Its really rare here to find anything of tylers and I found a cd of Wolf, my fav album <33 I didnt buy it bc I dont have a cd player lol but I thought it would be cool to show <3

Let’s start with some background. On November 15th 2011 a compressed file called tominecon.7z was uploaded to assets.minecraft.com, three days before the first Minecon. People found the file back in 2012 and asked Notch on Twitter what it contained, to which he simply answered that it was the build of Minecraft 1.0. However, the compressed file was larger than the build of Minecraft 1.0 so people were not taking the explanation.
The original file was replaced on August 8th 2012 with a decoy file, which was made by Tobias Möllstam to divert attention away from the original. More people asked Notch about the file, who yet again replied with Minecraft 1.0 and that he did not remember the password. Some even emailed Jeb about the file and got the same answer that the original file was the 1.0 version of Minecraft, but that it has since been replaced with a bogus one to entertain the world. Furthermore, Dinnerbone also mentioned multiple times that the file was not anything useful together with the following comments in the Minecraft@Home Discord server in 2020:

“You'll be very disappointed in the results. Not every box is a mystery that needs solving.”
“At the point where you've found something with a password and are considering throwing significant power in cracking said password, you start entering territory that I think is an actual crime in many places. Regardless of the contents, the act of breaking into something where you have no indication you are allowed in, and are trying to overcome a method of keeping you out.”
“I can't stop you, and if the file were so confidential it would have been taken down years ago. But it isn't for you, the contents are not exciting, and there's a better way to spend electricity.”

Even though, many years later, on March 13th 2022, the password for the decoy file got cracked by DannyDorito, revealing its content - a video of the episode “Be Yourself” from Petey Greene’s Washington and some random data for spoofing the file size. However, the password did not get disclosed until a year later. The password was revealed to be “thespicemustflow”.
A few years passed and on May 8th 2024 a YouTuber named RetroGamingNow released their mostly comprehensive story about the file. A video that led to many people wanting to crack the password to the file, yet again. What many people did not understand though is that in order to crack the password, insane loads of computing power would be needed to make it possible. The reason the decoy was easy to crack was due to it having a simple password, which most likely wouldn’t be the case for the real original file.
Just a few days ago, on May 17th 2024, Dinnerbone joined the recently-made tominecon Discord server, revealing a lot more information about the file and its contents in hopes of dispelling any further mystery. He mentioned that the file was put up on the assets.minecraft.com file server before the Mojang employees flew from Sweden to the US so that they could access a Minecraft 1.0 build from there before the official release. Dinnerbone himself used this file to update Bukkit during Minecon.

“The biggest problem I have with this though, is that people assume they have a right to know or crack a password to something that they weren't meant to have. I don't know exactly why it was put on s3 but that was the 'easy' way of sharing things back then, and they probably just didn't think twice about it assuming it was hidden. Remember, this was a couple of developers running a super small operation, it was not the Minecraft or mojang of today. Nobody was looking into things like this.
At some point during the tominecon hunt, people started to search for other password protected sites and files that they could get their hands on, using methods that absolutely aren't okay. Those could have had more sensitive things. This is not something anybody should encourage.”

Many still wanted the password to the file, so he clarified that the password used for the tominecon.7z file was the same password they used for the WiFi in the old Mojang office, which has long since been changed. Therefore it is not the contents they care about, it’s the password. Dinnerbone further commented “If you get hold of a time machine and come visit the old old office, it'll be a bit embarrassing for someone.”
Finally, he sent a screenshot of the decompressed tominecon.7z file revealing its contents. In the comments of the second RetroGamingNow video, he later revealed that he had to look for the password in an old email.
The original tominecon.7z file opened in 7zip by Dinnerbone. Including release of Minecraft 1.0 and Minecraft server executable bundled with Java.
(Dinnerbone also mentioned that the USB files of Minecraft that were used on Minecon without password protection included the same files.)
He once again clarified that the contents were never a mystery and that whenever they got asked, they were very upfront about it. The reason why the compressed file had been larger than the release of Minecraft 1.0 was due to Java installers being bundled inside of it, as well as a Minecraft server executable. There are apparently 314 files in total in this archive. He even shared a fun fact about the file:

“Here's a fun fact for you all though: When it was discovered that the file was public, and the decoy was made to swap it out - we assumed the password would be public knowledge basically that week. I guess we way overestimated the encryption. Hurray for 7z?”

