Weights of my bikes

Ade wrote:
On 18/05/2021 13:56, Lou Holtman wrote:

In my case that was about 4 years, not really enough.

My suspicion is that very few bikes get ridden 10,000 miles. They either
get ridden occasionally or replaced regularly. It is probably cheaper to
give lifetime guarantees and quote fantasy figures for fatigue cycles,
rather than engineer light aluminium frames that do last a lifetime

Every road bike I have/had has or will be ridden 10000 miles/16000 km.


Do you think that you are average, representative of the average?

Also, do your aluminium bike frames break, fatigue cracks close to the
bottom bracket, have I just been unlucky?


My commute bike will hit the 20,000 mile mark (that I have recorded) later
this year.

It is though a old MTB so fairly solidly built, half of its life was as MTB
so low miles but fairly rough existence, since then it’s been my commute
beastie most of the miles have been on the commute as I do 3k or so
commuting a year, is fairly well loaded ie panniers and what not.

I do know of folks where the frame has failed but these a) do tend to be
road bikes, b) tends to be some corrosion.

I suspect that most bikes spend their life in the shed, but there will be a
significant minority who clock up silly miles.

Roger Merriman

On Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 8:33:15 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 7:27:07 AM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 7:03:37 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 6:19:17 PM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 5:43:36 PM UTC-7, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 19 May 2021 10:57:48 -0700, sms
wrote:
On 5/19/2021 10:11 AM, jbeattie wrote:

snip

Why do you just make this sh** up? It's not cute. Neither I nor Frank nor anyone has said that other materials do not fail as often or more often that Ti. I've broken four or more steel frames, five or more aluminum. It is likely that had I owned Ti, I would have broken it. I broke a Ti chain (stupid purchase) and Ti pedal spindles (also a stupid purchase), but that was back in the '70s when Ti was pretty sketchy and was expected to break.

Wow, you're really hard on your frames. Have you considered counseling?
Never mind the broken bicycle problem he also has metal - probably
titanium - body parts :-)
I've broken six or seven cranks, multiple pedals, BB spindle, hub axle, handlebars, a seat clamp, derailleur hanger (twig snarled RD), chains -- almost every component on a bike except a stem. Even though I broke several of the cranks riding out of the saddle -- and one in an all-out sprint -- I never crashed. Frame failures are usually pretty benign, too, and you just end up with a click or a creak or a wobbly frame -- or most often for me, I just find a crack while cleaning the bike and retire the frame. The only failure I truly dread is a broken fork, which is not a failure you can just ride through. I've never broken a fork (crossing fingers) -- well, I did break a fork, but the bike was in a roof rack and collided with a garage door header. Ooops.

-- Jay Beattie.
I truly hope that the only time you break a fork is on the rood rack.
Me, too. Do you know why your forks broke?
They were an early form of IRS fork that had an aluminum spreader and carbon legs. The legs were supposed to be glued on an riveted in place with a large rivet to hold them together until the adhesive dried. One of the forks hadn't been glued.

The fork began pulling out and started making noise. I bent down to look at what was making that noise so my head was only about 18" above the ground when the fork separated overloading the opposite leg which broke in half. My head was too close to the ground for me to get my hands and arms out in time before I hit. I struck with my forehead though the helmet was there and crushed completely. The deceleration pulled my brain free of the connections of the occipital lobe and slammed the frontal lobe into the skull. This is the cause of death in most collisions so it was lucky I was only moving at about 5 mph when it occurred.

Acceleration of gravity is 8 m/2^2 and distance traveled on the wildest guess would me less than one meter so let's call it one meter. So it probably took one second from the fork breaking to my head hitting the ground. I have had many crashes in my time because I used to take many chances to improve my riding. But all of these crashes probably gave me two or more seconds to prepare to hit the ground and I seldom had more than minor injuries because of that. So it took a very odd set of circumstances to injure me so. However, what happens if you're traveling down a hill at 40 mph and your fork breaks? This twists the wheel under the frame effectively putting the brakes on so that you are thrown through the air and land at 30 mph or a little less. This is deadly to people hit by a car but hitting open ground like this allows you to decelerate while rolling to a stop. We've seen these sorts of crashes in the Tours and the rider getting back on a bike and finishing the stage. Gravel rash to be sure, but alive and well. or at least alive.

These days on every descent I no longer have that courage and though I usually outdistance younger riders, I am riding the brake where I never used to.

