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Every time I go to the carport to select a bike for a ride...

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Every time I go to the carport to select a bike for a ride...

Old 03-28-15, 02:53 PM
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FarHorizon
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Every time I go to the carport to select a bike for a ride...

...I notice something that I need to maintenance on another bike. I seem to spend more time working on bikes than I do riding them (NOT my goal).

Today, I went to ride, but noticed that I hadn't installed my new Brooks saddle. Yanked the old, mounted the new, started backing the bike & noticed that the front brakes were rubbing. Wiggled the wheel & found that the bearings were loose - spent about an hour removing & cleaning the wheel bearings, greasing & adjusting before reinstall. Then I noticed that the aluminum of the front hub seemed heavily oxidized - got the Nevr-Dull and polished the hub. Then my wife comes out & says it's time to take her to lunch...

Back from lunch, I decide to ride a different bike, but this one has a front brake so far out of adjustment that it isn't (in my opinion) safe to ride. Go to put new pads on, but have only much thicker pads in the parts box than the originals. Since I have V-brakes, not an issue - I'll just run the arms further out. When I try, the original brake cable won't reach. Find & cut a new brake cable, & replace the housing for good measure. I notice that now (with the wider gap on the brakes), the spring tension isn't sufficient to keep the arms out. Removing the arms from their mounting pins (and greasing the pins while they're nude), I reset the tension pin for greater outward tension - NOW I have sufficient tension at the arms to keep them off the rims. Unfortunately, now that the arms are tensioned more, one brake-arm moves when the hand-lever is squeezed, but not the other. Spend another 15 minutes adjusting the tension screws until both arms move equally - Then my wife comes out & says it's time to cut the lawn...

Late afternoon - finally ready to go for a spin - The seat post sinks into the seat tube - The 34.9mm clamp is too large for the 27.2 seat post. Rummaging, I find a 31.8mm clamp - too small! What the heck? Googling, I see that the manufacturer intended this 27.2 seat post (in a thick seat tube) to be used with a (virtually unfindable) 33.6mm clamp! Making a pass by the LBS - no, they not only don't have one but have absolutely no idea where to even order one. Time to improvise! Wedge open the 31.8 or shim the 34.9? The former seems more prone to metal fatigue than the latter, so so I'll now go hack up some pop cans with yard shears until I have a shim that matches the clamp inner circumference.

Give up on riding for today & hope tomorrow's a better day... Cheers - FH
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Old 03-28-15, 03:07 PM
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Ah - the ugly side of N+1.

It means that you have more bikes to keep maintained.
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Old 03-28-15, 07:32 PM
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+1 I'm down to 2 bikes, one is in pieces. The other is always ready to roll.
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Old 03-28-15, 11:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Retro Grouch
Ah - the ugly side of N+1. It means that you have more bikes to keep maintained.
Agreed - Now to divest - but which ones?
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Old 03-28-15, 11:34 PM
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What Fun...
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Old 03-28-15, 11:59 PM
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Originally Posted by FarHorizon
Agreed - Now to divest - but which ones?
Divest bossy wife and have more time for wrenching and riding!
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Old 03-29-15, 03:50 AM
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It's a sickness In some ,,,

It's all about the bike, I get that but think of it this way for a second:

Those bikes sitting there alone getting out occasionally, they deserve to be ridden more.
Sell them, all of them so they can be loved and worn out.
Take the money and buy a few NEW bikes that your lusting over, just a few, say 3,,ok 4,, ok OK N+1...
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Old 03-29-15, 06:04 AM
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Actually, the bikes I currently own are pretty well chosen for my needs. Being an Uber-Clyde, and living in a FLAT part of the country, I just don't need a wide variety of things that someone lighter and/or living in more mountainous terrain would hold dear.

Light weight, for example, is fun, but absolutely unnecessary for me. Instead, I want durability and comfort, and I'm willing to tolerate a heavier bike to get them. A prime example is my new Brooks B190 saddle.

Since I don't need to climb, descend, or race, the "racing style bike" lacks much appeal to me as well.

I'm well served for the past few years by my Townie coaster-brake model. And before you sneer, I put a consistent 250 miles per month on it. The 50mm tires tolerate the local roads without flats and with more comfort than other bikes provide. The single gear is appropriate for the terrain. The simplicity makes for good durability. If I had to keep but one bike, it would be that one (or the Townie 3-speed, which weighs but a hair more).

So my "divest" bikes remain the Nishiki road bike, the Raleigh road bike, and the Electra 7-speed cruiser. CraigsList, here I come!

As to "divest bossy wife," she's more essential to me than the bike, and she shows some signs of being willing to start riding with me now that I've gotten her an appropriate bike also. I'm a lucky man!

