Barbie Doesn't Have Bruises

[ChainsOflove]

Miss Liz
Is there anything you CAN'T do?

[kpc]

Do you share your living space? I hear a little static about bringing the bikes on the porch for the winter. It would be controversial to have them in the house.

[trekchic]

Can't bring the bikes on the porch or in the house? I don't think so!

I paid waaaaaaaaaaaay too much money for the bike and all the gear to have it outside where it can be stolen! Believe it or not... my bike lives in our bedroom! My husband's not nuts about that, but his golf clubs don't stay outside! So..............

[missliz]

Oh, every body in the life keeps the bikes inside- then you can put the repair stand in front of the TV. Actually, a wall mounted rack over the sofa is nice, you hang the bootiful bike like a peice of sculpture and it's up out of the way. This works better in a Modernist or Bauhaus setting than with all Granny's Victorian treasures... But just "juege it"

And Chains- I went to Art school. We make things. I can't balance my checkbook, do my own taxes, write a decent term paper, figure out most of the stuff my computer can do, or keep my house clean. At present I can't ride worth a hoot either. I haven't had a date in forever, and I can't swim.
Strangely- I could never whistle. Then when they did all this knee work, suddenly I could. Go figure!
Everybody should take welding though. It's terrifying and exhilerating and empowering.

Lizzy

[annie]

My kids have their computers (their main interrest), I have my bikes - only 2 of them for now (my passion).......... they all share one room in the house. I could never leave a bike outside or in a cold garage, just couldn't do it. RARELY, I will take them to the basement if we are having a party and need more room. (Actually, I just don't want to risk people bumping into them.) But then I go for a ride, the bike comes up, and it stays there. Then I go out on the other bike, it comes up, and stays here, too. I prefer my bikes to a perfect-looking house. I live in a house full of males (1 husband and 3 sons), none of whom are too terribly concerned (understatement of the year) with the neatness or order in the house. That's left up to me, so it bothers no one that my bikes reside right in the living quarters with the rest of us. I like them there and there they will stay!

[snapdragen]

"Everybody should take welding though. It's terrifying and exhilerating and empowering"

Does jewelry soldering count? I have a torch an' everything.....

[missliz]

Oooohhh- pretty close, but oxy acetaline is like downhilling in the Rockies, or holding a Polaris missile in your hand and using the tail to melt steel. Jewelry soldering on mega steroids- you need try it! It's sort of like driving a muscle car, loud and powerful and sometimes kinda scary but you do it anyway. Fast.
I was never too great at jewelry soldering, and wish I was. It requires a softer more elegant touch. Welding needs great presicion as well but I always felt it demanded a very strong firm hand. Does this make sense? And with steel, if you blow a hole in it you can just melt the edges and fix it, fill it in with a rod- none of that starting over stuff. TOTALLY plastic material!
What you would do to build a first class frame though is brazing; slight variation on jewelry soldering. You use steel, but flux it and use a brazing rod, usually brass but efectively a solder. This is for a lugged frame- production frames now are usually welded on a production line and have the "stack of dimes" bead at the joins. So you'd probably build lugged frames and I'd build welded ones.

Lizzy


Oh Annie- you're so lucky. Men think a messy house full of sports equipment is a totally sensible way to live. I had to throw out my last roommate because she wouldn't stop bit***ng about the bikes, the weights, the skates... Drank all my liquor, too. What a sissy.

[Dogmama]

My road bike is on a wall hanger over a couch in my bedroom. Never thought of it as art, but I guess it is! Also, it's a great way to inspect that bottom bracket...

I will say that my MTB is outside, but hey, it's made for thrashing through mud. It IS nicely covered up with a tarp, however. Funny how keeping the dust off of my MTB is important, but the dust in the house is invisible. "You can write your name, but not the date..."