tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post6191952305917966755..comments2024-02-06T10:31:24.491-07:00Comments on Watching the World Wake Up: It’s Not You, It’s MeWatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-40417910077337084642011-01-31T19:41:37.282-07:002011-01-31T19:41:37.282-07:00A friend and I were talking yesterday about how fa...A friend and I were talking yesterday about how facebook et al are creating a false impression of how happy everybody is. They all pick the best, brightest moments of their lives to share and we look at it and think, why the hell do *I* have do do dishes and pick up kids and go to work?<br /><br />But in reality, nobody's that happy. They just cherrypick their lives to keep one-upping each other in the happiness race.<br /><br />So, I'm gonna keep that in mind as a means to keep my jealousy in check...<br /><br />... but seriously, thanks. This has been a fantastic resource for me, and it's great to see one of the good ones make it out of corporate land. Have fun and let us know what it's like out there, eh?Kevin Vigorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03367849895489512489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-66783674181042833122011-01-31T07:10:42.081-07:002011-01-31T07:10:42.081-07:00mtb w- don't worry, existing posts will stay u...mtb w- don't worry, existing posts will stay up for as long as Google allows!<br /><br />Enel- no worries, I read it as intended!<br /><br />Colin- yeah, I switched already, and definitely some improvement, though not yet "silent running".Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-36435867253485302902011-01-29T23:13:03.662-07:002011-01-29T23:13:03.662-07:00I'll miss the twice weekly tangents from work....I'll miss the twice weekly tangents from work.<br /><br />The BB is low on the Tallboy but I just got used to it and all the plusses outweigh it. I also swapped out the stock pads for the organic pads which got rid of the noise (they are supposed to be better suited to dry climates, like Utah).<br /><br />Bon Voyage.Colinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17690981291104861282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-46561580328222626602011-01-29T09:30:12.615-07:002011-01-29T09:30:12.615-07:00Watcher:
Reading back over my prior comment, it se...Watcher:<br />Reading back over my prior comment, it seems unreasonably harsh. Hopefully you realized it was tongue in cheek mostly. I have really enjoyed the blog, and you writing style is a hoot, combining science stuff, bike stuff, and witty observations about normal life in a great way. In other words, you may be an excellent camper, but you are also an excellent story teller.<br /><br />MTB W:<br /><br />29" bikes use the same botttom bracket heights as their 26" brethren. The difference is the axles are 1.5 inches higher, so the "bb drop" is lower on a 29" bike and generally they will be more stable for a given absolute BB height. To the pilot, they feel no higher.<br /><br />The Tallboy has an absolutely low, regardless of wheel size 12.5" bb height.<br /><br />Watcher again: What I fine is that 29" wheels in any terrain or amount of travel are much smoother feeling than smaller wheels. This has to do with the angle of attack of the front of the wheel on an obstacle. It does not ramp up or spike as much and generally if one is not doing a lot of big drops, one can get away with a lot less (or no) travel on the big wheels.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-91830948060371140482011-01-29T08:40:24.534-07:002011-01-29T08:40:24.534-07:00Is the BB on the 29er lower than on your 26er? I&...Is the BB on the 29er lower than on your 26er? I've never looked into it but it would seem that it would be higher and that your whole center of gravity is an inch or so higher (as compared to a 26er). Does it feel that way? I've never tried a 29er so I have no basis for comparison but it would also seem like the turning radius would be larger (and, thus, perhaps, less nimble). Is that not the case? Anyway, sorry to get off a tangent but this is WTWWU (for at least one more post).<br /><br />I agree that non-natives in any cool place will always be amazed at their surroundings while natives are often bored by it. Perhaps it has to do with childhood development. Childhood surroundings are ingrained into you so that you always see the world compared to it (but such childhood surroundings then become boring and never new and exciting). But, as an adult, anyplace different from your childhood will always seem new and different, a place for exploring. Anyway, that is a guess. Colorado is the same way - most natives almost never go into the mountains but transplants (no matter if they lived here 2 or 20 years) can't get enough of it. Oops - another tangent!<br /><br />Good luck with wrapping things up at work and preparing for your new adventures. Looking forward to your last post (unless, hopefully, you decide to continue blogging whether here or with a new site). Please keep this website up for a while - occasionally I look things up from past posts. You are like wikipedia, but much cooler. Afterall, how many wiki's entries have such colorful and entertaining tangents?<br /><br />mtb wAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-47975932724206363272011-01-29T07:34:59.790-07:002011-01-29T07:34:59.790-07:00All- thanks for the kind words. I really appreciat...All- thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate it.<br /><br />Enel- Yes, 1st 29er, and the big wheels are also a huge factor. On Gooseberry I felt that the while the "big moves" were still "big", the big wheels minimized the in-between rough "chatter", allowing more recovery in-between the bigger moves, leaving me way less beat up at the end of the day. Oddly, the wheels already don't seem "big" anymore; when OCRick (also a recent 29 convert) and I encountered 26ers on the trail, we both had an instant <i>why-are-your-wheels-small?</i> gut reaction..