How being patient and being smart leaves you with quality products that you neither paid for nor stole.

There's a saying: buy it right, or buy it twice. This is a warning to anybody who thinks that the cheapest option is their best option merely because it's the cheapest; I experienced this with the first fixed-gear wheel that I bought. When I started to abuse the drivetrain a little bit, the threaded interface between the cog and the rear wheel stripped, leaving me with a useless hub.

For people like me, who like nice things but can't afford them, the trend of buying so right that you buy all the way to the top is frustrating to watch, because we can't take part in it. That's why I love Formula hubs so much - an affordable hubset ($70) that spins extremely smooth and is sealed well; and when the weather does break in to the seals and start to wear out the grease, you can pop out the cartridge bearings and pop in some new ones ($10).

Those that buy right to the top get Phil Wood hubs ($300). Burly and indestructible; a guy I was chatting with in Union Square told me, "I've been messengering on these hubs for seventeen years and haven't even changed the bearings." Plus, they come with the "no matter what happens, if they break or fail or get messed up, we'll replace them" guarantee. A damn good thing, considering the price tag.

But that kind of bling is not my style. So I'm left a little confused now that I'm the owner of a Phil Wood rear hub (solidly laced to a respectable Velocity Aerohead rim). I certainly don't need the quality of a Phil (and I didn't pay for it, dammit! I traded my Formula/Aerohead wheel, and you know what? I and the other both got something we needed out of it!) - it's not going to make me faster.

But the lesson here is that in order to get quality, you're a fool if you buy right up to the top. My Phil Wood is a tad smoother than my Formula was, completely unnoticable when I'm riding with a full bag and chain in winter clothes, but my midlevel Shimano front hub is remarkably smooth for a hub that only requires occasional (once in two years of owning this used wheel!) maintenance of loosening the bearings just a hair.

There's no substitute for knowing an industry and the specifics of its products. You could buy the sweetest thing there is, but chances are, there's something a little quieter waiting in the corners if you're patient - a great trade, or an under-valued component with really impressive seals on their loose-ball bearings. You can buy it right, you can buy it twice, or you can do something in the middle ground and feel really good about it.

Really quick How to Break Stuff Update. First, I just bought new respirator filters for a fourth New Orleans Trip, and I got a free hardhat for my order. So... what to do with it? We're open to suggestions. Second, the HtBS labs just acquired a relatively tame Nerf gun in preparation for an upcoming piece on nerf gun modification. The shootouts in the recent Zombies vs Humans were so-so, but you guys need some real firepower.
So that's what's up here. Keep sending in questions!

Cheap ways to Improve your Fuel Economy Part 1

So it's nearing holiday time, and those of us with automobiles are beginning to think about the long drive home. At the very least, it's better than thinking about finals. But, alas, we've been working hard. We've been spending what little money we have on a downward spiral of dates, comfort food and alcohol, neglecting our beloved old car until this, the moment that it delivers us from the trials of campus life to the heartbreak cure of the open road.... right? Is that just me? Anyway, If your car hasn't received any lovin' in a while, chances are the ride home will hurt your wallet. So HtBS presents you with the following ways to improve your car's fuel economy for under $20. These are cheap and easy to do. They require no tools, and next to no knowledge of automobiles. Part 2 will be more fun.


->Don't Drive like Evan: For serious. Gearing varies from car to car on what the highest efficient speed is, but across the board speeds in excess of, say, 75 miles per hour will subject your car to a ton of drag from the air around you. Granted this'll vary depending on a cars shape, but since the vast majority of production cars on the road do not have a smooth underbody or other aerodynamic goodies, expect drag to win. The faster you go, the more dramatic of an effect the drag has. A little bird once told me that a Volvo 850 rated at 25mpg Highway will only get 16mpg at speeds of 100mph. And it's not just your cruising speed that matters--it's how you get there. The higher the RPM you demand of your engine, the more fuel you should expect to burn. cost: free

Some of us, though, will never learn to drive as though our foot is made of a lightweight substance.

->Air Filter: A new air filter will work wonders for fuel economy and is often overlooked on a college student's car. At least once a year, throw a new air filter in your car. Engines, by and large, function like huge air pumps. When you press the "gas" pedal on a Fuel-Injected car, you're actually only letting air into the engine by way of the throttle-body--the car's computer then matches that air with the right amount of fuel. The air filter is meant to keep grit and debris and bugs from entering your cylinders and scratching up (read: destroying) the inside of your engine. As you drive, that filter gets clogged, and the engine gets choked for air. The affects performance, but also efficiency as it becomes harder for the engine computer match the air with the right amount of fuel. New air filters for domestic cars can be bought damn near anywhere that sells car-parts. Some European cars require a trip to the dealer. If neglected for years, this can starve several miles per gallon from your trusty ride, easily. Cost: $10-$20

->Tire Pressure: All of your tires should be filled to the pound-per-square-inch ratings for the particular car. This number can usually be found on a label in a door-well or near the gas cap, or in the little manual that came with your car. More important than the amount of air in the tires is that all of the tires are filled to the same pressure. If you haven't filled your tires since the weather got colder, chances are your tires are under-filled and costing you more fuel. Cost: Free. Or $0.50, now that air is a marketable commodity.

