But damn is it a fine idea.
Get the riff raff (like me and chabot) back out of the front and let Skinny and Dwight and Mahk battle it out up front. If one of the cat twos or threes can make it up and catch those ones? good for them.
Certainly now finally gives Masters incentive to upgrade. Esp if you want to go to nationals.
Nice job Brad.
Monday, July 13, 2009
30 minute brake job
Brakes are one of the easiest things to change on a car. Disc brakes that is. Drums can be easier but also can be way messier. And when your car has rotors designed to thin down with the pads so they are replaced pads and rotors as a set, it is nice and simple.
Usually.
The golf generally is pretty nice. I've only changed them once in the 289,000 miles or so. Yes. Front and rear brakes made it to 230k or so before needing to be replaced. Yes, I am a light/early braker. I hate late braking drivers, both as being a passenger and as a pedestrian. You know the types. Slam on the brake just before the stop sign.
So anyway, yeah second time.
The right rear has been making a bit of noise and the pads were pretty damn close (well the outside that I could see). Finally got around to changing them sunday afternoon.
A pair Zimmerman rotors, a box or TRW pads, two bottles of NAPA brake clean, and a tube of Napa Syl-glide. Oh and new set screws, mostly because I figured they are cheap might as well put new ones in.
Simple job eh? Yup. Very simple. Jack up the car, take wheel off. take caliper off, remove pads, take out set screw, remove rotor. Reset caliper, put it back together.
Should be 30 minutes. That's #1 assuming you have all the tools you need on hand and that everything comes off easy. And well that wasn't a good assumption.
First up problem. Couldn't get the damn pads off. Wound up needing a cold chisel/punch to get the pads off. Oops the inside was well down into the metal, no wonder if was being loud. Shit. Okay, now. Unscrew little screw. No go. Not budging. Not to mention it is hard to unscrew on somethingthat spins really easily. At least i know the wheel bearings are still in good shape.
Shit. My bro is tied down and his awesome electric impact wrench is not going to be easy to get to. Okay. PB Blaster do your stuff. Nope. Damn it, phillips head is stripping out. Crap. Easyout time. Grab the drill. A 1/4 bit, drill it out. Stick the easy out in there and it just comes right out easy as cake. Okay that was a 30 minute adventure (finding the tools and all that).
Time to clean it all off. And now to reset the caliper.
I've got this awesome tool that my friend Chuck made. Mine doesn't have the bonus 15mm, but i've got plenty of thin/strong 15mm (pedal wrench and such) no problem. I got to wind the brakes back up. See these VWs have the rotating thing going on. You can't just push the piston back in with some channel locks. You've gotta push and twist (clockwise) to reset it. And me with my pads completely gone, well the piston is out too far for this tool. Had to take the toothed thing off (find a metric allen wrench to do that) and then push and turn the piston with channel locks to get it to go in far enough so I could re-assemble the tool and get it to go back together. Well that was unexpected. But not insurmountable. Okay - so far no problem. Put new grease on everything, clean off rotor with spray... get it mounted up, new screw (torx head fingers crossed it comes out easier than a phillips). Stick the pads on, caliper back on. Wheel on, torqued down. Time to do the other side. Took about 1/3 the time. tried unscrewing but after it didn't budge I just said fuck it, i've got the stuff here, and drilled and pulled it out. These pads weren't as bad, a couple millimeters left on each side. Material was pretty brittle though. The parking brake actuator is frozen on this side. Need to probably just replace the whole caliper assembly at some point.
Got it all buttoned back up. Had all i needed on hand (once i found the tools). Now I gotta figure out why the parking brake actuator on the Passat is doing the opposite of the Golf (it moves too freely, and doesn't apply any force to the pads).
But it was a nice sunny sunday afternoon to get dirty and covered in black.
No riding, nothing. Weekend off. And this morning the legs felt great. G-ride actually won a race. That's amazing in itself. But not really - he's got the potential. We'll see if we can carry or 'well matched slowness' into a third year, or if he'll leap frog past me with all his fixed and single speed riding he's been doing.
Oh and Il Brucie passed something pretty funny on. Gotta get it in here.
That guy in the video looks like G-ride a little, at least about the same tiny size.
Busted scopes all around here today. We're on the 4th databoard and they can't figure out why they keep blowing. some labs haven't been able to get results for over 2 months... pretty frustrating... Ah well... someone's gotta be here to yell at the microscope company...
heddwch
G
Usually.
