a Torker in yellow.

I’ll take it! I’ve always wanted to learn unicyling. I’ll send you a PM

For anyone worried about being out around random people that choose not to wear a mask anymore (me, when not on private property that has a sign requesting it), I would suggest picking up a few hospital grade N-95 masks and properly using them (I don’t think any hospitals are having shortages of these), so your taking your safety into your own hands and out of other peoples. These have been the primary means for health care workers to protect themselves from any patient with airborne or droplet pathogens for at least the last 20years.

Clarification: I’m vaccinated, have a healthy BMI, and no other high risk factors and if I was going to hang out with people that are high risk I would wear a mask if it made them more comfortable.

31 minutes ago, Chief said:

Humans suck.

I got covid not because of some asshat not wearing a mask or because I wasn't wearing a mask. How I got covid was from my wife who works in a rehabilitation hospital. She entered a patients room, she was wearing her mask but the patient had no mask and had not been tested for covid. Turns out the patient was positive and infected my wife even though she had a mask on.

The idea that we live in the society that we can't hurt peoples feelings by the things we say but yet continue to try and assert our perceived civil rights is insane.

My point to this being that wearing a mask doesn't protect you it protects the people around you if you're walking around with asymptomatic/undiagnosed COVID. 

These assholes that are trying to assert their perceived civil rights are the same assholes that are crying about getting their feelings hurt by something someone said or posted to social media.

We think that all this PC bullshit is making us a more civil society but it's not.

Fuck the human race! Bring on the asteroid!

P.S. The common flu has been non existent this year. Can anyone guess why? Because of wearing masks.

I agree with this statement months ago! If this happened recently I think there are a few other questions I'd like to ask to clarify the situation.

7 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

what would you call the people who, from the beginning, would refuse to cover up, barged into stores and punched retail workers in the face for trying to respect store policy, and enforce city and state ordinances. none of what I said was directed at you, but I find it interesting that you responded to it. i didn't call you out but you answered the call. that might say a lot about how your view yourself.

 

I've become less and less of a "kindness is everything" person. humans are gross.

I would call those people criminals for assaulting people, and the ones barging into stores that require masks, without masks trespassers. I think there was such a small number of people that did this, yet national news! How many people did these things in your presence?

12 hours ago, TAF said:

because ... there is no evidence that those vaccinated cannot still carry and transmit the virus?

There is a little evidence, but I think it will be 3-5 years until there is substantial evidence! That being said I'm going to use the logic that essentially every other effective vaccine in the history of this planet has prevented the viral load from getting to a point of being transmissible? With that thought process I'm going to use common sense and return to life as normal, but continue to be respectful of high risk populations and wear a mask around them if they want me to or simply just stay away from high risk people. If there is evidence presented in a fair and unbiased manner that the vaccine is no longer effective against new variants I will reassess my stance. If we live our lives on what ifs, no one should ever go unmasked or leave their houses again, because this will not be the last new transmissible virus and we have no evidence of when this virus will emerge. I have no problem with people exercising their free will and self imprisoning themselves.

3 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

Who? Where? The internet has a tendency to amplify ignorance, so there might be a fair amount of that.

On the other hand, I want people to continue to stay six feet away just because I want people to stay the fuck away from my personal space in general.

As does basically every national news source in the US🤪. It's amazing to me they don't seem to care about sighting sources anymore and when they do it's just each other in a circular fashion.

10 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

I think the way we do things here is a joke, and very funny.

 

 

Agreed, I don’t like how we do things either. Term limits is my answer, but doubt anyone in congress will vote themselves out of a job😂

On 3/23/2021 at 3:26 PM, ATXZJ said:

Tobias dropping some knowledge 

Unfortunately there are a lot of glaring holes in this argument! I don’t see immigrants flooding into Denmark or Canada or Australia! Why we ask. Because they will turn you away! If you don’t have a skill set they immediately need you are not getting in. Denmark’s system only works because they tax everyone and the lower class pays more than the people who bring in the GDP. Yes they are happier, but there borders are not only closed to undocumented immigrants, they are locked to basically everyone. If we go socialist we’re looking more like Venezuela, East Germany before the wall came down, North Korea, USSR, Cambodia, Vietnam.... The Utopia that are country seeks might materialize for a short time, but then utter misery will ensue. Our war on poverty for the last 50 years has basically enabled and ensured poverty in our country. Thanks social welfare programs.  Rant over. I need to get a bike ride in today!

6 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

Like Albert said, a MTBing site is not the best place to get these answers...but we still do all come here and ask and answer.  🙂

A conclusive answer is indeed hard to find.  At this point what I've seen from experts is to be safe and mask.  But they also said spreading depends on:  how much virus is present, how much you shed, how infectious it is.  If you are immune and don't get sick, it doesn't mean you don't have any.  Whether you shed any or how much is a good question.  I think it's safe to assume how much you shed if you've had it or have been vaccinated is much less.  So far the sharply downward trending numbers seem to support this.  I certainly have not seen people be any more reserved about going out and going back to "normal".   My brother (a geeky BSEE/M.D. but not an immunologist/virologist) seems to think we can "go lick door knobs".  I think I will not.

I think first place for my wife and I after I get my 2nd shot will be to go to a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse, with drinks before.  I'm not sure I'll wear a mask at all.  Maybe by then more data will be out.  It's fun to start thinking about plans.  We already have a trip planned to the NE in July for my sister's wedding.

