I was interviewed recently by Michelle Kitson of the local Community Environmental Council regarding my bicycle use… have a read over on their blog. It was a lot of fun to do this interview,and I hope it helps get the word out about how much fun cycling can be when it’s integrated into your normal day-to-day life.
My kids and I are huge fans of Minecraft and my boys decided to dress up like “Steve”, the main character, for Halloween. There are commercially available Steve Heads, but they are rather expensive, and making stuff yourself is fun for kids anyways.
So, we went to Kinko’s and got some of their 11x11x11 boxes (about $2 each) and I made a couple PDF files from the official char.png file you can download from the Minecraft website. We printed these on 11×17″ paper using Adobe Acrobat to handle page tiling. Note that the 11x11x11 boxes are not actually that size – the real size is 11.5″ wide x 12″ tall x 11.5″ deep. These PDFs are scaled to fit that size, with an extra-large hair part to cover the gap on the edges. We just printed out the files, trimmed, and taped onto the boxes, but you can do a lot fancier if you like.
Here are the files: Minecraft Head Files (ZIP)
Anyways… good luck! Leave a comment if you find this useful.
Well, it’s been many years in the coming – I strongly considered one before I put together my Xtracycle back in 2008 – but at long last I’ve upgraded to a Surly Big Dummy. Very, very pleased with the bike, it fits better than my old Kona -based Xtracycle, and the ride is simply magical.
As my kids have gotten older, the flex on the Xtracycle was getting sketchy, and I was starting to get a little concerned about overloading the v-brakes and/or overheating the tubes during extended braking. The Big Dummy with its much, much stiffer frame and 185mm Avid BB-7 disc brakes completely resolves both concerns, and is simply kickass all around.
I went with the complete available through QBP, with a few modifications. The wheelset was swapped out for a Sun MTX-33 to Alfine dynamo (front) and Deore XT (rear). Am running the same Busch & Muller lights from the old Xtracycle (IQ Fly in front and Toplight XS Plus in rear). Swapped the stock handlebar for a Surly Open Bar. The original-style Snapdeck isn’t a super tight fit on the Dummy frame (the v-rack stays are slightly further apart) so I’ll be upgrading to Xtracycle’s Super Hooks and the new zippered Magic Carpet. Added SKS 65mm fenders which cap the 2.1″ Continental Town & Country tires from the stock build very nicely. Beyond that, pretty much bone stock and I couldn’t be happier!
I’d been meaning to do this project forever and finally got around to it this morning: installing a Busch & Müller Toplight XS onto my Xtracycle’s Snapdeck so that I’d have a dynamo-powered taillight to pair with my B&M IQ Cyo headlight.
I used an inexpensive T-Bracket from Peter White Cycles to mount the Toplight XS. Since my Snapdeck has a Magic Carpet pad on top, I fabricated a small wooden shim out of thin plywood to clear the fabric while still allowing a secure mounting point. I glued the shim to the Snapdeck and then bolted the t-bracket to the Snapdeck/shim assembly using 1″ skateboard truck mounting bolts with nylon nuts that are countersunk flush with the top of the Snapdeck.
Lastly I had to run the wiring. You’ll need more than comes with the B&M headlight alone, but the B&M taillights also include wire, so you should be OK. I went ahead and added a Dean’s Micro Plug in between, so I can easily remove the Snapdeck as needed.
Photos tell the rest of the story.
“Sick” townie 2.0… now with moar (dynamo) lighting and moar brakes
The upright bar virus has spread… my “Sick Fixie” has now become a very boring, but very comfortable, townie. Still needs a brake but I heard those were for fakes? 
They’re going to take some getting used to, but they are certainly comfortable so far.
The saddle’s-eye-view from my Pelican. Was cruising along Jameson in Montecito.
Someday, hopefully long from now, we will be willing to give everything we have just to be back here, in this time, if only for a moment.
Santa Barbara Sky Chart:
