JayleneSlide

joined 2 years ago
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HASE BIKES PINO 2021 - das neue Pino in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 hours ago

I loved my Bilenky. But that's a bucket of its own issues. Cons:

  • Bilenky. The timeline on the build was originally stated at 3 months; it was delivered 14 months later. Fine, whatever. The stoker boom was welded ~1 degree off-center. That's the kind of thing nobody would notice. The person to whom I sold could barely notice it even after I pointed it out, but it stuck in my craw.
  • The price. My Viewpoint was $11,000USD in 2014. I sold it for $8000 and the buyer didn't even balk. They drove from Minnesota to Washington to buy it because price and timeline.
  • The midship rack. When I bought my Viewpoint, Haulin' Collin was the only person making the midship rack and center kickstand. He's a custom bike fab shop in Seattle. The price and timelines are what one would expect for custom. But his work is impeccable.
  • It's huge. But you don't buy any tandem if you live in a small apartment. You need a place to keep this. It was still slightly shorter than my diamond tandem though.

Pros:

  • Bilenky. The design of the Viewpoint is well-trod and tightly refined, having been pioneered in the Counterpoint Opus. Bilenky's version is dialed.
  • Their paint! OMG, their paint is easily one of the best I experienced.
  • Generic parts selection. Whatever you want, you can get it spec'd. Want to change something? No problem.
  • Independent stoker drivetrain. The stoker can select their own cadence. Unless one is an experienced tandem captain, one might not think this is a that big of a deal. Absolutely buy this option.
  • S&S Couplers. If you go with this option, the bike fits into two airline-standard cases. Although it took me two hours to pack it up. And it does limit your component selections a bit.
  • Generic recumbent seat. If your stoker wants different ergo, it's easily accommodated.
  • Generic two-legged kickstands work just fine for the bike, but you won't be sitting on the seat with one of those.
  • Rides great solo. This applies to all semi-recumbents. Riding a diamond tandem solo can be risky; the rear wheel wants to slide out in turns.

Another bit on the Hase Pino: if riding solo and without cargo on the front, the front wheel tends to wash out. No bueno. It's cornering capabilities are a scant fraction of the Viewpoint.

HASE BIKES PINO 2021 - das neue Pino in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 2 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (2 children)

I own a Hase Pino Tour (the "tour" part is important), and it's my daily commuter/cargo hauler. It's ... okay. For the money, I'd buy another Bilenky Viewpoint, and I had a lot of beefs with Bilenky and the whole process of dealing with them.

I'll spare you the stories of why I sold the Bilenky and later bought the Pino. But I have a lot of experience with both and bought both of them new/custom ordered.

In no particular order:

  • Custom bike, custom problems: Bilenky are handmade custom bikes and the Pino is a custom production bike. Both have all kinds of persnickety issues, some of which might chap your ass or not.
  • Almost everything on the Pino is proprietary: the linked steering adapter, the stoker chain tensioner, the stoker "freewheel" mechanism, the captain cockpit, the stoker seat, even the goddamned handlebars... And most of these components are obviously built to a price point, rather than a quality level. Want something different in your cranks and cockpit? Good fucking luck.
  • Hase Pino accessories are mostly overpriced garbage. I have the midship pannier rack and porteur bag. Installing either is a huge pain in the dick. The shop warned me that it would be a terrible experience and that they charge accordingly.
  • The porteur bag seems great at first. But then you realize the stoker seat is no longer available unless you completely remove the bag. And it has shit weather resistance.
  • The midship pannier rack is beyond stupid. It is supposed to be able to hold two Ortlieb front roller panniers per side. Well, only if you have tiny feet, are willing to bend your panniers, and don't need to get into those panniers. Like ever. It's such a pain to use the rack that I completely changed how my Pino is laid out. I'd rather use my Burley Travoy trailer.
  • The Spinner fork is garbage, but in Hase's defense, there is maybe one suspension fork in the size that doesn't completely suck. Still, for as many proprietary parts as are on this $12000 bike, I expect better.
  • The stoker seat is narrow, has poor adjustment range, and bad ergonomics. The seat angle is incorrect for every stoker I had. Reclining the stoker back angle interferes with steering. And it's just plain uncomfortable.
  • The wheelbase is much too short and the steerer tube location relative to the stoker COG is all wrong. And that's some voodoo, because the Viewpoint steerer is under the stoker's ass, whereas it's in front of the stoker on the Pino. This makes the Pino very twitchy, especially with a stoker that's looking around as the semi-recumbent design intended (!). And despite having too short of a wheelbase, the turning radius is enormous. My Viewpoint had something like 30% more wheelbase yet 50% less turning radius.
  • There is a lot of lash in the Pino linked steering. I keep futzing with it, but I can't get the last bit of lash out of it.
  • There are so ridiculous, stupid design issues. For example, bottle cage braze-ons? Ha! One set for the captain. On a loaded touring bike! And that's it for the bike. No place for a handlebar bag. No stoker water bottle braze-ons. Sure, this is all mitigable, but come on.

