MEATengines 2022...

Putting on a manufacturing hat, less fasteners, less material, fewer part numbers all add up to less production cost. 

Threaded BB - 1 minute cycle time to install.   Press fit with a fixture and a press? 15 seconds tops. 

Brake calliper brackets - two additional screws, 10 seconds cycle time each, one bracket with two holes and two threads to machine.  Post - no bracket, no extra screws.  

When the CFO wants cost reductions, do they care if customer Hamfist has to buy a new lower for stripping his brake mount screw?   Or does that add to the aftermarket sales?

Posted by: mrbrett

Meats (that's what the people here are called, right?!?), I wish to purchase a new rear hub. DT Swiss this time.

"New" 350 vs. New 240

Does anybody have any wisdom to share? I am thinking 240 to get the newest latest and greatest version of Ratchet but maybe that's flawed thinking with the early release issues. Seems good now though? Stick with the tried and true and slightly less expensive 350? Would prefer max reliability over an improvement in engagement.

I can't imagine you'll go wrong either way. I've not had any experience with the 240, but my nearing decade old 350 still runs as good as it ever did with the few and far between service I have done. The engagement is poor, though, so if that matters try not to ride anyone elses bike for fear that you might notice this!

Posted by: silverbansheebike

Posted by: mrbrett

Meats (that's what the people here are called, right?!?), I wish to purchase a new rear hub. DT Swiss this time.

"New" 350 vs. New 240

Does anybody have any wisdom to share? I am thinking 240 to get the newest latest and greatest version of Ratchet but maybe that's flawed thinking with the early release issues. Seems good now though? Stick with the tried and true and slightly less expensive 350? Would prefer max reliability over an improvement in engagement.

I can't imagine you'll go wrong either way. I've not had any experience with the 240, but my nearing decade old 350 still runs as good as it ever did with the few and far between service I have done. The engagement is poor, though, so if that matters try not to ride anyone elses bike for fear that you might notice this!

I went 350, after looking deep into my soul and getting some good info from someone else. Agree, neither is a bad choice. Thanks for the input.

Living in Small Spaces - a guy I know does these : https://hidealoo.com/how-to-hide-a-toilet-in-a-small-space/. We both used to work with an Architect who was a master of small spaces. He sadly passed away far too early from a heart attack. While I'm going off in a tangent this is the house he built https://youtu.be/N7qeTIZkBzA

IMO there's nothing better than a tiny space that works perfectly with no wasted space.

"Living And Working In Tight Spaces" - this definitely applies to us. Just the two of us but we've been living together in small 1 bedroom apartments for 13 years now. I've been working from home for most of that time too. I'm a bit of a minimalist and I like how it forces us to optimize everything. No space gets unused and there is no stuff that never gets used - everything has a purpose, there is very little waste. Yes, it can sometimes be cramped with our foldable kayaks unfolded to dry after a trip, bike clothes hanging everywhere to air them out, or a bike in the stand being worked on in the living room. But it's always temporary and for a purpose.

Most friends and family who moved up to bigger homes just filled the extra space with more stuff. Walking around our new neighbourhood and peaking into all those two car garages with the doors open on a sunny weekend, I'm just flabbergasted with all the stuff I see in there. Not to mention the driveway filled with cars, trucks, RVs, trailers.

What I also like about living small is that it makes us use and appreciate public/community spaces a lot. Parks, spaces like The Shipyards, community gardens, public library, etc.

My most "efficient" living space was a large closet at work. The owner made the mistake of putting a kid's bed in there temporarily as he was renovating his house. I came back from a winter in the Baja and would have normally done some apartment hunting and rented a place. Somehow I just moved into the closet for most of a year and used that bed. Super fast commute and free rent! Not great for bringing ladies home and no windows, but you can't have everything. Eventually he gave me the hint that I needed to live elsewhere, but it was pretty nice while it lasted. He lived on the same property as the office so he'd often come to work at 8-9pm and brainstorm with me or get me started on some project he was keen on. I figured that was a reasonable trade off for living at the office.

