Free Ticket to Ride Expansion Pack- Trading and Other Enhancements

With the long, punishing Seattle winter in full swing, Debbie and I have found ourselves playing a lot of board games with friends and neighbors to pass the time.

One game we enjoy playing is "Ticket to Ride", a fun game of strategy and chance that gives you the objectives of building various different railroad routes on a given map (e.g. for the USA, Seattle to Los Angeles via some path). It's a neat game because it gives you the feeling of accomplishing objectives, as well as (optionally) employing whimsy and fantasy to imagine your various rail lines in service. Depending on how many players, the game can range from droolingly therapeutic to cut-to-the-bone competitive.

As we've played the game more and more, we've observed that some elements could be added to the game to spice it up. Some of these elements (e.g. different maps, a few different routes, different rules, etc.) can be added via purchasable expansion packs. One element in particular that piqued our interest (well, mostly, my interest) was figuring out how to add a trading component to the game. I spent a little while thinking through how to make trading work, and as a result came up with a set of simple schemes that I think would be fair. Part of the trading schemes also allow one to potentially introduce other elements to the game without doing too much harm to gameplay (in fact, they may prove to really spice it up especially for veteran players).

I've summarized the various schemes and options in a brief document that you can download here. We haven't tried these out in any serious way just yet but I'm hoping to do so very soon. What I'd really love would be for other Ticket to Ride players looking for a free expansion pack and trading option for the game to give this a whirl and drop me an email or leave a comment here on their experience so I can gauge how successful the scheme is.

HOWTO: Play Audio CDs with Vista/Windows 2008 Server x64 and a Dell Dimension E521

I installed Windows 2008 x64 on my Dell Dimension E521 which has an nVidia nForce 430 / GeForce 6150LE controller built into it.

Perhaps the most annoying problem with this install was that Audio CDs did not play properly under Win2k8 - perhaps the first 30-90 seconds would play, then the rest of the tracks on the CD would be skipped.

Apparently, the problem is due to the fact that the nVidia driver shipped with Win2k8 / Vista x64 is not a true 64-bit driver. This would seem to make sense given the semi-random characteristics of the weird behavior.

Anyway, to fix the problem (and this may work for other older nVidia setups), go here:

nVidia Vista/Win2k8/Win7 x64 v15.49 driver download

I'd been annoyed by this and casually poking around for ages to see what's wrong - I don't think Dell has the updated drivers on their web site, so you're on your own with them. Anyway, hopefully this will help others as it totally fixed my problem.

hundreds of pedestrian and cyclist crossings daily just made safer

i was surprised this afternoon to find a landscape crew cutting down two bushes on the corner opposite my own. the two bushes, located on the southwest corner of 16th and e harrison, were as old as the hills and had grown to be larger in width and height than most cars and trucks.



as i've mentioned here before, our intersection is an extremely busy and lively place, with, by our unscientific counts, roughly 2 people walking by every minute, not to mention a very high volume of bike traffic, and of course, plenty of cars whipping on through.

the problem with those two bushes was that they were truly becoming a major pedestrian and cyclist hazard - the bushes had not been trimmed back in years, and completely surrounded anyone trying to cross the street from the southwest corner to the northwest corner. pedestrians could not tell if a car was coming, and cars were unable to see if a pedestrian was trying to cross. since there is also a traffic circle in the intersection, cars passing through the intersection are routed very close to the corner - therefore, pedestrians can't really get a "lead" out into the street (like a runner in baseball gets a "lead" off of first or second base) - they would be flattened since far, far too many cars travel through the circle at greater than 20mph.

the crossing had become so terrifying, i've gotten in the habit of crossing mid-block on harrison or 16th just to avoid the gut-wrenching leap of faith out from between the bushes and into traffic.



well, for whatever reason, the owner of the hawthorne apartments (presumably) decided to cut down the two bushes closest to the SW corner of 16th and e. harrison. personally, i think this is a great thing, and am so happy to have a somewhat safer crossing route through such a busy intersection.

there are thousands of "little things" like this in every neighborhood in every city that can be done to make life safer and less stressful for pedestrians and cyclists. what's wonderful about this case is (as far as i know), nobody was being sued, nobody forced anybody to do this, and the work was done at the (likely very minor) expense of the property owner. all too often, pedestrians and cyclists need to resort to lawsuits, city pressure, or advocacy groups in order to get simple things like bushes or vegetation trimmed, sidewalks kept clean and in good repair, etc.

one of the things i really would love to focus on as part of the transit riders union is to work with neighborhoods and advocacy groups to help raise awareness of pedestrian and cyclist safety on key routes to and from transit stops. in the example i give above, this intersection is a major route to/from the 16th/e john bus stops (both east and westbound) for routes 8 and 43. riders of those bus routes now have a slightly less challenging walking/cycling route to and from their bus stop. this is an excellent thing.

trimming just two bushes today made hundreds of pedestrian crossings safer in our neighborhood. what can you and your neighbors do where you live?

