Naakka

Summery Clouds

Summer clouds in Lappeenranta. Shot on iPhone and edited in Snapseed.

Experimenting with Paracord Top Tube Protection

Recently, I did some modifications to my Surly Steamroller. I put on a bullhorn handlebar from my vintage MTB and added a rear brake. My Steamroller is fixed gear now, and I don't really need the rear brake, but I'm planning to add a freewheel for the winter.

Steamroller doesn't have any cable guides for a rear brake, and I started figuring out the best way to attach the cable to the top tube. I looked at some clamps, zip ties and top tube protectors. Then I decided to use paracord as the top tube protector and to hold the cable in place. Paracord is really durable and I use it all the time when I'm camping and pitch my tarp for the night.

It's still a bit of a work in progress, but I'm quite pleased with the result. The Internet is full of guides how to make all kinds of things from paracord, and I picked up a simple weave that someone recommended as a wrap for axes, hiking poles and what not. I think it looks pretty nice :) It adds a nice and soft, almost organic feel to the bike.

I bought a reflective paracord for this purpose. In total there's about 11m of paracord. I could easily cut out a few meters if I need extra cord for pitching my tarp, or if I need to replace luggage straps while I'm touring. It's nice to have some extra paracord for backup and this is a convenient way to always carry it with you.

Wish by The Cure

MD: And every time I try to pick it up like falling sand As fast as I pick it up It runs away through my clutching hands But there's nothing else I can really do There's nothing else I can really do There's nothing else I can really do at all

A Letter to Elise, The Cure

Wish by The Cure is already 30 years old and there's a new review on Pitchfork. Wish is one of my favourite Cure albums.

A Letter to Elise is definitely in my top 5 all time best Cure songs list, probably even in top 3. Yeah, I know it might read a bit naive but you can be as naive as you want when you're under 20.

The age of the Influencer has peaked. It’s time for the slacker to rise again

MD: It’s an attitude so antithetical to today’s ethos of engaging with your audience at all costs that it almost sounds precious. But back then, there was a reputational risk to selling out. Today we’re all too busy plotting our own ascents to notice.

Quartzy

Great article! I had already forgotten what it was like to live in the 1990s.