You know, who really cares about going fast. I'll rail a downhill when I feel like it and generally when I'm following the line of my best biking buddy who is a rocket, but if its wet or low traction conditions -- screw it, I'm too old, and my buddy and other riding cohorts typically dial it down when descending on wet road, too. We've all crashed, and at our ages, any crash hurts a lot.

I got a routine chest x-ray recently and an incidental finding was four old rib fractures. I remember that crash -- on wet, broken pavement descending out of the West Hills on a touring bike with fat-ish tires. I got up and rode home -- and didn't even bother with urgent care because the treatment for rib fractures is basically nothing, but I had no idea that I had four broken ribs. These days, I would have sat on the ground for twenty minutes, trying to pull it together and would have gone to urgent care and pleaded for Oxy.

BTW, the upshot of that crash was a fear of descending that lingered for the next month. I was descending a hill out of my neighborhood (my top speed on that hill is 50mph, faster than the Big Wheel guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BirBFFQXdS4) -- riding the same bike, and I developed a malignant speed wobble at 35-40mph and thought I was going to die before I brought the bike to a stop. The wobble was caused by being terrified, stiffening up through the shoulders and not thinking clearly about how to stop the wobble (clamp legs against TT, etc.). Being off you mental game can be really dangerous.

-- Jay Beattie.

On 5/19/2021 11:39 PM, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 19 May 2021 19:57:11 -0700 (PDT), Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 7:29:49 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Wed, 19 May 2021 17:42:17 -0500, AMuzi wrote:

On 5/19/2021 4:32 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Op woensdag 19 mei 2021 om 22:55:25 UTC+2 schreef :
On Wed, 19 May 2021 17:18:06 +1000, James
wrote:
Our dryer looks remarkably less complicated.
https://www.hillshome.com.au/our-pro...t-clothesline/
At first glance, I thought that was a ham radio antenna:
https://www.google.com/search?q=cobweb+antenna&tbm=isch

I don't have a washer or dryer at home. I use one of the local
laundromats. Two wash and dry loads usually end up costing me about
$15US for everything. 5 visits per year costs me $75/year. A
tolerable washer and dry would cost me about $2,000. At $75/year, it
would take me 27 years to break even (ignoring maintenance costs). The
laundromats aren't very convenient, but they are relatively cheap.

Five visits a year and 2 loads per visit?????? Never understood the concept of a laundromat. Sitting there waiting the wash/dry to finish.....We have no laundromats here. Everyone has a washer and most of them also a dryer.

Lou
In many large apartment buildings, the laundry room is the communal
social center, where the women gather and exchange gossip and spread
rumors. I don't see much of that at the local laundromats. Usually
just street people, homeless, tourists, and those waiting for their
washing machines to be repaired.

The basic concept is economic. Purchasing a washer and dryer can be
expensive. Going to a laundromat can delay that purchase. In my
situation, I decided that laundry economics favors not buying the
equipment and not dedicating a part of my house for it. The potential
for leach field failure was too high. I also don't like listening to
the noise the machinery makes.
No one's wrong about taste. For a major laundry experience
such as all the clothing[1] plus linens etc I fill more than
one machine, read my paper or run an errand and the whole
process (wash-dry-fold) takes under an hour.
If I'm also washing the bed linens, I can easily fill 4 machines. The
basic trick to making the laundromat work is to minimize what needs to
be laundered. I've found it easier to wash the large stuff at home in
the kitchen sink, than to drag everything to the laundromat and back.
My visits to the laundromat is mostly for shirts, pants, jeans,
underwear, socks, and hand towels. Most everything else is either
hand washed and clothesline dried, or dry cleaned.

My guess(tm) is 2 hrs per visit, including sorting and folding
everything. Add 1 hr for driving, carrying everything down and up 50
stairs, and visiting the nearby thrift shop: ...

I once read about a modern cowboy's laundry technique. The basics we

Bungee a 55 gallon drum into the pickup bed. Throw in dirty clothes, water and detergent.

Drive.

Take out clean clothes.

I suppose there must have been a stop to drain the grey water and fill with rinse water -
but maybe this would work for you? Except you'd need several 55 gallon drums.

- Frank Krygowski

Y'all seem to be making mountains out of molehills. After we were
married it was 20 years before my wife had her first washing machine
:-)

I suspect that what's a molehill in your view may be a mountain in your
wife's view!


--
- Frank Krygowski

On 5/20/2021 11:33 AM, Tom Kunich wrote:


Acceleration of gravity is 8 m/2^2 ...
No.

