Grumps can suck it, it's Friday!

[Marvinlungwitz]

How does Concept 2 keep the price of their rower nearly the same after almost 30 years?

Nowadays, it has to be the ultimate bargain in exercise equipment.

[Kev inc.]

I just got a used one through my local rowing club in Grand Rapids, MI
Model D with working PM5. Used but in good shape.
$500

[robin3mj]

How does Concept 2 keep the price of their rower nearly the same after almost 30 years?

Nowadays, it has to be the ultimate bargain in exercise equipment.

It's refreshingly free of feature-creep for sure.
Basic screen, but periodic firmware updates to ensure you have access to the latest companion phone app, connect HR straps, etc.
I don't use mine year round but certainly am thankful to have it for the times of year it's useful to knock out workouts due to weather or time of day constraints.

[bigbill]

I think we have a house in Wyoming. I'm waiting on the e-sign paperwork. 2300 square feet four bedroom, 2.5 bath on .25 acres in a cul-de-sac on the eastern end of town. Our AZ house will go on the market in two weeks and I'm offering up my VA 2.87% mortgage to sweeten the deal and hopefully allow me to walk away with a nice equity check. I did the math, if someone bought my current home at 7%, they will pay almost $800 more a month in mortgage than at 2.87%. It will mean my VA will be tied up and unusable to me, but since the early 90s, I've purchased and sold five houses with zero down. The house I'm buying in Wyoming will be a conventional mortgage.

The "new" house was built in the late 70s with a full finished basement, a large two car garage that angles to the alley so it's easier to back out, a wood stove, central heat and air, and lots of trees. Inside, it's a blank slate, the kitchen cabinets are worn and either need replacing or shown some love and paint, I'll get a new fridge, and likely spend many days cleaning before moving in.

The "short way" between our AZ place and the new house is 15 hours. I'll do a one way rental of a large Uhaul, Penske, or Ryder truck and a dolly to move the car. It's hard logistically, we have two 3/4 ton trucks, a 33' travel trailer, and a two horse trailer (with two horses). Then there's my bikes, I might make an art/bike run with my F250 and large Uhaul trailer. I think the next few months will be really stressful but we'll be in the house by April and enjoy a full summer to work on the house in good weather.

[Markco]

Regarding the concept 2 rower



They import a lot of components from china. Have a contract manufacturer in their back yard that does final assembly. Don’t change the design so they can invest in tooling to bring down the cost per unit. Opposite of fashion. The design is simple proven and robust but some components are difficult to manufacture. Buy in bulk on long term contracts instead of just in time. The domestic vendors they use give them favorable pricing since it’s steady state business that keeps the lights on. The introduction of the rogue rower will likely be a challenge to the business model.

[bigbill]

I'm sitting in our new place in Wyoming looking outside at snow and 40 mph winds. It was 65 yesterday. A week ago today, we had the two Uhaul trucks loaded in front of our AZ house, and I was staring at the weather app trying figure out our route. We like to travel through Flagstaff, north through Utah via Monument Valley, Moab, then I-70 to Rifle then north to Wyoming. Flagstaff had a blizzard with white out conditions. The other option, the one we ended up taking, was I-11 to Vegas, then I-15 to SLC and I-80 to Wyoming. We got a late start, but we weren't going to get much north of Cedar City, UT, where we stopped for the night. The next morning, the roads were much better so we made it as far as Riverton, WY, which is 90 minutes from our destination, but we decided to stop for the night. We unloaded and returned both trucks on Sunday and spent the week painting and moving stuff around.

Looking outside, I'm thankful we had a nice break from winter weather to get so much done before the weather remembered that this is Wyoming in the winter.

[NYCfixie]

My wife is on vacation for 2 weeks as of 1pm EST today (she works at a k-12 school) so I can spend the next two weeks trying to convince her to retire now with me.

[rwsaunders]

It’s Lenten Fish Fry season in Pittsburgh, and our favorite is served at the Community Kitchen in the Hazelwood section of town. Another tradition in this city of immigrants, as the site of the kitchen is in an old Oddfellows Club, that was across from a steel mill that once employed 5,000 people. Now the old mill site is part of Carnegie-Mellon’s National Robotics Center. The folks at CK serve 40,000 meals/month and they’re a training ground for people getting back on their feet. What’s not to like and oh, the fish sandwiches are 5/5 on Yelp imho!

https://www.ckpgh.org/

https://codeforpittsburgh.github.io/fishfrymap/

[72gmc]

Lenten Fish Fry season in Pittsburgh

Looks great! I shop on the darker/chewier end of the beer spectrum—do they make a porter or stout?

