GovernorSilver

REI, while also known as a "sporting goods" type store, has a good reputation as a bicycle retailer too. They have their own in-house brand (Novarra) which is respected, and they also sell a couple of big-name brands (Cannondale, Diamondback). They have some stores listed in CO. My boss recommended Jamis Coda Sport to me when I was shopping for my first bike. It's one of the bikes reviewed in this hybrid shootout article: http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-hybrid-commuter-bike/ I was thinking of going with Trek 7.2 FX or Trek Allant (another flat bar bike, marketed as a "city/commuter bike" rather than as a hybrid bike) before I found the Uptown 8 on sale. I could have picked up a 7.2 FX on sale for about $350 new but when I added the cost of fenders, rack, and lights, the price got closer and closer to the Uptown 8's price. I really wanted to start bike commuting, not just riding the bike for working out, so I went in the "commuter bike" direction, though some peeps in the cycling community argue that "commuter bike" is just another marketing gimmick. I later discovered the other type of road/mountain hybrid bike - cyclocross bikes. But I was intimidated by drop bars so I stayed away from 'cross bikes. I didn't go the used route because I, too, didn't know what to look for. Oh if there's a bicycling association or similar group in your area, check if it offers discounts at bike shops to members. In DC for example, WABA membership gets you 10% off accessories at just about all the area bike shops, and 5% off new bikes at a fair number of them. You might also find local bike shops that have sales on their own - August and winter time seem to be the best times to shop for a new bike. August because the cycling equivalent of NAMM happens and so shops want to clear out current year models for the next years. Winter because business tends to be slow at that time.

Nice bike! I didn't learn how to ride a bike until May, 2015, when I completed a "how to ride" class taught by WABA (Washington Area Bicycling Association). My first bike is a Breezer Uptown 8, which I bought because it was on sale and seemed to come with accessories that looked useful for commuting to work by bike: fenders, rack, hub-powered lights. I later had a trekking handlebar installed to get more hand positions, which turned out to be a very nice-to-have for 25-mile round trip commutes. The stock handlebar had only one grip position. Riding with colleagues, participation in several beginner-level group rides, and WABA's Confident City Cycling class gave me useful skills and confidence for street riding. The best experience so far in my young cycling career was the Halloween group ride in which riders decorated their bikes with festive lighting and rode around like a parade, with cheers from drivers and people on foot alike. Here's the Uptown 8, with one loaded pannier, taken at National Mall on the way to work:

My friend has one of those. It's become her centerpiece instrument - she was previously known as a cellist. She plays locally under the name Mellow Diamond (usually accompanied by her husband on guitar and a drummer). I think it sounds great.

More like $2300 for me (including cost of DSI Pro 2)

Yeah I was thinking Ondes too as I watched videos on the Touche. A side effect of watching the vids for me is reigniting my interest in the DSI Pro 2, still the only DSI synth to date with full-on CV jacks, because he had the Touche connected to it by CV. It also has the SEM-inspired filter.

As a multi-instrumentalist/non-serious pianist I'm mulling over Artiphon vs. Expressive E Touche as the next controller to buy. I could use the Artiphon for guitarist or violinist oriented polyphonic note entry. It responds to finger vibrato and slides. OTOH, the Touche, while being more of an add-on controller to use with conventional keyboard, has CV connectivity (in addition to USB and MIDI DIN) and appears to be incredibly sensitive in its own right. [video:youtube]

I used a ZXA-1 for rehearsals with a loud post-punk band. Instruments included Korg M3 and electric violin. Yes, it was loud enough for both rehearsal and gigs. I used little Behringer Xenyx mixer with it. Did the job fine.

That's quite the old man hater's rig! Most hated synth AND most hated amp.

The ZXA1 weighs about 20lbs, btw. I just tuck it under one arm to transport. However, a quick Google brought up this report by someone who says two of them will fit in a Stagepas 300 case: http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php?topic=4781.0

I personally needed a mixer because the ZXA1 is designed for +4 dB input and I didn't have anything that output a signal that hot. The onboard mixer on the Roland KC-350 was convenient to have but over time, knobs fell off, some input channels got crackly, etc.

EV ZXa1, probably with a small mixer. Low cost, light weight, sounds great. I essentially replaced my Roland KC-350 with a mixer + ZXA1. Superior clean power, headroom, and portability. All-around win.

Mainly in spirit, as the full name of that product was the Minimoog Voyager Old School. But Moog Music wasn't trying to be faithful to the old Minimoog design - they always billed it as a descendant of the old Minimoog, so it was not marketed as a reissue of anything. I just watched Part One of the documentary "I Dream Of Wires", which covered the two godfathers of modular analog synths (Buchla and Moog) and their impact on music. Bob Moog was portrayed as marketing his synths towards pro musicians (Buchla disregarded them) and Moog Music seems to be following that aesthetic by putting MIDI in everything. That is why it is unlikely we'll see a purely analog synth (no MIDI) from Moog ever again. I guess some people can hold out hope for a limited edition 100th Anniversary Reissue model.