If the Pino were a $4000 bike and not designed by Germans, I'd cut it a lot more slack. But at the price they sell these things, I have a lot of caveats for anyone considering one.

Saw this on my drive but wasn't able to get a photo. Fortunately others did. in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The unequivocal hallmark of someone who slays the puss.

2006-08-13 in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

For graph charts, dependent data goes on the y-axis; independent data on the x-axis.

What music do you find so hypnotic? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

CBL is one of my all-time faves! Add in Sync24, which is Daniel Vadestrid, AKA ½ of the studio lineup of CBL.

Window art is his passion in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 days ago

"There was a moth. I saved you from it "

Tern Verge D9 or Link D8? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I have a few bikes with aluminum and CF forks. One of my main whips was all aluminum and I sold that bike at ~125,000 miles and had no worries about it going another 125,000. I did everything with that bike: loaded touring, mixed surfaces, commuting, rutted/rooty trails, hucking down stairs... With the much lower moment arm of the 406 and 451 wheels, I'd have absolutely zero fork concerns. FWIW, my mountain bike is full rigid with an aluminum fork, 29" wheels, 203mm front rotor (for which it's not designed), and I beat the snot out of that bike. Still going strong with all my crashes, abuse, air time, and generally misguided actions. Between the 29er wheel and the larger rotor, that's a looooong moment arm reefing on the fork in multiple axes.

And Terns are quite bulletproof, almost literally. I had an S27h that, among other indignities*, got caught by a loose tarp in a windstorm. Spokes broke, a pedal cracked, fenders ripped off, handlebars bent, rear rack snapped, and a huge ditch carved in the yard where it was thrashing. I repaired the damage and rode that bike another ~5000 miles. The frame and fork were just fine, just a few scratches. There weren't even any dents. I gave that bike to a friend a five years ago, and it's his daily driver to this day.

*It fell in the ocean a week after I bought it. Because I'm an idiot.

For folders, it really depends on your use case, budget, and fit. I'm also a huge fan of Bike Fridays, and owned four over the years: a Pocket Rocket (the 451 wheel speed demon), Speeding Tikit, and two NWT Silks. I think Tern is the better value proposition, but Fridays tend to have a better feeling ride. Bike Friday's motto used to be "As good as your best bike." And my Pocket Rocket absolutely went toe-to-toe with my Cannondale R2000. In some ways, the Friday was better because it was more comfortable and accelerated like a shot from a gun.

Bromptons are amazing, but just not my jam for a wide variety of reasons that probably only apply to me. :D

If you don't really need the folding, check out mini-velos, such as the Velo Orange Neutrino.

There are other niche brands, such as Birdy or Moulton, but I don't have direct experience with anything not listed above.

How the Billionaires Took Over America in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

It was always the plan from the beginning. "Scene on Radio" podcast, season 4, goes into great depth on the Founding Fathers' mindsets and motivations as evidenced by their own writing and speeches. They were trying to balance a semblance of democracy and egalitarianism with outright money-grubbing and keeping slaves "just" until their own wealth was secured.