Ending the conversation, he once again wanted to clarify:

“I'll reiterate what I wrote elsewhere here just for transparency: whilst this specific file (tominecon.7z) doesn't have anything confidential in it, the password was reused for something else at the time and I cannot risk free just give that password out. There was a time that the public having that password would be a Bad Thing, but that time was over a decade ago. I will not stop people from trying to find the password for this archive, and I do not believe anyone else will either.
However - this does not mean anyone is free to try and crack other archives or things that we haven't given permission for. This file was unintentionally made public, it was not intended to be given out - and the password was a safety measure to make sure that even if it did end up in someone elses hands, it's not a big deal. Please do not try and break into every lock you see, that's just not okay. Sometimes the locks are there for a reason, not just as a fun challenge.”

He mentioned that he does not want people to nag him about it and that “It's brought up every single year, I'm hoping this is the last 😉”. Finally putting an end to a 13 year old mystery.
Go watch the YouTube videos below to get a full video on the topic:

1. MCBYT’s video about the decoy file: https://youtu.be/ZmlphRQl4Pk
2. RetroGamingNow’s first video: https://youtu.be/nz2LeXwJOyI
3. RetroGamingNow’s second video: https://youtu.be/jrOMooH-kjs
4. RetroGamingNow’s third video: https://youtu.be/veIy1pJJ4Ow

TL;DR: After 3+ years of working in near silence, Gamestop has dropped a reverse uno time-bomb nuke on shorts, and I don't believe we have fully comprehended just how big and effective of a nuke it will be. They finally released their plans to end the abusive short-selling once and for all... I believe the details in the filings have the answers. Need more eyes. We just need to HODL and let RC & Team work their magic. This was precisely timed and will be executed precisley. I believe they are about to throw the whole kitchen sink at em. Shorts r truly fuk. To be continued.
HEY FAM,
This is my first attempt at DD or a Possible DD. I don't really know what it is cuz I'm almost smoother than hedgefund CEO that's short GME. I'm long GME since before the sneeze of 2021, so I am at least marginally smarter. At the end of the day, I'm speculating while offering evidence in support of my speculation. And I remain open to constructive criticism and further insight from others. I really hope this gets more apes digging and in the think tank with me. There's plenty of foil to go around!
Nothing of which I discuss is financial advice and not indicative of what you should do with your money or investments. Make your own decisions. I have no idea what I am talking about.
Anyways! I am jacked af. And if it was not already obvious to you, I'll try and explain why.
Credit to U / Cataclysmic98 and U / Thump4 for their posts that inspired me to go down this little rabbit hole...these posts have probably not received the prase they deserve as of yet...
Links: https://www.reddit.com/Superstonk/s/rf8DbYQbWK
https://www.reddit.com/Superstonk/comments/1cvc2af/g_m_e_the_green_cashandcriminalsiphoning/
These fantastic, informational posts (and in light of all other prominent DD) got me thinking...there is SO much tit-jacking juiciness packed into the these filings, its not even fair (to Kenny & Co)...What could it all mean? And don't get me wrong, whatever causes shorts to get fukd is fine by me...But I felt all analysis so far is missing the true HUZZAHHH, the spicy MEAT-A-BALL, the true WOMBO COMBO of this saga...and I am willing to bet, what is about to go down is gonna absolutely obliterate all of our minds.
So, tonight, I knew I was gonna be up a while...I decided to dive in and actually read these filings...like in DEPTH. I read EVERYTHING...many sections multiple times over. These filings, all the possibilities... are a company's product of the last umpteen years of manipulation, fraud, and deceit... And I think I've got some fucking cool stuff to point you towards...and of course, it wouldn't be Superstonk without gluing some tinfoil to my head and trying to derive meaning from it all.
Links to filings: https://gamestop.gcs-web.com/sec-filings/sec-filing/424b5/0001193125-24-141200
https://gamestop.gcs-web.com/sec-filings/sec-filing/s-3as0001193125-24-141159
So, since the Friday morning filings...as I read those posts, and others who have gained popularity...most speculated and mused on what could they possibly do? Wow. They could issue 7 different types of shit and friggn combinations of those types of shit from here on during the next 3 years, at any time, in any amounts they deem necessary... blah blah...So all of us are rightfully like...well which ones will they choose to execute on? If they pull the trigger on any of this, when and how? What will they spend the money on? When will they sell the 45M? Yada yada.
We cannot even remotely accurately speculate as to when/how soon because they have 3 years to do optionally do any of this, obviously we hope soon af...but we can speculate as to how they do it and how fast they start pulling the trigger(s) if and once they do. What if they do it ALL?