How to break a big fuckin' truck.

In case you were wondering, Streetsblog is a great source for the Liveable Streets movement. Through them I found this great gem, which is a good way to break the undercarriage of your car by trying to sneak into lanes reserved for mass transportation:

Retractable bollards.

However, if that's enough for you, here is a link to a super-high-tech retractable bollard. I saw that the staff at How To Break Stuff should really look into developing one of these. Then, we can aquire a big truck, and combine the two. A la this amazing video. Sha-zam!

How to Break my Heart

A recent reader asked us several questions, all of which we will get to in time. The most poignant at the moment, however, was, "How does one break your heart?" Well, Gavin and I discussed this over a somber meal at Illiano's last night.
One can break my heart in one of two ways:

1) Quoting Camus while wearing a chastity belt, or

2) Runing into a Mazda Miata with a Bulldozer.

How to keep your Bike safe in winter (so that you can endanger it on ice).

When Gizmo asked me to write an entry for this new blog, How To Break Stuff, I thought, finally! I've been breaking stuff for years! However, two new hobbies are riding bikes really hard, and fixing stuff (though I've done a fair share of breaking stuff in my attempts to fix it).

Given this combination, here's a quick how-to and list of resources for winterizing your bike, rated by number of dollar signs, which is roughly how expensive it will be to do or to buy material for.

$$$ - If you've got a steel frame, a good investment is a treatment with JP Weigle's Framesaver. Take your bike to a bike shop. They'll strip it down and spray this stuff inside it, completely coating the innards of the frame tubes. It will offer very good protection against rust. If you've got an aluminum frame, this is of no concern for you – aluminum does oxidize, but it forms its own protective layer, whereas steel just rusts. How do you tell what material your bike is made of? Well, steel frames usually have round tubes, and aluminum frames will have oval or funny-shaped tubes, which are large compared to steel tubes. Look on the seattube (the part of the frame triangle that the seatpost sticks in to) – there's probably a tubing sticker, and if it says "chromo" or "chromoly" then you've got a steel frame. This might cost you $50.

$$ - clean and lube everything you've got. Bike shops sell chain cleaners, which are little devices that you fill with degreaser (Simple Green is a good, cheap one) and run the chain through a few times - or, you can just do your best with a spray bottle, a rag, and a toothbrush. Remove ALL the existing lubricant (a very good thing. Crud and sand and grit sticks to the lube and has the effect of sandpaper on your chain, gears, and derailleurs, which will reduce your efficiency and wear them down, causing shifting problems). So, clean your chain and all your cogs and chainrings, let them dry, and then apply a new coat of lubricant (do not forget this step). I recommend Rock N Roll Gold, which is super, but any thick lubricant will do you well, especially wax-based lubricant. This might cost you $20 or a bit more, for supplies.

$ - grease everything on your bike. Phil Wood makes the best grease out there, but I also like Slick Honey. Anyway, here's what grease does – it forms a watertight seal between two pieces of metal. It prevents them from corroding to each other. It prevents rust. It also lets you tighten screws or bolts to the appropriate point (it's counterintuitive, but true). So, arm yourself with a set of allen keys, and take your bike apart, clean all screw/bolt threads, and regrease them. Pay attention to: the bolts for your stem and handlebars, and your seattube (this should be greased thoroughly – a major source of frame damage is getting a seatpost seized in the seattube!). $10 for grease, more for tools.

$$ - it's also a good idea to overhaul your hub bearings, bottom bracket, and headset, but this requires some special tools, special know-how, and some experience. Basically: any time you have moving parts on a bike, friction is reduced by a set of ballbearings between the moving part and the non-moving part. It's tough to overhaul these, because you have to re-set the tightness so that it's not lose at all, but not so tight that it reduces the efficiency. Some parts have disposable/replaceable "cartridge bearings" that you just pop out and pop a new set in. $10 for grease, and definitely more for some more specialized tools.

$$$ - While www.sheldonbrown.com and www.parktool.com/repair both have some helpful advice for some more advanced work, this should be part of any bike shop's tune-up/overhaul. If you take your bike to a shop for an overhaul (which will also include tuning your brakes and derailleurs), make sure to check to see if they'll do this. Cartridge bearings are usually well-sealed and don't need to be replaced, but loose-ball bearings should be cleaned and re-packed with new grease. Usually $60-80 for a shop overhaul.

