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  • Tubeless Tire Valve Stem Repair

    Back on the bike today, first time in a week. Since the weather turned cold I have been riding mainly on the weekend. During the week its too cold in the morning and too dark after work to ride. Unfortunately the valve stem on my front tire started to leak and I was only able to ride for a short time.

    This also prompted an emergency visit to a local bike shop as I don’t have any tools for repairing a valve stem. On a bike with inner tubes this isn’t as big of an issue since you can just change the inner tube. My bike is equipped with tubeless tires, which are really awesome, but I did not have spare valve stems for tubeless tires.

    Why tubeless?

    Bicycles typically use inner tubes as they are easy to maintain and remain inflated longer. However the inner tube has difficulties at lower and higher pressures. At lower pressure they can pinch flat and at higher pressure they explode before a tubeless design does. This is why most cars use tubeless designs.

    The drawbacks to a tubeless tire is that they are more complicated and messy. The tubeless tire has to seal to the rim tightly since it needs to seal the air in the tire with no inner tube. This means the rim of the tire also needs to have better sealing capabilities. The rim also needs to have a seal over the spokes. Finally a valve stem that seals to the rim has to be used. This valve stem is tightened snug to the rim.

    The repair

    My bike is pretty old. So when things like a little valve stem start leaking I am not surprised. I am also not surprised that the repair is probably going to involve a replacement. Once I found a local bike shop open I was happy to hear they would try to repair it, but was ready to hear they were going to replace it. We are talking about $5 for the part so not a huge deal.

    I was just happy that the bike shop was full of people wearing their masks, and that the mechanic dropped what he was working on to help. Little interruptions are the bane of getting projects done. While a valve stem replacement isn’t a huge project it is messy.

    This is because tubeless bicycle tires are filled with sealant to repair small punctures. Every time I see it work I am amazed and really happy that I don’t need to change an inner tube. When something small like a thorn punctures the tire the sealant swarms around it. When you pull the thorn out the sealant seals up the hole and you keep riding.

    The sealant is super sticky and messy and no matter how many times you do it, you will make some amount of mess. I was just happy that someone else was getting messy this time.

    The good news is that this mechanic was a pro and made very little mess and got my tire back in action! I bought 2 additional valve stems from the shop so that if I have another issue now I can repair it myself. While I appreciate having someone work on my bike I don’t like spending the time driving to the shop and then paying someone to fix me up.

    The other good news is that tomorrow is supposed to be much warmer than today.

  • Home building update: Pause and Hot Tub

    Home building update: Pause and Hot Tub

    It has been a while since I posted about our home building project. While we have been able to settle on a design we are having a challenge finding builders who can meet our budget. Apparently the pandemic has driven up the cost of materials and also everyone wants a home or add on built, right now.

    Based on that we have decided to pause the build phase till spring. This will allow us more time to talk with various builders and find someone we like who can deliver at a price we want to pay. It also gives us more time to think through the details of the finished house.

    Finished House Plan:

    View 1 of the Garage Door and driveway is the west side, and back of the house. When you drive up our main driveway entrance you will see the house from View’s 3 and 4. We set it up that way because we want the main view of the home to be of this:

    There are a on of details about the house that I will get into eventually. We are excited about the project still but we want to avoid spending all of the money building it. We have talked with more builders in the last couple of weeks and Spring is looking very promising.

    Did you say Hot Tub?

    In the meantime we need to prepare for winter in Colorado. That means cold and, hopefully, snow. Besides buying warm clothing the best way to deal with cold and snow is with a tub of hot water with jets, also known as a Hot Tub.

    We have discussed having a Hot Tub for a few years now. Spending regular time soaking in a tub of hot water is great for soreness and heart health. Its also nice to spend time in a hot bath for relaxing. The problem is that Hot Tubs can be really expensive, especially when they are new.

    So Kate fired up Craigslist and started searching for used Hot Tubs. There were a few that seemed ok but something just wasn’t right. So she kept looking and looking.

