It’s funny to post this now as I am currently engaged. Ha. Anyway…. Bicycle ‘mechanics’ are generally very inexperienced riders. They spends their days in workshops talking trash and theorizing about this and that. They wax their beards and go out for beers with their boyfriends after work. Late at night, they gaze into the blue … Read more
In August this year, I was lucky enough to take a break from work and meet up with my father (he came up from Florida) for a week in Washington, DC. I chose that spot as it was nice to not go to Southern Florida again to spend time with my dad but also to spend … Read more
(JT shown here on a Raleigh MTi1000) I’m excited to post this bike just as the Philadelphia Bike Expo takes place. Certainly, this is becoming the coolest event to attend in the US for the custom bike crowd. I thought that I’d be able to attend this year but that didn’t happen. I’ve just been too … Read more
The second year of the Rockville Enduro ran again. It’s a nice local race in a cool place to ride. Rockville isn’t a huge place but it does boast some really cool trails and some runs that push riders and bikes hard. I tend not to go to the big enduro races as they are usually … Read more
The repercussions of the SRAM 1x drivetrain system keep making changes in frame and component design. It’s even changing how we ride. For me, looking at building a few new narrow gauge dirt bikes, there is room opening up for larger tires and shorter stays. This is a good thing as long as the reduced … Read more
Ronen’s got a problem. We do a lot of very technical riding on some sick trails. Due to his height and fit, he’s been relegated to a 140mm seat dropper while I’ve been able to use a 170mm dropper (w/frame mod or custom bike). This has been a huge advantage for me. Adding to that … Read more
This is a bit of an update post. I posted a graphic online back in 2011. It showed the comparative leverage between a BB30/PF30 bottom bracket bearing configuration and a PF4186/T3568. It made it instantly obvious that geometrically, the PF4186/T3568 was 31% stronger than the larger, heavier BB30/PF30 configuration. The bearings had a superior working angle and … Read more
As I am in between DH bikes, I had to ride my big enduro rig at Northstar the other week. Obviously, I needed to bring a bash for the crazy rocks. It’s hard to find chainring protection for modern 1×11 drivetrains. In the hunt for lighter and lighter enduro bikes, some parts have lost meaning. Most … Read more
The cover came off of the battery for my Canon 7D Mark II. I figured I’d post some photos so others can see it’s guts. Canon LP-R6N: Panasonic Energy (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. YU12013-13012 DC 7.2 V (3.6 x 2) 1865 mAh (Li-ion) 14Wh 2014 11 Two Panasonic NCR18500A batteries marked Li-ion MH12210. Dimensions: 18.5mm (0.71″) Diameter … Read more
A couple of weeks back I went on a trip to Washington, DC. I took a ton of photos. I’ll make an attempt to put some up in the next few posts. This post is about the library. Thomas Jefferson’s library and what became the Library of Congress. This place is totally insane. From Gutenberg … Read more
I like tubeless tires like most folks. Fixing them however is a messy pain in the ass. When a tire get’s a puncture in it, it needs to be repaired. I get a little rough on my tires sometimes (VIDEO), so I have to repair tires a lot. My fancy Maxxis CrossMark 29×2.10 UST tire … Read more
A week or so ago, Doug Ballard posted a photo on PBMA‘s Facebook page of a cross bike with a dropper seat post installed on it. The bike had SRAM Force 22 HydroR controls. The bike was setup with a 1x drivetrain. The left shift lever was modified to actuate the dropper seat post, similar to … Read more
Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde SST Fox Alpha What happens when you forget what you thought you knew? Either you get broke or you break through. This is what’s been going on in my world lately — the latter. Breaking through. Supersonic! When I built RedFive I was pushing the limit of what I ‘knew’ would work on a bicycle. I … Read more
My feet have been hurting in my fancy bike shoes lately. I’m also trying to relax a bit with my riding and get my form back. The girlfriend is riding flats so maybe I should match. I’ve been playing with running flat pedals on trail for the first time ever. For jumps and flow and … Read more