HOWTO: Add a Rear Derailleur/Gears to Your Masi Speciale Commuter

Rear Derailleur and Downtube Shifter Installation and Cabling

Now, for the next bit of fun. For a new rear wheel, I chose a low-cost machine-built Weinmann LP-18 rim with aluminum spokes (32) laced to a Shimano FH-2200 hub. I threw on a 700x32 tube and Vittoria Randonneur tire, and chose a used Shimano Hyperglide cassette (11,13,15,17,20,23,26,30) that had a good amount of range to it. The wheel was about $75, tire and tube another $35 or so, and the cassette was about $5. As for a derailleur, I picked up a Shimano Deore XT long-arm derailleur for about $5, while also picking up a new 116 link Shimano 6-7-8 speed chain for about $20. I was able to get a nice set of used Shimano 600 downtube shifters for $10 (I ignore the indexing and just shift on friction which feels more natural to me). Finally, I picked up a single shift cable for about $4 to connect from the rear shifter to the rear derailleur. I considered swapping out the cranks / chainring, but didn't have a spare 42-tooth chainring for the small ring on that crankset (I had a 44/52 double chainring, but the 44 is too wide and contacts the chainstay.

So, with all of these things in hand, I'm good to go in terms of setting up a geared configuration. Well, there is one more thing – a bottom bracket cable guide. So, this is where things kind of broke down for me, requiring me to improvise a solution. The Masi Speciale Commuter is conveniently brazed with a derailleur hanger and shift cable boss on the rear dropout / chainstay. The cable boss appears to be best configured for below-bottom-bracket shift cable routing, but there is no bottom bracket cable guide brazed, screwed or glued onto the bottom bracket to guide and retain the rear derailleur shift cable. Once again, I don't think Masi made a terrible decision here to not include one, though it has been terribly inconvenient trying to find a bottom bracket cable guide that will fit the Masi Speciale Commuter 2008 bottom bracket. I tried two shops – Recycled Cycles and Velo Bike Shop – and while the folks there were really friendly and helpful, was unable to find a bottom bracket cable guide that would fit (I also didn't happen to have the bike with me either time which obviously adds challenge to the spatial relations portion of the task).

The picture below shows one type of screw-on bottom bracket cable guide. It didn't fit - the protruding tips interfered with the bottom of the chainstays or the downtube. A possible alternate solution to the one I took could be to file down the plastic to a shape that is compatible with the bottom bracket layout.

Since I couldn't find a bottom bracket cable guide (newer models of the Masi Speciale Commuter, or at least those with smaller frames than my 58cm model, appear to be tolerant of the screw-on cable guides unlike my 2008 frame), I improvised. I had a short segment of cable housing left over from an old bike I cannibalized. I zip-tied the cable housing to the chainstay and the bottom of the low end of the downtube, and routed the shift cable through the makeshift cable guide. It's not pretty, but it works.

Other than that particular tidbit, I found there to be no other major challenges to gearing up the Masi. The downtube shifter bosses are excellent – I wasn't able to find used bar end shifters that fit the stock randonneur bars (the ends were too narrow), and the derailleur hanger is quite handy as well. Surprisingly, I was able to complete the whole project in just a couple of leisurely hours (excluding the hair-pulling on the cable guide).

Parts Needed for this Project:

$75 rear wheel (Weinmann LP-18) + Shimano FH-2200

$35 tire and tube

$20 new shimano 6-7-8 speed chain

$5 used hyperglide cassette

$10 used Shimano 600 shifters

$5 used Shimano Deore XT long-cage rear derailleur

$4 derailleur cable
------------------------------------------------
$154 total

Tools/Supplies Needed for this project:

Chain tool

Phillips-head screwdriver

Allen wrench set (Metric, at least 4,5,6mm)

Cable snips/crimps (e.g. Park Tool CN-10)

4in or so of shift cable housing, capped/crimped at both ends

3-4 plastic zip-ties to secure cable housing to bottom of frame

Cable end cap crimp

A few more pictures below:

Finally, A Few Words on Fenders

So, one of the earliest things I tried doing with the Masi Speciale Commuter was to install fenders on the bike. That's when I knew things wouldn't be a total walk in the park with this bike. First of all, the front fender is a real challenge because the front brake has a recessed bolt which doesn't work with the hanger on most commodity front fenders. A similar situation existed for the rear fender, though I could see ways to work around the problem back there. Anyway, rather than replace the brakes at the time, I just threw my hands up, accepted the indignity, and picked up a set of clip-on fenders. I'm still considering swapping out my front brake to a brake with a non-recessed nut configuration – though center-pulls are probably out of the question (I don't feel like finding and installing a headset brake cable hanger at the moment).

