Sunday, May 19, 2013

A Weekend in the Garage

I've spent most of this weekend working on bikes.... well tires mostly. I put a set of Michelin PilotRoad 2s on the FJR. I've had them since I came back from Arkansas last June. I only got 6500 miles out of the Dunlop Roadsmarts. The roads in Arkansas must be very abrasive, and moving along at a spirited pace didn't help their life span!

A new set of PilotRoad 2s for the FJR...


I also replaced the tires on the Zx-14. It also got another set of PilotRoad 2s
Balancing the new rear tire...



Earlier this week, I spent some time refilling the wood supply in the garage. We burned everything that I had stored in there this winter. I found a couple more dead Oak trees out back, cut them up and split them. They tested between 8 and 15% moisture content. Ideal is 20% or less, so this stuff is ready to go! I also hauled in most of what I had drying in covered piles outside, it will be ready by fall. Another couple of logs, and it will be all full!


I read an article on line about using solar power to help speed the drying of firewood, I needed more space for wood storage anyways, so this is what I came up with. It's 2 4'x4' pallets bolted together, and some 2x4s I had in the garage... A little wood stain-sealer from the Re-store (cheap, $1.50 for the part of a gallon can!). I went all out and picked up 2 12' sheets of clear plastic roofing panel.... Not bad for an afternoons work.


The 4 sides will be lined with 4 mil plastic sheets. There's an open area under the high part in the back, and plenty of ventilation from the pallets. The sloped roof faces the south for maximum sun exposure. It's 4' x 8' x 4+', so it will hold a full cord of wood.... Filling it ought to keep me busy!


16 comments:

  1. Can't go wrong with PR2's! Now get out there and use 'em!

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    1. I agree! They work great as a sport-touring tire, and I can't complain about the miles I get out of them.

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  2. Ohh baby got some new shoes. Did you make that tyre balancer yourself or did you buy it from someone? Nothing like a new set of tyres to transform your bikes handling.

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    1. A couple of years ago my riding buddy and I went in 50/50 on a complete tire changing set up from Cyclehill. The balancer was part of the package. I've mounted 7 sets of tires with it and I know I've made my money back in savings!

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  3. I wonder where the new shoes might take you this summer...

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    1. We'll see... I don't really have anything planned yet.

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  4. Excellent wood storage structure! I especially like the use of the pallets. They are so...usable.

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    1. Thanks, I thought it turned out pretty good considering how little $$ I have into it. I've scored a few pallets from the building supply store in town. They were happy to give them to me.

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  5. Wow, you have been busy. Good idea using solar heat to dry the wood.

    You ought to be race ready when the cold weather comes back - but we don't even want to think of that right now after the winter you just had.

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    1. Don't remind me. There's only a few months before winter returns!

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  6. I just ordered a tire balancer from Amazon and it looks similar though I would just put the ends on jack stands. The new woodshed came out looking pretty good though it looks like an ideal place for wasps....

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    1. It took a while to develope the art of balancing tires. If it looks like there's too much weight required to balance it, I'll just break the bead loose again and spin the rim in the tire 180ยบ. I've come close to no weight required, but the least amount I've stuck on was 7 grams =1/4 oz.

      When you start to balance your tires, try to obtain the LEAD stick on weights. The STEEL ones are not as dense and the same weight is larger, plus, they don't bend and conform to the rim like LEAD ones do. I bought a couple of boxes of weights off of Amazon... I should be good for a long time!

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  7. Replies
    1. I guess we'll see if it helps to speed up the drying. At the very least, it will keep things from getting any wetter in the rain!

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  8. Erik:

    I smile as I notice the wood level coming up to your kayaks. I remember last year when it was nearly empty. It's a never ending battle to have enough wood for Winter. See, it's like your snowblower method. Have enough wood in stock and Winter will stay away

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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    1. Yup! We burned every piece of wood I had stored in the garage. We even had to dig into the Emergency Dry Reserve pile!

      It never ends..

      The "fix the snow blower so the winter will end" experiment didn't quite work the way I hoped!

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