Check out this really interesting saddle locking technique via Twitter from @cascadebicycle that involves an old piece of inner tube and an old bicycle chain. I don’t need this, as my bicycle is almost always secure inside (both at home and at work), and when it isn’t… well, I don’t have a fancy saddle for anyone to steal anyway. But it is an ingenious use of old, worn parts, that anyone who has to lock their bike outside might want to consider using, especially if one has an expensive saddle.
Posted in strategy | Tagged locking techniques, security | Leave a Comment »
I realized I haven’t posted much news about the Tweed build. The bike is now fully rideable. Hub and brakes are set up and the fenders are installed. I’ve also got the front and rear racks installed. I’m really pleased with how the build has come together. Installing metal fenders was really a pain in the ass, but they look great and the coverage is fantastic (although, I haven’t gotten a chance to really test them in the rain, just damp pavement).
I plan on doing a series of posts about the build and my overall impressions/review of it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give some of my opinions of it early.
The frame rides great, better than my Surly Long Haul Trucker, likely because of the Tange Prestige tubing as opposed to the 4130 that Surly uses. There is some significant wheel flop with a rear load, but it’s not bad when my weight is on the bars and in fact, it seems to track better than the LHT.
The Alfine hub is pretty amazing. I love shifting whenever, even while stopped. The shifting is really smooth and the hub feels great while riding, even though it weighs a ton, I don’t notice it much, if at all. It’s also really quiet, which I like.
Disc brakes work well so far, although I believe they require some additional adjustment. The rear brake works pretty well, and locks up the wheel if I want it to. The front brake is a little mushy and doesn’t have as much stopping power as I would expect, although it does make me stop. I’m going to see if cable stretch has played a part, and pull out any slack that might be in the cable and readjust.
In all, I have a really classy-looking bike that works great. Next steps are to install lighting and improve the front fender line, at which point I will be at the 1.0 version of this build (right now I’d say I’m at 0.98!).
New Bike Day is the best day.
Posted in Bikes, setup | Tagged avid bb7, build day, disc brakes, shimano alfine, steelwool tweed, tweed | Leave a Comment »
Build Day! Well, the first part of it, anyway. I didn’t really think we were going to get the entire bike built today, but I was cautiously optimistic.
My buddy Layne picked me up on the way to Michael’s house (and, of course, his shop), and we unloaded all my stuff and almost immediately got to work. We installed the seatpost and saddle (Layne’s cast-off WTB SST from his Surly), bottom bracket eccentric, Michael fixed some issues with the Alfine hub (which was not centered properly), and I hung the disc brake calipers on the frame. We figured out that, while I _could_ keep the full 120mm worth of spacers that would have gone on the uncut steer tube, in order to preserve the same type of setup as on my LHT (the handlebars are 1cm higher than the saddle), that a little bit of handlebar drop would be fine for this bike’s purposes. So we settled on about 72mm of spacers (which includes spacers for the decaleur and bell that I have).
We also found out that the chainring that I bought was a 130 bcd ring, when I should have bought 110 bcd. I suck! And a couple other things that I didn’t have, and either forgot about or didn’t know that I needed, such as crank bolts. So we started to get ready to head to a bike shop. We made sure that the Centerlock rotors fit the hubs. The Alfine one was fine (go figure), but the $250 Schmidt hub would not fit either CL rotor that I had. That was a problem. So we brought the wheel with us along with the fork on the way to the shop.
We also needed food. Layne carted us over to the U District, where we got some cheap pho, which is excellent fuel. It was rainy and windy (when we left, anyway!), so some hot, spicy broth was just what we needed. From there, we dropped by Recycled Cycles, a pretty great Seattle bike shop. They have a lot of used stuff, and a number of mechanics on staff. I waited for awhile in the queue while Michael and Layne browsed. They found the Axiom road/disc rack that I had wanted to buy off Amazon, but was out of stock for some reason. So I added that to the pile.
After trying some options out on the Schmidt hub without success, the mechanic tried the Centerlock to ISO adapter as a last ditch effort. Of course that worked just fine. I wasn’t excited about having to get those bolts in (one of the reasons I decided not to use adapters in the first place is that CL doesn’t require a torque wrench), but I was grateful that I didn’t have to send the hub back for warranty, which would have required tearing down that wheel and building it back up again when I got a replacement.
They also cut the steer tube (a little longer than we asked for, but oh well) and installed the star nut, and I got my crank bolts and spacers (all different diameters and finishes, but oh well), along with the rack. We headed back to Michael’s, feeling a lot better about the build now that we had most of the bases covered.
When we got back to the shop, we installed the spacers, Michael installed the crank bolts and fixed the wheel alignment while I set up the brake levers. We got the rotors on, with lockrings, although the Schmidt, with the adapter, was hard because we didn’t have a torque wrench to get each bolt on exactly. That made the rotor out of true as we set up the calipers, but I’ll borrow one from a shop and make sure it’s on good and tight (but not too too tight!). The Avid BB7s are really easy to set up. I don’t know why anyone would buy BB5s over the BB7s, as they barely cost more and are easier to adjust.