That's an interesting living arrangement, Vik. Not sure I'd want to mix work and private life that much. I once lived in an employer-provided 2br apartment next to the office where I worked in California. The deal was I could live there full time but whenever any other employee came to visit, they'd use the second bedroom. In ~15 months I had a wide range of coworkers become my temporary roommates for up to a week or so. Let's say there were some good experiences and some less good.

In terms of efficiency, I did a single Ikea run with my boss to decorate the apartment with the bare minimum, otherwise I was living out of two duffel bags. Oh and I had my MTB of course.

We are straying a little off topic maybe but I think my love for simple bicycles comes from the same mindset biased towards simplicity/efficiency/minimalism.

Posted by: [email protected]

Most friends and family who moved up to bigger homes just filled the extra space with more stuff. 

That's truth there.

"my love for simple bicycles comes from the same mindset biased towards simplicity/efficiency/minimalism."

Ditto - hence my "simple" Starling and utilitarian Surly.  

Simplicity in design is harder to achieve than something that is overly complicated - it may not be as efficient but that depends on the parameters by which you judge efficiency.

SS rigid for example - not as efficient on the trails but less maintenence / cost therefore more time spent riding rather than wrenching and a lot more coin in the pocket.

Posted by: [email protected]

"Living And Working In Tight Spaces" - this definitely applies to us. Just the two of us but we've been living together in small 1 bedroom apartments for 13 years now. I've been working from home for most of that time too. I'm a bit of a minimalist and I like how it forces us to optimize everything. No space gets unused and there is no stuff that never gets used - everything has a purpose, there is very little waste. Yes, it can sometimes be cramped with our foldable kayaks unfolded to dry after a trip, bike clothes hanging everywhere to air them out, or a bike in the stand being worked on in the living room. But it's always temporary and for a purpose.

Most friends and family who moved up to bigger homes just filled the extra space with more stuff. Walking around our new neighbourhood and peaking into all those two car garages with the doors open on a sunny weekend, I'm just flabbergasted with all the stuff I see in there. Not to mention the driveway filled with cars, trucks, RVs, trailers.

What I also like about living small is that it makes us use and appreciate public/community spaces a lot. Parks, spaces like The Shipyards, community gardens, public library, etc.

My wife and I have been working a lot at this. Although not to the same level, we've been managing our needs for two adults and a dog (MANY bikes, 2 cars and car stuff, tools, crafts etc) with 900 square feet. We're starting to look at houses/properties to by outside of the Lower Mainland now, and we're actually hoping to find something around the same size, just with some shed storage. I'd be perfectly happy to find a nice decent sized lot and just stick a prefab 2 bdrm home with a deck on it.

Posted by: [email protected]

We are straying a little off topic maybe but I think my love for simple bicycles comes from the same mindset biased towards simplicity/efficiency/minimalism.

Simple is better and in terms of mtb...simple is way easier to repair and keep running.

Peeing in the forest is near and dear to my heart. I blame my love of several cups of hot tea to start the day and early ride times to avoid crowds.  Murphy's Law always ensures that even though I only see 1 person on a 3hr ride it's going to happen as soon as I start peeing on, what I think, is a remote trail. I just turn my back on the rider in question and hope they understand the call of nature is too strong to avoid. It's also why I prefer MTB pants/shorts with zippered flys and belt loops vs. some of the other sporty designs that require you to pull the waist down to pee.

Now you know why I have so many photos of my bike leaning against a tree in the forest. ;-)

Trying to find a suitably large tree for cover, in Whitehorse, on a massive group ride made up mostly of folks I didn’t know, to the tune of “we can stiiiiiiill seeeeee you” was an experience. 

I mean, just trying to be polite like my mom taught me hiking as a tyke. She just skipped the lesson about how to manage a lack of proper tree cover.

I think, given the lack of cover, if your back is turned and you are far enough away they can't hear you pee you have achieved "polite" distance. I don't feel like natural human biology is offensive in and off itself so all you have to do is take enough action to show you are being considerate in the circumstance.