[Clyde]

We were informed of our certificate of occupancy on the new krib yesterday. There is likely several more weeks of finishing work by the builder prior to us actually moving in. Greenville house goes on the market in a couple of weeks so big changes looming!

[rwsaunders]

Looks great! I shop on the darker/chewier end of the beer spectrum—do they make a porter or stout?

You’re in luck Dan. When you make it to the ‘Burgh to start your ride to DC on the GAP, trail, you can stop at the brewery for an Imperial Oatmeal Stout and/or a Smoked Porter…Google for better images.

https://hazelgrovebrewing.com/

https://www.lewisandclark.travel/lis...erfront-trail/

[Marvinlungwitz]

It’s Saturday, but yesterday I saw on Strave that a club mate from the old days did a 100 mile ride in 4:52.

I had to smile from the memory of his first 3 day weekend of racing. He won every prime and race over Memorial Day in Dayton. The officials told him he could no longer race as a 4.

Untitled by Marvin Lungwitz, on Flickr

[72gmc]

You’re in luck Dan. When you make it to the ‘Burgh to start your ride to DC on the GAP, trail, you can stop at the brewery for an Imperial Oatmeal Stout and/or a Smoked Porter…Google for better images.

https://hazelgrovebrewing.com/

https://www.lewisandclark.travel/lis...erfront-trail/

Girl Scout cookies and beer tasting at the tap room!

Last night my college kid, home for spring break, joined me on the bedtime dog walk. Life is happening fast, big things are starting while others come to an end, and she’s making me proud with how she’s handling it all. It was a fine Friday.

[bironi]

First day of spring.
Well it done sprung and was nothing but cold and drenching.
We are forecast to have a more promising spring day in the next week.
Tuesday will be the day my wife and I visit the campus of the University of Washington to stroll beneath the cherry blossoms.
67F partly sunny, a day of spring.

[72gmc]

Went for a ride yesterday! Didn’t need the fenders, brought them regardless! March weather is standard (schizophrenic) this year but I’ve had some good days skiing, good days biking, a spring getaway is on the calendar … I am making the best of what I can control.

[bigbill]

The flooring guy finished up downstairs yesterday. I no longer have a carpeted bathroom. We also did laminate in my wife's studio so she can spill to her heart's content. I have a full box of flooring left over to replace sections that get damaged or stained. I'm replacing the toilets in the hall and basement bathrooms. I have already lifted the old ones off and a plumber will help me set the new ADA toilets on Monday. The basement had some funky fittings that will get replaced with less funky. A local contractor, one of my wife's former high school art students, is coming by on Monday to measure for metal fascia and soffit. I have so many rotted sections, about half of it would get replaced if we just did repairs. Metal should take the Wyoming winters better.

[72gmc]

Good on ya, carpet in the bathroom is just eeeyugh. If I was falling through the kitchen floor and also had a carpeted bathroom I’d rip that carpet out first.

[bigbill]

Removed bathroom carpet should be treated as a biohazard. One of the greatest things about living in a small town (4500 people or .7% of the state's population) is knowing the people working on my house. On Friday, I texted the plumber and floor guy and told them I had to run some errands and that the front door was unlocked. I drink beers with my plumber at the Murican Legion, we're both Navy.

[robin3mj]

Hard to know which way is up these days, but fortunately for me, having younger kids forces you to put it aside and live in the moment.

Four soccer games and a track meet this weekend, among other activities. And my younger daughter is pumped for the women’s Final Four finale on Sunday so we’ll watch that as well. I’ll be pulling for UConn, but Coach Staley and her team deserve all the accolades if they end up on top.

[Tom]

It isn't Friday and nearly everything is being trashed before my eyes but we just got back from a show by two jazz combos and the big band ensemble of the SUNY Schenectady School of Music and now we're sitting in the front room with a glass of wine watching the four fox kits that live under our neighbor's shed run, hop and wrestle.

The kids are alright.