arup’s blog

October seems to have been and gone and I don’t really know where it’s gone. I seem to be chugging along with nothing spectacular to report. Still riding my bike, teaching yoga and building wheels. I’ve been in the process of revamping my arupdesigns website so the blog will be getting a makeover as well at some point. But now that the mrs has gone back to work and I’m at home looking after the baby for 3 days a week I can’t see myself getting that much done. But then, she is lovely.

Riding a minimum of a 100 miles a week

No more bike rides to make up my mileage: it’s the commuting or nothing really. It just occurred to me that I could increase those distances slightly and make up the milage that way. But winter is coming and I just want to be inside really. I’ve already got soaked a few times. I’m putting more of that Nikwax stuff onto my rain jacket as the water seems to come through the sleeves and getting a front mudguard to reduce the amount of water getting into my shoes. So perhaps that will encourage me to keep riding even during these cold and wet conditions.

Pilates

Nothing has been happening in the Pilates department. The David Lloyd club in Kensington where I teach yoga just had a set of Pilates benches installed and a friend has just completed a course in teaching it. So maybe something could come of that. The intention is definitely still there.

Meditation

I’m still doing it with my clients of course but nothing on my own. I found a possible slot which is during my daughter Maya’s nap times. But I’ll have to plan it at the start of the day or it just isn’t going to happen.

My own yoga practice

Had a stomach bug during the second week of October and had to cancel a few classes so that week I even missed out on the practice that I do when I teach. OK, so I was ill but I didn’t really make up for it in the following weeks. But now that I have started teaching a new astanga class I do feel a bit inspired and want to get back into the Primary Series. Especially as I’m teaching it.

Bike rides

Well nothing in October really. I did go and visit a friend one evening in Swiss Cottage which was about a 25 mile round trip. It was a ride although it was at night in the dark and not really very pleasant.

Visiting Friends

I actually did manage to do this one. And friends have been visiting me too as I’ve been at home with little Maya.

Ebay sales

I finally got round to putting something into the Bay. I’m dreading the thought of having to pack it up and send it though. I hate that part: it’s the bit that always puts me off putting auctions in in the first place. But all those little bits of cash do add up and it’s a shame to just chuck it out.

Svenska

The bills for my cottage in Sweden have been coming thick and fast so this has been a necessary goal to maintain. I have also been communicating with my Swedish friend, in Swedish of course. I do enjoy it and I do feel that I am making some of progress.

Learning PHP

All through October I have been working on rebuilding my arup designs site. And having rebuilt my wheel building site in the summer I have taken lots of ideas from there about using functions and my recent discoveries of using sub-domains to speed up the loading of static content. There is something about PHP that I really like.

Relaxing & fun times

More DE shaving trying out various soaps and blades. And playing with the little one is great fun. I’ve been catching up on the latest new music as well.

Computer off day

Sadly this is no more especially as I have loads to do and need to get it done. Even though the computer is on all the time I don’t spend as much time on it as I used to. Perhaps I could try turning it off when I’m not using it. What about sleep? That doesn’t work any more since I rewired the fans. I could turn the screen off as well. Now there’s an idea!

The wheel log

Yes one or two entries. But only 2 months to go now till the end of the year and nowhere near close to that hundred mark. But that is not what this goal is about. I had an e-mail from someone in the US who found it to be useful. Is that cool or what. Now I feel even more proud of the wheel log.

Clearing stuff out

I keep thinking about it and thinking about it but not doing it. And yet there is so much stuff that could be Freecycled, Ebayed or binned. I could start with the binned I guess. But just like everyone else I do find it hard to chuck stuff that I think I might need at some point. I need someone to come and do it for me and send me off on holiday somewhere while they do it. By the time I come back I will have forgotten about it.

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Campagnolo Record hubs on Mavic Open Pro rims both laced 3-cross. 32-hole both front and rear which you can see from the photos as the pattern is a lot more symmetrical than you get with a 36-hole hub. Some say that this is why the 32-hole 3-cross is actually stronger than the 36-hole even though one would assume that with 4 extra spokes you’d get more strength. I don’t know enough about the trigonometry and stress coefficients etc to make any comments.