Anyway, I've talked to other Masi Speciale Commuter owners about this and they also have been stumped/a bit annoyed by this (fenders are a pretty big necessity here in Seattle where you've got wet pavement pretty much constantly for 9 months out of the year).

Hopefully reading about what I did will help guide or inspire you to explore the possibilities with your own bike. It seems that people who ride Masi Speciale Commuters tend to be really enthusiastic and positive about their bikes, and almost always seem to want to talk with me about how much they like their bike, and how they often see the Masi Speciale Commuter as a bike-for-life even if they have several other bikes that they ride. I agree with that sentiment entirely.

HOWTO: Modify your Masi Speciale Commuter

The Masi Speciale Commuter bike is a lightweight and sturdy steel urban / road bike. I bought mine in March of this past year at Velo Bike Shop in Seattle, and have happily ridden it most days since picking it up. I wanted a reliable single-speed bike that I could use for commuting, that I would also have options with later. It's a great bike and a lot of fun to ride.

A marketing point of the Speciale Commuter is its flexibility. The frame features braze-ons on the seat stay for a rear rack, fork braze-ons for a front rack and/or fenders, as well as a derailleur hanger brazed onto the rear horizontal dropouts, and brake and shifter cable housing bosses throughout the frame.

Anyway, after riding the Masi for awhile, I've decided to convert it from a city/commuter bike to a light touring bike – primarily for making shorter-range touring trips (e.g. from Seattle to Portland, etc.). In order to make this happen, a minimum configuration I'd need would be a rear rack (preferably a front rack, too, but I haven't added one yet) and throwing some gears on the bike in order to deal with longer grades, and also to pick up a little more speed on flats than you can get with a 42x17 configuration.

Working on this bike has been interesting – most of my relatively limited tinkering with bikes has been on older Japanese bikes (a couple old Nishikis from the 70s and 80s), ancient steel-wheeled cruisers, and old rusty mountain bikes. The maintenance manuals I read are all from the late 1970's (Sloane's Bicycle Maintenance Manual, the Clymer Bicycle Maintenance Guide, and Glenn's Complete Bicycle Manual) – excellent references, but a lot has changed since then (I don't think threadless headsets had been invented yet, sealed-bearing bottom brackets and hubs weren't terribly common, and I think mainstream indexed shifting was in its infancy). Since the Masi Speciale Commuter is somewhat of a cross of a classic design (frame, drive train) with newer componentry (brakes, headset, etc.), there are a few things that make working on the bike tricky.

This article discusses how I modified my Masi Speciale Commuter to add center-pull caliper rear brakes, a rear rack, and an 8-speed single-crank drive train with downtube shifters. In this article, I point out a few of the notable things when working on this model of bike (mine is a 2008), and also provide a list of parts, tools and estimated costs for the various aspects of the conversion. I haven't really read much on others' experiences in working on this make, model and year of bike, so I thought I would share my own experiences in the hope that they may help or inspire others. I'm just one of a million people tinkering away on their bikes in their apartment, garage, backyard, or workshop – there are probably many other ways of approaching this type of project, so feel free to experiment though your mileage may vary. Of course, since I also have very little in the way of qualifications in this area, taking any or all of my instructions here should be done at your own peril and expense (though I'm pretty sure the advice I'm giving is pretty sound).

Ok, enough words – on with the pictures!

Here is the Masi some time over the summer in its nearly-original state (I had only swapped in a different saddle and some mks sylvan pedals with toe clips and straps).

Rear Rack and Center-Pull Caliper Brake Installation

The picture below shows the finished product from this project. A relatively bottom-of-the-line TransIt rear rack is added, as well as a set of center-pull caliper brakes in the rear. As we'll see, in order to really put on a rear rack, the center-pull caliper brakes actually end up being useful.

