Dreamstate Living

måndag 6 februari 2017

When I upgraded my Scott Speedster 30 from Tiagra to 105

Scott Speedster S30 105 converted, POC helmet and Haglöfs Corker backpack

One year ago exactly I found a nice price for a Shimano 105 group (60% sale) and decided it was time to upgrade my Scott Speedster from the Tiagra that had gone 7000 km.
So I thought 'how hard could it be' and placed the order. Luckily I had almost all the tools needed to perform this operation.

The stripping of a work horse

Scott Speedster S30, without wheels in repair stand

This part went pretty fast. Some parts were quite stuck and needed a little extra work with the help of a rubber hammer on the tool, especially the pedals. As you can see I should have replaced the bar tape ages ago.

Scott Speedster S30, frame and handlebars only

Totally stripped bike. Only the frame, handlebars and front fork is left. Time to clean it up, really rub away all the dirt that was stuck.
I actually hadn't replaced the chain either during those 7000 km, so the cassette and chain rings were quite married to it at this point.

Build it up again

So, now that all the old stuff was removed it was time to assemble the new components.
The shifters really took some time to figure out and a lot of youtubing, evidently they had changed the design a little and until I found a clip that described how to do it... Well, after I found out how I really felt stupid, it was quite simple in the end. Shimano does not seem to ship assembly instructions with their components, only a paper that a certified mechanic should do the assembly. So when you get stuck, it takes some time to find the correct instructions. This happened mainly for the shifters.

First issue
The front derailleur that was included in the kit was not the type that can be clamped around the tube. So needed to order a replacement. A week went by.

Second issue
Tube cutters (cable housing cutters), really, buy the specially designed tool for this, otherwise.... Well its just easier with the correct tool. Ended up with a cheap one for €5 and they do the job. So much easier then trying to use normal wire cutters.

Third setback
How did I miss this? I went from a 10 speed group to a 11 speed one and didn't think of the cassette fitting the rear wheel. So, when I tried to mount it there was 1.8mm missing on the body. So it was time to upgrade the rear wheel. Sadly I had bought the old wheel just 6 months earlier. But, oh well. Sometimes you just have to pay for your own stupidity.
Placed the order, expected delivery 4 days. But for some reason DHL decided to ship the wheel to Norway and it got stuck in customs there for 5 weeks until they sent it to the correct country. At this point the spring season was starting up and I really wanted my bike ready to be able to cycle to work instead of taking the car every day.

Finally when it arrived I was able to assemble the rear wheel, get the rear derailleur working. Something extra that I recommend is to fit in a barrel adjuster for the front derailleur, otherwise you end up needing tools every time you need to tighten the tension, something that happens with new wires.

Scott Speedster S30, converted to Shimano 105 drive train

I really like how the black Cinelli Mike Giant Handlebar Tape fit the build, and the stylish black chain ring and crank arms.

All in all what I thought would be a weekends work turned out to be 7 weeks with all the delays. But in the end, it was worth it. The feel of the 105 drive train is just so smooth. Even now one year and 2 chains later it is just the best. I promised myself to take better care of this new setup so now I change the chain every 1000 km and cassette every third chain, so cassette replacement is coming up in a month or so.

Useful videos

Cat tax

Thanks for reading, here's a picture of a very tired Prime (10 month kitten).

Until next time: Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work

torsdag 2 februari 2017

My current plan, 2017 February

A lot has happened since my last plan update in January.

Trump swore in as POTUS
Theresa May published a report on how they will do the BREXIT
I went to the hospital and am on a sick-leave
My favorite bank and candy maker both published nice reports

So how to tackle this all, by not doing a single thing other then following my plan. And still, my plan holds. This month I was tested as the bank stock was at its highest since I started buying, but as the plan states I shall buy shares every month until something better comes along... That is what I will do. But yes, this month it was a small psychological battle. But good to see that I made it :)

The news about the world being in turmoil should not affect my plan other then give opportunities and forward I will look at the report period that is coming to see if anything catches my eye. I.e. being better then the two I already hoard.