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Old 03-29-15, 06:17 AM
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Originally Posted by FarHorizon
Agreed - Now to divest - but which ones?
Yeah, I've got 5 kids. I know that 5 kids is too many but I could never figure out which ones were the "too many". Now that they're all grown and living on their own and doing good, I'm happy and proud for every one of them.
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Old 03-29-15, 08:13 AM
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If you live in the snow belt, and a lot of us do, by now all the maintence on your bikes should already be done.

Starting in Feb when I have cabin fever, I do a complete cleaning, lube, and check of both my bike and trike. That way I seldom have problems during the riding season.
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Old 03-29-15, 08:22 AM
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Here, "riding season" is about 50 weeks out of the year. As to the other two weeks - one is frozen and the other is a hurricane.
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Old 03-29-15, 01:53 PM
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The other side of the coin is that if you had fewer bikes you would be doing more maintenance on them because you would be using them more. So one way or the other you would probably be doing about the same amount of work.
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Old 03-29-15, 03:13 PM
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The issue may not be that the bikes need work, but that I consistently disobey the first rule of bicycle maintenance, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it!" LOL
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Old 03-29-15, 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by FarHorizon
The issue may not be that the bikes need work, but that I consistently disobey the first rule of bicycle maintenance, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it!" LOL
Yeah, my mantra seems to be "If it ain't broke, fix it till it is (or you are)."
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Old 03-29-15, 05:57 PM
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50 weeks a year riding season? Florida? Costa Rica?, PR? Nothing wrong with a townie or 3 speed if it's all you need. I winnowed down to 2, SO I DON"T HAVE A REASON TO NOT RIDE>>>>>
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Old 03-29-15, 08:49 PM
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I got 5 bikes that need spring cleaning and tuning. I feel your pain.
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Old 03-29-15, 10:00 PM
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I kind of wish I had your problem, just tried to convince GF to allow n+1 #3 for a road bike. She says no, I just got a Redline d660 29er and still have my actionbent, she somehow thinks that should be enough for anyone.
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Old 03-30-15, 03:29 AM
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Hi @DanWho -

Significant others who don't understand your hobbies are a recipe for acrimony. Of course, it works both ways - her hobbies are important too. The limit on hobbies (for the both of you) isn't what the other thinks is sufficient, but what the mutual budget will allow. Budgeting a discretionary spending allowance (and sticking with it) makes for harmony. And once the individual's allowance is established, what that individual chooses to do with it is beyond ANY criticism.

Now doesn't that sound nice? That's how it "should" work. In my case, however, my hobbies are more extensive (and more expensive) than hers. We've reached the understanding that so long as we don't forego any necessities (including retirement contributions) for hobbies, I have free rein. It did take some years to get here, though, and the unspoken understanding is that should she want something expensive (rare, but it happens), I'll make it happen by temporary reductions in my expenses. I'm a lucky man!
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Old 03-30-15, 05:33 AM
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Well said, FH, it is a 2-way street in a marriage, or relationship of any kind. I am fortunate that my wife supports my cycling. She still rides a bit, but not like when we were both doing commuting and club activities before the kids took over things for a while. Its using a little common sense and talking about things between the two of us. I pretty much defer to her on the budget, she is very well versed on that part, we manage to save some, nothing is behind and the mortgage is on the way to being done. Monica had a strong financial background from her business, I am the engineer and accept my station as the designated fixer of the broken things. Works for me and its going to be 39 years together this July 2.

I have much the same affliction about tinkering and needing to continually work on machinery. Bicycles, and dirt bikes formerly, are my release for that one. Been this way my entire life, at least I can get things out back together and running now, when I was a kid it could be a lot different, much to my father's dismay.

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Old 03-30-15, 05:54 AM
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maybe plan doing some of that PM work when you are not going to be riding.

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Old 03-30-15, 06:05 AM
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My wife and I agreed that i can have all the bikes i want as long as I don't touch the house bank account for funds, so I have to buy and sell smart. (She did buy me a used Rants Stratus for my 50th birthday with a little coaxing.). That said, I try to keep the count down to bikes that serve a real purpose for me, and recently divested four... and bought one. ��
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Old 03-30-15, 08:48 AM
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"Hi, my name is FarHorizon and I am an addict"
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Old 03-30-15, 09:58 AM
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Originally Posted by KJK
Divest bossy wife and have more time for wrenching and riding!
I'm a little confused. You have more so many bikes that you are not finding time to ride because of the maintenance and you also have a wife. No need to divest yourself of her. Put her to work on bicycle maintenance. True, you would have to spend a little time training her, but it would be time well spent.
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Old 03-30-15, 11:27 AM
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We did establish a budget and the Redline came in way under budget so when I talked about getting a road bike that still came in under the budget she put her foot down hard enough to scare the cats and wake the neighborhood. Oh well, my birthday is only 7 months away.
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Old 03-30-15, 06:07 PM
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Heh heh heh...yesterday I spent 3.5 hours working on a bike in my herd just so I could give it to someone. Downsizing, now that I've got my grail. I'll keep a few of 'em around, so they don't get lonely.
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