Herbie53

Me too. I have a mac on my registration. Looks like they are testing Mac now.

Velo Vol 

It's snowing. Again.

Schools closed tomorrow. Again. #GoldenSnowball

LAJ

Excellent, @rjones28! Good stuff there.

Velo Vol 

@patentcad?

BillyD

Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello

BillyD

The end must be near . . . the place has emptied out like a bad concert.

datlas 

You are supposed to wait for me to say it. Hold your horses.

rjones28 

That one was fun, but it kicked my ass. Had to go to bed early last night.

Trsnrtr

Dude, I'm still having my first of three espressos. I'll be awake soon.

datlas 

So how strong is an espresso, say, compared to a 12 ounce mug of coffee??

RollCNY

Okay arm chair mechanics, I have a question:

So rebuild pieces have been accumulating for the Lotus (and I promise pics when complete), and I received my new IRD bottom bracket last night (118mm English thead JIT taper (or is it JIS?)). So of course, I wanted to install it. The frame threads looked clean, as in not rusty, I used some scotch brite to just shine them up a titch, and blew every thing out. After application of thread lubricant (I like a nice molybdenum disulfide blend), I threaded in the BB, and I have never had threads on a BB work that hard. I wasn't cross threaded, but they took more force than I have ever had to use before. And the kicker is, once installed, the axle has resistance on it that I have never felt on an installed taper axle BB before.

Even though they were tight, both sides did bottom appropriately. As I was tightening, I noticed the axle would be free spinning one moment, and tight the next. After putting it all together, I took it back apart to see if I could see anything odd. I found one metal shear in the thread of the drive side, and nothing else. The shear had not roached threads in any meaningful way, and I touched things up with a thread file, but it was unnecessary. When I reassembled with said shear removed, I had the same issue.

The axle is not locked up, but stiff. I could easily mount the crank and ignore it, because it is not a horrendous amount of resistance. Or should I disassemble again, and have the frame threads chased? I do not have the stuff to do that personally, but I am sure one of my abundant LNS'es will. I am open to suggestions.

rjones28 

jis

rpenmanparker 

Are you talking caffeine or just a comparison of how much grounds are used to make each? The Italians have standard specifications for espresso (duh!), but not so Americans for coffee. How strong do you drink your coffee in terms of how much grounds in say one pot of 8-5 oz cups? In many cases one standard 25 g espresso (about 8/10 oz) is comparable to a 5 oz cup of American coffee in terms of the amount of grounds used to make each. Or 2.5 espressos would be similar to your 12 oz mug.

But the caffeine content of espresso is reduced by the high final roasting temperature and is lower in any type of brew if only Arabica beans are used. Tough to really compare. I guess trial and error is the best way to find out short of a chemical analysis.

rjones28 

Does that BB have cartridge bearings?

datlas 

Yeah, I looked it up. So many variables about grind etc. that it's hard to give exact numbers. Clearly espresso has more caffeine by volume, but you are only having 1 or 2 ounces of espresso vs. say 12 ounces (or more!) of coffee, so a typical "serving" of coffee is likely to have significantly more caffeine than a typical serving of espresso.

rjones28 

The last couple of BBs I've installed had a tight bearing feel on the workstand. They are both sealed cartridge bearing BBs - Velo-Orange Grand Cru and Shimano UN-55. The Velo-Orange required more force to install than the Shimano.

rpenmanparker 

Sounds like both the shell and BB cups (or whatever they are called on a sealed mechanism) are out of round. Hence the variation in tightness of the axle as the cups change in orientation in the shell threading in. I have had this on a steel frame, but not as extremely as you describe and not affecting the axle tightness. Likely the totally sealed mechanism is less forgiving than a loose bearing old time one which you adjust for tightness at the end of the process. You might try indexing the cups and shell with a marker to observe the positions where they are tightest. Yes, I would dress the treads on both the shell AND cups to take off the high spots on both. At least on the shell.

RollCNY

Yes sir. This is the third one of them I have used, and had nothing like this on the first two. I actually like them versus Shimano for the steel threads on both cups, and they seem to last longer in road salt riding conditions.

RollCNY

I thought out of round as well, but had trouble picturing it being enough to actually increase resistance. Me thinks I shall remove it yet again, and head to the bike shop.

rpenmanparker 

We make pretty strong American coffee for guests with about 2/3 cup of grinds for 8-5 0z cups of coffee or 40 oz total . (We do a different New Orleans thing for ourselves). That is about 70 g of coffee. A standard cup of espresso is made with 7 g of coffee. So a 12 oz mug is made from 21 g of American coffee which is just about what it takes to make 3 espressos. Very good guess you made!

Doug28450

Anyone know much about BRCA testing?

I've searched the interweb and read numerous articles.

Cost?

Potential for future negative financial impacts?

Such as, being denied insurance, insurance limitations or increased premiums?

datlas 

It's expensive. And although you are supposed to not be able to be denied insurance, you must be careful. Whether or not to get it, and the nuances, are best discussed with your physician and possibly a genetic counselor.

Trsnrtr

Roughly the same. Its just more concentrated, besides being processed differently.

Like RP said, too many variables. My espresso beans come from a local roaster. My standard espresso size is roughly 2 oz. When I buy a 16 oz. Americano, I always specify three shots because some places will cut it back to either 2.5 shots or 2 shots with less water.

rpenmanparker 

I doesn't take much. I was installing an oversize BB the other day (30 mm diameter aluminum spindle in a normal threaded 68 mm wide BSA BB with outboard cups - the FSA BB386EVO type) and the waterproof seal sleeve fouled the inside tip of the screw that holds the cable guides onto the bottom of the shell. Just the screw pressing lightly against the middle of that sleeve, way away from the bearings, caused the crank spindle to run tight. I had to shim the screw with a washer on the outside so it wouldn't enter the inside of the shell so far but would still tighten down.

Yes, I would have the shell chased at least, but I bet the problem is in the BB mechanism. After all, the frame has been used successfully before, not so with the new mechanism. I assume you have confidence in the shop. A doofus with a tap can do a load of damage, especially when the item being worked on is irreplaceable. Ask me how I know!

rpenmanparker 

I think it is about $3,000. Approval by insurance (big reputable company) is based on genetic risk factors, and/or current disease at a young age. We just went through the approval process after Mrs. rpen recovered from treatment for an incredibly tiny tumor that could only be seen with the latest and greatest 3-D mammogram technology. It seemed like the BRCA testing would be a good idea to understand future risk. EVEN SO, OUR PETITION FOR COVERAGE FOR THE TEST WAS REJECTED DUE TO HER AGE (65) AND ABSOLUTELY NO FAMILY HISTORY. If you were approved for the test, I can't see premiums being raised. I don't think that is allowed by the ACA.