Peter Vieira
Wow, you're reading this? Thanks! If you're into RC cars and I seem vaguely familiar, it's because I spent over 25 years writing and editing RC car news, reviews, and tech articles in print and online. What else, what else ... I have a degree in Film Studies (useless), most of a degree in Graphic Design (useful), and I'm married to a wonderful woman with horrible taste in men. Thanks to her, we have a terrific daughter who just earned her Journalism degree and is way, waaay more together that I was at her age. Or right now.
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Mercedes… you got a great deal on the David Clarks! I’ve always loved that green. The Bose headsets are more comfortable on my ears and their noise-cancelling is pretty remarkable. David Clarks are what we had in my TV news chopper days, but I have done some aerial tours with the Bose ones and maybe someday you can upgrade to those.
I’m sure today’s DC headsets have gotten better to stay competitive. But they were pretty pricy back when I was flying. And they start hurting after a couple of hours. Not that the Bose ones are cheap.
I’m all for more Biketopian. Switching from a 25mm tire to a 38mm tire will drastically transform that bike.
And I laughed at the Tiagra comment, though I’ve put way too many miles on
Tiagra stuff to disagree with you. It’s good enough for normal (non-snob) folks.
“I really need to hunker down and spend a weekend messing around with the car’s ignition system until I figure out where the break is.”
Let me know if you need a dwell tach to set the points up Mercedes. I have my dad’s old unit from his years as a mechanic in the 70’s.
He claims he was THE guy in the area for tuning a quadrajet carb back in the day. I cannot verify that claim, but given his meticulous/obsessive/anal nature (*cough … spectrum … cough*), it tracks that he’d be good at that sort of thing.
Wow. A dwell tach. I had one back in the 70s. Turned out, I didn’t really need it, working on a Datsun 510. Just loosen the screw and twist the distributor back and forth until it idled well. The points? I could eyeball those. The Peugeot 504 I replaced it with was just as easy, though I did have to replace the distributor at ~120K miles for some reason I’ve forgotten. A $3K BMW Bavaria wasn’t too bad, but it always smelled like raw gas and I never found where that was leaking from.
An ’86 Accord was when I just kind of gave up. It was very reliable, so it didn’t have to have much done to it besides routine maintenance. But I also realized I didn’t have the tools or knowledge to deal with increasingly computerized systems. An ’84 Tercel 4×4 wagon I bought after giving the Honda away in a divorce, wasn’t too bad either. I probably should have had the carb rebuilt as the mixture seemed to get very lean when I asked its second barrel into play. More air, but not enough fuel.
Everything I’ve owned since then has had computerized fuel injection and never caused an issue. The last real wrenching I’ve had to do was replacing the back half of the exhaust system on a SAAB 9000 Turbo. Which was easy. I’m at the age (and financial position) now where I don’t even change my own oil. I do change air and cabin filters myself. Oh. And the occasional battery. But that’s about it. TBH, I don’t miss messing around under the hood.
I’ve only owned one properly old car, a ’74 Buick Apollo that I’ve now purchased twice. Even that has an HEI ignition, so I’ve never owned anything with points. But still I have this tool that is neat and was my dad’s, so I keep it around for … reasons.
I understand. I have a massive eight-pound (~4 kilogram) torque wrench that was my dad’s. It’s so rusty that I don’t trust it. I don’t do much wrenching, but only use it as a breaker bar on stubborn nuts. Which I really don’t need to do anymore.
Canada Proof? In FL at best you might say hurricane rated, because we don’t taunt mother nature.
I’m here for Biketopian… more please!
that would be the only way for me to be featured in “members rides”. my cars are uninteresting, my bikes on the other hand… I had one featured on the radavist once.
Same. I have a 1912 truss frame race bike and a number of odd customs, like a MCM cruiser, ACME rocket bike (it has a Mazda3 headlight in the nose cone, so there’s a car connection), and a USAAF tribute.
Same here… There are two vehicles in the family and 13 (maybe 14) bicycles. My custom steel K.Bedford is currently at the painters getting refinished after 15yrs and 15,000 miles.