So, the out-of-the-box Masi Speciale Commuter ships with braze-ons on the rear seat stays for the mounting arms of a rear rack. Unfortunately, the bike is also distributed with side-pull brakes – causing the left rack braze-on to be obstructed by the rear brake cable. I don't necessarily fault Masi for this decision – there are workarounds (e.g. using accessory brace hardware that comes with most rear rack kits), and putting lower-cost brakes on these bikes help keep costs down since a good percentage of buyers probably never need to use the rear rack braze-ons. By any means, to really take advantage of those braze-ons, it's a good idea to switch to a center-pull brake system, where the brake cable runs down the center of the frame, between the seat stays on the way from the seatpost to the brake.

But wait, there's one other hitch – in order to go to a center-pull brake system, you'll also need some sort of seatpost hanger for the brake cable so the cable from the brake levers down to the brakes can be routed correctly. Surly makes a great hanger for this very purpose – the Surly Cable Hanger (http://surlybikes.com/parts/cable_hanger/), which you can get at your local bike shop (LBS) for about $10. A longer cable hanger such as the one made by Surly is preferable to the significantly shorter older aluminum cable hangers that you might find kicking around on of your older bikes.

Hang on, that's not all! While you're at your LBS, you will also need to get a new seat post clamp with a vertical gap in it (not a diagonal gap, like the ones that ship out of the box on the Masi Speciale Commuter). On my 2008 model, the seatpost diameter is 27.2mm, so a 30.0mm seatpost clamp is appropriate (there tend to be two sizes for these things, and the 30.0mm clamp is the smaller of the two – make sure you get the right size or you'll be making a trip back to the store). I got a nice used stainless steel 30.0mm seatpost clamp for a couple of bucks at BikeWorks in Seattle – Surly also makes one, but you'll pay a lot more for it.

Finally, you'll need some center-pull brakes. With 700c wheels, the way the Masi Speciale Commuter frame is set up, you'll need a set of short-reach center-pull brakes. I got mine by cannibalizing an older bike I had in my basement – you can also just bring your old side-pull (Dia-Compe BRS-101) brake down to your LBS and ask them to sell you a suitable center-pull replacement that will fit properly.

Ok, now you're ready to go. First, remove the old rear brake by clipping off the cable crimp at the very end of the brake cable (chances are decent if you don't clip off too much cable or cause it to fray, that you'll be able to use the existing brake cable for the new brake), and loosen the bolt holding the cable in place on the brake arm. Next, unmount the brake from the rear brake bridge. The brake assembly should be easily removed at this point – just gently separate the assembly from the cable housing and put it aside.

Next, swap out your old seatpost clamp with the new seatpost clamp plus the Surly Cable Hanger. Chances are good you'll need to shorten the Jagwire brake cable housing so there is not too much of a kink in the housing between the top tube cable housing boss and the cable hanger. I won't go into detail on the proper procedure for cutting Jagwire housing (http://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html) but be sure to use care not to ruin the cable housing. If you're sort of lazy, and you've got a lot of older cable housing kicking around, you might be able to find a pre-cut length that works well for your bike so you don't need to trim the Jagwire cable housing (as an aside, I also found that the Jagwire housing end caps I have don't fit into the Surly Cable Hanger, so when I trimmed and filed the housing, I didn't crimp on an end cap so the housing would fit into the hanger).

Anyway, thread the cable into the cable housing, and through the Cable Hanger, fitting the housing ends into the frame boss and Cable hanger. Finally, attach and center the brake body, release the quick release on the brake lever (the larger of the two silver nubs on the inside of the Tektro brake levers – push it so it protrudes from the outside of the lever body as opposed to the inside), and hook up and adjust the yoke to the brake bridge cable. Finish the brake installation as you normally would for a center-pull rear brake.

Ok, so now you have functional center-pull brakes, and your rear-rack braze-ons are no longer obstructed! Install your rear rack as directed by the manufacturer – if you look closely at these pictures, you'll see that my rack's mounting arms diverge outwards towards their mounts on the frame. I spaced the mount out slightly with a couple of washers since the mounting angle of the braze-ons was different than the angle that the mounting arms wanted to attach at.

Another nice thing about the Masi frame is the braze-ons for the lower rack arms on the dropouts are threaded. I aligned the lower rack arms over the outer braze-ons, and was able to just screw the provided bolts right into the threaded braze-ons without needing to fiddle with a matching nut (allowing for a much simpler installation) – other bikes I've worked on haven't always had this convenience, meaning you need to hold a rear nut in place while you turn the mounting bolt, all in a somewhat confined space (assuming you don't remove the rear wheel to do this).

