Personal — Andy Arthur.org

Taking old stock and alternatives

Andy | July 8, 2026

I thought it would be simple to replace the Shimano Altus 8-speed derailleur on my bike. But when I looked on Amazon there were a flood of knock-offs that probably are low quality and only a few of the old stock as it’s a discontinued product. I had hoped to get a real prodcut from the bike store. I guess I need to talk to the bike store and find how much money I’ll be shelling out for a replacement. I could order online and if they don’t have a replacement without replacing the drive train, I guess that’s what I will be doing. I would prefer to go a different drive train then what I have but it’s not a good option to upgrade my existing point.

I just hate going to the bike store as I think it always seems so overpriced, and they’re always trying to up-sell you and fix things perfectly. But I just want a bike that generally works, go from point A to B even if it wobbles and grinds a bit. Does the trail riding and commuting, but is not perfect. This was the bike store that sold me on the Trek Marlin 5 when I wanted a Trek Marlin 6, they noted how much cheaper and that was all they had in stock in my size. But I got what I paid for. Maybe if I had every repair done by the bike shop, things would be better shape on my bike rather then my sometimes hack repair, but the bike would be out of commission half of the year waiting for repairs, and paid a small fortune in repairs.

After shorting out terminals and trying to reset the XY-CD60 module using a bench power supply I had in the side, I decided the XY-CD60 module for controlling the batteries in my truck is toast. I found I couldn’t find it on EBay but I did find one on Amazon for $12 I’m going to ask my mom to order for me. Yet another expense, but at least I can hopefully have that running by the weekend. I just seems like everything is so expensive and constantly breaking.

Yeah, I’m that cranky.

Full crank mode activated 😡

Andy | July 8, 2026

The sun is shining and I’m taking the SuperDuty to work today, because I need to go to grocery store – or probably Wally World – but also I need to get gas (POVERTY Alert!!) and the worse place on all the earth – the biker store with all the tranvesites.

I’ve come to the sad realization that probably the best place to get a replacement rear-derailuer for my bike is the biker store, 🚲 you know all the skinny tranvesite men who will set you parts at a 80% mark up, but also looking at Amazon and EBay, getting authentic parts that are broken China crap is harder then kissing a rattlesnake and living a long life. 🐍

I hate driving to work more then I should 🛻 especially when I have to go get fuel ⛽ because guess what the Iran War is back on suckers, and you’re going to pay for it through the anus. Used more gas then I would have hoped up north, but I did drive a lot of rough, slow miles in my ginormous SuperDuty truck 🚛 up in the Adirondacks. I’m not saying I didn’t have fun but shit is so goddamn expensive these days. 💵

It’s good I need stuff my pantry, 🛒 which is severely depleted. I believe I should be able to get my bike back on the road this weekend assuming the bike shop has a derailuer or if not, I’ll order one online, and take my chances on it being a fake product. ⚙️ Return beer cans ♻️. I was actually looking how little trash I have over the past year after all the crap is burned up. 🔥 Last night I was a proposed transfer station in the heart of the Albany Pine Bush, yes another, as apparently dumping garbage for cheap is a constitutional right. But what do I know, I use the illegal landfill in the sky and only really recycle metals. 🦋 I tell you the fight for the Pine Bush is never ending. Just one planing board after another.

I’ll be happy as a pig 🐷 in shit once I get my bike running again, but now it’s so goddamn frustrating, especially having to fight traffic to drive to work today. But it’s a good day to avoid the Plaza because they have the concert today, and maybe the biker shop will have the part I need for not an insane price. I have set a budget of $50 for a replacement derailuer – it appears the authentic piece retails online for about $30 and knock-offs cheaper. Also I think I want to invest in an authentic quick link install/remove tool so I can reuse the quick link on chain and have easier chain installs 🔗 without problems with the damaging the quick link the next chain I get. I hate hassles of bike maintance but it beats taking the bus 🚐 – it’s so local the yokel bus – or even worse driving the gas guzzling ginarmous truck to the suburban office complex next to the old city dump and wastewater treatment plant with acres of parking. 🅿️

