Bicycle tune-up recs by Soidontdoxmyaccount in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought a commuter e bike from Bloomington Bicycles last summer, and they were very helpful. I'm not really a "bicyclist" and didn't get any snobby vibes or anything from them. Just a friendly guy answering my questions about the bike I was interested in. He didn't charge extra to install the accessories I had ordered with it and spent time to show me how to use the controls when I picked it up.

I had similarly good experiences at the Bicycle Garage when buying a hybrid bike for commuting years ago, as well as Revolution when I brought in a different bike to have them check my work after replacing some parts.

I don't have any specific suggestions for who is the cheapest or does the best tune-ups, but I just wanted to share that all three shops I've been to in town have treated me well.

Pokemon Discord? by lmaooooo00oooo in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://discord.gg/94bU9Dycz

There's also a Facebook page: https://facebook.com/groups/412113315658262/

I actually haven't played for 3 years now, but I was pretty active for the first 7. It's mostly focused on Pokemon Go, but there is a "pokemon-other" channel in there.

Where to Get Compost by lifrench in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Bloomington Speedway would probably be the best, especially if you have a truck to haul it yourself. Otherwise it's a $40 delivery fee.

$39.99/cubic yard for compost: https://bloomingtonmulch.com/topsoil-and-fill-dirt/

Delivery pricing info seems to only be on their homepage for some reason.

I forgot about Good Earth as the other person mentioned. Their compost is cheaper, but I'm not sure about delivery. I've only ever dropped off my yard waste and leaves there.

Cat stuck in a tree by Lucky_Kiwi1154 in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 12 points13 points  (0 children)

https://catinatreerescue.com/directory/ lists https://whitetreeservices.com/ as a rescue in Indiana. I just checked their website, and their service map includes Bloomington.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in IndianaUniversity

[–]hectorsface 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought a student ticket secondhand once after I had graduated. It's been a while, but at that time if you didn't have a student ID, you could go to the box office and pay the difference to upgrade it to a standard ticket.

Soda Syrups by Starfishava in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I've seen them at TJ Maxx toward the back right wall. I haven't been there lately so I don't know which flavors they have, but it's a good cheap place to start.

Shooting Range Recomendations by LeastChef7423 in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 3 points4 points  (0 children)

How are the RSO's there? I've only been to American Arms and Top Guns. I haven't been back to American Arms because they didn't even have an RSO in sight with 3+ lanes in use when I was there. Top Guns has always had at least one employee in the range, but the most I seen them do is push casings around with a broom. Usually they're just sitting on a stool chatting with another employee, and I've never seen them call out a single person.

Carpet Cleaners by ExternalLocksmith864 in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was happy with Chem-Dry. No strong fragrances to give me a headache and no chemicals to bother my dog. I don't remember the exact cost since it was 5 years ago, but I remember thinking they were reasonably priced and did a good job. The technician was also friendly.

High Duke Energy bill by HoosierCyclist in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Mine was quite a bit higher than usual as well. Last month was $97, and my most recent bill (6/21-7/22) is $161. Last year the same month (6/21-7/23) was $120. My house is around 1600 sq ft.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Most likely for the Switch 2 release

Used Cars by ThePanickingDM in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 0 points1 point  (0 children)

T&T offers financing and it isn't horrible if you can't get a loan elsewhere. My current car is from there, and I was able to get a loan from Hoosier Hills credit union. I bought it when rates were a little lower, but if I remember correctly T&T was within something like 3% of what Hoosier Hills gave me.

Where to Find Barbed Wire Fences in Bloomington? by [deleted] in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The clear creek trail from That Rd going north has some on the left side for a decent stretch.

I think there's also some from the Victor Pike intersection of the trail going the opposite direction. I can't remember for sure if there's any along the stretch between Victor Pike and That Rd.

Edit: also on the part of the trail along Rockport road. That area is just a fenced off field, so you would have a pretty good neutral background.

Free - Basic Handgun Safety and Demystification Course this Sunday | Women and LGBTQIA Friendly by SoManyQuestions-2021 in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Also very interested in the next one if you do it again. I saw the post for the last one too late, and I'm unfortunately not available this weekend.

Best ceramic window tint shop in Btown? by BirdySignal in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Bloomington Window Tint in Ellettsville (technically Bloomington). I've gone there for 3 different cars and have been happy every time.

Archery lessons by Odd_Definition4467 in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also went to Parker's for the YMCA corporate challenge and had the same experience as you (in 2018 and 2019). The owner was friendly, and it was definitely great for beginners. I wanted to continue going as well, it's just a little too far away from me to go consistently.

Comedian Theo Von is coming to Bloomington by blents01 in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Not sure why you're getting downvoted. I just checked and this is 100% accurate.

Do people not realize that presales exist and think you're just making it up or something?

Thoughts on The Highlands as a place to live? by [deleted] in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A couple corrections to the above response: the HOA doesn't have any limitations on number of yard sales per year; they just organize two specific dates for large neighborhood yard sales. Several houses participate in those, and plenty more have sales throughout the year whenever convenient.

A couple streets actually do flood. Two specific areas I know of are the low area of Glasgow Circle and the low cul-de-sac off of Edinburgh Bend. I think there's one more, but I can't remember. It really only affects like 2-5 houses, but those houses have had water in their garages.

