Love your article about bicycle family dreams Andrew. Many (most?) of my lifelong friendships have been made through biking. We all have kids now, and it's wonderful to see the love of biking carry on to the next generation. My son and my two friend's kids grew up riding the shore together. They all worked in bike shops as groms and 2 of them are now full time employees. My kid has gone on to other interests and doesn't ride much, but they are still good friends and ride together occasionally. So great to see the stoke continue!
MEAT Engines 2023...
Andrew - I'm a big fan of Birkensocks.
Posted by: skooks
Love your article about bicycle family dreams Andrew. Many (most?) of my lifelong friendships have been made through biking. We all have kids now, and it's wonderful to see the love of biking carry on to the next generation. My son and my two friend's kids grew up riding the shore together. They all worked in bike shops as groms and 2 of them are now full time employees. My kid has gone on to other interests and doesn't ride much, but they are still good friends and ride together occasionally. So great to see the stoke continue!
Cheers! We were out again yesterday and it was quite delightful listening to The Clairebarian talk about how quickly her little cousin is progressing (which is how I feel about her riding - perspective, right?).
Someone asked me last year what "my goal" was with Claire's sports, which at first seemed like a really weird question - "see that huge smile on her face as she chases the puck into the corner? That's everything." But then I realized that in our time everyone is a 'specializing' in something or more accurately, they're specializing their kids into something.
In Highschool, you can take a robotics program as a main focus while all the other general subjects are crammed into a few hours a day. Parents of eight-year-old girls are talking about hockey scholarships to US Universities, Team Canada, parents of eight-year-old boys scholarships, billeting somewhere as teenagers, the NHL. I was talking to a mom the other day who was told by a coach that her daughter - eight - is too old to start figure skating. F*CK OFF!
So I decided that my goal is that wherever Claire lands as an adult she can show up with a hockey bag in one hand and a mountain bike in the other and she'll meet some rad people right quick. It's the people as much as the trails - those I met a trail days, in the woods on a rainy day in November when no one else was around, and working in shops where a lot of the time friends & customer are blended in a way that doesn't happen in most retail businesses - that pulled me to the North Shore.
Anyway, sorry for the semi-ranty reply but I promise it comes from a positive place of being fully stoked with life right now.
Posted by: fartymarty
Andrew - I'm a big fan of Birkensocks.
HAHAHAHA. Claire gives me a brutal time if I wear the combo out of the house and I'd never get away with it at the shop now, but there was a time when 12-months of the year that's all I wore when I wasn't riding. Even used to keep extra pairs of socks in my truck and my pack.
Posted by: AndrewMajor
Posted by: fartymarty
Andrew - I'm a big fan of Birkensocks.
HAHAHAHA. Claire gives me a brutal time if I wear the combo out of the house and I'd never get away with it at the shop now, but there was a time when 12-months of the year that's all I wore when I wasn't riding. Even used to keep extra pairs of socks in my truck and my pack.
I'm not brave enough (or English enough https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about-us/search-news/english-heritage-launches-first-national-socks-and-sandals-day-as-controversial-fashion-trend-gains-a-new-following/) to wear socks and sandles outside the house. Crocs n' socks - well that's a different story - I've even cut the lawns in them.
That's the best part about being a dad is cringing out your kids.
My broken toe lured me away from Crocs as my main day to day wear over to the darkside of Birks. Given our climate that means Birk n' Socks more than half the year. I just wish Birks were waterproof. I end up being forced back into Crocs a fair bit due to their ability to laugh off submersion and extended periods of wetness.
Posted by: AndrewMajor
Posted by: skooks
Love your article about bicycle family dreams Andrew. Many (most?) of my lifelong friendships have been made through biking. We all have kids now, and it's wonderful to see the love of biking carry on to the next generation. My son and my two friend's kids grew up riding the shore together. They all worked in bike shops as groms and 2 of them are now full time employees. My kid has gone on to other interests and doesn't ride much, but they are still good friends and ride together occasionally. So great to see the stoke continue!
Cheers! We were out again yesterday and it was quite delightful listening to The Clairebarian talk about how quickly her little cousin is progressing (which is how I feel about her riding - perspective, right?).
Someone asked me last year what "my goal" was with Claire's sports, which at first seemed like a really weird question - "see that huge smile on her face as she chases the puck into the corner? That's everything." But then I realized that in our time everyone is a 'specializing' in something or more accurately, they're specializing their kids into something.
In Highschool, you can take a robotics program as a main focus while all the other general subjects are crammed into a few hours a day. Parents of eight-year-old girls are talking about hockey scholarships to US Universities, Team Canada, parents of eight-year-old boys scholarships, billeting somewhere as teenagers, the NHL. I was talking to a mom the other day who was told by a coach that her daughter - eight - is too old to start figure skating. F*CK OFF!
So I decided that my goal is that wherever Claire lands as an adult she can show up with a hockey bag in one hand and a mountain bike in the other and she'll meet some rad people right quick. It's the people as much as the trails - those I met a trail days, in the woods on a rainy day in November when no one else was around, and working in shops where a lot of the time friends & customer are blended in a way that doesn't happen in most retail businesses - that pulled me to the North Shore.
Anyway, sorry for the semi-ranty reply but I promise it comes from a positive place of being fully stoked with life right now.
Absolutely agree Andrew. My kid found his own passion (music) and is excelling at it. I couldn't be happier for him even though I have no musical talent whatsoever.