Truth is I just want to be back in the wilderness, 🐺 but this weekend I really need to get that bike back on the road, and clean out Big Red, set a price and get him listed. I need the money from the old truck, and I want to get him off my parents lawn and out of my mind. Ready to move on with the SuperDuty. 🚛 Also need to reschedule my dentist appointment 🦷 which was canceled for today, and it looks like after testing that Xy-cd60 module module I managed to jam up by pushing buttons when I was camping, I am going to have to chuck in a fire 🔥 next time I am in the woods and order a another unit this morning. They aren’t that expensive, but it’s still another expense. And I do want to wire up another guage for the starting battery 🔋 and an LED indicator to show when the accessory batteries – solar is tied to the starting batteries – alternator.

What adventures are next? 🏕️ 🏊‍♂️

Andy | July 7, 2026

On my priority list is to finish cleaning and removing my gear from Big Red and get him sold even if it means a few more weekends in town. I also need to replace the snapped derailuer on my mountain bike and get that back on the road.

July 29 or 30th I want to head out to the Finger Lakes for summer vacation through August 9th. Just the usual Chicken Coop most likely. It’s fine for this year until I figure out this Michigan trip or whatever is next.

In the meantime if it’s hot and sunny, probably do Burnt-Rossman Hills, the Schoharie Farm Stands and swimming in Mine Kill. Maybe another trip to the Potholers, sticking a Friday or Monday onto the weekend to get me three nights. I was just up there but it’s nice and cold especially on a hot summer day, especially if I do the House Pond Campsite. If my bike’s working, which it will be once I get the new derailuer, I’ll probably spend Sunday or whatever my last day at the Potholers riding around Little Falls or maybe one of the other Mohawk Valley hick towns on the Canalway to smell some hogs, cows or gasp an illegal burning barrel. Enjoy the country air and scenery.

I do like my fires and it was too long away from the wilderness. I know I got to get the bike fixed and the truck sold and I need money but I do like having fires, and satisfaction of seeing the empty waste bucket. And smoking dope and drinking beer in the wilderness. I got my fishing license and rod, I should spend more time fishing too. And I do want to hike Bramley Mountain and ride more of the Catskill Scenic Trail. Same kind of things for August.

Labor Day Weekend I’ll probably head up before work to Speculator on that Friday, set up camp and work remote that day and camp hopefully on Hardwood Hill where I usually have excellent cell service and it’s great fun watching those starry skies. Then maybe late September do a similar remote work trip to enjoy the autumn colors. Columbus Day Weekend maybe work remote from Lost Pond Campsite at Charles Baker, or maybe Chestnut Ridge campground or the Firetower Site, depending what is available. And maybe November after the election – November 7-15 head down to West Virginia for a week if there ain’t too much of a risk of ice and snow. Probably just hang out in Canaan Heights.

At least it’s not a beautiful day to be taking the city bus and shuttle to work 🚀 🚏 🚌

Andy | July 7, 2026

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave
So Puff, that mighty dragon, sadly slipped into his cave

I don’t think I completely ruined my brain 🧠 with all that weed over the weekend but I could use more caffeine ☕ because I didn’t do coffee as I didn’t bring the pretty tangy milk home from camp yesterday. It is certainly a wet day 💦 for taking the bus to work. I ended up just mixing some blueberries in oatmeal with fresh coffee grounds and called it breakfast. I need to go shopping, probably tomorrow.

It was nice that those days up north smoking all that weed and burning shit 🔥was pretty much rain free except for some drizzle during Independence Day though it cleared up for the evening and I had a nice swim 🏊‍♂️ in the Moose River and then lighting off fireworks. 🎇 I didn’t loose any fingers 🤟 though I have to dash away from something that went pop 🧨 in the fire and well some of the sparks because I’m an extreme wimp.