The Axxe came after the Odyssey. And yes, both were a PITA in the outside temps when it was hot. That is the reason I replaced my '73 Odyssey with a GAIA. Playing at a boat dock in 106 degree temps even in the shade. Both me and the Odyssey had to take a break. Finally cooled down enough for it to stay in tune but man did it take a hike before that. Glad we didn't start until late afternoon when the sun was going down. Some good stories along those lines in the old Keyboard magazine interview with Devo that I mentioned on the other thread. It goes into a fair amount detail about their synth rigs, the custom 6-osc Minimoog, the Odysseys, the state of sequencers in that time (bad - either too primitive or unreliable, and little interoperability cross-brand - this was before MIDI), why they started to prefer off the shelf gear over home-made electronics or exotic gear, reliability of synths, etc.

I could go for a Korg Ondes Martenot

While we're still asking Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny for Korg to remake stuff by any manufacturer who ever existed, I'll throw in the Syntar - now THIS is a keytar I'd be tempted to buy - 9 spring-loaded continuous controller keys on the neck: http://www.carbon111.com/syntar.html http://www.carbon111.com/syntar/syntar1.jpg I'd love a VCS3 but, like someone said earlier, EMS still exists and is (in theory) still making them - heard stories about 10 year waits though.

I doubt it, since Dave Smith brought the Prophet name with him to Dave Smith Instruments, and has since released two new Prophet models, both in production. Yeah but how about a Pro One? That would be pretty cool. I don't see Korg recreating any SCI synth as long as Dave Smith Instruments exists as a separate entity. I'm hardly an expert though in these legal issues. Oberheim is still alive and making synths with his own company, so you'll probably have to pay him to make you a new OB-1. I don't see how Korg could get away legally with recreating a Moog product while Moog Music still exists, even if they call the Moog recreation MiniKorgoMoog or whatever.

I'm usually tempted to do this during the NFL season and postseason. There tends to be so many commercials and other breaks in the action (timeouts, replay reviews, etc.) that I can switch my concentration to the instrument during those breaks. Yes, I've played guitar while watching TV too.

I doubt it, since Dave Smith brought the Prophet name with him to Dave Smith Instruments, and has since released two new Prophet models, both in production.

Yeah, it looks like David Friend was brought on as a technical consultant, not to make business decisions for Korg.

I could go for an ARP 2500 Mini.

I'm wondering about them too. The video that I just posted commented that the slider pots are all but guaranteed to get scratchy.

For those of us (including myself) who have never owned a real Odyssey, and might be having some romantic notions about getting one, this video gives a fair overview of the weaknesses, as well as the strengths of this synth: [video:youtube]

Korg seems to thinks so here: http://www.korg.com/us/news/2014/0217/ "the hugely successful MS-20 mini"

Dunno why I ignored this thread. I'm sorry I read it now, because I thought I was set on upgrading from my Privia PX-320 to PX5-S, and now I'm lusting for the CP4 instead.

I'm currently following this free program with my gymnastic rings: http://www.goldmedalbodies.com/ultimate-guide-gymnastic-ring-training/ I find it a lot easier to follow than their Rings One program. The lowest level of Rings One was fairly accessible to me - with the exception of a couple of exercises that were difficult or impossible to execute, but the next level of difficulty was too much - for example, one of the exercises at that next level is a Tuck Sit to Shoulder Stand - it required far more upper body strength and ab strength than what I'd built up from the lowest level, despite following the schedule (about 2 months to complete the lowest level), and repeating it one more time (2 more months of work). Even the lowest level had some exercises I couldn't do at all until I was one month in - like Tuck To Inverted Hang (you tuck your boddy while pulling hard, then straighten it upside down so you end up hanging upside down on the rings). This free program is a better fit - it's just pullups, ring pushups, top position holds (starting position for Iron Cross), tuck sit, and "baby" muscle-ups - all accessible exercises for non-gymnasts. The only exercise I add to it is a shoulder bridge hold for time with my Power Wheel on my feet. I like this kind of exercise because it involves movement, the satisfaction of being able to execute a new skill that I couldn't do before (eg. Tuck To Inverted Hang), and its easier on my joints than lifting weights or doing pushups on the floor. The satisfaction of learning new skills this way is more rewarding to me than lifting a bigger weight or performing an endurance routine for more time than before. As mentioned by someone else, motivation is a powerful factor in maintaining an exercise routine. I can't say whether any exercise has benefitted me as a gigging musician because I don't play out frequently. When I would rehearse with a band for 4-7hours per session, it seemed like my fatigue was more mental than physical.