Thursday, June 21, 2007

howdy, everybody!









hope this finds all doing well! i was going to go and kick out another grueling armbike ride today, but i'm getting "tennis elbow" from all my armbiking, fishing, boating and filing. decided to take it easy today, do some food shopping, try to finish jen's bike and just generally move in slo-mo. when you only have 2 limbs left that work "perfectly" and they start to go south, you better take it easy. almost done with jen's bike. henceforth, S&S couplers will be a $475.00 upgrade. the couplers alone cost me $240. they are not technically challenging, but they sure are one hell of a time sink, and the painter charges more, as they must mask them off twice, once for sand blasting, and once for painting. oh yeah, you have to polish them too. they sure do look cool. i have included the closeup of one so you can get a better look at one. they open with a spanner wrench, i'l post a pic of it taken apart when it's all polished. went for a great ride two days ago, felt really good! climbed up climb 3, down weinie walk, up little gnarly and over to second dry lake, where one of my steering braze-ons promptly blew out, leaving me with almost no steering. good thing it was *mostly* downhill. i was having to pedal with one arm while steering with the other. [gee, where did i get tennis elbow?} also check out this cat track. about 4"/100mm wide. there's some big kitties out there in the woods! sooooo......after polishing fillets for almost 5 hours yesterday, i did a marathon 4 hour armbike makeover. i took the front end off, put on burly new steering braze-ons, added 2 new water bottle mounts, gave it an awful-looking orange touch-up paint job, took the front two-speed bottom bracket off and replaced it with a non-shifting lx crankset {lighter and simpler, i don't use the entire lower gear range, so why tote it around.....} adjusted/replaced alot of the cables and housing, and tuned it up. as i write, new armor has just showed up for it. guess i'm not done yet! so, lots to do. and, a request, one you don't have to accept at all, but how about readers add a comment, maybe just a first name and where you live, just to satisfy my own curiosity. i know alot of people read this, and i just wonder how far my little chunk of the world travels! thanks for reading/looking. trying to keep it interesting here in flagstaff, arizona, usa. steve.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

checkin' in from accross town...
be by soon with a deposit!
-benno

Anonymous said...

Steve,

I've got you on google Reader so I'm on your posts in an instant! Glad you're taking care of yourself! Sorry I missed the Utah Trip, but I had to represent the team in Ely.

Ran into the Shredder you sent us. He was wearing a Coconino shirt and it wasn't Smithers, McD or me so I thought I'd stop him. Rode with him and his nice blue Coconino on Monday. Reno is quite the Nexus of Flagstaff transplants and Coconino-philes!

Peace-Out!

Mike, Reno

Anonymous said...

Steve,

I always enjoy your posts, your pics, your builds and watching you progress on your recovery. I'm in Riverside, CA and hoping to spend some time with Mark McD this evening.

~Reed

Anonymous said...

Steve,

I wasn't sure you'd read blog comments! I'll start hitting it up now.

Ed and I will be up for a motorbike ride in a couple of weeks, and to throw more money at you for my build, will call first. I WILL be changing my order at that time....something different.

Preskit Matt

RK said...

Hi steve.
Rob here. Danvers, MA

Japhy rider said...

Japhy rider here, currently residing in east L.A. area, hoping to be back to the Great Basin Deserts w/i a week - after hangin' out with the Reedster this weekend! Can't freaking wait to get my mits on one of your single speeds. All this shifting i'm doing nowadays is making me weak.

J.r.

Dan said...

Steve -

Dan down here in Phoenix. Keep it up.

Chauncey Matthews said...

Yo Steve,
I'm always checking the blog- great to see you doing so well. I'm thinking I'll head out there in August, maybe a long detour on my way to Leadville.
Starting my first customer frame tomorrow- gonna do all the building over in Dave Porter's shop- it should be a great experience!
And oh yeah, I'm getting a very cool (2nd) jig soon, I'l post some pics on FF.
Later buddy,
Chauncey- Belen, NM

Miles said...

Hey,
miles checking in from santa rosa, ca. I am an amateur frame builder and general bike geek. Here is weird bike i made http://flickr.com/photos/obitarbit/492003513/

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Paul from Santa Fe, NM. Love the frames.

Anonymous said...

Steve,
Local yokel here. Still squirreling my pennies to bring you a deposit and get on your list! Bad-ass frames man, and some of the cleanest work I've ever seen.
-Al

Anonymous said...

Hey Steve! Just got home on crossbike you built---but just barely man. The wind is raging down here in windy Wellington. I got blown into a fence on the way up the hill! Love the bike and love to see your musings on the Interweb. Keep it up! Peace.
Mike A.

Unknown said...

Hey Steve. Formerly of Phoenix, now Seattle as of last week. I doubt you remember, but I met you at Tour de Fat a couple years ago, we talked bikes for about 15 minutes. I've enjoyed the blog and I'm looking forward to next years NAHBS.

shandcycles said...

Hey Steve,
reading you loud and clear from Sunny Scotland.

Keep us up to date with your rehab.

shandcycles

Sabrosa Cycles said...

Word Steve.
Just checking in. Lemme know if'n you are interested in selling that schlumpf.
-jruss

Anonymous said...

Just checkin in from DC.
Glad to see you are doing well and the trails in Flag are not goin to waste. Miss that place...

EdelBikes said...

Bonjour from Grenoble, in the French Alps !
I always enjoy reading your posts, and your framebuilding pictures are always a great source of inspiration !
Francois / Edelbikes.com

Dave said...

Hi Steve,

I’ve been following your blog for a while now, it has been fantastic to watch you as you progress. I often look forward to your new posts!

Dave, Australia.

Anonymous said...

Steve:

You know we check in on you guys -- and nice to see you + D + the dogs getting out and about. Hopefully we'll get to back Flag soon.

best
Andrew + Meg + Momo

Anonymous said...

Hey Steve, thanks for good blog!

Greeting from other side of the Pacific.
I'm here in Osaka and the only living boy near the Shit-mano town;)

-Aki

Anonymous said...

Hey Steve,

Matty here in
hot, moist, buggy Oklahoma,

Anonymous said...

steve,
I enjoy just checking out your latest designs and reading about cool your adventures. when i grow up i want to be just like you.

- simon

Anonymous said...

yo steve, hello from marin
cameron

Anonymous said...

Hey Steve,

I check your blog at least once a week. Your zeal for life is contagious! The photos from your various adventures are beautiful...(especially when viewed from the confines of a cube in corporate america). When are you going to sell T shirts on your site? I'll take a black one. Keep on keepin' it on!
- Brad from San Diego, CA

Anonymous said...

hey Garro-
keep at the building and fishing. Great to see all the cool little techie details you do and share with us.

loving my Guinness-brown SS Coconino in SanJose, Ca....

peteCz

Walt said...

Hey Steve! Glad you're ok! Keep up the great work!

-Walt