I go where I'm thread.

Somehow, I think I knew this day would come. I do not believe it was by chance that I purchased a die handle and a 1" 24tpi die off of ebay a few months ago. I used them today to extend threads on my new fork for the Rockfish F-1 BMX.  The fork had 1.5" of threads already cut, but I had to extend them another 1.75" to make it compatible with my head tube. Park Tool's article on thread cutting was really helpful.

Fork prior to cutting more threads. I threaded down into the black painted area.

My awesome die handle.

1" steerer x 24tpi

Thread shavings. Clear these by spinning 1/8 turn backward every 1/2 turn.

First pass, super oiled up. Copious amounts of lube required.

First pass.

Second pass.

Third pass, all clean and all done!

All in all, it probably took me an hour of work and a lot of arm strength. I had to make several passes with the die set at slightly different diameters. During the first pass, the die is set quite open. The die is closed a little with each following pass to cut the threads a little at a time. I used almost all of my chain lube in the process.

The title of this post is a play on a lyric in a Silver Jews song - Pet Politics.

Applications for Best Friend Being Accepted...

Sole Qualification:
Don't tell my wife which piece of furniture I used to spread the Rockfish dropouts to fit the Sachs 3x7 wheel.

Yipeeeee!

Having a hobby that allows me to get cool toys in the mail is great! It's exciting like Christmas was when I was a little kid.  I want to give a special thanks to Brian over at http://kmxtornado.blogspot.com/ - he sold me his old Sachs 3x7 hub laced to a 20" wheel! It used to be on his tadpole trike recumbent... but no longer! It is mine:

Three gears internally and 7 on the cassette. Laced to a 406mm 20" wheel.

The OLD (Outside Locknut Dimension) on this bad boy is 135mm. My Rockfish F-1 BMX frame has dropouts spaced at 126mm, so I'll need to coldset the frame a bit. I gave it a quick shot today, but didn't get too far without the right tools. Additionally, it didn't help that the seat stay and chain stay bridges are so close to the dropouts on this 20" wheel frame. Between that and the solid construction of the frame, I only managed to squeeze out a few millimeters in spacing on attempt one.

Spreading the frame slowly, with a garden tool.

Not super successful, as you may be able to tell from the caliper reading.

I'll try spreading the frame again later this week with a less flexible lever- most likely a 2x4. I'm hoping that it will not be too apparent on the seat stays after all is said and done. Only 7mm to go!

I've been looking high and low for one of these things. I've seen them on eBay, but usually incomplete, at scary prices, and on wheel sizes I can't use. I'm glad I finally found a complete one on an appropriate wheel size. It was worth the money. The next big task is finding a suitable fork for that Rockfish...

These mechanical pursuits are a great break from the job hunting, here in Dallas, TX.

Recently Awarded...

So back in June there was a great cycling party in Charlottesville, to support Double the Wheels. The point of the party was to bring non-cyclists and show them how cool the cycling community in C-ville is. Turns out, it was pretty hard to find someone I knew that was a non-cyclist. All of those I asked to attend were busy or out of town. Too bad! They missed a great party with DJ WesternFront, the unveiling of Squid Logistics, and beer brewed in Richmond, VA at Legend Brewery.

But most importantly, there were some cycling superlatives for the local cycling community... and I won... most die-hard bicycle commuter! Check out my sick bling and super moves:

Photo stolen from Chris's facebook.

Now THAT'S a title I know you're jealous of!

Free Cassette Spacer featured on Bike Hacks!

Recently submitted a post to Bike Hacks... they published it today!

Flywheels on Bikes?!

Flywheel technology being tested on bikes for more efficient automotive transit:

Max says it himself, the goal isn't to redesign the bike, but to use it as a testing ground for flywheels on automotive vehicles.

Remember, the folks that brought you powered flight were bicycle mechanics.