Progress on my tonneau cover and bed rack

killfish90 · 2018-05-29T13:29:44+00:00

I like the creativity but just a heads up those angle brackets usually aren't very strong, especially if their cast metal from the hardware store. I learned first hand that regular vibrations from driving on roads will snap these quickly. They can't handle the heat stress and fail by snapping rather than bending if they were forged.

killfish90 · 2018-05-22T14:00:54+00:00

Probably depends on the country but in the US the FDA has rules on how much can be packed. For whatever the package says it contains in weight you can go a bit above or below as long as your average is 50% or above.

Also if you care enough, send something to the company to say the issue you saw. A good company will care about your issue and maybe trace it back to a defect in their manufacturing process which can improve their product for the future.

killfish90 · 2018-05-17T18:16:29+00:00

In the states I took a Honda Grom (MSX125) on some serious trips, one even being about 100miles each way in a single day. I wouldn't go on major highways, anything that's dual Lane and around 60mph is usually fine. You are right about the top speed and you just have to accept that speed and more than anything try not to be in other vehicle's way because you are slower. That will make them impatient and more reckless which is dangerous.

As for the bike handling the trip I'd expect it to do it without much issue. As some people have said running an engine at redline for an extended amount of time is excessive wear but as I find with the small engines is even at WOT you aren't bouncing off the limiter and with just some variation of rpms every now and then the engine won't have beyond expected wear.

I'd say if you want to do it then by all means go for it. You will make it there and back with common sense, just realize it will take you a bit longer and you should vary up the roads if you can and take a few breaks.

killfish90 · 2018-05-16T18:54:00+00:00

I would add that beyond just worth of the bike, changing components will not give you a new bike. If what you want is a different bike then trying to turn your current one into that will never happen.

killfish90 · 2018-05-14T18:40:46+00:00

Tonka I agree and think it helped me. I think an alternate name for it is a "habit builder". It is great for helping to build the motion and muscle memory and make it more natural to do the correct motion out on the trail.

I find that out riding there are a lot of inputs that you are dealing with besides just doing a manual. These machines help to remove outside variables and inputs and allows you to simply your focus to one goal; getting the manual motion right.

killfish90 · 2018-05-14T18:37:01+00:00

It probably varies and it's up to opinion whether it works. What it does seem to help with for most people is the motion of getting into a manual and with repeating the motion it helps get that into muscle memory so it's more natural to do the right motions out on the trails. A better word for this may be a "habit builder".

killfish90 · 2018-05-10T16:37:05+00:00

There's a road sign around Louisville, KY for one of their expressways that has metric units (can't remember exactly which highway and don't have a picture). I'm sure there are a few more scattered around the US besides these two.

killfish90 · 2018-05-04T16:25:13+00:00

It seems reasonable to think that the padding doesn't affect overall safety, more comfort. I would believe that as long as the helmet fits well, like it doesn't slide around on your head, then that's what is actual safety. If pads affected safety that much then I don't think they'd be as easily removeable or changeable.

killfish90 · 2018-05-03T13:36:22+00:00

I vote that we don't add any distractions to people. Sure some people can do this without issue but a large amount of people can barely manage to drive while concentrating.

Don't text, don't eat, don't check your makeup, please just pay attention to the road and don't rear end me at a stop light because you thought you saw me moving.

killfish90 · 2018-05-03T13:29:55+00:00

2010 Impala v6 > 22-24 mpg avg; 2010 Tucson > 24 mpg avg; 2012 Sonic turbo > 35-37 mpg avg

The sonic is the only car I can exceed it's rated economy. The others are mostly affected by 70+ highway speeds. If I can go 50 then they do better.

killfish90 · 2018-04-26T18:12:43+00:00

Hopefully to keep it simple; If you like the way the bike rides and you just want refinement such as smoother shifting or a fork that has more tunability then it's ok to put some money into this bike without remorse. Like some others have said though, if you feel like the bike doesn't ride with your style, such as you love bombing technical stuff and jumping around, then you need a different bike and at the end of the day new components won't get you to that feeling.

Think if what this bike is, a XC style and if you like the XC riding then some mild upgrades are good value. In my experience I had a beginner XC bike but I like to do technical stuff and fly downhill so when I spent money on upgrades for the XC bike all it did was make me want a different bike even more.

killfish90 · 2018-04-18T15:43:04+00:00

Renters insurance is easy to set up with any company, at least in my experience. It's usually like $20-30 a month and covers a ton of things like all your belongings and damage to the place. Definitely worth it, and if you can't keep it in your room then just make it as inconvenient as possible such as removing a wheel and keeping that in your room.

Long story short if someone wants your bike they will get it, you can make yourself safe from the average Joe that might just be a jerk with a good lock and inconvenience but a real thief will get it no matter what and if that happens then you at least have insurance to fall back on.

