Category: making things

Brake Lever Insulation for Winter

January 4, 2014

Riding a bicycle in winter is made easier by insulating one’s body from the metal frame, which acts as a heatsink pulling away warmth. Bicycle grips, saddle, and boots do this fairly well, but metal brake levers can quickly chill one’s fingers even with gloves on. I’d looked into some carbon fiber brakes such as the Tektro MT5.0 on the Mukluk (photo gallery retired), but $50+ seemed like a lot to spent for just a bit of extra insulation.

Earlier today I came across this post on MTBR in a thread about insulated brake levers which suggested using some heatshrink tubing to insulate the blade itself, so I’ve decided to give that a go. This was pretty easy to do, and while there are a couple slightly visible high spots and subtle wrinkles the curved part where my finger goes is smooth, and it seems to feel good.

I’ll give this a go tomorrow and see how it works out, but just basic experimentation in the basement is showing it to be warmer than the bare metal lever. Now if I could only find something to do about the metal clamp at the end of the Ergon grips…

UPDATE: After a 2+ hour ride in the snow at Bald Mountain I’m going to declare this a success. The brake lever never once felt cold, I had to consciously try to feel for a differing texture, and things just worked.

cycling making things

Raspberry Pi MAME Cabinet Retrofit Notes

December 29, 2013

Back in 2000 I built a MAME cabinet, but I haven’t used it much lately. I want to retrofit it with a higher resolution LCD screen and updated hardware and OS, so I’m thinking that a Raspberry Pi and a cheaper LCD would work well. These are my work-in-progress notes for this project:

Cabinet Changes:

Remove exhaust fan / temperature activated relay.
Remove ATX switches and lights; maybe replace with something to toggle the Raspberry Pi on and off.
Remove PC, use base plate to mount power supplies / Raspberry Pi and supporting hardware?
Swap Hagstrom KE-72 for something USB.
- Needs to support trackball.
HP ZR2440w monitor in place of CRT. ASUS VS24AH-P? 1920×1200 max from Pi.
Need to rework power on/off stuff due to Raspberry Pi not having any way to actually shut itself down.

Raspberry Pi Hardware:

v2.0 board.
Enclosure.
Powered USB hub.
WiFi adapter: Cheap dongle; Adafruit sells one.
Large SD card: 128GB?

Control Panel Hardware:

Replace Hagstrom KE-72 with I-PAC or Hagstrom KE-USB36 which may be an almost drop-in replacement.
Currently have 39 inputs. Can I work with only 36?
Panel-mount USB B.

Order of work:

Get Raspberry Pi.
Validate MAME functionality.
Update monitor.
Update control panel.

UPDATE: After the purchase of a Raspberry Pi and some extensive testing, the hardware seems nice but not capable of running MAME at any appropriate speeds. Thus this project is shelved for the time being.

computers electronics making things

This Is How It Gets Done

November 17, 2013

A scant 3.5 years ago the MMBA Metro North chapter, now known as CRAMBA-IMBA, finished completion of the first phase of official mountain bike trails at Shelby Township‘s River Bends Park. Today we had another trail work day to give the trail a nice autumn cleanup and the rerouting of a couple problematic spots.

It’s pretty amazing to me how things like this come together. A group of us, who generally all get along and work well with each other, came together and worked to make something that we enjoy even better. Even though the specific mechanics still baffle me, this is how it seems to work: people with a wide variety of skills but a common interest come together, self-organize, then volunteer their time building publicly accessible facilities that the entire community can enjoy.

As a community we essentially have two ways of making new public resources exist: we can either pay for something (via taxes, with all the overhead of getting this to happen), or we can make it happen ourselves doing the work without direct compensation, something generally known as volunteering. Parks typically don’t know what mountain bikers actually want, so for building new bike-accessible trails the best way is for us to get like-minded folks together and work with the parks to make it happen. This is what we did, and just like countless other locales across the country there are now trails that we all enjoy.

The trails at River Bends aren’t particularly challenging, but more people than I can remember have told me about getting started riding these trails. This was the goal, and it makes me, and surely everyone who has worked on these trails, very proud. We do good work.