Book-Entry Securities Section of S-3 Form

First, to clear something up, many apes have (understandably so) confused this use of "book-entry securities" with "book entry as it relates to Computershare". But when I asked Chat GPT 4 to analyze this whole section and break it down, it spat out the following:
"Sure, let’s break this down into simpler terms:

1. Book-entry form*: This is like a big ledger (or book) where they write down who owns what. Instead of giving you a paper that says you own something, they write it down in this book. It’s like when you have a library card, and they write down which books you borrowed instead of giving you a receipt*"

So, this just means Gamestop intends to issue new stock via the NYSE on the DTC's book/ledger, just like they always have. This is just them saying, you won't get physical shares mailed to you cuz that shit is obsolete. We know this.
Fine, but also notice toward the bottom (*see note below), they can be issued in "registered or bearer form" and they may be "permanent or temporary". The word "temporary" really caught my eye there. Maybe they intend to eventually suck them back up for some reason? Hmm.
*Sorry, forgot to post screenshot of it here, I am referring to the bottom part of the first paragraph under "Book Entry Securities" in the filings)...
So Chat GPT came to the rescue again, assuring that everyone who has a stock, gets the benefits of owning that stock, whether its in your own name or not.

• Registered Stocks*: These are like a school register that has your name and details.* When a company issues stocks in “registered” form, it means the company keeps a record of who owns the stocks¹²³. This is like writing your name on a book you own. So, if the company needs to pay dividends (which is like a reward for owning the stocks), they know exactly who to send it to¹²³.
• Bearer Stocks*: These are like a ticket to a fair. Whoever holds the ticket gets to enjoy the fair.* Similarly, whoever holds the “bearer” stocks is considered the owner¹⁴. The company doesn’t keep track of who owns these stocks¹⁴. So, if there are dividends to be paid, they are given to whoever presents the stock certificate (like showing your ticket at the fair entrance)¹⁴.

In summary, the main difference is about record-keeping. Registered stocks have a clear record of ownership with the company, while bearer stocks do not. They are owned by whoever holds them. However, bearer stocks are not commonly used today due to concerns about money laundering and tax evasion¹⁴.
So, that clears that up more or less.

It Takes Money to Buy Whiskey: The Warning Shots

When you dig deep into these filings, you see patterns, subtleties, specific phrasing, potential omissions, etc...and I am not going to breakdown each filing in its entirety...but I want to highlight and get more eyes on some (what I believe might be) key pieces of info in them and what they might mean.
Background/Perspective: In the last THREE YEARS...In addition to turning the company profitable, cutting fat, raising and sitting on $1B, near silence from the company itself as to what its grand plans will be/are... I think Gamestop spent a significant portion of the last 3 years developing a grand plan for shareholders too...
They needed a plan that: (in no particular order)

1. Is good for EVERYONE actively involved (the company, worldwide shareholders, the employees, the executives, etc.) and bad for EVERYONE in their way of accomplishing their goals.
2. Raises BIG money so they can make BIG money moves (acquisitions, mergers, investments)...$1B is a lot, but not really at the scale we are dealing with...it takes money to buy whiskey...it takes MONEY to buy something that ages and gets better as it ages (a company that not only survives in today's age but THRIVES)...it takes MONEY to make that happen. And more is certainly better than less!
3. Drives insane shareholder value, makes investors want to stay, and isn't dilutive in the long term.
4. Ends the short-selling schemes once and for all without (illegally) breaking the entire financial world in half in the process.