--
- Frank Krygowski

On 5/20/2021 12:30 PM, jbeattie wrote:

BTW, the upshot of that crash was a fear of descending that lingered for the next month. I was descending a hill out of my neighborhood (my top speed on that hill is 50mph, faster than the Big Wheel guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BirBFFQXdS4) -- riding the same bike, and I developed a malignant speed wobble at 35-40mph and thought I was going to die before I brought the bike to a stop. The wobble was caused by being terrified, stiffening up through the shoulders and not thinking clearly about how to stop the wobble (clamp legs against TT, etc.). Being off you mental game can be really dangerous.

I'm certainly more cautious than I used to be. My speed record is 54
mph, and was limited by a car in front of me. I'd never do that now,
although I do hit 40 on occasion.

I have a friend who tells the tale of a speed wobble on a long downhill.
He skidded to a stop in the left side shoulder. He said if a car had
been coming, he'd be dead.

This incident was years before we met. I rode with him only once, mostly
because on _any_ downhill, even a mild one, he rode his brakes to stay
under 10 mph. He was actually faster ascending than descending. His
nerve was permanently gone.

--
- Frank Krygowski

On Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 9:36:15 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 5/20/2021 11:33 AM, Tom Kunich wrote:


Acceleration of gravity is 8 m/2^2 ...
No.

You just love it when I make a typo. That gives you the chance to pretend that I'm wrong.

On Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 9:30:51 AM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 8:33:15 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 7:27:07 AM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 7:03:37 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 6:19:17 PM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 5:43:36 PM UTC-7, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 19 May 2021 10:57:48 -0700, sms
wrote:
On 5/19/2021 10:11 AM, jbeattie wrote:

snip

Why do you just make this sh** up? It's not cute. Neither I nor Frank nor anyone has said that other materials do not fail as often or more often that Ti. I've broken four or more steel frames, five or more aluminum. It is likely that had I owned Ti, I would have broken it. I broke a Ti chain (stupid purchase) and Ti pedal spindles (also a stupid purchase), but that was back in the '70s when Ti was pretty sketchy and was expected to break.

Wow, you're really hard on your frames. Have you considered counseling?
Never mind the broken bicycle problem he also has metal - probably
titanium - body parts :-)
I've broken six or seven cranks, multiple pedals, BB spindle, hub axle, handlebars, a seat clamp, derailleur hanger (twig snarled RD), chains -- almost every component on a bike except a stem. Even though I broke several of the cranks riding out of the saddle -- and one in an all-out sprint -- I never crashed. Frame failures are usually pretty benign, too, and you just end up with a click or a creak or a wobbly frame -- or most often for me, I just find a crack while cleaning the bike and retire the frame. The only failure I truly dread is a broken fork, which is not a failure you can just ride through. I've never broken a fork (crossing fingers) -- well, I did break a fork, but the bike was in a roof rack and collided with a garage door header. Ooops.

-- Jay Beattie.
I truly hope that the only time you break a fork is on the rood rack.
Me, too. Do you know why your forks broke?
They were an early form of IRS fork that had an aluminum spreader and carbon legs. The legs were supposed to be glued on an riveted in place with a large rivet to hold them together until the adhesive dried. One of the forks hadn't been glued.

The fork began pulling out and started making noise. I bent down to look at what was making that noise so my head was only about 18" above the ground when the fork separated overloading the opposite leg which broke in half. My head was too close to the ground for me to get my hands and arms out in time before I hit. I struck with my forehead though the helmet was there and crushed completely. The deceleration pulled my brain free of the connections of the occipital lobe and slammed the frontal lobe into the skull. This is the cause of death in most collisions so it was lucky I was only moving at about 5 mph when it occurred.

Acceleration of gravity is 8 m/2^2 and distance traveled on the wildest guess would me less than one meter so let's call it one meter. So it probably took one second from the fork breaking to my head hitting the ground. I have had many crashes in my time because I used to take many chances to improve my riding. But all of these crashes probably gave me two or more seconds to prepare to hit the ground and I seldom had more than minor injuries because of that. So it took a very odd set of circumstances to injure me so.. However, what happens if you're traveling down a hill at 40 mph and your fork breaks? This twists the wheel under the frame effectively putting the brakes on so that you are thrown through the air and land at 30 mph or a little less. This is deadly to people hit by a car but hitting open ground like this allows you to decelerate while rolling to a stop. We've seen these sorts of crashes in the Tours and the rider getting back on a bike and finishing the stage. Gravel rash to be sure, but alive and well. or at least alive.

