2023-10-19

Snow Dragon

My go-to Chinese green tea is Red Blossom’s Pre-Rain Dragonwell. I usually keep a supply of this stashed in one of my Airscape canisters. A couple weeks ago I saw that I was running low, and so saddled up to ride over to Red Blossom for resupply. (The guy who typically works weekends now recognizes me and no longer needs to ask my name to pull up my account which makes me feel like I spend entirely too much money there.)

Instead of coming back with more Dragonwell, I ended up with a couple ounces of Snow Dragon. They describe this as combining “an heirloom white tea cultivar with a traditional green tea crafting style for an entirely unique taste, reminding us of a less vegetal and slightly creamier-tasting Dragonwell.” I have found this description to be apt. Typically I do not truck with white tea, but this white-tea-crafted-as-a-green-tea is quite good. I think I still prefer Dragonwell as my regular green tea, but I plan to pick up more of the Snow Dragon to keep things interesting.

Meanwhile, I have run out of genmaicha, so this weekend I will be paying a visit to the ladies at Chato. One must keep the tea larder stocked while on the path to satori.

2023-10-16

micro, bicycle

My drive-side chainstay is cord wrapped.

I use the reflective Ironwire that Lawson makes for Durston, tied in a spiral French hitching wrap. It helps to protect the chainstay, but mostly it looks cool.

At 2mm, Ironwire is slightly thicker than the 1.7mm Kevlar cord that ships with the FiberFix Replacement Spoke, but my guess is that I could unwrap some of this cord and use it with the FiberFix hardware. I have yet to break a spoke this eyar, so I haven’t had an opportunity to test this.

2023-10-15

bicycle, gear, review

Hafney FR-06 Mirrors

Last May I lost my right-side Sprintech Drop Bar Mirror in the baggage car of the Amtrak Coast Starlight. The right-side mirror is less useful than the left-side, so I didn’t bother about a replacement until after pedaling the 1,200 miles back home.

Upon returning, I decided to explore what other mirror options there may be rather than immediately purchasing another Sprintech mirror. I rode with a Take A Look Helmet Mirror for a few weeks, but found it to be less convenient than a mirror mounted to the bike. I messed with the D+D Oberlauda UltraLite Bike Mirror for a couple days. It’s a nice mirror, but I couldn’t find a mounting position that I was happy with on my drop bars. (While messing with this mirror I ended up moving my bell from the left to the right side.) Finally I purchased an FR06 from Hafny Components. I was immediately smitten with this, and bought a second FR06 for the other side a few days later.

The Hafny FR06 uses actual glass for the mirror. It is slightly convex – though less so than the Sprintech – and has a blue tint that does a great job of cutting back on glare. The optical clarity of the mirror is really excellent. This is entirely unnecessary for the application, but once I used it I didn’t want to go back to Sprintech’s chrome-coated ABS plastic.

The FR06 fits snugly into my Rene Herse Rando Handlebars, even with the tail of my leather tape tucked in. After inserting, a bolt is tightened to expand the assembly, locking it into place. The mirror itself is attached to the mounting assembly via a ball and socket joint. A separate bolt allows this joint to be locked in place. Since the mounting assembly can be rotated in addition to the pan-and-tilt of the mirror joint, positioning everything takes a little trial and error. Once the correct position is found, everything can be tightened down enough such that a smart smack will not cause anything to budge. Or it can be left loose enough to allow for in-flight adjustments. I’ve switched between both approaches, and in neither case have I had any issue with visual clarity or the mirror moving of its own accord, even on rough gravel roads.

I mount the FR06 with the logo-side of the assembly facing down. I think this is considered to be upside down, but it allows me to tilt the mirror up a few degrees higher than I otherwise could, providing a better picture of what’s behind me above the actual road surface. With the logo on the assembly facing up I found that the mirror ran into the top of the assembly just 1 or 2 degrees shy of where I wanted it.

The shape of the FR06 mirror is different than the old Sprintech. I don’t find the shape of one to be superior to the other. Both provide me with the image I want to see at a quick glance. But the higher quality look and feel of the Hafney offering makes me happy, and I think contributes to the overall sex appeal of my ride. This is something I prioritize.

2023-10-10

knife

Naniwa Professional Chosera Stones

I’ve used a King 1000/6000 grit combination stone as my primary home sharpening system since 2007.

