Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
I think I'm a little confused. You're having a custom set of racing wheels built for a bike you may not ride much, if at all?
Phil Forrest
Phil Forrest
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
You are not the only person confused, I am too.
Life is kinda funny. I will use the Newsboy as an example. A very outdated bike that was stale, outdated, and not very exciting now seems to be my most favored bike. Why? Perhaps comfort and because it is kinda relaxed.
My friend Dan I met at the Peekskill train station doing my commute. Dan is a little younger than me and has a dancer’s body. I kinda remarked how as older guys we stood out as being fit, and that is how I learned he was once a professional dancer. It also seems that we both knew the old NYC when you had to be kinda bad ass to survive.
He kinda was taken in by Bob Fosey, and Dan says because Bob Fosey liked Dan he kept some distance. It seems that Bob Fosey knew that he kinda hurt and destroyed people close to him so out of love he kept Dan out of danger.
A key lesson to Bob Fosey’s success Dan told me is that he used his weakness as his strength, and that is how he became great and famous for developing his own style.
In a way I am taking this lesson to heart.
Also know that Robert Redford made this film called the “Electric Horseman.” Evidently Dan was the actor on the horse in Studio 54 that was filmed. Dan was told by the grip, “Don’t sweat too much or you might get electrocuted.” LOL.
Anyways Dan and I talked a lot about the 70’s and how unlikely it was that we would become older men.
I just happened to mount a 9-speed 12-25T Dura-Ace cassette on what I call my training wheels. These are my heavy wheels that are a straight 16 gauge, brass nipples, and heavy rims. To even make these heavier I have a set of bloated TUFO clincher tubulars. The reason why I like these clincher tubulars is just add a little sealant and pretty much don’t worry about a flat, unless something crazy happens.
The gearing with a 25T cog with a 38 tooth chainring is still not a very low gear, but these are training wheels…
So my racing wheels have tubular rims, and my frame limits tire width to only 27mm-28mm, but I can mount a 11-34T 9-speed XT cassette…
Oh-well, not the best, but not so bad either.
I figure my other three bikes will get more use, but I will see how much I love having XTR 9-speed with mountain gearing and 27mm-28mm tires.
Anyways the idea of turning your weakness into a strength is a powerful lesson. There is a lot of wisdom there.
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Are you going to be racing?
Phil Forrest
Phil Forrest
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
Those days are over. I always got spanked anyways
The only person I race is myself as always.
Tubulars I know are the racer’s choice for performance.
For me biking is about fun, fitness and to relax.
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
I guess I'm just wondering why you're having a racing wheelset built then. A $48 rim, $.94 per-spoke x 32 plus labor, will get a wheel that will do 100% what the $175 rim and $3 per-spoke x 32 plus labor will do. I mean, if the idea is to save money in the long run as you've stated in prior posts. There's nothing wrong with getting a top-shelf wheelset, but it's not to save any money, nor is it an investment since once the box of spokes is open, their value is diminished, so every custom wheel only has value to the person who had it built. I have a few handbuilt wheelsets that I could only give away, at which point, they would have the hubs cut out of the rims. Doesn't matter that they may be worth close to $1000. Out on ebay or craigslist they are worth about $100 at best since no one wants to ride someone else's custom built wheels.
Phil Forrest
Phil Forrest
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Last week there was another murder in Peekskill, the second one this year.
The first murder was downtown and was a random shooting they say. They ended up catching up with the guy in New Jersey weeks later.
This second murder was the result of a stabbing. A person of interest did not cooperate with police and later evaded them retreating to a house which he set afire.
So know in this 4 square mile city of 25K population that we live on the very extreme southern end opposite the downtown to the north.
When we lived in Greenpoint over two decades ago, a cop rented the top floor of our three story row house. Bill the cop said, “Greenpoint is a very safe neighborhood. There is usually only one murder a year.”
This came up in conversation because the first week we lived there another one of our neighbors got mugged right in front of our house.
Someone was pounding on our door, and when I opened it a woman ran in all hysterical and crying. Then she realized we were not the people who were our landlords.
