Yo yo yo , headin' off to the finish line of the Tour in about an hour... gettin' there early, about 4.5 hours before the caravan is scheduled to arrive. Talk to y'all after. Maybe some nice Facebook shots later this evening. Damn I'm excited!!!

As for Igor I've not been keeping up, but I can;t help but think the possession of burglery tools will nt help him, nor the fact they caught him directing someone to steal 'that' bike. Kingpin anyone? I also can;t shake the feeling he was involved in the late 80's early 90's ont. plated white van that used to toss freelocked messenger rides in it, while I rode in MTL. Mtl hot bikes sold in T-Dot and vice versa. In the spring and fall there was always a rash of this for about 4 years, and many ppl saw the wite van with their bikes being tossed in. Claim process, I feel should be solid. He gets a trial and then he gets his I hope. I got mine back by waving my U-lock in his face, then he gave me my Time pedals back a week later.... he's an odd duck, of that there is no doubt.

What bike did you get?

Kergin had a great Miele he snapped up on a whim, but the frame was too big so he offered. (57cm i think)

It has suzue hubs laced to a front araya and godknowswhat steel rear rim, suntour ARX group with downtube shifters, suzue bars, a suspiciously familiar cannondale stem, a really nice sakae SX crank, sidepulls, miele suede seat.

all in all a gorgeous bike, and the blue paint is m i n t. I only got to take it for a brief wheelaround, so Im definately going to put a few kilometers on it today =D. anyone in for a road ride?

(im not sure if y'all imagined a carbon super-expensive bike when I said roadie, this is updated eighties stylez, which suits my tastes far better)

Bersaglieri with Bicycles

^ why carry when you can ride?

Id be off-roading those take-aparts like nobodys business.

assome photo ops.

oooooooooh! Topical!

Damn I'm jealous!!!

Did anyone know the general public isn't allowed to so much as see the actual finish line, let alone stand at it, from closer than from 200m? Still... good times....damn. Pics to come...

[QUOTE=TRaffic Jammer;7145791]Did anyone know the general public isn't allowed to so much as see the actual finish line, let alone stand at it, from closer than from 200m? Still... good times....damn. Pics to come...
thats why I couldnt see you at the finish!!

Yo tech geeks - any recommendations for an entry level soldering iron? Any features that are must-have?

they were so damn fast the wheels became oval

Random Bobby Knight clip, dealing with post-game reporters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50LsvwmgJ7I

Standard benefit of upgrading to Zipp 404s is being able to warp the spacetime continuum at will. It's right there in the FAQ on their website.

It depends on what you are planning on using it for. For the sake of flexibility, I would recommend getting one with temperature control. That way when working with small components you can get the temperature set lower so you don't burn electronic components. Then you can crank it up if need be as well. I don't think you have to spend a crazy amount of money to get this, probably less than $100. At that price point you will get a good quality tip as well. I have a fairly cheap soldering iron and it works for the things I typically use it for which is wiring guitars and speakers. However, in the future I plan on building a complete amplifier and at that point I think it would be worth it for me to upgrade to a temperature controlled iron. My two cents...

yeah, a variable watt (5-60W) iron is about $15 at the source,

Or if you want a bit of a step up, get one of these:


I've been using one (Weller 40W) since my first year in engineering design and it's still going strong.. the variable temperature control is nice, and the stand is also handy as it keeps it from rolling off the table + into your lap I think it was about 40-50 bucks.. my only complaint is that 40W isn't enough power to desolder a big heat sink.

NERDS!

What are you soldering? If its electronics, I'd get a station-controlled unit with variable temperature. Something like that should run about $100. Weller is nice, but $$. Honson? Computers at Spadina & College (SW side) have a good deal on an off-brand station-based unit that I used for some motherboard repairs. Don't remember what I did with it, otherwise it'd be yours for the asking.

speaking of "neeerds" and tech suff - are any of you guys using one of those older 4th generation 20gb ipods? i happened to run my shuffle through the laundry by accident and i was looking for a replacements on ebay and saw the 20gb pretty cheap. i know they don't play video but i don't really care. any bad things to say about them?

Yesterday at Hardwood Hills. Started off raining and ended dry and tacky. Beautiful. Team Snow 2nd place 4 man!

IPOD:
I've got a 20GB 4G Ipod. Grey scale screen.
I installed ROCKBOX on it since itunes is ... non existent on Linux (more nerd talk)...
Its solid. Been using it for about 3-4 years now.


SOLDERING IRONS:
I am so surprised to see the number of replies for OP's question about soldering irons. LOL
I once had this big-ass gun-like soldering iron that weighed 3 pounds.
One click and it would heat up in 2 seconds. Ridiculous. Overkill.

Just get a variable one like everyone says. Its the best for electronics. Then you can start making your own SIM card readers!

</nerd>

Buckwallow is the best mountain biking EVAR!!! That is all.

you lost me on the linux talk. i was also looking at this to replace my broken shuffle. would that be worth it (any of you guys have one)?

you know I own a soldering iron that has one temperature setting. on.

the miele kicks serious ass. after todays sixty kilometer inaugural hammering, i have realised that
a) this bike is f--king fast. I mean, fast. I paced a harley for three blocks, all green lights until he noticed me and gunned it fast.
b) the seatpost is low. longer seatpost makes me faster. cant wait.
c) other than the seatpost, I am happy to report there is very little I actually need to do to make this bike fit like a glove.

i have never had the pleasure of travelling this fast on a bike. hoo ****ing rah. computer to be mounted. cheers.

Yep, as much as I like riding fixed or SS, nothing is quite as fast as a road bike. That is cool that it rides so well, pics?