Since getting my bike I’ve become increasingly interested in figuring out how it works, mostly thanks to the Bloomington Community Bicycle Project, a well-equipped public bike workshop staffed by knowledgeable and friendly volunteers. The moral of the story is that a) bikes aren’t too complicated but b) are complicated enough to be sublimely interesting. My first visit turned into a two-hour brake adjusting, cable replacing odyssey, and my next led to the discovery of the wonders of adjustment screws on my shifters (oh boy!!). On the docket for my next visit: truing my wheels and figuring out where that squeaking noise is coming from.
Of course, the natural progression here leads to trying to actually build a bike, which I’m afraid will be significantly more difficult without the friendly anarchist bike mechanics of Bloomington.
Also, I’ve started to get my hands dirty a little bit at robo club, and thanks to some one-on-one time with Alex, our intrepid leader, the electronics is starting to seem slightly less intimidating (probably also thanks to whatever deeply buried memories of E&M from AP Physics have started to bubble their way to the surface). Of course, when I say “a little less intimidating” what I really mean is “I think I might one day be able to understand it after studying and practicing my ass off.” Anybody have any recommendations on how to start?
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July 24, 2008 at 4:13 pm
haha, well then seriously you should talk to sam, who has i think more than one half-built bike kicking around. and also jay, who’s all about bikes and their building as well.
also: http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/02/10/61-bicycles/
and finally, were you also a fan of The Way Things Work book as a kid?
July 24, 2008 at 4:14 pm
what do you mean were?
July 26, 2008 at 1:55 am
ok just checking. because we’d have big problems otherwise.