Elliot's Naked Bicycle Service & Piano Bar - 2016

[Elliot]

No, I generally don't go to nude resorts and beaches just because nudity is specifically allowed there. Instead, I go to events that interest me, and if I can do without clothes while I'm there, so much the better.

That said.... I love swimming, and I dislike having to wear a clammy and movement-restricting swimsuit. So I sometimes go to naturist-friendly places with good swimming.
Laguna del Sol is such a place, and close to me. Their lake is somewhat usable for swimming. But their river is a thousand times better! Last year, the river was rather low, but I was there a few weeks ago and it was fabulous -- absolutely breath-takingly lovely for a long leisurely swim in clean deep water between tree-lined banks.

[Elliot]

Oh... regarding Sham's comment....
Yes. On my visit to Naked Man last year, I wound up talking bicycles with several people, and they do have broken bikes in need of fixing! The place is big enough that bicycles are useful for getting around. That's when it dawned on me to set up the bike service camp there this year. And yes, I'm bringing a piano also.

Perhaps I should mention -- and as Knobdyspcl indicated -- that clothing-optional resorts like Laguna del Sol exist all over the country.

But most folks never know about them. The resorts like it that way. The last thing they want are looky-loos... and worse. These parks are very family-oriented. And they have strict background checks. Some go so far as to decline all single male visitors, just to be safe. Harsh, but I do understand.

Laguna del Sol has five pools. One of them is a bit away from the others, so the joyful squeals of children will be less intrusive around the main pools. Last time I went by there, I noticed an apparent pattern of seniors with grandchildren.

Laguna del Sol has traditionally been popular with law enforcement families -- presumably because they can be sure not to run into any of their "customers" from work!

I just wanted to make clear the G-rated and family-friendly nature of all this.

[Elliot]

All right.... Although Millicent will be in the shop until next week, I will set up at Laguna del Sol with a "carport" and tent, and the piano on a trailer.

[gaminwench]

Dear Elliot,

I just want to take a moment and applaud your personal mission to deliver the unwanted pianos of Clearlake to locations where they will live out their later years being loved and appreciated. A noble cause.

Back to the nekkid wheeee!!!

[Elliot]

And how

[Sham]

^^^^^This is why I am proud to call this man my friend!

[GreyCoyote]

The first time I ever met Elliot in Defaultia, I almost didnt recognize him. In retrospect, this was understandable since it was the first time I'd ever seen him in clothes!

[Elliot]

Ya know... that used to be a dirty joke among some of the stupider boys... blaring out "Oh, I didn't recognize you with clothes on" to a girl, in public. Might still be, in some stuck-in-the-Dark-Ages misanthropic misogynist "honor"-murdering corners of the world.

QUESTION:

How many folks are buying bicycles with the new 32 inch tires? We encountered one on Playa last year, and did not have an inner-tube for it.
Looks like it's primarily one bicycle model called Kent Genesis, sold largely at a certain cheap-crappy-chinese-products department store chain.
So... how many of these tubes should I buy?

[Elliot]

On my way out the door to Naked Man. Pretty much on schedule!
But unable to bring piano.
Setting up bicycle service in costco carport with the big camp sign on it.
And a second camp member is making arrangements to join me there tomorrow.

Note: Laguna del Sol reports they can accept NO FIRST-TIME VISITORS AFTER MID-DAY TOMORROW THURSDAY. AND NO CAMPING SPACES AVAILABLE ANYWAY.

So I'm telling you about it just to make you wish....

[Elliot]

Had a fabulously relaxing four days of "running and swimming naked thru the woods", absolutely literally.
However... this put me even further behind schedule with Burn prep, so a full report will have to wait.

Remember that bicycle repair customers who arrive at our camp in the buff... may go straight to the front of the line!
Undressing after arriving counts for half points -- you get to cut to the middle of the line.
Of course, it would be incumbent on you to first obtain approval from the folks that you would cut in front of. I think of this as having good potential for fun interaction -- as opposed to standing rigidly in line like everyone were carved of wood.

[Elliot]

All right.
Somebody asked me something... and I "went off".
An hour later, I sent him this:

Hey Charlie;

Let me try to offer a couple tips.

Tools:

Combination wrenches, 8, 9 10, 13, 14, 15, 17 mm.
Some sets lack the 9mm, so watch out for that. You do need it.

Allen wrenches. Not sure about all the exact sizes, but you need most of them up thru 8mm.

Pedal wrench. The big one from Park Tool -- PW-4.

Cone wrenches. Assorted sizes including 13, 15 and 17 mm. Those three might be enough.

Spoke keys (spoke wrenches). Park Tool "four point"! Far better than regular. Cost very little. Mostly, you will need only the red. (Park color-codes the sizes.) The part number is SW-42.
Might want to have the black size.

Wire cutter. Very sharp and powerful wire/cable cutter. Common electrician's cutters will not do.

Tire levers. Seldom needed, but when you need them you need them. Most are plastic, and watch out for flimsy ones. Pedro's has good ones in bright colors.

Crank arm puller. Not sure which to recommend, but you need one. It's a threaded puller that comes with a thin-wall 14mm socket.

(Tightening the nut or bolt on a crank arm requires tremendous force. 400 inch-pounds. 35 foot-pounds. The one thing I use a torque wrench for.)

Taps for chasing threads in crank arms come in right handy. All four taps. Park Tool again.

Chain tool. Several. Made of steel, preferably.

Big Crescent wrench for one-piece cranks and for steering heads.

Big channel lock pliers, same.

Screwdrivers, Phillips and flat, various sizes.

Straight 3/16 drift (punch) for knocking loose Allen head steering quills. Don't hit those with a hammer, or you may never get the Allen wrench in there again.