So that first year the one murder happened about a block away from our house. Some young guy had an ice pick stabbed into his brain while sitting on his mother’s stoop.
Then the following year a drunk was beaten to death in McGolrick Park that I could see from the upstairs bedroom window seat facing the street.
Anyways we live on the southern outskirts of Peekskill and pretty remote from the downtown that is perhaps a little over 2 miles away.
The bulk of my biking clothes order arrived today. I love buying stuff on close out sale prices, especially the luxury high end. In the Castrelli sizing I am a medium instead of a small. The jackets fit me well. Very snug and comfortable. In fact today I wore the heavier jacket out. The inside temperature inside my house was 52 degrees this morning.
One of the items that was delivered was a sleeveless top in black that is meant to wick moisture as a base layer, but it is a small that makes me resemble a UFC fighter/tough guy.
Today we went to a rather big craft fair in Tarrytown. Just south of the TappanZee bridge is this estate on the Hudson called Lyndhurst. Pretty grand and crazy in a robber baron kinda way.
Cal
The first murder was downtown and was a random shooting they say. They ended up catching up with the guy in New Jersey weeks later.
This second murder was the result of a stabbing. A person of interest did not cooperate with police and later evaded them retreating to a house which he set afire.
So know in this 4 square mile city of 25K population that we live on the very extreme southern end opposite the downtown to the north.
When we lived in Greenpoint over two decades ago, a cop rented the top floor of our three story row house. Bill the cop said, “Greenpoint is a very safe neighborhood. There is usually only one murder a year.”
This came up in conversation because the first week we lived there another one of our neighbors got mugged right in front of our house.
Someone was pounding on our door, and when I opened it a woman ran in all hysterical and crying. Then she realized we were not the people who were our landlords.
So that first year the one murder happened about a block away from our house. Some young guy had an ice pick stabbed into his brain while sitting on his mother’s stoop.
Then the following year a drunk was beaten to death in McGolrick Park that I could see from the upstairs bedroom window seat facing the street.
Anyways we live on the southern outskirts of Peekskill and pretty remote from the downtown that is perhaps a little over 2 miles away.
The bulk of my biking clothes order arrived today. I love buying stuff on close out sale prices, especially the luxury high end. In the Castrelli sizing I am a medium instead of a small. The jackets fit me well. Very snug and comfortable. In fact today I wore the heavier jacket out. The inside temperature inside my house was 52 degrees this morning.
One of the items that was delivered was a sleeveless top in black that is meant to wick moisture as a base layer, but it is a small that makes me resemble a UFC fighter/tough guy.
Today we went to a rather big craft fair in Tarrytown. Just south of the TappanZee bridge is this estate on the Hudson called Lyndhurst. Pretty grand and crazy in a robber baron kinda way.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
I have not done nothing but explore at this point. I’m so out of date, but I am trying to figure out how to best use my assets. I’m not sure where this is going, but if you understand that the same process of “what if” happened with the Newsboy.
If you think about how I ended up with Titanium bikes (3 of them) is that I bought them not as investments, but to own and use a long time because they were expensive.
You kinda have to reverse the thinking and not be like a regular consumer that thinks they are buying “value.” The only thing I guess I would think is a value judgement is “buy to keep” and often for me this is not about price.
I do see how buying/building new wheels pretty much is not needed, but if I were to buy/build new wheels why not buy a top shelf wheel set.
Anyways there are cheaper wheels for sure, but that is not the point.
I bought a cheap Shimano wheel to build out the steel IBIS as a 1x11 XTR, but I knew this wheel was a “throw-away.” It is not a strong wheel, and I already had to have it trued once. I guess eventually after a few Truing’s it might become a tight wheel, but I’m cool with throwing the wheel away because basically not the best quality.
So I don’t know how important this bike will be to me, but it has potential. I don’t know where this is going, but the idea of sharing this journey is just to share an exploration that perhaps is rather childish because it is all in the realm of possibilities.
An analogy is retirement. As much as I planed, it really did not go as I planned. Mucho surprises, and overall very good, but the level of adjustment is hard to get around. In fact nothing I was planning actually happened.
