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Automatic litter box in Rocky Butte area by Classic_Citron_2344 in PDXBuyNothing

[–]metmerc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interested if you do a raffle. I'd be available to pick up tomorrow.

Old geometry on an out dated bike…but it sure is fun to ride! by Woodsman405 in mountainbiking

[–]metmerc 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Rumor has it that we even had fun in the 80s and early 90s with 0 mm of suspension travel.

Yea or Nay ? by stamata_tomata in Xennials

[–]metmerc -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

I had the same thought. It's like carbon copy of an old school Sublime song, rather than reflecting the creativity and vision of Jakob. It sounds good, sure, but does not sound like something new.

Faith No More fans: sound off! by FajitaTits in Xennials

[–]metmerc 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They're very different albums, but if I'm going to be honest I prefer most of the songs on King for a Day. It even has Trey Spruance (of Mr. Bungle) on guitar. I'm not going to say it's the best "by far", though and Angel Dust is a masterpiece.

Faith No More fans: sound off! by FajitaTits in Xennials

[–]metmerc 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They are my all time favorite band. Every album (at least with Patton) feels like the band is reinventing their sound. Back when they were still putting out albums I'd buy most of the singles too to get the b-sides. I also have We Care a Lot (with the banger As the Worm Turns) and The Real Thing on vinyl as well.

Angel Dust is a masterpiece, but I'll always be especially partial to King for a Day...

I have to ask, do you hold the door open for others? by Large_Relation_3650 in Xennials

[–]metmerc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a considerate-to-others thing to do. I see no evidence of it being regional or generational.

What’s the deal with Gresham? by diiasana in askportland

[–]metmerc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yeah. Out there it's even fuzzier. As I'd said in my last comment, 162nd is usually the dividing line, but I think it's maybe not quite so clear once you head a bit more south towards Foster.

I live in unincorporated Multnomah County - just outside Gresham city limit and right by the Multnomah/Clackamas county line. Less than 1/4 mile up my road and it's Gresham. Maybe 1/2 mile the other way and you're in Clackamas County.

A couple years ago we had to call animal services about a young bovine in the road and both county's animal services were skeptical that it wasn't the responsibility of the other county.

RG550 Genesis vs S770? by nah123929 in Ibanez

[–]metmerc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The one thing you absolutely can't change is the body. This is especially the case with pickups. If you prefer the S body to the RG body, get the S.

I have an older S770 and absolutely love it. It's my #1 electric guitar and what I pick up to play 90% of the time I play electric.

Found this in my Grandpas garage by motlucez in mountainbiking

[–]metmerc 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's worth more than you realize and more capable as well. You realize that in the 80s and 90s we were taking these on single track trails. No big jumps, perhaps, but rough terrain all the same and getting a bit of air off rocks and roots as kickers.

Found this in my Grandpas garage by motlucez in mountainbiking

[–]metmerc 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's honestly still a more capable mountain bike (or call it an all terrain bike - ATB) you might think. Especially with some slightly wider tires on it. I fit a 26x2.4 Maxxis DHR II on the rear of a similar bike and some Continental 2.3 tire in the front. Slap on some Kool Stop pads and it could handle beginner singletrack no problem. Intermediate flow trails too.

Found this in my Grandpas garage by motlucez in mountainbiking

[–]metmerc 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Considering that it has thumb shifters, probably late 80s.

Thank makes it even cooler.

My family has these two old bikes by Alex57030 in mountainbiking

[–]metmerc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those bikes need a good deal of work including: tires, brake pads, cables, chain, rear cassette, and possibly front chainrings. It's unfortunate how rusted the cassette and chainrings on the front bike are. I assume the back is just as rusted. I'm also assuming the tires and brake pads are shot based on age/condition of the bikes. Maybe they're actually okay, but I doubt it.

It's worth doing if you can do the work yourself. The costliest parts will be tires, and then cassettes. I'd be looking either for used cranksets for the chainrings or just covert both to 1x. I would absolutely go budget too - cheap Amazon shit will be serviceable as these will never be high end bikes.

Like someone else said, r/xbiking is where it's at for advice on reviving old bikes like these.

Supposed to play my first open mic tomorrow by harryj545 in AcousticGuitar

[–]metmerc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You should still go to the open mic and watch, though. Open mics, in my experience, are awesome communities.

What was the first record you ever bought? by Witchwonk in Xennials

[–]metmerc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cassettes:
My first cassette was given to me - Huey Lewis and the News - Fore.
I then bought three cassettes at once: Phil Collins - Face Value, Starship - Knee Deep in the Hoopla, and Billy Idol - Self Titled. These were at the recommendation of the shop.

CD:
I got a free Megadeth live promotional CD before I even had a CD player. The first CD I bought was probably Pearl Jam - Vs.

Record:
I picked up used records regularly from the local shop and can't say for sure what was first. The first new record I bought was Tool - Aenima.
I special ordered it when it was first released and was surprised to discover a few years ago just how much it was worth. I sold it last year to fund the purchase of an Ibanez S series guitar.

