Make your neighbor cry and hug you: fix their bike!

On 16 Jan 2007 18:09:57 -0800, "landotter" <[email hidden]> may

have said:

This wouldn't be news in a city where utility cycling is normal, like
Chicago or Madison WI, but in Nashville, it's pretty cool to get
another rider on the road that's not spandexed up.

Welcome to the ranks of the Urban Transport Guerilla Underground.
Subvert the fuel-based-transportation paradigm!

--
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Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

"landotter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

All for a hundred dollar bill. Now I have another neighbor that'll
leave the cage at home for the basics, as our local market, hardware
store, and dining/drinking establishments are all within a couple
miles.

This is great news -- keep up the good work!

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

In article <[email hidden]>,

landotter said:

All for a hundred dollar bill. Now I have another neighbor that'll
leave the cage at home for the basics, as our local market, hardware
store, and dining/drinking establishments are all within a couple
miles.

You realize, of course, you are the bike's
personal caregiver/veterinarian from now on --

unless you're willing to lend tools ;-)

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

landotter said:

All for a hundred dollar bill. Now I have another neighbor that'll
leave the cage at home for the basics, as our local market, hardware
store, and dining/drinking establishments are all within a couple
miles.

You realize, of course, you are the bike's
personal caregiver/veterinarian from now on --

unless you're willing to lend tools ;-)

Yup, that's always the case isn't it? :-P I don't mind, as it all evens
out in the end. Those folks provided me with garden tomatoes, chilis,
and herbs all summer--so I'm not complaining. :-D

In article <[email hidden]>,

landotter said:

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

landotter said:

All for a hundred dollar bill. Now I have another neighbor that'll
leave the cage at home for the basics, as our local market, hardware
store, and dining/drinking establishments are all within a couple
miles.

You realize, of course, you are the bike's
personal caregiver/veterinarian from now on --

unless you're willing to lend tools ;-)

Yup, that's always the case isn't it? :-P I don't mind, as it all evens
out in the end. Those folks provided me with garden tomatoes, chilis,
and herbs all summer--so I'm not complaining. :-D

Yeah, neighbourliness is great.

Even though sometimes it results in being given
more zucchinis than ya know what to do with.

Tell ya what, though -- sometimes it doesn't pay
to let too many people know you've got a floor pump.

It's okay if they bring their bike over for you
to air-up their tires. But sometimes they wanna
borrow your pump and take it away with them for
awhile. Then you've gotta go through the distress
of delineating &putting your foot down about what
you'll lend, and not lend.

Never lend a chain tool. Especially if it's
a beautiful ol' Rivoli with the straightest
pin ever lathe-turned.

It's okay to lend (what's left of) a Suntour 2-prong
freewheel remover, if you've already used it, yourself.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

landotter said:

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
"landotter" <[email hidden]> writes:

> All for a hundred dollar bill. Now I have another neighbor that'll
> leave the cage at home for the basics, as our local market, hardware
> store, and dining/drinking establishments are all within a couple
> miles.

You realize, of course, you are the bike's
personal caregiver/veterinarian from now on --

unless you're willing to lend tools ;-)

Yup, that's always the case isn't it? :-P I don't mind, as it all evens
out in the end. Those folks provided me with garden tomatoes, chilis,
and herbs all summer--so I'm not complaining. :-D

Yeah, neighbourliness is great.

Even though sometimes it results in being given
more zucchinis than ya know what to do with.

Tell ya what, though -- sometimes it doesn't pay
to let too many people know you've got a floor pump.

It's okay if they bring their bike over for you
to air-up their tires. But sometimes they wanna
borrow your pump and take it away with them for
awhile. Then you've gotta go through the distress
of delineating &putting your foot down about what
you'll lend, and not lend.

My pump does not leave the premises. I went for near twenty years
without getting a proper floor pump of my own, and it's going nowhere.
I do not miss the beforetime when I thought all a man needed was an hpx
and a thumb.

I lent my Yakima rack to the next door neighbor. He went and got
himself drowned in the Gulf of Mexico the next weekend. Never got my
rack back. That'll learn me. Damn you, Nate!

Quoted message said:

Never lend a chain tool. Especially if it's
a beautiful ol' Rivoli with the straightest
pin ever lathe-turned.

I've got two, just in case!

I don't lend bike tools, ever. You want something fixed? I'd rather do
it than lend out my tools. My electric hedger is another deal, borrow
it for a week, have fun.

Quoted message said:

It's okay to lend (what's left of) a Suntour 2-prong
freewheel remover, if you've already used it, yourself.

I could use one of those actually...