(The photo above shows, from left to right, a number of people who were out at today’s trail day. In the top row: Mark Johnson, Erik Silvassy, Mark Senyk, Roger Class, Mike White, Rob Wedding, Bob Costello, Jeremy Verbeke (Co-Trail Coordinator at River Bends), Rodney Gullett, and Deanna Velasco. Second row: Aaron Burgess, Steve Vigneau (me, the other Co-Trail Coordinator at River Bends), Art Fleming, and Jeremy Kozak. Down in front is Jude, who is Mike White’s son and a perpetual presence at trail work days. Not pictured are the folks who were had to leave early or were out grabbing food for the rest of us, including Greg Kuhn, Chris Goddard, Erik Silvassy, Kristi Heuvers, Erick Mile, Katie Mile, Nick Shue, Marty Shue, or Pete Kresmery.)

cycling making things outdoors politics

Remarking the Seasonal Loop at River Bends

November 11, 2013

River Bends is going to have a bit of remarking at the CRAMBA-IMBA trail day this weekend, and in preparation I removed most of the the wrong-way signs from the segment formerly known as the Seasonal Loops. A number of these signs were no longer necessary, and a handful of them had been shot with airsoft pellets to the extent that they weren’t very readable from a distance.

At some point in the next year or so I hope we are able to replace many of these with more permanent Carsonite-type fiberglass markers (such as this one at Bloomer), but for now it’ll be more of the same corrugated plastic and vinyl markers, color coordinated with the map.

acquired things cycling making things outdoors

Home-Made Chili Powder

November 9, 2013

This past week I removed all the furnatire from the porch, cut down the past year’s dying flowers, and brought the perennials in the house. One of the plants to trim was a chili (of which type both Danielle and I forget), which grew very mild, nice fruits. Since there were some chilis left on the plant I cut them off, tossed them in the food dehydrator, and this evening after they were sufficiently dry ground them into chili powder.

The photo above shows the tops and seeds that I cut off them poured out before putting them in the spice grinder, something I did because I didn’t want seed-heavy spicy powder. The result is a very gentle, almost buttery tasting paprika-like powder that’ll go wonderfully on eggs and other light-tasting food. I think it also might do nice things on popcorn.

food making things

Repurposed Carsonite and Fiberglass Splinters

August 24, 2013

Over the last year Bloomer Park‘s mountain bike route has become increasingly better marked, but unfortunately some of the installed signs had become vandalized. The former Trail Coordinator saved some of these, and today I finally got around to cutting them down into smaller pieces that can be screwed to posts or trees.

These should be quite useful at Bloomer, as there’s a few places which could benefit from additional marking, and it makes me happy to repurpose what had been scrap into something usable. I imagine that when River Bends undergoes its next round of marking we’ll use something similar to what Bloomer will end up with: a combination of tree/post based markers like these and the typical ground-inserted marker.

Out of three 72″ Carsonite Dual Sided Markers I was able to salvage 16 11″ markers and two 8″ markers. With the reflective decals being 3″ tall this should allow for the taller pieces to hold three decals and the smaller to hold two†. Each piece had a 1/4″ hole drilled in the top and bottom, centered, 1/2″ from each end.

While cutting these I made sure to wear a dust-filtering respirator and safety glasses, but I should have worn some nitrile or perhaps leather gloves. I seem to have ended up with a few fiberglass splinters which are small enough that I can’t see them, but whose presence is clearly known whenever I touch something. I hope they work themselves out soon.

† Sizing based on Rockart, Inc’s Tree Hugger marker recommendation that markers be chosen 2″ taller than the combined height of all decals. This is to allow room for the drilled holes and decals while keeping the marker compact.

making things

Fruit Flies!

August 16, 2013

The kitchen has a bunch of fruit flies in it, and apparantly they are coming from (or at least feeding on) the hole in the top of this banana. Based on their light color I suspect these are very young fruit flies, so they are probably breeding in there as well.

After sealing it in a zip-top bag I’ve thrown out the remaining bananas, but not after taking the most-rotted upper section and putting it in a pint glass, covering the top with foil, and piercing it with a toothpick (photo). Hopefully this will work nicely as trap for the remaining flies that seem to be lingering in the area. Ten minutes or so have passed since I assembled the makeshift trap and it already contains four flies, so it looks promising.

around the house food making things

Three Washers

August 12, 2013

By adding three washers to each end of the trainer quick release I’m able to keep the trainer from making contact with the frame on the Jamis Nova. Without these washers the ends of the mounting arms just barely contact the frame, and with the bike moving around while on the trainer I could see it causing a bit of paint flaking and/or damage over time.