Yes, Adams (John and Samuel) and Gerry were vocally anti-slavery. But all the other names we really know? All slaveholders.

Tern Verge D9 or Link D8? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (10 children)

These are kind of apples and oranges. The Tern Link line is more of a last-mile, multimodal commuter bike and are a "value" segment. The Verge line are more of a fast urban bike. For example, Tern used to make a drop bar Verge that had a very high level of components.

As @Diplomjodler mentioned, hard pass on v-brakes. There used to be amazing v-brakes brakes, but it's a technology that has been eclipsed by disc brakes. Now, v-brakes brakes on a new bike are the hallmark of cheapness. There are still good aftermarket v-brakes brakes out there, but it's going to be money better spent on better starting technology.

I've owned a bunch of Terns, and my partner works in a shop that sells Tern. The Verge bikes are mostly good to really great. The Link bikes are mostly okay to "OMFG, this was made by Tern?!"

What's your best tip or hack for camping? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

For the coffee drinkers: https://velo-orange.com/products/soto-helix-coffee-maker?keyword=coffee. We use these as daily drivers with a really good manual coffee grinder. Added bonus: our coffee can be about the same as we get at home.

he says he doesn’t know if we should date in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

There are so few absolutes in relationships. But this Mark Manson totally nails one of them: https://markmanson.net/fuck-yes.

That chitter sound cats make while watching their prey in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 week ago (2 children)

There were a couple books I read long ago, one of which I think was "Catwatching" by Desmond Morris. I can't recall the other one. Both books indicated the chittering was a frustration sound.

80
Refurbished Bike Day: 1983 Rodriguez Sport Tourer (lemmynsfw.com)
 

Last summer the LBS gave me this old Rodriguez that was part of a batch of bikes they got from an estate sale. I just "completed" it yesterday. Even in its neglected state, it felt soooo good. Also, since it was from the original era of Rodriguez, it merits all the love.

How I got it:

The original TA 50.4 BCD crank was ruined because it was over-torqued to the point of rubbing the frame. Not the biggest issue since 50.4 chainring selection has been problematic for decades.

I stripped it down, cleaned it thoroughly, touched up the paint dings, and put clear film on all the wear points. I'm not a fan of blue on bicycles, but this metal flake blue really grabs me.

The handcut lugs and brazed cable guides are also a pretty detail.

Upgrades:

  • VO fluted triple crankset, 165mm
  • VO 124mm cartridge bottom bracket (holy hell, this took me months to find; of course, now they're back in stock :D )
  • VO Enterprise wheelset, 27inch, 126mm rear OLD
  • Pasela Pro-Tite tires, 27x1 1/4 (meh)
  • VO first gen quill stem, 100mm, NOS
  • Nitto Noodle 177 bars, 46cm, NOS, traded some IT work with the LBS for these
  • Shimano BR400 brake levers, NOS (although I recently found out these are still in production!)
  • 14-30 custom, rebuildable freewheel traded from the LBS retrogrouch in exchange for homemade peppermint patties :D
  • VO clear braided stainless brake and shifter cables
  • Forager Cycles cable cherries (highly suggested farkle for all your bikes! They make cable adjustments much easier away from the workbench.)

What I kept:

  • Suntour Honor rear derailleur - not the prettiest, but a total workhorse and will last until the heat death of the universe
  • Huret front derailleur
  • Campagnolo Record downtube shifters
  • Suntour Superbe sidepull brakes
  • Specialized cartridge headset
  • SR Laprade seatpost (but it needs a polishing)

What I'm going to change:

  • 700C wheels - there's plenty of room on the brake arms to move the pads down; the switch to 700C will vastly improve my tire selection and give me room to add...
  • Full coverage fenders, probably VO smooth
  • Tubus Fly stainless racks, front and rear
  • That bar tape was not my best wrapping job and the tape itself doesn't impress me; probably gonna go with Lizard Skins DSP or Supacaz Super Sticky Kush

Part of the fun of these old bikes is the by-hook-or-by-crook refurbishing journey. The networking and human connection involved in bringing this bike to its rideable state... it absolutely took a village. I found fellow retrogrouches in my small city. I helped the LBS resolve a bunch of their computer network problems. Old components that were languishing in a box got a new life on a bike that will be ridden. Seeing this in the sun, feeling it on the pavement, all that frustration turns to joy.

