I trust Academy more than Walmart to setup my bike.

Al is extra good by the beach and salt air.  

Haha, I kid about the Walmart thing... I guess the Walmart jokes only land back in the SI days. Not sure how long you have been around IBC, but WAAAAAY back in the day, Yankee and I got into a massive beef over walmart. He had just finished telling us how when he was younger, he was in finance and was flying all over the country and making money and traveling and what not... 

So, in some random conversation, probably about using local shapers vs popouts or something ridiculous like that. But at any rate, I mentioned that I had purchased something from Walmart. He replied with straight vitriol about how I shouldn't shop at Walmart, and it's worth the extra money to shop elsewhere and I am being globally and environmentally ireesponsible and what not... So, prior to that point, I kinda felt the same way he did, but I turned it into a fight. And I was like, okay, you told me that you spend over a decade, jettsetting around the world, spending other peoples money and burning thousands of gallons of jet fuel on the way, and I am the environmentally irresponsible one for buying apples at Walmart? Fuck off dude...

So at that point, briefly, I became a champion for Walmart and pointed out the hypocrisy of every American who stands that firmly about locally shaped surfboards, or apples from your local orchard. I have kids. If they have the same apples at my local grocery store for $5 a point, and they are $1.49, guess where I am getting apples from bro? 

And then it got into me asking: What kind of car do you drive? What shoes do you wear? What kind of wax do you use? When you went to Costa Rica last month, what air line did you fly? Oh, you have an iPhone? You know that is made from child labor in China? Oh, you wear Nike's, well they are from sweat shops too....

Anyway, it was a short but memorable beef. One that I was actually on the other side of, but when attacked about buying apples, I went scorched earth..... And from that day forward, any time Yankee and I were in the same conversations, it was almost impossible for us not to take shots at each other about it.... So funny.... 

I don't know if ya'll remember that story that we did back in SI, where someone started it, and people would just chime in and continue the story... Anyway, at the time, Yankee was living in DC, running some construction business or whatever...

So it was my turn in the story, and it was in the Maryland area in the story.... So, if you ain't from DC, you won't get this reference, but in this part of the story, this guy left Ocean City Maryland and ends up in DC. He meets up with Yankee in Dupont Circle (Where I claimed Yankee lived and socialized that the time. If you aren't from DC, google it =)) and then Yankee took them all to Walmart to get the supplies.

He usually would react to shit like that and say something, but I know it, and I know he got the reference, and I pictured him getting a good chuckle out of it, where ever he was... He knew the joke. Haha...

But anyway, any time I talk to you surfers and the word Warlmart get mentioned, I have flashbacks =)

Yankee is a great dude.  Hope he's still livin in nice tropical villas and glidin on tasty waves somewhere.  😎🤙

He dropped in at MS.  It was like a detailed recon of the best places to stay in Costa or somethin.  He wasn't doin them all day road trips to the Ponies no more.  Retired, I think.  It was so much local intel. Down to almost room #s, wings of the property, etc.  Places probably outa my price bracket.  Surf reports, everything.  😎🤙

So, IBC. This is super ironic, but you came through in the clutch for me, and I appeared much more knowledgeable about bikes than I actually am. 

So, here is the deal.... Over a week ago, my son told me that they were riding his mountain bike at his friends house in the neighborhood and that something messed up with the chain, and because of this, his bike is over at his buddies house. His buddy is the younger brother of the professional dirt bike riding kid that got a serious head injury last year. He was in a coma and all that. But anyway, these kids build dirt bikes and shit, so if there is any house in my hood to leave your bike at to look after, it is there.

So, fastforward to last weekend. I completely forget that he told me this. And when I cleaned out my garage and tossed like 100+ bike frames and parts, I noticed that when I was finished that his newest bike, the mountain bike, wasn't there. So, the boy comes back to the house for a moment. "Where is your mountain Bike?". At Luke's he says. Well, you need to go get it today. Pretty much every day since then, I have said. You need to walk that dirt bike frame with no parts back to Luke's house, and leave it there. It's his bike and I don't have room for it. And while you are down there, get YOUR MOUNTAIN BIKE!

So, I get home from work last night and he is out front with his friend. They are pitching a lemonade stand and all this shit to me. And I am like, "You aren't doing ANYTHING, until you go get the mountain bike?". 

My Son: Well how am I supposed to do that?

Me: Well, instead of riding your e-dirt bike over there, you are going to leave it here, walk to Luke's and then return ON YOUR MOUNTAIN BIKE! That's how!

My Son: But Dad, I already told you that the bike is broken and it won't move. I can't walk it or ride it back here...