Voila, you now have center-pull brakes and a rear rack, without needing any of the chintzy rear rack accessory hardware. As an added side-benefit, by replacing the old recessed brake mount with a non-recessed configuration, rear fender installation becomes a bit easier in the event you should choose to take that path. Chances are you'll get better rear braking with the center-pull brakes – be sure to adjust to the strength of the new brakes before taking off downhill in heavy traffic or what-have-you.

The total cost of this project was:

$2 – aluminum seat clamp

$10.50 – Surly Cable Hanger

$5 – Weinmann 610 short-pull center-pull caliper brake, bridge cable & yoke
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
$17.50

Tools/supplies needed:

Allen wrench set (metric – at least 3,4,5mm)

Socket wrench set (metric – at least 8,9,10mm – optional depending on whether needed to mount and adjust new brake)

Strong, high-quality cable/housing snips / crimps (e.g. Park CN-10 Cable Cutter)

Flat mill file (to clean up cable housing cut)

A few spare end-cap crimps for brake cable

Replacement brake cable (optional – in case existing brake cable, for some reason, is of insufficient length to reach new brake – or has become frayed, stretched or damaged)

In my next article, I'll write about how to add a rear derailleur to your Masi Speciale Commuter.

post-labor day

well.

labor day has come and gone, my thirtieth birthday and one-year anniversary have passed by without difficulty, and the weather is beginning to shift into rain-mode once again here in seattle. now that the fall season is rapidly approaching, i've put the fenders on my bike, and am hunkering down for the rainy days ahead.

the fall is my favorite time of year - there's something about the sun being in a slightly different place overhead, the leaves beginning to change, and the temperature beginning to recede that just makes me feel really happy inside.

the main news of note lately has been that debbie had knee realignment surgery a few weeks ago and is well along the road to recovery. in mid-july, debbie dislocated her knee once again (it subluxates periodically), and it was just time to get the darn thing fixed once and for all. not the most fun option, but in the long run, the right decision. naturally, this has put a bit of a crimp in our usual summertime shenanegins like hiking, biking, camping, etc. but it's all just a stitch in time.

meanwhile, i've been chugging away at the usual stuff - i've also taken on some volunteer work with the mcginn for mayor campaign which has been very exciting and interesting. a nice thing about political campaigns is they are sort of like startup companies, except there is a fixed end-date (the election) and a clear outcome (almost always). my primary motivation for supporting mike is that he is someone who i think will help make seattle a "people's city" - in other words, relent a bit from the usual fiercely pro-business establishment agenda, and instead focus more on the priorities of the people who actually live in the city. i'm excited for the election, and am optimistic seattle voters will make the right choice.

aside from that, the summer has been tinged with various trips and other random events. most recently, debbie and i were down in san francisco, where she presented some of her dissertation work, which garnered lots of good media and academic attention. congratulations debbie!

anyway, that's what's new here. enjoy the early autumn season!

light rail inaugural ride

so in other civic news, i got a ticket to ride on the first light rail train ride on saturday. seattle's light rail system opens to the public at 10am on 7/18, but there is a ceremonial "first train ride" at 8am with the usual dignitaries, mayors, press, hangers-on, water-carriers, gadflies, transit folks, and hand-picked sycophants - and 200 members of the general public of which i am a lucky member.

i was only able to get one ticket but somehow i suspect it will be difficult to rouse wider support for an 8am train ride on a saturday morning :)

this comes on the heels of a really cool tour of the 520 floating bridge when it was closed for its annual maintenance. somehow, i am becoming a background fixture at these weird transportation events...

needless to say, i am very excited about this, as i've been waiting for light rail to open in seattle since before i moved here. i will be locking the ticket up in my fire safe with my passport until the big day arrives.

karma vest for drunk drivers

so we've had a family get hit up the street from us by a drunk driver, and last night a cyclist was killed on dexter/aurora by a drunk driver

aside from the fact that this is just a horrible situation for all involved, it seems like perhaps a good deterrent/general punishment for drunk driving that causes an injury would be a "karma vest" - since the driver likely has/will lose his or her drivers' license, and will likely have to walk and bike to get around, perhaps the courts should require that drunk driver to wear a purple day-glo vest that says "i am a drunk driver who endangers/kills pedestrians and cyclists" whenever they walk/bike places.

you know, to remind other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists of the dangers of drunk drivers... and maybe to let the drunk driver him/herself know first-hand, beyond mere inconvenience, that pedestrians and cyclists will not stand for their fatal recklessness. the vest could be used to help this person "stand out" a bit more. the name for this device? the karma vest...