Elliot's Bicycle Service & Tap Room

[Elliot]

Humans are amazingly adaptable, but who wants to spend their precious week on the Playa practicing new riding skills?
Steady rain here, so this storm will help.
I'm so glad I retired from trucking. Too nerve-wracking driving in that stuff all day.

[Cranky]

Elliot,

Perhaps you'd feel more comfortable on this?

saddle.jpg (69.54 KiB) Viewed 3361 times

You're in good hands...

[Elliot]

[bluemiragemi]

I would love to be on your list for a loaner please - what can I do for you? I'm good at communications, marketing, social media, talking, smiling, cooking, hugs and pitching in when someone tells me what to do and how to do it re:mechanics.

[FIGJAM]

Hostess/Greeter?

[Elliot]

I would love to be on your list for a loaner please - what can I do for you? I'm good at communications, marketing, social media, talking, smiling, cooking, hugs and pitching in when someone tells me what to do and how to do it re:mechanics.

Hey Emily! As Figjam -- our landlord of the Bicycle Service, so to speak -- has already pointed out, we could actually use some pitching-in, in the Reception Salon of our little enterprise. That means greeting customers and serving them beverages, and whatnot.
But the true purpose of this task is to train you in bicycle triage, so you can smooth the operation of the actual repair work.

A few hours in this capacity would be most welcome indeed. By the end of the week, you may actually be grooming camels fixing flat tires yourself.

And yes, Staff gets a "company car". So at least you won't have to carry a bicycle on your back from Michigan.

It's still early, but you are doing the right thing with planning already. I'll send you a PM.

[pizzamancer]

Wait ... What? You have beer too? I am passing out under a work table this year.

[Elliot]

Wait ... What? You have beer too? I am passing out under a work table this year.

Beer, wine, water, lemonade, milk, orange juice and Gatorade, I think. We even have a promise of some fancy home-crafted beer. I'll reserve a table for you to pass out under. Of course, first you have to fix at least one bicycle.

[bluemiragemi]

Totally IN to serve and learn! Thank you! Got ur PM

[unjonharley]

I'm into building a whole new trike this year.. This will mean a new pusher trailer..

For a seat I'm looking for a exercycle (type) seat for the back.. The hornless seat you posted.. In a sedan chair..

[msj2u]

Looking for any suggestions for good bright headlights, standard bike handles.

Thanks!

MSJ

[tamarakay]

Dear I dear Elliot we need a huge favor, ken and I need trikes,for two and the availability of adding basket.,not sure if it should be two of them or just one that requires two drivers, to go zip about it would be fun to have one that several could cycle around our gifts. We would dye scarves, teach arm knitting,,make margaritas.p, giver out cold beers, we plan on cold water gifts too. If we could send you the parts we have and then perhaps you could tell,us what it would cost to build. And bring it, we have storage in fernley for after. We are sorta lost with what to do next.

[Elliot]

Tamarakay, let's go to PM.

[unjonharley]

Cut up some old socks for grease rags.. Tossed them into the Playa extra box..
Elliot can always use a rag or two.. Cotton is the best..

[pizzamancer]

Well, I talked to team Japan. There will be three of us this year. You may remember Natsumi from last year. She has never touched a wrench in her life. We all want in to the Tap Room. It might cost you more time to teach us how to fix bikes than it takes to actually fix bikes though.

We are really good at bringing sake, bar tending, and doing magic shows though. Is there a night you need help the most? Or one you are particularly busy when we could offer our services on the service end of things (the magician really is good)?

[Elliot]

Pizzamancer, you will be receiving a PM soon.

[unjonharley]

Maybe you should take a few listens from your brother.. Then you could add camel repair to your repertoire

[Elliot]

Maybe you should take a few listens from your brother.. Then you could add camel repair to your repertoire

True, I petted and fed his two camels last year. And others of the 100+ exotic animals in his zoo. Not the alligator, though.

[Sunbeam56]

Does your brother have a tiger?

[Elliot]

Does your brother have a tiger?

Not four-legged, but I understand he has a new girlfriend from Estonia, who is not a cougar.
I sort'a wish he would join me at BM one year, but I also recognize it is "not right" for him. We are very different personalities.

Today I'm preparing a kid-size bicycle for Playa duty, in case somebody brings a youngster.

[FIGJAM]

Another "bait" bike?

[Elliot]

No more bait bikes, since it is so difficult to organize an effective campaign with them. But I still have two that are simply fun-to-try-to-ride. One is unrideable, namely the Wrong-Way-Turn bike, and the other is the Extremely-Slow bike.

I'm still pondering the Misting Booth. Latest idea is two exercycles in a "race", facing head to head, and the winner gets misted. I do have the two stationary cycles. Thoughts?

[FIGJAM]

I've been thinking about that too.

For off and on misting the regular mist emitters are going to be a PITA because the on and off is going to cause calcium build up which will make them drip and create a mess.

I did some testing with my garden sprayer and found that it could be adjusted down to a fine mist.

Won't plug up like regular emitters.

Put a shrader valve on the sprayer so you can give it a shot of air instead of pumping it up.

One charge of pressure will last a loooooooong time with a fine mist.

Mount the wand to something ridged.

Rig a cam over the sprayer lever to actuate the spray.

The slower the cam turns, the longer the spray, so you can adjust the timing of the spray by gearing the speed of the cam.

The cam could be cut out of wood.

Tie this into whatever contraption you want the vic.........er........contestant to peddle to get the "reward".

[Elliot]

Good ideas! But you are thinking about your water. My kitchen sink faucet has been dripping steadily since I bought the house 11 years ago, and there is zero -- ZERO -- calcium deposit in the sink. That's the water I will use. Nah, nah, nah....

[unjonharley]

Good ideas! But you are thinking about your water. My kitchen sink faucet has been dripping steadily since I bought the house 11 years ago, and there is zero -- ZERO -- calcium deposit in the sink. That's the water I will use. Nah, nah, nah....

so now we learn,peeing in the sink cuts the calcium deposit..

[lucky420]

Hola Elliot!

i'm pretty darn sure that i will be purchasing a trike for this year. It will be used for mainly at BM but I may get brave and tool around the neighborhood.
My question for you Dear Elliot is; should I get a 3 speed or a single speed. Will a 3 speed help me through the dunes easier? Do the gears get more funked up than a single speed would? Or would it just be easier to go single speed and just avoid the playa snakes?

[Elliot]

Spring for the 3-speed. It is probably internal hub gears, and those are fairly Playa proof.

[lucky420]

Thanks Elliot,

good to know about internal hub gears

[TitsMcGhie]

Hi Elliot,

I love this bicycle service you provide...We are coming over from Scotland and would be interested in loaning a bike.? Would this be possible? if there was anything we could bring for your to trade we would be more than willing:):):).Thanks

Vicky

[Elliot]

Two bicycles coming right up. That makes the total reservations... 37! ...which may be enough -- but there is sure to be a couple cancellations. I'm trying to cap it at 40.

And in case anybody wonders about my status after yesterday's ticket sale.... I will definitely be there, yes.