A Toolbox Autobiography
I also have never owned a small diameter Shimano BB tool, plastic adapter, Amazon universal tool, etc. I did enjoy the nostalgic trip back to 2015 as I figured out why. The short version is the M8000/M9000 cranks also “innovated” a 96mm pcd chainring which was a L/XL sized nope.
If Apple can change the iPhone charger every 8 years I can’t really fault Shimano for switching up BB tools after 14. It was easily avoidable with Race Face, Enduro and others making serviceable BBs that fit the old tool. They bricked their brakes (perhaps in a worse way) when they went to 4-digits, too. At least they had the decency to put out such a flawed lineup when there were a plethora of other good options available!
Last edited by: Blofeld on April 25, 2023, 7:31 a.m., edited 1 time in total.
I think of my garage as well equipped to work on bikes and then a friend comes over to work on their bike and I realize I have what I need to work on my own bikes, but I swim in a fairly small pool of parts variety so I come up short.
Andrew, what method are you using to split a lower headset race?
That practice hadn't occurred to me before. I would guess pull the seal off (if equipped), use a Dremel cut off disc, reinstall seal, done ...
Posted by: mrbrett
Andrew, what method are you using to split a lower headset race?
That practice hadn't occurred to me before. I would guess pull the seal off (if equipped), use a Dremel cut off disc, reinstall seal, done ...
Mine all seem to be split - Hope, Superstar, Works.
Posted by: mrbrett
Andrew, what method are you using to split a lower headset race?
That practice hadn't occurred to me before. I would guess pull the seal off (if equipped), use a Dremel cut off disc, reinstall seal, done ...
Most the seals don’t come off (otherwise yes).
I carefully use a hacksaw (forward cut, lift, forward cut) but have used a Dremel cutting wheel before with the same results.
Thanks for the info guys. I am always happy to look in a headset box and see a split race. Generally I am the first one to get a drill or sawzall or grinder out when dealing with bike parts that are almost working how I want - so it's a surprise that I didn't connect the dots.
Last edited by: mrbrett on April 25, 2023, 8:10 a.m., edited 1 time in total.
Posted by: skooks
Posted by: AndrewMajor
Posted by: skooks
Love your article about bicycle family dreams Andrew. Many (most?) of my lifelong friendships have been made through biking. We all have kids now, and it's wonderful to see the love of biking carry on to the next generation. My son and my two friend's kids grew up riding the shore together. They all worked in bike shops as groms and 2 of them are now full time employees. My kid has gone on to other interests and doesn't ride much, but they are still good friends and ride together occasionally. So great to see the stoke continue!
Cheers! We were out again yesterday and it was quite delightful listening to The Clairebarian talk about how quickly her little cousin is progressing (which is how I feel about her riding - perspective, right?).
Someone asked me last year what "my goal" was with Claire's sports, which at first seemed like a really weird question - "see that huge smile on her face as she chases the puck into the corner? That's everything." But then I realized that in our time everyone is a 'specializing' in something or more accurately, they're specializing their kids into something.
In Highschool, you can take a robotics program as a main focus while all the other general subjects are crammed into a few hours a day. Parents of eight-year-old girls are talking about hockey scholarships to US Universities, Team Canada, parents of eight-year-old boys scholarships, billeting somewhere as teenagers, the NHL. I was talking to a mom the other day who was told by a coach that her daughter - eight - is too old to start figure skating. F*CK OFF!
So I decided that my goal is that wherever Claire lands as an adult she can show up with a hockey bag in one hand and a mountain bike in the other and she'll meet some rad people right quick. It's the people as much as the trails - those I met a trail days, in the woods on a rainy day in November when no one else was around, and working in shops where a lot of the time friends & customer are blended in a way that doesn't happen in most retail businesses - that pulled me to the North Shore.
Anyway, sorry for the semi-ranty reply but I promise it comes from a positive place of being fully stoked with life right now.
Absolutely agree Andrew. My kid found his own passion (music) and is excelling at it. I couldn't be happier for him even though I have no musical talent whatsoever.
Can’t stand this parental mindset about specialization in kids under 19. All the kids should be doing till their 19 is doing a bunch of activities as well as whichever sport the kids have chosen they like. All about letting the body grow and the kids getting comfortable in their bodies and how it moves till it stops at 19. 19 is the basic rule. It also prevents burnout and severe injury. The numbers of kids leaving sports before their 19 due to this specificity mindset adults have is unbelievable. My wife has to deal with this endlessly with kids she coaches who are still in high school.
For the last three days my daughter has been competing with her club team at the OVA Ontario VBall Championships. All have told her every day is go and do her best, leave knowing she did the best she could, and have fun as much as possible. As I told her numerous times in the past am not worried if she and her team won or not, what matters is you went out and put in your best effort. That is all I ask of her.
Like my wife I appreciate and admire the athlete who works hard. Who shows up and works hard and leaves having done the best they can.
Posted by: Vikb
My broken toe lured me away from Crocs as my main day to day wear over to the darkside of Birks. Given our climate that means Birk n' Socks more than half the year. I just wish Birks were waterproof. I end up being forced back into Crocs a fair bit due to their ability to laugh off submersion and extended periods of wetness.
Hmm.. not Birks but think there is a sandal type thing that is able to laugh off the submersion problem you speak of.
Last edited by: Endurimil on April 25, 2023, 10:08 a.m., edited 1 time in total.
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