The One Speed Biker

A New Campagnolo Blog

2011-09-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

Due to my numerous Campagnolo posts I have started a new Vintage Campagnolo Forum blog; I have also directed my last few posts to the new blog. I will be posting in the near future so come on over and take a look.

Assembling A Nuovo Gran Sport Rear Derailleur

2011-08-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

This posting has been moved to my new Campagnolo blog; check it out Assembling A Nuovo Gran Sport Rear Derailleur

Camapgnolo Nuovo Gran Sport Derailleur w/ 28T cog

2011-07-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

This posting has been moved to my new Campagnolo blog. Check it out at Camapgnolo Nuovo Gran Sport Derailleur w/ 28T cog

Reloading a vintage Campagnolo brake carrier

2011-07-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

This posting has been moved to my new Campagnolo blog. Check it out at Reloading a Vintage Campagnolo Brake Carrier

Vintage Cross Bike 2.0

2011-07-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

This posting has been moved to my new Campagnolo blog; check it out at Vintage Cross Bike 2.0

A Vintage Cyclocross bike; more Campy!

2011-07-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

This post has been moved to my new Campagnolo blog; check it out at A Vintage Cyclocross bike; more Campy!

Restoring a Bike to its Old Glory

2011-04-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

I have been spending so much time talking about Campagnolo components I am tempted to start another blog in that name; this is another one. A while back I identified all the Campagnolo components on my Specialized Allez. All the components were Nuovo Record, except the shifters and derailleurs that had been "upgraded" to the C-Record shifters and C-Record era Chorus Derailleurs below.

While these are very nice components, I just felt they did not belong with the Nuovo Record parts so I endeavored to restore the old style drivetrain components to their old glory.

Here is the new side view.

The classic Nuovo Record Shifters

The front Derailleur with the very classy clamp.

And the pièce de résistance, the Nuovo Record rear derailleur.

This little gem was lasted almost unchanged for 16 years as the must have racing derailleur. There were some incremental changes however, each getting it's own yearly patent number. I looked to find a late model; this being a Pat 84. There are simply a jillion of these derailleurs out there but they are still quite pricey. I actually found this one in Poland. Turns out the pulley back plate was bent (a very easy fix) and the pulleys are Shimano. The OEM pulleys for these are quite pricey and hard to find, but there are some high quality replicas for about $30, which I will be purchasing in the near future. The NR derailleur was rated for 6 speed, but handle pretty much any tooth count about up to 8 speed. I have retained the 7 speed 13-23 freewheel for now, but I have a 5 speed in reserve. My reasoning for the 5 speed instead of the 6 speed, is because there is something still classic about a 10 speed race bike.

I have the Regina Extra chain that came with the other components but it is a couple of links too short. I have still run the chain through the derailleurs and it works great. But I continue to use a SRAM 8 speed chain, as it works great and is easily replaceable.

You Don't Know Campy

2011-04-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

Recently I came across someone in the Netherlands selling a "Gazelle AB-frame, Reynolds 531c, Campa Thriomphe rare" on ebay.
The seller believed or at least advertised a Gazelle
Gazelle AB-frame, Reynolds 531c, Campa Thriomphe; or a Gazelle AB frame made from Reynolds 531 cromoly with a Campagnolo Triomphe gruppo. The Triomphe is certainly not top of the line, just a step above Gran Sport, but one rarely sees the gruppo in the United States and they work very well, so it might be worth buying. The issue is this bike does not have a Triomphe gruppo. Above is the bike and below are the components and the real model.

Crankset: Campagnolo Triomphe; I think they got this one right
Front derailleur: Campagnolo Triomphe; not Triomphe, most likely Victory

Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Triomphe (very rare, take a good look); the rear derailleur is a Croce d’ Aune. As strange as this derailleur looks, they are about as rare as C-Record and usually sell for less.

Brakes: Campagnolo Triomphe; these are old style Veloce.
Brakelevers: \Campagnolo Triomphe; these are old (C-Record era) Chorus.

Hubs: Campagnolo Triomphe; not Triomphe, probably Nuovo Tipo. These were the bottom of the line Campy hubs with stamped steel races.

Seatpost: Campagnolo Record; not Record, these are (C-Record era) Chorus again.

Headset: Campagnolo Mirage; This looks like a winner, of course the model is on the headset, so it makes it earlier to figure out.

And just for fun I'm including the shifters which appear to be (Record era) Chorus friction.

My issue here is not that this seller is trying to pull the wool over someones eyes; I'm sure he really thinks these components are what they think they are. But if you are in the market for vintage Campagnolo, do some homework or find someone who knows; or you may end up with this mismatched gruppo, while it may work, has no real value as a collector's piece.

Take care.

Meet the New Saddle, Just Like the old Saddle (Hopefully)

2011-02-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

I recently asked the question What is your go to saddle? on the MTBR Singlespeed board and showed my Sella Italia saddle below. A problem arouse, when I started to do longer rides and really put the black Flite saddle to the test, it turns out I am they are not as good a fit as I thought. The black Flite I below has I believe aluminum rails and probably a leather cover. My first Sella Italia Flite saddle came on my green fixed gear. It was the most comfortable saddle I had ever ridden, so I figured I was set; the Sella Italia Flite is probably the most popular race saddle on the planet so there would be an endless supply if I ever needed another. A short time later I found a web store selling NOS yellow/black Flite Ti Alpes, so I bought two and mounted one on my Rocklobster and it worked as a very comfortable MTB saddle. Interestingly the "Alpes Ti saddles" are not your run of the mill Flite saddles (more on this later). I later found a similar yellow/black Flite Ti on ebay, but is was not an Alpes.

The hot spots with the black Flite convinced me that all Flite's are not the same. I checked the padding and discovered that the padding on all three yellow/black Flite Ti's is noticeably softer. I thought perhaps the issue might be the combination of a leather cover with a Titanium rail, but I found I had a well worn Flite Ti on my Specialized Allez. When I checked the padding it was the firm padding like the black Flite. Hmmm. I sent an email Sella Italia with photos of the saddles I had was wondering what the differences was between the saddles. Sella Italia got back to me and basically siad there was no difference between any of the saddles; that the padding and shell are identical on all the saddles; he theorized that the padding of some of the saddles may have broken down over time, leaving some of the padding softer. There might be something to this, the black Flite is dated 2001, the white Flite Ti is dated 2000, all three of the yellow/black saddles are dated 1996; maybe in 4-5 years these saddles will be rideable but that doesn't help me now.

What's really got me going with this is I thought I had the whole saddle thing figured out; if I needed another saddle I'd just get another Flite. Well now I know I need to find another saddle that works.

The black Flite

The yellow/black Flite Ti

A yellow/black Flite Alpes Ti

The Alpes Ti was a saddle primarily sold in Europe as a mountain bike saddle (the edges were trimmed ala the early Bontragers (below).

So I guess it was no surprise that I went from a Bonty to the Alpes. This would also explain why I didn't think a regular Flite was as comfortable as the Alpes. However I also found that the yellow/black Flite Ti was as comfortable as the Alpes; the padding is thinner and less dense. Of course there are no more of the yellow and black Flites regular or Alpes being made so I'm looking for something new. I trimmed the list down to a Selle Italia SLR XC.

I'm leaning toward the Selle Italia (okay I bought one) as it has a similar trimming as the Alpes.

I also find it interesting that after over a 100 years of Italian road saddle styling, Selle Italia used the old Bontrager trick to design a mountain bike saddle. Also, it turned out there was a lot more difference between the standard old style Flite Ti, the black/yellow Flite and the Alpes Ti, and I find this kind of trivia fascinating.

Update 02.26.2011

Well the Selle Italia SLR XC hasn't quite worked out. It stayed comfortable for about 25 miles then developed some hot spots outside and adjacent to my sit bones; it may need some breaking in or it may just make for a good mountain bike saddle. But that has left me on a renewed search for a new replacement road saddle. My next saddle was a Ritchey Streem (Comp).

This is a photo of the WCS but it looks identical to the Comp; it even has the identical shell(which of course you can't see). The primary difference is the Comp has steel rails and a vinyl cover; the WCS has Titanium rails and a leather cover. I picked up the Comp as a test saddle. Being a bit of a bike snob, if the Comp works out I will go for the WCS. I went for a short 25 mile ride and no hot spots. On Monday (2/28) I'll do a longer ride and see if it is truly going to pan out.

You Can't Keep a Good Bonty Down

2011-01-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

Back in August 2020 I talked about my Bontrager Privateer S and My Road to Singlespeed
“Although I bought the “S” Sport level, I upgraded the hubs, shifters and cranks to XT, resulting in a XT gruppo with Avid brakes. The original shock was a Rock Shox T2; an elastomer version of a Judy XC, that is upgradeable with cartridge kit to the equivalent of the Judy. After attempting such an upgrade, I blew out the cartridges at a rate of 1 a month, so I replaced it with a Marzocchi Super Fly”.

The Bontrager with the Judy was a good race bike (with a crappy fork). The upgrade to the Marzocchi resulted in a bike to die for; in my mind the two are inseparable. As I mentioned in my previous blog, after riding the bike for about three years I converted it to a Singlespeed. After I had a custom Singlespeed made by Rocklobster, I reassembled the bike as original as I could; the primary missing components are the OEM shock (of course) and the OEM "Comp" seatpost I used when I built another bike and then sold it. I have since replaced it with a similar "Select" seatpost. You can imagine then my dismay when I sent the shock to Marzocchi and they told me a corroded stanchion made the shock un-rideable and new stanchions are no longer available. I immediately started going through the stages of grief. 1) Shock and Denial; well maybe it’s not as bad as they say. Yes, that’s it Marzocchi simply has super high standards on what they will rebuild due to liability issues. There was actually some validity to this, as the corrosion was a single pit on one stanchion. Unfortunately my wife picked up the fork and they put the fear of god in her that I should not try and re-build the shock as it surely would catastrophically fail. This of course led to pain and guilt. It was all my fault for not rinding the bike and keeping an eye on it. I just let it hang there in the garage for years as the corroded pit became deeper and deeper.

Next came anger and bargaining. I went back and forth between retiring the Bontrager and buying a new fork. Marzocchi had offered by $150 off a new fork, meaning for about $220 I could have a new middle level fork to replace the Superfly. Replace the Superfly? What am I saying? I can’t replace the Superfly, it’s what makes the bike “the" bike. One issue regarding the buying of a new shock is the travel limitation. One consideration in the geometry design of mountain bikes frames have a to do with the length of the fork. The first mountain bikes did not have suspension forks, so the frames were built around a fairly standard size fork; the first shocks were designed around this standard size. As forks developed more travel, bike frames were designed around them. My Bontrager Privateer was designed around a 63-80mm or 2.5-3 inches of travel, anymore could degrade the handling of the bike; also the fork needs to have brake bosses Most of the used shocks on ebay are around 4 inches or 100mm. However I did some bargaining in my head and picked up a Marzocchi EXR Pro for $40 (the price was actually $5, but the shipping from Canada was $35; shipping, the bain of ebay. The shock is a dreaded 100mm and I when it arrived the steerer looked very beat-up and I suspected it was bent. Indeed it was bent, the beat-up condition appeared to be the result of someone trying to straighten it.

Oh well, back to the bargaining board. I checked ebay again and saw a Marzocchi Z5 X-Fly. While it was quite a bit down the food chain from a Superfly, it was available in 80mm and according to the seller had been expertly rebuilt, so I bid a “buy it now” for $130 ($115 plus $15 shipping). After I bought the shock I suddenly has an epiphany, what if this guy can rebuild my Superfly. I sent the fellow, Mark an email and I jumped over 3) Depression right to 4) the upward turn; Mark said he had a stanchion and could rebuild my Superfly. Mark explained that he has a passion for Marzocchi forks, especially the older Bombers, and makes it his hobby buying up forks, rebuilding and selling them. He also agreed to cancel my purchase and put the X-fly back on ebay. So much for grieving!

I sent the fork off to Mark and about a week and a half later it came back. Now, granted the exterior of the shock was still in good shape, but Mark did a remarkable job; he didn’t just rebuild it, he re-manufactured it. Here is the work order;
it came back at least as good as new. I took the bike out for a ride, the first time I have ridden the bike in over 5 years and it was a pleasure. I had forgotten what a ride to die for the bike is with the Superfly fork. Unlike other forks I’ve rode with, you can’t really feel the Superfly working, it just does. It eats up small bumps and washboard like it isn’t there and takes a good part of the edge off bigger bumps. While the bike will remain an 8 speed, it will be ridden and hopefully passed on to my 12 year old son. Regardless I am really happy that the shock and bike are working together again; really stoked!

Campagnolo Components Part 2

2010-12-19T22:26:00.000-08:00

Of all things I found the Cannondale specs (1987) on the parts I switched out from the Cannondale (SR900) to my Specialized Allez. When I really started to pay attention to the parts, I was under the impression that someone had spec’d the bike as some dream build; turns out it was true, but the someone was Cannondale. Here is what the spec sheet said on the parts I transferred that were the same;

Hubs......................Campagnolo Nuovo Record

Crankset...............Campagnolo Super Record, 42/52
Pedals...................Campagnolo SL, toe clips and straps
Brakes..................Campagnolo Nuovo Record, recessed allen bolt
Headset................Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Front Derailleur..Campagnolo Nuovo Record (Since the Allez did not have a braze-on front
derailleur mount, I replaced it with a Chorus clamp-on).
Parts that were different;

Freewheel............instead of a Suntour New Winner freewheel, there was a Regina Winner.
Handlebar............instead of a TTT Tour de France, there was a Cinelli Giro d’Italia
Stem.....................instead of a TTT, there was Cinelli 1A
Derailleurs...........instead of a rear Campagnolo Nuovo Record, there was an Athena that
replaced with a Chorus.
Shifters................instead of Campagnolo Nuovo Record, there were C-Record Syncro II

The inclusion of the C-Record Syncro II shifters and Syncro compatible Athena rear derailleur has me believe that the Cannondale swapped out the parts from was upgraded to Syncro after it was purchased. The bike and other components are 1987, but the Syncro II did not come out until 1989.

This may not seem interesting to many, but it is way cool to me.

Things That Go Bump and Ouch!

2010-11-28T22:07:00.000-08:00

Well here I am, back from the dead. Well not really dead, just flat on my back and breathing slowly. It’s been 5 ½ weeks since the accident and I started riding at week three; all my rides so far have been to Sand Point at Nisene Marks). The first ride was okay going up and torture coming down. The second ride (week 4) was better, the third ride (week 4 ½ ) was way too cold; the temp was near 40 deg with a 15 mpg wind chill coming down. The next ride (5 weeks) was much better (I dressed better and it was a little warmer). Tomorrow will be 5 ½ weeks on Monday, with a planned 6 week ride on Wednesday; yes retirement is rough. But there will some added protection in the future.

This crash was a complete surprise to me. I was riding a trail I know very well and have done 20-30 times. This is however was my second helmet breaking crash in 3 months, which started around the time I switched handlebars, so I know part of the problem is I have not taken into account my new bars that do not have me naturally seated as far back as the old bars, leaving me weighting the front too much. But regardless, I have decided that broken ribs and hospital stays really suck ( even with health insurance is also too expensive), so at the risk of looking like some free rider, I’ve picked up some body armor.

This is the Troy Lee Design bp 5850-HW, protective shirt. As you can see, it has padding in all the right places. It is actually used as base protection as you can see, here . I also have to agree with the tester that “This shirt provides amazing coverage, breathes great, and is so comfortable, you totally forget you are wearing it.” I have also purchased some elbow/forearm protectors (different from those on the testers web site). Rather than padded they are more protective. While you can’t see my forearms in the photos, both have taken the brunt of my last couple of falls.

These are on back order so I'll have to wait until I tackle the Vienna Trail, but as soon as they come in its a must do and a confidence re-builder. I am thinking one of the reasons I was injured so badly was rather than bail early, I stayed on the bike too long. Hopefully with this padding I will not be so reluctant to ditch the bike and hit the dirt.

For Every Season There is a Time

2010-10-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

I crashed my bike. These are the times that are best described as the quick or the dead; or better still the good or the dead. As the trails in and around Santa Cruz get ground down and washed out, what were once vices are now habits, or at least what were once non-threatening have become technical. Do I sound stoned? It must be the Percocet. There are several short, fun technical trails in Santa Cruz that can lead to your demise; the Delaveaga Top of the World Trail; the Vienna Woods Trail at Nisene Marks; and The Enchanted Loop at Wilder to name a few. Ride these trails in the fall at your own risk, as little trail maintenance has been done since the rains ended and you might need a rubber head and a spring like tail.

The fall was spectacular. I was riding down the Vienna Woods Trail, which is your standard Santa Cruz singletrack, transversing the side of gorge with two friends from my church. In one spot there is a tree growing on the cliff side of the trail that has 12" of root across the trail and the back side drops off about 2 feet. As I rode over and down the root, I lost my balance and rode off the trail straight down into gorge. By the time I realized I needed to jump off the bike I had picked up way too much speed, so reached out with my left arm and grabbed a tree. I really don't completely remember what happened next, but I ended up with a circular mark on my chest, which obviously came from the end of my handlebar. I believe what happened was when I let go of my handlebar to grab the tree trunk, my front wheel turned sharply to the left, causing me to catapult over the handlebar, my chest catching the left handlebar end in the process. I flew through the air about 8-10 feet, and landed on the backside of my right shoulder and the right side of my head. The end result was 5 broken ribs and a punctured lung. I later examined my Giro Athlon helmet and found there are at least 4 major cracks; 3 on the right side just above where my ear would be and another in the front just above where my left eye would be. The helmet was 3 months old; damn!

Fortunately I was not riding alone and my geared friends helped me hike out, by pushing my bike; most embarrassing. I managed to drive to the ER, assuring my friends I was fine, thinking all I had was a few broken ribs, but an x-ray showed my right lung was partially collapsed, so they stuck a tube in my chest, which was almost as bad as the ribs. Fortunately it only took about 24 hours and most my lung had re-inflated and they took out the d@mn tube so I could go home. The final part of this indignity is the worse poison oak I have ever had, but this has also introduced me to Zanfel; it's expensive and you have to really rub it in, but the stuff really works at all stages of poison oak even after the blistering stage. Fortunately I also have the most understanding wife in the world who is nursing me back to health and only insists I let the ribs reattach themselves before I start riding again; three weeks.

After two nights in the hospital I am home dealing with pain management, so I am a bit looped. Still I seem to be doing much better at this stage then my last major, rib breaking crash of 2007. This was a road crash that were, as I eluded to earlier, I landed in a similar manner and broke five ribs on my right side; but I digress. I am a very lucky person, something I take advantage of it as much as possible, as it's what god wants us to do.

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Whacky Hungarian ebay Descriptions

2010-09-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

I recently bought a Campy Chorus derailleur on ebay. Apparently some guy, who refers to himself as norbike2009 has access to a butt load of Campy parts. What sets him apart is he operates out of Budapest. After purchasing the derailleur ebay showed me some of his other parts for sale and opened a treasure trove of English as a second language descriptors . In some cases I have no idea what he is trying to say.

Campagnolo Super Record cranksets (PART!!)

MADE IN ITALY

170 STRADA (7)
53 - 42
9/16" x 20

USED (State: was useful strongly, worn, scratched. The left side pedal crank taking the procession of a screw wrong)

Speciality from Campagnolo factory.

In original packaging 30 pieces of component not cultivated yet. (mat)

MADE IN ITALY

Campagnolo Titanium Record 8 Speed Rear Derailleur Part!!!!

USED (The ingot cracked, one of the cogwheels it is necessary to exchange a trundle for smaller one because the one with a suitable size is not in him.)

Misc Italian Frames
#1(On the frame on more place paint flaking, mainly on the lower pipe. Injury, dent, correction, I did not find it)

#2( On the frame on more place the paint is crackling.. There are not a correction, a dent, injury on him)

Campagnolo SYNCRO 2 NOS shifters, friction mode

NEW (The cogwheel, and the bowdenek they are missing. The box is visible on the pictures in a state)

MADE IN ITALY

FixGear Silliness

2010-09-09T23:24:00.000-07:00

I do miss Bike Snob NYC when he used to cruise FixGear Gallery or Craig’s list and find some of those bikes that don't just rise to the top of the milk. So occasionally I entertain myself by writing one. The bicycle of this post was on FixGear Gallery; Sampson and his unknown brand fixie.

“ unknown road frame: paint stripped, with a touch of surface rust and sealed with a 'look through' paint. other parts found cheap on taobao handlebars: c-unit plus cheap hacksaw Built by Karl Ke (housed by Austin)”

rides like a dream, thanks

It amazing how much nonsensical information can be put into such few words, but first lets look at the bike. It’s tig wielded steel frame that has been almost stripped to bare metal. I say Almost, because for some aesthetic reason, or maybe the lack of a wire brush, the person who stripped the frame decided to leave a good quantity of the old white paint on the fork crown, bottom bracket and fork dropouts. This might not have been a big deal, except the “builder” decided to clear coat the frame, or “look through paint.” I’m not sure if there is a difference between clear coating and “look through paint,” but apparently it has something to do with a “touch of surface rust”. The next thing you notice is the artistic use of contrast by mounting a white painted front wheel, on a frame with "look through paint". Very nice.

Next we have the handlebars described as: "c-unit plus cheap hacksaw." One is left with a conundrum here; was there some aesthetic purpose to using a cheap hacksaw, or his he trying to mitigate a poor hack job, aka flop and chop minus the flop. I mean looking at the handlebars, how much could he have chopped anyway? 2 inches? There is also the issue with the length of the crank arms being used with this build. Traditionally one uses short crank arms to stop one from striking the ground with your pedals, but not this builder. Not only would these cranks necessitate the riding in one direction at a time without ever turning, it also can be used as a kickstand when the need arises. The owner says the bike “rides like a dream”, but he really doesn’t say what kind of dream. I would guess he dreams of walking besides his fixie trying to stop the pedals from putting divots in the asphalt. Finally one has to wonder about all the people involved with this bike. This bike is owned by Sampson, built by Karl Ke and housed by Austin. Wow! It took all these people to make a bike that looks and works like this does. I does make one wonder.

Identifying My Campagnolo Components

2010-09-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

As I explained in an earlier post 3Rensho Specialized Allez, about ten years ago I bought an older Cannondale bike on ebay for about $500. The bike was originally a gift for my brother, but the old style Campy components (why the bike got my attention) proved too much for him. The bike hung around in his garage for a number of years, until I came across the beautiful Specialized frame at my LBS. I didn't have any components for the frame, so I traded the Cannondale back for another bike and swapped the parts. The only parts I needed to buy was a front derailleur, seatpost and brake levers. I ride the bike around from time to time, but have never sat back and really identified what parts are on the bike. Vintage Campagnolo is renown for not labeling their components with identifying markings other than "Campagnolo." There is really no way to know what vintage parts you have without doing some detective work. Most of the info I got was from Velobase.com and Campyonly.com. What I discovered was the Cannondale was obviously someone's project bike and they just draped it with some of the best parts they could find.

The first photo is the Crankset which I have identified as Super Record. There is also an "11" on the crank arm which I have read means it was manufactured in 1985.

Next are the hubs, which are Nuovo Record

The brakes are Nuovo Record

I can't photograph the bottom bracket but I'm fairly sure it looks like this; Nuovo Record

The headset is also Nuovo Record

The shifters are C-Record Syncro II (7 speed)

The original rear derailleur I later identified as Athena. One person who saw the bike said they believed it didn't fit with the rest of the parts; further my mechanic told me the derailleur seemed a little tweaked and might have been in an accident, even though it seemed to shift fine to me (as well as Syncros shift). Based on all this I bought a Chorus of the same vintage to work with the Syncro II shifters. I later discovered the Athena derailleur was indeed the right period derailleur for the shifters.

Here is the upgraded Chorus derailleur

This is the original Athena derailleur

The pedals are Record Supperleggeri; I added the toe clips and straps.

As I mentioned before, I bought three components. The first was a Victory front derailleur, which is probably the lowest part of the Campy food chain on this bike. I upgraded that derailleur to the Chorus you see below.

Here is the original Victory front derailleur

The next was a budget buster but worth it; the seatpost is a NOS Nuovo Super Record

And finally the brake levers, which are famous Super Record made out of drillelium.
So there it is, a fun lesson in Campagnolo components. I may be wrong about a part or two but I doubt it.

