Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Fineus on August 10, 2002, 05:03:36 am
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This is probably one of the weirder things I've ever asked of people - but there's a great base of ideas and so on here so I think it's the perfect place to ask...
I want to jazz up my bike a bit, it's a mountain bike so there's lots of space on the frame to doodle and so on and make it really personalised. I've already painted it black (as opposed to the snot green color it was before) but now it needs more. I'd like to make some stenciles and spray things onto the bike to make it more interesting (no stickers or other commercially available crap please - I want this unique).
Suffice to say, I'd like some ideas to get me started... any logo from what I originally wanted to do (but haven't yet) - the Bacardi Bat, to words (although I think painting "Thunder" onto a bike would be a bit cheesy myself ;)).
Anyways, lets get those creative thoughts going... anything is possible, and wouldn't it be nice to know I took up your idea and am now happily cycling round with a bike featuring an idea you came up with? Hehe... anyways - any ideas anyone has would be great, try and be sensible about it but I'd love to hear whatever anyone has thought of.
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A big ass lightning bolt.
(http://www.veridian.com/offerings/images/lightning.jpg)
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You know me, I'd strap a jet turbine to it and put a snow plow on the front but that's not entirely viable. :wink:
You could use metallic red spray tastefully to get that nice HLP colour scheme going. :)
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Pink and blue swirls, those little foil ribbon things on the handles, and a decal that says "Magic Fairy Pony Princess". And an integral flamethrower on the right handlebar.
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a squashed furry cat (obviously not a real one - that would a trract flies) tied under the handlebars
:devilidea
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Hehe, thanks for the suggestions so far guys, I like the lightning idea in particular (if only I could work out how to paint it and make it look good...)
A mate also came up with the Omega symbol which I like...but I need more! Come on guys! :)
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How about that little avatar thing of yours. ooo! Smilies, cover your bike with smilies like these guys! :headz:
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Maybe some plastic beads on the tire spokes... Light pink is the way to go. Dont forget the pink plastic basket on the front... its great for extra storage.
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Originally posted by vadar_1
Maybe some plastic beads on the tire spokes... Light pink is the way to go. Dont forget the pink plastic basket on the front... its great for extra storage.
...and you were wondering why the neighbours were giving you strange looks :rolleyes:
:D
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Two words: Exhaust pipes.
And treads. Get the Internal Combustion Doom Bike of Doom.:D
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A real hot chick.
A real hot chick makes anything look better. ;)
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Buy a car
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Originally posted by Shrike
A real hot chick.
A real hot chick makes anything look better. ;)
Especially other chicks :nod:
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Unless they're not hot.
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Originally posted by an0n
Especially other chicks :nod:
*seconds*
hmmm
*goes "hunting"*
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Hehe, thanks again guys - I'm not sure pink beads would really go with the black bike but who knows.
I do like the jedi sword idea as well, perhaps with lighting coming out of it - but that's a little complex for someone who's a novice at spraying and so on... I'd like to keep it simple if I can!
And remember guys this is a one seater mountain bike - not a motorcycle or a car - I can't get a hot chick on it and I can't put exhausts on it - no motor ;)
Suffice to say, the bike is supposed to look nice not statement making (as in "I'm a hard nut weirdo") because I hate people like that... I'd just like some original things... including a snoopy icon ;)
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Originally posted by Thunder
And remember guys this is a one seater mountain bike - not a motorcycle or a car - I can't get a hot chick on it and I can't put exhausts on it - no motor ;)
Put her on your lap?
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Ever see the "Mad Max" series?;)
Now THERE's a good template for any vehicle.
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Get a spoiler...
Reminds me of yesterday - some ned sitting at the traffic lights. you know the type - thanks he's pure mad in his piece of ****, battered 1970's Ford (held together by rust, but with a 'Bosch' sticker on the back and a brand new spoiler). the spolier is several shades lighter than the car, of course.... and he's revving his engine (he's obviously stuck a credit card in the exhaust pipe to make it sound better)... and he backfires explosively. hehe.