The golf generally is pretty nice. I've only changed them once in the 289,000 miles or so. Yes. Front and rear brakes made it to 230k or so before needing to be replaced. Yes, I am a light/early braker. I hate late braking drivers, both as being a passenger and as a pedestrian. You know the types. Slam on the brake just before the stop sign.
So anyway, yeah second time.
The right rear has been making a bit of noise and the pads were pretty damn close (well the outside that I could see). Finally got around to changing them sunday afternoon.
A pair Zimmerman rotors, a box or TRW pads, two bottles of NAPA brake clean, and a tube of Napa Syl-glide. Oh and new set screws, mostly because I figured they are cheap might as well put new ones in.
Simple job eh? Yup. Very simple. Jack up the car, take wheel off. take caliper off, remove pads, take out set screw, remove rotor. Reset caliper, put it back together.
Should be 30 minutes. That's #1 assuming you have all the tools you need on hand and that everything comes off easy. And well that wasn't a good assumption.
First up problem. Couldn't get the damn pads off. Wound up needing a cold chisel/punch to get the pads off. Oops the inside was well down into the metal, no wonder if was being loud. Shit. Okay, now. Unscrew little screw. No go. Not budging. Not to mention it is hard to unscrew on somethingthat spins really easily. At least i know the wheel bearings are still in good shape.
Shit. My bro is tied down and his awesome electric impact wrench is not going to be easy to get to. Okay. PB Blaster do your stuff. Nope. Damn it, phillips head is stripping out. Crap. Easyout time. Grab the drill. A 1/4 bit, drill it out. Stick the easy out in there and it just comes right out easy as cake. Okay that was a 30 minute adventure (finding the tools and all that).
Time to clean it all off. And now to reset the caliper.
I've got this awesome tool that my friend Chuck made. Mine doesn't have the bonus 15mm, but i've got plenty of thin/strong 15mm (pedal wrench and such) no problem. I got to wind the brakes back up. See these VWs have the rotating thing going on. You can't just push the piston back in with some channel locks. You've gotta push and twist (clockwise) to reset it. And me with my pads completely gone, well the piston is out too far for this tool. Had to take the toothed thing off (find a metric allen wrench to do that) and then push and turn the piston with channel locks to get it to go in far enough so I could re-assemble the tool and get it to go back together. Well that was unexpected. But not insurmountable. Okay - so far no problem. Put new grease on everything, clean off rotor with spray... get it mounted up, new screw (torx head fingers crossed it comes out easier than a phillips). Stick the pads on, caliper back on. Wheel on, torqued down. Time to do the other side. Took about 1/3 the time. tried unscrewing but after it didn't budge I just said fuck it, i've got the stuff here, and drilled and pulled it out. These pads weren't as bad, a couple millimeters left on each side. Material was pretty brittle though. The parking brake actuator is frozen on this side. Need to probably just replace the whole caliper assembly at some point.
Got it all buttoned back up. Had all i needed on hand (once i found the tools). Now I gotta figure out why the parking brake actuator on the Passat is doing the opposite of the Golf (it moves too freely, and doesn't apply any force to the pads).
But it was a nice sunny sunday afternoon to get dirty and covered in black.
No riding, nothing. Weekend off. And this morning the legs felt great. G-ride actually won a race. That's amazing in itself. But not really - he's got the potential. We'll see if we can carry or 'well matched slowness' into a third year, or if he'll leap frog past me with all his fixed and single speed riding he's been doing.
Oh and Il Brucie passed something pretty funny on. Gotta get it in here.
Unhappy with the negative, non-attacking racing during this weekend's mountain stages the Tour de France management has announced new rules for the Stage 18 time trial in Annecy. This is not the first unusual and controversial rule change in this year's race. The use of radios for rider communication has been banned for two stages as an experiment: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vasseur-questions-managers-opposition-to-tour-radio-ban
The radio ban will be considered minor after the time trial ruling. Upset that 4 major mountain passes have not opened up any time gaps among the leaders and eager to inject some non-Lance related drama race organizers have instituted the most dramatic TT rule changes sine the allowance of aerobars.
In a move guaranteed to open up big time gaps as well as reward bike handling skills riders will be penalized 5 seconds for each second, or fraction thereof, their front wheel is in contact with the pavement.
