Andrew Akers

@akrs.me

346 Followers 164 Following

Dad, Tinkerer, Dish Wrangler. let’s be honest, we’ve got bike posts and the occasional cat pic here.

A longtail cargo bike, viewed from the back. There are two kids in helmets sitting on the rear bench, a fielded 18’ ladder strapped to one side, and pannier on the other side with a gallon of cleaner and various other items.
A pale yellow canyon bike frame, with no wheels, is attached to a service stand. It is filthy, covered in beach sand, and if you look closely, the chain-stay protection is peeling off
A Ram TRX, which is basically a pickup truck with an oversized engine stuffed inside and more horsepower than any personal car needs, is shown in a promo shot doing a jump. All four wheels are off the ground, and the truck looks to be about 5 feet off the ground, hanging in midair.
A bike lane, vanishing before an intersection because a traffic engineer would rather optimize car flow then keep cyclists marginally safer
A bike lane comes to an end in front of an intersection. This time there’s a little bit of a conflict zone marking, showing you’re supposed to merge into the center travel lane, and avoid the left and right turn lanes on either side. The conflict zone is marked with dashed lines, and some Kermit green stripes.
A set of carbon road bike bars against a tarmac backdrop. There’s a visible bike computer which shows only that the song Snake Tongue by The Beaches is playing, and there’s no cars detected by the rear radar.
A wave style bike rack is overstuffed with bikes: my longtail cargo bike, a few adult bike, and a few kid bikes (including a fixie with a porteur rack, I wish I had complemented that guy). The wave rack is so full there’s another pair of bikes locked around a light post, and yet another group of bikes locked together in the background.
a street “closed” for a street fair. There’s a Ferris wheel, giant carnival slide, games, and lots of people milling about.
A picture taken while standing over a bike. A small brown ground squirrel trepidatiously approaches the front wheel of a road bike. A pale yellow road bike frame, fork, and front wheel fills the left side of the picture, with a pebbled asphalt backdrop. The toe of a dirty white cycling shoe is visible at the bottom of the picture.
A screenshot of a city council agenda, showing two items on the consent calendar: 8H — Award Consulting Services Agreement to Provide Professional Design Services for the Preliminary Design and Environmental Analysis of Multi-Use Active Transportation Trail Project and Appropriate Funds. Expenditure: Not-to-Exceed $700,000 8I — Authorize Purchase Order for 162 Rifles with Proforce Law Enforcement and Appropriate Funds. Expenditure: $517,076.23 Full text: 8H. Community Development - Award Consulting Services Agreement to Provide Professional Design Services for the Preliminary Design and Environmental Analysis of Multi-Use Active Transportation Trail Project and Appropriate Funds. Expenditure: Not-to-Exceed $700,000 (General Fund and Non-General Fund). Recommendation of the Community Development Director that City Council: 1. Award a consulting services agreement to RRM Design Group of San Juan Capistrano, CA (RFP No. B2025-24), for an amount not-to-exceed $700,000, to provide professional design and environmental analysis services for the Multi-Use Active Transit Trail Project (I-194), for the period beginning June 9, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027; and 2. Appropriate $50,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund to Transportation Open Space Corridor Multi-Use Trail project (I 194-RW0001). 8I. Police - Authorize Purchase Order for 162 Rifles with Proforce Law Enforcement and Appropriate Funds. Expenditure: $517,076.23 (Non-General Fund). Recommendation of the Chief of Police that City Council: 1. Authorize a purchase order with Proforce Law Enforcement, in the amount of $517,076.23, for the purchase of 162 rifles; and 2. Appropriate $517,076.23 from the Citizens Options for Public Safety (COPS) project (COPS-3559-OP0001).
A cargo bike is parked in front of a voting station way-finding sign, which has a LA county “I voted” sticker and an arrow pointing to the polling station. In the background, a typical Torrance suburban school scene. A older building, lawn, and some trees, along with a very long and wide drop off driveway.
