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MountainBikeReview.com's Forum Archives - Brake Time
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Aaah, the sound of silence. Avid Mech Discs RULE!!!!!! (12 posts)
|  Aaah, the sound of silence. Avid Mech Discs RULE!!!!!! | Tscheezy
Nov 13, 2002 6:33 PM | | I just did a little jaunt up our Haus Berg here in deepest darkest Alaska, and I must conclude that Avid brakes are the best things ever. After running them for over two years theys still deserve nothing but praise. I just crimped the retainer spring clip inward a little and there is no pad jangle anymore. It was drizzling the whole time as I climbed and descended along a muddy trail and the they never made a peep the whole way down the mountain. Silent and powerful. Perfect. Good on-ya, Avid!
btw- I have the old style with UCP's |
| Pop me a brewski............................ | Sparty
Nov 14, 2002 9:18 AM | | ...................I'll drink to that.
I crashed twice on yesterday's night ride. Neither time was my Avid's fault.
I need some "transitional" tires. Something that works best in "other than dry and other than slop." I switched to full mudders (IRC Mud Mad front/Specialized 1.8 Storm Control rear) last week when the rains started but the ground just isn't soft enough for these tires to work well yet. The front tire seemed to get stuck in even the slightest ruts (even very gradual, minor depressions) and then it just wouldn't hook up & turn.
The surface was slippery but the ground was still really firm just below the surface. Dang... I hate bouncing off the ground.
A guy's gotta have good tires in order for his good brakes to work at their best, eh?
Now, please pop me that brewski so's I can wash down these ibuprofens...
--Sparty |
| Here ya go. Staring down twin barrels now... | Tscheezy
Nov 14, 2002 4:25 PM | | I just added a second tap and keg. We have Kicked By A Moose Scotch Ale and Stinky Hermit Stout on tap. |
| What's in your fridge? | Tscheezy
Nov 14, 2002 4:28 PM | | |
| Very nice | Sparty
Nov 14, 2002 5:00 PM | | How long does the beer stay fresh? I considered doing something like that with my garage fridge a year or two ago but eventually decided I just don't drink quite enough beer per week to make if feasible. (I'm the only beer drinker in the house.) That and I like variety behind that insulated, white door.
But draught beer! Your setup looks so inviting that I think I just might be willing to give up variety for the sake of drawing a gen-u-wine fresh, cold one directly into my pint glass.
Please tell me all the advantages/disadvantages. And do your neighbors bother you a lot?
--Sparty |
| The keg holds 5 gallons, or 640 fluid ounces, or 53 beer bottles | Tscheezy
Nov 14, 2002 6:09 PM | | ... or 9 six packs, or a little over 2 cases. Figure out how many beers you drink a week (then multiply by a "hey, all I have to do is put my glass under the spigot and pull the litttle handle" factor- usually 2x) and you will know how long it will take to polish off a keg. If you do a decent job with sanitizing and a follow pretty easy proceedures for keeping oxygen out during transfer into the keg, the beer will stay fresh for months.
I have been homebrewing for a little over 10 years, but sorta lost interest a while back because when you bottle your beer, you have to be very careful about sanitizing and cleaning the bottles, so it turns into a real headache. Kegging is SOOOOOO easy. Once I got a keg setup, my brewing was reinvigorated.
The ingredients cost me about $30 for 5 gallons, so it is more expensive than Natural Ice, but less than real beers. It is also fun to do. Getting the whole setup can run into $$. Here is a breakdown:
Carboy fermentation vessel- $30
Funnel, siphon cane, tubing, airlock, stoppers- $10
Cornelius soda keg, used- $30-40 (free off a loading dock)
Gas regulator- $50
Beer lines, gas lines, fittings- $25
Through door spigot (not necessary, but cool)- $50
CO2 bottle- anywhere from $50-100 depending on size (one time cost; refills are $5)
Old fridge- Often free.
After you have all the junk, brewing is cheap. You get to experiment with recipes and different styles. It helps to have someone who knows what they are doing show you how to brew. It is easy, but making good stuff will happen sooner with a little guidance. I like to do it for the novelty and as a hobby. Oh yeah, suddenly you have lots of friends...