    At the same time I started researching how to properly setup a Hot Tub. After watching a few YouTube videos and reading some websites it came down to building a concrete, gravel, or wood pad to place the tub on. Since this setup is temporary until we build the house we opted for gravel. Its the cheapest option and won’t stand out as much when there is nothing on it.

    For location we decided on the south west corner of the cabin’s gravel patio. It would be close to a water spigot, close to the french doors of the cabin, and in direct sunlight.

    Then at 10pm on a Wednesday night Kate found The Tub. They were asking almost nothing so we were suspicious. Then Kate talked with her and got the story: They had purchased the house a few years ago and the tub came with the house. They were not Hot Tub people and never used it. She wanted the corner of her porch back and the tub had to go.

    The problem was that this tub was just over 4 hours away, and we would need to rent or borrow a trailer to bring it back. We also needed an electrician to setup the 240V connection cause I am not quite ready to play with 240 just yet.

    Again Kate came to the rescue and found a hot tub delivery guy who is also an electrician. He agreed to pick the tub up, give it a quick inspection, deliver it to us, and connect the electrical. The catch was that I was going to need to get the hottub pad setup in just a few days.

    So we had a pile of roadbase gravel delivered and I got to work:

    This is the site of the pad before I added the roadbase gravel. I dug out 6 inches on the high side, left side here, and then placed landscaping fabric down to prevent weeds from coming up. Then I started wheelbarrowing the gravel under the blue tarp on to the fabric.

    The process of laying down the gravel and then tamping it down took some time. However this part of the process results in the foundation that the hottub would sit on. So I took my time and got it tamped down really well so that we wouldn’t have a tub slide incident. The timing was perfect because right as I finished the hotub arrived and I helped get it into position:

    Once the tub was in place I raked he clean gravel back over the pad to make things look nice.

    Then we filled the tub up and turned it on. With 240V electricity the water heats up about 10℉ and hour. If we had gone with 120V it heats up 1℉ and hour. So we waited a few hours and then started what I am pretty sure will be a lifetime addiction to hottubs:

    Here is another shot of the setup:

    So far I have used the tub everyday before and after work. Its part of my new routine and is a great way to prepare for a day of work and then unwind when done. As an added bonus we have been watching the stars at night a lot more. We just sit back, turn the lights off, and ponder our purpose in the Universe. Oh and we can see Starlink satellites traversing the night sky.

    Maintaining the hotub water is my new past time. It is a lot easier than a pool cause there is a lot less water. The hottub delivery guy gave us some good tips too: focus on chlorine, shock, and pH. So far so good as the water is clear and not overly chlorinated.

    I had a house with a pool years ago in Phoenix. It was a lot of work and I wasn’t that into using it as I had thought. A hotub is great for a 15 to 30 minute soak and serves a much more therapeutic purpose: mentally and physically. I am sold, if you cannot tell.

  • Apple Fitness+ : Its good

    A few months ago Apple announced Fitness+, its subscription workout service for Apple Watch owners. The service is basically a lot of workout videos that sync with your Apple watch health data. Apple has done a really good job of making it engaging by producing high quality workout videos. Its $9.99/mo or included with Apple One.

    If you want to know the nitty gritty about the service check out the Apple Fitness+ page or this review by DC Rainmaker. Both go into the more technical details of the service. DC Rainmaker discusses the cycling and treadmill workouts in detail and compares the service to Peloton.

    Once you have signed up for Apple Fitness+ you are going to need an iOS device, an Apple Watch, and any of the devices needed for the workouts: mat, barbell, stationary bike, rower, and/or treadmill.

    My experience so far has only been with a few Yoga and Core workouts. All have been very well done and enjoyable workouts. I have done a few of the 10 minute classes, some 20 minute ones, and one 45 minute Yoga class. All workouts have been done on my iPhone XR with AirPods.