These days on every descent I no longer have that courage and though I usually outdistance younger riders, I am riding the brake where I never used to.
You know, who really cares about going fast. I'll rail a downhill when I feel like it and generally when I'm following the line of my best biking buddy who is a rocket, but if its wet or low traction conditions -- screw it, I'm too old, and my buddy and other riding cohorts typically dial it down when descending on wet road, too. We've all crashed, and at our ages, any crash hurts a lot.

I got a routine chest x-ray recently and an incidental finding was four old rib fractures. I remember that crash -- on wet, broken pavement descending out of the West Hills on a touring bike with fat-ish tires. I got up and rode home -- and didn't even bother with urgent care because the treatment for rib fractures is basically nothing, but I had no idea that I had four broken ribs. These days, I would have sat on the ground for twenty minutes, trying to pull it together and would have gone to urgent care and pleaded for Oxy.

BTW, the upshot of that crash was a fear of descending that lingered for the next month. I was descending a hill out of my neighborhood (my top speed on that hill is 50mph, faster than the Big Wheel guy: https://www.youtube..com/watch?v=BirBFFQXdS4) -- riding the same bike, and I developed a malignant speed wobble at 35-40mph and thought I was going to die before I brought the bike to a stop. The wobble was caused by being terrified, stiffening up through the shoulders and not thinking clearly about how to stop the wobble (clamp legs against TT, etc.). Being off you mental game can be really dangerous.
The fastest I went today was 38 mph and I normally get 41 or 2 but I don't know if the rather strong winds were the cause of that.

On Thu, 20 May 2021 12:32:32 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 5/19/2021 11:39 PM, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 19 May 2021 19:57:11 -0700 (PDT), Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 7:29:49 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Wed, 19 May 2021 17:42:17 -0500, AMuzi wrote:

On 5/19/2021 4:32 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Op woensdag 19 mei 2021 om 22:55:25 UTC+2 schreef :
On Wed, 19 May 2021 17:18:06 +1000, James
wrote:
Our dryer looks remarkably less complicated.
https://www.hillshome.com.au/our-pro...t-clothesline/
At first glance, I thought that was a ham radio antenna:
https://www.google.com/search?q=cobweb+antenna&tbm=isch

I don't have a washer or dryer at home. I use one of the local
laundromats. Two wash and dry loads usually end up costing me about
$15US for everything. 5 visits per year costs me $75/year. A
tolerable washer and dry would cost me about $2,000. At $75/year, it
would take me 27 years to break even (ignoring maintenance costs). The
laundromats aren't very convenient, but they are relatively cheap.

Five visits a year and 2 loads per visit?????? Never understood the concept of a laundromat. Sitting there waiting the wash/dry to finish.....We have no laundromats here. Everyone has a washer and most of them also a dryer.

Lou
In many large apartment buildings, the laundry room is the communal
social center, where the women gather and exchange gossip and spread
rumors. I don't see much of that at the local laundromats. Usually
just street people, homeless, tourists, and those waiting for their
washing machines to be repaired.

The basic concept is economic. Purchasing a washer and dryer can be
expensive. Going to a laundromat can delay that purchase. In my
situation, I decided that laundry economics favors not buying the
equipment and not dedicating a part of my house for it. The potential
for leach field failure was too high. I also don't like listening to
the noise the machinery makes.
No one's wrong about taste. For a major laundry experience
such as all the clothing[1] plus linens etc I fill more than
one machine, read my paper or run an errand and the whole
process (wash-dry-fold) takes under an hour.
If I'm also washing the bed linens, I can easily fill 4 machines. The
basic trick to making the laundromat work is to minimize what needs to
be laundered. I've found it easier to wash the large stuff at home in
the kitchen sink, than to drag everything to the laundromat and back.
My visits to the laundromat is mostly for shirts, pants, jeans,
underwear, socks, and hand towels. Most everything else is either
hand washed and clothesline dried, or dry cleaned.

My guess(tm) is 2 hrs per visit, including sorting and folding
everything. Add 1 hr for driving, carrying everything down and up 50
stairs, and visiting the nearby thrift shop: ...

I once read about a modern cowboy's laundry technique. The basics we

Bungee a 55 gallon drum into the pickup bed. Throw in dirty clothes, water and detergent.

Drive.

Take out clean clothes.

I suppose there must have been a stop to drain the grey water and fill with rinse water -
but maybe this would work for you? Except you'd need several 55 gallon drums.

