From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V9 #377 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Friday, December 22 2000 Volume 09 : Number 377 Today's Subjects: ----------------- a couple of MacColl links which someone passed me [Eb ] Oh yeah...I meant to post this a couple of days ago [Eb ] Films [grutness@surf4nix.com] The bikes I used to ride ["Brian Hoare" ] Re: Bike Love [John Jenks ] Re: The bikes I used to ride [Viv Lyon ] Another Robyn Resource [dr john halewood ] trainspotting [Eb ] Re: trainspotting [steve ] Re: Films [Jeff Dwarf ] reap(s) ["jbranscombe@compuserve.com" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 15:16:28 -0700 From: Eb Subject: a couple of MacColl links which someone passed me http://www.bbc.co.uk/later/artists/s15/1/atthepiano_kirsty.shtml (Kirsty talking with Jools Holland on "Later"...both in text and Real Audio movie) http://search.bbc.co.uk/later/search.shtml?DB=later&P=Kirsty+Maccol (more links on the same site) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 21:43:10 +0000 (GMT) From: Michael Wolfe Subject: Bike Love Oh, Carole! I hate to sound self-absorbed, but it sounds like you are hell-bent on getting me to post! >Why do I ask this? I just scored a wonderful, wonderful bike >from Good[bad]will for $10, a 1963 Huffy Sportsman, with a >Sturmey Archer Hub, a 3 speed shifter on the right hand grip, >black and white with white paint on the edges of the fenders. >Oh, how happy I was to take advantage of Goodwill (who normally >charge $15 for crappy, rusty bikes) who didn't know what they >were selling. Half a dozen of my coworkers have ridden my bike >around the bookstore, going "wheee!" Now how cool is that? The heartiest of congratulations on your magnificent find. I know you've told me a couple of times about the bike that you loaned out and never saw again. It sounds like you found a wonderful replacement. Those Sturmey-Archer hubs are just the coolest dang things on the planet, aren't they? For those who don't know, instead of a cassette of gears that a little spring-arm moves the chain between, the Sturmey-Archer hub shifting system gives you 3 speeds of mechanical advantage from an *internally* geared hub system. They're smooth, and you can shift them at a stop if you forgot to downshift. Though they can give you trouble if you're shifting under a load (i.e., you're pushing the pedals hard). I can't wait to see it, Carole! The really nifty thing is that there is now an incredibly cool new version called the Rohloff Speed Hub. 14 speeds! And it's dang efficient, too. Plus, no load shifting issues, except between 7th and 8th gear. The only downsides are that they're a little heavier than a conventional drivetrain system, and they're quite expensive. >Tell me about your most favorite bike that you've ever owned. It >can be your "banana seat" bike from the seventies, or it could >be your 25-speed mountain bike that you currently own. Oh man. I have to pick just one? See, some people are car enthusiasts. They see the latest BMW roadster or a vintage mustang and they know all the specifications and they start reacting like Pavlov's dog in Notre Dame Cathedral at noon. That's me with bikes. Earlier this year, I realized that, unlike those auto hobbiests, however, the objects of my desire were largely within my financial reach. That is, unlike the car lover who would just die for a Dodge Viper but can only afford to drive a Camry, since I don't drive at all, I don't have to be stuck on 10 year old Univega bicycle. I actually can go out and get that (err... those) bike(s) that is/are at the very pinacle of cycledom. So, I guess, in descending order of induced pulse rate: "The Blue Streak" I sent a post to the list a couple months ago entitled "Our Lady of Eternal Combustion." Here is what came of that: http://www.bitmine.net/~mwolfe/taifun.html I write at great length on that site, so I won't repeat myself here, but let me just say that since I put up those pages, I've moved the bottom bracket boom out another inch and put clipless pedals on, which combined is probably good for another 3 mph, and a whole lot more ft-lbs of torque when I'm climbing. *Sigh*, winter. "Sherman" I also have a Gary Fisher X-Caliber, which is for a completely different kind of biking than The Blue Streak. There's a huge, beautiful park (named, imaginatively enough, Forest Park) just a couple blocks from where I work, and I spent this spring, summer, and fall taking Sherman through the woods on my lunch hour, swooping up and down the fire lanes. The big ol' air shock up front keeps me from rattling off the handlebars, and I love going fast, but the hydraulic disc brakes are fantastic for those instances where I need to change my mind in a hurry. http://www.fisherbikes.com/bikes00/xcaliber.html "Luna" So, with the Taifun for racing and the X-Caliber for off-road, I have a Vision R-32 for errands and going around town. I probably shouldn't have gotten it, but I got an incredible deal on it, and it's great fun. It's incredibly friendly-handling, it can hold