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Originally posted by Thunder
(although I think painting "Thunder" onto a bike would be a bit cheesy myself ;)).
yes it would... i mean, if you were going to drive it around the HLP forums, then yeah it'd be cool cause everyone knows you as "Thunder"... but people seeing you driving around on the street would ask you what you're smoking, and call you bad words, like a crackhead, an ass, and a fag probably.
That's a really good idea about 'spicing up' your bike though! :D
What i did (this would look cool on yours) is i 'integrated' two 'light kits' together. I had one that worked on a dynamo. (i.e. a little motor that produces electricity... when the wheel turns it turns the motor... so as long as you ride you have electricity)... the side effect is... well, if you stop or slow down the light goes out/dims (respectively). It's mounted like this: (the dynamo)
(http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/stealth/hostedpictures/dynamo.jpg)
I don't know why i drew two wires coming from the dynamo... actually only one is needed, and you can run it outside the frame, or what i do is drill a little hole in the frame, and thread it through, so it can't get snagged by something (this is imperative on a mountain bike) and the rain doesn't affect it. Then just use carpenter's putty or whatever the hell you have in England (just use gum... it always works :D lol) and when it dries you can sandpaper it, paint it, and you won't even see the hole.
You also note that it's run by friction, and it's not 'connected' to the wheel. In this case after hours and hours it gets really hot, but it won't get damaged, cause it's got a rubber wheel that's against the rubber tire, so every few hundred milese you just buy a new one (about 50 cents in the USA)... also, the way it's situated, one rotation of the main wheel (bicycle wheel) is about 300 of the dynamo's wheel... lol, so you get a LOT of power :D
So anyway, i integrated them (dynamo and battery operated light) so that when you flick a switch (on the left handlebar, cause you don't use the gears on the left as much as you do on the right) and when you flick the switch it ties in dual 9 volt high integrity batteries (which i had under the seat) (this was a mountain bike). and also a couple of diodes and other goodies, because you don't want the dynamo to charge the batteries (this could be dangerous) and also if it's charging the batteries then that would affect the bicyle's light (the power would go to charging the batteries, not operating the light). Oh, and if you're riding in the day and you don't want the dynamo/battery... you just press a little switch on the dynamo and that releases a spring, and so it pops away from the wheel (like 3 or 4 centimeters away from it)... when you need it, you reach back, and snap it back into place against the wheel... it's on a spring, so you can never really put it TOO tight against the bicycle wheel so you don't damage either of them.
That takes care of your 'lights'...
Then I got this speedometer/times/pretty much everything else you want/ thing, that attaches (not friction driven, attaches on the axle) and it has a monitor that you can attack anywhere on the handlebar. It's very 'user friendly' and the ones nowadays can even tell you when you need to shift gears once you program it right. Like, it'll tell you what gear you're in, then it tells you (according to your pedaling) when you need to shift, and what gear you need to shift to... I'm not sure if they have this, but someone told me that they have these things that actually shift for you using miniature pistons and stuff.
Then there's a little bicycle radio (i never had one of these or anything mentioned below) that has AM and FM, and some of the newer ones have tape decks and even shock resistant CD players (haven't seen the CD player one, only heard)... but if you're planning on putting it on a mountain bike, these things (the CD player anyway) is made for racing bikes, so the operation is smooth. A mountain bike would jerk, and the CD would skip every second lol :D They have jacks, so you plug headphones in... they don't come with headphones i don't think. You can also get kits that attach this to a dynamo with a little battery, so if you're riding in the day and listening to the radio (not using the light) you can use the dynamo for this... once again i'm not sure if you can use this on a mountain bike where the speed is constantly being changed... on a racing bike you can, cause you keep a pretty constant speed.
If you really want to keep going, get one of those kits that go between the seat and handlebars (under the frame, inconspicuous) and it has like an emergency pump, an extra inner-tube, patches, spanners, and everything else you want.