Rocklobster Custom Single Speed

2010-08-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

At some point I came to the conclusion I wanted a custom made bike. Living in Santa Cruz I had several choices and decided on Paul Sadoff and Rocklobster. Paul has been wielding bikes for over 20 years and may have been the first to wield a singlespeed specific frame. The time was early 2002 and Eccentric Bottom Brackets (EBB) were the rave; it’s still probably the most elegant solution to tensioning the chain on a single speed. When Paul asked what I wanted, besides the EBB, I liken to my Bontrager. Interestingly enough when Bontrager closed up shop in Santa Cruz, Paul bought a good deal of Bontrager Cycles True Temper steel tubing and sub-assemblies, and used the tubing to build frames that were referred to as Nontragers. Well, Paul had long ago ran out of the old Bontrager tubing, but still had a quantity of Tange tubes that was certainly equal in quality. I explained to Paul that I had bought a Marzocchi Atom 100 for the bike, so I wanted something like a Bontrager, only a larger sized, designed for the 4 inch fork I bought, a more relaxed head tube, and disc tabs in the event I decided to use disc brakes. Paul also included Bontrager brake bosses, which use a bolt and bushing that screw in from the top all the way into the frame, rather than a standard boss stud and retaining screw. I was also a big fan of straight handlebars and bar ends at the time. For about $50 he also threw in a steel stem. The photo above is a comparison of my Rocklobster bike and a Bontrager Racelight; the seatposts angles and forks seem identical.

There is nothing more ridiculous than having a brand new bike. The paint is perfect, without a scratch, and you for some reason try and keep it that way. Finally you get a couple of scratches and finally being as imperfect as you, it becomes your friend. In my case I dug a pedal into the side of a hill and the crank arm dented the chain stay; damn. I have gone through so many wheelsets I had to look back at old pictures to remember the what came first. From what I can tell, the first wheelset I bought was a Surly/ Mavic; thinking I would never used disc brakes. I then bought a set of Deore hydraulic brakes and a $75 Shimano Deore/ Alex disc wheelset (the photo below is my first ride with the disc brakes) . Thinking I needed to upgrade to a singlespeed wheelset, I disassembled the front Surly and laced the rim to an Real disc hub and tried using a screw on disc adapter on the rear Surly hub. I suspect the adapter did not hold the disc perfectly straight, as it would squeal when it got hot. To solve this problem I disassembled the rear Surly wheel and laced the rim to a Novatec singlespeed hub. This worked very well about a year until the cartridge bearings (4 of them) wore out. I then weighed the Novatec rear wheel and found it was actually heavier than the Deore/Alex rear wheel and also came to the conclusion I would no longer deal with Singlespeed specific rear hubs anymore, unless I came up with a purpose for the Surly hub, which I did when I later built up my Bontrager reconstruction project 1993 Bontrager Single Speed. It just seemed that the singlespeed hubs where more trouble than they are worth and opened up the ability to buy a better wheelset, like I did with my SASS build, SASS Meets 650b . While technically a singlespeed wheel has less dish and is therefore laterally stronger, I don’t see wheels on geared biked failing, so in the real world it’s simply not an issue.

I have never second guessed my choice of the Marzocchi Atom 100 and still consider it to be one of the best riding shocks ever made, The Atom 100 is the last race shock Marzocchi made with dual steel springs; the newer forks have only one steel spring or no steel springs at all. For me there is simply no substitute for steel springs, and while the Atom 100 is certainly heavier than the single steel spring or air spring, it gives a ride that only a steel spring can give. Interestingly enough, much of the valving and R&D of todays forks is to simulate the feel of steel springs.

One thing I have not discussed is my use of suspension seatposts. This started with my privateer, and worked well taking the edge off the hardtails I was riding. The post I used was a USE, which is one of the lighter of the suspension posts. The USE posts use elastomers and a spring and have about 10 mm of suspension. When Bontrager stopped making their classic squared off seat, I switched to older style Selle Italia, which of course they have also stopped making also. Last year however, after using my suspension seatpost for the stoker seat on my tandem, I found a good deal on a Thompson seatpost and found I have not missed the suspension post in the least.

The last issue with my Rocklobster is the handlebar. The bar I originally spec’d on the bike was a Bontrager Racelite 680 straight bar with bar ends. There is still no better setup for climbing. But like everyone who rides long enough, I started experimenting with different bars. Originally I switched to a Misfit Psycles FuBar. The folks at Misfit Psycles read a posting I had on MTBR.com and offered a handlebar if I would use it and write an opinion on it. Misfit Psycles FuBar Well it turned out to be a pretty good bar, but I never did like the sweep of the bar, which necessitated a 150mm stem. The long stem made my hand position fairly comfortable, but it destabilized the front end and climbing was more difficult; still I rode with the bar for about a year. My current bar is the Titec H-Bar, which is a licensed copy of the Jones H-bar. This bar allowed me to return to my 120mm Rocklobster stem and brought my hand position farther forward, making climbing much easier. It’s no Bonty 680, but I like it much more than the FuBar. The next handlebar I may go with is the Groovy Luv Handles. They are similar to the Jones straight tube ti H-bar, but with less sweep. Apparently they only come in steel or ti; the steel bar has been desbribed as punishing and the ti is $250.

This bike has been my go to and comeback to bike for 8 years. It’s comfortable and of course made just for me. At some point after you have been riding you really should get a custom built bike. I highly recommend Paul and Rocklobster; he’s been making frames longer than most and has a reputation for making a very high quality product for very reasonable prices. Yes, he rocks! And so does my bike.

My Road to Singlespeed

2010-08-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

My single speed craziness started with a Bontrager Privateer and a Jamis Dakar. I bought the Privateer in 1998 and was satisfied with the Trek version of Keith’s classic bicycle, which I still own today; see the photo on the left. If I had to do it again I would probably would have gone with a larger frame over the medium I bought, as Bontragers run small. Although I bought the “S” Sport level, I upgraded the hubs, shifters and cranks to XT, resulting in a XT gruppo with Avid brakes. The original shock was a Rock Shox T2; an elastomer version of a Judy XC, that is upgradeable with cartridge kit to the equivalent of the Judy. After attempting such an upgrade, I blew out the cartridges at a rate of 1 a month, so I replaced it with a Marzocchi Super Fly. The T2 shock also had a special Bontrager designed crown with steeper geometry. The Marzocchi upgrade stabilized the ride not only because it’s a stronger shock, the more relaxed geometry with a standard crown really calmed down the steering. This was made possible as the 1998 (and 1999) were the only Bontrager frames made with a 1 1/8” head tube. The picture here is the current condition of my Privateer. With the exception of the King headset, shorter stem (As I said before Bontrager’s run small, so with the smaller stem it can be setup closer to a small frame size; I did this for my wife), seatpost, pedals (I still have the originals) and front rim (I taco’ed the original), the bike is the same build I bought in 1998.

Well after happily riding my Privateer for 3 years, I decided to go with a dual suspension bike and bought a 1996 Jamis Dakar frame from Supergo.com (later bought by Performance) and built it up. The pictured bike has the same frame with a slightly different (but surprisingly similar) build; imagine this bike with a red Marzocchi Atom 80 fork. Well this left my Bontrager just hanging in the garage, so I figured I’d check out this single speed thing.

My first foray was to buy a Surly Singleater, TruVativ Stylo single speed crank and a spacer kit. I started with a 32:16 gear ratio with the Singleator in the push down mode. I then bought a Surly SS rear wheel from Sheldon Brown and ran it with a 16T and 18T freewheels. For some reason this caused the chain to skip at the rear (16T) freewheel. The reason is as follows,

The usual suspect of a skipping chain is a spring loaded tensioner. Most spring tensioners work by pushing the chain down and away from the rear cog. This results in very poor chain wrap. When peddling the majority of the torque from the chain is on the front chainring is on the teeth at 12:00 –0300 and on the rear cog it is the teeth from 6:00- 9:00. What this means is the very area of the rear cog where, chain wrap is necessary, a push down spring tensioner pulls the chain off the cog. This transfers the torque to the tensioner pulley wheel, which in turn pulls the tensioner arm upward. The chain then rides up in the cog teeth in the 9:00-12:00 position. Since it takes a great deal of torque to turn the rear wheel and there is practically no chain warp in the area, the tensioner will fail and the chain will jump over the teeth at the 9:00-12:00 position on the cog, causing it to “skip”. The answer is to first make sure your chain is as short as possible (a half link is a good idea but it will create a weaker link). Next use a spring tensioner with a push up mode or even better a tensioner without a spring so the arm can be locked up; this way tensioner cannot be defeated by overcoming the spring tension. A quick fix is to zip-tie the tensioner arm to the chain stay. This will create a tensioner in a push up mode that does not rely on spring tension. This is a photo I set up to show how such a setup would look.

When this first happened I was in the middle of a ride. I switched to the 18T freewheel (with a 32T chainring) which turned out to be the so-called “magic gear”, or a setup where the chain does not need a tensioner with vertical dropouts. I then figured out that with a half link, the same was true with a 16T freewheel. At some point later I sold the Surly wheel and bought a Spot wheelset that I really didn’t like and I ended up selling it, and returning to a spaced rear wheel. I have only one picture (of poor quality) of this Bontrager as a single speed I took on a Soquel Demonstration Forest ride. This is the bike I rode until I has custom bike made for me by Rocklobster in 2002.

Next: The Custom Bike

Changes to the Burley Tandem

2010-07-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is a follow-up to my blog on our Burley tandem that my bride and I ride Our Burley Tandem. I have made two changes for the better. First I switched from a Nitto mustache bar to a more conventional drop bar, the Nitto Noodle bar; called the Noodle bar because it has some extra small tweaks and bends to make it more user friendly. The switch went remarkably and has played out as a much more comfortable cockpit than before. This also resulted in an embarrassing but very positive discovery that I have had my Shimano 9 speed bar end shifters setup wrong for years. All this time I figured it was natural for the shifters to index the first 3 gears, then friction the next three and index the final 3. Well it turns out it only does this if you screw up when you install them. You can install the shifter levers in 4 possible configurations, but only one way is the right way. Once I read up on the right way to set them up, I actually had all 9 gears index! You have no idea what a difference this is. I usually have no problem with friction shifters, but trying shift smoothly when your not sure whether the next shift is friction or index is near impossible.

The next change was too replace the triple crankset with a compact double; the reason can be summed up in one word, "chainsuck" (I don't know is that two words?). The original "Cyclone" crankset (not Suntour), was a middle of the line crank, similar to a Shimano Tiagra or Sora, with a Shimano 105 derailleur. The problem seemed to be the middle chain ring. When we would get occasional chainsuck, it would sometimes deform the middle chainring, leading to more chainsuck. I would remove the middle chainring, pound it flat and re-install it; it would work for a while, but eventually chainsuck would rear it's ugly head, which has resulted in us falling over several times and sometimes having to limp through a ride with no workable middle chain ring. My bride made it clear, "This is your thing, I don't care what you have to do; fix it!"

I had two thoughts. The first was a better crankset would fix the problem, but there are limited choices. My thought was if I could find a highly quality square taper crankset, then I wouldn't need it to be tandem specific. My other thought was to go with a compact crank and eliminate chainsuck entirely. FSA is the main player with tandem cranksets with their Gossamer aluminum ($205) and SLK carbon ($305) including FSA exterior bottom brackets. I also had the plan of buying a DuraAce triple and converting a Ultegra arm by heli-coiling reverse pedal threads. The DuraAce crank was an ebay item, that while I paid for it with "Buy-it-now" they were never delivered. I finally spotted this Sugino Alpina2-800D, compact 48/34. It was one of the nicest square taper compact cranks I have seen (second only to Sugino Mighty Tour) and my choice was made. The primary issue with the compact crank was losing the low, 30:30 gear. My solution was upping the cassette to a from a 11-30 to a 11-32, leaving me with a 34:32; almost the same gear ratio. We went for our first ride and it was magic. Before, every time I down shifted the front derailleur from the middle to granny gear, I would wince, hoping it would not chainsuck. Now, no worries! The gearing was spot on and no chance of chainsuck ever. More important, my bride was very happy.

Araya Rims, Gold 16b to RC-540; No More Tubulars!

2010-07-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

07/15/2010

Well obviously it has been too long since I posted on this blog. I have been doing all my postings on my political blog OSB Politico and just riding. I also see I picked up a couple more followers; welcome and thank you. Anyway it was time to clean up the Soma NJS bike The Soma Bike is Done . My original build used wheels built with Araya Gold Tubular rims; Keirin bikes only use tubular tires. I have never used tubular tires, but they were once very common, so I figured I could embrace the retro side of me, and add one more NJS component. Well it didn’t work out so well. I wasn’t about to spend the $270 @ for Soyo NJS tires (and those are the cheap ones), so I went with $80 Vittoria CX. This is where I went wrong. What I failed to notice was the NJS tires are 1 1/8 wide, that’s over 28.9 mm! Yikes. I bought the Vittoria’s at a standard 21mm and they were a mis-match. I did not really know it at the time so I tried gluing them anyway but the tire would not lie down against the outside edges of the rim surface no matter what I did. After three tries I just hung up the bike and moved on to other projects.

Well the time has come to fix this problem. I could look for some wider, ie Vittoria Pave EVO CG in 27 mm or the Continental Tempo in 1”, both about $100 @. They are pretty much on the opposite side of the spectrum with the Vittoria being a ride it till it wears out and the Conty a quick and sketchy race tire, but good on the track. I decided to do neither and punt.

I sold the rims and tubulars on ebay and bought some really cool Araya RC-540 rims. The RC-540 is considered a clincher version of the Araya Gold. They are really just a very nice race rim similar to the classic Mavic Open Pro. What sets them apart is the top surface of the rim was polished before it was anodized. It’s nowhere near the finish of a the un-anodized Araya Gold, but it is also more durable. They are also impossible to get outside of Japan, so I used an ebay importer and they were delivered straight away.

Here's the rear wheel hanging in the garage. I laced the rims with the longer spokes for practice; just waiting for the shorter spokes. I’ll admit I am not an experienced wheel maker. I’ve made maybe 7-8 wheels but I’m getting faster. I held the slimmest of hopes that the old spokes would work, but my doubts were realized. Since the clinchers rims are about 50% taller at the spoke, this made the spokes too long.

I fumbled around with a spoke calculator and finally came up with 289 for the front and 299 for the back. The fumbling was figuring the ERD, or Effective Rim Diameter. The spoke calculator asks for this measurement, which is the inside rim diameter plus the additional length the spoke would need to thread into an installed nipple. Since the nipple is up, inside the rim cavity, it's not always and easy measurement to take accurately. I finally came close using the rod end of a caliper, adding 3mm x2, or 606 mm (there are also web pages with ERD ratings for most rims, but it is recommended you measure it yourself; the rim database said the Araya RC-540 had an ERD of 606.3mm) . The Suzue hubs have 36 spoke holes, have a 67mm spoke hole diameter (circle) and the flange spacing is 74mm for the front and 67mm for the rear; again the front is 3 cross and the rear 4 cross. I used this simple spoke calculator and came up with 288.8 front and 299.6 rear; try it yourself. This calculator only works with same size flanges and doesn't take into account the dishing of a rear wheel with a freehub for a gear cluster. Spoke Calculators can get very involved such as this one from machinehead but this one from wheelpro will handle most wheel builds.

I had a second hope that the shorter 3 cross spokes might work with the rear 4 cross pattern, but no luck, they were 295mm and as I said I needed 289mm. The spoke size might be a little off, since the old spokes were 295 and 302 respectively; 7mm difference where my spoke calculator showed a 10mm difference. My LBS didn’t have the spokes I needed so I had to order them. I did notice the 302mm rear spokes were a little short (or just barely covered the spoke threads) when I removed the old rim, so if they had been a millimeter or two, it would have been more consistent with the spoke calculator; just to be sure I also ordered some spokes 287 and 298. Like I said, I am not a boy wonder wheel builder, but I figured I can return the spokes I don’t use.

07/19/2010

Okay I'm back. Why did I do that? Why did I round 288.8 up and 299.6 down? Well guess what? The 299 spokes were a little short. I don't know if most wheel makers want the spoke threads completely covered with the nipples, but I do. When I built up the rear 4x wheel, there was about .5 mm of threads showing. By simply rounding up I would have spokes the right length (300mm). So I bit the bullet and went out and bought the right length spokes. They say that the money you pay to make up for your mistakes wrenching bikes, is tuition. I am a bit perturbed about the info I found on some of the forums I checked trying to nail down the spoke size. There were several that recommended rounding down, or even going for a millimeter shorter if they don't have the size you need. Most spoke nipples have 3mm lead way once the spoke threads are covered. The only way would want to round smaller is if you don't mind the threads showing, or you are going to use 16mm nipples opposed to the standard 12mm. While I'm not a perfectionist, I do like to think what I do is done the right way. I did return the 287/ 298 spokes I ordered, but I still had to pay for shipping both ways. I also have a nice collection of spokes; 287mm, 295mm, 298mm and 302mm. Hopefully they'll come in handy some day.

And here they are! Suzue Pro Max NJS hubs with Araya RC-40 rims and DT Champion 15g spokes; 3 cross in the front and 4 cross in the back.

I chose the Specialized Pro Roubaix for two reasons, primarily they were the only non-committed road tires I had. So a better question is why I bought the tires to begin with. The reason is these are some of the sweetest tires on the market. The reason why, is the tires are made by Vittoria. The Roubiax-Pro is similar Rubio Pro and the Roubiax S-Works is similar to the Open Corsa Evo, both with a slightly lower thread count. Both designs are referred to as Open Tubular construction, meaning like tubulars they are hand made, have an inner latex tube with an outer casing; they are rated 700x23/25c, meaning the volume of a 25c and the tread of a 23c. I also like these tires because you can get then very cheap because the come stock on Specialized race bikes, and every one wants to switch them out for something else so I got them at half price on the take off table. I have actually not tried the Ruobiax Pro, But I have tried both the Roubiax S-Works and Vottoria Open Corsa Evo. I would not place them on the same level as a tubular, but they are a very comfortable tire. Hopefully the Roubiax will not disappoint.

The final build (so far) :
Frame: Soma Rush (55cm);
Fork: Threaded Tange steel;
Headset: Tange Levin (NJS);
Bottom Bracket: Hatta R9400 (NJS);
Crank: Shimano Dura Ace Track (NJS);
Pedals: MKS (NJS);
Toeclips: MKS aluminum (NJS);
Straps: Toshi (NJS);
Handlebars: Nitto B125 CroMo (NJS);
Stem: Nitto Pearl (NJS);
Rims: Araya RC540; Spokes/Nipples: DT 15g; Hubs: Suzue Pro Max (NJS)
Tires: Specialized Pro Roubiax;
Wheels: 3 cross front/ 4 cross rear;
Cog: 16T Shimano (NJS);
Seat post: Nitto Jaguar SP72 NJS;
Seat: Brooks B-17 Champion Sprinter
Brake caliper: Tektro;
Brake lever: Soma.

Dog Gone It!

2010-05-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

A recent article in Bicycling magazine (Doggoneit) brought to mind one of my run-ins with an errant K9 and a dark desire that came to life, but fortunately there was so serious injury or death. The farmlands at the Santa Cruz/ Monterey border allows for some very pleasant bicycle rides. One ride I am quite fond of, takes me through the city of Aromas. As I exited the town, heading toward Hwy 129, there was this devil dog on the opposite side of the road, whom I affectionately named Clipless. Clipless seemed to have some deep seated dislike of bicyclists; he would be laying on his demon porch, continually scanning for his next victim. The day was one were I forget recent ride histories, until I was a minute away from repeating it. As I approached I saw the house and it all came back to me; the devil dog, the growling, the frame pump, the chase, the gnashing of teeth and the accelerating away to relative safety. But this time there would be an intervention from a source known intimately to all bicyclists; yes, a UPS van. Clipless was lying in his usual spot, no doubt dreaming of the day when he would drag the bloody, spandex clad remains of a bicyclist to his demon porch. When Clipless saw me he jumped to its feet with his full attention on me, he may have seen blood, but not the UPS van. It was like watching a train wreck, were you know you shouldn’t watch, but you look anyway. Clipless sprang upon the road, devil yellow eyes locked on the Celtic tattoo on my left calf; and he never knew what hit him. One moment he was eyeing India ink and the next he was seeing alternating views of the undercarriage of the UPS van and the asphalt road below him. The UPS van never stopped and I doubt the driver even saw the possible carnage in his wake; but there was no carnage. Clipless emerged from the rear of the van, dazed and confused, but apparently no worse for wear. As I rode past, re-installing my frame pump, Clipless was making his way back to the porch, looking much like a DUI driver trying to negotiate a straight line and failing his FST. A week later I rode through Aromas again. As I approached the domain of Clipless, I once again removed my frame pump, ready to do battle. But this time and every subsequent ride, things would be different. As I rode toward my destiny, I again saw Clipless lying his demon porch. But this time, he simply raised his head from between his extended front legs, looked in my direction and lowered his head back between his front legs and closed his eyes. There would never be another battle with Clipless and one day about 6 months later, he was gone and the demon porch was been empty ever since. And in a way I miss him; well as much as one can miss a devil dog. The incident also showed me that our brave men and women with brown shorts not only bring cool swag, but are guardian angels in disguise; who knew?

SASS meets 650b

2009-10-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

I finally got the funds for a wheelset. Since I already have a a rigid Single Speed Bonty Conversion , I wanted to do something to make the SASS unique. My decision was to go with a 650b (27 ½”) wheelset. The SASS has a lot of room for big wheels/tires; the bike comes stock with 2.40 tires. My criteria for the wheels besides 650b, was the rear had to be both disc and rim brakes compatible (needed for a flip flop hub and drilled cog) and the front just disc compatible. I looked around for a wheelset under $500 and found only one; the Stan's NoTubes 355. My other choice was to build a wheel with Velocity Dyad rims and a Shimano Deore or XT hub. I decided on the Stan's wheels, which with ZTR hubs (re-branded WTB Laser-lites). The next decision was tires. I found a bargain on Kenda Nevegal 2.35 and went also for the folding bead.

About a week later the big brown truck showed up with the wheels. Almost all new wheelsets look nice, so I won't bore you the owws and aass. Two issues I had not thought through and they involved the hubs, specifically the rear hub. First the hubs are not easily converted to a solid axle and the freewheel shell is aluminium. After I mounted the rear wheel I found the outside cam QR that came with the wheels, could not hold the wheel in the sliding dropouts. I switched over to a Shimano (interior cam) and it seemed to hold. However, now I didn't trust a QR, so I added a Surly Tuggnut tensioner to be safe; I also later upgraded to a Surly BMX cog with a wider base. I first mounted the tires with tubes and went for a ride; it was like magic. So nice, I realized it was also the weather and trail conditions, not just the new wheels. Still I liked the bigger wheels. For those of you that need to know such things; the bigger wheels fit the SASS frame perfectly and resulted in a 11 1/2" bottom bracket measurment.

Once back home, I got the idea of converting the wheels to tubeless. The Stan's wheels are obviously made to be tubeless, but there are no tubeless 650b tires as of yet. However Stan's has advertised from the beginning, to be a means of converting standard tires and/or rims to tubeless. They sell a spoke tape and rim-strip for this purpose, along with their sealant. The Stan's rims come with their version of spoke tape, and their “Olympic Valve stem”, which is a stand alone valve stem, designed to work with just the spoke tape (no rim strip) . The Stan's web site said most applications using the Stan's rims, work with the spoke tape and Olympic valve. Kenda tires are on the Stan's recommended list, it also recommends wire bead tires, especially for 29er tires, but with the exception of Intense, IRC and Hutchinson (they also recommended to my riding buddy, not to use WTB 29er) tires, most standard tires should work; so I figured the Nevegal's folders should work.

I first tried mounting the tire with soapy water and a floor pump; that did not work. I do not have a compressor, so I went to a gas station and used the tire “pump”. The first station's pump did not have enough air volume to work. I went to another station (across the street), which was a little better. I still had to use the pump is short bursts so it could build up pressure and volume. After 3-4 bursts, the tire sealed enough to start filling up the tire and you could hear the beads snap into the “bead socket”. Okay, that worked, but I still had to pour in some Stan's sealant. I returned to my house, deflated the tire and broke the seal on one side. I then poured in the sealant and took some time nudging the loose tire bead onto the “bench” (the flat area that divides the center spoke groove; Stan's rims have a wider benche than other rims for better sealing). I used my floor pump with about 5-8 quick pumps and the bead sealed; a few more pumps and the bead seated. I mounted the other tire much the same way, using a tube to seat the tire before I poured in the sealant. I pumped both tires up to about 40 psi.

My next ride was at Wilder Ranch; the Eucalyptus and Enchanted loops. This may sound over the top, but I now can not understand why anyone that rides with a rigid fork and can afford them, does not use tubeless tires. The combination of the 650b and tubeless, smoothed out the bumps, holes and roots to a new level; even technical climbing was easier. I have previously tried running standard 26" 2.30 Hutchinson Pythons @ 30 lbs with a rigid fork and front end wallowed badly. There was none of that with the tubeless.With the rolling nature of the 650b and the suppleness of the tubeless, I now have to reset my limits with a rigid fork. Another way to explain it is, it's like the wheels now have a dampener. I'm faster, with a smoother ride, more in control, and climb technical sections with less effort. OH BTW I tried to drill a Shimano BMX cog to mount on a disc hub, but a cobalt drill wouldn't even leave a mark; I have since ordered a Tomi Cog.. Hmm, but you no what? I think I need more riding time. I'll get back to you...But when it comes to mountain bike wheels and tires I am now spoiled. Damn.