an insane amount of cargo with it's underseat rack and 2 panniers, it's plush like a Buick, and it's surprisingly fast on the flats, with it's high bottom bracket for improved power transfer and good aerodynamics. It's got a Sachs 3x7 hub, which is like Carole's Sturmey-Archer, but with a conventional 7 speed cassette in addition to the internal gearing, for a total of 21 speeds. The coolest thing about this bike is that it's insanely adjustable, so it'll fit anyone from my height (I'm 6'5") down to like, 5'1", just by flipping two quick releases and maybe a couple of turns of an allen wrench. I can use it to spread the good word of recumbency. http://www.visionbikes.com/BikesR32.html Capuchin had his bike stolen recently, alas (a beautiful 1999 Specialized Globe Cruiser), so, having an embarassment of riches, I've loaned him the R-32 to use when he's in town. "Molly" So, my trusty old 1991 Univega Via Carisma is bound for retirement. I'm going to hand it over to the Community Cycling Center for a second life, but it certainly was a fantastic ride. I've easily put 10,000 miles on it (including several miles over (ahem) sub-optimal terrain), but I always found that with a little lube on the chain, some air in the tires, and a tweaking of the brakes, I could throw a leg over it and glide down the street and feel like there was a brand new bike under me. Molly's days are done, but this was the bike that taught me how much I love cycling, and that there was no excuse for being bored on a beautiful summer afternoon when I could go out and pedal 50 miles through the countryside. Incidentally, I'm moving to a bigger place (next week!), in part so that I have somewhere to put all my bikes. - -Michael ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 15:35:53 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Oh yeah...I meant to post this a couple of days ago http://www.cmj.com/articles/features.php You comic-strip fans might get a kick out of the "Smashing Peanuts" link.... Eb ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 22:47:59 -0500 From: lj lindhurst Subject: hey, want to see my Christmas present??? http://www.w-rabbit.com/dumbstuff/finches.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 19:14:09 +1300 From: grutness@surf4nix.com Subject: Films >year.> then do yourself a favour and see "Chicken run" - it's brilliant! If you don't know of it (and please Yod let there be a major US release!) it's basically "The great escape", but with chickens. And it's made by the people who brought us Wallace and Gromit. Oh, and it's brilliant (did I forget to say that?) James PS - It's brilliant! James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand. =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= -=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- You talk to me as if from a distance -.-=-.- And I reply with impressions chosen from another time =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-. (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 04:10:53 -0800 From: "Brian Hoare" Subject: The bikes I used to ride [demime could not interpret encoding binary - treating as plain text] The first bike that I can remember owning was an orange Raleigh Commando. It was horrible. This was in the days of the Chopper, Tomahawks and mighty Grifter. As we didnt do any serious off road riding the super heavy frame just meant that I had an unnecessarily heavy bike, this combined with the position of the saddle ensured that you had no hope of ever pulling a decent wheelie. The gear system was not a nice derailier(?) thing but was contained in the hub of the back wheel - all you could see was some linkage disapearing into the wheel, over time 2 of the three gears ceased to function. Ugly to see, ugly to ride. My next bike was a pretty basic 10 speed racer with a silver/grey paint job. This got me to river and back many times in my early teens. I kept it in good condition and When I was around sixteen I managed to sell it to raise the remainder (20 quid or so) of what I needed to buy my first electric guitar (A Westone Thunder 1 : cost 110 pounds) which is still with me 18 years later. I then spent a long number time in the company of guitars but not of bicycles. Last Christmas Sarah bought me an entry level bike, I can't give you the full spec but it's black, 18 gears (I use 6 of them), has a racer style frame but has fat tyres and is easily the best bike I've owned. Special mention must go to Sarah's bike. Its a simple 5 speed lady's racer that must have been 10 years old when she got it 6 years ago. It has a simple child seat on the back and has been used for moving small children up to the present day. This bike is in almost daily use as Sarah uses it to travel to and from work. She was told she had to have a car for work (local Journalist) but manages with the bike for most of her work related traveling, if she does need the car to get further afield she simply rides home and picks the car up from there. I felt guilty about getting a brand new bike for weekend use when she slogs away at her old one and offered to fund an "upgrade" but she insists that she wont change it until it falls apart. Brian - ------------------------------------------------------------ - --== Sent via Deja.com ==-- http://www.deja.