I also see in the road bike limits and it cannot really become a gravel bike, but this bike also points to the Newsboy and Ti IBIS as being better suited, or better suited for me for the gravel mode coverage.
Pretty much all I can do is change the gearing on the road bike, and that perhaps is not a bad thing. So say I just buy expensive tubulars instead of wheels, and just use my old retro wheels. That is a lot of tires, but would getting a nice new set of clincher wheels be better? Let’s say it is the same money… then basically its a coin toss… a few sets of very expensive tubulars, or a really nice set of clincher wheels…
So I thought I was buying wide 25mm tires, thinking I was buying a wide tire, but pretty much they are still skinny tires. 27mm-28mm is about the limit on my frame for wide, and that still is pretty much a racing tire.
I forgot that the main reason I got a road bike was to ride on the road to get out of the woods when it got hot. This was in the days before gravel bikes came about. In the end it seems like I just jump on the Newsboy to just get time on the bike. Perhaps having another option would be refreshing, but I’m not second guessing, and I guess I will see where all this goes.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Sadly, yesterday on our return from Tarrytown I saw my neighbor, the skunk, dead on the exit of Route 9 very near my house.
The all white back was a giveaway that is was my skunk. The tragedy is that he or she was a beautiful animal.
”Maggie” I don’t think is so sad that our skunk is gone. She was very much upset by his/her visits and the traces of rude smell.
I wonder about the most recent murder, and the loss, at least for me, of our skunk. Is there a deeper meaning? Anyways I grieve for my skunk.
Today the delivery of my custom Santa Cruz will happen. I’m very excited. The Adirondack Spruce top and hot hide glue that cures like glass, will add more treble and top end to the sound than the all mahogany Model “F” I already own.
Mahogany overall has a big fundamental response, and lots of midrange warmth as a voice, but this new guitar has mahogany that was cut down in the 1930’s and has cured, crystallized, and been seasoning all these decades. This of course is all old growth wood.
The tone is expected to be more crisp, open, lively, and full because of the use of old wood. Wood can be thought of as a composite, but because of its organic nature the resins that are the glue harden and stiffen with age over time, and as the wood gets lighter and more resonant, and strength increases as well as stiffness.
In a ways this new guitar will play as if already broken in. Anyways it will or should play-in very rapidly in a very remarkable manner.
My all mahogany Model “F” features a mildly shaded brown burst, and this new Model “F” has what Richard Hoover calls “Buttered Toast” that supports a light yellow tint to brown transition, so I call the shaded darker brown burst “Burnt Toast.”
So the bracing also uses Adirondack Spruce like on my Santa Cruz OM, a slightly smaller guitar, but the difference is that the OM has forward bracing that is scalloped to promote a stronger bass response and enhanced treble. In effect the balance of tone is kinda “scooped” with the mids not so dominant.
The Model “F’s” have tapered bracing for a more level and even balanced response. Add onto this that the body is bigger and has more volume, so the bass response is increased in a different manner.
So in a “Calzone” manner I added bass response over my OM by the increased body size, and I added more treble response by choosing Adirondack Spruce for a top, and compounded that by utilizing hot hide glue to add a high end sheen on top of the Adirondack. Then add in the crispness, the clarity, the articulation, and the responsiveness of old wood…
The sound will be huge…
Cal
The all white back was a giveaway that is was my skunk. The tragedy is that he or she was a beautiful animal.
”Maggie” I don’t think is so sad that our skunk is gone. She was very much upset by his/her visits and the traces of rude smell.
I wonder about the most recent murder, and the loss, at least for me, of our skunk. Is there a deeper meaning? Anyways I grieve for my skunk.
Today the delivery of my custom Santa Cruz will happen. I’m very excited. The Adirondack Spruce top and hot hide glue that cures like glass, will add more treble and top end to the sound than the all mahogany Model “F” I already own.
Mahogany overall has a big fundamental response, and lots of midrange warmth as a voice, but this new guitar has mahogany that was cut down in the 1930’s and has cured, crystallized, and been seasoning all these decades. This of course is all old growth wood.