    Video workouts need 2 things: high quality trainers and good production value. When you are watching a video you cannot ask a question or have an instructor correct your form. It is critical that the instructions be clear and well structured. The lighting needs to be good so I can see what is happening. Oh and the last but not least: the music needs to be great.

    In the case of Apple Fitness+ they went and got the best trainers around. They then created some very nice studios to shoot the videos. Finally they used Apple’s enormous music library to ensure the best music is played. The results are highly engaging workout videos that keep you motivated through to the end.

    The first few days I kept it easy doing 10 and 20 minute workouts. Partly because I wanted to try some different teachers and also because I am lazy. Today I did a 45 min Yoga workout and it was a good one. It got my temperature up and the sweat falling on my mat.

    The Core workouts have been good too with enough variety to keep it from being dull. I need to give the HIIT and Dance workouts a shot but so far the Yoga and Core workouts will get me through rainy days when I cannot bike. I have done a short Yoga then short Core with a 5 minute Cool Down to start the day off and its been great.

    I was excited for Fitness+ to come out and so far it has not disappointed. While I had an issue with connecting to my watch once, that was resolved by turning the bluetooth on my phone off and on.

    50% of the time it works all the time.

    Apparently the cycling workouts are not as great as Peloton’s but since I haven’t ever used Peloton I don’t mind. If it does reach a point where I am on a stationary bike this winter I am sure the cycling workouts will suffice.

    Overall if you have an Apple Watch I suggest giving Fitness+ a try. In our case we already had Apple Music and 2TB of iCloud storage so getting Apple One was just a few dollars more. It is probably much better to watch the workouts on a larger device like an iPad or a TV with Apple TV, but I can make do with my phone.

  • How to be at home

    Neat film from the National Film Board of Canada about ideas for handling being at home alone during this pandemic. Personally I have done well with this as it has allowed me to read and listen to more. I have found new hobbies in woodworking and expanded my love of riding my bike.

    Not everyone enjoys being isolated though, and I understand that. Sitting with your own thoughts and imperfections can be terrifying. My best advice is to get up and get outside. Fresh air and activity, even minor activity, is so helpful physically and mentally.

    Also if you need to talk with anyone I am always here. I might be slow to reply sometimes cause I have my own shit going on, but I will get back to you eventually. Just gotta keep on keepin on!

    Found on Kottke.

  • Voting in Colorado and the US in 2020

    2020 has been a wild year with just the COVID-19 pandemic. To up the ante the US is also having a Presidential election this year. Since I live in the state of Colorado there are a lot of things to vote on here as well. I needed to spend some time researching the ballot initiatives and decided to write something up about my though process. Here we go:

    US President

    Biden/Harris – I think this tweet sums up the race for me:

    US Senate

    John Hickenlooper – He is a Democrat so there is a 70% chance that we align on most things. He isn’t perfect but he is a closer representative to what I want to see done in the US and Colorado. The pandemic has caused as close to a black and white rift in the US’ government as I have ever seen. On the Democrat side it is based on science and reason. On the Republican side it is business as usual. A pandemic is anything but business as usual. In Colorado we have done a much better job than most of the country dealing with this but we are not done yet. Hopefully having reasoned leadership will help.

    US Congress

    I live in Colorado’s 3rd district so that is the representative that I get to vote on for the US Congress. This year we have Diane Mitsch Bush vs Lauren Boebert and it is turning into a bit of a race. The 3rd district is traditionally a Republican stronghold as it is mainly rural. However 2020 is not a traditional year and Bush could upset the controversial Boebert.

    I will be voting for Bush as she is a Democrat and again aligns with my views on things like universal healthcare, pandemic response, taxing the rich, and not owning a restaurant where employees open carry firearms.

    Montezuma County Commissioner

    Samulski – This is the county that I live in and we need all the help we can get. Traditionally we are a farming community but as drought increases it is going to be important that we expand our horizons. I have been working on the Samulski campaign to get her website running.

