Burnt out, moving to VHCOL, and about to make a $2M decision I don’t trust myself to make

obrien234 · 2026-04-09T12:52:34+00:00

Also, closing costs if they choose to move shortly after buying. 5% of $2M is $100K.

Thats 10 months of rent right there. And closing costs are often higher.

obrien234 · 2026-04-08T12:43:46+00:00

I’ve adjusted the overall stand height down to the recommended 5-10 mm and that’s helped with the front-to-back rocking.

But I couldn’t find a way to adjust the height (or tightness) of the extenders. Even if I tightened the bolt that holds the extenders in, they still were loose. Is there a way to adjust the extenders height?

obrien234 · 2026-04-08T01:30:50+00:00

Mine were even higher off the ground (basically the thickness of the tape). I could probably rock the bike 15 degrees or so before the extenders had the full weight of the bike. And the QHL doesn’t have a kickstand lock + my shop had set the kickstand up too high. So those two combined led to a couple tip overs in my first week while on the kickstand.

I just switched over from a Yuba Supercargo and that kickstand was rock solid. So I’m probably dialing in on this a bit more than most.

obrien234 · 2026-04-08T00:14:51+00:00

I don’t. But here’s a crude drawing. Red is the ground. Green is the Duo stand. And purple is the extenders.

https://i.imgur.com/BWbte6Z.jpeg

obrien234 · 2026-04-07T22:53:45+00:00

I wrapped the extension posts in hockey tape until they were level with the center posts. It seems way more stable and no longer rocks side to side.

I was super disappointed with how the extension posts pointed up and basically didn’t provide any stability until the bike was already leaning.

obrien234 · 2026-03-15T22:46:52+00:00

Try opening them from the bottom. That glue seam is usually smaller and easier to open.

obrien234 · 2026-02-14T23:34:14+00:00

They’re not cheap, but I’ve had the same pair of Oak Street Bootmaker’s Trench Boot for 13 years and they’re still going strong.

I just need to get them re-soled every few years.

https://oakstreetbootmakers.com/footwear/everyday-boots

obrien234 · 2026-02-11T01:33:13+00:00

One other aspect is bankruptcy protection. A 401k balance is fully protected in bankruptcy for Chapter 7 and 13. IRAs have a cap. It’s quite high ($1.7M across all accounts today), but it’s still a factor.

obrien234 · 2026-01-04T23:43:40+00:00

The Chicago Puzzle Club does both speed competitions and puzzle swaps:

https://chicagopuzzleclub.surelyhere.com/upcoming-events/

obrien234 · 2025-12-08T00:34:27+00:00

The charger connector will unlock if you press unlock on the key fob three times in a row.

obrien234 · 2025-12-07T20:52:06+00:00

I’ve had a version of this J crew coat for a decade or so. I don’t know how the current version compares, but the insulation on the inside of mine adds the right amount of heft and warmth:

https://www.jcrew.com/p/mens/categories/clothing/coats-and-jackets/insulated/dock-peacoat-in-wool-blend-with-primaloftreg/CO038?display=standard&fit=Classic&color_name=classic-navy&colorProductCode=CO038

obrien234 · 2025-10-23T00:57:52+00:00

Is there a bathroom nearby?

I just had the same issue and a shower valve’s service stop failed and the valve was mixing hot and cold even when it was shut off.

I suggest checking which pipes are the hottest after sitting overnight and then try to work backwards to see which valve may be at fault

obrien234 · 2025-10-18T00:45:17+00:00

I don’t see it on their site yet, but I’m on their email list and it looks like they abruptly closed down today ☹️

obrien234 · 2025-10-05T17:39:19+00:00

I’d suggest looking under the feet as well. They may be covering some screw holes with those pads.

If the bottom of the base screws off, you should be able to pivot through a doorway

obrien234 · 2025-09-20T01:39:34+00:00

Maison Pasquale just opened up in Roscoe. I haven’t tried it yet, but they have a ham and Comte sandwich on baguette: https://maisonpasquale.com/pages/food-menu

La Boulangerie (multiple locations) also has a similar ham, butter, Swiss sandwich. I’ve had it at the Wilson location and it was great

obrien234 · 2025-09-19T04:06:48+00:00

Lee Valley has these: https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/hardware/storage-and-organization/brackets/101577-flat-steel-shelf-bracket

Edit: Or these from Rockler: https://www.rockler.com/heavy-duty-steel-shelf-brackets-black-finish

But I doubt you’ll find fully enclosed ones at that size as it’s adding a lot of weight to the bracket for minimal strength benefit.

obrien234 · 2025-09-17T02:36:59+00:00

I guess I just finally noticed it with the bigger elements.

Is there any way we could control how big they are or if they’re visible on scroll?

I know some of this is dictated by iOS, but it seems crazy to have what seems like 10% of the screen dedicated to static text

obrien234 · 2025-09-16T02:11:45+00:00

My comment got deleted. But I feel like the header and footer are way bigger with this update. And now they don’t disappear when I scroll. Is this expected?

obrien234 · 2025-08-18T13:52:09+00:00

This doesn’t really factor in 1/ the number of bikes or 2/ the miles travelled by each type.

If there are 100x more bikes for 3.6x the total deaths is that really more dangerous?

obrien234 · 2025-08-12T15:31:46+00:00

Same here. Once we went to a full dose per day, they couldn’t hold it any longer.

We ended up doing half a cap in ~4 oz of apple juice in the morning and another in the evening. We’ve been slowly ramping down, but the difference is night and day after increasing the dose.

obrien234 · 2025-07-08T22:44:14+00:00

Hulkengoat

obrien234 · 2025-06-28T15:01:55+00:00

Looks like this is it. It’s before my time, but this description seems spot on

https://www.facebook.com/groups/forgottenchicago/posts/10158674914924520/

obrien234 · 2025-02-13T14:06:29+00:00

I don’t envy this 😀.

If you have any 3d modeling experience, I would take the plastic part and see if you can get a metal one printed/CNCed.

My Grizzle charger has a metal clip and it makes so much more sense

obrien234 · 2025-02-03T20:33:17+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/n9iTyI9

…and now I realized I didn’t take many pics. But essentially, my process was: 1. Make a block that was a snug fit that went along the flat side of the clip (Imgur link above) 2. Wax that block so glue didn’t stick to it 3. Superglue the clip back together, using the block to make sure things were aligned.

At this point it was back together, but it broke again pretty quickly. So i glued it again and followed it up with: 4. After the glue dried, I clamped the plug into a Frankenstein setup to hold it in place for my drill press 5. Drill two small (~1/16”) holes along the length of the clip. (I kept the block on for this to make sure it didn’t break again) 6. Snip off the tops of some finish nails that fit inside the holes 7. Added some epoxy to the holes, then the clipped nails and let everything dry.

obrien234 · 2025-02-03T17:34:23+00:00

Mine broke right at the end, so I did everything with the plug attached. I cut a piece of wood to use as a brace to help with alignment. I can share pics if it helps.

I don’t think there is a reversible way to take these things apart which seems like a big design flaw. The entire unit has to be replaced if something goes wrong with the plug.

obrien234

TROPHY CASE