[dfib]

Where/what is work for you?

How far do ya commute?

What percentage of the commute is done on a bike?

 

[Guest]

I work out of my home, so no commuting on the bikes unfortunately. I have to make up reasons for a ride. It does keep the mileage low though.

 

[cheapbastard]

only about 16 miles one way for me, and no good roads for the commute! I ride to work occasionally, just depends on if speedy or the ol' truck has more gas in it. Don't wanna have to buy gas right then if I don't have to!!! ;D

 

[dfib]

I commute anywhere from 10 blocks to 35 miles (one way) depending which station I am working at on a given day. 3 out of 4 are boring sity rides, but the 35 mile one can be almost all twisties..... Sometimes that ends up being closer to a 60 mile commute on the way home. Bike 95% of the time in the summer as long as it's not raining. I broke down yesterday and filled my truck for the 6th time since 4/1. Winter average is a tank of gas every 7-10 days :'( Bad news is it's been raining here for the past 5 days and the truck shit a tie-rod today..... If the weather doesn't clear up tonight the commute tomorrow is gonna suck!

 

[kuhlka]

I work where I live. My wife and I now run a foster home for 'troubled' youth. We were working for my parents for the past 4 years doing the same in their home, but decided to open our own home to see what we think and help pay for grad school. Its a tough job, but someone has to do it. Kind of helps that I grew up living with foster kids as my parents have run a home since before I was born.

So, I don't commute, but I generally get in around 10,000+ miles a year.

 

[milq]

I currently commute 38 miles one way. I'm a teacher at a community college, (PLC's, robotics, CNC programming, autoCAD/Solid works, etc) so don't want to show up for work dripping wet, etc.

I ride anytime I can....which means if the weather is decent and I didn't have to drag home any textbooks or anything like that. (No backpacks for me....my back takes enough abuse)

Last year it was the laptop that really limited me, but I got a small external hard drive to cure that issue.


On a side note. (sorry not speedy related)
This year my Dean wanted something to showcase some of the stuff our students do......so he managed to get a complete motorcycle build budgeted!!!

I spent a few years building bikes, so the tech. end was there and things are going well. We had a guy from a shop about 70 miles away come visit last night and he was really shocked....we're custom making a lot of things that most builders buy pre-made. (Triple clamps, foot controls, oil tank, wheels,.....well, we're cutting forged blanks into a design, etc)

The students are designing multiple parts, voting on which parts to use and then manufacturing them. Basically, I and the other instructors involved are just there for tech support and to stop an unsafe part from being made.

If anybody is interested, let me know and I'll send some pics, etc.

 

[Guest]

I would LOVE to see the work!
devious2xs at charter.net

 

[cheapbastard]

I would LOVE to see the work!
devious2xs at charter.net

+1, except that's not my email! ;D

[email protected]

And milq, I had no idea you were in the same kinda work. Well, I'm no teacher, but I do alot of CNC programming for punch press machines and laser(in the past), and do some design work with MetaCAM 3D which is strictly a sheetmetal software.

 

[premier]

I went to work in the morning. It was raining so I put on rain gear. When I left from work it didn't rain anymore and the streets were dry so I decided to leave the rain gear off. Too bad the temperature at the moment is 5 celsius degrees and I forgot to put on long underwear. So now I have a pair of frozen nuts.

I just laughed the whole way back to my own stupidity. ;D

 

[milq]

Dev and Cheap....will take some pics soon. I have failed to do much of that so far....the school has a radio/tv program that sent 2 students over to document the build and I just kinda forgot about taking any pics myself. BTW, don't ever look at yourself on film if you can help it!

I'll get something sent out early next week if not before.... also, if you have softwatre to open .dwg or .prt files I can send some solid models if you'd like to check em out.