- Frank Krygowski

Y'all seem to be making mountains out of molehills. After we were
married it was 20 years before my wife had her first washing machine
:-)

I suspect that what's a molehill in your view may be a mountain in your
wife's view!

Actually I had to ask her when she got her first washing machine and
even she couldn't remember in terms of years, rather she remembered
that the first washing machine corresponded with the building of the
"Bangkok House" so apparently the lack thereof wasn't particularly
traumatic.

You see, when you live in a society where no one else has a washing
machine not having one is not a hardship.

I would add that when I bought the first refrigerator home she got
rather upset, "What do you want that for? Are you going to drink
beer?" You see when you, and all the other wives in the neighborhood
go to the market each morning to buy the day's food, as your mothers
did before you, you don't actually need a fridge.

Primitive? Perhaps, but even today, 50 years later, we still eat fresh
food.
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 3:58:53 PM UTC-7, John B. wrote:
On Thu, 20 May 2021 12:32:32 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 5/19/2021 11:39 PM, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 19 May 2021 19:57:11 -0700 (PDT), Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 7:29:49 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Wed, 19 May 2021 17:42:17 -0500, AMuzi wrote:

On 5/19/2021 4:32 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Op woensdag 19 mei 2021 om 22:55:25 UTC+2 schreef :
On Wed, 19 May 2021 17:18:06 +1000, James
wrote:
Our dryer looks remarkably less complicated.
https://www.hillshome.com.au/our-pro...t-clothesline/
At first glance, I thought that was a ham radio antenna:
https://www.google.com/search?q=cobweb+antenna&tbm=isch

I don't have a washer or dryer at home. I use one of the local
laundromats. Two wash and dry loads usually end up costing me about
$15US for everything. 5 visits per year costs me $75/year. A
tolerable washer and dry would cost me about $2,000. At $75/year, it
would take me 27 years to break even (ignoring maintenance costs). The
laundromats aren't very convenient, but they are relatively cheap.

Five visits a year and 2 loads per visit?????? Never understood the concept of a laundromat. Sitting there waiting the wash/dry to finish.....We have no laundromats here. Everyone has a washer and most of them also a dryer.

Lou
In many large apartment buildings, the laundry room is the communal
social center, where the women gather and exchange gossip and spread
rumors. I don't see much of that at the local laundromats. Usually
just street people, homeless, tourists, and those waiting for their
washing machines to be repaired.

The basic concept is economic. Purchasing a washer and dryer can be
expensive. Going to a laundromat can delay that purchase. In my
situation, I decided that laundry economics favors not buying the
equipment and not dedicating a part of my house for it. The potential
for leach field failure was too high. I also don't like listening to
the noise the machinery makes.
No one's wrong about taste. For a major laundry experience
such as all the clothing[1] plus linens etc I fill more than
one machine, read my paper or run an errand and the whole
process (wash-dry-fold) takes under an hour.
If I'm also washing the bed linens, I can easily fill 4 machines. The
basic trick to making the laundromat work is to minimize what needs to
be laundered. I've found it easier to wash the large stuff at home in
the kitchen sink, than to drag everything to the laundromat and back.
My visits to the laundromat is mostly for shirts, pants, jeans,
underwear, socks, and hand towels. Most everything else is either
hand washed and clothesline dried, or dry cleaned.

My guess(tm) is 2 hrs per visit, including sorting and folding
everything. Add 1 hr for driving, carrying everything down and up 50
stairs, and visiting the nearby thrift shop: ...

I once read about a modern cowboy's laundry technique. The basics we

Bungee a 55 gallon drum into the pickup bed. Throw in dirty clothes, water and detergent.

Drive.

Take out clean clothes.

I suppose there must have been a stop to drain the grey water and fill with rinse water -
but maybe this would work for you? Except you'd need several 55 gallon drums.

- Frank Krygowski

Y'all seem to be making mountains out of molehills. After we were
married it was 20 years before my wife had her first washing machine
:-)

I suspect that what's a molehill in your view may be a mountain in your
wife's view!
Actually I had to ask her when she got her first washing machine and
even she couldn't remember in terms of years, rather she remembered
that the first washing machine corresponded with the building of the
"Bangkok House" so apparently the lack thereof wasn't particularly
traumatic.

You see, when you live in a society where no one else has a washing
machine not having one is not a hardship.

I would add that when I bought the first refrigerator home she got
rather upset, "What do you want that for? Are you going to drink
beer?" You see when you, and all the other wives in the neighborhood
go to the market each morning to buy the day's food, as your mothers
did before you, you don't actually need a fridge.