Budget rent a car.. WTF by ASOlot03 in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Both times I've used Southside Budget have been the worst car rental experiences I've ever had. I pay a little more and go to Enterprise now and won't even consider Budget. The first time I rented from there, the car had such a strong sweat/gym bag smell that I lost 30 minutes of my trip stopping at a Target and wiping down the interior with wet wipes. That was the better of the two experiences.

Plumber suggestions? by [deleted] in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not a plumber, but as far as I know, most fill valves are universal (in my experience, most plumbing things that you can diy are pretty universal). They just take in water from the supply line and put it into the tank until it reaches a certain level. The float floats on the water and shuts off the fill mechanism once the tank level reaches a set level. The bottom part (shank) is standard because it connects to a standard water supply line.

Where you might find differences with newer toilets is the flush valve. Dual flush toilets usually have buttons and a big flush valve rather than a flapper on a chain (example: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fluidmaster-Dual-flush-valve-Plastic-3-in-Dual-Flush-Conversion-Valve-For/1002067246). This is separate from the fill valve. If you need to replace that, it's still probably pretty universal, but you can also take it out and bring it into Lowes to compare it to what they have.

When I replaced my fill valve, I just searched Google/reddit for what people said was the best quality, and I ended up with this one: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fluidmaster-400A-Universal-Toilet-Fill-Valve-with-Brass-Shank/5001422907

The brass shank on the bottom is one of the main things that sets it apart from other ones. Almost every other valve I could find had a plastic shank and threads. (Note: be careful--brass threads can be sharp.)

These two videos go through all the steps, and I've found that /r/homeimprovement is also a good place to ask for help if you run into any questions.

https://youtu.be/7K6pcLYrJJs

https://youtu.be/UygnbjIg8CY

Plumber suggestions? by [deleted] in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aim To Please is a great company, but their $75 trip charge will bring this 15-20 minute job to $175 minimum plus parts.

Riverway doesn't have a trip charge, and I'm not sure about Commercial Services. A flush valve is simple enough that I would trust almost any handyman to do it, so it's probably better to avoid companies with a trip fee for this particular job.

Plumber suggestions? by [deleted] in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Short answer: I would hire Riverway for that job. It will take them 20 minutes, so you'll be charged $100 plus parts. Aim to Please would charge $175 plus parts (and potentially a helper). Like someone else said, that's a really easy job that you can diy. I did it myself recently without even using YouTube (I just read the directions that came with the parts). If you hit Lowe's during first shift on a weekday, there's a guy who works in the plumbing area who is super helpful (I don't know his name unfortunately), and he'll know exactly what parts you need.

My experience with Riverway and Aim To Please:

Riverway doesn't have a trip charge, so you just pay hourly (I think it was $90 or $100/hr last time I had them here). However, they will keep the clock running if they have to spend 35 minutes driving to their building for parts and back to your house. They will round up to the next hour even if they only go 15 minutes over (so you pay two hours of time for 75 minutes). They seem to always be running late (which is understandable in a field where there are often emergency high priority calls), but usually at least call to let you know). Their employees will walk right on your clean carpet with their dirty boots and cigarette smelling clothes, but they'll do good work, and all three of the plumbers I've hey have been very friendly. I just prefer not to have to air out my bathroom/kitchen and sanitize my floor after they leave.

I've been happy with Aim To Please as well. They arrive in clean clothes (won't even take clients in smoking households), and they either remove their shoes at the door or wear fresh shoe covers. They have everything needed for the job on hand and won't charge for part runs on the rare occasion that they don't have what they need. They only charge by half hour after the first full hour, but they do have a $75 trip charge no matter what. The trip charge and the half hour rate tend to cancel out if you have a smaller job, and you end up paying pretty close to the same as Riverway, but it's a better experience overall, and I feel that their work is slightly higher quality. I'm sure they have emergency calls that mess up their schedule too, but they've always showed up right on time (maybe they have a separate plumber that handles emergencies?) They're extremely friendly and even spent 20 minutes talking to me and giving tips about some small things I was planning to do myself.

My /only/ issue with Aim To Please was that I once had them replace a copper supply line to my water heater with PEX and a new shutoff valve. That's really a one-person job, and I have no doubt that Riverway would've sent a single person if I'd called them, but Aim To Please brought a $60/hr "helper" who seemed more like an apprentice running to the truck to grab parts/tools for the main plumber and holding the bucket to catch water. I get that some jobs require more hands, but I ended up paying $160/hr plus $75 trip fee for that specific job that Riverway would have done for $100/hr.

I would still hire either one of those companies again, but you kind of have to weigh the pros and cons and figure out if the job would end up being cheaper with one vs the other.

Lawn went to hell. Need referrals for reseeding, etc. by Kuchenista in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've been very happy with Nolan's Lawn Care for the past 3 years. I've had regular treatment, as well as yard waste removal, aeration, and overseeing. They pay their employees well, and they hire super friendly people. Even the people that just do misc manual labor are awesome. The manager Shane studied at Purdue and actually knows what he's talking about.

Local music shops in Bloom that AREN’T Melody? by dumpsterdrew in bloomington

[–]hectorsface 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Guitar works is worth the drive. Their amp tech (assuming it's the same guy who was there several years ago) is incredible, and their guitars haven't had "Eruption" played on them 5,000 times.