pverdone 
I cruise various bicycle frame builder message boards and the frame builder’s Facebook page. I haven’t had any interest in posting there in a while but I did a lot in the past. The topics that get brought up are often topics that have been covered over and over so there isn’t much to offer in terms … Read more
Setting up brakes on bicycles can sometimes be an exercise in utter frustration. Several factors contribute to setup issues. People will reuse poorly worn pads, use bent rotors, over fill resoviors and just mismatch parts. One issue most overlooked is the geometry of the caliper mount. Some people do take the time to machine the … Read more
The time finally came (again) to have a big trail bike. This happens every now and then. The pendulum is always swinging. Sometimes you want to ride the 29er hardtail and sometimes the DH bike. Often, you want something in the middle…but what is that? After 14 months on the Anthem 27.5 (mod), I wanted … Read more
A while ago I posted about drilling holes in aluminum frames to add stealth routing for dropper seatposts where they didn’t exist. Folks were so concerned. How dare he? What gives him the right? Bike frames just can’t handle this!?!! Well, I’m at it again. Carbon! So fuck y’all. The recent acquisition of a cheap Chinese … Read more
I can’t remember what year it was. 2006 maybe? I had been building my own bike frames for a short time. A change was coming and something new was eking it’s way into the light. A tire size between 26″ and 29″. The 650b. Kirk Pacenti was pushing this new thing. Obviously, the wheel size … Read more
I haven’t put much focus on shooting rifle in a while. My wrist has healed enough so that I can ride mountain bikes properly again and after some truly tragic incidents, ammunition costs had skyrocketed. My preferred cartridge, 22LR had shot up from $0.06 to $0.40 per round (if it could even be found). It’s … Read more
I was lent this rifle by a friend. I wanted to take it apart and look at it’s guts first hand. It’s nice when others can lend you their toys. Something that people forget in the internet age is that reading about machines or watching on youtube is very different from actually working with them … Read more
I’ve recently been getting some parts together for a new rifle. This left me laying in bed the other night thinking (as I do) about length of pull and fine adjustability of collapsible butt-stocks for AR-15s. I won’t have the bulk of parts in front of me until this afternoon and I won’t have the action, barrel, … Read more
“Pictures came and broke your heart.” “Pictures came and broke your heart.” Isn’t that nice…and true. Looking at photos and video of ourselves riding can break our heart. The “sick whip” turns out to be a lame wiggle. The huge booter jump more of a hop. This combined with the difficulty of capturing just how … Read more
I needed to do something about my shop air situation. I have a nice air compressor out in the garage but I’m not in the mood to have it in my basement where I do 95% of my work. I’m a little starved for space and the big compressor gets in the way. This is about … Read more
I have two Camelbak Maximum Gear H.A.W.G. (1100/100 cu in, older version) bags. One of them is the bag that I use bike commuting and otherwise taking to work and back. The hydration bladder is removed and that pocket is used for magazines, netbooks, or paperwork. The other is my large mountain bike bag for … Read more
We all think we are so smart. We dream of a new bike and spend weeks getting the parts together or shopping competing models. We are convinced that we know just how the bike should be. We want to crush down every hill, win every climb, and outlast everyone on the ride. We ‘know’ the … Read more
I’m a fan of the WTB line of saddles. The company is local to me and they’ve been in the game since 1982. Legit. My current favorite is the Silverado. The long nose and thin line give me what I need on the trail. I can sit in comfort, hold fast, and slide forward on … Read more
Sometimes, you need to bring some heavy artillery with you out on a ride. A day out riding horrendous trail at high speed warrants this. There’s a new breed of big trail bikes this year and they are quite a bit different than the big bikes of the past. Bikes of old were heavy, pedaled … Read more
I just got a Nightrider Lumina Micro 250. It’s an amazing little light. The purpose of this little lamp is to use it head mounted for night riding. I have a Nightrider Pro 1800 Race for my handlebars. I just need a crawler and a scouter. The crawler is a very low powered light that … Read more
Nothing is a more fragile thing than the ego of the teenage boy. Sadly, in cycling, most men fall into the mode of that fragile little boy. These men tell stories that involve a huge amount of imagination. The goal, protect the ego. This is a photo of Joe Breeze. He’s not using his imagination. This … Read more
On Sunday, November 9th 2014, Herb Neumann died. It was cancer that took him down. He was one of the toughest guys there was but just one thing was tougher. I never met Herb in person. Over the years I learned a lot about him. He was a legend in the New Jersey/NYC area. He … Read more
This past Sunday was the Stafford Lake Wildcat CX race just outside of Novato in Marin County, California. The weather was simply amazing. Just slightly cool in the morning to almost warm in the afternoon. The skies were completely clear and rain from a few days before had left just the right amount of moisture … Read more
Cheap go fast shit. I love thinking about what we need versus what we want. The imagination often gets in our way. It will cost us money and slow us down. It keeps us slow. I see riders in my area all day long on bikes that are too big (travel) for them, too heavy, … Read more
At the last minute on Saturday, I joined the Meet Your Maker Tour ride and picnic set at China Camp State Park. The tour is a great series of bike events that put builders and potential customers together where the action is happening. Riding together, talking about bikes, connecting. Sean from Soulcraft Bikes is the ringleader for the … Read more
This morning I was shocked. The day started like any other. It’s Friday and I’m going to go over to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass after work. Everything according to plan… The computer is fired up after arriving at work. I sit down. I check mail. Huh? An email in my inbox from Jamie Medeiros at Firefly … Read more
Many people were shocked and saddened when they heard about the passing of Robin Williams. I was certainly one of them. To save a lot of useless and cluttered words, simply, Robin wasn’t one of the people who went out and changed the world; he changed the way we feel. I’m grateful for the gifts … Read more
Another round of the McLaren Short Track Challenge. I showed up prepared this year. The bike was perfect. My problem lately has been lack of energy. Still, I pushed as hard as I could with an average heartrate of 170. That’s pretty good as my breaking heartrate is 178. I gave it my all and came … Read more
This has been a particularly hard year for me at Northstar with regard to bike damage. Rear derailleurs in particular. Several of the lines on the trails have been the bane of their existence. I think I’ve gone through at least six derailures in 10 days on the mountain. Horrible stuff. I had started with … Read more
My day job puts me in the Physics & Astronomy Department at San Francisco State University. I’m primarily the department machinist and engineer. I teach a class sometimes which is nice, too. Pretty much, I help make sure our instruction and research folk are happy and have great tools. It’s a great gig. I have a machine … Read more
I’ve been working on this for a while. Nothing serious, just picking at it. Most of my skating these days are done around campus at work or on odd days in San Francisco or when I travel. I love skating so much. Even as I get older, nothing makes me smile quite like stepping on … Read more
Riding around the ranch yesterday I screwed up. I broke my heart. I was sucked into a game of Hunter/Killer. It’s the game I tend to play in races and hard rides. I wasn’t looking for that on this day but I found it. I seek my target, overtake/kill it, move to the next. One … Read more
Sometimes on the trail, when discussing with some folks on how to clean an uphill switchback or ride a section of trail fast, the old expression will come up that you need to “put in 100%”. It get’s said a lot. Still, I don’t think people really know what it means. Here’s an example from the Tamarancho … Read more
This last Saturday, I drove out to Sacramento from Fairfax and back over the course of five hours. Upon returning, I had a crashed up 2000 Honda Shadow A.C.E. (VT750CD2). $600 with a bill of sale for the ‘Junk’ titled vehicle plus a spare set of pipes in superbe condition, a set of saddle bags, … Read more