If you have money (and are really stupid) you could even attach a laptop to your bicycle, but that's just an option :D
any other ideas you want? if you can't find anything in England (or wherever you live) then me or someone else (i wouldn't mind) could buy it here and ship it to you
Regards
~Stealth~
(http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/stealth/hostedpictures/stealthlogo.gif)
Oh, and i know this has nothing to do with 'words/logos/images'... but you did mention 'spicing your bicycle up'... and this counts :D
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Jeepers! Thats a lot of information - and certainly inspiring stuff. Trouble is I don't think I can afford it at this point! But it's certainlty something to look for in the future, although if the bike got stolen it'd be a real loss. For the time being I'll stick to graphics (although some dynamo lights would rock ;)). Cheers though!
(And yes, I am in the UK :))
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Originally posted by Shrike
A real hot chick.
A real hot chick makes anything look better. ;)
*Maeg gives this Idea his happy monkey of approval :nod:*
(http://www.3dap.com/hlp/staff/maeglamor/happymonkey.jpg)
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GAH!
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aaaaah !!
*runs from the happy monkey !*
I like the dynamo light stuff.
But i'll just buy some of those special moutain bike lights and clip them on the front and back. push a button on the light and there ya go:D No need for dynamo power:D
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About the dynamo lights, two words: "Knight Rider" :D
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Originally posted by sandwich
About the dynamo lights, two words: "Knight Rider" :D
(http://koti.mbnet.fi/~enforcer/pics/funny/garyanddave.jpg)
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Now that is an idea for a mod... drill holes in the handlebars and through the frame then put LEDs in the handlebars leading via a wire to a battery pack/switch held in the frame itself. Small, simple and eye catching ;)
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I still think caterpillar treads on a bike are a good idea. You'd never have to pump tires again!
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What you wanna do is rip off the cross-bar, seal up the back-end of the bar and re-weld it back on. Drill a hole through the main pipe thingy of the fork (the bit between the handle-bars and the actual fork). Then load a chunk of explosives down to the sealed end of the of the crossbar and load a modified arrow in front of it. Drill four small hold just behind the explosives and inset two wires running to a 9V battery or a taser of some sort. And in the other two holes put some tubes that run round to the back of the bike. You connect the 9V battery and BOOOMM!. Arrow goes flying out the front (as long as the handle-bars are perpendicular to the cross-bar) and two small jets of fire shoot out the back of your bike. The ultimate in covert urban assault vehicles.
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Originally posted by Thunder
although if the bike got stolen it'd be a real loss.
that's why you get a CAR, where you can lock the doors and install an alarm system and chips to where they can't start the car without a certain key :D
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Originally posted by Stryke 9
I still think caterpillar treads on a bike are a good idea. You'd never have to pump tires again!
that would suck to pedal though!!!
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Not really. You think I haven't experimented? It's no good for a racing bike, but...
Hell, you're right. Still good for when there's lots of rocks/bumps/cars/small children in the road, though.
How about big, eight-inch titanium spikes on the front? Clear the road for ya! And when you wanna park it somewhere, jsut go really fast into a wall, and it'll embed itself!
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Originally posted by Stryke 9
Not really. You think I haven't experimented? It's no good for a racing bike, but...
Hell, you're right. Still good for when there's lots of rocks/bumps/cars/small children in the road, though.
How about big, eight-inch titanium spikes on the front? Clear the road for ya! And when you wanna park it somewhere, jsut go really fast into a wall, and it'll embed itself!
yeah, but that would still suck to pedal and even worse to be on, because rubber tires act as shock absorbers... every tiny stone you hit in the road your whole body will feel... especially (ahem) the part that's on the seat!!! lol
very painful after a few minutes
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RUBBER cat treads!:D
Waaaait... there's an idea! Thunder! Hydraulic shocks on your bike! And a hugeass subwoofer hooked up to a walkman constantly playing the same rap song over and over!
You can't do tinted windows or running lights in the engine, but I think the effect'll still be there.
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Originally posted by Stryke 9
RUBBER cat treads!:D
Waaaait... there's an idea! Thunder! Hydraulic shocks on your bike! And a hugeass subwoofer hooked up to a walkman constantly playing the same rap song over and over!