Camp Sagamore was kind of bummer, 😩 the historic grounds were only open as part of a tour and most of the trails were longer than I expected with less scenery. Lots of deer fly 🪰 too. Lake Durant was more interesting 🚣‍♂️, a nice paddle but buggy in parts and choppy on the north end 🌊 due to the way the wind was blowing. 💨 The SuperDuty 🛻 drives super nice on the hills – it holds the truck back with the cruise control or even just the brakes and it has so much power for merging into traffic even up hill. Lifted trucks suck dog 🦴 dick when it comes to accelation and braking at least with stock gears. ⚙️

Today, I have a lot of loose ends to tie up once I get in the ofifce. Too many emails came while I was in wilderness, many of them prefixed “while I know you on are on vacation, when you get back”, just piling up. And then I need to research the replacement rear derailleur for the bike, though initial research suggests it won’t break the bank. That said, I am more then a bit nervous on the prospect of ordering bike parts online, as I worry about getting scammed again with Chinese garbage. Need to figure out how to reset the XY-CD 60 module and use that properly. What calculator size resistor I need for an indicator light, so I know when the solar is charging the starting battery and the alternator is charging the accessory batteries and vise versa.

You should’ve got a half ton I’m told 🛻

Andy | July 5, 2026

People have a lot of opinions on many things. And we all have to make a decision, despite contrary opinions on what is the right options for me. I went with an HD truck – my F-350 SuperDuty – and that’s not a decision without criticism.

For one, I wanted something with higher ground clearance then a stock F-150 or Silverado. I wanted to be able to run 33″ or even 35″ tires without having a lift kit – my truck came standard with 33s. I also wanted the high ride like my previous lifted truck, good views of the road, but without all the trouble of lifted truck.

While I never had too many problems with ball joints or CV joints on my old rig, I also took it real easy on the rough dirt roads I often drive back to camp. The straight axles, heavy-duty rear leaf springs and coil springs over a straight axle seemed to suggest HD truck was the best option for years of reliable, rough roads.

Suspension parts are generally stronger and more substantial on HD trucks both for towing and because it is common they are driven on rough roads. True with a front straight axle you do have U-Joints, you have upper ball joints and you have a steering rod, and you can get death wobble if they get too worn, but in general it’s a much more reliable system for heavy abuse, even if the ride quality is worse on pavement.

I also though the engine choices for half tons lately are generally bad, as manufacturers try to eek out greater preformance on fuel economy standards to pass increasingly tough EPA standards. Turbo-charging, small displacement engines that use ultra-thin oils might be slightly more fuel efficent especially if you are gentle on the gas, but they have had a rash of costly failures. A simpler, naturally aspirated big ol’ V-8 just seemed like a good choice for me. Tons of power in the mountains, and the amount of city driving I do is very limited.

Not that I’ve ever had a pickup that gets good milage in the city. And I don’t care that much about fuel economy whne I drive recreationally. That said, I do wish my 6.8L V8 did get somewhat better gas milage.

And I wanted the bigger alternator and extra battery for reliable starts when winter camping – and to provide ample power when camping. The old truck was fine, but when the weather was cold, sometimes the starts would be weaker then I’d like in remote country, and alternator would sometimes run hot and you could smell it starting to burn out on heavy loads after the camp batteries were low, and I had things like the headlights or air conditioning going full blast. While the alternator did not fail on my old rig, it always was a concern in my mind.

Maybe I would have been fine with a half ton, but I wanted a big truck, with lots of capacity for when I took it out on trips. Something I can later use to tow a cattle trailer or put a plow on should the need arise like after I buy a house or that off-grid cabin. But in the mean time, I still have a pretty awesome rig for camping and traveling like I did for many years with Big Red.

Thematic Map: Critical Environmental Areas in New York State

Thematic Map: Schoharie County National Land Cover Dataset 2024