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 08:58:10 -0500 (EST) From: John Jenks Subject: Re: Bike Love Mike Wolfe wrote: > I don't have to be stuck on 10 year old Univega bicycle. Hey, I resemble that remark! How uncanny.... johnj ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 09:44:42 -0800 (PST) From: Viv Lyon Subject: Re: The bikes I used to ride On Fri, 22 Dec 2000, Brian Hoare wrote: > I felt guilty about getting a brand new bike for weekend use when she > slogs away at her old one and offered to fund an "upgrade" but she > insists that she wont change it until it falls apart. > That's how I felt about my old bike, a tatty maroon Free Spirit Brittany, supposedly 10 speed but only two of them worked. I loved that bike, rode it to work and all around town in Chicago, where two speeds are thoroughly adequate. Alas, when I got her to Portland, I soon discovered that a 3-D landscape and a two speed bike don't mix. Plus, this thing was an ancient steel contraption and bless my soul but I could not for the life of me get it up on the bus bike racks. So I bought this little lady instead: She's got a Shimano Nexus internal 7-speed hub, drum brakes, and red leather handlebars, unlike the one pictured. She's bitchin' machine, and I think I love her almost as much (but in a different way) as Precious (the old bike). I just named her, by the way. Her name is Nessus, after the Pierson's Puppeteer in Ringworld. It was the "nexus" thing that suggested it, and now I realize it's perfect. Perfect! She's totally afraid of danger, and so am I!* Vivien * not really. well, a little bit. ps- perhaps soon I shall post my "Bike Shops of Portland" lyrics. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 19:43:40 -0000 From: dr john halewood Subject: Another Robyn Resource ahem, after finding a couple of Gb worth of free space on a machine that doesn't do a great deal, I've put a small but quite well formed collection of RH stuff onto the following site: stats.unidec.co.uk. Username is feggy, password TrainDream (or, if you prefer ftp://feggy:TrainDream@stats.unidec.co.uk). Feel free to peruse, browse, and (if you've got time/bandwidth/whatever) contribute. At the moment it's up 24x7, but if there's a significant impact on our connection (its only 2Mb;-) I might have to restrict it to outside (UK) office hours. cheers john ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 13:41:45 -0700 From: Eb Subject: trainspotting Memo to Steve, Gnatalie and other interested parties: I was watching "Gilmore Girls" last night (the only new show of the season besides "Ed" which attracts me at all), and during the final scene, the background music was XTC's "Thanks for Christmas"! Wow. :) Eb ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 16:13:55 -0600 From: steve Subject: Re: trainspotting Eb: >I was watching "Gilmore Girls" last night (the only new show of the season >besides "Ed" which attracts me at all), and during the final scene, the >background music was XTC's "Thanks for Christmas"! Wow. :) I don't watch, but EW said the first episode featured Sam Phillips, and Loud Family listers just pointed out that Big Star was also used last night. Obviously, there's someone with good taste picking the music. - - Steve __________ I'd sit down and meditate but my ass is on fire. - Bill Nelson ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 14:35:01 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: Films grutness@surf4nix.com wrote: > > >year.> > > then do yourself a favour and see "Chicken run" - it's brilliant! If > you don't know of it (and please Yod let there be a major US release!) > it's basically "The great escape", but with chickens. And it's made > by the people who brought us Wallace and Gromit. Oh, and it's > brilliant (did I forget to say that?) it was out here over the summer with pretty heavy promotion (including toys sold via burger king); did fairly well at the box office. the video/dvd are being marketed in time to be xmas presents, though i only got a car instead. ===== "The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing. Journalists, conscious of this, and having tradesman-like habits, supplies their demands." -- Oscar Wilde Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 19:21:32 -0500 From: "jbranscombe@compuserve.com" Subject: reap(s) Adrian Henri - Merseyside poet and painter. Saw Kirsty MacColl singing Hit Me With A Rhythm Stick with the Blockheads at the Ian Dury Memorial Gig earlier this year. Bit of a sickener that she didn't make it out of 2000 either... jmbc. Peace and love to everyone...Even Quail ;-) Now riding: My old Carlton 10-speed racer - currently with optional buckled back wheel - Praying for new panniers for Christmas... ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V9 #377 *******************************