In article <[email hidden]>,

landotter said:

Quoted message said:

It's okay to lend (what's left of) a Suntour 2-prong
freewheel remover, if you've already used it, yourself.

I could use one of those actually...

I've got a couple of 'em, but they're kinda nubby.
You'll do better with a fresh, square-cornered one.
Or two.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

landotter said:

I don't lend bike tools, ever. You want something fixed? I'd rather do
it than lend out my tools. My electric hedger is another deal, borrow
it for a week, have fun.

Nobody around here (Boston) seems to do any landscaping any more -- I
feel like an endangered species. It seems like not too long ago people
used to fix their own stuff. Now, if a bike breaks, people toss it.
Everything has become disposable. One of the great ironies is, with the
Internet, we're in some kind of DIY "golden age". Know-how is easy to
Google, so are odd parts, and Ebay is like a global flea market.

It's nice that you're seen as a hero to your neighbor, and it's nice of
you to be so generous with your time and expertise. On the flip side, I
built a really nice bike up for my wife - city bike, 26" wheels, slicks,
fenders, rack with rear pannier, bar bag, v-brakes, trigger shifters,
etc. Perfectly matched to what she wanted - a reliable, no fuss machine
for commuting and weekend rides. She always has people telling her how
she needs to "upgrade" if she wants to be faster when she goes on club
rides. Ditto on my son's bike (we built together), old Raleigh, but with
new bar-ends (8s), new wheels, clipless pedals, etc. On a club ride one
condescending jerk remarked that he was surprised my son was faster than
he, given that he had all the "wrong stuff".

On a balmy evening last August, my dog walking neighbor (professor)
stopped to chat as I was replacing an exhaust system. He made a
sympathetic remark about what a shame it was to be under a car on such a
nice day. I flipped my goggles up, took a long pull on my Tecate, and
told him this was the perfect thing to be doing, and I meant it! It made
me wonder if he had ever fixed anything. Fixing stuff makes me happy,
and if I can make someone else happy too, like you did, that's a bonus.

landotter said:

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

landotter said:

Tom Keats wrote:
> In article <[email hidden]>,
> "landotter" <[email hidden]> writes:
>
> > All for a hundred dollar bill. Now I have another neighbor that'll
> > leave the cage at home for the basics, as our local market, hardware
> > store, and dining/drinking establishments are all within a couple
> > miles.
>
> You realize, of course, you are the bike's
> personal caregiver/veterinarian from now on --
>
> unless you're willing to lend tools ;-)
>

Yup, that's always the case isn't it? :-P I don't mind, as it all evens
out in the end. Those folks provided me with garden tomatoes, chilis,
and herbs all summer--so I'm not complaining. :-D

Yeah, neighbourliness is great.

Even though sometimes it results in being given
more zucchinis than ya know what to do with.

Tell ya what, though -- sometimes it doesn't pay
to let too many people know you've got a floor pump.

It's okay if they bring their bike over for you
to air-up their tires. But sometimes they wanna
borrow your pump and take it away with them for
awhile. Then you've gotta go through the distress
of delineating &putting your foot down about what
you'll lend, and not lend.

My pump does not leave the premises. I went for near twenty years
without getting a proper floor pump of my own, and it's going nowhere.
I do not miss the beforetime when I thought all a man needed was an hpx
and a thumb.

I lent my Yakima rack to the next door neighbor. He went and got
himself drowned in the Gulf of Mexico the next weekend. Never got my
rack back. That'll learn me. Damn you, Nate!

Quoted message said:

Never lend a chain tool. Especially if it's
a beautiful ol' Rivoli with the straightest
pin ever lathe-turned.

I've got two, just in case!

I don't lend bike tools, ever. You want something fixed? I'd rather do
it than lend out my tools. My electric hedger is another deal, borrow
it for a week, have fun.

Quoted message said:

It's okay to lend (what's left of) a Suntour 2-prong
freewheel remover, if you've already used it, yourself.

I could use one of those actually...

Park Tool FR-2, nicer than the Suntour original.

Great post. Since we moved into our new place this spring, 90% of the
neighbor's I've met I met because I fixed their kids bicycle. It seems
I'm the only one on the block with a pump, patches, tools or knowledge
and word's gotten out I've got all of the above. I truly enjoy it
about 98% of the time. When there's a cute little 5 year old with a
flat tire knocking on my door at 8AM on a sunday just as I sit down to
breakfast, it can be a smidge of a pain for a couple minutes. It's
still well worth it. <g>

I must say, with the amount the pump is "needed" on weekend days I
sometimes wonder if they're making the stuff up!

I've yet to actually meet an adult riding in the area, but helping the
kids is fun & usually results in my meeting their parents. I'll be
waiting for one of their bikes...