I’ve got no interest in riding on the trainer now, but this was a problem that I wanted to resolve long before cold weather arrives, and now it’s done. I’ve also got a trainer tire and appropriately-small tube, so I should be ready to go whenever I decide that riding the trainer sounds fun. I can’t imagine that’ll be any time soon, though.

cycling making things

Rotating Bicycle Cue Sheet

August 10, 2013

I once saw a cue sheet like this somewhere online, so I figured I’d give it a go for tomorrow’s ride. I’m hoping that instead of the MOT I’ll be able to take dirt roads for a round-about path to my parents’ house in Richmond, and this illustrates the roads that I’m not already familiar with.

Instead of a flat page and some manner of holder this is a basic paper loop around the bars, listing turns one after another. It can then be hand-rotated to advance the list. I currently list the name of the road, which direction I should be going on it, and if it’s at the end of the previous road (a T intersection). Next time I may make the font smaller, better clarify the intersection type, and note the distance on each road.

While I could have put a cue sheet into my Garmin bike computer it takes a fair bit longer than printing a basic note, and when I last tried it with a slightly older Garmin (Edge 500 vs. my current 510) it wasn’t the most reliable, so I’m hesitant to try it again. The paper band has the limitation of font and bar size dictating the upper capacity limits, it’s not really waterproof (laser printing only goes so far), and it could get torn off. But it’s also super-easy to do.

Hopefully the ride will go as planned and the cue sheet will be a positive contribution.

UPDATE: This worked out very well. I’ll be using this cue sheet mounting technique in the future.

cycling making things

Home-Made Protein Bars

May 26, 2013

Earlier this year I asked Danielle if she’d come up with some manner of food / energy / protein bar for me to eat while doing longer bike rides. She took this Protein Bar recipe from Good Eats and adapted it to use things we had around the house, and they came out quite nice. I’ve eaten some of this stuff on all of the long rides I’ve done recently, and it seems to help quite a bit by getting some solid food in my stomach.

Once baked these have a nice, slightly fruity and peanut butter-y taste, and by cutting them, putting them in individual sandwich bags and freezing, it’s easy to take one out and thaw it before (or on the first part of) a longer ride. I’ve found that a large pizza cutter (rolling style) works very well for cutting these into individual pieces.

Here’s what goes into them — the adapted recipe:

4 oz. Vanilla Protein Powder
2 1/2 oz. Oat Bran
3 1/4 oz. Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
11 oz. Dried Cranberries (Substitute other dried fruit as desired.)
1 oz. Sweetened Coconut Flakes
12.3 oz. Soft Silken Tofu (Typically one package.)
1/2 cup Carrot Juice
4 oz. Light Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs, Beaten
170g Peanut Butter (Natural as possible, peanuts and salt only.)

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line a 13″ x 9″ baking pan/dish with parchment and coat with oil.
In a large bowl combine protein powder, oat bran, wheat flower, and salt. Whisk together.
Coarsely chop the dried fruit. Set aside in a small bowl.
In a third bowl, whisk the tofu until smooth, then add the carrot juice, brown sugar, eggs, and peanut butter and process until smooth. A stick blender can help with this.
Slowly add the the protein powder mixture into the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
Fold in the dried fruit and coconut flakes.
Pour into pan and spread into an even layer.
Bake for around 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 222°F.
Remove from oven, cool completely, then cut into the desired number of pieces.

Nutritional info for the entire batch, for the original recipe, which should be close to the modified version:

Calories: 4008 kcal
Total Fat: 120 g
Saturated Fat: 24 g
Protein: 192 g
Total Carbohydrates: 552 g
Sugar: 336 g
Fiber: 72 g
Cholesterol: 432 mg
Sodium: 1896 mg

I typically cut this batch into around 12 pieces, resulting in ~334 kcal and around 16 g of protein per bar. Most of them go into the freezer in individual plastic bags, and then I just take one two on each longer ride.

cycling food health making things