(no money) – clean your bike! Clean it after you ride it, after you get it wet, and especially after you ride in the snow, because you'll pick up a lot of salt. Why is this bad? Remember that chemistry experiment in high school that you missed cause you got stoned in the bathroom? No? Go figure. Anyway, water plus salt plus steel (remember the quick lesson about steel up above?) = RUST, which weakens your frame and your parts. Furthermore, sand plus drivetrain (chain, cogs, derailleurs) = a noisy, poorly operational power/shifting system.

After your sloppy winter ride, wipe the whole thing down. Get all the wetness off of it. Make sure to wipe down the chain and to try to get any crud out of the gears. Take out your seatpost and clean it – lots of grit gets in here, so be sure to regrease it! In fact, many people overhaul their bike after each messy ride. It helps in eliminating the squeaks, moans, groans, and other awful sounds that result from a dry, rusting bike.

(no money) – store your bike inside! The weather is bad for the bike and there are lots of indoor, space-saving options. Just do an internet search for bike hanger.

This is all really do-able. Once you take the power of fixing and maintaining your ride in to your own hands, there's nothing stopping you from getting where you want, when you want. But, you ask, why not just put the bike away for the winter? Because, I respond mischievously, because you know that long night when it first snows and everybody is outside? Yes? Because that's a terribly fun night to ride your bike.

Understanding Respirators (or: clean air, explained from a New Jersey perspective)

in a post on Wesleyan's Anonymous Confession Board, people started talking about protective equipment and respirators (with regard to spraypaint and enclosed spaces) and people started asking about the filter rating system. so. here's what I know.

filters are rated with a letter then a number, like P100 or N95. the number represents the tightness of the weave, so to speak. i.e., the higher the number, the smaller the particles it captures. the N and the P designate whether or not oil based aerosols can get through the filter. N does *not* block them, P does.
So. Hospitals carry a lot of N95's, because an N95 is sufficient to block the transfer of certian microbes, e.g. Tuberculosis. But a P100 will also block these. For asbestos, for another example, you want a 100 rating.
I rock a P100 because, why not? They're a little more expensive, but it's worth it because the protection is more comprehensive.

But that rating system only covers the filter element itself. There are also pre- and post- filter elements that come into play. The filters I use most often are called GME-P100. No idea why the GME nomenclature, but in addition to a p100, it has a layer of activated charcoal. The kind of stuff they give you if you swallow poison or OD--activated charcoal can neutralize a lot of organic toxins (wikipedia it, it's cool stuff). In a respirator filter, this is most often marketed to petroleum refinery workers and the like--people exposed to toxic hydrocarbon vapors. They also prevent smells from getting through (which was a fucking god-sent in NOLA).
In non industrial conditions, you can probably rock a filter for a few weeks of use before you have to retire them. Filters are replaceable, so, my respirator from all of my New Orleans work is not toxic, just needs new filters.

FIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A RESPIRATOR. make sure that if you cover the air-intake-holes, you're unable to breathe. otherwise you have a leak.
3M makes a nice cheap series of respirators. I have a thin face, so the 3M's don't fit. I have a slightly more expensive but worlds more comfortable respirator made by MSA, and it's probably saved my life, or at least my lungs. It's also a fashionable shade of blue.
If you're interested in buying a respirator, ProfessionalEquipment.com sometimes has decent deals. Hardware stores also carry them on occasion, though usually only one brand/type.

When do you need a respirator?
if you go into the Wesleyan maintenance tunnels, you should have a p100. some but not all of that tunnel system has a lot of asbestos. If you're doing a lot of spray painting in an enclosed area, rock a pXX. If you're using solvents and the like in an enclosed area, err on the safe side and get some activated charcoal P-somethings. You should also wear one when soldering, especially if using lead-based solder.
Seriously. I do stupid shit all the time. I should know.

Love and Tinkering

Hello, and welcome to How to Break Stuff. A recent bout of introspection vis a vis my involvement in several blog communities centered around Wesleyan University has shown me that I am a hopelessly geeky n'er-do-well. Many of my posts to Wesleyan's Anonymous Confession Board and Wesleying have involved how-to's on nerf-gun-modification, choosing the right respirator for various tasks, and other little things of that nature. In the spirit of blogs like Hack a Day, HtBS will offer various bits of tinkering and advice. But also, in the spirit of the Wesleyan communities, ridiculousness. Don't take us too seriously. Take us just seriously enough. In addition to things that might actually be useful, expect features like Drunk Project of the Week, the Social Science Major Power-tool Review, and How serious were those warning labels?
Sometimes we know what we're talking about. If you have a question about Love or Tinkering (we're also equally adept at interpersonal relationships) send us an email at howtobreakstuff@gmail.com, and we'll reply with a post or something witty, useful or both.
Gavin and I have broken a fair amount of shit in our day. We know what's up.

-Evan Simko-Bednarski