We were running out of time, so we decided to venture into unknown territory for anyone present and look at the Alfine hub. We wrestled with the vague directions and parts for awhile, and consulted YouTube videos for proper setup. The snap ring is, in no uncertain terms, a bitch-ass motherfucker. We gave up after awhile when my partner and son showed up to escort me home.
In the end, I left with something that looks a hell of a lot like a bike, and with not too terribly much difficult work left. My homework is to try to get that hub setup and ready for a shifter cable. I am also going to swap the Nitto M12 from my LHT to the Tweed (I will buy a VO Pass Hunter rack with integrated decaleur to replace it), set up the decaleur and VO brass bell, hopefully fit the fenders as close as I can and install the Axiom Streamliner DLX disc rack that I picked up at the shop. I also need to procure that chainring. Then, all that should be left is to run all of the cables and housing back at Michael’s place, adjust everything, put on bar tape and ride! (we’ll see how much of that stuff I actually get done this week)
Soundtrack to Build Day brought to you by Emperor.
Posted in Bikes, gear, setup, Uncategorized | Tagged Bikes, build day, kvlt bike parts, tweed | Leave a Comment »
Sunday is build day for my Steelwool Tweed supercommuter. Really looking forward to having this bike finally built up. I expect a full build report with pictures after the bike is built up… I might even get a chance to take a few during build day, which will be a day of hanging out with a couple friends, listening to metal in the basement, and having some beers. Should be a fun day!
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A couple of weeks ago at a barbecue, a friend told me that he is going to shoot for the classic Paris-Brest-Paris 1200k randonnée in 2015 (the next time it will be held). Without too much delay, I said “I’ll give it a shot” (and then proceeded to ask my partner if it was OK that I went for it). So, I’ve been reading a lot (more) about randonneuring and endurance cycling. Next year my goal is to do a 200k and a 300k. We’ll see if my body (not just my back!) can handle 300k without too much trouble, and then start taking PBP 2014 seriously.
Does anyone have any recommendations for randonneuring blogs or websites?
Posted in randonneuring | Tagged pbp, randonneuring | Leave a Comment »
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I haven’t been riding for the last three weeks, as I’ve been sick. First I had a cold with a nasty cough, then I threw out my back from said cough (which was worse than the cold), then I got better, and now I’m worse again. I went to the doctor today and they confirmed my suspicions that I have a secondary (sinus) infection after the cold. So, now I have antibiotics and hope to be able to get back on my bike soon.
The plus side is that I get to listen to music on the bus. Carcass, Peste Noire, Agalloch, Disma, Krallice and <code> so far this week.
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Last week, I think it was Thursday, I left home on my bike at about 5:50AM (as one does). I took my usual right a block away from my house and yawned. It was still dawn, and the city is sleepy then. I approached the roundabout at the next intersection. It’s difficult to see around the corner, as there are parked cars and wide trees blocking the view. I heard nothing, so I proceeded through the intersection, without even slowing down.
Just as I started to turn around the roundabout, a car speeds to the intersection (going much too fast for a residential street, even that early in the morning), and I start gripping my brakes as hard as I can (I was riding on the hoods, so it wasn’t super easy) . I thought that I was going to t-bone the car around the mid to back, and braced myself for the impact.
At this point, I took a look at the driver, who was a young African-American adult, maybe in his early twenties, if that. He was thin and clean-shaven. His car was modest, and he was proud to have it (hence the fast driving, I suppose. I don’t blame him! I felt the same way at his age.
My bike came within 2-3 feet of the car, and then, to my shock and delight, the young man made an emergency turn to the right (counterclockwise, the same direction he was going around the roundabout) on the side street I was heading up, giving me enough space to slow and avoid the collision. The wheels squealed as he turned. My immediate thought was- “Nice move!”, which, well, it was! Fancy driving for a kid. I wonder if he was in the Police Academy or something. Anyway, thankful for my safety and the adrenaline that I just started to feel, I kept pedaling, up the little hill just beside the roundabout. The man turned his car around in an alley and rolled down his window and yelled “are you O.K.?” I liked this kid already. He didn’t mean for this to happen, and I could tell was genuinely sorry that he just scared the crap out of me like he did. Had he not made that turn, I would have hit his car at a good clip that probably would have caused serious injury.
“Yeah! I’m totally fine. Thanks for asking! And for that awesome turn!” He went on his way, and I continued riding my bike on my commute. But I slowed down at every intersection. Even the ones where I had the right-of-way.
Posted in Bikes, commuting | Tagged collisions, crashes, safety | Leave a Comment »
So, the drop-bar commuter build is still progressing, albeit slowly, and for a couple reasons. My budget is limited. Also, I’ve not had too much time, since I’ve been spending it mostly with this little guy:
I’ll still be posting as I can, but I haven’t been riding nearly as much as last year (shocker!). Mostly just commuting, although there is plenty to discuss with regards to those rides!
Back to the supercommuter- I have the rear wheel ready to be built, and the bottom bracket, 42t chainring, and Alfine small parts kit have arrived. The build should be finished in a couple months. I expect I’ll do an initial review of the frame and the build, followed by individual component reviews.
Posted in announcements, Bikes | Leave a Comment »