French amateur Remi Uneroue demonstrates the required TT technique:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_6lSLuwU6Q
il Bruce
That guy in the video looks like G-ride a little, at least about the same tiny size.
Busted scopes all around here today. We're on the 4th databoard and they can't figure out why they keep blowing. some labs haven't been able to get results for over 2 months... pretty frustrating... Ah well... someone's gotta be here to yell at the microscope company...
heddwch
G
Friday, July 10, 2009
wake me up
Cause i'm wicked tired right now.
The TT went okay. Better than the last time. Not by much, but by enough to make me not feel too bad about it. About the same position (6th or so overall IIRC) at two weeks ago, just a bit faster. Still no feed back. I wonder if I took it a bit too easy at the start. Not wanting to blow up too soon, the little rises before the turn on the reynolds kind of were kicking my ass a bit.
10 seconds slower than my slowest time last year, crap. But hey at least it I'm getting closer to it. Putting some feedback I think will help, and one of these times i'll get it on there. I'm too good at deceiving myself on the bike at this point. Thinking I'm going hard enough isn't good enough. I know myself and I always tend to set the upper safety limit too low. The feedback (speed) seems to help me focus. I kept the cadence up but was a gear or two shy of where I really needed to be. Foley Ripped off a damn fine time though. A minute twenty faster than a week or so ago.
On the plus side i didn't get caught by my 30s or 60s man, and I was worried about the 60s guy. 60s guy put well over a minute into me the last time out.
Now maybe next time i'll remember to see about getting the road shoes out. The mt bike ones can't be that aero. maybe i'll have to borrow a helmet. But hell i broke into sub 19 minutes last year. I should be able to do it w/o an aero helmet.
Yeah. Introspecting on a damn weekly TT series.
That race just north of here in Attleboro is happening tomorrow. I'd sort of hoped it was going to be on the sunday again, but nope. Sort of in the back of my mind to maybe try and show up in time for the cat 4 race. We'll see though. less likely than likely at this point. The kids race conflicts with long standing plans so that's not an incentive to get there. Probably will go up and watch a team mate compete in the 70.3 race.
I wish the WMSR wasn't #1 so far north/the other side of boston #2 at a time when working people could actually get there. I had fun at the race when i did it, but the driving wrecked me to get there. Can't be a working man and take the week off to do it either.
Riding home last night as the sun was setting a bit behind me, glaced over at the lighthouse and realized, i haven't taken any pictures lately.
I've got a feeling about the knee problem. Going to try something for a bit to see if I can eliminate the inflammation problem. The break last week didn't really help.
And hey, what do you know. There's a headwind. And it is warm and sunny. Gonna be a damn crowded ride home. Just gotta take it slow and mellow and not let the hoards of people packing a few too many pounds out "exercising" get to me. Zen, chill, relax.
heddwch
G
The TT went okay. Better than the last time. Not by much, but by enough to make me not feel too bad about it. About the same position (6th or so overall IIRC) at two weeks ago, just a bit faster. Still no feed back. I wonder if I took it a bit too easy at the start. Not wanting to blow up too soon, the little rises before the turn on the reynolds kind of were kicking my ass a bit.
10 seconds slower than my slowest time last year, crap. But hey at least it I'm getting closer to it. Putting some feedback I think will help, and one of these times i'll get it on there. I'm too good at deceiving myself on the bike at this point. Thinking I'm going hard enough isn't good enough. I know myself and I always tend to set the upper safety limit too low. The feedback (speed) seems to help me focus. I kept the cadence up but was a gear or two shy of where I really needed to be. Foley Ripped off a damn fine time though. A minute twenty faster than a week or so ago.
On the plus side i didn't get caught by my 30s or 60s man, and I was worried about the 60s guy. 60s guy put well over a minute into me the last time out.
Now maybe next time i'll remember to see about getting the road shoes out. The mt bike ones can't be that aero. maybe i'll have to borrow a helmet. But hell i broke into sub 19 minutes last year. I should be able to do it w/o an aero helmet.
Yeah. Introspecting on a damn weekly TT series.
That race just north of here in Attleboro is happening tomorrow. I'd sort of hoped it was going to be on the sunday again, but nope. Sort of in the back of my mind to maybe try and show up in time for the cat 4 race. We'll see though. less likely than likely at this point. The kids race conflicts with long standing plans so that's not an incentive to get there. Probably will go up and watch a team mate compete in the 70.3 race.