Bianchi SASS Fixie

2009-08-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

I got a new bike. I certainly didn’t expect to get a new bike but my friend Spike gave me a frameset. But not just any old frameset, but a shiny chrome Bianchi SASS; SASS is Bianchinese for Shiny Ass Single Speed. Now if the truth be known, I really didn’t need another bike, but I was on the look out for a SASS, Why? Well, umm, er, you see...hey, it's a Shiney Ass Single Speed, that's why! And the idea came to me; a fixed gear mountain bike. Yes! I have heard stories about these, but never seen one in person. If singlespeed is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest, fixed gear is like doing it without extra oxygen. The most logical build would be a fixed/freewheel fliop/flop rear hub. They only catch is a SASS is made disc specific and you can’t have a flip/flop hub with a disc brake since you only have one caliper. The answer was simple, a cheapo side pull brake would do the job. For components have a Planet X chrome BMX crankset that I bought in parts for no particular reason. I also have some Ritchey handlebars, stem and seatpost and Shimano brake levers, so all I need (besides wheels) are the brake calipers and a seat. I decided on a Avid BB-7 w/ 185mm rotor, a generic, but long throw canti-brake and a THE seat, on sale and looking a lot like a old style Bonty seat ; the total price, less than $80.

Now about the wheels. Finances as they are, I do not have the funds to buy/buid a new wheelset; I’m thinking 650B. I do have a rear wheel off my rigid SS bike, with a flip/flop free/free, non-disc hub/rim; that will work for the rear. I also have a front disc wheel off another bike, they only difference being the caliber is setup for 180 rotor, rather then the Avid 185, but I figured it would work okay and I figured right. As I said before, I wanted to have the option to run this bike as a fixed gear. Now, track cog with thread onto a hub made for a BMX freewheel, but there are no reverse threads to lock it down. A work around involves using an old loose ball bottom bracket lockring. These rings thread the same direction of the track cog, so you cannot completely rely on them to hold the cog under reverse torque. But, they are an added precaution and with the aid of some locktite, (which I did not use), it came be a reliable fix; but a bugger to remove. Since I will have a rear brake, I will not rely exclusively on rear torque to stop/slow the bike, so I figured the locktite was not necessary.

So, I put it all together and headed out to Soquel Demonstration Forest in Santa Cruz to try out this fixie mountain bike thing. Today was the day. Spike showed up in his van with his new Sette 29er dingle speed and I had my SASS fixie. In case you didn’t see it, here’s another pic; I added the rear brake and lever. SASS frames are disc only, but my plan was for a fixed/free, so a disc would not work. The plan was a Demo Forest ride (Santa Cruz, CA). The ride is about 13 miles, starts with 1000 foot climb on apaved and fire road, 2000 foot downhill singletrack (we road Tractor), and 1000 foot climb back out to the lower trail head; difficulty is somewhere between medium/expert to expert. The first climb was not much different than usual, perhaps a little easier because of the fixed gear. In the middle of the climb there is a single track, which gave me my first real taste of off road fixed gear riding; very awkward at first. When setting up for an obstacle, once tendency, especially on a flat or down hill, is to stand up and momentaarily coast; this of course is not possible on a fixie. I have read the technique is to lock up the rear wheel just before the obstacle. My first inclination was to just go for broke and hope I wouldn’t catch a pedal; this worked exactly 5 times. Number six didn’t result in a fall, but convince me I needed to start working on locking the rear wheel; the technique is easier than you would think, especially with a rear brake. After 3-4 tries, I found when the release point was and after that I started actually looking forward to the numerous log crossing on the trail.

There were also a number of ruddy downhills. I first tried to stay seated, but that was too painful and unsteady. The trick is to standup, brake and pedal at the same time; again something that takes some practice, but is picked up fairly quickly. By this time we were at the top entrance to Demo Forest and the Ridge Trail. It’s pretty much downhill after this and my original plan was to switch to a freewheel at this point, but I decided to continue on with the fixed gear. Using my newly acquired skills I continued on and found I was able to negotiate increasingly more difficult terrain. On my mind however, was a small patch of downhill baby heads after the helipad. Again I had planned to switch to freewheel before the baby heads, especially since I had crashed the last 2 times I had ridden them. But, again I had already negotiated the trail to this point, so I again decided to continue. The baby head section is very rutted, so you really have to pick your way through without the front wheel washing out. I took the section to the right, which is less rutted, by requires a quick right at the bottom. I put my mind in “I’m going for it” mode and before I knew it, the front wheel dropped down at the bottom and to my surprise I made the turn and rode to the second section. This section is longer but not as steep and I made it through feeling very good about myself (especially since Spike took a minor spill in the first section). We finally reached the trail head to Tractor. Of the 5 main trails at Demo Forest, Tractor slightly less technical than Braille or Sawpit, but has a number of long sweeping turns and can be ridden a very high speeds. I picked it because if I did fall, I would do less damage to myself then the other two, which have some very steep downhills and no safe place to land if you fall. The ride was a hoot and I actually found myself wishing it was more technical (next time). Once I got to the bottom I was pretty much done, but it was a great ride. I expected my legs would be toasted, but it was my upper body that was feeling worse for ware. I pretty much crawled back to the lower trail head (a 1000 foot climb out). I was left with the realization that a fixed mountain bike is very rideable (if I can do it anyone can) even over technical terrain. It was a HOOT and it’s something I want to do again!

Our Burley Tandem (OT; no SS)

2009-05-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

In 2004 my bride and I rode the Solvang Century on a tandem. We were married about a year earlier, but even prior to that, she realized that if she was going to spend enough quality time with me she would need to ride with me. Having no history of bike riding, a tandem was in order. Now usually this would be a dumb idea; 9 out of 10 times (or so; maybe it's 99 times out of 100) when one buys a tandem for this reason, the bike will sit unused after a few rides. This is because one only rides a bike because one is basically a masochist and endorphin attack, and neither love nor money will lead anyone to sit on the back of a tandem unless it's something they really want to do. Turned out my bride is actually 1 in a 1,000,000; however both love and money also figured into it. After looking around we decided on a Burley “Rock and Roll”. The Rock and Roll is a mountain bike tandem. The 26” wheels are actually stronger than 700c wheels and the Rock and Roll actually comes as a road bike and DaVinci still pushes 26” wheels as the best wheel for a tandem. First I kicked myself for not getting the “road kit”, but I never leave anything stock, so in the long run it worked out. The one thing we did do is special order the color; dark blue (same as the Samba). The 2003 color for the Rock and Roll was orange and my bride hates orange.

After riding the tandem off road a few times, I switched out the handlebars. The OEM handlebars were Ritchey risers with SRAM Gripshifters and MTB brake levers. I picked up a MTB mustache bar that were Gripshift friendly and a stem with a steep rise; that’s what we used at Solvang (sorry no photo). Pictured here is a 2002 Samba; it’s basically the same bike with lesser components.

After Solvang we rode one more ride, the Strawberry Fields Ride in Santa Cruz and then rode infrequently after that. The next incarnation started with some bar end shifters I had purchased many years earlier. My original plan for them had long since faded, but they remained in the back of my mind. The Gripshifters and MTB brake levers were never a very elegant solution and I had always wanted to use aero brake levers with V-brakes, aka Tektro Road V-brakes. I decided the handlebars would be Nitto Albatross or Mustache; the bars and brake levers are available for Rivendell. At the time I was putting together , Luisa's Long Haul Trucker and decided to use the brakes and levers (Shimano LX on her bike). This left a need for some V brakes for the tandem. I had always liked the Avid Arch Rivals. Although they are no longer in production, I found a set on ebay and I was set. Arch Rivals were Avid answer to Shimano's Parallel-Link V brakes; very strong and without all the moving parts.

The first set of bars I bought was the Albatross bars. Both the Albatross and Mustache bars are bar end shifter compatible. After I mounted the bars they seemed a little long; hmmmm. Oh I know, I’ll cut them down. Wrong; bad idea. It seems the ends of the bars are internally relieved to accept the bar ends, but only for 2 inches. I cut the ends of the bars off and they were now the same size as the mustache bars, but no longer bar end shifter compatible. Damn. Okay, now I have to order another $70 pair of handlebars. Damn. Oh well, it is what it is.

Anyway, the bars, brakes and shifters went together without incident and blue handlebar tape put it all together. My bride and I did Solvang again this year and it was a blast. The photo shows the most recent build and us riding. Nothing better than quality time with the wife.

Merry Christmas OC

2008-12-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

Well it's been about 4 months since I posted about OC, so I figured I add a few thoughts. OC probably redefines himself twice a month, so it's hard to pin him down. Regardless, if you spent anytime plowing through my OC Journals, you might think OC is definable; he is not. His recent morphs have shown more sophistication than before (like there was little room for him to go the other way) and has raised his level of rhetoric to NYC Bike Snob. His reading "fan" letters has morphed to carrying on a one side conversation with the iconic blogger (how many times can you say Bike Snob in a 5 minute video?). OC has also taken to singing his favorite songs in his videos; I believe this is to attract a GF. As with a 5 YO, this behavior starts out as endearing and entertaining, but is repeated so often, your mind starts to wonder as you start developing a curiosity about waterboarding. Still OC is a force to be reckoned with; he is somewhat famous and I am somewhat not. I have been confused in the past by how OC defines himself, but his search continues and his videos are a testament to the long strange trip he's on.

Merry Christmas from a fan,

onespeed

1993 Bontrager Single Speed Conversion

2008-11-28T00:59:00.000-08:00

A couple years back I came into possession of a early 1990’s Bontrager RaceLight. Somebody had painted it up like a Privateer and rode the shit out of it, leaving nothing of value but the frame. This was to be one of my coolest conversions. The first step was to strip the components down to the frame and then go to the one man that could do the bike justice, Paul Sadoff from Rock Lobster. Now Paul is normally way to busy to do a Single Speed conversion like this, but since he built me a Singlespeed and he still has a soft spot for us Singlespeeders, he agreed to it, as long as I didn’t tell anyone. Well it’s been two years, so I think it’s safe to let the cat out of the bag. Further, I also wanted to chuck the old Manitou shock and make the bike rigid; Paul also agreed to build me a fork. Here I have a shot inside his workshop as he was doing the conversion work. The idea was to “shave” the unneeded stops and weld on some Surly, sub-11 dropouts. To this day I never asked him why he mounted them so low, but I figured he must have known what he was doing.

After the welding was done and the fork was made, it was off to the Powder coater. To make sure my wife would not get all over me for spending too much money on another bike, I choose her favorite color, cobalt (or in this case electric) blue. The result was stunning. The fact that the fork was absolutely first rate and matched the bike with tube diameter and color, made it into one of the best looking conversions I have ever seen; even Paul said it was some of his best work.

The build of the bike was pretty

straightforward. The only original parts I used were the brakes, brake levers, stem and seatpost. The levers were old style rubber coated Suntour and the brakes, DiaComp cantilevers. Since this was a Bonty, the steerer of course was 1 inch and Paul made it threadless at my request. I chose a Cane Creek S2 headset, since they are well made and still one of the lightest in existence. The original stem was 1 inch threadless and I threw on a Bonty RaceLite straight handlebar, Bonty bolt-on grips and bar ends. The cranks were some Bonty ISIS that came of a friends Gary Fisher. The wheel set used a set of Surly SS hubs I had in the parts bin, laced to Sun MACH IVs with Hutchinson Pythons. The seatpost was a Titec/ Bontrager carbon fiber original and the seat was a Bonty Race that came of my 1999 Privateer. It all went together with little problem and I had The ridged SingleSpeed to die for. But it needed to go on a diet. I can't remember for sure, But I think it came in at about 21 lbs; I wanted sub 20lbs, including pedals and water bottle cage. Time to spend some money.

Okay, now I could spend an arm and a leg on a lighter wheelset, but I'm happy with what I got and I like the traditional look; so my first thought was titanium. Oh Yeah! I started off with a bunch of Ti bollts, Ti QR front axle and a hollow rear axle. Now I'm not a big fan of ISIS, but the FSA Ti bottom Bracket was not too pricey. As much as I liked the original Bonty 1" theadless stem, but it was replaced by an Ebay Ibis Ti stem. The Bontrager saddle is as unique as the Bontrager name, but it is heavy and I have developed a liking for classic ti Selle Italia Flites. I took a chance on a minimalist Sette (Price Point) Race-Ti. It turned out to be a good choice; also light and comfy. I didn’t understand why you would judge the weight of a bike without peddles; like they’re not necessary. The only way to deal with this was throw the big money at it; Time ATAC Titan Carbon. $$$$ I have never been much of a weight weenie, so I pretty much had to learn as I was going; after and continued by dragging out a scale and weighing components. My original choice of handlebar was a Bontrager Crow Bar, because I am always trying to convince myself I like riser bars (I really don’t). However I weighed the darn thing and it was heavier than a flat Racelite bar and bar ends combined. Then there were the Bonty Big Al grips. I checked around and found ESI foam grips; very high quality, light and comfy. . Throw in some lighter tubes, a Ti water bottle cage (not shown), a hollow rear axle and you get about 10 gms short of 20 lbs; Mission Accomplished!

The 10 speed Nishiki with FFS

2008-09-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

9/17/2008: Hey, my Nishiki has been posted on Old Ten Speed Gallery; take a look!!

Wow, look at this, another posting within a week of the last.

I have no idea why I bought this bike. The only thing I can think of is that I had just rebuilt an identical frame as a fixie, but most of the bike was trashed. When I looked at this on ebay I saw I could have it for $100 and it looked to be in very good shape. When I received the bike I saw the paint had several scratches that needed some touch-up. Also the drivetrain looked strange. There was some sort of mechanism attached to the crank that allowed the crank arms to turn backwards without moving the chainrings.?? The name on the bike was a “Tourist FFS”. The crank also had a cover over center that said “Shimano FF System”. I thought, okay, what is Shimano’s FF System? I did a Google search, and after clearing out the redirect, I found a 1982 Shimano catalogue from Sheldon Brown’s site that was introducing the FF System.

Per the catalogue; “Shimano’s FF (Front Freewheel) System moves the freewheel mechanism up to the chainwheel- This allows the chain to revolve even when your feet stop pedaling. Now you can shift effortlessly. Smooth FF System shifting can be done while coasting, even with your feet off the pedals. The FF System is a new standard of 10-speed gear shifting performance”.

How does it work? Well like the catalogue said, the chainrings are on a freewheel and the rear cogs are fixed. That way as you coast, the drivetrain keeps moving. More from the catalogue- “The FF System is the result of Shimano’s research on the problems of 10 speed gear changes. The 10-speed bicycle has gained prominence as a recreational and transformational (transformational ?) vehicle. Both young and old enjoy the convenience of multi-speeds, but many new riders have difficulty shifting correctly. Now with the FF System anyone can ride and enjoy the benefits of a multi-speed bicycle.”

Well of course it never caught on and for good reason. This was obviously a gimmick; i.e. a solution looking for a problem; and although I have read they are quite common, this is first one I have ever seen of heard of. Back to the bike on hand.

I said the paint was bad (which is true) but the rest of the bike was in very good condition. All the chrome, with the exception of the spokes, was in great shape. And since most the bike is made of steel that is a good thing. The hubs turned easily and the headset felt solid. The bike then hung in my garage for about 4 months. I was sick enough to miss almost the entire month of August. As I started feeling better my attention returned to the Nishiki. I spent an entire day cleaning the bike. The following day I went after the bearings. The result was very bizarre. When I took the hubs apart there was no sign of grease. The bearings had not only dried out, but there was no evidence there had ever been grease there. Not only that, all the bearings, races and cones looked almost new. There was no need to even clean the bearings, races or cones, as they were all shiny clean. This was also true of the headset and bottom bracket. The only sign of grease was some small brown residue on the top race of the headset. So I packed everything with Phil Wood’s bearing grease, put it back together, and noticed it rolled much quieter.

So, what am I going to do with this bike? Well ride it of course. I may not use it to ride the Solvang Century, but it would make a great commute bike (I commute to work everyday on a bike). OTOH, if some work mate compliments me on the bike, it would not kill me to transfer it to a new owner (something I can not say about any of my other bikes).

Issues and Answers (click on any of these pictures to make them bigger)

There were some bumps. When I got the bike the rear wheel was terribly out of true. I brought it back as best I could, but the old spokes and nipples, they'll never be straight.

The seatpost clamp has a QR and the rear hanger attached to it. This historically is one of the weakest clamp setups and this clamp was no exception. The clamp had been bent so far that I need to Dremel out some metal so the clamp wasn't running into itself.

I noticed that the drivetrain was quite noisy. Now, granted if the entire drivetrain is moving even when you're coasting, you're going to get noise. Turns out some of the noise was coming from the low point of the cage of front derailleur, where the chain was rubbing in first gear. This necessitated moving the derailleurs down about 3mm.

On my first ride after the cleaning, I noticed the handlebar was bent. It was a typical right side crash bend. While I have never tried to straighten a handlebar before, since I was dealing with a steel bar it should be possible. I laid the bike on the left side and threaded a crow bar under the bar where it starts to drop and wrapped the hock part over and around the end of the drop. I then stood on the left drop and pulled. First, nothing but a possible back ache. Again I tried, this time giving my best effort and I felt the bar give. I checked the alignment and it was much better, not perfect, mind you, but at least the brake safety levers lined up.

The Long Haul Trucker (Luisa's Bike)

2008-08-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

This project turned out to be one of my favorites. Not only did I put a bike together but my part specs were all done for for specific purposes, which all played out in the end. This bike is for my other step-daughter Luisa. Lusia is tall, 5’10” and weighs over 200lbs. Most bikes are made for riders 180lbs or less. I wanted a bike that would be user friendly, comfortable and strong.

The first choice was the frame. I decided on the Surly, Long Haul Trucker. The LHT is a very strong steel frame. The frame/fork weighs 1/2 to 1 pound more than other Surly frames; that’s should equate to more steel. Due to female proportions I decided to go big, 60 cm. The stand over might be a snug tall, but top tube needs to be extra long for the sweep back handle bars I’m going to use; using a long stem with these handle bars would be unstable.

Next the wheels. My first choice from the beginning where 48 spoke tandem wheels. I initially ordered some Shimano XT 48 spoke tandem hubs and 700 Sun Rhino Lite rims. For some reason these never arrived. Back to this later.

I recently changed the cockpit on my Burly tandem to a mustache bar with bar ends shifters. The bike originally was set up as a mountain bike with 9 speed grip shifters and while it has 26” wheels, so do Burly tandems set up for road. This left me with the 9 speed shifters and Shimano LX Brake levers for the Surly. I then decided to go ahead and switch out the brakes also, and found some NOS Avid Arch Rivals for the Burly.

The road triple crankset and bottom bracket, both Truvativ affairs came to me in a trade as did the front Shimano Sora triple derailleur. My decision here however was to reduce the crank to a single chainring to keep things simple. TruVativ bottom brackest come with a 5 mm spacer. This allows you to use the same bottom bracket on either a 68 or 73mm bottom bracket housing. The Surly is 68 mm, but I installed it without the spacer anyway. The reason was I wanted to mount the single chainring on the outside of the crank for aesthetic reasons. However this would move the chainline to far outboard, as the middle position is the proper place. By installing the bottom bracket without the spacer, it positioned the crank 5mm more inboard, making the chainline perfect. After that I simply put the spacer on the other side to take up the extra space. I installed the Sora front derailleur just to keep the chain on the chainring and will also be able to upgrade to a front shifter (I kept the original chainrings) if the need should arise later.

Back to the wheels. Since my LBS was unable to come through with the wheels I looked elsewhere. Ebay turned out to be the answer. There I found a set of NOS Shimano 48 spoke 700 Tandem wheels for $200. The only problem was these were 7 Sp. After considering the possibilities for a while I decided to go for the wheels and switch the shifter to a 7 speed. I checked a nearby LBS who has a lot of used parts and he came up with an old 7 speed SRAM shifter for $10. I then order the tires, tubes, new brake pads and a 7 speed cassette. While I already had a cassette and grips, I wanted the cassette to be as wide as possible and found one 32/12. I also found these cool Celtic braid grips and I had to buy them. Other parts came out of the parts bin; an early Ritchey cartridge headset with steel cups, a short 90 deg Salsa stem, and a cushy Avenir gel seat.

While waiting for the rest of the parts to arrive, I started putting the rest of the bike together. No real problems, until I came to the rear derailleur. This derailleur has a strange history. My mom inherited a child’s bike and she wanted to know if it could be fixed so the kids in the neighborhood could use it. I discovered that someone had put a 2000 XT derailleur on the bike, but the main spring had sprung. I switched out the derailleur with one that was working and rebuilt the XT. Unfortunately, when I tried to stretch out the derailleur, the spring popped out again. What followed was an hour of trying to get the thing to work. Finally I decided that something had to be wrong, as these things usually go together and work flawlessly. It was at this time I realized one of the tabs on the spring was bent less then 90 deg. This of course meant that any tension on the spring would cause the tab to pull out. I took a ball peen and pounded the tab to 90 deg. After that the derailleur went together without any more problems; I love it when I figure out stuff like that.

By Friday all the parts had come in, the wheels being the last to arrive. With the exception of the rear derailleur problem I just spoke of, the bike went together beautifully. This was quite fortuitous, as Luisa is visiting from LA, I would be able to let her take it back home with her. The finishing touches were a basket for her little dog, a kickstand, and a speedometer. I liked this bike because everything I wanted to do worked. It should be bullet proof and give her years of riding without problems.

And heres a little movie of Luisa on her new Bike!

The Frankenstein Bike

2008-08-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have three geared mountain bikes now. The first a 1998 Bontrager Sport, which I will show later. The second is a 1993 Barracuda A2T that I bought from a friend a couple years back. But this post is about my newest completed project. A 92-92 Yokota Project USA mountain bike. The idea was simple. I had a need for a small framed mountain bike. A friend at work found this frame and offered it to me. It included the crankset. At first I had some strange idea that I would be able to build the bike from spare parts. First I had a 9 speed SRAM derailleur, shifter and cassette I got in trade for the cranks and derailleurs that came off my Peleton.

Also, I have some an NOS Bonty seat, brake levers, a handlebar and a used set of Panaracer tires thar still had some meat on them. Unfortunately I discovered immediately discovered that I really had nothing else that fit; off to the LBS that sells used parts. I planned on using a threaded fork and found a NOS Tange fork at the LBS. They further had a NOS XT cartridge headset, which are really nice BTW. My bike now had a fork.

I also needed a front derailleur and the LBS just gave me one (cool). The LBS also had one of those funky adjustable stems, which seemed to fit the bike. I looked up and saw a couple of wheelsets. The only one that really fit the bill were some old style XTR/Bontrager wheels. The LBS gave another deal ($100) and I had wheels. The LBS also had a set of Tektro V brakes they had taken off a bike when it was upgraded to discs; $15, score! This LBS did not have a seatpost or seatpost collar, so I checked another (Santa Cruz is so cool). I got a seatpost but no collar. Turns out 30.0 is an off size. I finally had to order one off the web.

Problems and Retro-fit

I thought the headtube was 1 1/8, but it turned out to be 1 ¼. I really don’t know how common 1 1/4 was in the early 90’s but there couldn’t have been a lot of them. I ended up needing a 1 1/4 to 1 1/8 reducer to make it fit.

The crank on the bike was a Standard size, meaning the chainrings were 46/36/24. Back in the middle to late 90’s Shimano switched a compact drivetrain, 42/32/22. They have now switched back, so I needed either a very old or a very new front derailleur to be compatible with the Standard. Fortunately my friend at the LBS had a newer front derailleur. Since it had a 26.8 clamp, which won’t fit on most new bikes since the industry has gone to larger seat tubes, he just through it in for no cost. A little more history here. Shimano's idea of a compact drive train meant smaller chainrings and smaller cassettes They reduced the 5 arm triple crank BCD from 110/74 to 94/58 and then to a 4 arm crank BCD of 104/64. The idea was to reduce weight. However as 9 speed cassettes grew to 34 teeth, there was really no point to the compact cranksets and Shimano went back to Standard size chain rings but stayed with the smaller 104/64 BCD.

The Yokota had three sets of cable stops on the right side. They where meant for the rear brake and derailleurs and the bike had a hanger for cantilever brakes. Since I was going to upgrade to V brakes, I had to run a brake cable down the right side. Unfortunately, I ran out of black cable and had to use white, but that’s easily fixed.

And that was about it. The only other issue was it looked like some had just taken a hammer and pounded off the old headset. I ended up filling the divots, masking the headbadge and repainting the headtube. It was more of a hassle than I thought, until I discovered I needed to wait 48 hours between coats. You can see some of the divots if you click on the seat tube photo.

The bike it not as pretty as my other bikes, but it’s very utilitarian. My wife is 502, my son is 9 and about 409, and I have a step-daughter that’s 506. My Bontrager is can also work with someone short in stature, as they were made very small. With all the bike riding we do as a family, I expect this Frankenstein bike will get lots of use.