    Amendment B: An effort to repeal Gallagher Amendment governing property taxes

    This is a complicated one. The Gallagher Amendment was created in 1982 to deal with the rising costs of living in Colorado. It fixed the total residential property tax revenue at 45% with the remainder made up by business property taxes. Since it was passed it is estimated to have saved residential property owners $35 billion, that is a b.

    The problem is that it ties county and city government hands in how they handle property taxes. In smaller rural areas the amendment has been a problem because the larger richer counties determine the tax rates. I am conflicted on how to vote for this.

    Colorado has an interesting history when it comes to taxes. In 1992 we passed the Tax Payers Bill of Rights TABOR, which forces any tax changes at the state or city level to be put to a vote of the people. This has kept Colorado taxes low which is seen as helping growth and limiting government. It also means that a lot of government services are underfunded like schools and road repair.

    The Gallagher Amendment and TABOR seem to be at total odds with each other even though both limit how the government can rule. However we are in a different time in 2020 and it seems like we need to make a change here and repeal the Amendment. I will vote to repeal.

    Amendment C: Expands ability of nonprofits to conduct bingo and raffles as fundraisers

    Ah the expansion of gambling in Colorado. I remember when they first allowed gambling to start happening again in a few select towns in the 90’s. Personally I have no interest in gambling. I work too hard to make money and just giving it away seems like a silly thing to do.

    Now gambling is seen as a good way to raise money for nonprofits. How messed up a situation are we in that we have to run gambling enterprises to raise money for nonprofits that help children? Rather than raise taxes on everyone we take advantage of people with an addiction to pay for their children’s health.

    I want to vote against this on principle, but until we actually raise taxes to eliminate he need for nonprofits this is going to be helpful. Do you think Gamblers Anonymous will hold a raffle?

    Amendment 76: Citizenship question to vote cuts would-be 18-year-olds out of the process

    Sounds like voter suppression so I will vote against this.

    Amendment 77: Allow gambling towns to increase or remove bet limits on casino games

    Sure, maybe it will help raise tax revenue to fund more Gamblers Anonymous. Again, until we raise taxes creating more tax revenue via gambling is a necessary evil.

    Proposition EE: Increase tobacco taxes and add new nicotine tax to ease state budget pain and pay for preschool

    Smoking it a terrible habit and people should stop. Raising taxes on tobacco has worked before and will keep working. Also we need more tax revenue.

    Proposition 113: Whether to join the national popular vote compact instead of current Electoral College system

    This is an interesting effort to alter how the US general election for president works. It will require a lot of other states to join in the effort but it might work. I will vote yes for it.

    Proposition 114: Colorado voters will decide on reintroducing an endangered species, wolves

    I will vote yes on this.

    Proposition 115: Prohibit abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy unless life of woman is threatened

    How are conservatives all for small government but then for some of the most restrictive laws? For me this argument is simple: Does a woman have full control of her own body? My answer is yes.

    I will vote no on this.

    Proposition 116: A income tax cut for individuals and corporations, but less money for state

    I will vote no on this. We do not need to cut any taxes at this time.

    Proposition 117: Put limits on fees created by the Colorado legislature for state enterprises

    Since Colorado has TABOR the state has had to get creative on how it funds different state enterprises. This is done with fees. Now we want to limit the fees. 🙈

    I will vote no.

    Proposition 118: Create a new state program and fees to provide paid family and medical leave to workers

    Yes

    That wraps up the 2020 US and Colorado elections. Thanks for playing along.

  • Exercise recovery

    Great video on the science of exercise recovery to clarify any confusion:

    ;tldw

    • Massage is good for you but if you cannot afford one everyday use a foam roller.
    • Compression boots and socks are helpful but only after a workout.
    • Stretching does not appear to help with soreness or improve gains.
    • Cold water immersion is not worth the time and effort.
    • Eat carbs after a workout within 2 hours to fastest glycogen replacement.
    • Skip supplements and eat whole foods.
  • Long Ride to Dolores

    Long Ride to Dolores

    Got on the bike this morning and started riding to Chicken Creek Nordic center. Its a 40 minute rode from my home that starts on pavement then turns into a nice dirt road ride. I ride there a lot because it’s close to my home, and gets me into the San Juan National Forest the fastest. Today I started off thinking I would go for a two and a half hour ride. Seven hours later I rolled back into the compound with a new route completed.