Special callout to Classic Cycle in Bainbridge Island WA USA: (https://classiccycleus.com/museum/bikes/). They are a seriously cool museum bike shop. They have encyclopedic knowledge and a ridiculous NOS parts selection. For being such a tiny shop, it's absolutely worth the trip. Be sure to say hi to Tullio, the friendly chill shop kitty.

13
My Big Catch! (lemmynsfw.com)
 

My triumphant return to fishing after a 35 year hiatus is a resounding success! I think I'm ready to go pro. :D

382
YSK You don't need Teflon pans for nonstick (youtu.be)
 

No, this isn't a cast iron thing. Using stainless pans, you can get nonstick effects that, in my experience, far outperform Teflon anyway. The process is called "spot seasoning." I have cooked crispy, cheesy rice noodles with eggs with zero sticking.

I love my cast iron pans, but stainless is my daily go-to. Added bonus: use 100% copper wool to clean your stainless pan. The copper-coated wool at most grocery stores is problematic; you might get a few uses out of the coated garbage and then it starts shedding metal bits.

63
B&H Forces Users to View Financing Ad (lemmynsfw.com)
 

In order to add this to the cart, the user must first view their in-house financing advertising. Switching to desktop mode shows an "Add to Cart" button, but focus stealing scripts cause the page to skip around to the point where the page becomes useless.

156
Surprise Blizzard (lemmynsfw.com)
 

My commute was 25 miles each way, 1400 feet (426m) of ascent each way, with no transit option. Last winter, a surprise blizzard rolled in during the week. My ride home took me 2.5 hours, rather than my usual 1:40, but I managed to stay upright the whole ride despite riding on slicks. Fixies and foul weather, better together!

38
RefurbBD: 1986 Batavus Course (lemmynsfw.com)
 

TL;DR: this was my very first road bike, purchased new in 1986, and it came back to me twice.

I bought this new in 1986 after two problematic race seasons on an eighth-hand, hand-me-down Bianchi that fit me poorly. This was my first new bike ever. When I went away to college, I perma-loaned it to my best friend. When he went away to law school, he left it at his parents house, and his evil mother put it out at the curb as a freebie. @#%^&@%^@#$^% No, seriously, she was a horrible person and not just because of the bike.

Twenty years later, I set about trying to replace my lost first love. I had a bunch of alerts set on Craigslist. After about two years of patience, I got a notification for a Batavus Course in NYC; I lived in Portland OR. I contacted the seller, put down a deposit, and bought my plane ticket. I was doubly surprised to find that it was my same bike, same serial number. The bike was in need of some TLC with a lot of paint damage, but was otherwise straight and solid.

I stripped it down and sent it to get repainted with a triple-pearl white. I knew I was going to use Nokon cabling, so I had them color match the pinstriping to the new housing.

Other changes:

  • Velo Orange 165mm triple crank
  • Velo Orange Grand Cru mirror finish headset
  • Velo Orange Grand Cru brakes
  • Nitto Grand Randonneur 46cm handlebars

When I moved onto my sailboat in 2013, I sold the bike because I couldn't stand the idea of subjecting this bike to the salt air environment. The buyer fell in love immediately, and I was happy that my first love was going to a good home.

Cut to November 2024... the woman who bought the bike got in touch and asked if I wanted my bike back. ABSOLUTELY! It was again in rough shape and poorly maintained, but nothing that couldn't be fixed in an afternoon with a couple beers and some good music. I'm not letting it go this time.

My partner works in a bike shop, and I get to ride all of the top shelf bikes they have. None of them feel like this. I steadfastly believe that modern bikes do everything better, but something is missing. Taking the Batavus out for a sunny day fast ride, it's easy to understand how vintage sports cars are so popular. These old machines might not be the best at cornering, accelerating, and braking, but they just feel so connected and visceral. The Reynolds 501, definitely an entry level tubeset, is flexy, but in all the right places. It feels like love.