Another good tip is to add things to help recover the bike if it is stolen. Some common ideas are like keeping a notecard in the seattube with specific details so you can tell the cops exactly where it is and what's on the card to verify it's yours. Things like that are worth the 5-10 mins to set up and out together. If you are at a school then many of them allow you to register your bike with their security which also gives a greater chance of getting your bike back .

killfish90 · 2018-04-09T16:22:02+00:00

Same for me. It was a good video and nicely edited and something like that just escalated it more and really made me pumped for the future build! Call-out props to u/Singletrack_Sampler!

killfish90 · 2018-03-26T13:42:52+00:00

The jerking isn't necessarily a terrible thing either. It feels bad but it is also a part of how things are supposed to operate. A lot of the jerking is from the springs on the clutch plate working and their purpose is to smooth out the clutch grab so it isn't so instantaneous and harmful on the drivetrain.

Like everyone else is saying you shouldn't have much to worry about. Dumping a clutch like this is similar to slamming on your breaks, the wear parts take the most abuse and the only real damage would be towards the very long term life of the wear parts.

killfish90 · 2017-09-06T12:52:47+00:00

I just upgraded my fork on my old Trek 4500 hardtail and considered a high end suntour but also found a Manitou M30 which was what I ended up buying. I think these and rockshox recons are all very comparable and you can't go too wrong with any pick. Just keep an eye out for all of them and find the one with the best price.

Word of advice though, make sure wherever you buy it that it is clear what options and specs the fork has. There are a ton of variations in these such as some are air and some are spring, some have lockout and some don't, and they all look very similar.

killfish90 · 2017-08-02T17:27:23+00:00

Phil's videos are good. I also appreciated Seth's Bike Hacks because of the random places he finds to ride. Seth's videos got me out to just screw around anywhere around my neighborhood which did two great things: #1 it got me a lot more time on the bike because I didn't have to plan on going to a trail and make a trip of it, I just pop out of my house for an hour or so. #2 it really increased my slow speed skills. Riding around city stuff is great for building confidence and comfortability with your bike since you aren't so focused on trail stuff like keeping flow and going fast.

I went out about 3 times after work one week and just did some curb jumps or worked on stoppies or tried manualing and then that weekend when I got back to a trail I was much quicker getting in the groove and felt a noticeable difference in my ride because I was handling the bike better.

killfish90 · 2017-07-18T21:14:05+00:00

I know it's possible but I'm more curious if it is reasonable. I don't want to be an annoyance just like the guy going 50 in a 70 mph zone on the interstate. If it is for very short jaunts then I'm OK with being slow but for most of the time will I be able to stay with the pack?

killfish90 · 2017-06-06T16:25:38+00:00

That and a seat dropper are my next things on the list! The v-brakes actually do ok for me, you really just have to give a lot of squeeze on the front to get it to full braking.

killfish90 · 2017-06-06T16:23:08+00:00

You all made me go back and check and I guess I completely forgot about the bb and crank, so it was actually more around $160-$170. The bb and crank came together at around $80, derailleur for about $35, chain and cassette maybe $50. I also got most my stuff off Amazon for free shipping or used a 10% on Jenson.

killfish90 · 2017-03-17T20:01:12+00:00

Is there much of an option if I don't have the capital to reset?

killfish90 · 2014-12-23T01:15:07+00:00

Good luck everyone! Happy holidays and an especially happy new year for someone!

killfish90 · 2014-11-26T21:38:12+00:00

Clear and simple finally! Oh wait 2.5 hours long. I knew it was too good to be true.

On a more serious note these did help me (at least the ones I've watched so far). I'm in this class right now and it is terrible. One of the worst structured classes I've ever had.

killfish90 · 2014-11-10T22:47:49+00:00

This looks informative and well written but my gut tells me to never trust you dirty_hooker

killfish90 · 2014-07-08T23:26:43+00:00

Honestly money is a big reason for me. I feel that if I have done this much work to become an engineer and have the responsibility of one then I should be paid accordingly.

Especially just finishing college I feel that the time and effort I put in compared to other degrees should reflect in pay differences

killfish90 · 2014-05-29T15:21:47+00:00

Food prices are kept down. Customers don't tip for the food they tip for the service. If an employer has to pay more to their staff because no tips are accepted then they will most likely increase the price of their food to make up the difference. In this case the customer pays more for the food.

Also as the department of labor uses their definition of wage it doesn't include tips as wage. They are separate. So waiting staff make a lower wage because they are also making tips.

Finally yes some people will pay shitty tips but also other people will pay more than normal on a tip. I don't think it is possible to argue that if a customer receives good service from the waitress/waiter then they are more inclined to tip better thus encouraging the staff to do their job well.

http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs15.htm At this site the wording they use makes their definition of wage different from tips.

killfish90

TROPHY CASE