Bill. your compulsive disposition could probably be treated with the right medication, but I think you have it worked out perfectly. You've assembled a stable of impressively curated bikes and you are clearly dedicated to enjoying them --- my hat's off to that!
Steve in AVL On Monday, April 14, 2025 at 8:02:42 PM UTC-4 SallyG wrote: > Bill, > Excited to see that someone else is trying the Jitensha bar! I'm changing > over from a drop bar (for a mixte) and bought a black one a couple weeks > ago. My mixte may be a Cessna, but bar is first step to rocket launch, > right? (Actually, I am just looking for glamour...). > > On Mon, Apr 14, 2025 at 11:52 AM Richard Rose <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Fascinating. Too complex of a formula for me to comprehend let alone >> follow. The “rocket” comment really got my attention though. So much so >> that I looked at the cost (very reasonable) to have a Charlie shipped from >> Blue Lug. But thankfully I know exactly how to keep the N+1 feelings at bay >> - I go for a ride. This always happens to me. If I am in a riding rut, for >> whatever reason, I ponder other bikes. A good ride always sets me straight. >> It’s not another bike I need, it’s more rides! That said, the idea of a >> rocket bike, especially such a pretty one will continue to hold my interest >> during my “down times”. >> Richard - who just finished a nice 25+ mile ride on the lovely Clem. >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On Apr 14, 2025, at 10:20 AM, Bill Lindsay <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> "How do you have the willpower to keep rotating bikes? If I have a >> rocket, I’m riding that one." >> >> The answer is I'm not sure how I have the willpower; I just do. Grant >> once told me: "It must be hard being you". I guess I think about it the >> way a "clothes horse" thinks about a new outfit. No matter how cute that >> new outfit is, I'm not wearing it every day. I still pick my spots for >> when to wear it, and I'm definitely not forgetting about my other cute >> outfits, nor will I resist buying the next cute outfit. >> >> I'm definitely a compulsive. For a minute there I had four new builds >> that were off-limits to ride. At the moment there are still three I can't >> ride. What I've got is a mileage pyramid. One bike is assigned to the 100 >> mile level of the pyramid, another assigned to 200 miles and so on. Twenty >> bikes cover 100 miles up to 2000 miles cumulatively on Strava. Above 2000 >> miles the steps are 200 miles each and there are two bikes up there: one >> assigned to 2200 miles and the current top of the pyramid is at 2400 >> miles. That's 22 bikes. I spread the use to get each bike to its assigned >> level, and I'm allowed some margin over that assigned level, but I won't >> bleed over to the next level up. That's a no-no. I'm very close to having >> all those slots filled: My Black Mountain Model Zero needs 48 miles, and my >> Crust Lightning Bolt Single Speed needs 45 miles. At that point, I add the >> 2600 mile level to the top of the pyramid and have a wide open stable to >> ride whatever I like. >> >> The four other builds (22+4=26 bikes) waiting to be used included my >> Gallop. I have it at the 0 mile level, which means I can ride it, but not >> over 100 miles because then it would get up into the next level which is >> already occupied. There are three more bikes assigned to the -100, -200 >> and -300 levels, which are imaginary, so I can't ride them at all. When I >> get to ratchet up the framework, then one more bike will be unlocked. The >> other way to earn the privilege of riding another bike is to sell a bike >> and make a new vacancy in the pyramid. >> >> Unlocking the stable is really close, but I'm stalled getting those last >> two bikes over the finish line: The ModelZero has a new drive train set up >> in the works, and I'm missing a critical part for another week or two. >> It's in the work stand disassembled. The Crust is stationed at my office >> in San Jose, and I don't get out there more than once a week, and when I do >> get to the office it's usually for full-days of meetings and such that make >> it hard to get out. I can still ride, because I can carefully use up that >> surplus that each bike carries. That surplus is over 2100 miles, so I can >> ride plenty and I can ride pretty much any of my bikes. The Gallop carries >> 88 miles of surplus. I can even do my next 200k brevet using up surplus >> miles: My Ebisu is assigned to 2200 miles, and it's at 2215 miles, so it is >> carrying 185 miles of surplus. I can use it for my May 200k, and still >> have 60 miles of surplus left over. >> >> Don't blame me! I don't