You can't do tinted windows or running lights in the engine, but I think the effect'll still be there.
lol, or playing the same 10 seconds of a rap song oer and over :D
lol, i WISH you could just plug a subwoofer to your walkman... you'll need one hell of an amplifier, and since you don't have a power source (an engine to run an alternator or something) you'll just have to hook up two car batteries :D you can duct tape them to the pretty pink basket that an0n recommended you put in the front :D
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Hmm... a bit of an explosive hazard. You don't wanna see those little bastards when they catch fire. Or if you crash and get battery acid on your face. Best get a small gas/diesel generator and mount it on back. Counteract the weight of the subwoofer that way, too.
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Originally posted by Stryke 9
Hmm... a bit of an explosive hazard. You don't wanna see those little bastards when they catch fire. Or if you crash and get battery acid on your face. Best get a small gas/diesel generator and mount it on back. Counteract the weight of the subwoofer that way, too.
hmmm
very true, but i'd recommend a small lawnmower engine!
But see, it'd be hard, cause the subwoofer needs a steady supply of electricity, and engines are notorious for doing that... also you'd need to rev it up high, and therefore you wouldn't hear it over the noise of the engine
what i say is that you should hook up the dynamo to the subwoofer, and the speed you pedal affects the sound coming out... to slow it down (the pitch) you pedal slow, and vice-versa
lol that would so 0wn :D
it would be impossible though
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The sound isn't the point of the subwoofer. It's supposed to make the ground shake to the point where the military confiscates your vehicle as a weapon of mass destruction.
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Originally posted by Stryke 9
The sound isn't the point of the subwoofer. It's supposed to make the ground shake to the point where the military confiscates your vehicle as a weapon of mass destruction.
and that's why you play 10 seconds of a rap song that has the MOST beat, then loop it, and burn an entire CD (80 minutes) of just the same 10 seconds...!
cause there's not many rap songs that start out with a heavy beat! you want a constant heavy beat :D
If you wnat to use it as a weapon of mass destruction, then attach a trailer to your bike (heavy pedaling :D) and hook up a V8 engine :D )
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Yeah, but then you start needing to get your legs and lungs replaced every few minutes, so the operating costs are kinda high. We're trying to keep it simple. Maybe a gun turret.
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Originally posted by Stealth
lol, or playing the same 10 seconds of a rap song oer and over :D
No one would notice the difference. :rolleyes:
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Originally posted by sandwich
No one would notice the difference. :rolleyes:
No one's supposed to notice the difference! I mean c'mon... seriously... it's impossible to recognize a rap song by listening to it on a subwoofer! A subwoofer puts out the bass... so it's impossible to recognize a song.
what i'm saying is if you just play a rap song, near the beginning and end of some rap songs they don't have that much bass... so if you play 10 seconds of constant bass over and over again, there will be no 'break' in the destruction :D
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You know what you could do... paint your bike blue and white, put some letter decals on so they spell out "Police", add a siren, and wrap a chain that's been cut in half around the frame.:D
Or, ditch the chain, and start taking long rides through the ghetto.
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Originally posted by Stryke 9
You know what you could do... paint your bike blue and white, put some letter decals on so they spell out "Police", add a siren, and wrap a chain that's been cut in half around the frame.:D
Or, ditch the chain, and start taking long rides through the ghetto.
That's actually an awesome idea! :nod:
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there was a program on a few years ago (1 year?) on the USA channel called "Pacific Blue" which was about policemen (and really hot policewomen) who rode on bikes and they knew all these stunts and stuff... pretty cool for ideas! I haven't seen the show in a while, but the website's:
www.pacificblue.com
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Heh, I don't think police action is quiet my style but I still get the idea... right now I think the lightning bolt has taken it - does anyone have any idea how to make it work though?
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Stick a straw in a can of spraypaint. If it doesn't blow off immediately, should do nicely. And it'll vibrate enough to get those jiggly lightning effects, if you don't hold it in one place for too long.