Recently I bought a new set of Naniwa Professional Chosera stones. I needed to purchase a 400 grit stone to touch up a particular blade, and thought that I’d gotten enough use out of the King combination stone over the past 16 years to justify replacing it with separate 1000 and 5000 grit stones. I also purchased a Naniwa Stone Box and Stand for each of the three stones. I have a Shapton Pro 1000 that came with a similar box and have come to greatly appreciate its convenience.

The Naniwa stones are splash and go, so I do not need to plan to soak them before use. Because I store them in a case that also functions as a stand, I don’t need to think about digging out my stone clamp. The case also allows the stones to dry. When I’m done I can just rinse the stones off, pat them dry, and toss them back in the case until next time. I store the Naniwa stones on a shelf in my kitchen, not far from the strop. All of this reduces the barrier to sharpening, thus increasing the likelihood of sharpening.

In the past I’ve noticed that I will sometimes think I ought to sharpen a knife, but will procrastinate due to the need to dig out the supplies and soak the stones. With this new setup I can start sharpening within a few seconds of having the thought.

Thus far I’ve found the Naniwa stones to work faster than my others. I don’t know if that is because they are still new, or if they will retain that advantage throughout their life. This new setup isn’t cheap, but so far I’m glad I acquired it.

2023-10-08

links

Link Log 2023-10-08

Five Tibetan Rites

Noodler’s Ink Selector

Hideo Kojima’s Closet Picks

Vampire: The Masquerade - L.A. By Night

Compendium of tips for sharpening serrated knives

Fully automated data driven authoritarianism ain’t what it’s cracked up to be

2023-07-24

links

Link Log 2023-07-24

I’ve seen the future. Apple wasn’t there.

Tea as Hepatoprotective Agent: A Revisit

The Story of Titanium

Plain Text Journaling

Anime Architecture

The Last Stand

2023-07-17

water, review, gear

Hydro Flask Lightweight Trail Series Bottles

I’ve been using the Hydro Flask Lightweight Trail Series bottles for about a year and a half. They are the first double-wall insulated stainless steel bottles I’ve found that are light enough for me to want to carry regularly.

I first purchased the 21 oz when I happened to come across it on sale. I liked it enough to purchase the 24 oz a month later when I had an REI coupon. A couple months after that I purchased the 32 oz at full price.

I primarily use the bottles to keep cold water cold. I also sometimes use the 24 oz bottle to keep hot tea hot. I’ve not timed how long they hold the desired temperature, but they do so for at least as long as it takes me to drink whatever is in them, thus resetting the clock. They do not insulate as well as my Zojirushi SM-SA48-BA, but the Hydro Flasks are better as daily, general purpose bottles.

When buying a bottle, one of the things I look for is standard threading and neck diameters. I strongly dislike being locked in to proprietary lids. Hydro Flask meets this criteria, allowing me to replace their stock lids – which are adequate – with better options. The 21 oz has a standard narrow mouth. Mine wears a Topoko Straw Lid B. The 24 oz and 32 oz have standard wide mouth openings. Mine both wear the humangear capCAP+.

If not using the humangear capCAP+ on the wide mouth bottles, a splash guard is wanted. The old Guyot Designs SplashGuard will not work, nor will the newer HydraPak WaterGate. I have found the BottlePro SplashPro to work well.

I have used the 21 oz and 24 oz bottles most. I first EDCed the 21 oz for about 8 months, before deciding that I really wanted those extra 3 oz of volume. The 24 oz has been my EDC for the past 8 months. Both carry well on the bike in a King Cage Iris Cage.

Without any lids, the three bottles register on my calibrated scale as:

7.80 oz, or 221.1 grams, for the 24 oz bottle
8.59 oz, or 243.4 grams, for the 24 oz bottle
10.80 oz, or 306.2 grams, for the 32 oz bottle

The bottles are not available in a raw finish. All three of mine are in the obsidian color, which is a nice chocolate brown. The paint does chip, particularly along the bottom, but this doesn’t bother me. One could probably avoid this by using one of those silicone boots, but these are not compatible with bike cages. I have dropped the bottles, and they do dent, but again, this does not bother me. If you’re looking for a pristine beauty queen, these bottles may not be your cup of tea. If you’re looking for functional, lightweight tools for a warming planet, these are great options.

2023-05-05

links

Link Log 2023-05-05

The Godziliad

Everyday Carry

Plastic Container Guide

Make Your Own Rain Shoe Covers

GPSJam GPS/GNSS Interference Map

Blue In Green (Yuko Mabuchi, 2019)