So my sick-leave was prolonged to 3 weeks in total and 1 week halftime after that. So I will have all the time in the world to read reports and look at that kind of stuff.
Also, I've been thinking a lot on mortality, and unexpected things happening and wrote a little about keeping all the paperwork up to date in case something happens.

On a happier note, the dividend payout from the bank and candy manufacturer is up to 1 extra deposit per year after 2 years. Meaning that if I put away say $20 per month (fictive number), the dividend payout for this year is $20. And that feels great, there is actually some progress in this. Last year it was a third of that.

Lets finish this post off with a video of one of our cats, Pixel (2.5 year female) playing in the sofa.

Until next time: Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work

Disclaimer. I am in no way an expert on capital management or investing. On this blog I only wish to share my findings, ideas and comments on current events and fields that interest me. I hope that my thoughts can entertain you. I expect that everyone reading take their time and do their own research before acting on anything read on this blog. Investing is not for everyone. E&OE.

The importance of paperwork

Woman holding mobile phone over paperwork on a table

Dreaded paperwork. Why do we need it?

Mostly you do not. But when things go bad in life, a partner that leaves, a business partner that tries to maneuver you out or a death in the family.

I've experienced all three either personally or from the sidewalk when it happened to someone close to me and boy did I/they wish that the paperwork was in place when things started to roll in an unexpected direction.

The private partner part

Not the most romantic discussion with the person that you want to share your life with, but being open about the possibility of things ending (for various reasons) should be part of a successful relationship. And in the end it should mitigate a long lasting court battle if the end is not on good terms.
Also, if things end, make sure that you directly update paperwork on your part that your partner is no longer your partner. This is something that people tend to forget and things can take a quite ugly turn depending on life situations etc. Especially if you happen to die. It is no fun feeling if an old ex tries to get part of the inheritance by saying that they were still together when you died.

The death part

Another topic that people try to ignore. We are all mortal and are going to die one day. It could be today or in 80 years, no one knows for sure. And that is the reason you should think of this already when you are starting out in your twenties. Make sure you have documents on who should inherit the few belongings that you have managed to get. And then to revisit this documentation at a given interval and at bigger life-changing events for example marriage, divorce, having children etc.
Another topic to have in writing is how you want your funeral to be, if you have a vision, write it down, write down what songs should be played what coffin you want. Do you want a tombstone? Be burried or cremated? If you do not write it down, your family will have to guess and in worst case there will be a battle of wills and people will become unfriendly.

One thing that is sure is that when someone dies, all old sins come into play. Unknown children appear, people find out they have more siblings then they thought. A lot of tension can build up and at this point, finding paperwork on how you wanted things to go will really help.

The business partner part

In short, I was young and naive and people tend to take advantage of that. I put in 16 hour days to deliver product for a company and I was promised a lot but no papers were signed.
Once the product was developed, the tone of my business partners changed and they would rather not share the profits with me.
So in the end, not the best deal in my life. Probably the worst and I learned a lot.
Even if you are at your workplace, if the management starts to ask you to put in a little extra to get whatever perks they are offering, make sure that it is in writing before you commit. In the end it shows your management that you want to do this, but you also want a commitment from their side before you start. If they are hesitant in doing so, then maybe you should be hesitant in doing the extra for free as well.
If you are in a startup, especially with a partner or two, hire a legal counselor to put the deal in writing so that there are no hiccups later on. If things go good, you know how to split the profits, if things go bad you should also know what is expected of every partner at that point.

Conclusion

Boring as it sounds, you should do the paperwork and make sure that it is in place before committing yourself to anything. Good paperwork should allow you to sleep well at night knowing that you are secure if your work situation changes and that your family and kids are taken care of if something should happen to you.

And make sure you get a legal counselor to look at and validate whatever documents you are about to sign, just to make sure that they are written in a way that conveys the message that you want to tell.

Until next time: Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work

Disclaimer. I am in no way an expert on capital management or investing. On this blog I only wish to share my findings, ideas and comments on current events and fields that interest me. I hope that my thoughts can entertain you. I expect that everyone reading take their time and do their own research before acting on anything read on this blog. Investing is not for everyone. E&OE.