    For most of the summer I have been riding into the Chicken Creek Nordic center, and then riding up Chicken Creek road. These rides range anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours depending on how far I go. One ride that I have been thinking about is using Morrison 610 to connect to Highway 145 and then creating a 60+ mile loop back to the small town of Dolores and then home:

    The big issue was that I haven’t ridden any of Morrison 610, and my only food was a package of ShotBloks. The good news was that I had plenty of water, and when I got to Dolores I could stop for Gatorade, potato chips, and candy bars. If I got to Dolores…

    The temperature was chilly but not cold. With a skull cap, light jacket, and warm gloves I lost some feeling in my fingers but overall was comfortable. After one and a half hours of riding I was too warm for the jacket and gloves. 30 minutes later I switched the cap out for my regular headband. I was feeling very good, but also knew I had a long way to go.

    One issue I immediately had with the Morrison 610 trail is that it’s a multi use trail. This means that ATV’s and dirt bikes can ride it. I have friends that tell me dirt bikes help break a trail in for mountain bikes. Yeah right. More like they break a trail.

    The issue with anything with an engine is that it can spin it’s tires out anytime. This erodes the trail and leaves large roots and rocks which are not fun to ride a bike on. Personally I don’t see the need for recreational vehicles. If you want to recreate then get a bike or go for a hike. </rant>

    The silver lining is that the 560 forest road kept criss-crossing the trail. The second time I crossed it I stopped and check my Trailforks app to see if the 560 forest road was a valid option. Sure enough it was and I could avoid riding the worst eroded part of Morrison 610 by riding on a mostly nicer road for about 4 miles.

    The aspen trees in our area have been changing color for a few weeks, but it seemed like they were at peak color today. Half the forest was bright yellow and beautiful. The views definitely helped distract me from the climbing. Eventually I got back on Morrison 610 a short distance from the downhill to Bear Creek Trailhead.

    The downhill section of Morrison 610 into the Bear Creek Trailhead on Highway 145 is only 2.5 miles but it has 1800 ft of elevation loss. There were a few trees that had fallen across the trail which I had to dismount for. Part of making a 60+ mile bike ride fun is not falling on a tree, or at all.

    It was breathtaking in a few ways:

    It got steep after this shot.

    Once I reached the bottom of the downhill and made my way to Highway 145 I still wasn’t even halfway done with the distance. However the majority of the climbing was complete, and I would be on pavement for the rest of the ride home. I poured my 2 reserve water bottles into my Camelback bladder, and ate my last ShotBlok before heading for Dolores.

    Highway 145 is a road Kate and I have biked before, but in the other direction. 4 years ago on Labor day weekend we biked the San Juan Skyway. On day 1 we biked up Highway 145 and today I quickly recalled that there is no shoulder on this road. The majority of drivers gave me plenty of room when passing, and a few slowed down if there was oncoming traffic. So, that was nice.

    My butt was beginning to get tired of being on a bike seat about this time. Fortunately I was listening to the audio book Can’t Hurt Me during the start of David’s ultra marathon career. Compared to what he went through in those races my day was looking really nice. It is fascinating how much the mind will get you to quit something because it is hard.

    Once in Dolores I stopped at the first gas station to get some calories. At this point I was 6 hours into the ride and had eaten 200 calories in shotbloks, which are just fancy Gummie bears. It was time to consume calories. My preference is for a 32 oz bottle of blue Gatorade, Lays BBQ potato chips, and chocolate bars. This station had Kind bars which make me feel like its kinda health food. I had 2 of those and grabbed a Cliff Bar for security in case I needed more calories before I got home.

