Where to learn basic skill??

[Philip Gerding]

Where would you suggest one go to learn basic, and perhaps more, skills for bike repair? There is no
decent local bike shop here. I dislike riding around all day without a clue in how to fix things.
Anyplace online? I live in Galveston Texas. thanks.

 

[Steven M. O'Nei]

Philip Gerding <[email protected]> wrote:
>Where would you suggest one go to learn basic, and perhaps more, skills for bike repair? There is
>no decent local bike shop here. I dislike riding around all day without a clue in how to fix
>things. Anyplace online? I live in Galveston Texas. thanks.
>
>

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/

Start with the yellow box near the bottom.

--
Steven O'Neill [email protected] www.bridgetolls.org

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>, "Philip Gerding"
<[email protected]> writes:
> Reading Sheldon Brown is certainly great fun and offers good information. But what I want is to
> learn -preferably hands on-how to perform basic tasks. I DO NOT wish to take my bike apart on the
> garage floor while reading the "how to do it" text of either a web site or a book. Our local
> Community college has no classes so I was wondering what other suggestions there might be. PG

Here in Vancouver BC, there are a number of community-based bike shops, and at least one
commercially-oriented bike shop that offer hands-on instruction. Also, there are Continuing
Education night courses offered here for bike repair.

I don't know where you are, or if where you are has anything similar.

So I guess the best suggestion I can make is to move here. The winters here are tolerable for
riding, anywayz.

The second-best suggestion I can make is to Google search on: "bicycle repair" course [your
city/town] and see what pops up. Or enquire at your nearest cycling club.

The third-best suggestion I can make is to pester/cajole the mechs at your local bike shops, but
that's a touch-&-go affair -- you don't want to disturb ppl from earning their living and doing
their service-oriented thing of re-enhappying[*] folks with busted bikes. Unless you make it worth
their while. But they might at least be able to give you voice-of-experience hints for your quest.

cheers, Tom

[*] I know, I know.

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[Philip Gerding]

Reading Sheldon Brown is certainly great fun and offers good information. But what I want is to
learn -preferably hands on-how to perform basic tasks. I DO NOT wish to take my bike apart on the
garage floor while reading the "how to do it" text of either a web site or a book. Our local
Community college has no classes so I was wondering what other suggestions there might be. PG

 

[Kevan Smith]

On Wed, 08 Oct 2003 03:21:25 GMT, "Philip Gerding" <[email protected]> from AT&T
Worldnet wrote:

>Reading Sheldon Brown is certainly great fun and offers good information. But what I want is to
>learn -preferably hands on-how to perform basic tasks. I DO NOT wish to take my bike apart on the
>garage floor while reading the "how to do it" text of either a web site or a book. Our local
>Community college has no classes so I was wondering what other suggestions there might be. PG

Try hooking up with an experienced cyclist who has learned to do things on his own. Or, look for
community activist bike shops in poorer areas of your city, assuming you live in a large city. Or,
just get a bucnh of junkers and figure things out on your own.

--
http://home.sport.rr.com/cuthulu/ human rights = peace I wonder if I should put myself in ESCROW!!
12:26:37 AM 8 October 2003

 

[Rick Onanian]

On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 21:22:56 -0700, [email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:
>of re-enhappying[*] folks with busted bikes. Unless you make cheers, Tom [*] I know, I know.

I looked up empuzzled at www.dictionary.com and it was exactly the word you made of it. I did not
find 'enhappying', but hey, we know what you mean.
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
Ryan Cousineau <[email protected]> writes:

> The most cromulent phrase for the act of getting someone on the road by fixing or giving them a
> bicycle is to embiggen them.

Unless they're packing a li'l extra poundage, and want to be debiggened (disembiggened?).

cheers, Tom

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[David L. Johnso]

On Wed, 08 Oct 2003 03:21:25 +0000, Philip Gerding wrote:

> Reading Sheldon Brown is certainly great fun and offers good information. But what I want is to
> learn -preferably hands on-how to perform basic tasks. I DO NOT wish to take my bike apart on the
> garage floor while reading the "how to do it" text of either a web site or a book. Our local
> Community college has no classes so I was wondering what other suggestions there might be. PG

Some bike clubs will occasionally sponser a class. I do this pretty much every year, but it tends to
stick to basic things like field repairs of broken chains, and fixing flats. One local shop
(Neighborhood Bikeworks in Philadelphia, a place for kids to rebuild and then own junked bikes) runs
classes that are a bit more serious. Come to think of it, another Philly shop, Trophy Bikes on
Market, also has offerred repair classes.