Cheers to the Opinionated Cyclist

2008-08-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well now don't I feel bad. My days with the OC are long over and I haven't been paying much attention. In my Opininated Cyclist Journals I was not always complimentary to him but I did admire his creativity, courage and tenacity. Well just when I figured he really didn't give a rat's ass for anything I did to try and help him, he put out this video Tribute to Onespeedbiker*and he really had nothing but nice things about me. I don't know if I could have done what you did. To ignore what I wrote and sing my praises. OC you really showed some of the southern class I heard about. I guess I need to heed my own words, "Keep your words soft and sweet, for you may have to eat them someday". He also made a production video out of a package I sent him, I'm Special....ized!!! *. BTW, he also said I do not post enough, so I'll be posting two bikes within the next week.

PS, OC shut down that porn site; it doesn't reflect well on you .

*Links to OC Vidoes may not work as he is constantly removing and/or re-posting them on YouTube.

The NJS Bike Part 3

2008-06-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a short one. Just to add I picked up a Nitto seatpost, SP72. Probably one of the most beautiful seatposts ever made. Still a little expensive @ $120; fortunately I found one used and in very good shape @ 1/2 the price. I also had some fun making some Bottom Bracket tools to R&R a Tange Steel Levin Bottom Bracket with a Tange NJS Alloy Levin Bottom Bracket.

These are the headset tools I made. The top is a headset cup remover, which is nothing more than a piece of 3/4" copper pipe with 4, 4" slits cut along the sides. All you need to do is pull the ends out a little and it works the same as the Stainless version (you work it into the head tube and pound out the cup). All this for about $2. The second is a headset press. The copper pieces are some plumbing adapters that fit a 1" headset to a "T"; the price is about $6.00. Generally I don't like to install headsets and only install the cups if they are steel. The cup remover worked like a charm.

The press takes a little more finesse, but it does work as long as your very careful. Would I trust myself and these tools on a Chris King? Uh, no. Would I use this system on a Cane Creek S2, which had some of the lightest and fragile cups on the market? What do you think?

This was a steel frame with very tough alloy NJS headset and it went on without any problem; the NJS stamp appears in the stem and headset photo; it is probably the smallest NJS stamp I have ever seen, but it is visible when you click on the photo.

Done!

My 1999 Schwinn Peleton

2008-05-24T20:56:00.001-07:00

In 1999 I bought a Schwinn Peleton. The bike is an 853 steel frame, very graceful S shaped stays, nice electric blue paint with “Schwinn” beautifully incorporated into a contrasting black on white down tube. The gruppo is almost all Shimano Ultegra except for the headset; this becomes an issue later in it’s life.

When I first bought the bike I was married to my ex-wife. The purchase of this bike was an unspoken sore spot in our relationship; added to the already mounting unspoken sore spots. Anyway, the beautiful paint started to chip off. I took it back to my LBS and they apparently had to go through 3 frames before they got a good one.

I then rode the bike for about 2 years until the single speed bug bit me and the bike sat for about 3 years. Then after I met my good friend Mike, I gave him the bike to see if his wife would become a bike spouse. Well that didn’t work and I got the bike back a couple months ago. No worse for wear, it had a Nitto stem and a new set of Conti Ultra Sports.

Now, since I parted with the Peleton my taste in geared bikes has matured. When I bought the bike I had the double crank changed to a triple. While the triple works the way it is supposed to, it is quite clunky needing two additional trim shifts to keep it quiet. Also after seeing the Nitto stem I decided it would look even better with a Nitto seat post and different seat.

First I decided to switch to a compact crank. I think it was the designers at Campagnolo that came up with the idea of a lowered gear crank. Instead of a 52-39 double or 52-42-30 triple, they came up with a 50-34. The 52 is only useful for 28 MPH plus, with a 50-34 you get most the gearing of a triple, without the chunkiness. The compact cranks also come in the new 2-piece with exterior bearings. I decided on the 105 level R600. Once I installed the crank, I found the triple derailleur worked, but not well. I scrounged up a double 9 speed 105 derailleur and after installing it I found that although Shimano says the triple derailleur works, I wouldn’t advise it. I also got two new tools in the process.

The OEM seatpost was a Titec and I changed the seat to a Specialized "Body Geometry" style. In 2008 this would not do. So, next I looked for a Nitto seatpost. The Peleton has a 27mm and I found that short of buying a double bolt NJS seatpost, the other Nitto posts only come in 27.2. Then as luck would have it I found a WEB Store, Peter Whit Cycles, that went to the trouble of ordering 50 Nitto Crystal seatposts so they could have them made on 27mm. SCORE! Now a seat. I first thought Selle Italia as I have the seat on most of my bikes. However, my wife is quite fond of the looks of Brooks saddles I have put on my last two projects. Certainly my wife will agree to fund most any seat, but if she actually likes the seat, well that’s uber cool. Anyway I found a black B-17 narrow that will do the trick.

The 1999 Peleton came with an aluminum fork. The popularity of aluminum forks was very short lived and although it looks nice, a carbon fork is certainly in order. Here I will have to admit I went uber cheap and bought a Nashbar Crabon fork, regularly $150.00, on sale for $80. When the fork came in I immedately pulled out the stem and removed the old fork. I tapped off the crown race and slipped it on the carbon fork; slipped it all the way down where it should have needed to be pressed on. The problem was obvious. Apparently Schwinn got a great deal on these alminum forks, however they were the JIS standard. JIS is an older japanese standard that has pretty much been done away with in place of the almost universal now ISO standard. Although I don’t know for sure, as I have not removed the cups, which are pressed into the headtube, I’m pretty much certain that only the steerer is JIS, as it would make no sense for Schwinn to spec a JIS headtube on such a contemporary bike. However even if the headtube is JIS, JIS headtube interior diameter spec is smaller than ISO, so all that would be necessary is to machine out the headtube to ISO spec.*

added 10.25.2010: The JIS standard has a 27.0 mm ID crown race inside diameter. ISO has a 26.4 ID crown race inside diameter. This means if you have a JIS fork and an ISO frame cups, which is the setup on my Peleton, you can either mill the crown race diameter down from 27.0mm to 26.4 mm (which is very easy and can be done with a hand tool) or find a JIS crown race that is compatible with an ISO headset. My Peleton had a Tange headset setup this way and I have seen them for sale labeled a "30.2/27.0 headset." If you then want to upgrade to an standard fork with an ISO, 26.4mm crown race, you can simply buy a compatible crown race (again Tange will be your best bet) or buy a new threaded ISO headset; I choose to do the latter.

* Turns out that's the whole point. I talked with a parts buyer and it turns out the JIS standard is not so dead. Therefore, many of your lower level forks are made JIS, because as I said before, you can machine it smaller. OTOH if it were made ISO and you needed JIS, you'd have to look elsewhere, so the JIS standard is kept alive.

The headtube also gave me the opportunity to install an Ultegra headset on the bike. As I said before, I wondered at the time why the bike did not have an Ultegra headset and the reason is now obvious; the Ultegra would not have worked with the JIS fork.

Do the Math

Well the Carbon fork has too short. The original steerer was 170 mm (I thought 165). But there was a 7mm spacer so I figured I was set. Not. Turns out the Ultegra headset had a 4mm higher stack height then the OEM Tioga; due the math and I'm 7mm short. So the 160 is in the mail back to Nashbar and the 175mm has been ordered in it's place....

Its about a week later and as you can see it all worked out. I even threw on the short cage rear derailleur to finish it off.

The Opinionated Cyclist Journals

2008-05-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Opinioned Cyclist or “OC” as he likes to be called, is a new born roadie. I first saw my first OC video on YouTube via a link from NYC Bike Snob. OC appears to think that a passion for your sport and a daily bike ride is all you need to be worshipped professional rider; of course that only applies to him. He says in 2005 he watched the TdF (Tour De France) and decided he was going to be a professional rider. Of course, to OC, being a professional rider doesn’t mean you ride fast, or far or train, or enter races; no, it only means someone is going to pay him to ride.

OC made videos on You Tube; I’m talking usually 3 10 minute videos a day. His first videos where pretty entertaining. He would tell us about his trips to Walmart and how he would get his mom to buy things for him. He made a few videos on how he made a reflective vest and a few more on his lower leg protectors; this appeared after he was bit by a dog. He also made a number of "silent" videos, showing some of the rides he takes in North Carolina. These videos were really fun and I found myself liking this strange fellow. He also is trying to sell a car. A 2000 Ford Contour SE. The car has like 175,000 miles and a screwed up dashboard; for that he asking $3000. During this time I sent his $10 on Paypal (I believe I’m still the only person to send him any real money) OC also eats incessantly while he makes his videos. At first I ask him to stop eating, but then I realized that his eating set him apart, so I advised him to keep it up. One of my favorite OC videos is called “Reflections”. In this video he tries to explain how far a pro rider would ride in a week. Naturally he has no idea how pro riders train, and just assumes all they do is ride various distances. So he spends the middle 2 minutes of the video, trying figure how pro riders ride. It kind of went like this: “I usually ride 2 hours a day. I would think the pro-riders ride 4 hours a day, no 6 hours a day average, and maybe one 7-8 hour ride; no, five 4 hours days; no, four 4 hour days and one 2 hours day. Okay, four- 4 hours days, one- 6 hours day, 1 seven hour day and one- I hour rest day.” Toward the end of his video making and to be sure that no one can keep track of his videos he started labeling all of them simply as “v”. At that point I started skipping through the videos and then just stopped watching them altogether.

The reasons I started watching OC's videos are two fold. One is, I said before his videos were entertaining. The second was his bikes. He has 4 bikes; they are all old 70’s American road bikes with American bottom brackets, 26 and 27inch wheels and 21.15 stems and seatposts. Most these bikes are rebranded Huffy’s. The fact is I didn’t even know they made 26” road bikes until I started “working” on his bikes. OC, seems to have this love hate relationship with his bikes. He talks the “steel is real” line and how he despises carbon fiber, and the next moment he talks about how cool it would be to convert his aluminum mountain bike to a road bike. Three of his four bikes are in dis-repair and his “Pride and Joy” is nearing the end of its tire life. Well, me being a diehard mechanic and lover of bikes, could not watch these bikes just sit there un-used. OC may be a loser, but I know if these bikes were fixed up he would ride them. That’s all I needed to know. The result is I sent him three packages of bike parts totaling about $100.

Package #1

His Pride and Joy is probably a Huffy. It has 26x 1 3/8 tires and an American BB. This bike appears to be in relative good working order.

The next bike is a Kingston. I couldn’t find much information about this bike, but it has 27 inch tires and again an American bottom bracket. The only thing wrong with this bike is a blown front tire. Out of all his bikes, this one has index shifting in what Shimano called Positron II. Out of the over 300 videos he has made, he has not told the story of the Kingston and why he has not ridden the bike since the apparent tragedy of riding the bike some distance on a blown tire. For this bike I sent a set of 27” tires, 2 tubes and 1 tube of Slime (he has requested the Slime).

The 4th bike is a JC Penneys bike. This bike is a mess, but it seems this is the bike he wants to ride. The bike has a wielded front fork (“my brother fixed it for me”), a missing brake, a messed up saddle and of course no tires or tubes. For this bike I sent, 2 tubes, a tube of Slime, and an old Dia comp brake I took off my Nishiki. Also included in the Package #1 was a Solvang Century hat, and a some “I Listen to the Opinionated Cyclist” stickers I had made up by Café Press.

The next bike is another Huffy. It appears to be identical to his Pride and Joy, except it has no tires, a bent handlebar and he destroyed some of the spoke nipples on the front wheel using a pair of pliers to try and true the wheel. He has apparently replaced some of the nipples, but is begging for more and says he needs a truing stand. For this bike I sent Package #2, which contained a set of 26x 1 3/8 tires (to also be used on his Pride and Joy if needed), 4- 26 1 3/8” tubes and 2 tubes of Slime.

OC has (or had) a number of web cites, all with the purpose of generating revenue. On of these sites is rideformiles.com. The rideformiles.com was setup so fans of OC could pay him to ride; his goal is 1,000,000 miles. When I first sent these packages to OC, he was shocked that I would require something in return. Apparently he is so deserving, that “No strings attached” should be part of his motto. However, in anticipation of receiving these packages I told OC I wanted the value of the packages in miles; @ $1 @ mile and OC agreed willingly. I gave him a deal, not counting the ridiculously expense cafepress stickers @ $50. He apparently made the 50mile ride (complete with riding on a flat tire again) and posted the event on rideformiles.com.

Package #2 and The Throw Away Letter

Package #2 contained the “Throw Away Letter”. Package #2 also contained the following the following parts for the Penneys bike, a second set of 27x 1 ¼ “ tires, a pair of ½” spindle steel pedals. Included in the post was a letter. The letter simply told him I was done watching his videos and he should hopefully find joy in the process (something he once said then later denounced the concept) and finally to find solace in the path set out for him by God. OC is really all over the board on the subject of God. If you had to summarise his beliefs it would be that only he is allowed to bring up the subject and woe be it to anyone who tries to bring up the subject or comment on it. So, as not to offend OC, I told him it would be better that he not read the letter.

OC, made a few more videos toward the 4 th week of April, which gave me the greater insight in him. The first was a pathetic call for fans. He carried on for 10 minutes in how he had no need for friends, how all he wanted to do was make money and be looked up to as a pro; remembering that the only definition of a pro is you get paid to ride. I’m getting the feeling OC has not done well will friends either. When he made his first Goodies video, you could see that he was very touched that someone would actually send him something. I thought perhaps this scared OC, as he immediately started to look for a way out. Throw Away Letter was exactly what OC what looking for; a way to keep receiving packages from me, but still keep some emotional balance and distance. However it may have been simpler than that (I tend to over analyze everything). The second was at the end of a video where he explained that he wanted to look good in front of his wife, that it was a fan that sent his the parts I sent him, not just a friend. I can totally understand the wife thing, so I followed this up with a letter to OC that said the following;

OC, As you know, someone hijacked the second care package I sent to you and replaced the letter. The counterfeit letter was by some crazed Christian who thought you needed God explained to you. Sorry about that. This mad man was found hiding in the Santa Cruz Post Office and has been sentenced to 30 days of navel contemplation. He also had the gall to call you his friend. OC, I have very few friends, and I can't imagine such a thing with someone of your stature and accomplishments. I am of course just one of your many fans. So please shred that letter and place this in the package as it's true replacement. OC, Here it is, the second Cycling Care package. Included are more tires, tubes and Slime. As you know I only do this because I am a fan and really like old steel bikes. I expect to see these on your bikes soon so OC Can Ride! There will be one more package that will include a fork, stem extender, longer seat post and a few extras. Good luck on all your projects and maybe someday you tell the story of the last Kingston ride. Remember OC, it's all about you so keep it up. Your fan, Brad

April 24, 2008

The latest videos and email I have seen from OC, he is wanting a handlebar for his Huffy. He complained earlier about it being bent but now it has become the subject of several more videos. So, on a whim I rode over the Amsterdam cycles and told Tom Sullivan about OC. He has a friend who watches the shop and I turned him on to OC yesterday. Both of them thought it would be hoot so they chipped in a handlebar for the OC cause. Below is the letter I sent him.

OC, As one of your devoted fans, I went to my LBS (Local Bike Shop) and told them of your need of a handlebar. Dan Sullivan of Amsterdam Cycles graciously donated a very nice handlebar. There is a string attached, he would like you to name one of your videos after his shop and of course mention the shop in the video. I will send you the handlebar in my next package and you can decide. It is a used Sakae Custom, which was the top end Japanese handlebar bar of it's time. It's aluminum, with a classic bend, 41cm wide, with a integral chrome shim. Very Nice New it was a $50 and you can find them sometimes on ebay for about $30. . The bar is bare, so you will need to new bare tap or foam. Also, I saw one of your videos were you said you needed more 27" tubes. I sent you 4, do you need more than that? Remember, the 700's work on 27 inch wheels (the tubes work, not tires!). Since 27" wheels are old school and cheap, the tubes tend to be overpriced; the 700 tubes are 1 inch smaller, work without any problems on 27 inch rims and are cheaper. If for some reason you need more let me know; someone just gave me some tubes that are right up your alley. Brad

Goodie Video #2

After I sent him the email, he posted the second Goodies video and made a video for Dan. This Goodies video was not as good as the first. First was his near psychotic reaction to the Throw Away Letter. A belief that he already knew what was in the letter and it had tainted out relationship forever; I'm sad to say there will be no friendship with OC. In the second Goodies video he forgot I had sent him 4- 700 tubes in the first package; so he started a melt down, thinking he was lacking enough tubes for 4 tires, which gave the remainder of the video a taint of disappointment. He had already received the above email and responded that he was mistaken about the tubes, but apparently he had already made the second Goodies video, so never wanting to miss a chance to make a fool out of himself he posted the video anyway. Regardless, it should keep him going for a few weeks more until he gets the last package. I have a few pre-Slimed 700 Presta tubes I think I throw in just to get rid of them.

My wife heard the story of the welded fork on OC’s JC Penney bike and wants me to do something about it. So I checked out a nearby LBS that has a lot of old stuff and found a nice NOS chromed fork for $20. So I’m making up a third and last package (I’ve already told OC I’m going to take his advice that only non-cyclist and losers watch his videos). Initially when I brought up the new fork he thought it would come with a longer steerer. Although one can do this, it is not the advisable way to add 2-3 inches. I have ordered up a 21.15 stem extender and a longer seat post. This should give him room he needs without having to spend an arm and a leg.

OC receives Package #3

Of course there were some problems. First his brake hanger has a tab that centers the hanger on the steerer. His original fork was drilled rather than notched, so the notch on the hanger is too big. Second, the handle bar I sent is a bit larger then his old one. The clamp size is the same, but the brake levers won’t fit have a 22mm band. Fortunately, there are larger bands (23.2) for the levers readily available. I found them @ a web store for about $2 @ and had them mailed directly to OC. I also threw in another brake hanger.

Package 3.5

Well the brake hanger was a perfect fit but the bands were problematic. There were two bands on the web store site and I mistakenly chose the one without nuts. OC even tried to use some nuts he had lying around, but they wouldn’t fit. I went to Amsterdam Cycles and bought a pair of Diacomp brake levers for $4. The levers have the band and nut OC needs for his brakes. Either way he will have brakes for his bike and this is the last package.

One of the most glaring issues with OC, is he really knows nothing about the cycling culture; every dedicated rider out there is doing what OC is trying to do (that is getting in the best riding shape possible, not trying to get paid for riding). That fact that he takes a 30-mile ride everyday is pretty much meaningless to most cyclists. A truism is the qualities we most despise in others are the qualities we most despise in ourselves. Regardless, OC is either growing, morphing, melting down or a combination.

Bike Snob NYC even talked about the change.

It is for this reason that I was simultaneously concerned and entertained to learn that beloved cyclist personality Opinionated Cyclist has apparently lost his mind. Here he is showing off an artificial kidney he has fashioned from a potato * (All of OC vidoes have dropped off of Youtube). This is but one example of what seems to be the new OC. The rules of decency to which I do my best to adhere prohibit me from sharing with you the subject matter of his many latest posts, though if you visit his Youtube page you can find out for yourself (OC has since moved his entire show to http://opinionatedcyclist.blogspot.com/). I will say that the word "dildo" comes up with alarming frequency, and that it is also used in conjunction with the word "mother." There is also much talk of colons. (Anatomical, not punctuative.)

So its time to unsubscribe my friend.

The only videos that really showed any real passion of understanding of an athletic lifestyle were his videos on running. I would recommend he change his byline to the Opinionated Runner; at least his opinion would be grounded in reality. What’s really sad is he could make money at this. The fact that you he is so opinionated about something he dosen’t understand can be hysterically funny. The problem is, it’s not an act; but it could be. OC has now been reduced to reading letters he has written to himself, saying how great he is. The idea that anyone would think he has accomplished anything in cycling could be hysterical if he didn't seem to take it so seriously. There is also a saying that obscenities are a crutch of the ignorant. Still in all this there is something to OC; a spark of something different. But now I doubt there is any one who is willing to weed through all his BS to find something of value.

And what is he doing now? First he was reading self written letters talking about was a great cyclist he is and that morphed into a Blog that is mostly connections to porn sites. You really can't get lower than that. And yet there was one video that sounded like an earnest new-born Christian. What's with that? OC you are undefinable; and I like that in a person.

OC, if you read this, I'm sorry if it offends you. There have been many versions of this post (as there have been many versions of OC), I have tried remove most of my opinions that would seem mean spirited. I told you at the very beginning that I like watching your videos, without really knowing why. These are my thoughts and ideas and they carry about as much weight as yours do in your blog. Still I wouldn't have spent so much time (and money) with you if I didn't want you to succeed in what ever you are doing (except for the porn). And I give you credit for hanging it all out; something I could never do. I don't have the time, energy or ability to do what you do. Like so many journalist, I go into the battlefield at the end of the battle and kill the survivors.

Onespeed

Teresa-Ann's new (to her) bike

2008-05-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

I have two beautiful step daughters, Luisa and Teresa Ann. Recently, both have showed interest in cycling, so I have obtained bikes for both. This post is about Teresa Ann's new bike. My wife approached me, and knowing I was in need of a spring project, she suggested I put together a bike for Teresa Ann. My first thought was to strip the Ultegra components of a 1999 Schwinn Peleton I have and put it on a smaller frame. However, by the time I figured the price of a new frame and fork, I discovered for a few dollars more I could have a bike put together by a LBS that specializes in putting together bikes. There I saw a complete bike put together for my price for the frame and fork alone. My wife was a little peeved, but she had to succumb to my logic and we bought the bike.

I would mention the bike shop, as the owners and I are on a first name basis, but one of this points of this blog is the problems with the bike. What really cemented the deal was the owner offered to buy a smaller frame, so the bike would better fit Teresa-Ann. I was first concerned that the owner would be losing money on the deal, until he told me some other customer came in a short time later and wanted a bike built up on the first frame. The bike we ended up with is gorgeous. It starts with a Soma frame. Soma is a San Francisco company that has some really nice frames made up in Tiawan. There are a lot of Tiawan frames out there made under the names of Surly, Zion and even Rivendale; you pretty much get what you pay for and the Soma's are on the higher end. The gruppo is pretty much used Ultegra with a TruVativ triple crank. The wheeset is Shimano's lower end SH-2200. The fork is a carbon Bontrager 110.

When I walked into the shop to pick up the bike I noticed the rear brake pads were mounted too high, and rubbing on the bead. The problem became immediately obvious; the frame required a long reach brake. Now, although both frames were made by Soma, the geometry of the two frames are different. The issue was, the owner was ready to hand the bike over as is, and he had to know of the problem.... Okay, maybe he didn't. Maybe he was so busy it just didn't register. He first offered to machine the brake arms so the bike could be ridden until a new caliper could be found. This was on Friday, so he said the brake would be ready on Monday.

Well Tuesday came and went and the brake was not fixed. The owner said he was having problems getting the long reach caliper. Further it was being ordered from Shimano and would be in in a couple of days. Well it didn't come in Wednesday, Thursday of Friday. And it didn't come in Monday-Thursday. I called again on Friday and was first told it was still not in, then the owner called back, saying the brake had came in the the bike was finally ready. My wife and I went in to pick up the bike, new long reach braked caliper and all.

As usual my first thing was to clean the bike from front to back. The drive train was fairly dirty and the chain just seemed off. Here's the reader digest on chains. First, to remove a chain you usually need a chain breaker or press to push out one of the pins. There are basically 4 muti-speed chain pin sizes; 7.3mm for 5-7 speed chains; 7.2 mm for 7-8 speed chains and 6.6 mm for 9 speed chains; and 6.1 mm for 10 speed chains.
Theses numbers are for KMC chains, model Z 50 (7.3), Z.51 (7.2), Z9 (6.6) and Z10 (6.1). There are a few variations, i.e the SRAM 8 speed chain is 7.0. Multi-speed chains are generally riveted together and unless you have a "connector" of sorts, you will weaken the chain by pressing out a pin and re-using the pin to put the chain back together. SRAM makes a re-usable connector called a Power-link, KMC makes a one time a connector called a Missing Link, and Shimano uses replaceable pins.

Saying all that, the chain was a KMC. I cleaned the chain and planned on using a SRAM Missing Link to put it back together. First I tried the the SRAM 9 spd; hmmm the chain is too fat. Then a tried the SRAM 8 spd; still, the chain is too fat. Okay, the KMC 8 spd is 7.2mm, the SRAM 8sp is 7mm, but this is for a 9 spd system; out comes the the caliper, 7.3! The difference in price is not lost on me. A KMC 9 speed chain runs about $14, the 8 speed is $9 and the 7 speed is $7. Hey, I admit the fat chain seemed to be working. Still, no one has actually put any time on the bike, so I'm sure the mismatch would have showed up sooner than later (It's amazing how well drivetrains work on a stand). When it come to multi-speed drivetrains I like to stay brand specific.

