Suzy and Joel and Owen and Evie

Filed by joel at 11:03 pm under Uncategorized
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Owen loves trucks. There’s no question about it. And we believe what the New York Times printed today: simpler toys are better. It’s not just a matter of nostalgia; today’s toys do everything for kids. I mean, it’s hard to find a truck that doesn’t rumble on its own. If there’s one thing Owen can do, he can give Michael Winslow a run for his money.Playtime is time to use the imagination. The simpler toys are more easily used in many ways instead of the single purpose the marketers imagined. Take a look at all the Lego-brand building kits. A box with enough pieces to make the item printed on the front. Whoop-de-freakin’-do! When I was a kid (insert throat-clearing phlegmy sound here), we had a box of rectangular pieces and that was that. And we turned out OK!Anyway, some things do remain the same. Owen just happens to be wearing the Vietnam-era pants that his daddy wore at his age.

Filed by joel at 4:52 am under Owen
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Last Sunday Mt. Kisco’s fire companies (there are four!) had an open house, so we thought Owen would like to check it out - especially the rides around town on their various engines!Owen didn’t seem to notice, but on one ride Sue got to blow the air horn & I got to turn on the siren. We probably had more fun with it than he did.We took a ride in a rescue truck, a large rescue truck, and a pump engine made by Pierce of Appleton, Wisconsin! The driver was mighty surprised to learn that I grew up not far from there. Kisco is loyal to Pierce engines. In fact, they’re getting ready to buy a new engine and sell one that’s about 20 years old. Lots of these engines go down South, where “the economy is different.” Mostly, the pumps and hydraulics wear out.

Filed by admin at 4:26 am under Owen
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I don’t know when the bug started, but I took the plunge and put together a fixed gear* for commuting. It’s a Jamie Roy, imported by a guy on Staten Island, and amazingly has geometry really, really, really close to my custom IF. I had a bunch of spare parts so I only had to get a couple of things in addition to the frameset.One of the reasons for riding the fixed to work is that I need to make the most of the short time I’m spending on the bike. Without shifting or coasting, my commute becomes just that much harder. Today I rode for the first time, and the theory is right! On my way home I noticed that I was tiring out.Plus, an inexpensive bike that doesn’t coast is less attractive to thieves. And riding a fixed is cool!I’d say this was a qualified success (by which I mean a pyrrhic victory). First, I proved that I could ride a fixed gear around in Westchester (contrary to what those naysayers at Hickory & Tweed in Armonk say!). Second, I learned that bunny-hopping on a fixed is possible (though not necessarily pretty nor elegant). And third, I learned what happens when the cog slips against the lockring.I believe the el-cheapo cog that I got with the frame didn’t have enough thread depth to fully engage the hub, even with a bottom bracket spacer to take up the slack. When I backpedaled to slow down, the cog moved partly off the threads, and they couldn’t hold their own. It’s not totally trash, because the other side of the hub is threaded for a freewheel. It looks like I’m going to shell out for a new wheel. If anyone has suggestions for a moderately-priced good-quality fixed-gear hub (with 130mm spacing) drop me a line.*For those of you unfamiliar with a “fixed gear,” think “no coasting.” The rear cog does not freewheel. If the wheel is turning, then the cranks also have to turn. The bike also only has one gear. No downshifting for going uphill, and your legs spin like crazy on the way down! For riding on the road, you can see that I have a brake on the front. Some folks rely solely on resisting the pedals or skidding their rear tire to stop, but other folks have a family.

Filed by admin at 3:22 am under Uncategorized
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