Hammer.

Freewheel remover. There are many, but the Park Tool FR-7 is the one you will need 98 % of the time. (The recommended "usual one" is FR-1. But the "inside scoop" is to use the FR-7. It is simply a tiny bit larger, for a snugger fit. I once stripped an FR-1.)

Vice grips pliers.

Presta valve adapters. Buy a card of 12 or some such. They are so tiny they disappear easily.

Valve stem tool. Try to get one for both Schrader and Presta. But at least have them for Schrader. When I buy the kind that is "x" shaped, I remove the "cross pin". Never needed it yet. Gets in the way.

WD-40. Lots. (Comments and arguments Dis-encouraged! I agree with them all. You say tomayto, I say tomahto. And I'll be in Scotland afore ye.)

Carpet to work on -- specially when using WD-40.

Rasp, very coarse sandpaper, hacksaw blades... to remove glazed surface from brake pads.

Stout repair stand.

Now a wrenching tip:

Adjusting the chain on a single-speed bike is often a nightmare. Cheap bikes have sprockets that are not-so-round, so the chain tightens and loosens as you turn the crank. So you must turn the crank many times and set the chain so it never becomes too tight. Half the "cruisers" on Playa have over-tight chains, with predictable detrimental result, such as torn-in-half chains.
And...
...tightening the axle nuts will often tweak the position of the axle just enough to ruin the adjustment. So.... Take two of those "lawyer washers" that people never put back on their front forks correctly, and use them on the rear axle. Set the safety-tab in the adjustment slot, against the clockwise side. The former safety-washer is now an anti-rotation washer. (You can also buy anti-rotation washers for this specific purpose. When I bicycled to school uphill both ways, all bikes had them, dagnabbit.) Now you can tighten the nut without the nut "walking" on the frame. Start hoarding those washers now.

Yikes... it's past my bedtime.

[Elliot]

A bit more:

Practically nobody knows how to use derailleur gears, such as on mountain bikes. To make things easier, I remove the front derailleur and leave the chain on the middle chain-ring.
They will still often invent some way to kick the chain down to the small chain-ring, but they won't be fighting that derailer all day.

Here's a good tip:

When the shifter and/or the cable for the rear derailleur is kaput, you can still set the derailer in whatever gear you want.

Take a short length of a cable-wire from the handlebar end of the wire -- just three inches or so, with the nipple on it. Stick it into the adjuster on the derailleur in the same direction as it normally goes, so the nipple sits where the housing used to end. Put the wire in the usual little clamp, but loosely.

Now work the derailleur by hand while cranking the drive-train around with the other hand (or by a helper) until the bike is in the right gear. Snug up the wire and tighten the clamp. (Repeat until you get it just right. LOL )

Never remove a rear derailleur and shorten the chain to "make a one-speed". Many people advocate this, but it often "ends badly".

[Savannah]

Elliot, what is your placement this year?

[Elliot]

Oooo.... Thanks, Savannah! I must add that to my signature.

4:30 Plaza, same spot as last year. (At G Street.)

[Savannah]

Oooo.... Thanks, Savannah! I must add that to my signature.

4:30 Plaza, same spot as last year. (At G Street.)

Thank you!

[EGAZ]

I, the owner of most hand tools known to man. Metric, Imperial, some alien...

Just had to grind down an old Craftsman 15mm combo to fit the bearing jam nuts, (Cones?).

Why?

Because not one of the 'stamped' grinder, buffer, jigsaw. etc. wrenches I have collected over the years were 15mm. 10, 12, 14, 13, 17 and larger, but no 15mm.

[Elliot]

Yup.
Cone wrenches.

13 and 15 most common for the cone (bearing race), and 17 almost universal for the lock nut.
But if you take the wheel out of the dropouts (the frame), you can use a regular 17 on the lock-nut.

[Elliot]

Interesting day today. Full evacuation of my entire neighborhood for the approaching Clayton Fire.
Now in Davis. Will update when I can.

But I AM coming to BM.

[Patsh]

Interesting day today. Full evacuation of my entire neighborhood for the approaching Clayton Fire.
Now in Davis. Will update when I can.

But I AM coming to BM.

Jeepers, Elliot! Seems like you just went through this around the same time last year! I hope your place stays safe in your absence, and you're OK! Did you take Millicent with you to Davis? (Hi Peter and family!!)

[Elliot]

Yup, driving Millicent. with the new shade trusses onboard. what's missing for 38' x 30' shade, I can pick up in a hardware store. But all other camp infrastructure and supplies are in harms way.
Going to bed now.

[ygmir]

wishing you the best Elliot!!!

[Ratty]

Looking up the fires and I'm scared. My sister lives in Lower Lake.

[Madgirl]

Stay safe, Elliot! Hope that your house and everything else makes it through unscathed.

[Elliot]

Looking for news now.

[Elliot]

The news is not good. But nothing is likely to be known about my street for a couple days. Whatever happens, we will be on Playa!

[GreyCoyote]

Hang in there, Hermano. Sending good waves your way!

[ChuckLohre]

Wishing the weather and the environment go easy on you and your family.

[Elliot]

Rumors on FB say my neighborhood is still intact.

[danibel]

Rumors on FB say my neighborhood is still intact.

I hope this rumor holds true and all your stuffs is safe. I do feel terrible for the people that have lost everything. The fires this year are merciless. So sad!

[Elliot]

Damin Pashilk.jpg

Damin Pashilk 3.jpg

Damin Pashilk 2.jpg

17 counts of arson, including this one. Long list of previous crimes.
I shouldn't bother you with this info, but I'm feeling slightly irked.