Me: (In my head: SHIT, that's right)... Oh, that's right. Okay, well go down there and pull your mountain bike out front, and I will go pick it up in my truck in a few....

So anyway, I get there and I am looking at the bike and asking what's the problem. Front part of the chain is off the sprocket. Then I look at the rear and I see that the derailleur was bent and the spoke were clicking up against it every few inches as the back tire rotates.... So, at first glance, no major damage. I should be able to bend it and fix it....

So, the boys are like: "Well, do you know what the problem is? Can you fix it?"

I reply: "Oh yeah, I can fix this. Your derailleur got damaged and bent, so I will get that taken care of....

Boys: Awesome. Thanks....

I load it in the truck, drive it home with a grin on my face, because prior to this particular thread here, I had no idea what a fucking "derailleur" was... Haha....

So anyway, when I got it home, I took a closer look. Basically, they bent the derailleur so it was clipping the spokes. It's off angle, so the chain came off. As you know, you need those chains aligned perfectly for long term success...

So first, I just bend the derailleur by hand, it it works fine. What I realized was on this bike, the derailleur was attached to the frame by maybe 4 other secondary pieces. So, it goes off the frame with a bracket, then a 90 degree angle and another bracket going an opposite direction, then it goes on and does this 2 more times, and the 3rd piece is a larger black box, with some shit inside of it....

So I grab the whole group of pieces and bend it outward by hand. It works and I get the 3/4" clearance that I needed....

So, I get the whole chain back on, everything appears aligned. So, I take it for a quick spin, probably looking like an idiot on a tiny bike, but it worked fine, no noise as long as the pedals aren't moving, but there was still some clicking when the pedals are engaged. 

So, I stop, flip it upside down and start playing with it. So, in addition to the whole derailleur part being bent, the actual single derailleur piece that houses the small sprocket was also bent INWARD, so the chain itself, as it passes through the sprocket is clipping the outter frame of the derailleur with every chain link. Click click click click click....

So, I got a pair of needle noses and another set of pliers and worked my way on both sides from front to back, bending the housing frame so there was 1/4" - 1/2" of clearance....

No more noises. Smooth as a baby's ass. Then I tuned up both brakes, inflated the tires to capacity and called it a day...

Anyway, a simple thread like this gave me the basic understanding of what I was doing, simply because we had been talking about it on here. Ya learn something new every day....

Thanks for the info IBC, it came in super handy in the actual "Dad-Verse" last night... I didn't look like a complete schmuck because of it...

I took a few photos. It's hard to see what I was looking at, but it's the bent derailleur part. 

Photo 2

Close up. 

Cool beans, Zach. 🥳

I've straightened out many abused derailleurs.  Dude comes to my house all freakin... My bike is FUCKED, etc... I grab the pliers and bend that shit back straight... dude's like Oh yeah... I dropped my bandana down in there.  It was in there tight AF.  I probably did that pullin it out.  🤣

He was glad he didn't total his bike.  😏

You're a pro now, bro. 😎🤙

I basically finished my titanium conversion on the rear suspension.  I gotta repaint my frame again.  Lotta salt water from my rides home, lock scuff marks, etc. Replaced the shock with one that's less than half the stock spring rating.  The spring compresses like ½in now when I push hard on the pedals.  Can see the shock movin as I pedal.  Nice damped oscillations after bumps, too.  I might do a more in depth post later.  So far, so good.  😎🤙

Original spring was 750lb/in.  I'd been runnin a 450lb/in one for a coupla years.  My 1st SWAG on spring value.  It bounced around some.  This one is a 350.  It really moves easy.  Of course, I don't weigh 350lbs.  It's the frame leverage. Puts way more force on the spring.  

So, your current setup has "more flex" correct? meaning that you raise and lower MORE with this setup? Rather than havinf a more tense spring that has trouble absorbing the shock if one doesn't weight 300 pounds?

The original spring was for jumpin offa hills.  I go over curbs or potholes.  My new light spring is almost constantly in motion now.  I don't feel bumps. It would bottom out if I jumped offa the Seawall or some real mountain bike shit. 

I've been workin for weeks on 2 bikes.  Same person.  Lotta stuff.  First bike has been in here before.  The bottom bracket rusted solid in there.  It was ALL tore up.  Took me 2 days of penetrating oil, hammer taps, etc.  Finally bolted that tool onto the part so it couldn't come loose.  Put a breaker bar wrench on THAT.  Beat on the breaker bar with a shorty 3lb sledgehammer.  It finally moved.  😏

I went and bought a long bolt to go straight through the tool and into the axle.  I never hadda go that far before now.  Cleaned out the threads best I could afterwards.  It rides great now. 😎🤙

Last one.