And once they had a plan, they knew they had to put it into grade A, air-tight, sealed tighter than Kenny's butthole wrapped around his favorite bedpost, impeccable, immaculate legalese. (I don't normally read legalese so my interpretations below could be way off, idk a lawyer ape might jump in to clarify).
Anyways, once it was in pristine legalese, they could then share it with, well, everyone...which they just did. I am not sure every ape understands the potential magnitude of these filings...Gamestop could have literally just laid out their ENTIRE plan to LEGALLY end the abusive short selling and to finally expose their stocks true value (which they technically have the duty to do to protect the interests of their shareholders) and they laid it out for everyone to FINALLY see.
(End of Background/Perspective)

The Filings (The Sirens)

From what I have seen, most of the speculation offered up by most Apes these last two days usually only included mentioning a combination of 2-3 of the types of securities mentioned in the filings. Or speculation on the impact a single one of them could have...Most seem to view the 45M common stock sale (Filing 424B5) as separate from the S-3ASR filing simply because they are separate filings. But 424B5 is indeed a "supplement" to S-3ASR (in case that isn't known).
424B5 is a supplemental filing to S-3ASR
I speculate that it all ties together. And by "all", I mean everything...everything all at once. Musical chairs played to a beautiful symphony of Kenny & Co's worst nightmares (legend has it that the music briefly stops every time the stock halts). Who will have the last chair and win the game? (Hint: It's Gamestop)
WHAT IF... Gamestop is telling everyone..."It's been long enough...this is what we are doing...but not just some of these things...ALL OF IT...ALL AT ONCE"...?
Let's dig in...

The Un(known) Wingman

So let's talk about the Depositary Shares section and the "Preferred Stock Depositary" (PSD) that they plan to use to distribute up to 5M shares of "preferred" stock (more on that after)
Why no name?
Notice how they don't name their "bank or trust company". They say refer to them as their "PSD". There's probably a legal reason fo this but I'll come back to this later too.
To me, this is Gamestop saying "by the way, these fractional shares won't be able to be fucked with or shorted because ________(I'm thinking Computershare, of course) is going to handle them, manage them, and store them for us)...
Trust services? Check!
BUT no one gets to officially know who they are until Gamestop has already pulled the trigger with the related SEC filing :D muhahaha.
Also, see that there will be a "deposit agreement" that shareholders will have to agree to in order to exercise their ownership rights and privileges of the preferred stock through the PSD. Cut out the middle man...you get to take direct ownership of this shit just like DRS Book and receive all the rights and privileges of ownership, even if you only own a fraction of one preferred share.
Side Note on The Book-Entry Securities Section:
https://preview.redd.it/wesqanx3id1d1.jpg?width=1542&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e05c9d166556da4d04817a5b836a3658b50713f4
Now, I don't know if this is unique/important or not...but NOTICE HOW Gamestop doesn't name their PSD, but straight-up names who the depository is, the muthafuckin DTC. Unfortunately, they have to issue to these bastards first. The DTC is then expected to distribute those stocks to DTC "participants" (market makers, hedge funds, brokers, etc.) who are then expected to distribute those securities to the holder of record (you and I)...once you have those securities distributed to you, you can choose what you do with them (DRS anyone?)
They also state, in writing now, how they EXPECT the DTC to act (in a lawful manner through and through). Perhaps this wasn't made crystal clear to them before the splividend, so RC made sure they knew what is expected of them from here on out with the issuance of new shares. Anyways, I thought this was a call out in light of the omission of their PSD counterpart.