Here are the full specs. The spokes were DT Swiss Champion plain gauge with a length of 292mm for both the front and the rear wheel. Brass nipples and linseed oil on the threads. Average spoke tension was 23 on the reading for the Park TM-1 tensiometer.

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These wheels were collected before I had had a chance to take any photos so just the description this time. Goldtec track hubs on black Mavic Open Pro rims with black spokes. Radial front and 3-cross rear. ACI double butted stainless steel spokes and brass nipples. 268mm for the front and 290mm for the rear. 32 hole on the front and 36 for the rear. And good old Velox cloth rim tape.

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This is the deepest v-section that I have built to date. 42mm. These are H Plus Son rims which I think will be taking over from the Velocity Deep-V rims. In terms of building I think that they are a bit better constructed than the Deep-V’s and easier to tension and true. The nipples sit in the holes better too.

Here are the full specs. Built onto Goltec track hubs in 36 hole drilling using DT Swiss Competition double butted black spokes and regular brass nipples. Front wheel was built using a radial pattern with a spoke length of 248mm and the rear 3-cross with a spoke length of 265mm.

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After a wet August I was promised an Indian summer by the weatherman but no such thing transpired. It’s been a month of tying up loose ends and looking to the future. At the same time it feels as though I’ve done nothing much. Lots of time to sit back and reflect on the changes that are occurring and allow them to become part of my life. Let’s see how I actually performed this month.

Riding a minimum of a 100 miles a week

Very low mileage this month. I think that the average was around 50 miles and I don’t think that I actually made the century on any of the weeks. 80 miles was the most that I managed. My excuse was that I was away but I could have cycled when I was in Sweden because I have a bike there. But my pump broke.

Pilates

I haven’t been doing the Hundred but I have been using the core and I’ve been teaching people how to use it. I certainly work on it then.

Meditation

Picked up a bit in September. Have been doing a little bit with my clients and a couple of sessions on my own. Still looking for that slot where I can build up my own practice again, but I can’t seem to find it. Strange that.

My own yoga practice

I have been teaching a bit more this month if that counts. But it doesn’t because that’s not what this goal is about. Unless I plan a slot at the start of the day then it’s not going to happen.

Bike rides

Could have done with some of these but there were no bike rides in September. The weather wasn’t too inspiring even though there were some days when it would have been perfect.

Visiting Friends

I had taken this one off the list because I thought that I wouldn’t be able to travel and see friends. But I did manage two trips down to Brighton and caught up with friends. There are e-mails and phonecalls but that is not the same as a visit and meeting face to face. Well worth it.

Ebay sales

There were certainly a few purchases but no sales. No Freecycle either this month. Perhaps I should just bin stuff.

Svenska

A trip to Sweden, on my own for the first time. But I didn’t meet anyone to actually work on my Swedish. I did meet up with a Swedish friend before I left and we did converse. I also translated another letter. Strange how this one has made it’s way back onto the list.

Learning PHP

I have been using PHP but I don’t think that I have learned anything new this month. Still, it’s good to consolidate what I know already.

Relaxing & fun times

Still enjoying the old skool shaving very much. My trip to Sweden to visit my cottage was a lot of fun too.

Computer off day

September will be the last time I’ll be having the Computer Off Day. From October I’ll be looking after my daughter Maya for three days a week so I’ll need all my spare time to work and study. It’s a shame that this practice has to come to an end but there really isn’t a way round it. I suppose if I have a week with a low workload then I could stay away from the computer on Sunday that week.

The wheel log

The orders are picking up again and I have entered some more wheels into the wheel log. Some new patterns such as the 2-leading 2-trailing one and the hybrid crow’s foot. I have really missed building wheels and it’s nice to do just one or two a week.

Clearing stuff out

As well as Ebay and Freecycle there is the bin as well which I seem to neglect. Some stuff really just has to go. But it does take time to sort through it all. There certainly hasn’t been a great reduction in stuff during September. In fact quite the opposite!

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