Here to agree with this comment because *see username*
I always read the first letter as a stylized “A”. Tektro Auriga. It’s definitely easier to pronounce.
*NOW* I see it! Ha!
Are you sure those brakes aren’t called Tektro Auriga?
tektro.com/products.php/product/9
You are correct!
When I saw “sexy strut” I figured it was an Adrian thing.
For the record, with Torch, it’d be silly walks.
You have to be at a secret membership level to see those photos of me.
@Mercedes – I know Foreflight is the “standard” but … for Android, check out Avare (free!) and iFlyGPS (not free but actively developed and feature-rich). (Garmin Pilot is another Android option)
Oh, I know there are alternatives, but my CFI wants to train me on Foreflight since that’s indeed the industry standard. It’s okay! I got a really great deal on the iPad. 🙂
When I worked offshore I noticed all the helicopter pilots wore David Clarks, I never saw any Bose, fwiw.
I went David Clark when I was learning to fly… ugh it was 19 years ago! I still think you can’t go wrong with them.
PS – I LOVE that they’re still selling the model I bought, and that they’re still using their midcentury modern logo and midcentury hospital ward green!
Check out the current view on tire pressures. Research has shown that running lower pressures is more efficient than running extreme high presses like 110 psi Both SRAM and Silca have tire pressure calculators online. I consistently rode my 25 mm tires at 83 psi frt and 85 back with no pinch flats. Assuming a 225 weight factor (200 lb rider, 25 lb bike) riding the 25s at 90 psi frt and 92 rear should be more than adequate and a lot smoother. With the same risk of pinch flats as 110.
I used to get pinch flats below 110, but it doesn’t matter: I’m fatties forever now!
Was thinking the same thing on the pressure. I run Gatorskin 28s on my road bike at about 85-87 PSI and I certainly do not have a cyclists physique. My wife (albeit a bit lighter than me) is around the same on 25s. Continental uses a fabric around the tire bead that seems to start fraying almost as it comes off the line. I just cut the loose parts off and keep rolling. Great find on that Fuji by the way.
Those saddles don’t look half bad for $25. I’m a big fan of Brooks and the Troxel that was on my Iver Johnson the few times I rode it before the 100+ year old stitching started to come apart and I swapped it out with a Brooks B17 that’s close to one they made in 1912 that was offered as an option on the IJ. At some point, I’ll get back to making a replica. I have some bars that are more swept back, but the ones I like the most are the ones I have on Retro Rocket, which are similar to the ones you’ve got. Used decent brand name hybrids are great. I always recommend them as they’re dirt cheap, comfortable, do everything that most people want from a bike pretty well, can take any manner of upgrades or mods, and offer greater theft resistance than fancier bikes or even the flashier box store junk.
I’ve got a lovely hi-ten steel Trek hybrid back home that rides beautifully!
Oh and yes, I definitely recommend a nice Brooks saddle. I have one on my “good bike” and it’s wonderful.
I have several Brooks saddles; multiple leather B17 including a B17s short model, a couple of rubber C17, a few Professionals too. All fairly comfortable. I also have a coupe of Ideale 80 saddles.
But TBH the Avocet WII and other stock saddles that came with my 80s touring and AT bikes are IMO plenty comfy enough for a DD. I also get to worry less about those being stolen or damaged.
The only ones I find that are awful are heavily padded gel saddles. Maybe they work for some folks but not me.
First time I got a gel saddle when I was a teenager, I thought it was great. Then 20 minutes went by and I changed my mind. It wasn’t until I read Sheldon Brown that I decided to give Brooks a try. I haven’t tried the Cambium series, but maybe at some point. Right now, all my bikes have a leather Brooks of some kind and I have no plans to get more (there’s one bike I’d like to get rid of).
The advantage of the Cambium is all weather use and lower maintainance. And its vegan if that matters to you. From a comfort perspective though I think I slightly prefer leather.
I don’t mind the maintenance, though being able to trust it in rain would be nice and I do like the vegan aspect even though I’m not vegan. Thanks for the short review!