Check around in your town to see if something like this is done. Winter is a good time for this.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | I don't believe you, you've got the whole damn thing all wrong. _`\(,_ | He's not the kind
you have to wind-up on Sundays. --Ian (_)/ (_) | Anderson

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>, Rick Onanian <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 21:22:56 -0700, [email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:
> >of re-enhappying[*] folks with busted bikes. Unless you make cheers, Tom [*] I know, I know.
>
> I looked up empuzzled at www.dictionary.com and it was exactly the word you made of it. I did not
> find 'enhappying', but hey, we know what you mean.
> --
> Rick Onanian

The most cromulent phrase for the act of getting someone on the road by fixing or giving them a
bicycle is to embiggen them.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

[Rick Onanian]

On Wed, 08 Oct 2003 10:03:04 -0700, Ryan Cousineau <[email protected]> wrote:
>The most cromulent phrase for the act of getting someone on the road by fixing or giving them a
>bicycle is to embiggen them.

I looked up cromulent at www.dictionary.com the other day (after you first posted it) and it was
listed; today they want you to pay to see the definition. Embiggen was not listed there. Google
found both of them at www.urbandictionary.com which knew something more about cromulent than the
other site does; it knew that it is most commonly used with irony, suggesting the said common use is
by users who learned it in a phrase on the Simpsons. I'm pretty sure I remember "embiggen" from the
Simpsons too.

Because I found them on an internet site, I can assure you that they are 100% valid, approved,
official english words. <G>

When I went to send this message just now, my spell checker suggested "crapulent" for cromulent and
"embitter" for embiggen.
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Mike Latondress]

Ryan Cousineau <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> In article <[email protected]>, Rick Onanian <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 21:22:56 -0700, [email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:
>> >of re-enhappying[*] folks with busted bikes. Unless you make cheers, Tom [*] I know, I know.
>>
>> I looked up empuzzled at www.dictionary.com and it was exactly the word you made of it. I did not
>> find 'enhappying', but hey, we know what you mean.
>> --
>> Rick Onanian
>
> The most cromulent phrase for the act of getting someone on the road by fixing or giving them a
> bicycle is to embiggen them.
>

Ryan, lay off the thesaurus.

 

[David Kerber]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Philip Gerding <[email protected]> wrote:
> >Where would you suggest one go to learn basic, and perhaps more, skills for bike repair? There is
> >no decent local bike shop here. I dislike riding around all day without a clue in how to fix
> >things. Anyplace online? I live in Galveston Texas. thanks.
> >
> >
>
> http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/
>
> Start with the yellow box near the bottom.

That and a beater bike from a yard sale to practice on should give you all you need to learn before
working on your good bike.

--
Dave Kerber Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

 

[Roy Zipris]

Now that I think of it, I'm amazed and surprised that you didn't get all the hands-on training you
could possibly want on your cross-country trip! You must be beyond the simple flat/broken
chain/broken spoke stage! --Roy Zipris

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
Ryan Cousineau <[email protected]> writes:

> The bicycle embiggens them as it slims. I think I should name my next bicycle "Atkins".
>
> Current bike names: Pastiche, Kilauea Beckle, and I'm looking for a polite name for the blue
> Bianchi garage-sale bike.

If it's Alice blue, the answer is obvious: Diane. After the Shelley Long part on Cheers, and that
tired old Alice blue & white outfit she wore too much.

Otherwise, maybe something from the Rolling Stones' "Some Girls" album might be inspiring.

I call my current Norco "Ol' Pig Iron". The mixte is dubbed Gertrude (after the duck in the hoary
old movie, "Journey to the Centre of The Earth", w/ James Mason and wutz-her-name with the killer
bosooms). Pronounced "Gayr-trrwoood", in the best faux Icelandic accent I can muster. The bike
reminds me of Icelandic ponies, with that oddball "tolt" gait.

BTW, I just scored another fixer-upper. A 10-speed that's been spray-painted black all over. Yet
another old Apollo. QR aluminum 27-inchers, QR brakes, 5-bolt chainrings. Good foam tape on the
bars, but the saddle superstructure is peeling off the plastic armature, and the front brake cable
is snapped in two. Suicide levers, and an old aluminum rat-trap rack.

I'll fix 'er up, maybe keep the rack (especially if it has orig mounting hardware), swap in a
cottered 3-bolt crankset/BB I'm currently stuck with, keep the 5-bolter for my mixte, get rid of
the suicide levers but stick a kickstand on it, and park it with a "take me" sign on it, by the
nearest bus stop.