32
Wappingers Falls Train Station | Canon A2e | Sigma 135mm f1.8 | Ilford XP2 (lemmynsfw.com)
 

Original XP2 is a bit mushy on contrast. Printed on Ilford Multigrade RC Glossy with a 3 1/2 magenta filter to get that sharper contrast.

9
South Station Boston | Canon A2e | Sigma 50mm 1.2 | Fuji SuperG 400 pushed 2 stops (lemmynsfw.com)
 

Fuji SuperG 400 pushed 2 stops sends the saturation into ridiculous range. The overcast day with a lot of skyscraper glass gave the concrete a heavy blue cast. Printed on Fuji Maxima glossy.

48
Shakespeare Garden, Vassar College | Canon A2e | Sigma 50mm 1.2 | Fuji SuperG 400, pushed one stop (lemmynsfw.com)
 

Fuji SuperG 400 was my favorite film ever. Pushing it one or two stops sends the reds and greens off the charts into surreal territory with a creamy grain. Printed on Kodak Royal II paper.

57
Refurbished Bike Day (lemmynsfw.com)
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
6 comments fedilink
 

This Raleigh Raveino 4.0 is the first road bike my partner ever bought. She used this for everything: touring, triathlons, commuting, grocery getter, and joy rides. It was in desperate need of love and had been sitting neglected in favor of her mountain and gravel bikes. She was making some comments about just giving it away since we don't have space for things we don't use. We recently reached a place in our lives where road biking is back on the table. She wanted a new road bike, but nothing she test rode really spoke to her, regardless of budget. This bike has a lot of sentimental value for her, so I low-key encouraged her to hang onto it. I stealth-asked a bunch of questions about her component preferences with the intent of surprising her with a whole new modern group, but she still holds this bike as her platonic ideal of a general road bike for flogging. No major component changes, got it.

Sorry, I don't have a good pic of before the overhaul.

What was wrong:

  • Front brake track was worn way beyond the safe limit; I've never seen a rim that worn without blowing out
  • Chain was past 125% wear; fortunately the jockey wheels and chainrings were still okay
  • Seatpost was single bolt design and we couldn't dial the angle for all-day comfort
  • Cable sheaths were cracked and worn-through
  • Bar tape was worn through in places
  • Saddle was packed out, torn, and no longer comfortable
  • Bent derailleur hanger

What got changed:

  • Deep clean everything, ultrasonic parts wash for the brakes, derailleurs, and crankset
  • NOS cassette (holy hell, finding the exact match cassette involved some bike part archaeology)
  • New cables and housing
  • New Raceface zero setback seatpost
  • New Terry saddle
  • NOS Bontrager Aeolus Comp 5 bladed spoke rims
  • New cartridge pads
  • New Rubino Pro tires
  • New chain
  • Aluminum lock bar end plugs

Yeah, the pedals are gnarly, but she wanted the old pedals. And I'm waiting for a pack of Fastenal stainless M5 bolts to backfill the braze-ons on the stays.

Her first test ride was a climb up the biggest hill in town and was a resounding success. She's overjoyed!

84
YSK Your Rights Around Dealing with Funerals and the Death Industry (funerals.org)
submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
1 comments fedilink
 

Given the recent front page posts about Vanessa Guillen's funeral fuckery, you should know what your rights are surrounding disposition and treatment of the recently deceased. My late mother-in-law Lisa Carlson devoted much of her life and professional career advocating for consumer rights in the death industry.

The death industry is very slimy and relies on high pressure sales tactics when people are grieving. Don't let them. KYR!

1
Suggestions on Shimano Gear? (lemmy.world)
 

I am getting a killer discount on three Shimano rods and three reels. I will be targeting pelagic fishing for food while under sail, and some surf fishing. I'm targeting fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, trevally/jack, and whatever good-eating fish are in the open ocean and surf. So... three of those rods and reels to rule them all. We will have two downriggers on our sailboat, if that's a factor for selection. Thank you in advance for any insights and guidance you can provide!

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