This bike has Shimano 9 speed shifters, Shimano 9 speed derailleurs, a Shimano 9 speed rear cluster and a Truvativ crankset. The best chain for this system would obviously be a Shimano 9 speed chain. The best prices I have seen are almost always the top of the line Dura Ace/XTR for about $25. That's what I had and that's what I used. I don't think the owner of my LBS purposely used a 7 speed chain (you can't tell the difference without a caliper), but the price difference is at least $7 and in my case, $19. What are you going to do? As usual the bike is not finished yet. The idea hit me that I could switch the Ultegra triple off the Schwinn and install a new compact double on the Schwinn. I found the crank on sale for $130 so it's a done deal.

Solvang

2008-03-27T12:12:00.001-07:00

Solvang is always been the big ride I look forward to every year. The last three years have been tough. 2 years ago I was ailing. I made the ride with thunder, lightening and hail. Last year I had 5 broken ribs and it was the first time I missed the ride in over 15 years. This year life got in the way again and I only rode the 50. OTOH, I have been riding a single speed/ fixed gear for the last 7 years and was competing in mountain bike rides in including the Police Olympics and the Sea Otter, during the same period; the Police Olympics resulted in a 2 Bronze and a Silver medal. Anyway I thought I'd share some Solvang photos from 5 years ago (if you click on the photos they get bigger). Most of the pictures are of Foxen and Ballard Canyons, which are the last 40 miles of the ride. First here's the climbing graph from the ride web site.

The first picture however is on the route from Lompoc to Santa Maria.

Below is the SAG stop @ Santa Maria; 60 miles into the ride.

Now we start Foxen Canyon. The route starts off flat and slowly starts to climb.

Foxen Canyon just prior to the 70 mile SAG.

The Foxen Canyon SAG.

Foxen Canyon; time to start climbing.

Foxen Canyon and one of the windmills

Foxen Canyon; one of the climbs takes it's toll

Foxen Canyon after the last big climb.

Ballard Canyon looking back after the switchbacks.

Ballard Canyon looking down the other side.

Solvang, the finish line.

But my favorite by far was 5 years ago when my wife and I rode the Solvang Century on our tandem. I'm hoping that will happen again soon.

Cheating a 50

2008-03-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has spent any time riding bicycles understands the concept of cheating a 50. You may not have called it “cheating” and even realized you were doing such a thing, but it was simply doing the same thing by a different name. “Cheating a fifty” came from my ex-wife's brother Randy. He is a natural athlete who was able to keep up with his wife on 50-mile rides, even though she was a world-class tri-athlete. Sponsored rides are usually geared toward a century or 100-mile bike ride. Most Century rides also have a 50 mile rides and sometimes “metric centuries” (65 miles). The challenge of a 100-mile bike is multi-faceted. First it’s just longer. If you average 50-mile ride for a “slowski” like me is say 3.5 to 4 hours; a 100 miles may take you 8 hours. There is also the obvious fact that a longer ride also means you need to be in better shape. Just because one can ride a fast mini-triathlon (25 mile ride), doesn’t mean their time in an iron man would simply be 4 times longer. What seems to be the culprit here is the breakdown of glycogen. In other words, the average person carries around with them about 2 hours of riding. That can easily be doubled if you take a couple of rides @ week. So most riders have a 4 hour 50 mile ride in them. 100 miles? Well that’s a different story. In order to ride 100 miles, you are going to ride enough, so your system can convert what you eat into usable glycogen. In other words, it takes most folks about 10 hours to convert what you eat into usable energy. To ride a 100 miles you are going to need to convert what you eat into energy in about 3-4 hours. This takes a lot of hours of riding. If you have been putting in a handful of 30-40 mile rides a month, you will be able to cheat a 50 miler. However you will probably seriously bonk a 100.

With all that said I cheated a 50 @ Solvang this year. Due to a combination of heath problems and overtime, I have not been able to put in the rides necessary I would normally need to complete the Century. For those that do not know I ride on a fixed gear, so conditioning becomes more of an issue, then if you have bail out gears. Further, I have been experimenting with toe clips, which reduce once climbing ability (I am told) by 30%. I can testify to that as 5 days earlier I tried a training ride in Canyon Country, CA (near Los Angeles). These were my old stomping grounds, 17 years ago. The rides there are almost always windy and very dry. The ride I chose is from the southern tip of Palmdale, down Sierra Hwy to Sand Cyn and back Soledad Cyn (60 mi). Unfortunately the return trip was into 30 MPH winds. I bonked about 5 mi from the end and I had to walk several of the steeper hills; something I never do. This ride convinced me that not only could I not ride the century, even if I rode just the last 40 miles from Santa Maria, I probably would not have been able to climb the two big hills at the end. Hence, I rode the Solvang 50 miles.

The ride was a sign from heaven. From the beginning to the end it was windy, but I had the strength to finish; a beautiful day and an enjoyable ride. I had the strenght I needed and finished with strength to spare. God is good. I was able to start a little earlier, about 8:30 AM and rolled in about 3.5 hours later. The last time I rode the Solvang 50, the route between Solvang and Lompoc (same as the 100mi), used Santa Rosa Rd both ways; this resulted in an uninspiring ride. This time the route took us back using Hwy 246, which a circular and much better route. I don't know how long the 50 mi ride has used this route, since, as I said I always ride the Century Route (except the one previous time about 15 years ago), and if I am in the same place next year as I was this year, I would look forward to the ride again.

That is not to say the century has never changed. The ride used to go through Vandenberg but that ended with 9/11. This ride also took the riders up Harris Grade, which added 1000 feet of climbing to the ride. Currently the route from Lompoc to Santa Maria is on Cabrillo Hwy. Not a bad route, but you still end up on a "freeway" type highway for part of the ride. The meat and potatoes part of the ride (coming from a vegetarian) is Foxen Cyn; 25 miles of a gradual incline, a beautiful country road through pastures and vineyards. Foxen Cyn ends with two steep climbs at the 80 and 85 mile mark. I have ridden this ride maybe 18 times.

The other highlights of this ride is you get a patch at the end of every ride and they used to give you 2 tickets good for a soft drink or beer. Yes they used to give you 2 beers at the end of the ride. That ended about 10 years ago, they still have beer but you have to pay for it. Lodging there is also an issue. Since my present wife wants to travel with me and even rode the ride one year on out tandem, I have had to make sure I have quality lodging; spending the night in a Motel 6 is my wife's definition of roughing it. So for the last 4 years we have rented the same room, which we reserve especially for the occasion. Anyway, with my job, wife and kids, I probably have less time to ride now then in the last 10 years of my life. No Matter. I will still have Solvang to look forward to and to keep me riding; my wife also has a renewed interest in riding again so this year is already looking up! God is good

Brad

The ugliest hipster bike; rattle-can stolen

2008-02-11T11:59:00.001-08:00

This is the ugliest hipster bicycle I have ever seen posted on the Internet. I don’t remember where I found it but the photo is called criticalmasstheultimateweapon. I have actually lobbied in the City of Santa Cruz to make this bike illegal! That’s right ILLEGAL!. If you were found in possession of a bike that looked like this the bike would be seized for destruction and owner jailed. I am not kidding here. I work for the police department and run a web site that is a clearinghouse for bike stolen in the county. http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pd/index.html. The most common form of bike thievery is when someone steals a bike and paints it haphazardly in order to disguise it true identity. About 80% of the homeless and criminals in Santa Cruz are riding on bicycles that either have had the brand decals scrapped off in an obvious attempt to disguise the bike, or the bike has been haphazardly painted (over the bearing and seals and spokes) for the same reason.

Due to the above I presented to the City Council a proposed law, the would first, make it illegal to possess a bicycle, where someone has specifically scrapped of the identifying marking on a bicycle, with the obvious intent to obscure the make. The law would also outlaw the haphazard painting of a bicycle for the same reasons; bikes where someone had shown due care, such as masking off the headset, bottom brackets, seatpost, stem, cranks or wheels would be excepted.

Now look at this bike. The owner has painted over the seat tube and seat clamp! Further, it appears he painted over the bottom bracket, he painted over the headset (upper and lower), and there appears to be over spray on the stem! This bike should be illegal to own! Don’t let this happen to you. Don’t risk arrest because you have no concept on how to repaint a bike to improve the aesthetics. This guy is hiding something. I don’t know what it is. I am trying to resist accusing this guy of trying to cover up the fact that he might have met Pedro on the levy and bought the bike for $20. Regardless. Everyone has a roll of masking tape in their junk drawer. If you must rattle can your bike. Mask it! Don’t paint over the seat post clamp, you may have to adjust it some day. Don’t spray paint over the bottom bracket and headset bearings. You need to do periodic maintenance on the bearings. But finally take some pride in your bike. A hipster bike is supposed to look, well hip; not rattle-can stolen.

The Soma Bike is Done!

2008-02-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

Frame: Soma Rush (55cm); Fork: Threaded Tange steel; Headset: Tange Levin engraved; Bottom Bracket: Shimano Dura Ace (NJS) cups/bearings, Campagnolo spindle; Crank: Shimano Track (NJS); Pedals: MKS (NJS); Toeclips: Soma; Straps: Toshi; Handlebars: Nitto (NJS); Stem: Nitto (NJS); Rims: Tubular Araya (NJS); Spokes/Nipples: DT 15g; Hubs: Suzue Pro Max (NJS)Tires: Vittoria CX; Wheels: 3 cross front/ 4 cross rear; Cogs:18T (Soma), 16T (Shimano)(NJS); Seat post: Soma; Seat: Brooks; Brake caliper: Tektro; Brake lever: Soma.

The bike is sleek, smooth and white. If using a NJS part made sense I used it, otherwise I went with Soma or Tange. I have a few more NJS parts but I perferred the bike this way. The saddle is a wonder. My best friend and riding buddy handed over this beautiful Brooks B17 Sprinter. For those of you that don't know, the Sprinter was the defacto saddle for track racers in the 50's. The saddle was introduced in the 1925 and was produced for 30 years. Brooks is now making a collectors version of the saddle with a Ti frame. It's a very cool saddle.

Is a bike really ever done? This post is over 4 months old and I'm still tweaking it. If you remember back @ http://onespeedbiker.blogspot.com/2007/11/njs-part-3-threadless-steerers-suck.html I said a $160 seatpost was over the top; and I still agree. However, what if you can get the $160 seatpost for say $60? and here it is! A Nitto SP72; considered by many the nicest seatpost ever made. Unless you are holding this seatpost in your hand, you can't imagine how nice it really is. The minor marks you see is the result of the seat post being inserted into a seat tube a couple of times. I bought it used from Japan for $67.20 shipped.

The Nishiki conversion; it lives!

2008-01-20T17:57:00.000-08:00

A more intelligent person probably would have kept the frame and thrown the rest away. I still think that would have been easier. There are also some badly rusted chrome parts that did not clean up well. Still I really like the old Dia Comp parts. As usual as the build took shape some of my plans changed.

I discussed the wheels earlier, which are the original Araya 27” hoops and one Shimano 333 hub (front). The rear is a Formula loose ball fixed/fixed hub. Further I bought a Surly 22T cog and lockring. I also replaced all the spokes; the front spokes were extras from another build and the rear spokes came (along with some extra long nipples).

Frame wise, I ended up stripping off the my rattle can copper paint, which was an awful looking color for the frame anyway. I entertained trying the rattle can approach again with a different color and then came to my senses and took the frame to the powder coater. Okay, $100 is a bit much for this project, but I won't have to deal with it again and it will look really nice. My first choice was a burnished brass, but gold metallics require a clear coat and that’s another $60. Turns out my son got his first choice, with a dark green metallic (my other green bike is an emerald green).

Second there were these pedals. I actually threw away these OEM pedals (twice!) before I took a wire wheel to them and knocked off all the rust. Mechanically they work as a well as new, but the rust really did a job on the chrome. I was left obsessing over a set of Kyokuto pedals. I have seen them in several incarnations. The first is the all steel version I was dealing with, which include a strap guide on the outer edge of the cage. I tried using theses guides but they did not put strap in a postion that seemed shoe friendly. There is also NJS style, which have an abreviated aluminum cages. The NJS style also have rivets that hold on the cage on the body, all the other versions use a tab on the body through a slit in the cage. There is an aluminum caged version with no flip tab and another that does. I checked eaby for a better set, but had trouble finding a pair for less than $50. Then lo and behold I finally managed to find the above pair for $16.50. These have an aluminum cage with a flip tap.

The Nishiki also has a Suntour Sakae steel chromed headset. While in better condition than the pedals, the chrome on top lockring took the brunt of the corrosion. The lockring is also made for a 21.1 stem? The stem steps down from 22.1. After a little investigation I discovered this the use of a 21.1 stem is common on BMX and crusier. If I wanted a replacement, I would best look for a Crusier style headset. In the mena time I bought a similar style JIS Bottom bracket that tuned out to be mismarked (this was before I realized the need for a 21.1 top lock ring. I was able to send that back, but I replaced it with a much cheaper BMX headset, where the top lockring fit, but was a might puny. I may just stay with what I have (it's not THAT bad). The bottom bracket was in questionable condition with the spindle races being pretty shot, but the cups were pretty smooth. The owner of one of the LBS(s) in town, is a friend who lets me rummage around through most his old parts bins. He used to charge me a nominal fee, now he just lets me have them gratis. The original spindle had threaded studs at the ends and was asymmetrical. I found a replacement spindle and the short side fit pretty close, but I was hoping for perfection.

The Maxy crank has a pressed on 52 tooth chain ring and is therefore flat on the mounting side. To get a perfect chain line, I needed a spindle a few millimeters smaller. I poked around in the LBS and after trying about 8 spindles, I finally found one that gave me a 1mm gap. The Bottom Bracket itself was Tange, but there was something I didn’t like how the bearings (or the bearing cage) fit into the cups. I had some Sakae cups that seemed to like the bearing cages much better so I used them.

The chain was just an NOS Parts bin 3/32 KMC. The handle bar was a chromed Champion drop bar (this bike originally had a much narrower aluminum bar; but I happened upon this bar as a replacement) that is OEM on Nishiki(s) along with the Dia Compe center pull (770) brake caliper and the classic Dia Compe lever with the "safety" bar. The 770 brakes are still available and a good compromise for those who want cantilevers but don't have the bosses. The OEM seat was shot and I temporarily replaced it from the old parts bin seat.

I really like the look of the Dia Compe brake hanger and release. Rust really hurt the aesthetics of these parts, but I managed to find similar replacements on Ebay. OEM Replacements. The difference may not seem like much, but in real life it was worth the $20 extra dollars. The original budget was estimated @ $100. The was pretty much dashed when it turned out both hubs need to be replaced; fortunately a friend supplied me with a front hub gratis. Also the original paint job was supposed to be rattle can. When that didn't work out the budget was blown out of the water when I deceided to powder coat the frame.

Rear hub- $ 40
spokes/nipples $ 20
cog and lockring $ 50
Powder coat $100
Brake hanger $20
Pedals $25

So we're looking @ $235.

Still not done. Nope. Since these photos were taken I have already added a grip to the handle bars and will soon add the new pedals. Also the old tires are trash. Fortunately 27" tires are dirt cheap. Finally I took the bike by an LBS that has helped me with some parts. After much appreciated praise, he had a question of criticism; where's the leather saddle? And of course he's right. A true hipster bike needs a leather (aka brooks/ ) saddle. For a while I have had my eye on a brooks B-17 Special; green w/copper rivets in mind. While you may see them for $80, they are back ordered. A search found the best one in stock for about $100. So;

Brooks seat- $100.00
Tires-$16

All the above items are on order. So I am probably looking at about $370 after tax and license. I will add more photos when it's together.

And here they are! As finished as it's likely to get.

My first ride on these tires show this bike to be a pig. That's right, at only 63 gear inches (52/22) it's like riding through the mud on smooth pavement. Of course, that doesn't really matter, it's all about the joy of riding it. OTOH the Brooks saddle is surprizingly comfortable. I didn't really expect much, so I am quite pleased.

It was a bike to die for

2008-01-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

On 01.09.08 a young man by the name of Lucian Gregg crashed his fixie bike and died. The location of the crash was E.Cliff and Jessie, which is only about 80 yards from where I crashed my bike a year ago. The local rag ran a few articles about fixies. This was a response I considered. Prior to submitting a response, some fool sent a letter to the editor claiming the crash was the fault of the trucker, who probably passed the biker and turned right in front of him. All the evidence points to the probability that the truck driver was well ahead of the biker prior to the crash. A witness saw the truck's brake lights come on along with it's turn signal, giving the bicyclist more than enough time to stop. Unfortunately the biker seemed to not notice the actions of the truck until it was too late. Hear is my reply:

After reading your article on the “fixie fad”, I thought I might clarify a few points over looked by I.A.Stewart. I am a League of American Cyclist certified instructor. I'm an avid cyclist and bike mechanic for over 30 years; for last 7 years I have been riding a fixed gear bike. I also have commuted to work for the last 5 years on the same stretch of road where this accident happened and a year ago (before it was re-surfaced), I crashed breaking 5 ribs. Having a brake made no difference (I hit a newly formed pot hole); wearing a helmet probably saved my life.

In IA Stewart's article he says “Fixies originally developed for racing indoor velodromes". The truth is closer to Josh Long’s comment that fied gear bikes are, “what people have been riding for 150 years". The first bicycles did not have freewheels (the part of the hub that lets you coast), which have only been around for about 100 years. Riding a fixed gear gives one the same pleasure as driving a Model A down the street. It is the riding without brakes that came from the velodromes, and that’s truly where it belongs. To rely on skidding the rear tire for emergency stopping is the realm of the young and stupid (stupid meaning without life experience). A brake on the front wheel, allow the front tire to do about 80% of the stopping. Stopping with just a rear “brake” reduces your stopping ability by the same amount. When I was a kid, most bikes ridden by children my age, had coaster brakes. These brakes are most like stopping a brakeless fixie, as it relies on the chain, pedals and rear tire to stop, but has the added advantage of letting you coast. But as anyone who ever tried to stop a pedal brake knows, they also were very inefficient, as you could skid the rear tire with no effort at all; and when the tire is skidding it is not stopping. What happens in a skid is the tire material is ground off the tire and becomes little balls between the road and the tire. Add to that that a fixie road tire has half the tire patch (the part of the tire that is in contact with the road) and twice the rolling energy (caused by a larger wheel diameter) as your average Stin ray or BMX tire, and you are not going to stop very efficiently.

The bike had *Velocity rims, *Formula hubs and *Sugino cranks (* high end parts popular with fixie riders) but no brakes; it was a bike to die for. Today the bike community mourns the loss of another one of it’s own; his youth makes the loss even more painful. Make no mistake, that the lack of a brake caused this accident and most likely Lucian’s death. Much had already been said within the biking community about the foolishness of riding without brakes on a fixed gear bike, hopefully this will start a meaningful dialog that will prevent another loss of life.*

Brad

The NJS Plan Changes

2007-12-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

I'm still waiting for the fork to come back from the painters; turns out the powder coater does not have a pearl white, so they will paint it a standard white and send it to a "wet" painter to for a coat of pearl clear. Then there is the topic of the crank. As I explained in an earlier post, I bought a beautiful NOS Suntour Superbe Pro. Unfortunately it was only the right side and in 165mm. 165mm is certainly the perfect size for a track crank, but it's also close to track specific. Now the Suntour cranks is also NJS, which means it connects to an ISO bottom Bracket Spindle. For those of you that don't know, the Industry standard for most square taper spindles in the US is JIS (the use of the JIS standard for spindles was driven by Shimano, which is confusing since they used the ISO standard for everything else). ISO is used by Campagnolo and some older European component makers; it is also the standard used for most track gruppos. The two standards are not in-compatible; ISO is a little smaller than JIS, meaning if you slide a JIS crank arm on a ISO spindle, the crank arm will stop about 4-5 mm farther then where an ISO crank arm would stop. If you have a worn crank, then you may run out of spindle. This is where the 165mm length comes into play. I figured I just pick-up a left Campy crank arm until I could find another Superbe. The problem is (as I said) 165mm is usually made for track, so the only left crank arms out there are 170's. I ended up with a Shimano 165mm crank arm. It was a beautiful Dura Ace, but it is JIS. The crank arm was new, so difference on the spindle was an acceptable 3-4 mm. I rode it this way for a few rides, but the fact that my bike had mis-matched standards weighed heavily on my mind.

Most of the parts I have accumulated for this project has been from Internet stores. One I pointed out earlier, was Rider Paradise. Unfortunately this site has dwindled to offering no parts at all. To take it's place I have been checking out njs-keirin.blogspot and njsframes.blogspot. Finally I found a Dura Ace crank on njs-keirin. $207 (+$25 shipping) for the crank, pedals and NJS straps. This was a great deal. The Dura Ace track cranks are NJS and really, really nice; certainly as nice as the Suntour cranks and I have both arms! The pedals are MKS Custom Nuevo(s).

Unfortunately I made a small mistake. I noticed the spindle of the right pedal was hanging up a little. Most likely it's a slight manufacturing defect. I took the pedal apart and took a Dremal bit to the exterior plastic seal; I could see a small polished portion on the spindle where the two were rubbing. The Dremal seemed to do the trick. I then noticed the same problem on the left side. This time I had a problem with the bolt that attached the spindle to the pedal. The pedals have two cartridge bearings pressed into the body and the spindle slides into the bearings. The spindle is held in place with a allen screw. With the right pedal, I needed to put the allen wrench in a vise and turn the spindle with a pedal wrench to loosen it. With the left pedal it seemed to be taking more torque than the left; then SNAP! Oh no. It turns out the screw was left hand threaded. The following day was a waste of about 8 hours trying to locate a replacement screw. I ended up with three options. 1) Throw the pedals away and buy some Soma Hellyer (RX-1 copies) for $70 (my original plan before I bought the used Custom Nuevo(s). 2) njs-keirin.blogspot has a set of beat up RX-1(s) for $35 (plus $25 shipping). The administrator of njs-keirin.blogspot has offered to sell me the pedals at a discount. 3) I found a Web store that will sell me a new set of axles (w/ right and left hand threaded allen screws) for $45. While the third is not the cheapest alternative, it should solve the original problem of the bent axles, plus replace the broken left handed screw.

The choice was determined by njs-keirin.blogspot as they offred to sell me the pedals for $5 plus the $25 shipping. . At this point I must admit that these pedals are not for the Keirin bike. As mentioned earlier, I have already bought a new pair of MKS Custom Royal Nuevo pedals for the NJS bike. The Royal Nuevo(s) are different as they have loose ball bearings; very cool. The used pedal will be for the green machine (my first fixed gear bike). The only real issue will be if the axles are compatible. Custom Nuevo(s) and RX-1 both have cartridge bearings and I'm guessing the spindles (bolts) and bearings are the same. The RX-1(s) have a more abbreviated cage than either the Custom Nuevo(s) and the pedals have different thread pattern for the cages. Best case scenario is the spindles will not only be compatible but in better shape. Regardless all I really expect is a left handed bolt that will work. I'll advise.

Well it worked. I got the pedals in short order and the left pedal had the left handed threaded screw I needed. The Custom Nuevo(s) are now functioning and I have installed them on the green machine. The RX-1 left pedal is a different story. It looks like it was in an accident and then used as a fishing weight for a while; and were talking ocean fishing here. The right pedal on the other hand was in good shape. The two obviously have different histories. While were on the subject of pedals, I bought a set of Christopher toeclips and straps (white) and I plan on using these on the track bike. The NJS bike has has become more of a concept bike. At first the idea of building a bike that could certified and ridden on a Keirin track sounded cool. However, as I have putting the bike together, I realized it would lose all personality and end up being one of the hundreds that are lined up in the basement of a Keirin track waiting to be ridden. I think I can understand why the Keirin racers treat their bikes with so much disdain. So here is the current line-up.

Frame: Soma Rush 55cm
Fork: Threaded Tange steel
Headset: Tange Levin engraved
Bottom bracket: Shimano Dura Ace (NJS) cups/bearings; Campagnolo spindle
Crank: Shimano Track (NJS)
Pedals: MKS (NJS)
Toeclips/straps: Lapize
Handlebars: Nitto (NJS)
Stem: Nitto (NJS)
Rims: Tubular Araya (NJS)
Spokes/Nipples: DT 15g
Hubs: Suzue Pro Max (NJS)
Tires: Vittoria CX
Wheels: 3 cross front/ 4 cross rear
Cogs:18T (Soma), 16T (Shimano)(NJS)
Seat post: Soma
Seat: Soma
Brake caliper: Tektro
Brake lever: Soma

Still waiting for the fork, then ...

The Nishiki conversion

2007-12-28T22:00:00.000-08:00

It’s a common idea, convert an old Nishki to a fixie. My 9 YO found this old bike on the side of the road with a sign that said, “Take me, I just need a little TLC”. Well the bike obviously needed much more than that. Still, it had a steel frame and I’m always up for a new project; especially if it’s has something to do with my son. But this bike was on the edge. The rule of thumb is the worse the bike, the more money to bring it back; this bike just about killed me. The wheels were shot; first I figured I could just R and R with new spokes. A good plan because even though I have been wrenching for about 20 years I have not built a wheel; the curse of having a really good wheel man. I figured I’d end up with a classic suicide fixie hub.