The Kill Shot Machine Gun: Evidence from the Filings

Okay let's keep this party going...
Preferred Stock: In the filings, Gamestop reserves the right to issue up to 5M preferred stocks that can be issued as fractions of a whole. (They're essentially gonna take 5,000,000 whole stocks and break them up into teeny tiny pieces so there is enough to go around.) Here is chat-gpt's ELI5 breakdown of the passage in the filing:
"Sure, let’s break this down into simpler terms. Imagine you have a big chocolate bar (this is like the preferred stock). Now, instead of giving away the whole bar, you decide to break it into smaller pieces and give those pieces away. These smaller pieces are like the depositary shares, and each piece represents a part of the whole chocolate bar.
The wrapper around each piece of chocolate is like the depositary receipt. It shows that you own that piece of the chocolate bar. The company that helps you break the chocolate bar and wrap the pieces is the Preferred Stock Depositary.
Just like how you can enjoy the taste of the chocolate by owning a piece, the owner of a depositary share gets to enjoy the benefits of the preferred stock (like dividends, voting rights, etc.) in proportion to the size of their piece.
The rules about how the chocolate bar is broken, how the pieces are wrapped, and how you can enjoy them are all written in a special agreement (the deposit agreement). And all these details are explained in a document called the prospectus supplement when you buy the pieces of chocolate.
So, in short, instead of buying a whole share of preferred stock (the whole chocolate bar), you’re buying a part of it (a piece of chocolate), and you still get to enjoy all the benefits! 😊"
This is great. But what I think is important to pay attention to here is the number 5,000,000...sounds like a lot...but in the grand scheme of things its not at all...our float is ~71M, total DRS shares reported to be ~75.3M, total issued shares is just over 300M (Sixty times 5,000,000), and the company just authorized to issue up to 1,000,000,000 of class A common stock !!! Right?...so 5M is a tiny, tiny, number in comparison. Whether you realize it or not, 5,000,000 is only 0.005% (1/200th..!!!) of 1 Billion. Tiny. And its not even guaranteed they'll choose to issue all 5,000,000 or to what degree it will be fractionalized. Only 5,000,000 issued through a company-chosen PSD that can't rehypothecate them, short them, fuck with them...ladies and gentleman, a commodity with true scarcity paired with high demand has entered the chat. $$$.
The preferred stocks come with perks (I will speculate on perks later). So something tells me these preferred stocks are gonna go to apes/holders of record for first dibs, they will be in high-demand, carry exclusive rights and privileges, and you will be able to purchase a given amount of them relative to how many shares of the Class A Common stock you own at the time of the offering... Notice how I said purchase them (this is where "Ape Options" (subscriptions and warrants) might come into play allowing each of us (and maybe even GME employees) to pick up a shit load of common/preferred stock on the cheap yo!)
https://preview.redd.it/hyjoaejigd1d1.jpg?width=1300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a33e9c940d17d8c58af9987ad3a8443c6dbeb44
Here’s how it might work,
Gamestop senses volatility, we've seen $80 and I don't think that's all we will see. So Gamestop first issues (sells) more common shares on the way up any given run, simultaneously they give currently shareholders subscription rights to load up on common stock all they want on the cheap during a specified time window.....then, once that window closes, they give us MORE subscription rights (first dibs!) that allow us to purchase preferred stock in an amount based upon how many shares of common stock we currently own at the time of that offering. Talk about insane value!
Gamestop knows their loyal retail investor base has poured so much of our hard-earned money the last 3+ years...we've invested so much time and money into this. I believe RC is looking out for us and will offer these subscriptions rights at an INSANE value to us, it won't make logical sense not to exercise them (look how cheap bookstore just offered up their subscription rights shares ($0.05/share) (https://www.reddit.com/Superstonk/comments/1cv6x37/walking\_backwards\_then\_forwards/) Credit to user N4hu1)
GPT4 on Subscription Rights.

• When a company decides to sell more stocks (also known as a secondary offering), it can give its current shareholders subscription rights¹².
• These rights allow current shareholders to buy the new stocks before they are offered to the public¹².
• The number of new stocks a shareholder can buy is usually proportional to the number of stocks they already own¹².
• This way, shareholders can maintain their percentage of ownership in the company¹².
• If shareholders do not use their subscription rights to buy new stocks, their percentage of ownership in the company will decrease¹².