The tone is expected to be more crisp, open, lively, and full because of the use of old wood. Wood can be thought of as a composite, but because of its organic nature the resins that are the glue harden and stiffen with age over time, and as the wood gets lighter and more resonant, and strength increases as well as stiffness.
In a ways this new guitar will play as if already broken in. Anyways it will or should play-in very rapidly in a very remarkable manner.
My all mahogany Model “F” features a mildly shaded brown burst, and this new Model “F” has what Richard Hoover calls “Buttered Toast” that supports a light yellow tint to brown transition, so I call the shaded darker brown burst “Burnt Toast.”
So the bracing also uses Adirondack Spruce like on my Santa Cruz OM, a slightly smaller guitar, but the difference is that the OM has forward bracing that is scalloped to promote a stronger bass response and enhanced treble. In effect the balance of tone is kinda “scooped” with the mids not so dominant.
The Model “F’s” have tapered bracing for a more level and even balanced response. Add onto this that the body is bigger and has more volume, so the bass response is increased in a different manner.
So in a “Calzone” manner I added bass response over my OM by the increased body size, and I added more treble response by choosing Adirondack Spruce for a top, and compounded that by utilizing hot hide glue to add a high end sheen on top of the Adirondack. Then add in the crispness, the clarity, the articulation, and the responsiveness of old wood…
The sound will be huge…
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
The S&P dropped below 3900: look out below…
Fed Ex tanked, and then UPS. Pretty much this is like the Dow Jones Transportation Index for me telling me the economy is slowing down and a recession is eminent. Then there is the most recent deeper rate inversion.
30 year mortgage rates are over 6% and more than double the record lows, but I read one report that suggests that 30 year mortgages have to hit 10% to really deflate the real estate bubble that has been created by FED monetary policy that created record low interest rates for a protracted time. BTW the last time 30 year rates were 10% was back in the 70-80’s, and that was a time of protracted inflation that was double-digit and unemployment was double-digit.
So I wonder is this where we are going? I understand there is a labor shortage, and that is a difference, but then again we have an aging population, so part of this is organic, and the U.S. and the rest of the world is either further along in the aging population, like Japan, or is like Europe that has an aging population right along with us.
So after decades of globalization and resulting “disinflation” (Alan Greenspan’s term) are we going to regress to the mean and swing the other way? Wages were stagnant for decades, so are we going to have decades of wage growth?
So if my prediction that deglobalization means rebuilding local manufacturing, and being more self sufficient is correct, the money has to come from somewhere to build this infrastructure to support national interests, the costs can be translated into slow growth because of needed capitol outlays.
I think we are at a historical economic turning point at the moment.
Cal
Fed Ex tanked, and then UPS. Pretty much this is like the Dow Jones Transportation Index for me telling me the economy is slowing down and a recession is eminent. Then there is the most recent deeper rate inversion.
30 year mortgage rates are over 6% and more than double the record lows, but I read one report that suggests that 30 year mortgages have to hit 10% to really deflate the real estate bubble that has been created by FED monetary policy that created record low interest rates for a protracted time. BTW the last time 30 year rates were 10% was back in the 70-80’s, and that was a time of protracted inflation that was double-digit and unemployment was double-digit.
So I wonder is this where we are going? I understand there is a labor shortage, and that is a difference, but then again we have an aging population, so part of this is organic, and the U.S. and the rest of the world is either further along in the aging population, like Japan, or is like Europe that has an aging population right along with us.
So after decades of globalization and resulting “disinflation” (Alan Greenspan’s term) are we going to regress to the mean and swing the other way? Wages were stagnant for decades, so are we going to have decades of wage growth?
So if my prediction that deglobalization means rebuilding local manufacturing, and being more self sufficient is correct, the money has to come from somewhere to build this infrastructure to support national interests, the costs can be translated into slow growth because of needed capitol outlays.
I think we are at a historical economic turning point at the moment.
Cal
fiddle
Established
So we are still on for tomorrow I assume??
question,
Does anyone want to see a chamonix 45f2?
If so I'll bring it, if not it stays home.
Also, have an m6 ttl black paint. .85 mag. 2000 dragon edition I'll bring with me, trying to see for a work buddy. Beautiful camera.
