Hey y'all,

Jay here.

Mary got me Stewart Brand's new book, The Maintenance of Everything. It feels good to be seen, to be known by a person. I'm loving it and this paragraph from the book’s beginning:

"Maintenance is what keeps everything going. It's what keeps life going.

Every living thing spends a great deal of time and toil in maintaining its own life and the life of the systems it depends on. Plants tend the life of the soil they grow in. Beavers maintain their dams and thereby the pond that protects them.

But so much of doing maintenance is tiresome. Brush the damn teeth, change the damn oil. They are unrewarding chores: repetitive, boring, often frustrating, and endless.

Since that part of maintenance is a pain, we shirk it, defer it, fail to budget time or money for it, let it sink to the bottom of the priority list. That's easy to do because the necessity of maintenance accumulates invisibly and gradually. Then suddenly one day the thing breaks, the system falters, and everything stops in a turmoil of disruption, expense, and blame.

The apparent paradox is profound: Maintenance is absolutely necessary and maintenance is optional. It is easy to put off, yet it has to be done. Defer now, regret later.

Neglect kills.

What to do?"

Mr. Brand went on to explain what to do but I feel like you can figure it out.

The book is a delight and not judgmental at all. I love that he confesses that he was bad at brushing his teeth, and I relate to that. I'm bad at bike maintenance (and just ok at brushing my teeth), I don't lube my chain enough and ride my tires with too low of pressure and have been known to ride hundreds of miles with my stem slightly askew.

We often tell people we're not like the dentist, we know you don't floss but we don't really care. It's probably all genetics anyway.

The genetics of your bicycle are real.

Here's what's going on this month:

NIGHT MOVES COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE

Thursday, June 11. Meet at 521 Balboa at 7:00, roll at 7:15.

Tea, cookies, and designated slow pokes. It's never more than 12 miles and the pace is conversational. Bring a mug and lights. No sign-up needed, just show up.

DERAILLEURS DEMYSTIFIED: ROTATING MECHANICS CLASS

Thursday, June 18, 7:15pm to 9:00pm.

This will have some hands on derailleur futzing but will really focus on what’s happening concetptually derailleur-wise. What the hell is going on back there? Why does it work? Why doesn’t it work? What the hell is a parallelogram?

This one you do sign up for. Ten spots: https://lu.ma/l2lz4rz5

COMMUNITY NIGHT

Thursday, June 25, 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

No agenda, no sign-up. Just come take up space. Have a drink, ask your bike questions (or life questions), and listen as the music plays a little louder than it does during business hours.

DAY GROOVES COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE

Sunday, June 28. Meet at 10:45am, roll at 11:00am.

A ride for the girls, the gays, and the theys. Pop music, a coffee stop, slow uphills. No sign-up, just show up.

And mark your calendar: NIGHT MOVES: HARD MODE, Thursday, July 23. A night ride in the Headlands. Real climbs, real dark, big views. Lights required, not optional.

The shop is open 12pm to 7pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Classes need a sign-up, everything else just needs you.

Jay