Unfortunately both hubs had cracks around the spoke holes. I ordered a fixed/fixed Formula hub for about $40 and a friend turned me on to a similar front wheel with the same Shimano 333 hub. The rims were the old aluminum Araya type. New they have a mirror polish, but even aluminum polish couldn't bring these back; so I opted for a stain finish via a wire wheel. I already had the spokes for one wheel and by the time I ordered spokes for the other and figured out the spokes for both wheels were a couple millimeters too short, I ended up buying some 16mm nipples, but still rebuilt both wheels 3-4 times. . I can now claim the ability to build an acceptable wheel.

Next came the drive train. Like all old Sakae cranks, the big chain ring is pressed on and the inside is bolted to the big ring. If one is to have a clean looking drive train you’re stuck with a 52T chainring. The bottom bracket (Sugino) was not in too bad a shape. The spindle was shoot, but fortunately the old spindles are pretty easy to come by. I replaced a few ball bearings on the drive side and it was ready to go. While I was dealing with bearings I also rebuilt the headset. Both the bearing cages were pretty much dissolved. Even though Sheldon Brown says they are not necessary, a quick trip to a small time LBS fixed me up with some replacements.
Now the frame. I gave my son the choice of color; almost. He gets up to three picks and can veto 2. His first choice was green, but I have a green bike already so we ended up with copper. I worked for 15 years in a paint shop so I have my standards. Still I figured I could do a rattle can job that would look nice. I bought some Rustoleum paint and soon found out the limitations. Turns out Rustoleum paint is not compatible with any paint containing acetone; and of course I used a primer with acetone. The paint wrinkled up in a number of spots, but they sanded out okay and I put on a couple coats of clear. Unfortunately I missed one spot with the copper behind the seat tube and when I tried painting over the clear, it was a disaster.

The handlebars have one of the strangest bends I have ever seen. Still, I'm sure a flop and chop will work just fine. The brake levers look pretty beat up, but they are aluminum and should still clean up pretty good. At first I considered the pedals are shot so bad that they would never look right again short of painting them. However after more work with a wire brush and cleaning/ repacking the bearings I have decided they are good enough to use.

Of course there was a lot of Dremal work with a wire wheel on other parts as well. Most the of the chrome was shot but the aluminum shined up pretty good.

Talking about bad chrome, Dia Compe has a very cool old school brake hangers and releases on this bike. Unfortunately, much of it is chromed, which leaves many of these remaining hangers badly rusted. I cleaned them the best as I could and this was the result. The front hanger and rear release tab needed to be painted silver. They may not look too bad to you but they end up being the focal point of the bike because they look so bad; then I found these on ebay. Granted they are a slightly different design, but the chrome is still intact and they still have a the old style release. At this point there are some decisions to be made and possibly a few more upgrades. The high point here are the wheels; I laced and trued the wheels myself. First time. Cool.

The NJS Part 3; Threadless Steerers suck..

2007-11-28T19:08:00.000-08:00

I have decided to go with a Soma Rush frame. The price is right ($375) and I can pick one up in San Francisco (road trip) and they come in Pearl. At first I thought of going with a Soma fork but two things turned me off. #1, they don't come in Pearl; Red, Black or Chrome. Okay maybe the Chrome would work, but I wanted Pearl. #2 they only come threadless. No matter what you choose, aesthetically a threadless fork on a road bike, especially a track bike looks like a compromise. A quill stem simply belongs on a track bike. The only reason for unthreaded forks on metal road bikes is money. Threaded steerers have to come in different sizes to match the head tube, threadless is one size fits all. But that does leave me in need of a threaded fork. Once again Paul @ Rocklobster is going to bail me out. Apparently, back some years, Kestral went from steel to carbon fiber forks. Paul bought up all there stock of Tange steel threaded forks. He going to give a great deal on one and after a trip to the powder coater, I figure it will cost me about 1/2 the cost Soma fork. As a matter of fact, for a few dollars more, Paul would have made me a fork, which I figured was overkill for the frame.

I also ordered a Soma seatpost and white seat. The result was an email saying they were out of the Ensho seat I ordered in white. They have a stripped down version called a Kamisori. I'm actually quite fond of stripped down saddles so I just changed my order. The stem is nothing to rave about but it looks nice, it has the Soma logo and if there is one NJS part that seems like overkill it's $160 for a stem.

Also I have received the first Vittoria CX tire. I also bought 2 on an ebay auction for $140 and bought a 3rd with a free tube of glue for 83$ from aspirevelotech.com. By the time you add in free shipping they aren't a bad deal. As I said before the CX's are very nice, compared to the CR's @ half the price, the CX's are 3 times better. You do get what you pay for.

More to come

NJS bike; What's going right; crankset (kinda)

2007-11-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

When I was looking for a NJS crankset, I decided I did not want a Sugino; way too common. I was perusing ebay and found a Suntour Superbe Track Crank; but only the right side. It was NOS and absolutely beautiful, so I bought it. Why do I do these things. Had I waited I would have come up with a set, now I need to search (probably in vain) looking for the left arm. But in the mean time, I found a Dura Ace left arm, in 165mm (the same as the Suntour) That should work in the mean time. There was a problem with this plan however. The Dura Ace was JIS and the Suntour ISO. Now I knew this when I bought the Dura Ace, but it was only $25 and NOS.

When dealing with cranks and bottom brackets, usually there are problems. Since I was dealing with square taper, there are two standards, JIS and ISO. They are not incompatible, but they are different. JIS is the Shimano standard, except for track cranks. ISO is Italian and Track. These are generalities, but for the sake for this discussion it will work. The difference between the two tapers are the ISO is slightly smaller and shorter. Generally an JIS crank will mount about 4 mm farther on an ISO spindle (see http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bbtaper.html for more info).

I wanted to mount the crank on my fixed gear bike to see how it looked. I scrounged around and found a used bottom bracket with Shimnao NJS cups and bearings, and a Campagnolo ISO spindle. Track Spindles tend to be narrower than standard spindles, usually in the 107-108.5 range. This is meant to achieve a chainline of 42mm; this is compared to 46 mm of the standard road double. The Campagnolo spindle was stamped "68-SS-120". I am told this means the spindle is for a bike with a 68mm bottom bracket housing, a double chainring, with 120mm rear hub spacing.

The Spindle itself measured about 112mm. This would seem too long but it is asymmetrical. When installed in the proper fashion it would give you a 46 mm chainline, turn it around and the chain line was 42mm; nice! I put the whole thing together and it looked like this.

Since the Dura Ace arm was new, the difference on how far it mounted was only about 2mm. I also Dremel ('d) out the corners of the inside of the square taper so the crank could mount farther down the spline. Add that to the fact that the spindle was a little longer on the non-drive side and you have a perfect fit. If I someday do find a mate the Suntour right side I may go with an NJS spindle, but for now I'm quite happy with the result.

I've gotten the rear wheel back and it looks just as nice as before, but now it's 4 cross. I am also expecting the new Vittoria CX tires in the next 2 days' and Lickbike still hasn't credited my VISA (I think I'm done doing business with them). Next is the frame. I had toyed with the idea of getting a Keirin frame but all I would be doing is hanging my pretty new parts on a used banged up frame. Okay they are very nice, all lugged and custom made, but it wasn't made for me. It would just be one more Keirin track bike where I would have to compromise somewhere in the size and/or color. So I looked around and settled on a Soma; a 55cm in pearl white. I called American Cyclery (the Soma distributor in San Francisco) and they'll have one for me in 2 days. I told the wife and she wants a road trip to China Town (she's so good). The only custom part will be having the fork steerer cut and threaded; they come 1 inch threadless. I have a very nice Tange chromed steel headset I bought for just the occasion.

Brad

NJS bike; What's gone wrong; wheels and tires

2007-11-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a couple of months since the NJS bike project started and not all has gone well. First let's talk wheels. As mentioned before I bought Araya Tubular rim 16B NJS 36H rims. To be NJS approved you must use tubular or sew-up or glue-on tires. The advantages are they are lighter, you can run at higher pressures and they have a very smooth ride. The down side is you have to glue them on. Also they are very difficult to repair and very expensive. Your typical NJS tubular runs about $100 as do most other brands of similar quality. The hubs I chose were Suzue Deluxe Pro Max. 36 hole. To be NJS approved a hub must use loose balls (no cartridge bearings) and be 36 spoke. That was pretty much all I knew at the time. I was also under the impression that the spokes should be straight 15 gauge and need to cross 3 times (and of course everything had to be NJS certified).

Well since then, I learned more. First the spokes can be only Hoshi or Ashahi (they are not stamped) and only 304mm or 305mm lengths for the rear can be NJS spokes certified. I have seen some supposed NJS wheels with butted or the infamous Hoshi bladed spokes. The Hoshi's are the only bladed spokes that can be used with standard hubs. The end has an S bend that allows you to insert them into the spoke hole in the hub. Unfortunately they are prone to break and I doubt they are NJS certified. OTOH it looks like butted spokes, I'm thinking 14-15-14 are allowed. Second the front wheel is three cross and the rear wheel is 4 cross. The spoke brand and lengths didn't bother me since Japanese spokes are impossible to get and are no better and probably inferior to the DT spokes used on my wheels. The rear 4 cross however was problematic. My bike builder would have had no problem lacing the rear wheel 4 cross and it is a detail like this that would have set the bike off for me; this would have to be changed (it was about a $50 mistake).

Next there were the tires. The tires I chose were Vittoria Corsa CR. The CR model go for about $50 @. They are a cheaper version of the CX which run about $80 @ (the CX are considered the industry standard). So the CR's are not top of the line but a good tire none the less. I also bought the tires from Lickbike.com for $40@. My experience with Lickbike has always been good. There store is based on the concept of quality over quantity. They pick the component or accessory they consider to be the best value over most the others and sell it for about 20% less than you'll kind it @ most other places. So I bought 3 CR tires, one for each wheel and a spare.

About a month later I see that the base tape is pulling away from the sidewall. I call Lickbike and they offer to send me replacements for the two that failed. I was not very happy with Lickbike wanting me to keep the third tire from an order of three, after the first 2 proved to be defective.

One issue with the tires is I used Tufo tape to mount them. Tufo tape is a 2 sided tape that is used instead of glue. The tape is cleaner and goes on faster than tape. The down side is, what was very difficult to repair, becomes impossible with the tape. The extreme tape has been know to tear the base tape off the tire (I used the standard). None the less, Lickbike requested I use the standard tubular glue with the replacement tires. Here I decided to kill two birds with one stone. After I pulled the defective tubulars off, I sent the rear wheel back to my tire guy to get it re-laced (4 X).

I then mounted the third of the original tire from the original order on the front wheel with the glue. I was not surprised when the base tape started to separate almost immediately. As I mentioned before, I returned the first two (after spending 2 hours pulling the Tofu tape off) and they replaced them. But after the third failed, I just didn't feel like wasting my time with what appears to be a hit and miss process, until I come up with 3 good CR model tires. They charged me for the replacement tires anyway, saying I would receive a credit when they received the return. It's been over a week and I have yet to see it (I even sent them back Priority). Lickbike sells the Vittoria CX's also for a good price ($70), so I boxed up the replacements with the third tire. I sent these Priority also and have requested a credit toward three of the CX's; since I've already paid for 5 CR tires, I'm almost there anyway.

At this point it a waiting game, Lickbike hasn't sent me the new tires and my bike builder is stilling working on the rear wheel. Knowing him he just waiting until he was the time, he can probably make them in less then 2 hours.

Well flash forward a week and Lickbike is out of the CX's of course. They have received all the returned tires and still haven't credited me; what's with that? They have lost my business for now and I have bought two CX's on ebay for the same price. I also see that riderparadise.com is selling CX's, $95 @ pair plus $10 shipping. A great price, but I don't trust them anymore. Turns out they gave me a "Neutral" rating after they failed to deliver on my order and gave them a Neutral. I guess thet fact that I paid immedatley for the product and waited 3 weeks without the product shipping only rated what I rated them. Plus I've noticed that riderparadise, has gone from a major Shimano/Nitto NJS store to almost no product and if you check their ebay rating them seem to loose every 10th order. Too bad, they had good prices and returned most my emails.

Brad

Solvang Prelude, Nov 3 2007

2007-11-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

For the last 15 years or so I have made the trek to Solvang, California for their annual Century ride in March. For the last 3 years I have ridden a single speed, the last 2 on a fixie. Last year was the first year I missed it in about 13 years due to five broken ribs from a crash about a month earlier that pretty much kept me off bikes for about 6 weeks. This drove me to ride the Metric Century Prelude this weekend. As you may have heard LA is experiencing some dry windy weather. Although the Santa Ana’s don’t blow as far north as Solvang, if cool mornings and warm breezy mid-mornings is your idea of perfect riding weather, then the weather was perfect. The highlights of the ride were three fold.

1)My best friend Mike’s new Fetish fixie; red with ENO cranks and Mavic track wheelset. I hate the term but that is a sweet bike.

2)My ill-conceived attempt at using toe-clips. I bought some Soma double straps and double toe clips. The shoes where some Adidas Classic Pro with MKS toe Clip cleats. First the cleats were almost impossible to insert while riding. Second the straps are the new Vegan style (I’m not kidding). They are 1/3 thicker than standard laminated straps and nowhere near as nice as the MKS (NJS) version. It was all I could do to thread them through the pedals and then they started delaminating. They will go back to Soma and from now on it’s back to Look pedals for me.

3)The third was the ultimate flat tire story. After only 10 miles I got a rear flat tire (I rarely get flats and never at Solvang). I pulled over and after removing the tube, pulled out my Zepal frame pump (the best blankity-blank frame pump on the market) Anyway, this was the first time I had used the pump and it was set in the Schrader mode. As I open up the nozzle to switch the innards, the pin on the lever popped out into the brush on the side of the road. The best blankity-blank pump on the market was now the best blankity-blank expandable dog club on the market. One thing about roadies, is they always want to be sure you have everything you need to fix a flat. Even on a sponsored ride, everyone of the 2000 riders ask, “you all right?”, “got everything you need?”, “need any help?”; “yeah, yeah, no… “ Anyway, the first person I actually said, “need pump” to was a portly Hispanic guy named “Ramon”; a very helpful fellow who seemed to be an expert on my Zepal pump; “best blankity-blank frame pump on the market”. So, while I was trying to use the 10 inch frame pump he was carrying, he miraculously found the pin for my pump! I would have kissed him if I knew him better. Anyway, after too many “Dude you rock” and “Viva la Raza’s”, Ramon was on his way and so was I; for about 50 feet, when my tire went flat again. Humph. About this time Mike showed up, coming back from the top of Ballard grade (Had I known how far back you were I would have just waited for you). Also, the sag wagon arrived with Mr Blankity-blank.

So you got a blankity-blank flat tire, too blankity-blank bad. Do you need a blankity-blank tube? Oh you got a Zepal pump? Best blankity-blank pump on the market. I tell Mr Blankity-blank that I just fixed a flat and I suspected there was something in the tire I missed. He looked at the tire and pointed out a small hole left behind by some long since removed road hazard. Well there’s blankity-blank problem, you see that blankity-blank hole? Your blankity-blank tube will get sucked into that blankity-blank hole and cause a blankity-blank flat; that’s what you call your blankity-blank pinch flat. You’re gonna need to put a blankity-blank patch on that hole. Mr blankity-blank then pulls out a bag full of tubes and as he goes through them he starts yelling out, “What the blankity-blank is this? They send me out to help these blankity-blank riders, and all I got is blankity-blank mountain bike tubes!” About this time some rider stops behind the SAG wagon and asks to use a pump. “Hold you blankity-blank horses and I’ll get you a pump” and Mr Blankity-blank then walked to the rear of the SAG wagon and out of sight. It was at this time I discovered there was a passenger in the SAG wagon. I never saw him, but I heard this phantom voice say, “Yep you got yourself a pinch flat”.

Mr Blankity-blank then returned complaining; blankity-blank, they gave two blankity-blank pumps that don’t work, hey buddy, can I use your blankity-blank pump? A Zepal, best blankity-blank pump on the market. I then handed the pump to Mr Blankity-blank, and he disappeared behind the SAG wagon again. While we were waiting for Mr Blankity-blank to return, Mike dug a small piece of glass from my tire and managed to find the holes in both tubes. I patched the tubes, re-mounted the tire and put in one of the patched tubes. Mr Blankity-blank returned and asked if I wanted to buy a patch; I said no. Well, it blankity-blank looks like you know what you’re doing, with that blankity-blank pump and all, I’ll be blankity-blank on my way. As the SAG wagon pulled away, Mike finished pumping up my tire. As he pulled the pump off the valve stem, I hear this psssssssssssssssssss; what the blankity-blank was that? Ahh, the valve stem just broke off; blankity-blank? Turns out Mike had a brand new tube that we installed and there were no more tire problems for the rest of the ride.

We had a great time and will be back in March for the Century. Hope you had a blankity-blank good time reading this and remember it’s all about the blankity-blank ride!Brad

The NJS Bike Part 2 and Headsets

2007-10-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well pretty much every part but the frame has been purchased. I'm still waiting on riderParadise.com who is 3 weeks late with the Dura Ace chainring, cog and NJS chain. I was a bit concerned as they have a track record of losing orders from time to time and they recently have had practically no NJS parts left on their site. But, they immediately returned my email and said the parts will be re-shipped; I think that means, "Oops we didn't ship your order", but the price is good so I have hope.

Under the heading of new parts on an old bike, I have mounted some of the NJS parts on my the old green machine. So you don't have to look back it looks like this;

I call it my sanity bike and sent this photo to fixgeargallery.com; they have yet to post it but it's only been a couple of weeks. With the new parts I call it, what else? My insanity bike (the Green machines evil twin).

As you can see the brakes and the lights are gone. I also added a beautiful Chris King headset; in green of course.

The old headset was a Stronglight A9 that worked great, and would have probably outlived the frame. But because it is made of fairly soft aluminum and had come loose several times, it had become pretty nicked up. It also had this strange habit of not wanting to tighen up. I would have to over-tighten the adjusting ring, tighten the lockring and then loosen the adjusting ring into the lockring. After about 3 years of this, I finally figured out the lockring was galling against the aluminum washer between the two rings. Once I coated the washer with grease the problem went away. Unfortunately some damage had been done to the lower race (with a Stronglight the steel races are separate from the cups and come as two discs that sandwich around the roller bearings). The damage was minor and similar to the notchiness I've seen with cage ball bearing, but I did not feel any of the associated "indexing". Due to the fact that I have the same headset on my Peugeot, I bought two bearing sets in case I ever needed them. This is something I always do and generally find I end up replacing the part before or at the time I would need to re-build it. Anyway I sold the rebuilding kits on ebay a few days before I pulled off the headset; I actually made money on them too! The previous headset was a chromed Campagnolo that was started to suffer from what I previously called indexing and is also called "notchiness", this is why I went to the Stronglight.

From Wikipedia;

On bicycles ridden only in dry conditions and/or with fenders, the normal failure mode is a progressive notchiness in the steering, caused by pitting of the races. This is normally called "brinelling", although this stems from a misunderstanding of the cause; true brinelling is caused merely by pressing the ball axially into the race, and it is almost impossible to replicate this damage even by striking the fork crown repeatedly with a hammer. The pits are by far deepest at the front and back of the head tube, and are actually caused by flexing of the fork blades, which is transmitted to the steerer tube. This misaligns the bearings and causes "fretting", a small amplitude, large stress movement which tears metal from the races at the points where the balls rest.
The solution is to have a 45 degree interface in the headset where this flexing movement can be accommodated, preserving the relative alignment of the races and allowing the ball bearings to take pure axial and rotational loads. Shimano cartridge bearing headsets do this by allowing the cartridges to move relative to the pressed-in cups, while Stronglight roller bearing headsets, and most threadless headsets, now have loose upper and lower races which can move relative to the cups. Modern headsets, therefore, rarely suffer from "brinelling".

And from Sheldon Brown:

Roller Bearing
A bearing that uses cylindrical or conical rollers instead of balls. The major bicycle application of roller bearings is in some headsets. Roller bearing headsets are very long lasting, due to the greater contact surface area as opposed to ball bearings. Current units, however do not turn as freely as ball bearing headsets. This is due to the use of cylindrical rollers, rather than conical rollers. Cylindrical rollers do not naturally roll in a circle, but in a straight line.

For those of you that don't know about the Chris King Headset, they are way overbuilt and will probably outlast several frames. While there may be more innovative headsets, Chris King has certainly set the standard. From NYC Bike Snob;

Another financial investment. Regardless of whether they're worth the price, nothing inside our outside of cycling holds its value like these things. This is not an endorsement, it's just a fact. You can’t even get a used one cheap on eBay. I’ve tracked the retail price of these things over the years against the price of gold and the indices of all the world's stock markets and believe me when I say they offer a better return than any of them. As long as Mr. King successfully continues his anti-integrated headset scare tactics I’m putting all my money in his headsets.

Previously Ritchey made a their threaded WCS headset with needle bearings. This head set is no longer in production, but I believe it is the Ritchey WCS headset still sold by Rivendell. The only other headset I know of is the Woodman Saturn. The headset has a upper cartridge bearing on the top and a roller bearing on the bottom. I know nothing about this headset and it's only available as a threadless headset, but it looks interesting.

Brad

The Mary Winkler Bike

2007-09-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

On March 22, 2006 Mary Winkler shot her preacher husband with a shotgun while he lay sleeping. The reason she said was he made her dress up in slutty clothes for undesirable sex acts. The following bike is the functional equivalent of Mary Winkler.

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007/sept/3/GregAnderson.htm

Hi There,
This is my 30 year old Trek sport/touring frame that I finally fixed. I tried converting it to a single-speed with a tensioner kit a year ago, but that was horrible. Finally bit the bullet and fixed it proper. Now it's rock-steady fabulous!
The frame is one of Trek's early efforts - a double-butted 25.5in Reynolds 531 from 1977 or '78, with a 531 replacement fork that I got after I bent the original T-boning a dog that ran in front of me. Didn't hurt the dog at all. This frame was too tall for me when I bought it, but tall was normal back then. Stretch to fit, you disco punk!

Hey Baby, I know you're not NOS and after 30 years you’re more like yesterdays news. But in your day you were one hot mama; 531 and Campy, man I couldn’t keep my hands off you. But I’ve been thinking, you know that single speed thing we tried a while ago? Ya, I know you felt cheap and all, but this is different. It’s all about feelings and getting back to basics; back to what we were when we started.

I gave it a lousy sand-down and spray-can touch-up paint job because I wanted to keep the original decals. The tubes look fatter in these flash photos, but they're all about 1&1/8in and very spidery with nice lugs. It actually looks pretty sexy in the daylight.
It's ridiculously tall (we're talkin' near-zero standover clearance for my 6ft+ bod) with a long wheelbase and 23.5in (57.7cm) top tube. I still have a crappy 27in front wheel on it so I can use my Ultegra 600 brake. Some day I'll build a matching front wheel if I can find a 700c fork with a long enough 1in steerer. Or maybe I'll just get a long-reach brake.

Okay, so maybe we weren’t the perfect fit when we started. You were always head and shoulders above me and my big ideas just didn’t measure up. But I told you I’d make it work, I’d change the parts that didn’t fit. But now I’m asking you to freshen up a little. I’m thinking black stockings, it will give you that "spidery" look. You know I don’t want to change what that beautiful frame says about you, but something that going to hide the cellulite and look sexy in the daylight. No, No, you don't look fat. That's just the camera; you know it adds a 1/2 inch of tube diameter.

Parts include my original Campy Strada triple crank with a 42 Stronglight chainring, Soma 15 1/8 cog filed down to fit a 3/32 chain. Ritchey MTB pedals. Mavic Open Sport rim w/Nashbar flip-flop fixed 32 spoke hub (huge thanks to Peter @ Performance in Cary for the refresher course in wheel building!). Front wheel is aforementioned Genuine POS 27incher with custom black and green paint job to cover up rust and oxidation. Campy headset, SR stem and Sakae Custom Road Champion bar. Ultegra 600 front brake. Ugly but solid-alloy generic seatpost with my well-worn Selle San Marco blue USPS saddle. Nice and cheap Hutchinson Excel kevlar rear tire. Nearly dead generic 27in front tire will hopefully last until I build the new wheel.

Look at this baby; Nashbar! Yeah the real thing! Laced to Mavic Open Sport! Almost a really good rim. And you know that rust under your front spokes? Green polish baby! Oh Yeah! Oh you know what turns me on. You know how I like it. Don’t worry about all those old parts, its patina baby, it’s what sells. Like that fat ring I got you that didn't fit with your other ring and chain, I just filed it down to make it fit; I'm so darned good with my hands. I’m ready to ride you all the way.

I finished it in time for day-1 of the MS-150 ride on Sep 9, where I rode it for the first 15 miles before switching to my geared bike. I wish I'd ridden it the whole 100 miles, it was so fun. But this is my first fix and I didn't want to be a menace to the pace line. No worries, it feels wonderfully solid and precise, though a little noodley in the front end, probably because of the crappy front wheel. And I'm sprinting and climbing with old narrow bars, dragging along my 200lbs of old wide geezer flesh.