A shot from the same place as the quoted skeet, but instead of the aforementioned little bike rack, there’s only 4 bolts sticking out of the asphalt showing where it once was. It’s a grey day, with the Pacific Ocean in the background of the sad asphalt, separated from its bike rack friend.
A picture form a bike mounted camera showing a “bike lane” next to two car travel lanes. The bike is passing through an intersection, crossing the crosswalk portion, and the “bike lane” is so narrow that the concrete gutter is wider than the portion of the lane on asphalt.
A picture from a bike mounted camera, showing that the buffer has been removed and the bike lane has been widened slightly, although still falling short of the 3ft legal minimum.
A concrete light pole has been toppled, presumably by a driver smashing into it with a car. It’s entirely blocking the sidewalk, and there’s some halfhearted attempts at caution tape to keep pedestrians from tripping on it. As a bonus, there’s a gas price sign, which shows prices ranging from $5.89 for cash regular, to $6.29 for credit premium, and $6.99 for B20 Biodiesel.
A very nice, wide, smooth, two way bike path stretches off into the distance. It’s surrounded by trees and bushes, with not a car in sight.
A picture of a street. The speed limit sign reads 50, and there’s a standard 12’ lane next to a much wider lane, probably somewhere around 16’. There’s also a narrow bike lane, definitely not meeting the new state minimum of 6’ for a road with a 50mph limit. The only protection from cars speeding by is the thin stripe of paint.
A picture of a Southern California street. On the left, two car travel lanes. On the right, a sidewalk, a concrete barrier, and a hill. Somewhere in the middle, a bike lane that’s been striped such that there’s an 18” buffer on the asphalt road, and the edge line of the bike lane is literally striped in the gutter.
A small brown tabby cat is half sitting, half laying on a set of crossed legs. In the background, the TV has the dodgers game on. As implied in the skeet, the cat’s eyes are closed, and she’s looking at the camera, entirely uninterested in the baseball and more interested in the warm lap she currently occupies.
Two mountain bikes, leaned against a tree in front of a school. One is a ‘91 Merlin Mountain, fitted with a pizza rack, all very 90’s mountain bike. The other is a modern Woom 20” bike for a kid, with a safety pizza reflector.
A child’s carpet car scene, notable for its lack of pedestrian infrastructure aside from zebra crossings, and absolutely BONKERS road signage. There is no stop signs, just ‘stop’ in lower case written across both lanes of that two lane roads. There’s a T-junction that somehow has three crosswalks, there’s a traffic circle with one entrance that has a traffic signal and one with a stop writing.
A sand colored tabby cat curled on some bedding. She’s slightly turned so her light-colored belly is exposed, and her paws are curled. She is very cute.
Mačka, a small brown tabby cat, is curled into a vaguely circular shape, with her legs all protruding. She is fast asleep on the couch, with various household items completing the scene.
A hand holds a KMC Missing Link 9 speed chain package, with a prominent $5 price tag on it
The red cover of Bicycle and Motorcycle Repairing. The cover is old, and has a condensation ring from someone putting a drink on it.