<br /><br />Dave & Brad- Happy to send you campsite beta. Email me at adventureREMOVECAPSbotanist@yahoo.com. (Dave- if I already have your email I'm spacing it, forgive me).<br /><br />Rabid- I have a "theory" that Utah born & bred natives are hopelessly spoiled. I don't think we non-natives ever really get over, no matter how long we live here, how amazing this place is.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-38593701810915991192011-01-28T22:51:32.234-07:002011-01-28T22:51:32.234-07:00I have really enjoyed your blog/work/tangential wh...I have really enjoyed your blog/work/tangential whatever... I wanted to thank you for doing this project. Just so you know that people from all over are interested in the same types of things. I have actually sounded smarter as a result of reading your stuff. Heh heh. I'm heading to gooseberry in a few months and I promise to keep your campsite secret. If I find it...<br /><br />All the best.<br />BradHBMabryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15265908290437832121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-57045287716537314642011-01-28T14:07:15.686-07:002011-01-28T14:07:15.686-07:00Congratulations on moving on! I've enjoyed you...Congratulations on moving on! I've enjoyed your blog and wish you good luck. <br /><br />And about the campsite, if you are willing to share with another "leave no trace camper," send me an email. I will treat it well, and it looks like it is about 3 hours from home. <br /><br />Thanks again for your enjoyable writing and tangents.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16794671152150647056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-61968588786829847282011-01-28T13:22:02.106-07:002011-01-28T13:22:02.106-07:00Dang. 'YOU'RE." Not "your."...Dang. 'YOU'RE." Not "your." Hate it when I do that.Rabidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01910636993163166976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-31872665968672659512011-01-28T13:21:24.824-07:002011-01-28T13:21:24.824-07:00You have friends that don't read your blog. I...You have friends that don't read your blog. I have a love affair with my non-blog-reader friends because: A) You feel as if you have a "secret," B) You can retell the story and they won't notice that you've already written about it, and C) They provide great material without too much overhead (wink, wink.)<br /><br />I'm really excited that your moving away from the Utah thing for a while. I've lived here my whole life, and, well, have grown sick of you talking about Utah. Grin. Sometimes I wanna say stuff like, <i>"Watcher. Dude. Utah really ain't all that cool."</i> Or is it...?Rabidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01910636993163166976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-20840550075737524052011-01-28T12:37:09.231-07:002011-01-28T12:37:09.231-07:00Oh, and for the record, I share your assessment of...Oh, and for the record, I share your assessment of low bottom brackets. I'm sold on disc brakes. You learn to deal with the noise, and sometimes you can even figure out what's causing it and fix it, but usually not. I also use some really old (I think first generation) Shimano Deore hydraulics for the simple reason that they are zero maintenance beyond an occasional pad replacement. I don't think I've ever even had to bleed them.Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-32186076180623627062011-01-28T12:32:38.658-07:002011-01-28T12:32:38.658-07:00I'll go one up on El Gaucho and say that your ...I'll go one up on El Gaucho and say that your blog has been life changing for me, but that's mostly because through it I met you in real life and have had some way cool adventures and conversations as a result. I'm looking forward to the post on the Wasatch and to hearing about your adventures. And now that you have free time, hopefully tagging along on some of them. Buena suerte!Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-38224302660597686372011-01-27T13:49:56.894-07:002011-01-27T13:49:56.894-07:00Though I've never met you and can't even r...Though I've never met you and can't even remember how I first lucked my way into your blog, I'd like to pass on my genuine appreciation for the year or so I've spent following your writing (I couldn't respond to the last breakup post because it made me sad). I'm not saying it was life changing or perspective alerting or anything, but every time a Watching the World Wake Up post appeared in Google Reader I thought "Sweet!!". Each post also led to subsequent inevitable Interwebs research or scrambling to find some old book that I swear I had somewhere. <br /><br />Thanks for writing an informative and amusing blog and I look forward to Part II. Best of luck in your travels/adventures.El Gauchohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16123486882754116176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-69543172113645142702011-01-27T13:33:09.764-07:002011-01-27T13:33:09.764-07:001. Don't worry, I don't really think you a...1. Don't worry, I don't really think you are that smart.<br /><br />2. If my wife asks for a talk, my first response is always "Am I in trouble?" If the answer is negative (and I have no clue if it will be or not), I can relax until the scheduled talk time.<br /><br />3. This is your first 29"er, correct? You may be feeling the stability of the wheels but I agree low bbs are a double edged sword in ledgy terrain. I am gravitating toward lower and lower bbs and find they keep me out of trouble....until they don't and I hit a pedal.<br /><br />4. Happy travels. Good on you for doing the blog. I personally pretty much never get the itch to write, but love to read. You always said your next blog would be anonymous?? I guess now that you can't hold down a job anonymity is less important:)*<br /><br />*Original response edited because I am an A student and couldn't stand the typos.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-70230776825524968202011-01-27T13:30:41.607-07:002011-01-27T13:30:41.607-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.com