So, subscription rights are like a “first dibs” or “early bird special” for current shareholders when a company is selling more stocks¹². It’s a way to reward loyal shareholders and help them maintain their ownership stake in the company¹². However, if shareholders do not exercise their subscription rights, their ownership will be diluted¹².
Opionion: RC won't (and frankly, we won't) allow for much dilution, if any at all. The subscription rights might just be too good to be true and certainly too good to pass up.
And everyone who purchases preferred stock receives a "receipt" or receipts for their transaction(s) (i.e. a ledger) There's a record for it all.
So, Its past 6am, I've been digging and writing for 7+ hours... and so I am going to call this the end of Part 1...but more tinfoil to come! I look forward to the potential discussion.
What comes next is the discussion of Subscription Rights, Warrants, and Units :D...and I believe it all beautifully comes together with the plan for the preferred stock and the PSD...and that Gamestop plans to obliterate the shorts from left, right, above, and below with some type of unfuckwithable mass scale share/security offering that is going absolutely blow the world away.
Here's a sneak peak of other juicy bits I want to discuss next:
Until we have another plan...we plan to invest...hmm invest where? In what?
In the even of a distribution other than in cash...a public or private sale of such...\"property\".
Would love to hear your thoughts thus far. More to come and thanks for reading if you made it all the way here!
.

