Don't let this happen to you: Bicycle chain maintenence

Here is what an extremely dirty bicycle chain looks like. This chain had so much gunk on it that it was causing drag on the chain so that the derailleur would unwind when peddling backwards. The proper way to lube a chain, is to first clean it. Automotive brake cleaner or paint thinner work pretty well. Then lube the chain, let it sit for 10 minutes, and wipe as much of the lube off as possible with a rag. I'm now using a wax based lube that I have to apply weekly (100 miles of riding).

Schwinn Calante and 4 cross spoke pattern.

Our pastors ride together for exercise, and they ride to a yearly conference somewhere in Indiana. One of them has an old Schwinn that I have worked on several times. The rear wheel has broken spokes several times. The spokes that break are the forward facing spokes on the side opposite of the gears. The non-drive spokes have less tension than the drive side, and the forward facing spokes get relaxed when torque is applied while riding. This constant tension-relaxing bends the spoke at the head and it eventually breaks. Why does this wheel break spokes more than other wheels? I think this must be due to the unusual cross 4 pattern. This causes the spokes to be at a more severe angle to the hub and therefore get relaxed more. I'm not 100% sure of this, because another pastor had a similar problem, and I changed the non-drive side to 2 cross pattern, and he still broke spokes. I ended up replacing wheels for both of them. Hopefully they won't have problems on this years long ride.

Cross 4 spoke pattern (each spoke crosses 4 other spokes) with broken forward facing spoke on the non drive side.

Bicycle Recycling and repair

I saved money for college during high school assembling and repairing bicycles. This was during the bicycle boom of the 1970's. I've done it off and on as a hobby since then, so I have a lot of experience. I started commuting 10 miles each way to work a few years ago when gas prices hit $4/gallon. I completely rebuilt a Trek cross bike, and then upgraded to a Trek road bike.

Anyway, because it's fun, I offer bicycle tune-ups for only $10 plus the cost of any needed parts. All proceeds go to charity. The charity I'm working on now is to save money to replace the boiler heating system in our church with a more energy efficient one. I figure that if I can get more people riding bicycles, that will save some CO2 emissions, and if I can use the proceeds for a more efficient heating system, then that will save the planet even more. Of course the work of our church is to save peoples souls which are even more important than our planet.

By the way, if your looking for a good Bible believing church in Kokomo check out Bible Baptist.
-Mike

Online Freelancing

I'm a full time electrical engineer, but I'm interested in freelance work on nights and weekends.

Here are some samples of my work.

I'm interested in voice talent assignments, so here is a sample of my voice.
I also like to use and program Excel. Here's an example I did for a missions agency.

Mike McDermott

Make your own bicyle fenders

I started commuting to work in the spring/summer of 2008. I rebuilt a TREK bike that was left in an apartment in Lafayette, IN. It was a mountain/cross bike, and was able to start commuting after getting lights for it. I chose the Cygolight HiFlux 100 for the headlight. I use NiMH C-Cell batteries that last for several hours. I don't know for sure, but probably 10-20. My commute is 10 miles each way, and it's only dark during the ride to work. For the rear light, I chose the Planet Bike. I've had 3 people tell me that this is really visible. Two of them saw me a mile away.

I don't intentionally ride in the rain, but I got caught a couple of times and the spray off of the 1.5" tires was worse than the rain falling from the sky. I had some leftover fenders that I mounted and it really helped. These fenders are removable and the rear fender is only a "half" fender.

This winter, I bought a road bike, w/ 700C size wheels. It has 23mm tires, and it rides much faster than the Cross bike. I was searching for fenders for that bike, and came across Kent's Blog, on coroplast fenders. Instructions here. I thought I'd show pictures of what I did with his ideas. I got some extra coroplast from a local sign shop for free. I think my project would have more character if I had used signs like Ken did, but that's OK.

I got a long piece of coroplast so I could do the rear fender in one piece. I used the rack to support the fender, and cut the coroplast to fit between the rear stays near the bottom bracket. I went over the rear brake just like Ken did, although I really wanted not to have to do that.

For the front, I used some old brackets originally designed for mounting reflectors to attach the front fender, so I didn't have to go around the fork like Ken did. I also made a wide spot at the rear of the front fender. This serves 2 purposes. It, provides a spray shield and it also helps form the rear fender, so I can get by with a single piece of coroplast to attach the fender to the fork. Update: I later added the 2nd piece from the hub to the fender because I was getting some rubbing

I ordered some Scotchbright reflective tape, and will be applying this to my fenders so I show up even better in the dark.

UPDATE: I've been using real fenders for the last several years. They are closer to the tires and keep the spray down a lot more. I really had to monkey with them to get them to fit on this old road bike frame. I use 25mm tires, and there is hardly any room between the tires and the fender. If I catch a stone it will scrap the fender. I think the newer road bike frames have even less room for fenders. I think you need to get a cyclocross or touring frame for fenders.

Shaving

I grew up using an electric shaver. I had several Remington shavers through the years, and finally a few years ago I had one that quit working in some way. I forget how, but the trimmer was always up or something like that. They sent me another one that did the same thing after a few months. At that point I switched to a Braun razor, but I was never satisfied with the shave.

For the first time, I tried blade shaving. I started w/ a Gillette Mach 3 and shaving cream. The blades were getting expensive, so I found All About Shaving on the web. They sell cryogenically treated razor blades and they really do last longer. (Note "All About Shaving not longer sells anything but shaving oil, and you can get that at Walmart for 1/4th the price) I get about 2 weeks out of regular blades and a month or so out of their blades. I've gone back and forth between the Mach 3 and the newer 5 bladed Gillette razor blades. (Note: We're going to be trying out the new M5 Magnum razor available at Walmart for $6 and there are currently $2 coupons available on the 'net'. It's replacement blades are much less expensive than Gillette or others. UPDATE: The Magnum razor has a structure to tie the 5 blades together at several points. This makes the blades stiff, but harder to clean. Also I've noticed the Magnum blades are not as sharp as Gillette and don't last as long. -Mike

You can get this an other blades cryogenic treated here. They claim 300% longer blade life, but I think 100% is closer to reality.)

They also sell shaving oil. I've found the same product at Walmart on the bottom shelf in the shaving isle. To use this you really have to shave in the shower in order to get your face wet enough. You apply 3 drops, rub it into your face and shave. You can re-wet your face and shave again for an even closer shave. No need to add more oil.

They also sell this "Razor Mate" thing which is a place to put your razor and it contains magnets that supposedly make your blades last longer. I've found it doesn't seem to do anything.

I have no financial interest in All About Shaving.

Toothbrushes

I recently bought an Oral B Professional Care 7550 toothbrush on ebay for under $20. According to ConsumerSearch, the 9400 is the best electric toothbrush. I read elsewhere that all ProfessionalCare toothbrushes have the same cleaning action, so the one I found was a used 7550. I used ebay's feature to email me when used professional toothbrushes come up. I also found 20 of the toothbrush heads for less than $20. Locally they cost more than that for only 3. I've found this electric toothbrush to be awesome! It feels like when the dentist polishes you teeth. Oral health is important. It's even linked to heart disease. I had a small problem w/ bleeding after flossing before using the electric toothbrush, and this went away in just a few days. I recommend everyone get one of these!