I wish the WMSR wasn't #1 so far north/the other side of boston #2 at a time when working people could actually get there. I had fun at the race when i did it, but the driving wrecked me to get there. Can't be a working man and take the week off to do it either.
Riding home last night as the sun was setting a bit behind me, glaced over at the lighthouse and realized, i haven't taken any pictures lately.
I've got a feeling about the knee problem. Going to try something for a bit to see if I can eliminate the inflammation problem. The break last week didn't really help.
And hey, what do you know. There's a headwind. And it is warm and sunny. Gonna be a damn crowded ride home. Just gotta take it slow and mellow and not let the hoards of people packing a few too many pounds out "exercising" get to me. Zen, chill, relax.
heddwch
G
Thursday, July 09, 2009
race against the clock tonight
Am I ready? I dunno. Here's to a nice tailwind or something.
I've go the rig ready to go. Trail #4 mixed up. I took it easy this morning, mellow and chill. I even put arm warmers and a sleeveless baselayer on before taking the littlest down to camp this morning.
Oh and what a trip down it was. So cool. First we see a blue jay and a few other birds on the side of the trail, only to have them fly off to see a little mouse chasing its tail on the bike path edge. Weird. We turn the semi-truck around (the Giant with the T-a-B on it) so L can get a better view. Sure enough, this little cute mouse is just running in circles. Paying no attention to us at all. Weird. I nudged it with a stick. It stopped for a minute then just continued chasing his tail in circles. I wonder what was wrong with him. He's dog/cat or bird food by now. Then a couple hundred yards down we spy a red wing black bird. Dead. So we circled back around to get a better view.
Already the ride in was fun. Cold. But L had changed out of her shorts and into pants and the sweater was keeping her warm. Yeah, on July 9th (my little sister's birthday), sweater and long pants.
We get down to where I have seen a woodchuck/big fat rodent thing on a regular basis and talk about seeing it but not today. Then just before we get to the pond, I look down the overgrown access road/path to see a deer in profile. Swing the semi-truck around so the little one can have a good view of it. And so we added a Deer to what we saw.
Down by the pond there were three families of Canadian Geese. The babies had most of the adult colored feathers, just a few bits of the juvi fuzz on their necks. The mommas and the pappas were hissing maddly at us. But no attacks fortunately.
So...
mouse running in circles
red wing black bird that was dead
a deer
big baby Canadian geese
Quite the list on a 2.5 mile trip from our house to the Y. And with the T-a-B she get an even better view of what's around us than in the trailer.
Last night is was pouring and dumping all around us. I left work, headed home, grabbed the T-a-B with the black clouds all around but blue sky above, calls from my wife saying "it is storming up here" "it isn't here i'll still get her" "call me if if gets too bad" "okay" back to time trial mode.
Got there without a drop. Clouds passing around and over head. Load her up. Put her jacket on for good measure. And we start going fast. She's even pedaling a bit to help. We're racing the rain. Last week the positive thoughts worked to keep the rain away from a party, so I told L that we needed to think positively that we could get home without the rain. Faster daddy faster. L saying there is a lot of wind (and there was blowing off the pond).
Full on TT mode (well as much as possible w/o taking hands off the hoods and with a kid on the T-a-B). We got w/in a 1/4 mile of the house and it started very very lightly raining while still being bright and sunny. We pull into the house, go around back and come in only to hear "It is POURING out here" I look back outside where i just was in the back yard, "No it isn't, it isn't even raining." Walk around to the front of the house. Holy crap. The Golf is getting absolutely DRENCHED in a downpour, but the Passat is completely dry. The rain line stopped exactly where we turned up along the Passat to go around to the back yard. Crazy. Not to mention seeing such an absolute hard edge of rain/no rain.
Oh one thing on the way in, I felt the bike jerk to the left and peaked back over my shoulder to see L leaning all the way over on that side trying to look around me. I asked what she was doing "Trying to see around your BIG BUTT Daddy!" That made me crack up. Just look at the size of me there in Russ's shot from the back of the 3/4 race in CT. I do have a big butt. But then sitting there next to this guy, not so big looking. Man do we has some wicked small wheels on those bikes eh?