    Dolores to home is about an hour ride taking it easy. The good news is that at this point easy was the only gear I had left. Since I have biked this section a lot it was much more routine than the prior six hours of riding had been. My butt was definitely over riding bikes for the day but overall I felt good. I stayed well hydrated the whole ride and reserved my energy well.

    Next step will be expanding the route to go over Sharkstooth pass and drop down the entire Bear Creek trail. That will add at least 2000 more vertical and at least a dozen or more additional miles. Should be fun.

    Stats from Apple Watch:

    • Riding Time: 7:01:19
    • Miles: 65.22
    • Total Calories: 3,805
    • Elevation Gain(ft): 4,035
    • Average Heart Rate(bpm): 123
    • Average Speed(mph): 9.2
    • Elevation Min(ft): 6,901
    • Elevation Max(ft): 9,738

  • Shelter

    Fun ski/splitboard film in the Swiss Alps. Besides being able to ride awesome mountains and make us jealous the riders attempt to be as low carbon footprint as possible. Its a fun snow sport film that gets me excited about winter. The side focus and commentary on climate change is sobering. Here you can see the environment change as the glaciers have melted away.

    The movie is fun and interesting in many ways. The history of the alps, the crazy athletic abilities of the athletes, and the conversation about the environment. Naturally it got me thinking about our carbon footprint and impact on climate change.

    One of the focuses on our home design has been Net Zero design. The idea is to build a structure that produces all of the energy that it uses. To do that we build a highly efficient home that is run on electricity. Then we add PV Solar to cover our electrical usage.

    How big a difference does one house make though? The thing about one house building like this is that then it leads to other houses building like this. Once you see that something is possible it becomes more probable that you will do it too. I think most people look at Net Zero from an up front cost perspective.

    Yes adding insulation and Solar PV costs money, but these are two things that continue to pay you back. Instead of having expensive counter tops we will have a home that pays for its energy usage starting year one. By year 5 or 8 we will have recouped the cost of the system.

    Yes climate change is a massive issue and it will take a lot of action from the largest countries and companies. But I also see the benefit in each one of us taking action. While individual actions are small they add up by influencing each other to do better.

    Regarding the ski movie: Its odd that in 2018 there weren’t any female skiers or splitboarders available for the movie…

  • The History of Time Travel

    Interesting take on a time travel documentary about time travel. The writers had fun putting this together. This is not going to be the most monumental thing you have ever seen. However it should distract you for just over an hour with at least mild amusement. Free with Amazon Prime.

  • Whole House ICF?

    Whole House ICF?

    I mentioned ICF in a prior post as the technique we have settled on for building our basement walls. What I did not mention was that initially we had also planned to build all the walls with ICF. We changed to using 2×6 framing based on various green/passive building techniques we had been reading about.

    However we have recently been considering whole house ICF again. This is due to the price of lumber skyrocketing in the US currently. Generally building your entire home with ICF instead of traditional wood framing adds about 3-5% to the overall bill. Currently lumber is about 30%+ up in price so that 3-5% is pretty much wiped out. Add to that the extra costs we were going to incur with spray foam insulation and external continuous ridgid foam insulation and ICF is looking pretty nice.

    Beyond the economics though an ICF house has major practical benefits:

    • The walls are self standing. This allows the roof to be built in different manners since it is independent of helping support the walls. You can even use ICF for the roof.
    • Sound proofing. A solid concrete house is very quiet.
    • Thermal bridging. Since the concrete is solid all the way around and the insulation is built in there is no thermal bridging, which is a fancy way of saying that wood studs suck at insulating.
    • Bullet proof. I really hope we never have to test this but if it comes to that we will have a fortress in which to ride out the apocalypse.
    • Build time. With ICF you build the form, pour the concrete, and the walls and insulation are done. Then its just roughing in electrical and plumbing and adding the finish.
    Great overview of building with ICF

    We have gotten some quotes from ICF suppliers. Now we are talking with installers and getting quotes. The fun never stops apparently.