Peter Cole said:

landotter said:

I don't lend bike tools, ever. You want something fixed? I'd rather do
it than lend out my tools. My electric hedger is another deal, borrow
it for a week, have fun.

Nobody around here (Boston) seems to do any landscaping any more -- I
feel like an endangered species. It seems like not too long ago people
used to fix their own stuff. Now, if a bike breaks, people toss it.
Everything has become disposable. One of the great ironies is, with the
Internet, we're in some kind of DIY "golden age". Know-how is easy to
Google, so are odd parts, and Ebay is like a global flea market.

Yeah, I can't stand "disposability". There's pride to be had in taking
care of whatever gear you've got. Sometimes things actually do wear
out. Rarely does that happen to the average person's bicycle, though.
It usually dies from neglect and exposure. It's not seen as "worth the
effort" as you can get a Schwinn cruiser ready to ride from *mart for
$150--what it would cost to have the LBS tune what you've let rot away
in the basement.

Quoted message said:

It's nice that you're seen as a hero to your neighbor, and it's nice of
you to be so generous with your time and expertise. On the flip side, I
built a really nice bike up for my wife - city bike, 26" wheels, slicks,
fenders, rack with rear pannier, bar bag, v-brakes, trigger shifters,
etc. Perfectly matched to what she wanted - a reliable, no fuss machine
for commuting and weekend rides. She always has people telling her how
she needs to "upgrade" if she wants to be faster when she goes on club
rides. Ditto on my son's bike (we built together), old Raleigh, but with
new bar-ends (8s), new wheels, clipless pedals, etc. On a club ride one
condescending jerk remarked that he was surprised my son was faster than
he, given that he had all the "wrong stuff".

This bike had a seven speed cassette! Positively neolithic. A delight
to adjust. Completely non-fussy. Perfect for city use. Steel crank
rings that'll last a lifetime! Steel handlebars and stem! A victorian
seatpin with seperate clamp. It makes your son's bike look like a
Saturn V. Those are good things in the city, that make a bike thief
move along. Usually bike thieves don't go, "by golly those bearings are
properly greased and what a well adjusted drivetrain!" before cutting
the cable. Like your son's bike, it's all about the right tool for the
job.

Quoted message said:

On a balmy evening last August, my dog walking neighbor (professor)
stopped to chat as I was replacing an exhaust system. He made a
sympathetic remark about what a shame it was to be under a car on such a
nice day. I flipped my goggles up, took a long pull on my Tecate, and
told him this was the perfect thing to be doing, and I meant it! It made
me wonder if he had ever fixed anything. Fixing stuff makes me happy,
and if I can make someone else happy too, like you did, that's a bonus.

Yeah, the neighbors seemed a bit guilt ridden as it was pretty obvious
that I'd spent the better part of three evenings puttering on the bike
till I reminded them that it's usually fun. I've got a beer fridge and
a radio in the garage, and doing mindless mechanical stuff with one
hand and drinking a brew with the other can be a quite satisfying way
to relax. Beats whittling, that's for sure.

On 18 Jan 2007 14:01:31 -0800, "landotter" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On a balmy evening last August, my dog walking neighbor (professor)
stopped to chat as I was replacing an exhaust system. He made a
sympathetic remark about what a shame it was to be under a car on such a
nice day. I flipped my goggles up, took a long pull on my Tecate, and
told him this was the perfect thing to be doing, and I meant it! It made
me wonder if he had ever fixed anything. Fixing stuff makes me happy,
and if I can make someone else happy too, like you did, that's a bonus.

Yeah, the neighbors seemed a bit guilt ridden as it was pretty obvious
that I'd spent the better part of three evenings puttering on the bike
till I reminded them that it's usually fun. I've got a beer fridge and
a radio in the garage, and doing mindless mechanical stuff with one
hand and drinking a brew with the other can be a quite satisfying way
to relax. Beats whittling, that's for sure.

Four or five years ago I tuned a mixte-frame mountain bike for a
neighbour. I told them that if they ever wanted to get rid of it to
call me. Last year I fixed a 70's era ten speed for them.
New Year's Day they invited me over and gave me the bike I'd fixed
four years ago. It had seen maybe 100 miles in that time.

Knowing their limited amount of bicycling I didn't change the tires
on the ten-speed but told them that if they start getting flats to
buy new tires and I'll change them. We'll see if that happens.

Meanwhile the mixte MTB frame I wanted is going to get attached to
the Xtracycle. My shop's a little crowded right now with a Norco and
a Miyata in pieces. Never a chance to get bored around here.
--
zk