TheBikeHouse

 

Introduction/Definition/etc Photos Body Conclusion Discussion Page History Page Statistics Page Views:  since creating on 20100719

 

Introduction/Definition/etc

 

Part meat market, part coffee shop,

part bike repair shop/ Coop,

a nice social activity in the back yard of...

A House!

 

20100719 8.40 am Jerry

 

 

Photos

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/WWFFWG/TheBikeHouseOrg20100731

 

 

Body

 

Think that coffee shops are kewl?

Think the bar scene is not?

Think you need some help with your bike?

Think http://www.TheBikeHouse.org/

 

Only one real visit, as it runs on Saturday

afternoons (12noon-3p) behind the coffee shop,

a little clinic/ booth at the Friday

Petworth Farmer's Market

and at a local rec center (day?),

but nice people, a little younger

than my crowd, but urban yuppie?,

post modern yuppie and bikes,

seem to go together, even for this

dinosaur...

 

I liked the "One Less Fixie"

in the BFF, and it wasn't all that

at TheBikeHouse,

it could have been, the latest/

or passe by now thing in bikes

is fixed or single speed, and I don't

have one, but not a lot on my visit

either.

 

Maybe that's the messenger crowd...

But they probably already know how

to fix bikes and need to be paid

to do stuff...

 

The people at BikeHouse were nice,

rather diverse, some kids, not a lot,

but everyone is a kid to a 46 year old,

call me Pa, or GrandPa depending

upon your ages, and relations...

 

I'm not a mechanic despite two classes

at VeloCityBikeCoop and they know each

other, a young woman wanted to give

me a tour/ overview, but I've got the

attention span of a gnat, so some

things happening at once, and

we got disconnected, and never

really reconnected...

 

So plunked into the foray,

they do a sign in clipboard,

and maybe that is the take a number,

system, 3 stands, and stuff going on out

into the alley, they've been running

for about a year, so maybe less

than http://www.mrbikecoop.com/

or Phoenix Bike (google is your friend,

but maps.google.com/biking may

be dangerous, still buggy...)

but that wasn't open or just too

difficult for me to get to...

[More likely I just didn't plan ahead

well enough...]

 

Anyways, trying to help people

and I quickly realized the limits

of my skill, but not my ego,

which took a pounding, but I was

inflated, and needed to let loose

some extra airs...

 

Two main questions, can we install

this brake replacement system?

Lets take a look, packaging,

tools, will it fit?  You decide

I think after mucking around,

you had to open it and try,

and open packages, as I'm finding

might not be returnable, get parts,

but want to get service elsewhere

like a coop, and there may be a

mismatch...  Not that I haven't done

it, boy have I, recently with the dynohub

stuff, rim is roadie, and goal was mountain,

plus fixie/ single speed conversion,

Old French frame, and Shimano/

Japanese conversion kit = No Joy... ;-(

At least not yet...

 

So I said I Was an engineering student,

feeling all puffed up, going some place

I'd wanted to visit for a while, and finally there,

plus some other issues, tired, depressing...

Don't explain why...

 

Wifi with the coffee shop is nice...

As was the rugala (spelling, dummy,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugelach

not the green stuff, Arugula,

the cookies, or at least I tried explaining

to the kids, Jewish cookies???

someone brought, nice touch) but

the donations jar was more interesting to the kids,

the reading wasn't great, but the numbers

and counting were good...

 

Showed the little toy OLPC/ XO

but not really impressed.  Gimme,

but can't, so maybe someone can

convert the old computer to a play

station for the kids...  Add wifi

and a remote ordering system...

 

Bike Coop + day care?

 

And some others, one cute woman

being helped by someone else,

was worked on the wheel truing,

the guy doing it for her, instead of

showing how...

 

I passed on a little of what I learned

about wheel building, lube the nipples

and threads, take a template wheel,

lace it, etc...  Compatibility of parts,

linseed oil from

http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=5650

or http://www.johnforester.com/

(fwiw: there is an interesting section in the back

on dating and cycling, you either make

a biker girl, or find one already made 8-/ )

but linseed oil is  toxic, in boiled form,

so don't have around kids, animals, etc

oh, and flammable...  Combustible?

 

Ideally Spoke Prep, but it's costly and hard to find, shops have it,

but don't sell it... Most don't build a wheel, some "mechanics"

do it, most are just bought assembled, others repair spokes...

Real mechanics must know how, probably part of some

certifications?  Like ASE for autos?

 

Another question/ attempt, after passing off the brake thing to

someone else, better qualified, was a rear derailleur,

she said it was bent, so how do you feel about a single speed?

People didn't like my "hypothesis", so off to the shoulder,

flat tire, whatever analogy, Pops don't know shit,

but I already knew that, and said it in the first place,

oh, well, glad I've got BFF10 to go to...

 

Exit stage right, try doing a little advanced

planning, how long is travel time,

what about the next day?

carry a frame and two wheels when

disassembled, up large hills in heat,

when already toast?

the local travel times, a young lady number 4+,

she didn't know, but was nice enough to talk to me.

As were most people, my flightiness

probably got annoying after a while...

 

Visit SisterPlace? on the way out..

( try http://www.sisterspacedc.com/ )

add more estrogen and more pleasant

conversation, even if briefly...)

 

Wish I'd brought my bike, but they

don't like them in the federal government buildings,

aka tourist traps, and I'm not leaving it outside,

nor carrying it around with me, so learned what I could,

tried to get a sense of the community,

picked up a few tech tips, tried helping, as able,

and return again some time...

 

 

Conclusion

 

Summary of experience or similar

 

Discussion

 

A place for feedback on the page presented

 

Page History

20100719 Jerry

• Jerry created this page to ...

 

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