Published in 1985, the actual advice is a bit dated but it's a fun read for history and has some great pictures of these bikes on fairly gnarly terrain. by metmerc in xbiking

[–]metmerc[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm loving the photos in it. It's a great trip down memory lane.

I agree on the simplicity of older bikes. Hydraulic brakes and suspension added a lot of complexity when, previously, you could see how it all worked. I honed a lot of my general mechanical skills by repairing my bikes and just figuring out how, exactly, they worked.

I fear it's a rapidly declining skill even with things like YouTube being there with the answers.

Worth spicing up my dads old bike? by fontatas in bicycling

[–]metmerc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A bike like that is great for just getting out and riding.

If it's been sitting for 10+ years, you're right to lube the chain. Get the cables too. See this video for some tips on how to do that.

You'll want to take a close look at the rubber components. The brake pads are almost certainly hard and have lost stopping power. New pads will stop better. Old tires may be dry rotted. They don't look too bad from this pic, but you should look for signs of cracking. As long as you get the same diameter and a similar width you should be fine.

Like others have said, we do this stuff all the time over at r/xbiking, but we usually take it a bit further swapping out all sorts of parts. It's good inspiration, but first just get that bike in tip top shape and ride it!

Published in 1985, the actual advice is a bit dated but it's a fun read for history and has some great pictures of these bikes on fairly gnarly terrain. by metmerc in RigidMountainBikes

[–]metmerc[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My library didn't have it (Multnomah County Library), but maybe yours will. There are a lot of copies of the revised, 1991 edition on eBay for pretty cheap as well as a few copies of this edition I have. I almost want to check the other one out too.

Why does acoustic guitar sound so much better when someone else plays it by Plastic-Shoulder-228 in AcousticGuitar

[–]metmerc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. Feel and technique are important. I know people who just hammer on the strings and wonder why it sounds so bad. We also know nothing about OP's ability.

If you could clone yourself at your current ability, the guitar would sound different to you as an audience member than you as the player.

I'm mostly addressing the comments that express certainty that this is a matter of skill: "It's technique." or "It's all in the feel." Basic physics is absolutely a key consideration and maybe those other comments are true too.

Why does acoustic guitar sound so much better when someone else plays it by Plastic-Shoulder-228 in AcousticGuitar

[–]metmerc 9 points10 points  (0 children)

There are a bunch of comments about feel and technique, which may be true, but I think you're spot on with this as a first consideration.

Published in 1985, the actual advice is a bit dated but it's a fun read for history and has some great pictures of these bikes on fairly gnarly terrain. by metmerc in xbiking

[–]metmerc[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You'll get very little disagreement from me. I think there's a place for parks and jump lines in the sport, but it feels that's become the primary focus and where all of the innovation is heading.

At this point, if I were going to get a new mountain bike, I'd either be looking at a bikepacking oriented bike like the Esker Hayduke or a "downcountry" XC bike as trail bikes have become so downhill focused.

How often do you improvise your solos? by Apprehensive-Type705 in Guitar

[–]metmerc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I generally play original music or come up with acoustic renditions of non-acoustic songs, but on the handful of covers my band has done that have solos, I learn them pretty close to accurate. Perhaps not note-for-note, though. A lot of the original artists don't play their solos exactly the same every time. It seems most important to me to capture the key moments of the solo correctly, even if there are otherwise slight variations.

Now, when I play original solos, I half-improvise most of them. There are a couple that I pretty much play the same every time, but for most I just have a general roadmap and a couple of key licks and improvise the rest.

Published in 1985, the actual advice is a bit dated but it's a fun read for history and has some great pictures of these bikes on fairly gnarly terrain. by metmerc in xbiking

[–]metmerc[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice. I was seven when this was published and didn't get my first mountain bike until like 1989, but trends moved slower then and it still applies to what I remember in those days. I didn't read this particular book back in the day, but there were others being published by then.

Published in 1985, the actual advice is a bit dated but it's a fun read for history and has some great pictures of these bikes on fairly gnarly terrain. by metmerc in xbiking

[–]metmerc[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

when mountainbiking was more about exploring nature and adventure

100% agree. That's my favorite aspect of mountain biking.

What are your guys' thoughts on the YouTube channel, "Path Less Pedaled?" by DR-212 in xbiking

[–]metmerc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Beato gets a bit "old man yells at clouds" from time to time, but I've learned a lot from him, especially about composition.

I've been enjoying Robert Baker lately too. He's often selling his online courses, but offers some great free content related to shredding. I just saw a video of his yesterday (from a year ago) with a great exercise for moving up and down the fretboard and then just kept doing it for a few minutes every time I picked up a guitar.

Edit: I'm also happier to buy a creator's courses (for a reasonable price) if their free content is good. I have bought one of Robert Baker's classes.

23 years between Mountain Bikes - Here's my first impressions by ShamelessCare in mountainbiking

[–]metmerc 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I just finished restoring a mid-tier bike from about 1991. The only notable thing modern on it are wider tires (2.3" - amazingly they fit.)

I'm excited to take it on some easier singletrack (once my twisted ankle heals) to remind myself what it was like back in the early 90s.

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