See you tomorrow.
question,
Does anyone want to see a chamonix 45f2?
If so I'll bring it, if not it stays home.
Also, have an m6 ttl black paint. .85 mag. 2000 dragon edition I'll bring with me, trying to see for a work buddy. Beautiful camera.
See you tomorrow.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Fidel,
I’ll be there around noon. I’ll have my Robot Royal 36 with me.
An interesting camera.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Around 10:00 AM I walked to the strip mall nearby to buy some groceries. I looked for the body of my deceased friend the skunk, but he was gone. I figure someone took him because he was so beautiful with that entire white back.
When I got home I saw the UPS truck. I talked with the driver. Basically even though the economy is slowing there is still plenty of work. Realize that these workers depend on overtime to pay their bills and they work 6 days a week to earn their living.
So I put away my groceries and opened up the packing to reveal the upgraded premium case that I paid an extra $200.00 for, and I am glad I did. The case is a dark brown and the covering is tooled leather that has an Art Deco like pattern. Pretty fan-C.
Then I opened the case to see the yellow tinted top that has a trace of a brown burst on the top. Richard Hoover calls this “Buttered Toast” and it is striking.
When I take the guitar out of the case I found the guitar, a mini jumbo, to actually be very light in weight. This too was striking and a bit of a shock, then I took notice that the strings were of a light gauge.
So then I played, and discovered that this guitar is mucho lightly built, and the sound is enormous. Crazy loud, crisp and articulate like a prized vintage guitar that has been played in over a period of decades, but this is a brand new guitar. So pretty much this guitar is insane. It compares to my OM Santa Cruz that is set up with medium gauge strings that has been played in for decades.
So I had one set of low tension strings and pulled out my all mahogany Model “F” and set it up with the lighter gauge of strings to compare.
The hog has a thump bass that makes it great for blues, but the new Model “F” built to 1934 spec and with old woods has the note separation, clarity and articulation to make it a great guitar for jazz.
Played it enough to make the top more flexible. The bass is becoming more pronounced, and it seems to be opening up rather quickly. Remember the Hog Model “F” basically was a guitar that went unloved and was stored in a case for a decade before I got it, so I know how much playing opens up a guitar’s tone and volume.
So the new 1934 spec Model “F” kinda blew my mind. I’m mucho happy, and pretty much this guitar is a game changer. Pretty much is the guitar I always wanted. Like a dream come true.
So I believe the hype that the old wood has resin that crystallizes and that the wood becomes lighter and stronger. Evidently the builder took this extra strength into account to make a guitar that is more responsive and articulate. What is so insane is how loud a light touch can have. Of course the lower tension strings make it very easy to play. WOW and WOW again.
So I will do the dishes, and back to the guitars.
Cal
When I got home I saw the UPS truck. I talked with the driver. Basically even though the economy is slowing there is still plenty of work. Realize that these workers depend on overtime to pay their bills and they work 6 days a week to earn their living.
So I put away my groceries and opened up the packing to reveal the upgraded premium case that I paid an extra $200.00 for, and I am glad I did. The case is a dark brown and the covering is tooled leather that has an Art Deco like pattern. Pretty fan-C.
Then I opened the case to see the yellow tinted top that has a trace of a brown burst on the top. Richard Hoover calls this “Buttered Toast” and it is striking.
When I take the guitar out of the case I found the guitar, a mini jumbo, to actually be very light in weight. This too was striking and a bit of a shock, then I took notice that the strings were of a light gauge.
So then I played, and discovered that this guitar is mucho lightly built, and the sound is enormous. Crazy loud, crisp and articulate like a prized vintage guitar that has been played in over a period of decades, but this is a brand new guitar. So pretty much this guitar is insane. It compares to my OM Santa Cruz that is set up with medium gauge strings that has been played in for decades.
So I had one set of low tension strings and pulled out my all mahogany Model “F” and set it up with the lighter gauge of strings to compare.
The hog has a thump bass that makes it great for blues, but the new Model “F” built to 1934 spec and with old woods has the note separation, clarity and articulation to make it a great guitar for jazz.
