Weights of my bikes

On Thu, 20 May 2021 12:49:55 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

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.

Or... perhaps he had, finally, developed good sense :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

On 5/20/2021 3:57 PM, Tom Kunich wrote:
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.

Didn't you mean TWO "typos"? ;-)


--
- Frank Krygowski

On 5/19/2021 2:32 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:

snip

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

As a tourist in Europe, it was often difficult to find a laundromat
since so few residents would ever have a need for one. In China, forget
it, the concept of a laundromat doesn't exist--you either have a washing
machine in your home or you send your laundry out. Dryers are really
rare. If you have your hotel do your laundry it can take a really long
time because they air dry everything.

In Salzburg, I walked 1.1km to get to a laundromat and it was very
expensive https://goo.gl/maps/21q1F3EvbwnCkfas5. In Vienna and Berlin
we stayed in hostels and they had laundry machines available. In Milan
we stayed at an AirBNB that had a combination washer/dryer that had to
be world's slowest laundry machine. We try to travel very light so
taking few clothes and washing them is preferred, but you can hand wash
stuff pretty easily too.

Bicycle related: In Salzburg we wanted to rent bikes from the hotel,
which advertised bike rental
https://www.gosalzburg.com/parking/bike.html. We were obviously the
only guests in a very long time that wanted to rent their bikes. They
brought up bikes from the basement and I had to make minor repairs on
all of them. They felt bad and cut the rental rate from €10 per bike to
€7 per bike. But other than that it was a great little hotel My son and
I also rented bikes from a bike-share station on another day. Those were
really awful bikes.

On 5/20/2021 8:06 PM, AMuzi wrote:
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.

Retrogrouches unite!


--
- Frank Krygowski

jbeattie wrote:
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.


I have a washer and dryer, but my cycling clothes get washed by hand in a 1
gallon glass jar. I don’t want them to ferment until the next load of wash
is full, but I don’t want to waste the water to do a load of wash for only
a set of shorts and a jersey.

On 5/20/2021 8:32 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 5/20/2021 8:06 PM, AMuzi wrote:
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.

Retrogrouches unite!



With a simple (RadioShack) 1970s electro-mechanical timer,
one might run the wash for an hour or 90 minutes on leaving
in the morning. Run the rinse at end of day, wring and dry.

And back then we had laundry soap which has disappeared.
Only detergents now, which are very different.

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

On Thu, 20 May 2021 19:06:37 -0500, AMuzi wrote:

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.

Well, with the girlfriend in the house perhaps the wringer machine
would present a hazard. After all "caught her tit in the wringer" has
been common slang for, probably, as long as wringer washing machines
were around :-)

By the way, by grandmother had a hand operated wringer, you clamped it
to the table or wherever and cranked it by hand.
--
Cheers,

John B.

On 5/20/2021 6:50 PM, AMuzi wrote:

snip

With a simple (RadioShack) 1970s electro-mechanical timer, one might run
the wash for an hour or 90 minutes on leaving in the morning.Â* Run the
rinse at end of day, wring and dry.

And back then we had laundry soap which has disappeared. Only detergents
now, which are very different.

You can still buy laundry soap, both in powder and bar form. It doesn't
clean as well as detergent, but you can still buy it.

https://laundryevangelist.com/product/laundry-flakes/
https://www.walmart.com/ip/16935505

On Thu, 20 May 2021 17:03:48 -0700 (PDT), jbeattie
wrote:

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.

Well, remember. Back in the days when ladies washed clothes by hand
they only washed once a week. Usually, if memory serves, on Monday.
Saturday you took your weekly bath, put on fresh clothes for Sunday
church and you were "good to go" the rest of the week.
--
Cheers,

John B.

On 20/05/2021 16:36, Roger Merriman wrote:

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.


Yep I meant road bikes, made to be light.

My most recent bike is from Halfords, cheap aluminium, but heavy. It is
currently at about the 16,000 km (10,000 mile) mark. I expect the extra
weight will make it more resilient. The forks, which were apparently
steel, did get a significant rust crack, which I had replaced.

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


The ones who I know change bikes regularly, to keep up with the latest
features.