Is Alamo still open. Me and the Mrs are both immunized and attempted to buy tickets at flix brew house and the were closed indefinitely sighting lack of new film content and decreased business. Didn’t check Alamo.

I’m currently happy with my stable of bikes. So instead of N+1, I’m pretty sure this GX drive train will be my next significant bike related purchase😁

7 hours ago, olddbrider said:

But, if this solves all the issues with tires that we have today what will we talk about here?

We can still complain about the price😂

6 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

my second dose is three days before Castell Grind. Hopefully I don't get a fever and chills 30 miles in.

I got mine months ago secondary to working at a hospital. I can’t speak to the moderna as I got the Pfizer, but on my second shot the only side effect I had was a slightly more sore shoulder for about a 24hr period starting the morning after my shot. Out of all the people that surround me that have gotten the second shot I would say ~50% had a more severe reaction that I did to the second dose, but within all cases their symptoms disappeared within 48 hours. I hope you are the same and this gives you peace of mind before your grind.

3 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

unrelated but, I'll add that funding schools this way is the most incredibly undemocratic and socially paralyzing force American society uses to intensionally keep poor people poor. it's gross and I hate it and I will not apologize for feeling that way about this fact.

I'm not following your logic. Are all states public schools funded by local property taxes?  

And let me clarify. I also think the public school system in the US is gross, intended to keep poor people poor and we should provide better opportunity to our kids.  Not sure about the undemocratic part?

44 minutes ago, TheX said:

Not at all. The reason given for one, should apply to the other. Kinda like things between races and/or genders. Things should apply to both, or neither.

I'm typically pretty moderate. My wife's family (multi generation oil industry) think we are the most liberal people they are willing to associate with and our friends here in Austin think we are the most conservative people they would be willing to claim as friends🤣. That being said we need to decide as a country if we want equal opportunity or equal outcomes. It is impossible to have both! I hope we don't decide equal outcomes. It hasn't turned out well for any country that has tried it before to my knowledge.

Nothing to see here

On 3/12/2021 at 5:57 PM, throet said:

I expect this bubble to last 5+ years. Aside from the general demand in Austin, here in Cedar Park we have Dell Children's breaking ground, Bell District breaking ground, and Lakeline Park in late planning stages. Our house in Red Oaks has great conveniences on Cypress Creek Rd, great access via Little Elm to Lakeline and via Bell to the 183A / 45 Tolls, and for me a mile ride to the Brushy Creek trails from my driveway. I'd love to get further out with an acre+ lot, but as you mentioned, there is no longer anything available. We could probably clear $300K on our house but would have to get on a waiting list to pay $700K for something further out that gives us everything we want. I'm not sure who's winning in this situation, other than maybe the folks from CA who view housing here as a bargain. They may be in for surprise though given the much higher property taxes here. 

For now I was able to take advantage of the peak low interest rates, refinancing at 2.5% while drawing out $60K in cash and keeping the term of my loan and my P&I nearly equivalent. Hoping I can squeeze a new Izzo out of those proceeds.     

Ironically we sold our house 2 years ago In Red Oaks. I didn't want to move. I liked my neighbors, and loved the immediate access to the west side of the brushy Creek trail system. My wife's argument was if we wait any longer we won't be able to afford the house on the acre lot. With great reluctance I conceded. 2 years later I am realizing that she was more right in that moment than she has ever been before or will ever be again! Only wish I would have rented that house out for 2 years and sold it now! We made 55k on it after living there 5 years. I imagine we would had made at least 200 if not 300k now. 

I figure if some kind of cap on property taxes doesn't pass we will be priced out of our house in 10-14 years even if we pay it off in the next 10 years as planned.

7 hours ago, First-Blood said:

Caddyshack cleared now. For those of you who ride that section it would be great if you could keep an eye out for paths like the picture below coming down from trail to bcrt and block or re block them. There can't be any direct intersections from this trail or Snail touching bcrt. I blocked it fairly well up top. Haven't covered the visible path as I didn't have a rake on me.
Thanks

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk
 

Thanks, I intended to get out there over a week ago to clear it and haven't been able to get out in daylight. 

On 2/24/2021 at 10:29 PM, TheX said:

I added this to the chain stay.

I too have gone this route on my hardtail. Just make sure you get 2228.  2229 is double sided

5 hours ago, TheX said:

This is the kind of electric bike I don't want on our trails. But I really want to own one.

 

I've seen a few other videos of those sura's and they look really fun!

10 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

Oh man!  That's sweet!  It even has space for the LoneStar beer of Washington State (Rainier).

I got to admit I tried a Ranier while in Seattle and liked it🤣

25 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

What's your setup for riding with the chainsaw?  

The Dakine Builders pack. Seems good so far! I think I may have created the snowstormzilla with the purchase though😁

21 minutes ago, Morealice said:

Thanks to Gotdurt and Skyyhorn Gumdrop rolls perfectly now. Trail fairy nation. 🧚‍♀️ *poof*

Gonna need them chainsaws again on Caddyshack. I didn’t even ride the whole thing because it was mangled with big trees. Beautiful day though. 
 

I'll ride over with my chainsaw at some point in the next few days and try to take care of what I can. I got to get my oil port running again on the chainsaw