A photo of a page of the book, machine transcription follows: CHAPTER VII THE FRAME Much of the work described in this and the following chapter is retained for its historical interest, rather than for its practical value. At the time this work was originally prepared a Bicycle was worth $100 at retail, and it was well worth while to attempt a difficult frame repair. Today, when the retail price ranges from $20 to $50, and at wholesale frame and fork may be bought for $8, it is plainly absurd to spend more than that sum to repair a broken frame. There may be occasions when for some special reason it is desired to save the old frame, and partly on that account, partly for its intrinsic interest, the former matter is repeated verbatim. <an engraving of a bicycle frame, where the down tube is broken just before the joint with the head tube> The accidents possible to a Bicycle frame may be divided into two classes: First, those by which one of the turned or forged steel parts may be broken at the socket, as shown in Fig. 1, or the
A printed page, machine transcription follows: CHAPTER I STARTING IN ON FIFTY DOLLARS While it is to be hoped that the reader will not have to start his business career with so small a sum as $50, yet the purpose of this chapter is to show how the money could be spent to best advantage and that it is feasible to compete with other Bicycle repairers without making a larger initial investment. The main reasons for the small investment required are the extent to which the supply houses are prepared to furnish parts of universal application, averting the former necessity of making or buying special parts, and the existence, especially in the large cities of shops that specialize in brazing, enameling, vulcanizing and general Bicycle machine work. So that the Bicycle repairman can to-day buy at reasonable prices the parts and the work that formerly required an extensive equipment of special tools. Eliminating, therefore, the more expensive equipment and planning for tire repairs, wheel repairs and the replacement of the parts most often required, we would recommend the purchase at the start of the following tools and stock: 1 Bench Wheel Truing Stand $4.00 1 Nipple Grip $0.30 1 Nipple Screw Driver $0.20 1 Cutting Pliers $1.80 1 Rim Drill and Countersink $0.35 1 Long Taper Reamer $0.50 1 Tire Fluid Injector $1.00 1 Plug Pliers $0.35 1 Plug Hole Cutter $0.20 1 Jiffy Tool $0.10 1 Tire Mouse $0.20 1 Rubber Band Repair Tool $0.06 1 4 in 1 Valve Tool $0.20 1 Valve Inserter $0.10 1 Valve Spanner $0.05 1 Shop Pump $1.10 1 Chain Cleaning Brush $0.17 1 Hack Saw Frame 0.50 12 Hack Saw Blades $0.65 1 Shop Wrench $0.81 1 Shop Spanner $0.12
The title page of “BICYCLE AND MOTORCYCLE REPAIRING”, the “SEVENTH EDITION REVISED AND ENLARGED” by Charles W. Leng who was the former president of the National Cycle Trade Association. It was published by David Williams Company in 1912.
A hand holding two chains, a Shimano 8 speed on the left, and a Shimano 12 speed on the right. They’re both folded over on themselves, and have traces and drips of grey wax on them.
a crosswalk crosses 8 lanes of car traffic, the paint the only indication that pedestrians are crossing the street, on a stretch of road where cars are regularly going 50 miles an hour.
The same bike rack from the quoted post, but fixed up and standing tall. In the background, the mouth of ballona creek and the Pacific Ocean.
a wheel bender bike rack positioned too close to a brick wall to be of any use. beside it, a shopping cart rack, its horizontal tubes providing a welcoming target for a bike lock, and something solid to lean against
A text message from Verizon, displayed in the iPhone messages view. Message: Your Verizon 2025 Playback is here
A dried out 7ft Christmas tree strapped to the back of a long tail cargo bike. The bike is barely peeking out behind the mass of the freeze which looks impossibly levitated.
A three gang light switch panel, with a mysterious dark red substance smeared on two switches and the wall.
Two bike locked in a bike rack, which is some loops that maybe protrude 8” out of the ground, designed to pinch a tire, with no features to lock to. The bikes are both mountainish, and their tires are too wide to fit between the loops, so they’re awkwardly perched at either end.
An email from Confluence, subject: Fuel 2026 with your Confluence Recap AI summary: 2025 Confluence Recap available; view highlights; discover Confluence personality
a video taken from a bike riding passed stopped cars in bumper to bumper traffic on a residential street during school drop off time. There's a solid kilometer of bumper to bumper cars, and the camera is moving faster than all of them on the bike.
A single painted bike lane, that looks like it’s barely 4 ft wide, sits on a vast road with fully 9 lanes dedicated to car traffic. The lane is sandwiched between a high speed right turn slip lane and a forward travel lane, with nothing separating them except some paint. What isn’t shown in the picture is that there’s no bike lane before the intersection, and no bike lane after it.
A workhorse commuter machine, my carbon road bike, parked next to the Pacific Ocean with a beach and blazing sunset in the background. The bike is a pale yellow canyon endurace, with a rear rack and pannier fitted.