Played it enough to make the top more flexible. The bass is becoming more pronounced, and it seems to be opening up rather quickly. Remember the Hog Model “F” basically was a guitar that went unloved and was stored in a case for a decade before I got it, so I know how much playing opens up a guitar’s tone and volume.
So the new 1934 spec Model “F” kinda blew my mind. I’m mucho happy, and pretty much this guitar is a game changer. Pretty much is the guitar I always wanted. Like a dream come true.
So I believe the hype that the old wood has resin that crystallizes and that the wood becomes lighter and stronger. Evidently the builder took this extra strength into account to make a guitar that is more responsive and articulate. What is so insane is how loud a light touch can have. Of course the lower tension strings make it very easy to play. WOW and WOW again.
So I will do the dishes, and back to the guitars.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I left Astoria at 7:00 PM and got home in 45 minutes.
As usual Christian and I lingered. It was great to see Chris because I got the smut on my old cyclotron lab. Next month they start a rebuild process, and it is not clear if they hired a new engineer. “Ha-ha,” I say. What a mess I left behind.
Fidel bought this cute 4x5 that pretty much is a nice small light field camera that I need to do my bike and shoot. Not a crazy camera, but crazy good anyways.
We had a good time needing out and making fun of the German engineers that designed the mucho crazy Robot camera I bought. The overbuild is over-the-top, and a M3 sized camera weighs as much as a F3P rigged with a motor drive and batteries. No lie… A very quirky camera made in a very German manner.
Devil Christian brought his small Robot camera, and Christian drew further interest when we went into the clumbsy film loading that involves a three piece take up spool, pretty much why Robot cameras never got popular. Then Christian pulls out a take up spool that is his second generation version that has a second tooth, a different slot design at aiming a secure notch capture.
The coolest thing is that this take up spool remains installed as a part of the camera, and for reloading and loading you just feed the leader into the spool like a SLR. Know that the take up spools are about $75.00 on EBAY, and that the original design for usage was using extra take up spools set up with standard film cassettes for fast loading. Not practical by today’s standards.
At the meet-up Christian assembled the two halves with cement, and then gifted me the prototype to try. I’ll report results tomorrow after my field test. Pretty much don’t tell anyone because Robot cameras are pretty much bargains sold with great German glass for little money. Now with film loading and unloading becoming EZ-PZ look out for increased utility. Pretty much this is insider information.
BTW we had the same crackhead server as last month, and it was weird because he appeared to be normal. LOL.
Cal
As usual Christian and I lingered. It was great to see Chris because I got the smut on my old cyclotron lab. Next month they start a rebuild process, and it is not clear if they hired a new engineer. “Ha-ha,” I say. What a mess I left behind.
Fidel bought this cute 4x5 that pretty much is a nice small light field camera that I need to do my bike and shoot. Not a crazy camera, but crazy good anyways.
We had a good time needing out and making fun of the German engineers that designed the mucho crazy Robot camera I bought. The overbuild is over-the-top, and a M3 sized camera weighs as much as a F3P rigged with a motor drive and batteries. No lie… A very quirky camera made in a very German manner.
Devil Christian brought his small Robot camera, and Christian drew further interest when we went into the clumbsy film loading that involves a three piece take up spool, pretty much why Robot cameras never got popular. Then Christian pulls out a take up spool that is his second generation version that has a second tooth, a different slot design at aiming a secure notch capture.
The coolest thing is that this take up spool remains installed as a part of the camera, and for reloading and loading you just feed the leader into the spool like a SLR. Know that the take up spools are about $75.00 on EBAY, and that the original design for usage was using extra take up spools set up with standard film cassettes for fast loading. Not practical by today’s standards.
At the meet-up Christian assembled the two halves with cement, and then gifted me the prototype to try. I’ll report results tomorrow after my field test. Pretty much don’t tell anyone because Robot cameras are pretty much bargains sold with great German glass for little money. Now with film loading and unloading becoming EZ-PZ look out for increased utility. Pretty much this is insider information.
BTW we had the same crackhead server as last month, and it was weird because he appeared to be normal. LOL.
Cal