TT tonight and I'm taking my big non-aero Butt (what's the point in having wicked narrow aero bars if your ass sticks out 6" a side) and gonna see what I can do. Might even try and pick up a pacing device of some sort.
What a stage of the tour. Millar almost hanging on, but big Thor powering out and crushing everyone. That was awesome. And hey - Velonews has some coverage of the Giro Donne! Check it! Good stuff!
I think i should maybe remember to eat lunch today... i've got 10 minutes to scarf something down... no problem.
heddwch
G
I've go the rig ready to go. Trail #4 mixed up. I took it easy this morning, mellow and chill. I even put arm warmers and a sleeveless baselayer on before taking the littlest down to camp this morning.
Oh and what a trip down it was. So cool. First we see a blue jay and a few other birds on the side of the trail, only to have them fly off to see a little mouse chasing its tail on the bike path edge. Weird. We turn the semi-truck around (the Giant with the T-a-B on it) so L can get a better view. Sure enough, this little cute mouse is just running in circles. Paying no attention to us at all. Weird. I nudged it with a stick. It stopped for a minute then just continued chasing his tail in circles. I wonder what was wrong with him. He's dog/cat or bird food by now. Then a couple hundred yards down we spy a red wing black bird. Dead. So we circled back around to get a better view.
Already the ride in was fun. Cold. But L had changed out of her shorts and into pants and the sweater was keeping her warm. Yeah, on July 9th (my little sister's birthday), sweater and long pants.
We get down to where I have seen a woodchuck/big fat rodent thing on a regular basis and talk about seeing it but not today. Then just before we get to the pond, I look down the overgrown access road/path to see a deer in profile. Swing the semi-truck around so the little one can have a good view of it. And so we added a Deer to what we saw.
Down by the pond there were three families of Canadian Geese. The babies had most of the adult colored feathers, just a few bits of the juvi fuzz on their necks. The mommas and the pappas were hissing maddly at us. But no attacks fortunately.
So...
mouse running in circles
red wing black bird that was dead
a deer
big baby Canadian geese
Quite the list on a 2.5 mile trip from our house to the Y. And with the T-a-B she get an even better view of what's around us than in the trailer.
Last night is was pouring and dumping all around us. I left work, headed home, grabbed the T-a-B with the black clouds all around but blue sky above, calls from my wife saying "it is storming up here" "it isn't here i'll still get her" "call me if if gets too bad" "okay" back to time trial mode.
Got there without a drop. Clouds passing around and over head. Load her up. Put her jacket on for good measure. And we start going fast. She's even pedaling a bit to help. We're racing the rain. Last week the positive thoughts worked to keep the rain away from a party, so I told L that we needed to think positively that we could get home without the rain. Faster daddy faster. L saying there is a lot of wind (and there was blowing off the pond).
Full on TT mode (well as much as possible w/o taking hands off the hoods and with a kid on the T-a-B). We got w/in a 1/4 mile of the house and it started very very lightly raining while still being bright and sunny. We pull into the house, go around back and come in only to hear "It is POURING out here" I look back outside where i just was in the back yard, "No it isn't, it isn't even raining." Walk around to the front of the house. Holy crap. The Golf is getting absolutely DRENCHED in a downpour, but the Passat is completely dry. The rain line stopped exactly where we turned up along the Passat to go around to the back yard. Crazy. Not to mention seeing such an absolute hard edge of rain/no rain.
Oh one thing on the way in, I felt the bike jerk to the left and peaked back over my shoulder to see L leaning all the way over on that side trying to look around me. I asked what she was doing "Trying to see around your BIG BUTT Daddy!" That made me crack up. Just look at the size of me there in Russ's shot from the back of the 3/4 race in CT. I do have a big butt. But then sitting there next to this guy, not so big looking. Man do we has some wicked small wheels on those bikes eh?
TT tonight and I'm taking my big non-aero Butt (what's the point in having wicked narrow aero bars if your ass sticks out 6" a side) and gonna see what I can do. Might even try and pick up a pacing device of some sort.
What a stage of the tour. Millar almost hanging on, but big Thor powering out and crushing everyone. That was awesome. And hey - Velonews has some coverage of the Giro Donne! Check it! Good stuff!
I think i should maybe remember to eat lunch today... i've got 10 minutes to scarf something down... no problem.
heddwch
G
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