I recently came across an interesting situation with pedals and I figured that this would be a good opportunity to look into some fun topics: blind bearing extraction, slide hammers, and strange bearing sizes. I have a set of Spank Spike pedals. I don’t use them regularly but will on flow trail or jump park days. They are … Read more
I pulled the Fox 34 Grip fork (Part Number: 910-20-400) apart on Windy’s PinkFive this weekend. She’s a lighter rider and isn’t super aggressive. Because of this, I wanted to lighten up the damping to open the fork up for her. She wasn’t getting a lot of travel out of the fork. I removed a … Read more
San Francisco is such a cultural wasteland these days. It used to be a pretty cool place, full of; fags, junkies, losers, anarchists, and a cavalcade of sex workers. Today, almost none of that is left. It’s now the New Church of the Noob. Tech bros that know code and almost nothing else ruling over … Read more
Last Saturday, RedFive died. “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on.”Shelly I had done a nice ride on Tam. I was playing with some final changes before locking in a geometry for Concorde (the next itteration). At one point on the ride, I stopped … Read more
It’s been a long long time since I built a bike frame for a girlfriend…. Obviously, Pink Five was the only name a girls bike could take following RedFive. You can see the whole Pink Five saga HERE. (or on Amazon HERE) Windy is an excellent rider. She’s strong. She can ride all day. The myth … Read more
Everything is changing so quickly in mountain biking. I can barely keep up with things. Even new models coming out of embargo are two generations old. Some companies get it but are held back by consumers. Other companies are just blind. It’s a lousy time to be cutting carbon molds. I’m in an exciting place … Read more
Let’s look at the buffer for my new AR-15. It’s key to understand the gas system of the rifle when talking about the buffer. The gas system of the AR-15 is dependent on several variables for proper function. A bullet is fired, powder is transformed rapidly from a solid to a gas. A massive pressure … Read more
Bent seat tubes on bicycle frames are nothing new. They have been used for years in both mountain and road bike design. The rear wheel often needs to be forward of what space would otherwise allow. The seat tube is adjusted to give tire clearance. In recent years, it’s become almost impossible to build a quality mountain bike … Read more
After the initial assembly of any new bicycle or motorcycle is complete, the shakedown starts. This is where ridingn starts and problems are realized, fit is adjusted, and tuning begins. On a new mountain bike, the first ride will include a pack filled with 2-3 stems, spacers, shock pump, tools and parts for a chainring swap, … Read more
The Incom T-65B X-Wing Starfighter in the Red Squadron of the Rebel Alliance. The call sign of this fighter in the Battle of Yavin, Red Five, became the ships name. This bird flies circles around Imperial TIE fighters and blows up Death Stars. Boom! I like to think about out running TIE Fighters and blowing up Death … Read more
I had intended to have raced both downhill and dual slalom at the Sea Otter Classic this year. That didn’t happen. Money and time. I’ve been making a push at building a few bikes that is eating up some resources. Whatever. I was able to get down to the event for a quick one day … Read more
I figured that I’d have a little fun with this since I, once again, worked out this system. I call it StepDown. It allows a frambuilder to design a rear dropout that is a little more compact than the existing IS would allow. Since most bikes and especially hardtails don’t need to ever run a … Read more
One of the most important tool in a mechanics toolbox is the hammer. Yes, the hammer. Such disrespect it’s seen in its time that it rarely get’s mentioned. Today, I am sharing three important hammers in my arsenal that make a real difference to me. Two of them have been on my bench almost every … Read more
Brian Tyson called me up yesterday just as I got home from work. I was a little haggard and just wanted to chill. “Pete!” He said. “Let’s do a night photo shoot! I have a shot I want.” I was not in the mood. I protested. “Another day?!” He eventually won me over. I was … Read more