 

[jrussell6]

wow,, alot of talent in the house,,, i would love to see the build as well, i'm an industrial design student, but worked for several years as a blacksmith/welder/tool+die/fabricator before i decided to go back to school, now i run my school's shop, which basically consists of making sure people don't chop limbs off on the table saw and explaining that the bridgeport in not just another drill press.

oh and, i ride every day,, rain or shine snow or sleet, got a pair of helly/hanson rain paints that are perfect, don't mind it one bit,, the dead of winter cuts in on the joy riding, but i freekin hate cars. although i would probably buy that jeep diesel truck if it comes out,, i forget what it's called,

 

[cheapbastard]

also, if you have softwatre to open .dwg or .prt files I can send some solid models if you'd like to check em out.

sweeeet, send those too milq, I'd love to check them out!

 

[milq]

Cheap and Devious.....rather than send a loaded down email I sent you a link to my photobucket album. Jrussell6: I can send you a link as well. I wanted to password protect it so a link here won't work (apparently). I'll send anyone else a link as well.....I just didn't want the casual web surfer stumbling onto it.

All work (design and manufacture) is done by the students with tech advice when they need it, so I think it's a great project to hone problem solving skills.

There are some pics of triple clamps in some rigid foam prtotyping material and various other pics. The clamps have another 5 degrees of rake built into them to correct the steering geometry......that was a real trick for them to design, but they did great! Some pics are not bke related, just thought you might like to see what some of our students do.

As far as the stuff on there, you'll note more than one wheel design.....that's where the voting comes in. The exhaust pipes should be interesting, I think they vote on that next week....then they have to be made up, which I have zero experience with. I'll post more pics soon, some of the files are being held by the students until time to post them for voting....it's become a nice little competition. The really cool thing is: We have students actually staying late by choice to do work on this stuff. It's also drawing some media attention.....we have the local NBC affiliate coming by in a couple weeks as well as a couple of magazines. All good for the school.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you have on this stuff and I'll get those files to Cheap as soon as I can get my hands on some of the cooler ones.

 

[Guest]

VERY nice!

Thanks.

 

[AlaskaS3]

My commute is around 650 miles (by air). I take a 737. I "could" ride my bike to work, in the summer, but the last couple hundred miles are rough dirt roads. I'm need a 1200GS or something similar.

 

[dfib]

:dslap: Resurrected

 

[Devious2xs]

:dslap: Resurrected

Grave digging reanimator! :slap:

Work is sitting in front of a computer making a living.
Fun is working on engines and being covered in grease, metal shavings, or assembly lube.
Life is riding on a windy day - you can't change the wind, but you can enjoy the cool breeze.

 

[Intfit]

Only time I ever commute on my bike is when its due for a service (Dealer is close to work). I'm spoilt because I live right at the doorstep of the best bike road for a hundred miles or so. Can't motivate myself to ride to work, because work is in the opposite direction (traffic lights caretc.) and I hate tangling with traffic if I don't have to, must have something to do with being a recent convert from dirt bikes.

I'll send anyone else a link as well.....I just didn't want the casual web surfer stumbling onto it.

Extremely interested in the link, my business partner (who is bike crazy) has been badgering me for a while about building a bike. I've built quite a few toys in years gone by. 2 seater off road buggy, go Karts (including a 425cc 2 stroke kart) etc. I've virtualy forgotten how to weld myself so I pretty much live on a CAD screen at times.

Some of the inspiration for the fitness equipment I design comes from bikes. You can't tell from this angle but parts of this machine resemble the Ducati trellis frames.
http://www.integritystrength.com/Raptor-Range/PL212-Leg.html

And it was only after buying an S3 that I started designing equipment that wasn't symetrical, due to falling in love with single sided swing arms. This is one of the non symetrical ones, the upturned bent pipes are inspired by speedy's wild bag-of-snakes frame (strange but true ).
http://www.integritystrength.com/Raptor-Range/PL124-Shoulder.html

oops, sorry for the monster threadjack

 

[doug]

office in my house, company truck for service calls. put it away limey, its not that kind of service

 

[Guest]

doug on a recent servie call