Where were we, ah yes. We piled into the train, which was not empty but had enough room. It took us a few stops to arrange ourselves to not be in the way, but there's only so much you can do when you're taking up the room of six people at once. The sky steadily darkened as we headed north, the local train trundling along at a steady pace. It felt a little slow, but whereas we might go 120km/h on the highway back home, it's pretty common for major roads here to have a speed limit of 50 and it's not common for it to be exceeded.
We arrived in shinjo, awkwardly carrying our bikes through the station. It was night and we needed some food. Beside snack bars, there was a Korean place open, so we went there. It was on a dim street, lit only by the colourful signs of the handful of bars and restaurants on the street. The doorway was short, so we ducked into a low ceilinged place that looked like a basement ftom the 80's. Wood panelling, faded posters, and a bunch of fridges with cold drinks inside. The cook welcomed us in and we sat at a low table on the ground across the little room from a rowdy group of men who looked like they had been there for awhile already. We ordered karaage and stone bowl bimimbap. The chef seemed happy that we wanted it spicy. He kept popping out to make sure we knew how to eat the food, him stirring Bryce's bowl of bimimbap for him since Bryce has never had the dish.
When we were nearly done eating and the other table had stopped shouting for more stuff, the chef pulled up a chair in the doorway of the kitchen and chatted us up. He said he was from Korea and he had been in Japan for 36 years. He loves skiing and wanted to show us his pictures. He loved to hear our story of us biking across the country, asking about different details along the way. When we were done eating, he brought out two small cans of Korean soda for us to enjoy and then when we had finished that, he said that the meal was on him. "My heart", he said, when we insisted that we should pay. We gave him as many candies as he would accept, but graciously took the offering.
Outside we headed to our best shot at a campsite, a day camping spot about 5 km away, well outside of shinjo. It was very dark on the way out, but nobody was on the road and the road was good, so we had no problems. The campsite looked good, with working bathrooms. It was a little overgrown, which was a good sign. Don't want to be camping in a park that will be well used on a Sunday morning. We found a quiet corner in a stand of weeds across a little stream that looked like it hadn't had foot traffic in a decade. We got set up and got to bed, it being very late. A cat watched us atop a fallen tree, it's eyes glowing an eerie red in the light of our headlamps.
Although we short stacked on sleep, I had a good one as my sleeping mat finally held up after four repairs. I don't trust it yet, but I'm happy for the sleep. Our campsite was in deep shadows behind a stand of thick trees, so we stayed nice and cool for the first two hours of the day. We got organized and ate the breakfast we bought the night before on a bench in the park, remarking at how the children's playsets wouldn't have weeds growing around them if there were any kids who used this park.
We could feel the heat and humidity really starting to ramp up, so we were ready to get going. After packing up, we set off west for the coastline and the aquarium. We got about ten kilometers before I ran over what I thought was a branch, both of us paranoid of a broken spoke at this point. Just to be sure I checked my spokes, sure enough I had a broken one. My face getting hot from frustration, I sat down and started wrenching spokes to tighten what I could, swearing and cursing that we lost another one. This couldn't be that hard. I didn't have a proper spoke wrench, which was making this kind of maintenance very difficult. Regardless, it'd need to be replaced and while I had many spares now, shops were hard to find. We were 15km from shinjo, so we could head back, or go forwards and try our luck with some transit.
We decided to go forward, as we'd spend all day going back to the city to get repairs done. May as well get them done in the place we were already heading to. There was a train station nearby, so we biked the 5km to get there. Along the way I noticed that I did a terrible job with the spokes, making the wheel wobble and bump as I tugged it into an egg shape. Not great. When we arrived, the train station looked permanently closed. The tracks had a layer of rust on top indicating that no train had run here for some time. We looked around and found notices that a replacement bus was running this line. Would it be a small passenger bus or a large coach bus with luggage compartments? We decided to wait the hour and find out.
As we waited, it got hot and sticky. I read some guides on spokes and wheel trueing. I've had some difficulties with learning new things, but the upset feelings with losing the ability to bike confidently helped to spur me along. It doesn't look too hard, but I'll need a spoke tool. Next time we're in a city with a few minutes to spare I'll get one. From what I can see, it's likely the super fast sections we're doing where we're fully loaded and hitting bumps in the road at 60km/h. These cause wild tension spikes in the spokes and lead to fatigue and breakage. We just can't be doing such intense speeds and hitting things like potholes. We also need to check the spoke tension after big rides. I'm going to try to incorporate it into lunch breaks.
Eventually the bus came and it was thankfully a coach bus. After some wrangling we got the bikes in the luggage compartment and got on the bus. I sat, a little dazed, as I looked out the window. I reflected on why bike failures cause me such grief, it doesn't matter if we spend the day trying to get repairs, and yet I'm upset like I've been mugged. I suppose the bikes are our independence and mobility out here, something we control. I get a sense of safety from them, knowing I can get to food and shelter. When they break, not only is my movement hampered, now I have a big awkward expensive dead weight that I can't leave for extended periods of time. Getting it fixed is hard and there are often only one or two places per city that can do it. It's scary having a breakage in the countryside because we have no ability to call a cab on our own. It's a long string of "ifs" to get back to moving and the cascading failure of plans makes me very upset. I tried my best to remind myself that this is all part of the challenge, and besides, I would never, ever, learn things in any way other than the hardest. All we need is for a massive failure on the bike to lead to an injury, that'd be the hardest way to learn. Sweating as we haul our bikes through station platforms instead of drinking lemon sours by the ocean seems like a decent enough pounding to get me to learn some maintenance skills.
We arrived at the bus terminus and made our way up and over a train station and down to a platform to catch a train to tsuruoka. Both the departing station and arriving station were both super hard to get our bikes though, and people really liked staring at us as we struggled. There was just one chance in this city, one shop that looked to be equipped to fix bikes like ours. Would it be open today, we'd have to go there to find out. Riding the kilometer to the shop through the little city tucked in between two mountain ranges, we arrived to find the store was closed, but there was a biking team loitering around after finishing a ride. We greeted them and asked them about their team and if they knew anything about the shop. They indicated that they were closed for lunch and they'd be back in a while. Small town stuff. We decided to follow suit and went to find some lunch ourselves.
A short walk and a nice chinese restaurant serving lunch meal sets later (I got shrimp in a chili sauce) we headed back to find all but one of the bike team members had left and an old man and a lady were there eating rice balls on a bench outside the shop, which had an open door now. Music was drifting out, so we poked our heads in. Nobody was inside, so we asked the guy from the biking team if he knew where the mechanic was, to which he indicated the old guy was the mechanic, much to our embarrassment. The old fellow jumped up and finished his rice ball and started right away after what our issues were. The spoke replacement was an easy one so he took the wheel inside and started on that. I was relieved, but still very stressed so I decided to sit down and clean my bike for the first time. I recalled my first engineering job where I was taught that the first step to repairing a machine was to clean it, and until you could manage that you didn't belong around tools. Bryce likewise tried to do some maintenance as well.
I'll finish this story tomorrow, it's supposed to rain in the morning and I can catch up then.