Pcampeau

I’m a local Truck driver for USPS here in Minneapolis and a member of the APWU, my job is pretty secure, at this time anyway, and I’m fortunate to have a fair amount of paid sick time should I become infected. I’m thankful to have a few C&V projects going on right now as there’s not much else to do. With no real change in income and most spending opportunities closed along with businesses, I’m hoping to bank enough money to complete a few projects. I also have a small bike shop that I own with my brothers and we take customers by appointment only. I gotta keep wrenching. I figure if I keep my hands greasy enough I won’t wanna touch my face.

Insidious C. 

I actually sold a bike yesterday with four other people interested. The guys flipping bikes must have balls of steel to be buying bikes right now.

RiddleOfSteel

At present, it is business as usual for my place of employment--aside from working at home that is. We're all adjusting, and I entertain levels of optimism--that we could see easing of things in a few weeks rather than a few months. Mentally, emotionally, and financially, I am fine, and I am extremely thankful. I want to keep up relationships in work and life, so that will be the next thing to work on.

I have my fleet of keeper bikes, along with a few bikes already complete and listed. If the cold late winter wasn't enough, the virus causing the fear and shutdown of things has made sales even slower. I was in Portland visiting family for an extended weekend just now, and the day I could visit a local bike shop (Community Cycling Center, my favorite Portland location by far), they had closed. At least I had a great time spending time with family and working on trucks.

My only C&V activity is the continuation of trickle-speed spending on odds and ends. I need to update my SLX-tubed Battaglin progress as selling the frameset prompted building it to "rideable" and then choosing to keep it. Picked up a fork for it, as well as a headset that should work with it as well. That's a long-term project for a number of reasons, but really, my planned spending has been minimal to none at best for months and was forecast to stay that way regardless of the virus. And having made a big discovery in foot/knee fitment, that should hopefully allow me to put some miles on some bikes and get me out of the apartment.

alo

I am hoping to move to a new location a long way from where I live, at some time in the future. The cost of moving possessions will be expensive. As a result, I have stopped buying new things, but just continue to use what I already have. When I move, I will take very little with me. With the money I save, I will be able to buy new things.

For example, after I move I plan to get an electric bike. If I bought it now, and transported it when I moved, It would cost much more. The same thing applies to many other things.

daviddavieboy

Thank you I appreciate that. I am hearing a lot of talk about about parking though because they are finding truck stops closed and they cannot find places to eat/shower, etc. On a positive side that is what most truck drivers do is just talk, it would be a real disaster if it actually happened.

repechage

the excuse is to buy a bike a cm or two bigger, avoids the stork stem look.
there are always excuses, use them

JaccoW

My industry (IT) is well equiped to work from home though we too have been adjusting. I have been holding back the past two months after I was blindsided by a credit card bill last month but now that has slowed down a bit I have ordered a few things for my current build.
But where I would usually spend all of my budget to speed things up I have decided to be a bit more conservative this month and keep a bit of a personal buffer.

My girlfriend and I have a shared account where we put a percentage of our income on and we have a fairly decent buffer if worst comes to worst but social security in my country is a lot better than the US so I don't worry all that much.

Schwinneffect

I'm actually thinking of spending more on stuff now. The economy is contracting right now, but helicopter money is on the way. Six to eight months from now when the chopper brings the checks, supplies may still be tight. I could see prices for things like tires, tubes, tools, etc. going ng up. Collector bikes are a luxury good so I don't expect them to sell well for a while, so there may be bargains in a couples cf months.

r0ckh0und 

My basement full of projects is my safe space. A stereo receiver, a beer fridge (craft beers over 8% abv will keep for 3-5 years by the way) and lots of bike projects. I have several non bike related projects as well. For the last several years I have focused on buying utilitarian type items for resale and at this point I rarely buy anything new. Buy things you like, because you might have to keep it. Use good judgement and stay safe...........Cheers

scarlson 

I'm using the time to finish up a huge backlog of projects. Unfortunately I still need a machine shop for some of them, and that's at work, which has been shut down.

I'd mostly decided already this year that I shouldn't buy any more stuff until my projects are finished (and, fingers crossed, some get sold). I make an exception for Biopace rings as those appear to help my knees and I'd rather not deteriorate more and have to go into PT because I'll get the damn disease from there!

ThermionicScott 

Let me know if you're in the market for a 52/42 130BCD set...

Brad L 

As a transplant recipient, if I get this bug I'll likely not survive. No point in buying anything if the wife has to deal with it later. Morbid, I know, but reality sucks sometimes.

deux jambes

I’m sure you’re already being safe as can be, but please continue to my friend. When this is all over, we still want you around!

scarlson 

My 130 needs are taken care of (that is the bike I use to test things out), but I do need some in the 110 department, 36 and 48 probably. I'm really shocked that they are good for something. I used to poo-poo biopace as a fad, but as they relieve my pain I have become an overnight convert.

SurferRosa

What's the protocol when a c&v bud is sick and you're interested in relieving him of one or two of his bikes? Do you immediately ask about his italians, or start slow by commenting about one of his currently unused french townies?

RiddleOfSteel

Oddly specific!

SurferRosa

I'd inquire how you're feeling, but your bikes are way too big for me.

Parting out anything?

bark_eater 

I've got most of the bits and pieces together for the next 4 projects. I'm going to let the fallacy of sunk costs push me along, so I'll be completing another wheel set, buying another set of cables , a stem and maybe a set of SKS fenders. If Trump sends me a Grand I'll be putting that into a CSA farm share. Of course I have a first grader home for the duration, so right now time is the limited resource.

RiddleOfSteel

No French bikes, and only one Italian. I'm putting parts in to bikes right now. Well, if anyone buys them. If they buy anything I'm selling. Haha.

squirtdad

for future boredom help paper airplanes https://www.foldnfly.com/#/1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-2

bark_eater 

deux jambes

bark_eater “I brake for puddles!”

ThermionicScott 

Aw man, I had a 48/38/28 110/74 BCD set at one time, but sold it off already...

capnjonny 

Squirt dad,
Thanks for the glider project. Just the thing to do with my 6 year old grand son.
I don't really buy parts as all my bike work is done for the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange in Palo Alto Ca. and they have all the parts I need. I always have a project in the garage I am working on for them.
A couple weeks ago, when they were on the verge of closing the shop for our volunteer work days I scoped out all the bikes waiting to be worked on and took a few back to the house.
I have also been finishing up a couple pretty special bikes I completely restored, a 72 Botteccia Special, and the French Mystery bike I still can't connect with a name. (no decals or head badge on a repainted frame).
The Botteccia is now hanging in the rafters waiting to go back to the shop and the mystery bike is on the stand getting its jewelry . When it goes in the rafters with its sister I will probably start one of the other bikes.
If I run out of parts and pieces to get them ready I can always spent a couple weeks cleaning and polishing wheels or maybe even cleaning (I mean CLEANING) the shop . I might even find the keys I lost a couple weeks ago somewhere in the shop or house.
By the way , we are at ground zero for this sh--t show. Trust me folks , if it hasn't hit you yet, it will. Don't be stupid about this people. Survival of the careful!

merziac

Paging all members that have a ton of crap in reserve which would be many of us.

Matt is one helluva standup guy and has given me several good deals.

If he's up for it how about we facilitate a bin build for this for now, no strings, a targeted pay it forward as it were.

deux jambes , exactly what do you need?