Primitive? Perhaps, but even today, 50 years later, we still eat fresh
food.

If I told my wife she was expected to wash the clothes without a machine, she'd tell me to f*** myself -- albeit in her usual, sweet way. She is the daughter of Minnesota Lutherans after all.

-- Jay Beattie.

On 5/20/2021 5:58 PM, John B. wrote:
On Thu, 20 May 2021 12:32:32 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 5/19/2021 11:39 PM, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 19 May 2021 19:57:11 -0700 (PDT), Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 7:29:49 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Wed, 19 May 2021 17:42:17 -0500, AMuzi wrote:

On 5/19/2021 4:32 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Op woensdag 19 mei 2021 om 22:55:25 UTC+2 schreef :
On Wed, 19 May 2021 17:18:06 +1000, James
wrote:
Our dryer looks remarkably less complicated.
https://www.hillshome.com.au/our-pro...t-clothesline/
At first glance, I thought that was a ham radio antenna:
https://www.google.com/search?q=cobweb+antenna&tbm=isch

I don't have a washer or dryer at home. I use one of the local
laundromats. Two wash and dry loads usually end up costing me about
$15US for everything. 5 visits per year costs me $75/year. A
tolerable washer and dry would cost me about $2,000. At $75/year, it
would take me 27 years to break even (ignoring maintenance costs). The
laundromats aren't very convenient, but they are relatively cheap.

Five visits a year and 2 loads per visit?????? Never understood the concept of a laundromat. Sitting there waiting the wash/dry to finish.....We have no laundromats here. Everyone has a washer and most of them also a dryer.

Lou
In many large apartment buildings, the laundry room is the communal
social center, where the women gather and exchange gossip and spread
rumors. I don't see much of that at the local laundromats. Usually
just street people, homeless, tourists, and those waiting for their
washing machines to be repaired.

The basic concept is economic. Purchasing a washer and dryer can be
expensive. Going to a laundromat can delay that purchase. In my
situation, I decided that laundry economics favors not buying the
equipment and not dedicating a part of my house for it. The potential
for leach field failure was too high. I also don't like listening to
the noise the machinery makes.
No one's wrong about taste. For a major laundry experience
such as all the clothing[1] plus linens etc I fill more than
one machine, read my paper or run an errand and the whole
process (wash-dry-fold) takes under an hour.
If I'm also washing the bed linens, I can easily fill 4 machines. The
basic trick to making the laundromat work is to minimize what needs to
be laundered. I've found it easier to wash the large stuff at home in
the kitchen sink, than to drag everything to the laundromat and back.
My visits to the laundromat is mostly for shirts, pants, jeans,
underwear, socks, and hand towels. Most everything else is either
hand washed and clothesline dried, or dry cleaned.

My guess(tm) is 2 hrs per visit, including sorting and folding
everything. Add 1 hr for driving, carrying everything down and up 50
stairs, and visiting the nearby thrift shop: ...

I once read about a modern cowboy's laundry technique. The basics we

Bungee a 55 gallon drum into the pickup bed. Throw in dirty clothes, water and detergent.

Drive.

Take out clean clothes.

I suppose there must have been a stop to drain the grey water and fill with rinse water -
but maybe this would work for you? Except you'd need several 55 gallon drums.

- Frank Krygowski

Y'all seem to be making mountains out of molehills. After we were
married it was 20 years before my wife had her first washing machine
:-)

I suspect that what's a molehill in your view may be a mountain in your
wife's view!

Actually I had to ask her when she got her first washing machine and
even she couldn't remember in terms of years, rather she remembered
that the first washing machine corresponded with the building of the
"Bangkok House" so apparently the lack thereof wasn't particularly
traumatic.

You see, when you live in a society where no one else has a washing
machine not having one is not a hardship.

I would add that when I bought the first refrigerator home she got
rather upset, "What do you want that for? Are you going to drink
beer?" You see when you, and all the other wives in the neighborhood
go to the market each morning to buy the day's food, as your mothers
did before you, you don't actually need a fridge.

Primitive? Perhaps, but even today, 50 years later, we still eat fresh
food.


Everything has its features and foibles. I bought a house
with a wringer washer and was quite happy with it- excellent
for slimy bicycle mechanic oil-impregnated clothing. But
when a girlfriend moved in I bought an actual modern (1978)
washer. I miss the wringer, it was better.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971