Oh baby that was the best. Sorry I didn’t last as long as you would have liked but I'm not the man I used to be and face it, no matter how I dress you up, you're still my same old girl. And Gearie, oh you know she means nothing to me. The only reason I spend any time with here is because she’s easy. You’re my first love and you’ve done so much to try and keep the magic alive. It’s you and me baby, forever.

Note to self: unload shotgun in closet tomorrow.

Brad

The NJS bike..it starts

2007-09-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, I decided to go for it. More than the Hipster draw, which is very strong by the way, it's the Retro-grouch part me that wants one. Most, if not all the bike will come from the internet/ebay. First we start @ Rider Paradise an ebay case store in Japan; I will be getting most the parts from here.

NEW NITTO PEARL Stem 25.4mm clamp 100mm NJS TRACK
NITTO TRACK BAR B125 Steel 25.4 clamp 400mm NJS B-125

The choices here were based on use; I'm actually going to ride this thing, probably do a Century on it. Very few folks can maintain the classic kerin drop for very long. The Nitto 123 bar drops 180mm and the 58deg stem gonna take it down another 2 inches. The Nitto 125 bar combined with the Pearl 71 deg stem is going to raise the bar 5 inches!! Oh yah.

Now, how about some wheels. First I got one of the best wheel men in the business. Combine that with Japan's traditional cheap spokes and nipples; this is one place I'm not going all NJS
World Class Cycles

Suzue deluxe pro max high flange 36 loose ball bearings no lockring 36 NJS

Traditional high flange loose ball hubs. I've got a set of the Campy loose ball hubs on my fixie and they are tits; but they require some attention. I'm going to be using a lot of Shimano Dura Ace track parts so I decided to go with the Suzues. The company closed it's doors in 2006 but they had a lot of stock. That stock is just now starting to dry up with these 36h Pro Max and the price is up to $275 a pair most places (one place has then @ $199).

NEW ARAYA Tubular rim 16B Gold NJS 36H 335g Keirin

Again from Rider Paradise. Here I had to make the jump to tubulars. I consdiered some Araya clicnchers I found on ebay; they were the old 20A hard anodized variety, but the history of bike racing was made on tubulars, and this was to be a retro-bike, so I decided to go for it. However this is where the NJS stamp stopped. DT Swiss spokes and nipples. These are them; very shiny indeed.

Viittoria Corsa tires, the best made.

Pedals, we are going to need pedals and clips; back to Rider Paradise

NEW MKS ROYAL NUEVO NJS TRACK pedals
NEW MKS Alpha Sport toe straps NJS keirin track Black

MKS toe clips are as good as I have ever seen (of course I had to buy them somewhere else but that's beside the point), but $45 for straps! Damn. Okay, they run about the same as Campy, but the Campy's aren't made any more. The Ale's are only $14 for christ sakes.

Now how about a crank. Checked ebay and found a NOS Suntour Suberbe 165mm Track NJS Crank; but just the right crank. It was so beautiful that I bought it. Now I need a left crank arm. This may be a year long quest, but most 165mm left cranks should work. There is the issue of ISO vs JIS. Most track components are ISO and most Japanese/American parts are JIS. The difference in the square taper is minimal, especially if it's new. I find NOS Dura Ace 165mm left arm for $24. When it arrived it I found it sat about 2 mm deeper on an ISO square taper axle than the Suntour crank; it should work fine.

Now how am I going to pay for all this stuff. Well, the Suzue hubs went on the credit card, but most the other parts are Paypal. I have dug through a lot of my parts bin and have been auctioning them off on ebay. So far the other stuff net cost has been about $100.

Just sold a bunch of stuff so it's time to go Rider Paradise again.

Currently I am riding with a 48:18 gear ratio. I expect that once I play around on the track I am going to want to increase the ratio but I still want to ride on the street. The Dura Ace Track cogs are pretty cheap @ $15@, but they only go up to 16T. I decided to start with a 46 tooth CR and 16T cog; I can drop down to 13T or anywhere in between later.

NEW SHIMANO Dura Ace TRACK CHAIN RING FC-7710 46T 1/8"
NEW SHIMANO DURA ACE TRACK COG SS-7600 16T 1/8" NJS

FTF (further to Follow)

The 33 hole rim

2007-09-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

I saw this on ebay today and it took me about a minute to get it:

Campagnolo 700C Clincher Rims USED

Campagnolo 700C
Clincher Rims

USED
Label: Moskva 80

Question & Answer :

Q:How many holes are these rims drilled for
A:There are 33 holes

Q:How many holes?
A:There are 33 holes

Have you got it yet??

This will go down as a classic!

NJS -The Vanity Hipster

2007-09-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

Japan Report: Fixed Gear Bicycles I'm starting this Blog off with a very well written article on "Bike Messenger Culture". Included is the following:

"Companies like Kalavinka, Nitto and Suzue, that produce relatively low-tech bicycle parts in today's high-tech bicycle world must realize that something's up because their products are selling out when normally they wouldn't be. The fact that these brands are enjoying success is definitely because of this latest trend sweeping Japan, but also because they hold the official NJS certification meaning that their bike parts are good to go on the Japanese Keirin circuit.

This NJS acronym has also enjoyed a newfound surge in popularity as they seem to be the gold standard for fixed gear riders; if it's good enough for Keirin riders, it's good enough for me, plus it's rare. You won't find a single NJS piece on Lance Armstrong's bike, or even keirin world champion Theo Bos's bike, but you will find it on every major street corner in Japan (as well as in SF and NYC), usually hooked up to a Kalavinka frame (also NJS and apparently one of the more popular frames), or on a Keirin track in Japan."

From my previous Blog "Why Single Speed #1":

In Japan they know how to be fanatics. They make rituals and religions about almost everything. There they have track bike racing called Keirin. It’s kind of a cross between horse racing and sumo wrestling. Check it out Every single part of the bike, every component, frame, wheels, spokes, chain, everything has to be approved with N.J.S. (Nihon Jitensha Shinkokai), the Japanese Bicycling Association, stamp of approval. The standard is almost the same as the Campagnolo ISO Track parts standard. There is another standard used by Shimano called JIS (Japanese Industrial standard). This standard has minor differences from ISO in the square taper interface between bottom brackets and cranks, and the frames have different size headtubes and fork races. This is different from the English/US Standard of ISO that Shimano builds for biikes here in the US. One of the primary reasons for NJS is so all the parts will fit together without concern for any discrepancies between standards. What a concept. Unfortunately it falls too short of this, but it does maintain a large margin of safety.

But NJS is so close. Imagine the holy grail of standards, where if the component has the standard stamp of approval, then interchangeability is assured. One seatpost size; 27.2 mm. Its the universal standard, why do you need 26.8 and 27. Seat rail distance, the universal standard is 44 mm and Keirin is 30mm, but NJS allows for both; choose one! But the worse is Shimano Octalink. It seems that Shimano no longer makes square taper DuraAce track cranks, they only come in Octalink; so now Octalink is NJS approved. Never mind that almost no Keirin will use Octalink, it just shows that even NJS has it's price. Still imagine NJS without these discrepancies(from Sheldon Brown).

1" x 24 tpi headset thread with loose ball bearings
1" (25.4 mm) handlebar/stem clamp diameter
1.375" x 24 tpi bottom bracket thread (left-hand on the fixed cup)
56 TPI spoke thread
1 mm axle thread
36 spoke loose ball bearing hubs
ISO square taper axles and cranks
144mm 1/8" chain rings
1/8" chains
1/8" cogs
9/16" pedal axle diameter
Loose ball bearing track pedals with toe clips
(27.7mm seatpost with 44mm seat rails)
(steel frame and fork).

Parenthetical added by me. There is of course alot more to NJS than interchangeability, but none the less it would be awful nice

From a couple of postings from fixedgeargallery; these were random photos taken in Tokoyo.

The next two are classic Vanity NJS bikes.

The Riddle Bike??

Quick rundown for the gear enthusiasts: 59cm c-c Jonny Cycles frame fork with a mix of Dedaccai OS steel tubing, Kalavinka lugs, fork crown and BB shell, and Jonny's signature track dropouts; Chris King 1" threaded headset, anodized Nitto Pearl stem (110mm) and Jaguar seatpost; Syntace Stratos 200 TT bars, Kashimax 5 Gold 4P Keirin saddle; Sugino 75 cranks (170mm) and 52t chainring; EAI 14t cog for the fixed/fixed rear hub (12t? or 16t? for the other side); MKS Custom Nuevo Pedals with Cinelli Toe Clips and Toshi Double toe straps; Izumi Model V chain; Blood Red 36h Phil Wood High-Flange track hubs laced to 700c Velocity Deep V's, rolling on 700c/23 Continental GP4000 clinchers; to top it all off the very elusive Green Tressostar cloth tape...

and the Jesse's Nagasawa

Nagasawa 56 cm all NJS except Velocitys, Campy BB spindle Phils and saddle. Seat post was signed by the Keirin rider. (Oooo!)

But this is what I want; an NJS Vanity is my next bike.

The Hipster Bike Part 2.

2007-08-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

#4)Brakes, or lack there of. On the Velodrome there is no need for brakes. Track bike racers ride round and round on the track at speeds much less then the track is capable off. Since the riders are so close to each other, any rider with the ability to suddenly stop would be a hazard on the track. Since track races started when bikes were all fixed gear, there has been no need for the bikes to evolve as road bikes have to freewheels, which allow coasting and the necessity for brakes. There is a simplicity, out of necessity to brakeless track bikes, which continues even today. That said however, most track racers would think it looney to ride their track bikes on the road without a brake. The truth being you just can’t stop fast enough. The track racers in Japan (called Keirin) when training on the road, will mount a front brake, the hole in the front fork making the bike ineligible to return to the track, for the safety of having a brake. Why just a front brake you ask? Won’t you flip over the front wheel with just one brake? Well you will if you don’t know what you’re doing. 80-90 percent of your braking ability comes from your front brake. The harder you brake, the more weight is transferred from the rear to the front wheel, making the rear brake almost useless. This does however allow you to use the back pressure on the fixed drive train to help modulate your braking. Without this modulation you probably would fly over the handlebars.

Now if you intend to use this back pressure as your sole means of braking, you are going to have to REALLY pay attention to traffic. You can't slow down as quickly just using back pressure, but believe it or not, avoiding or steering around a problem with a bicycle, is often more effective then trying to stop. The problem is, if the time comes when you really need to stop, you can’t. This problem is made even more problematic the steeper the incline, which leads us to the next hipster braking topic,”Skidding”. Yes, you can skid the rear tire of a fixed gear bike quite easily; it’s a technique sort of like track stands (keeping upright on a bike without moving or touching your feet to the ground). You simply transfer as much weight to the front wheel as possible, this often looking life the rider is having sex with his handle bar, and lock your pedals; if you do this wrong it will buck you off the bike or break your knee. Some riders will lock their knee under the top tube to create the same effect (probably the only reason to have a bike pad). This is considered an essential art needed if you ride a hipster bike. Here's a pretty well done video on skidding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0AFpq6jFok.

The problem here, is that locking the rear wheel is the most ineffective way to stop a bike. Campagnolo knew something when he said a brake is meant to slow a bike down, not stop it. Granted he was justifying the poor power of his early brake componentry, but truthfully, you don’t want brakes that lock up your bicycle’s wheels. There are two reasons you want your wheels to keep turning when you brake. The first is the true braking surfaces are your wheels tires. When you brake, your speed is turned into heat. And heat is good; it will cause better adhesion to the road. However, at some point your tires will start to melt dissolving your tires and that’s bad; that is also called a skid. When you skid, small pieces of the tire turn into BB’s, and the tire just rides on those BB’s, not contacting the road, until the tire material is ground off (that’s why cars have anti-locking brakes). So what you want is the tire to roll slower then your forward speed without skidding, so the heat is dissipated throughout the circumference of the entire tire, not just the one inch contact patch. The second reason is physics. Since the front brake is doing 80-90 percent of the braking and you have no front brake, physics is going to try and make your back brake turn into your front brake. In other words, your rear tire will slide out from under you and your bike will want to turn 180 degrees , so you are skidding backwards. This of course never really happens; you will either stop skidding on purpose or fall down and start skidding again, only this time it’s not pieces of tire that are balling up, it’s you skin.

As a final caveat, the tread of a tire is made up of different compounds; softer rubber has a better ride and holds the road better, harder rubbers last longer and hold up to more abuse. Regardless, the life span of the rear tire of someone Skidding is about 20 seconds. If your really good you can keep your skid going by letting the wheel rotate ever so often to a new patch; hipster bike riders actually make videos of this talent and compete at it and track stands, when they join together.

#5)Powder coating. The Hipster bike is all about color. When you are saving that frame from the scrape heap, you are going to want to make it pretty. Powder coating is the mainstay of mountain bike frames. While the Italians may want to turn each frame into vomit fade, mountain biker just want paint that will stay on the bike. Powder coating if cheap, durable and comes in almost as many colors as bicycle pads. And then there is "Shaving". If you are going to go to all the trouble of stripping a bike down and powder coating it, you may also want to shave it. Huh? That's right I said shave it. "Shaving" is such a descriptive term that I knew what it meant the first time I heard it. Remember that a fixie Hipster bike is a converted geared bike. A dedicated fixie bike has no bosses on the frame for brake or derailleur cables and obviously no derailleur hanger. A converted geared bike is going to have these bosses. So for aesthetics sake, one may want to grind off the bosses and derailleur hanger or "shave" the frame.

#6) Wheels. As I mentioned before, the classic Hipster bike uses a suicide hub. However there is another acceptable setup, that being Velocity rims laced to Formula hubs. Both are used because they are readily available and reasonably priced. Formula makes a very generic but good looking hub. Unlike higher priced hubs that use loose balls and cups, Formula uses inexpensive cartridge bearings. Since there is no freehub, all that is necessary is an axle suspended in the hub by two cartridge bearings. These bearings are so cheap, you can by them $2 or $3 @. Velocity rims however are a style choice; a Hipster style of course. The Hipster choice is the “Deep V”. The allure of the Velocity Deep V is they come in 24 colors. That’s right, Hipster bikes are all about form over function so why not a “Bubble Gum Pink” rim to go with your lime green powder coated bike. But wait there’s more! If you are looking for that really “fresh” look, check out http://fatlace.com/lacedup/2007/06/04/more-tae-x-fatlace-wheelsets/ for zebra strips or argyle rims.

Okay I said I would come back to this bike, so lets take a look.

Fixed gear; check
MTB bar w/pink OURY grips; check
Deep V Velocity with Formula hub; check

But we also have an Aerospoke front wheel and some cards in the spokes of the rear wheel. Will comeback to the Aerospoke, but what about those cards. I once read someone describe the look as a bike that was ridden through trash and picked up some on the way. The history behind these cards is again the couriers. On there off times they would sometimes have races called Alleycats. The participants would race from location to location using what ever route they thought the fastest. The cards, originally tarot cards, were simply identifiers for the race. Today they represent pretty much what ever the rider wants them to represent.

Now the Aerospoke wheel has been around for over 25 years. It was once the hot setup for race bicycles were aerodynamics was big factor; that would be triathlon/ time trails and to a lesser degree track bikes. Once Velodromes moved inside, the need for aerodynamic wheels on track bikes also went away and with the advent of carbon fiber wheels with bladed and lower spoke counts, Aerospoke wheels started to find themselves in the Bargin Barn. Then something happened; again it was the couriers. Turns out it’s a pain in the ass to thread a chain through a spoked wheel, but throwing one through an Aerospoke is a breeze. And since for a while you could pick up a front Aerospoke for about $100, they started showing up on the couriers’ bikes and Viola! It became the style, demand increased but unfortunately Aerospoke already sold off all their stock and it seems all the bargains are gone. But you still see them, like this one that has been polished and posed in front of a charming washer and dryer set.

You'll notice too, these two bikes have a lot in common; that's not by accident, it's truly by design. After all they are both Hipster bikes!

The Hipster Bike

2007-08-31T01:58:00.001-07:00

Being a bicyclist for the last 25 years, I have certainly taken notice of the fixed gear (or fixie) phenomenon that has seemingly taken over the “underground” or stylish bike scene over the last 10 years or so. My fall into the abbess of fixie started in 2001 when I started riding singlespeed mountain bike. Thinking I would need to maintain my “singlespeed stamina” through the winter months when I usually dedicate myself to road riding, I starting thinking of some means to do so. At this very time synchronicity played it’s hand and a neighbor inquired if I wanted to buy a track bike he had taken in trade for Chiropractic services. The bike had a custom steel track frame/fork, Campy Record flange hubs laced to Mavic sewup rims, Cooks 165.5 cranks, with some other Salsa, Campy, Cinelli and Sugino parts, and no brakes; he took $200 for the bike. After tinkering with the sewups and no brakes; I replace the former (clinchers) and added the latter (front). This bike has been my sole road ride since, including commuting and centuries. This is how my bike looked before the crash of 2007.

But still, there is the other side. The whole messenger/courier look, which changed your typical track bike

into the “Langster”

into the “NYC Langster” (even Specialized can't get it right; brakes on a Hipster?)
The whole messenger/courier fixie thing has become a movement, and with all movements, as the Doobie Bros named their album, “What were once vices, are now habits.” Of course most couriers don’t even ride the things, but that doesn’t matter, the mold has been cast. The following is the reasoning I have heard for the silliness that is now a Hipster bike (as far as I know they really aren't called Hipster bikes, but I just like the sound of the name from this video).

#1) It must be a fixed gear or course. The fixed gear is the bike of choice because it requires very little maintenance. A courier usually makes $200-300 a week and can’t be pouring money into his bike. This unfortunately has led to what was been coined as the suicide hub. Since a true fixed hub is not common place, garage mechanics have taken to converting freewheel hubs to fixed gear. A freewheel hub is much like a BMX hub, but was designed to hold a multi-speed freewheel. The conversion involves re-dishing the hub so it will line-up with the front chainring when you screw-on a fixed gear cog. Unfortunately, unlike a fixed gear hub, there is no lock ring to hold on the cog. Generally the use a bottom bracket lock ring in it’s place, but since is screws on in the same direction as the cog (unlike the fixed gear hub) there is nothing to stop both cog and ring from unscrewing when you apply back pressure on the crank to slow down or stop. Hense it’s suicide to use the setup. The safety minded mechanic will actually weld the cog on the hub.

#2) Messed up handles bar. One thing the messengers seemed to have started was the “flop and chop”. Road or drop handlebars were designed to be aerodynamic, but most folks ride on the “flats” or top and hoods. To make the bar more user friendly they flipped the bar over and cut the drop off. They left enough of the drop sticking up to cradle their hands or add a brake; it does however reduce hand positions to one. Track bars have no real flats, because track riders ride exclusively in the drops. It is common to see track handlebars with bar tape or special track grips on just the lower grip portion of the bar. A lot of hipsters do a reverse track taping, taping just the flats and leaving the drop bare. NYC BikeSnob described this as looking like a dogs penis. Everytime I see them now and think of that; thanks BikeSnob.

Another reason I’ve heard to clip the bar was to make it easier to maneuver between cars. Of course this has been taken to the extreme of being no wider that the combined width of the grips; kind of like riding a horse with both hands on the saddle horn. Finally, if they don’t mess with the bars they leave them bare. Why anyone would want to ride a bike with their sweating hands sliding on non-taped handle bars is beyond me, but it is one of the most common “modification”. Since all of my bikes have grips or bar tape, I have often wondered what it would feel like to grab a hold of a bare bar after it was sat in the sun while the rider is carousing at his favorite coffee house. Holy blisters Batman! (but I digress).

If they can't chop up the bars sometimes they'll just put them on backwards?? This guy said it was his first build; no doubt, he also mounted the seatpost backwards.

Once the couriers started buying into their own rhetoric and riding without brakes, they imagined chopping the drops off completely, leaving just the flat portion of the bar. This of course is nothing more than a mountain bike bra, hense the move to flat or low rise MTB bars and grip; Qury grips of course, because they come in so many colors. We're going to see this bike again because, except for the lack of a "bike pad" and Brooks saddle, it represents the classic hipster bike.

#3) The Brooks saddle. Brooks has been making saddles for over 100 years. Their saddles are heavy and consist of a thick, non-forgiving layer of leather. These saddles have become the defacto saddle on a hipster bike. The trade mark are the copper rivets that sometime hold the leather to the frame. It has been said, mainly by the Brooks I might add, that once you “break-in” a Brooks saddle, it is the most comfortable saddle you’ll ever own. The truth is of course quite different; Brooks saddles don’t break-in your butt does. That’s right. The problem with most saddles is they break down after you’re butt has conformed to them; Brooks saddles don’t. It may take twice as long for your butt to conform to a brooks saddle, because they horribly uncomfortable, but once your butt has conformed to them, they will keep their shape for decades. That's why there is so many of them around. I’ve never understood why someone would spend the same money on an stiff piece of leather as they would on a modern, Sella Italia, but they do and boy do they suffer for it.

#4)The bike pad. There are two possible avenues here. The first is a bike pad may be just an elongated top tube protector. A top tube protector is a very short piece of plastic used on track bikes. Since the handle bars on track bikes are only taped on the drops, often times the bar can swing around and dent the top tube. These clip on the top tube to protect it from being damaged by the handle bars. The other route is that Couriers have this steel thing with wheels that they have to do something with when they get where they are going. Sometimes they take it with them and other times they lock it to something. Either way they either need something to protect their shoulder from the bike or the bike from the lock. Since bike couriers only exist in urban areas known for their high crime, the lock of choice is usually a big burly chain. “They also use chains for chainsaws” as I said before, so the bike pad was born. Originally a length of pipe insulation covered with duct tape to hold it on, it is know a fashion statement. Never mind that few hipster bikes will ever see a bare chain, you can now buy them custom made to match your paint scheme and tube diameter. http://yancopads.com/homepage.html. They are totally useless.

What goes hand and hand with the pad is a very useful item called a Messenger bag. The original bag was designed as a more contemporary version of a Postal service mail bag. Companies such as Chrome and Reload, (they also make pads of course) make some very stylish new bags that are functional as they are butt ugly. They're designed to throw over your shoulder and hold anything one would pay a messenger to deliver. They also seem to be designed to coordinate with your tattoos.

Continued

The street weapon inspired by all the couriers out there!

2007-08-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Here’s a bike presented as the “street weapon inspired by all the couriers out there”.

The problem with this bike is it has absolutely nothing to do with a courier bike. The true core of a messenger bike is a bike that has been reduced to the lowest maintenance possible; something that light enough to port around and easy to lockup when necessary.

The guy did a lot of custom work..

She is a double butted Columbus front triangle with a Phil Wood eccentric BB fillet braised hand filled, (brother check those seamless welds out!) hand cut and finished stainless steel head badge/head tube gusset/seat and chain stay gusset/ drop out faces.

4130 seat tube sleeve and top tube gussets all hand cut and finished. In house designed and CNC cut rear dropouts with internal ISO disk mount. (flavour)

The forks are an off the shelf 26? 4130 jump fork, which we then cut out the bridge to fit 700c wheel braised in the new cap, cut out the Canti bosses, added a cable guide then I went to town with the stainless steel again giving it the gothic bling.

and then draped the bike with chi-chi components, which he unfortunately can’t spell.

The rest of the bike is spec-ed out to be as pornographic as I could go. Phil Wood kiss-off fixed disc hubs, (cause gears are for the weak)with chrome dome nuts, ss track spacers, michi 16 tooth track cog and cycle underground six shooter 19 tooth disc mounted fixi cog on the brake side laced with DT.

DB spokes to black velocity deep v rims wrapped in 35c Schwalbe rubber. Atom lab stainless bars hand rubbed and polished to mirror finish. Thompson post and stem. Brake is Shimano Deore in the picture but it is now a hope m4 with gothic rotor. Settie race replica saddle. Profile race cranks with titanium spindle 40 tooth profile chain ring and egg beater peddles, Connex 1G8 single speed chain (phat) and the piece de resistance the titanium Chris king head set. TASTY.. enjoy ?I know I do?.

Again one has to ask, “What does any of this have to do with a messenger bike?” The only part of the spec that even sounds like a road fixie are the Velocity rims.

Otherwise it should be obvious to anyone who knows anything about bikes, that the street weapon inspired by all the couriers out there, is in reality a 29” fixie mountain bike; and a very nice one at that. Profile cranks, disc brakes, Eggbeater pedals, Atom Labs riser bar, Thompson post and Chris King “No-thread” headset. Even the frame and fork with it’s EBB and the 4130 “Jump Fork” screams MOUNTAIN BIKE!. The part I can’t figure out is why one would have Phil Woods fixed disc hub and then mount the cog on the disc mount?? Regardless you have a fixie mountain bike, get used to it. After all, it is TASTY.

SS Disc hub weights..

2007-08-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

When it comes to disc hubs, you pay your money and you take your choice. Keith Bontrager is renowned for his statement, "Cheap, light, strong; pick two". So I took some time to look up some of the most popular hubs, their weights and prices.

Okay; the word on disc SS hubs..

