So I’m at the SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, TX. What an amazing festival and what an amazing city. The city is vibrant, the festival is WOW, and the downtown bike culture is amazing. Austin is somewhat like Lincoln, NE (but without smelling so much like vomit). Pics of some day one observations follow.
According to allmusic.com this is Phish’s 11th studio album (Is it still OK to call it an album? Maybe so since it is also available on vinyl. Anyway…) and, for me, it doesn’t compare very well to their classic studio album Farmhouse. There are some good Phish moments and it is a good album (that word again) but it isn’t a great Phish album.
This is the latest release from the guy I think of as the master of “Small Rock.” His last release left a lot to be desired but he is definitely back to the Mike Doughty that released Haughty Melodic. I highly recommend this album!
It turns out that one of the plugins I was using was incompatible with Wordpress 2.8. I replaced it with a plugin that does the same thing. The new plugin required something not found in my preferred theme so I had to change themes. This is completely annoying.
I just upgraded to Wordpress 2.8 and now I have problems. More to come.
I have no idea how to classify this music but I really like it. It definitely isn’t for everyone (the girls hate it so particularly enjoy listening to this when they’re in the car) but is worth a listen. It is a great change of pace from most of what’s being released these days.
As much as I gush about the Miyata, it still isn’t perfect so I made another round of changes.
So what’s next? At some point that under-the-bottom bracket U brake has got to go. While it stops the bike very effectively it is ridiculously hard to adjust. This will mean having canti studs brazed to the seat stays and some cable guides brazed to the top tube (and I won’t forget a pump peg this time around), but that’ll be worth it (and give me an excuse to have the bike powder coated!). I’ll also need to install a sealed bottom bracket and new headset at that point. But that’s for another Saturday.
I finally got annoyed enough with the nags that I upgraded to the current version of WordPress.
This bike is, practically speaking, done. The only task left to complete is wrapping the handlebars. I am waiting on this until I am certain the brake and shift levers are where I want them. I’m glad I popped for the aero brake levers but I have to admit, the Suntour Command shifters are different. I have a slight issue with the front derailleur lever but I will be able to work it out as I get used to the bike. I am very pleased with they way the bike feels. It is very comfortable and those Avid Shorty brakes certainly make short work of stopping this machine. Time to ride!
As is usually the case, the first weekend of hard-core assembly ended with an incomplete bike. I had two primary issues:
Because I had to wait on parts to address both issues I decided I would address some additional non-critical issues:
So all these new bits & pieces are on the work bench awaiting the weekend so I can complete the assembly. Stay tuned for more pictures and updates over the next few days!
I got the call this morning – Big W was done powder coating the frame! They did a GREAT job! Pumpkin Orange is the color of choice for my “new” ride and the pictures below are better than any words I could use to describe the result.
If the UPS tracking site is correct the bottom bracket, headset, brakes, tires, and a few other bits & pieces are in Lenexa and will be in my garage by tomorrow. This weekend the bike will be assembled and ready to ride!