make up the rules! (said the person who >> literally made up the rules) >> >> Bill Lindsay >> El Cerrito, CA >> >> On Monday, April 14, 2025 at 2:30:15 AM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! >> wrote: >> >>> A rocket! Pretty exciting! How do you have the willpower to keep >>> rotating bikes? If I have a rocket, I’m riding that one. I don’t know if my >>> Charlie is a rocket; it doesn’t have those tires and certainly weighs more >>> than yours. I was hoping to ride him tonight in the club ride but they’re >>> predicting 37 mph winds. I don’t think that will be fun and it might not >>> even be safe, so we’ll see… >>> >>> L >>> >>> On Apr 13, 2025, at 8:59 PM, Bill Lindsay <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> I hinted that my Charlie Gallop might make its appearance in my >>> rotation this weekend, and it has. I did not ride it up Mount Diablo, but >>> I did ride it down into Berkeley and back. It is most definitely a >>> rocket. Blazing fast down the hill on 700x38 Barlow Pass Extralight tires, >>> and blazing fast up the hills in part because it's so darn light. It'll >>> take a little getting used to the handling with a Jitensha bar, but the fit >>> felt super natural. >>> >>> >>> I also hinted at a tweak or two, and one of those conceptual tweaks did >>> happen. It turned out I needed a lightish 110BCD crank for a project, so I >>> stole the Silver 3 crank off the Gallop for that application, and put on a >>> White Industries VBC crank with a single 36T narrow-wide ring. That's a >>> perfect match for the White Industries Titanium BB that was already on >>> there, and it dropped ~15g. I don't have new photos yet. >>> >>> Bill Lindsay >>> El Cerrito, CA >>> >>> On Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 5:39:41 AM UTC-7 Bill Lindsay wrote: >>> >>>> I've probably disappointed some people because I spent a ton of time >>>> talking about my Gallop build and have spent zero time talking about my >>>> Charlie Gallop gallops. That's because I haven't ridden it yet. It's not >>>> laziness or neglect or a lack of wanting to ride it. It's my weird >>>> self-discipline. I have a mileage framework with rules I entirely made up >>>> for myself, and the consequence is that I won't ride the Gallop until I >>>> can >>>> insert it into the framework, and I can't insert it into the framework >>>> until I make a spot for it, and the way I make a spot is by riding each of >>>> my other bikes to its assigned mileage level. The punch-line is that I'm >>>> just a few days away from having a spot for Charlie in my riding framework >>>> and then stuff can begin. One of the first things I'll do is gallop the >>>> Gallop up Mount Diablo, perhaps as soon as next weekend. >>>> >>>> Meanwhile, independent from riding, there are always projects parading >>>> through my brain, and some of those thoughts end up happening in my work >>>> stand, and there is a real non-zero chance that Charlie is going to get a >>>> couple more unconventional tweaks. >>>> >>>> For those who missed the build, here's the album: >>>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/45758191@N04/albums/72177720322843646/ >>>> >>>> Bill Lindsay >>>> El Cerrito, Ca >>>> >>>> On Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 4:17:52 AM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hi Kat! I would have chosen the Roadini if the Charlie didn’t exist. >>>>> The Charlie is, in size 53, lighter in tubing. And I love a dropped tube. >>>>> Also the graphics and head badge and horses running along the chain stay >>>>> are just YUMMY. And who doesn’t love that gold color? >>>>> >>>>> The above all made it the winner. >>>>> >>>>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >>> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/0NEP_PxVtP8/unsubscribe >>> . >>> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >>> [email protected]. >>> >>> To view this discussion visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1b7b4cd9-21e8-4195-b75a-86dafdc91b5cn%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1b7b4cd9-21e8-4195-b75a-86dafdc91b5cn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >>> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9dcda03f-2a03-4aa2-a511-44180e348003n%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9dcda03f-2a03-4aa2-a511-44180e348003n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> > To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/333CA980-3EFD-4CD1-BA54-6D643F3A9BB0%40gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/333CA980-3EFD-4CD1-BA54-6D643F3A9BB0%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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