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Originally posted by Thunder
Heh, I don't think police action is quiet my style but I still get the idea... right now I think the lightning bolt has taken it - does anyone have any idea how to make it work though?
Lightning bolt, lesee.... I think it has something to do with charged ions in the air, and oppositely charged areas of the earth... or something like that. Hope it helps... :doubt:
:D ;)
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Originally posted by Shrike
A real hot chick makes anything look better. ;)
I second that.
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Originally posted by sandwich
Lightning bolt, lesee.... I think it has something to do with charged ions in the air, and oppositely charged areas of the earth... or something like that. Hope it helps... :doubt:
:D ;)
No seriously[/b] dude, I mean it ;)
Thanks for the idea though... real lightning on a bike...hehe.
And thanks also to Stryke for the idea - I'll try it on some card or something first so I don't bugger it up on the bike!
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Hmmm, 'tis a pity I don't live near you, I could have done it for you.
Maeg's guide to spraypainting in more than one easy step...
What you will need:
Something to spray (duh).
Ideally an airbrush, failing that car aerosol spraypaints will do. Get the colours you want and one can of clear (transparent) paint too.
Some masking tape.
A sheet of heavy paper or two.
A pencil or something to draw your design (you could even print it out I suppose).
A hobby knife or scalpel.
Paint thinners and an old rag or tshirt.
Some plastic shopping bags.
A face mask! *omit at your own risk.
What you want to do is get a piece of heavy grade paper (heavier than printer paper) something like watercolor paper. Then you draw your lightning bolt on it but don't go too crazy, keep it relatively simple. Using a scalpel or modellers knife carefully cut the design out, what you should have now is a template. You should cut off any unnecessary paper around the template, as if you were cropping an image to get rid of the area you don't need. Try and keep the template roughly rectangular though, it makes things easier.
First wash the area of the frame you're spraying onto with a little soapy water and dry it thoroughly.
Position the template on the part of the frame you want to put the design on and stick it down with masking tape. To avoid removing any paint from the frame first stick the masking tape on your trouser leg or jumper to remove some of its tackiness. You should mask off the surrounding frame with plastic bags wrapped around it and stuck down.
Once you have the template on make sure there is no space between it and the frame. Ideally you would use a airbrush but car spray paints will do the job if used carefully, they rarely keep an even flow of paint though so don't start on a hot day and try to finish on a cold day. Spray a light and even coating of paint on the area from about 20 to 30 cms away, don't feel the need to cover the entire area in one coat or you'll just get streaks and drips which will ruin the effect. Do this outside, no indoors area short of a wind tunnel has good enough ventilation IMHO and no cool paintjob is worth risking your health over. You might need three to four coats to get a uniform covering of paint. Once the paint is almost dry to the touch carefully remove the template, if needs be use a very small amount of thinners to clean up the edges as sometimes the paint might creep under the template.
Once you have the design painted on leave it for at least 24 hours to completely dry then spray the entire area with 2 or 3 coats of clear paint to protect it. If you had an airbrush you could do even cooler stuff like blending but that takes a bit of time and practice to perfect.
Good luck :)
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wow
you should copyright that tutorial :D
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so c'mon Thunder... tell us what you ended up doing to your bike!!! :nod: :)
post a picture perhaps?
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Nothing yet, I'm still looking at options (and any idea like this that I come up with takes ages to implement anyway). However at the moment I'm thinking of lightning, camoflage coloring, the omega symbol and the Bacardi symbol...
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lightning would look awesome i agree!
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At the risk of sounding like a complete geek, I think a small, tasteful GTA logo on the front fork would look neat. Hell, you could even make one out of brass or some other soft metal and affix it... :D
The GTA logo is far cooler than the GTVA, IMHO.
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Agreed, it is a nice logo - even though only two other peolpe in the town might know what it means ;)
I'm really greatful for the suggestions everyone but I've hit a snag - was out on the bike yesterday and the chain deemed it necessary to snap... I'm on my backup bike (a red/black Raleigh Nitro) untill I can get a new chain/links to fix this chain. It adds five minutes to my cross-town flight time :sigh: