BFB Part 3 (Swamp Yankee Special)

Here's how my BFB (Big F'ing Bike) is looking these days. Yeah.. it's ugly, but it's made from used parts that I had lying around. Functionally it's really coming along. I've been messing around with the Stokemonkey temporary setup on the BFB since August and have been anxious to make some improvements.



One key item that I wasn't a big fan of was the stock motor/chain tensioner with the cable on one side. I'm sure it works very well as intended, and admittedly, I'm not using the kit as intended.

I made a new tensioner that is totally overkill. It's got threaded rod on each side, tighten to tweak chain tension. So far so good... It's pretty rugged and is easy to make small adjustments.

Short background on the project..the Stokemonkey is meant to be an assist to an XtraCycle equiped bike. Not one to take the easy route on projects, I decided to build my own load hauler bike. I brazed up a sturdy rear rack:


Then rigged up a swamp yankee special rubbermaid tub add-on:


I have some extensions so I can carry two more tubs, but thats kindof overkill. By the time things thaw out around here I'm going to have a surfboard mount on one side instead of a tub, and of course, and iBucket mount on top.

Yes, I can put a seat on the back seatpost, so far I've just been testing the bike alone. I could probably put a second set of cranks on it, not sure if I could ever get Mrs 40 on the back of this... but my niece and nephew can't wait to ride on it!

To Do list:
-Figure out best place to carry the battery.. I've had it on the top of the rear rack, in one of the haulers, zip tied to the rear top tube... so far i'm not happy with any of those. It really should be down really low, and in the middle of the bike. This weekend I might get to experiment a bit.
-BRAKES. I've got some old V-brakes on this and really really really should have disks.
-Controller mount.. I've been using the stock bag strapped to the seat tube... really, pretty ugly(and again *not* how it's intended)

Anyhow... If you can't tell, the load hauler bike concept is something I'm pretty excited about. While my first attempt is wicked crude, XtraCycle equipped bikes are taking off all over the place. Check out Surly...they're getting into the act with the Big Dummy. This frame looks *awesome*! Check out the closeup of frame rev2 over at CleverChimp's blog...One thing i noticed in the picture is the braze-ons on the rear 'downtube'.. I'm wondering if that's going to be the integrated Stokemonkey mounting location? Hrmm. I hope so. :)

As you know, I'm a pretty huge big fan of my Karate Monkey so I'm expecting the Big Dummy to be equally well designed. Surly has been testing the Big Dummy with a Stokemonkey all winter (...in Minnesota no less) so i'm guessing the combination of the two in practice will be pretty slick. Here are some pictures of Big Dummy rev 1 hauling Big Dummy rev 2. Picture 1 Picture 2

My original plan was to mess with this homebrew BFB for a while, then build my own one piece BFB frame to use the XtraCycle Freeloaders. Depending on my work/financial situation when they launch this I might just going to get on the waiting list for the Big Dummy. (Like in the recumbent days... Got $=buy a frame, No $=build a frame)... I really need to post pictures of all the recumbents someday.... I've been eyeballing the recumbent tandem frame as something to put the Stokemonkey on... Maybe someday.

If I were going to do this again... I probably wouldn't. For what an Xtracycle costs vs the time I spent making the rear rack etc I would have been way better off... Its been fun but lately my time is getting tight. Not good...

Well, I should wrap this up. Go check out Xtracycle, Cleverchimp, and Surly, to read more about the inspiration for the BFB.

-40

Please say 'Sustainable'... not "Green"

Tonight FlatTires, Ingrid-the-Dog, and I went for a quick, cold, ride up the hill. Along the way we were chatting about stuff, and the topic touched on the State of the Union address. Yes, Chimpy did mention renewables, biodiesel and ethanol, which is a start. Unfortunately, there is no way that we have enough land to grow enough renewables to sustain the current average American's way of life. Growing corn to guilt-lessly burn up in SUVs to go to MalWart is just ridiculous. We need to start talking about conservation before new sources of fuel.... but i'm getting ahead of myself. Make a difference tomorrow Chimpy, raise the CAFE standards to something meaningful, or even better, eliminate the BILLIONS in subsidies to the oil companies.

I've found that except for a few on the fringes of mainstream America, not too many of are willing to do what it would take to make any real difference in global warming and our energy problem.

So... the key word in this discussion isn't just renewables or... omg... 'Green' (That word is being embraced by marketing types and hipsters everywhere and it is hereby banned from posts on Pandapas except rants... bah!)

The word is.... wait for it....

Sustainable.

Meaning, being able to do something today, tomorrow, and forever with the same resource you started with. Example, if you had an acre of woods, you could cut down say, 10 cords today, but would have to wait 50 years for the trees to mature enough to do it again. If you gathered just ONE cord this year, you could get a cord next year, and the next, etc. So, you could say "One cord per acre is sustainable forever". (For those of you playing along at home, that's the equivalent to 215 gallons of heating oil PER ACRE)

For years now I've been working in a company that has been in the energy industry for decades, yet I can barely get anyone to utter the word in the cafeteria.

Here it is: All energy we use came from the sun. It was and is the only source of fuel on earth, period. Coal, oil, natural gas, propane... all of it is the product of decomposed biomass. A million years ago forests used C02, water, and sunlight to grow, capturing carbon, hydrogen, amd releasing oxygen. All that carbon and hydrogen got turned into Hydro-Carbons which can be burned up in all sorts of machines to release that million year old energy. Yes, (this is going to sound crazy) but start thinking about oil as an extremely dense form of a million years worth of stored ancient Sunlight.

The problem we're having now is the lifecycle of all that dead biomass captured all kinds of Carbon from the atmosphere, and in a little over a few hundred years, we've released enough of it to f up the climate. Seriously. We're past the peak of oil production, from here on out it's downhill. Seems everything in our society is based on oil. Oil based fertilizer supports our agriculture, oil transports it to your Mal-Wart, Oil keeps those french fries frozen, oil fuels your car to go get it. Don't wait for politicians to save you... do something about it on your own. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Ten energy projects with a One Year Payback

Mother Earth News Archive (Those hippies figured this all out 20 years ago, go read about their crazy ideas. This magazine is *full* of DIY projects that you can build today!)

and

Homepower Magazine

That's more than enough babble for tonight. -40

Will this finally bring an admission?

I often wonder what it takes for people who are constrained by ideology, stubbornness or that sweet, sweet remuneration to admit that they are wrong. On both sides of an issue, people constantly misconstrue the facts for their benefit. The understanding of this problem is what made Stephen Colbert's 'truthiness' such a hit.

So I read this and have to wonder if people like James Inhofe (who famously said that global warming is the greatest hoax perpetrated on the people- while chairing the Environment and Public Works Committee- and sitting on the Clean Air, Climate Change and Nuclear Safety sub-committee) and others who accept the largess of big energy and blindly fight for their corporate greed on their behalf while screwing the people they are supposed to represent and the planet we live on will change their tune? Will they apologize? Make concessions?

Personally, I am not going to hold my breath. If they are so tied to industry that they will take the word of the few scientists paid off by energy firms who rail against what every other scientific community in the world says is happening, then I don't expect anything to change now. Supposedly the issue of Global Warming is to play a large part in the SOU speech tonight- I just hope that it prompts our government to make REAL progress on the issue and not just pay lip service to it like last year's, 'addiction to oil' rhetoric.

Renewable energy for all!