The next owner will get new cables & cotters, trued wheels, usable brake pads, and refreshed
bearings and drivetrain. I'll get the satisfaction of doing my part to undermine f*ggin' TransLink
(the local public transit authority) with whom I have certain issues.

cheers, Tom

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[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
Rick Onanian <[email protected]> writes:

> Because I found them on an internet site, I can assure you that they are 100% valid, approved,
> official english words. <G>

In order to qualify for that, they must be recognized by The One, True Lexicon (Cambridge)

cheers, Tom

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[point] bc [point] ca

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
Mike Latondresse <mikelat@no_spamshaw.ca> wrote:

> Ryan Cousineau <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
> > In article <[email protected]>, Rick Onanian <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 21:22:56 -0700, [email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:
> >> >of re-enhappying[*] folks with busted bikes. Unless you make cheers, Tom [*] I know, I know.
> >>
> >> I looked up empuzzled at www.dictionary.com and it was exactly the word you made of it. I did
> >> not find 'enhappying', but hey, we know what you mean.
> >> --
> >> Rick Onanian
> >
> > The most cromulent phrase for the act of getting someone on the road by fixing or giving them a
> > bicycle is to embiggen them.
> >
>
> Ryan, lay off the thesaurus.

Thesaurus? The source of these words was a cool medium, not a hot one.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:

> In article <[email protected]>, Ryan Cousineau
> <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > The most cromulent phrase for the act of getting someone on the road by fixing or giving them a
> > bicycle is to embiggen them.
>
> Unless they're packing a li'l extra poundage, and want to be debiggened (disembiggened?).

The bicycle embiggens them as it slims. I think I should name my next bicycle "Atkins".

Current bike names: Pastiche, Kilauea Beckle, and I'm looking for a polite name for the blue Bianchi
garage-sale bike.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>, Rick Onanian <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Wed, 08 Oct 2003 10:03:04 -0700, Ryan Cousineau <[email protected]> wrote:
> >The most cromulent phrase for the act of getting someone on the road by fixing or giving them a
> >bicycle is to embiggen them.
>
> I looked up cromulent at www.dictionary.com the other day (after you first posted it) and it was
> listed; today they want you to pay to see the definition. Embiggen was not listed there. Google
> found both of them at www.urbandictionary.com which knew something more about cromulent than the
> other site does; it knew that it is most commonly used with irony, suggesting the said common use
> is by users who learned it in a phrase on the Simpsons. I'm pretty sure I remember "embiggen" from
> the Simpsons too.

Yes. It's a Jebediah Springfield-centric episode:

Jebediah: [on film] A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man. Edna: Embiggens? I never heard that
word before I moved to Springfield
Ms.Hoover: I don't know why. It's a perfectly cromulent word.

> Because I found them on an internet site, I can assure you that they are 100% valid, approved,
> official english words. <G>

http://www.snpp.com/episodes/3F13.html

more discussion of embiggen and cromulent than anyone needs.

> When I went to send this message just now, my spell checker suggested "crapulent" for cromulent
> and "embitter" for embiggen.

What is this "spell checker" you speak of? In my experience, they just make the typos funnier.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

[Bernie]

Ryan Cousineau wrote:

> In article <[email protected]>,
> Mike Latondresse <mikelat@no_spamshaw.ca> wrote:
>
>>Ryan Cousineau <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>>
>>>In article <[email protected]>, Rick Onanian <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 21:22:56 -0700, [email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>of re-enhappying[*] folks with busted bikes. Unless you make cheers, Tom [*] I know, I know.
>>>>>
>>>>I looked up empuzzled at www.dictionary.com and it was exactly the word you made of it. I did
>>>>not find 'enhappying', but hey, we know what you mean.
>>>>--
>>>>Rick Onanian
>>>>
>>>The most cromulent phrase for the act of getting someone on the road by fixing or giving them a
>>>bicycle is to embiggen them.
>>>
>>Ryan, lay off the thesaurus.
>>
>
>Thesaurus? The source of these words was a cool medium, not a hot one.
>
The common understanding is that Thesauruses were cold blooded, therefore you would be correct.

 

[Rick Onanian]

On Wed, 08 Oct 2003 17:32:27 -0700, Ryan Cousineau <[email protected]> wrote:
>> When I went to send this message just now, my spell checker suggested "crapulent" for cromulent
>> and "embitter" for embiggen.
>
>What is this "spell checker" you speak of? In my experience, they just make the typos funnier.

<grammar nazi>"of which you speak?", not "you speak of?"</grammar
nazi>
--
Rick "...and through the woods, to grammar's house..." Onanian