Feel free to ask any specific questions.
tscheezy |
| I 'spose I've got my priorities backward
| Spar¡cus
Nov 14, 2002 9:09 PM | | .but I thought I'd just get the keg/fridge setup and leave the brewing to one of the micropubs around here. Lemme guess. most guys with setups like yours are homebrewers first and keggerater users primarily out of convenience, right?
Personally I'm not looking for another hobby and money's not a huge concern. With local access to good microbrewers like Steelhead, The Wild Duck, McMenamins and Eugene City Brewing, I'd rather just buy a full keg from one of those places, take it home, plug it in and start drinking. Could I do that? If so, which of those items you mentioned could I eliminate?
Thanks, man. I love good beer.
--Spary |
| I 'spose I've got my priorities backward
| Hammerheadbikes
Nov 15, 2002 5:20 AM | | beer good
maybe we need to get that setup for the shop
it's a "business expense" after all right ? |
| There is no reason why you couln't do that... | Tscheezy
Nov 15, 2002 9:52 AM | | You would want to get pony kegs (7 gallons?- I can't remember) from the local distributor. You still need the CO2 bottle, regulator, gas and beer lines, and a spigot in the door of the fridge. The connectors will be different going into and out of the keg, but not a big deal. The problem may be fitting the pony in the fridge, as they are typically fatter than the Cornelius cylinders I use (that is a small fridge and I can get two in easily).
Go talk to a local homebrew supply place, resteraunt supply stores (they sell all the same equipment to resteraunts and bars), and the breweries themselves to find out what sort of connectors you will need. One of those suppliers will be able to set you up with a full integrated kit. The resteraunt places can even get you a roller bar with a tap, refrigeration system, CO2, and the whole 9 yards all setup and portable. I live in Alaska so shipping is a killer, and piecing a system together is cheaper. You also may want to ask about "growlers" which hold a gallon or so which your brewery may put out, but I don't know what the tapping/CO2 possibilities are for those.
What you are suggesting is a great way to go. Yes, we keg our homebrew out of convenience. We don't have a local brewery up here (yet- one is in the works). You will have to put a $30 deposite on your first keg, and then just swap them out when they run dry for the price of the beer (way cheaper in kegs, btw). No recycling to worry about, less trips to the store, etc...
This shot from Kegman.com. Look at http://kegman.net/convert.htm for fridge conversion kits. You may be able to find the stuff locally once you have an idea what you want.
Good stuff. |
| <h3>Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!</h3> | Sparty
Nov 15, 2002 2:31 PM | | Thanks VERY much, man! Good info -- now I can tell my trophy bride exactly what I want for Christmas! This is gonna be SO COOL!
Thanks again, Tscheezy!
--Sparty |
| <h2>Aaah, an alcoholic is born!</h2> | Tscheezy
Nov 15, 2002 4:27 PM | | No prob. Look here to dress the system up http://www.kegworks.com/pages/draft/fhandles.html and http://www.kegworks.com/pages/clearance/c-handles.html or http://www.weekendbrewer.com/taphandles.html or http://www.stpats.com/faucets.htm or make your own! http://www.homebrewadventures.com/articles/article11030201.shtml
More fun than a well-greased midget.
tscheezy |
| I use champagne bottles... | fonseca
Nov 15, 2002 8:59 AM | | Big 1.5 liter bottles, but they take standard size caps. It's funny but a 1.5 liter bottle of crappy Brut champagne is only $5.50 at costco, $.50 less than my LBS (local brewery store) wants for a new, sanitized 1.5 liter "beer" bottle.
You are right that bottling and cleaning is the biggest chore, but I have drastically reduced the amount of bottles I now use, and the beer still stays fresh for several days in a half-full champagne bottle. Not that I often leave one unfinished for several days. I don't have the space for a fridge and CO2 system.
There's nothing better than knowing the beer you are drinking is fresher and often better than anything you can buy at the grocery store. I use all fresh ingredients; it costs a little more but it pays off in the end. Right now I have a batch of hard cider bubbling away.
Fons |
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