Only Half the Story.... ABC News 6 Discovers Wood Fired Boilers

Good Evening Pandapas Friends. With some encouragement from 40 Oz, I am making my first post. What more appropriate a topic than one on alternative energy.... a topic germane to this blog I understand. 2 nights ago on ABC channel 6 there was a story about neighbors in North Smithfield embroiled in a conflict over wood boilers. One asserts his right to heat his house with wood (albeit with a terribly inefficient, polluting Central Boiler brand unit) and another who simply believes he is entitled to breath air free from smoke & combustion products. I decided to write channel 6 a letter using the "viewer feedback" section of their website, posted below. My point was to make them aware of the fact that it is possible for these 2 entitlements to peacefully coexist. Unfortunately wood burning often gets a bad rap because of irresponsible equipment manufacturers. The truth is that when used properly, it is an excellent renewable, and carbon neutral source of energy. A cord of good firewood can have over 30 million BTU's of stored energy, the equivalent of about 215 gallons of heating oil. With a few friends, a few beers, and some tunes on the Ibox, it is very realistic to gather 2 cords in a day. That is making a difference. Plus it's good exercise and good fun. Ok this is probably long enough. Here's the letter I sent.

Hello ABC News 6,
I am writing regarding the story yesterday about outdoor wood boilers causing pollution in North Smithfield. This is a growing problem throughout Northern regions of the country and Canada. Many municipalities have banned or restricted such wood burning boilers as a result. However, it is important not to categorize all such devices as inefficient pollution machines. If done responsibly, wood heating is better for the environment than the far more prevalent oil heating since it is a carbon-neutral process. The problem is that the EPA has thus far not regulated emissions from outdoor wood boilers, and this has led manufacturers to market cheap designs with horrible efficiency and emissions. At least 2 manufactures (of more than 20) have taken a more environmentally responsible approach and are selling wood boilers today that already exceed anticipated EPA legislation that is 2 years out. I own and operate one of these boilers at my residence. It produces perfectly clear exhaust and is nearly twice as efficient as many of the other manufacturers, such as the unit featured in N Smithfield. I would be happy to host a visit / demonstration if you wish to tell your viewers the other side of this local alternative energy story.

regards,

******** (flattires)

My Nuclear Powered Cat

"Blond" girl and cars

How's that for an enticing title?

OMG, there's this "blond" girl at work, ok, you know that movie w/ Will Ferrell Talledega Nights about Nascar. She thought that movie was a true story. She even saw it and still thought it was a true story. Later on someone told her it wasn't true. I haven't even seen the movie and could tell you by the commercials, it's not true. Plus it has Will Ferrell in it, that should be a clue right there. I really can't beleive that, but that is what I learned about her today.

On another note, my sister got me a vanity plate for my car for Christmas. Well, she got me the form and money. But now I have to pick out a plate. I'm think I'm going to regret this, but I'm open for suggestions. A couple suggestions of them from people at work (and these are available) ROC*STR; POOP*HD and I like LONG*TR. Here's the website to see if something is available in case you're wondering if your suggestion is taken.
http://www.dmvplate.state.ct.us/VanityPlate.asp
Although, I tend to think that some of the suggestions are not going to pass the decency board. I'll start it off proper. Go to this link.
http://www.dmvplate.state.ct.us/VanityPlate.asp?CaringForPets.x=50&CaringForPets.y=27&PlateNo=EASY.BJ&PlateType=CureKidsCancer

NYRAD Vol 2... No Go

So.. it rained alot on New Years Day so... NYRAD wasn't going to happen this year. The trails were mud soup so instead we hung out in the basement and watched Jackass 2. Owell... maybe we'll have a chance for a rain date sometime soon.

However, on New Years Eve we started a trail over at FlatTires house... Turns out it's about .6 miles.... all in his 'yard'. Its going to be *sweet*. He took a trip around with the dog and the gps so I'll get a snapshot of the loop up here soon. After a long day of building the hot tub was looking fantastic, but I had to head home to help Mrs 40 with the new years party preparations.

So.. its now a week later, I didn't make any resolutions(I never do) but eh.. whatever.

Anyhow.. time for dinner.. more later. Cya.