Two cups full of iced boba are strapped into the basket of a cargo bike with Nano Voile straps. In the background, groceries are peeking out of the panniers
A Silca wax hot pot for lubricating bike chains sits on a kitchen counter. A cat sits behind it, staring directly at the camera, alarmed that garage parts are making it inside. For some reason, a Thomas the tank engine plushie also sits on the counter, also staring directly at the camera, lending a slight air of absurdity to the scene.
A small brown tabby cat stands on her hind legs, front paws resting on a Noble Fir Christmas tree. She is giving it a good sniff, ensuring it is adequate for the family Christmas festivities. The tree rests on a light colored wood floor, and traces of a living room are visible behind.
A video of an idylic ride along a beachside bike path, with nary a snowflake to be seen
A video showing a nighttime bike ride, from a POV roughly at the handlebars. The video shows riding in a class 2 (paint only) bike lane, then merging across a right turn slip lane to reach another bike lane as the rider approaches an intersection, and then merging with car traffic because the bike lane abruptly ends on the other side of the intersection.
The door of the UPS Store, with a UPS “Sorry we missed you tag stuck to it”
A picture of an intersection, with 2 straight travel car lanes, a buffer, and bike lane, then a right turn lane. Across the street, there’s two straight travel car lanes, no bike lane, and a sign that says “Bike Route”
bike lane ends, just before an intersection that has at least 8 car lanes on each cross street. Everyone knows bikes can just teleport across, right?
a small electronic pot of melted grey wax sits, gently bubbling. A wire loop is submerged, with a small handle held above the wax by a Park Tools chain wear gage that sits across the pot. This is a chain waxing setup, and there’s presumably a bike chain under the wax, acquiring a fresh coat of lubricant.
A sandy beach stretches down to the Pacific Ocean, the setting sun just a sliver over the ocean. The sky is a perfect gradient from golden to light grey.
A pale yellow Canyon Endurace road bike stands in front of a sand dune covered in native vegetation. The bike has a water bottle that looks like an elmer's glue bottle, a top tube bag, a saddle bag, and a rear rack fitted with a pannier. Behind the dune, a stretch of sand leads down to the Pacific Ocean, with the sun dramatically low in the sky, reflecting off the water and about to set.
A view over the handle bars of a cargo bike looking at a road and a box of two dozen cupcakes strapped down with some orange voile straps
A brown tabby cat sits, all folded up, with no visible limbs. She’s looking at the camera, ears slightly akimbo. A small metal tag reading Macka hangs around her neck because the engraving machine didn’t support diacritics
the hottest mountain bike of 1991, a titanium Merlin Mountain leans against a railing in front of a marina, sun setting just behind. The bike is a matte-ish titanium, with black and turquoise anodized accents. Because I can’t help myself, it also sports a front pizza rack.
A person on a bikes perspective of a very wide sidewalk, looking over the handlebars. The sidewalk is lined with Tess on both sides, and is mostly in the shade
The scene is dominated by massive bushes, taking up nearly the entirety of the frame. A sidewalk is barely visible on the right side, and some palms on the right. Just behind/within the bushes, a hint of wave bike rack can be seen.
A blazing orange sunset, sunset disappearing just behind some clouds over the Pacific Ocean. In the foreground, there are some people on the beach watching the sunset, and a light blue LA county lifeguard tower keeping watch.
A cat suns herself, sitting monorail style on a couch arm. Her front legs are extended towards the camera, claws locked in on the fabric couch to hold her in place. She looks outside, with that half-sleepy, half alert stare of an alert hunter
A pair of road bike handlebars pointed down the Los Angeles river bike path. To the right is a steep drop off to the concrete channel of the river, to the left a gravel drop off.
A light blue longtail cargo bike is parked outside a gas station convenience store. A propane tank sits on the back, secured with two voile straps to the kid railing. It has a vaguely threatening aura.