This is my first winter season using my new commuter bike that has an internal geared hub.
The Shimano Alfine 8 speed hub is doing a fantastic job — goodbye frozen/clogged up derailleurs!
Feb 032011
You would think this would be something that was easy to do…
I did a “year-end password change” on one of my Google accounts and so the next step was to change the password on my Android phone so that my account would sync correctly.
I must have looked through every single menu and settings screen looking for an obvious “change password” option. There was nothing to be found.
Looking online didn’t give me any solutions but there were lots and lots of people asking the same question. Some of the responses said I should get a prompt within a few hours or days of changing my Google account password online. I really didn’t want to wait that long for something that might (maybe?) happen.
Luckily, I stumbled across a way to quickly and easily change your account’s password on your phone.
- Simply go to the Android Market on your phone.
- You’ll get prompted to enter a password — enter the new password you created for your Google account online.
- After you’ve made the change, go back to your home screen
- Press your Menu button
- Go to Settings
- Go to Accounts and Sync
- Press the applicable Gmail account
- Press Sync Now at the bottom of the screen
This should show that your sync is now working.
I then sent a test email from my phone and checked online to make sure it sent. It took a few seconds for the test email to send, but everything seems to be working correctly now.
Remember that any other apps that use your Google ID and password for authentication will likely have to be updated on your phone, too.
Sep 232010
Bike Calgary is back again for their third year hosting the Bike Shorts Film Festival.
Date: Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Place: Downtown Library Theatre
Time: 7 – 9:15 PM
Tickets are $10.00 in advance (purchase online at www.bikecalgary.org) or at the door for $12.50.
A few minutes ago I had to pull the rear wheel of my MEC Hold Steady bike. This was the first time I’d removed the rear wheel, which has a Shimano Nexus internal hub on it. For rear wheels with derailleurs, removing the rear wheel is a matter of seconds — pop the quick release and out it comes. Not so with the internal hub wheel…
Undoing the 15mm bolts was a no-brainer, but then there was the matter of removing the chain and gear cable which, I assumed, was also a no-brainer. Wrong. I unlocked a locking ring (which I shouldn’t have done) and suddenly there were a whole bunch of loose parts flopping around. After finding the right combination of red and yellow dot alignments, I got everything back together but still didn’t have the gear cable unhooked.
Time to look in the manual (a first!). Unfortunately, there was nothing in the manual about removing the wheel or cables. So, off to YouTube and… success!
Here is the right (and very easy…) way to properly pull a rear wheel that has a Shimano Nexus or Alfine internal hub.
Sep 072010
This morning’s ride was a chilly one and the fog down in the river valley was really dense. There was no wind (for a change) so the fog just hung over the trees waiting for the cyclists to whoosh down into it, sending clouds of white swirling off the pathways.