Cassette style discAmerican Classic* 244gm $270
Bontrager 433gm $ 80
DT Swiss 285gm $400
King 335gm $400
Novatec et al 640gm $ 80

Freewheel (add $75 and 157gm for WB ENO)
Paul 220/377gm $115/$190
ENO 332/489gm $150/$225Surly 362/519gm $ 80/$155
Phil Wood** 392/549gm $235/$310

The ringersShimano
XT M765 435gm $ 50
Shimano XTRM965 372gm $230

*questionable longevity
**probably the finest hub of it's kind made

How to Wash Your Bike

2007-08-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Where ever you work there is usually one person who is the go to guy when it comes to bicycles. I happen to be that person where I work. Although the most common question is, “Which bike should I buy? Surprisingly, another very common question is “How do you clean a bicycle?” So, for those folks and anyone else who is interested, this is how I clean bicycles. It should be noted I am responsible for maintaining a stable of about 10 bikes, so I have streamed lined the process. Here are the cleaners and brushes I use. You might also want an old toothbrush and a spray bottle with water.
The blue brush is a Park gear cleaner and is a must when cleaning a multi-speed drivetrain; the white and blue bottle is Park Chain Brite. Before I spray on the Simple Green I will rinse the area I am cleaning with water. I use Simple Green for the grunt of the work, and throw in some Chain Brite when the Simple green isn’t getting the job done. When cleaning your bike, don’t use a pressure nozzle and never use a “power washer”; use enough water to get the job done, rinsing before and after using a cleaner. Use a minimal amount of water around the seat/ seat post and head tube/headset areas. Always ride your bike for a few minutes after you have washed it to help remove any excess moister.

First I put the bike on a stand. I use a small flat head screw driver and scrape the crud off the derailleur pulleys

Next I spray the entire drive train with Simple Green and scrub the crank, chain rings, front and rear derailleurs.

To clean the chain I shift the chain to big chain ring and using the Park brush, I scrub both sides and the outside of the chain.

Next I scrub the inside of the chain.

Once the chain is clean, I work on the front chain rings and rear cassette. The rear portion of the Park Tool is designed to clean between the cogs of the rear cassette. As a caveat, Park doesn’t seem to have figured out that their tool is not thin enough for 9 speed drive trains. This one is so worn I can get it in with a little effort, but a new one doesn’t work well at all.

This is a good place to add some Park Brite chain cleaner; this by far the best chain cleaner on the market.

Now rinse off the big stuff and wipe down the chain. This is the place where I sometimes use some Chain Brite as it dissolves grease faster than Simple Green (if I have more time I will remove the chain and place it in a bottle with 50/50 Chain Brite and water. I shake the bottle from time to time and let it soak over night). Once the chain is clean I pull off the rear wheel and pretty much repeat the process. I do all this before, because it’s easier to clean the chain while the rear wheel is on the bike. And now, when you clean the chain rings and cassette again, you won’t crud them up again with a dirty chain.

With the rear wheel removed, spray on some more Simple Green with a few drops of Chain Brite and go to town with the Park brush. It doesn’t take long to get it clean like this.

Now spray the drive train with simple Green again, and clean off what you didn’t get the first time. With the rear wheel off you have better access to both derailleurs.

Once the drive train is done, you can work on the rest of the bike. On a hot day the Simple Green will start to dry up on you. Sometimes I spray some water on it rather than just washing it off with a hose. Generally you will not need to use the cleaner on all areas of the bike; a damp rag will work fine. When you’re done with the last rinse, wipe the entire bike dry.

Now all you need do is put the rear wheel back on and run it through the gears. A piece of advice here; always put your bike on the ground when you are putting the wheels back on and tightening the quick releases. This makes sure the axles are properly anchored in the dropouts. Failure to do so will cause you fits. This bike has disc brakes. If your bike has rims brakes, remember to thoroughly clean the braking surface and brake pads. And there you are; all you need now do is lube the chain. If you are more anal, you can spend some more time on the chain, wipe down the spokes or spray the frame with a furniture spray like Pledge (it really makes the paint sparkle!). Now take a short ride and run the bike through the gears one more time. Once you do this a few times it should take no more than 20 minutes to wash your bike.

The Misfit Psycles Fu-Bar

2007-08-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

I don’t get it. That’s what I said when I saw the Jones H bar and the Misfit Psycles Fu-bar.

Fu-bar on top, Titec H-bar on the bottom.

I am 52 YO and have been riding bikes for about 30 years. I started as a roadie and really didn’t start riding off road until about 1991 when I bough a Specialized Rockhopper. The Rockhopper came with straight bars and I put on bar ends as was the custom of the time. The bar ends were in a way similar to riding on the brake hoods of a drop bar. The point seems to be get your hands forward of the stem, weighting the front wheel and allowing you to stretch forward. And there is still little argument that bar ends assist the rider when climbing for the very I have mentioned. When riser bars first appeared, I tried them several time, but they never opened up the cockpit, so to speak, when climbing, as did bar ends. That why I just couldn’t figure out the new wrap around bars. They still didn’t allow you to stretch over the front of the bike.

But, thanks to Misfit Psycles who sent me a couple of Fu-bars to check out. My first test was with the Fu2-bar. I mounted this on my Rocklobster with the 115mm stem Paul Sadoff had spec’d.
Immediately I sensed the bar was too narrow. The bar would be good for someone who is not used to a wider bar, as it seemed the stock stem worked well. Next I went to the wider Fu-bar. The bar was wide enough, but after the first ride I found my hands moving forward off the grips. I then switched out the stem to 130mm. This was better but it still felt too far back. Finally I switched out the stem for a 140mm Thompson.

OMG, this stem is super stiff and gave a much better fit to the Fu-bar. The other issues I was dealing with were positive and negative. First, the hand position of the Fu-bar is by far the best I have ever used. I had surgery on my left wrist years ago, which causes numbness and pain. That is simply not an issue with this bar. Even with the shorter stems, I could ride seated and do seated climbs much more comfortably with the Fu-bar then the bar ends. But, single speed is really all about climbing. With bar ends I could stand, lean over the front wheel and comfortably climb in this position for literally miles. This is something that doesn’t happen with a riser bar. With a riser bar and the Fu-bar with the shorter stems, I was in a more upright position, that felt cramped and in a more upright position that put more pressure on my lower back. When I finally went to the 140mm stem I was again able to lean forward, but with my hands wide and out to the side.

It’s a different position, but I am able to maintain the position and there is less pressure on my back. Add to that a better hand position, the fu-bar makes for an acceptable alternative to bar ends. On the Single Speed forum, I call myself a retro grouch and I do find myself leaning toward the proven over the new and improved. I am in the enviable position of having two singlespeed mountain bikes. One is the suspended Rocklobster and the other is a converted rigid Bontrager. The Bonty still has bar ends, which I have no plans to change. If I only had one bike, I would probably stay with the tried and true bar ends. But one of the advantages of having two bikes is enjoying the differences between the two. In this case I know have another difference to enjoy with my Rocklobster with the Fu-bar.

On a side note, Misfit Psycles has now given me the Fu-bar I was testing; obviously that is huge. Thanks so much to Peter and all the guys at Misfit. When I look at all the singlespeed products on your website, along with your not taking yourself too seriously attitude, one has to wish you success. Feel free to use my name and any comments as an endorsement for your product. If you need to use some words out of context; “Wow!”, “Great!”, “A whole new paradigm”, “almost better than beer!”, “I’m in awe!”, I’d sell my children for this bar”. Thanks again, Brad

The Single Speed Chain FAQ

2007-08-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

Traditionally single speeders used 1/8 inch BMX chains, since most single speed (SS) bikes are just 26" wheel BMX bikes anyway. Other reasons include the fact that SS track bikes and old BMX bikes had 1/8 inch cogs and chainrings and since 1/8 inch chains looked bigger than 3/32 chains they must be stronger. Also 3/32; 7-8 speed (or 11/128; 9-10 speed) multi-speed rated (MSR) chains are designed to derail, something you don't want to happen on a SS bike. It is also a misconception the 9, 10 and A second look however shows there had been a lot more R&D money thrown at MSR chains by Shimano and SRAM, so most MSR chains meet or exceed the tensile or "pull" strength of 1/8 inch chains. Since most single speed components available today come in 3/32, it seems logical to use 3/32 chains. On the other hand, while some claim that 1/8 inch chains on 3/32 gears cause more noise and wear than 3/32 chains, the jury is still out on this matter as many more use prefer this set-up. In the real world, it would seem the use of 1/8 inch chains work fine on 3/32 components and some, such as the SRAM PC-7 and KMC Kool chains are stronger.

One issue that comes up from time to time is the use of 1/2 links. The use of a ½ link allows you to vary the chain length by 1/2 inch intervals, rather than one inch with a standard link. This comes in handy when you are trying to convert a bicycle with vertical dropouts.

1/2 links come in two generic sizes, 1/8 and 3/32; they tend to be weaker than a standard link, so if strength is a major issue, you may want go with a half link chain. They add about 100 grams over a standard but they do not add a weaker link and they look kinda cool.

So do you need a single speed (non MSR) over a MSR chain? No, not really. Is there any advantage to a 1/8 inch chain? Yes, there can be if you have chainline and/or derailing problems, a SS chain can help; and as I said before some are stronger. However if you are using a spring tensioner such as this early Surly Singleator, an 1/8 chain may not work, as pretty much all tensioners are designed to work with 3/32 chains. Additionally if you're are having a problem with your Singleator skipping, they work best in the push-up mode, and with the addition of a zip-tie connecting the Singleator arm to the chainstay. The Singleator is the only tensioner with a push up "mode" (it requires a second spring that needs to be switched out). If you have another Singleator type tensioner, you can still use the zip ties but there will be no way to tension the spring (again they only work in one direction). Also, with the exception of the Paul Melvin, most tensioners are not designed to work with different size cogs using the same chain length. The Singleator manual says to shorten the chain as much as possible when using the tensioner (I would recommend using a half link if necessary). These tentioners skip due to a lack of chain wrap and tension, so anything you can do to increase either will help. Also make sure you have a cone wrench so you can tighten the spring as tight as possible.

The tensile strength of a SRAM PC-7 is about 2500 ft lbs and only come in 1/8 inch (and pimp gold); all other MSR SRAM chains (including the PC-58) are around 2023 ft lbs. The KMC Kool chains rate at 2860 ft lbs and come in both 3/32 and 1/8inch. The KMC Z chains (with an H in the model number) also come in both sizes (i.e. the 3/32 Z610H; my choice of chain), rate at 2640 ft lbs and are a bit lighter than the Kool chains. KMC ranks most if their MSR chains at 2314 ft LBS; I have not seen and published data for Shimano chains.

So what chain should you buy? There is a plethora of 1/8 inch chains out there; one of the favorites is the SRAM PC-7. On the other hand there has been considerable anecdotal information on the SRAM PC-1 (1/8) chain; the nickel plated version seems to hold up well but the non-plated version does not hold up well and should be avoided. KMC also makes a line of 1/8 inch (or 3/16 inch if you dare) and 3/32 SS chains. They come in various weights and strengths so you pay your money and make your choice. As far as MSR 3/32 chains go SRAM PC-58 seem to be popular with the anti-Shimano crowd as are the KMC chains. Shimano wise any of the better 7/8 speed HG or IG chains will work; The 9-10 speed chains may not work with some 3/32 cogs and chainrings. As elluded to before, they are slightly smaller than 3/32" @ 11/128".

As a final caveat there is the question of longevity aka "streaching". Regardless of what you hear, all chains get longer with use (I'd call that stretching). There are so many factors that go into this "lengthening", that it's futile to try and rank one chain over another. Just try and keep your chain clean and lubricated and when it has stretches 3/32" over a foot, replace it.

Also checkout http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/chain_stiffness.htm and http://www.63xc.com/gregg/gregchai.htm for some good chain spew.

The 3Rensho Specialized Allez

2007-08-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I was checking out the take off table at my LBS and I saw an old lugged red Specialized Allez frame and fork on sale for $65. I had been looking for a project bike so I picked it up. However the more I learned about this bike frame the more I think it was one of Allez frames of legend, made by the Cyclone company, aka 3Rensho . While most of the info on these frames is very anecdotal, I found this on a Google forum written by an importer/exporter.

"Specialized doesn't "build" anything. They, like Sears, look for vendors and lately it seems based mostly on price. Allez were originally built by I think Tano and Co., or at least a similar midsize bike company in Japan. The 1984~1988 models were designed and built by Yoshi Konno of Cyclone Ltd (3Rensho). At the time, the 3Rensho Athlete model was the same frame right down to the red paint except for the seatstay caps and a few other small details. Interestingly Allez was a house brand of the Holdsworthy Company, London, who did not pursue an American trademark so Specialized just took the name."

Also posted is another suspected 3Rensho frame.

The only info I have to add to the previous thread is from one of my mechanics. He says that the 3Rensho-built bikes have a slight slope to the fork crown (mine does) while the rest of the Allez line has a flat fork crown.

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/Randy+Dugan/allez/

Based on my bike and other posts, I have identified the following traits that would indicate an Allez was made by 3Rensho. The basics are it came from the factory as a steel lugged frame and fork painted red. There is a slope to the fork crown. The bike has chromed Campy dropouts front and back. The frame is built with a Medalist bottom bracket shell and has no serial number. The only number on the shell is the frame size in centimeters (mine is a 56).

An interesting note on my frame was the bike came with a Suntour front derailleur, a Campy bottom bracket, and a Shimano 600 headset. When I removed the headset I found that the bottom of the head tube had not been faced. There was a bit of brazing material plugging up the head tube, but that did not stop someone from pounding the cup into the head tube anyway. Fortunately it did no harm to the frame and Paul @ Rocklobster Cycles was able mill and face the head tube. Since the frame was set up for JIS, Paul machined the head tube and fork to accept the Campy headset I was going to install.

The main problem with the 3Rensho frame is I have yet to find anyone you will stand up and say this is a confirmed 3Rensho frame and this is what it looks like. I’ll add more to this post as I learn more.

I received a post that this bike was not a 3Rensho because the fork was not offset. I'm not sure how he could tell with the tiny picture I posted, so I posted another showing the fork is obviously offset.

Why Single Speed #1

2007-08-23T00:35:00.000-07:00

To really under stand single speed you have to be kind of a fanatic about bicycling. Bicycling has to have a special meaning for you. I stopped a YWM (young white male) on a bike the other day as he was pedaling the wrong way on a one way street, at night without a light. He was riding an old single speed cruiser with cream colored fenders and big old chrome (non-functioning) headlight. I asked him how old the bike was and just stared at me and said, “It’s just a bike.” So I figured he stole it.

In Japan they know how to be fanatics. They make rituals and religions about almost everything. There they have track bike racing called Keirin. It’s kind of a cross between horse racing and sumo wrestling. Check it out Every single part of the bike, every component, frame, wheels, spokes, chain, everything has to be approved with N.J.S. (Nihon Jitensha Shinkokai), the Japanese Bicycling Association, stamp of approval. The standard is almost the same as the Campagnolo ISO Track parts standard. There is another standard used by Shimano called JIS (Japanese Industrial standard). This standard has minor differences from ISO in the square taper interface between bottom brackets and cranks, and the frames have different size headtubes and fork races. This is different from the English/US Standard of ISO that Shimano builds for biikes here in the US. One of the primary reasons for NJS is so all the parts will fit together without concern for any discrepancies between standards. What a concept. Unfortunately it falls too short of this, but it does maintain a large margin of safety.

Once you develop this fanticism of bicycling, single speed starts to make sense. No, it’s not for everyone or it may be for everyone but not all the time. But it is bicycling at its lowest common denominator. I have been riding my fixed gear almost on a daily basis since 2001 when I bought it from a neighbor for a couple hundred dollars. I have changed it over the years. First switched out the 140mm Salsa track stem for a more comfortable 100mm Cinelli, then I switched out the sewups for some clinchers and added front brake. It stayed in that configuration until this years when a pot hole took me down, broke 5 ribs and turned my handle bar and brake levers on a Beef-a-Roni (noodles and hamburger); too bad too, because the levers were some classy Campy Athena’s. I replaced the Bar and Stem with new Salsa and Cane Creek Brakes levers. The bike seems to fit me better now than it did before and I ride it everywhere. It goes to work with me, it climbs the local mountains, cruises the local farmland and has finished the Solvang Century twice. However what led to the fixie was a single speed mountain bike but that's another story.

Apologies to NYC Snob

2007-08-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have held off on doing the Bike Snob thing because, well it's the Bike Snob thing and he has turned it into an art form. You will notice that I am more interested in the rider than the bike. But I was cruising Craigslist (something I have never done before and probably never will again) and I came across this.

This was my first fixie I did. I meticulously cleaned the frame, then build it up using just the right amount of lube and grease. The frame is a 58cm Raleigh Super Course known for it's beautiful construction and lug work. Everything you see on this bike is new. I have ALL the recipts and packaging for all the components.

Hmmm. He put together this fixie and the best thing he can tell you about his mechanical abilities is he knows how to use lubricants.

Here is my list of what I spent:
Nitto stem - $50,
SS Mavic wheelset - $180,
Rivendell Speed blend tires - $48,
Tubes - $8,
Sugino Bottom bracket - $40,
Sugino crankset - $80,
Brooks saddle - $70,
MKS pedals - $36,
Surley track cog - $27,
Tange Head set - $25,
Bars - $25
frame ebay - $126,
Chain $13,
Seat post - $25
Total $753 + tax,
I will sell for $600.

Wow! He even kept the receipts and he wants to sell the bike for less than he paid and with all the oil and grease he used.

I have ridden this bike 2 or 3 times and it is a head turner. This bike has less than 10 miles on it! The only reason I'm selling is because the Visa bill is due!!! I will also throw in a pair of center pull brakes if you want. I'm located in Alameda, Bay farm island.

But now he needs to sell it because he can't afford to pay for all the parts he just bought! Apparently the sole reason this guy built this bike was to get a date. I'm sure of it. He put the bike together, well lubricated like he said, and then road around on it for 10 miles, probably dripping oil all over the road, riding from coffe house to coffee house, until some honey was impressed enough with the bike to go out with him. Now he has pay off enough of his VISA so he's under his limit enough to pay for a dinner for two and maybe a movie. Good Luck my friend. But what are you going to do when she asks to see the bike again? You know, the only reason she went out with you in the first place. Dude, what were you thinking? I wouldn't be selling those center pull brakes anytime soon. I'm sure as soon as she realizes what a loser she went out with, your love life will stop so fast your going to need those brakes to slow down your quick and pending fall into depression. But don't give up. You can always do it all over again. And this time see if the bank will up your limit so you can keep the bike for more than a week this time.

Do you know why I stopped you?

2007-08-20T15:32:00.001-07:00

There is a bike stop from time to time that needs comment. One occurred the other night when night had fallen and the total lack of bicycle lights makes my job like shooting fish in a barrel. Problem is there is no sport in that and I would just be giving in the guy that rants and raves about the police not enforcing the bike light law. And now a confession, I have yet to cite the rider of a single speed/fixie road bike. Not that that don’t do anything wrong, but first they are harder to catch and second I share a certain amount of kinship with them. I usually ask them if they know why I stopped them (they always know), ask them to tell me about their bike and send them on their way with a warning.

I looked up just in time to see some guy in a pick-up come to schreeching halt as some little pixie on a SS roadie was about to run a stop sign. The girl made a quick right, rode around the rear of the truck and into my waiting arms. She was about 5 ft tall, a really bad hair cut and a curved spiked thing through her nose.

“I need to talk to you”.
“Okay, shouldn’t we step out of the street where it’s safer?’
“Ah, yes, do you know why I stopped you?”
“You mean the truck?”
“Ah, yes and the stop sign.”
“Well I turned right.”
“Yes, but you still have to stop, even if you were turning right, which you weren’t”.
Silence
“Do you know what’s more dangerous than running a stop sign?”
“I was turning”
“Running a stop sign with out a bike light.”
"I have a rear light."
"You need headlight also.”
“I didn’t know that; I actually have one but I left it at home”
“Well, it’s not doing you any good there is it?”
Silence
“Tell me about your bike”
"What?"
“How long have you been riding a fixie?”
“It’s not a fixie”
The absence of a brake lever fooled me. It is a SS with a Campy brake up front. The lever was on the top tube.
“Tell me about your bike.”
“What?”
“Tell be about your bike.”
“I don’t know much about the frame; I bought it off Craigslist.”
“It says Triathlon on the side”
“Yes, I think it’s a Nishiki.”
Good Girl! She went on to tell me the hubs were “Sunshine”, “They were as good as Campy in their day”. I gave her a warning and she started to sparkle.
“Oh this really means a lot to me. I mean I had heard they were writing a lot of tickets down here, but it hasn't happened to me, so you don’t know whether to believe it or not. I’m going to be more careful because of this. Thank you. I’m really getting into bike thing. I was just learning to ride without holding the handlebars."

And so I let her go. I never did tell her that riding downtown at night, without a bike light and where there are stop signs and the police on bikes, is not the best place to learn to ride without holding on to the bars; or that riding without holding the handlebars actually has very limited applications. I let her ride away. Then it dawned on me. She has a front brake controlled with a brake lever not attached to her handlebar. And now she's learning to ride without her handlebars....And she's been warned to stop at stop signs....No, she won't.... I mean anyone would know..OMG!...What have I done!...

Riding without pants

2007-08-19T00:50:00.000-07:00

So what do we do here in Santa Cruz? Why we have Alley Cat Rides just like everybody else. Why one even showed up in the local rag (The Santa Cruz Sentinel). Where was that? Oh yes, here it is. “A group of pantless cyclists in stretches moments before the No-Pants Alley Cat bike race started Saturday afternoon.”…… Wait a minute….What?....pantless cyclist?... Maybe I should just read the whole thing.

August 5, 2007
Cyclists strip for Santa Cruz alley cat ride
By JENNIFER SQUIRESSentinel staff writer

SANTA CRUZ — Wearing pink boy-cut briefs, Taylor Saxe and Dana Landing led a group of pantless cyclists in stretches moments before the No-Pants Alley Cat bike race started Saturdayafternoon. About 20 underwear-clad riders gathered at the Town Clock for the scavenger hunt-style cycle across the county.

"We just live to ride," said 18-year-old Landing, whose biking attire was ruffled pink shorts with black accents.

The two Santa Cruz women organized the underground event, one of many alley cat races in the area. Word-of-mouth and online announcements attracted a healthy mix of locals and out-of-towners to enjoy the weather and the leggy freedom Saturday.

The pants-free decree was just to make it memorable. "We kind of gave people a reason to go shopping," said Saxe, 19, in metallic pink briefs. A couple men wore boxers or running-style shorts, but most of the riders had bright briefs. One man brought extra pairs of leopard print undies in multiple colors in case anyone needed an outfit; another wore only striped briefs and tossed a messenger bag over his shoulder.

Alley cat rides draw on the skills bike messengers use, like knowing back roads and shortcuts that can sheer minutes off of travel time. Riders are given a manifest of stops or, on trickier courses, just clues as to what the stops might be. Saturday, riders had to hit the five checkpoints between Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz and Mid-County in whatever order they thought will be the fastest. "Everyone here can figure out their own way," Saxe said.

As riders gathered in the late-afternoon shadow of the Town Clock to pore over the clues — hint: "find the ugliest coffee shop in town;" checkpoint: the Ugly Mug in Soquel — concerns about police stopping their nearly-naked event were barely there.
"If they really think this is indecent exposure, boo to them," Landing said. "Thumbs down"

No, that didn’t make it any better. Now let me get this straight, why did they want to ride around in their underwear? "We just live to ride," said 18-year-old Landing, whose biking attire was ruffled pink shorts with black accents". You know, I have been accused on more than one occasion of “living to ride” but it never motivated me to ride around in my tidy-whities. There is just something spooky about this; it’s kinda like everyone getting together to drink Kool-Aid.

And then of course there was the punny, “concerns about police stopping their nearly-naked event were barely there.” Funny you might bring that up, because I did notice while driving my patrol car around the downtown area that there were a couple of young ladies riding their bikes in brightly colored men's underwear. And since I am a straight white male, the last thing I was going to do is bring this to their attention. I may have been a case of selective amnesia and I wasn’t going to be the one to spoil it for everyone else.

You can't buy entertainment like this.

More NYC Snob - The 3 Commandments

2007-08-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Bikes are functional art. Now surely anyone is free to build a bike anyway they want; granted there are some legal restrictions; in California a fixie is not considered to have a functioning brake. But it seems someone, based on the fixe bikes bike messengers ride, have developed a formula for bikes that make little sense. Hey, if you’re a lowly bike messenger, it makes since to tune your bike to the job; bike tape wears out pretty fast, is pricey and difficult to replace; they use chains for saws, so it’s probably not good for your paint; if you spend a limited amount of time sitting on your saddle, you may want to tweak it nose down so your don't get hung up on it; I think the brake issue is still unresolved, but I can certainly buy into the concept that riding around an accident is just as good as stopping for it and brakes can sometimes bring on an illusion of safety. I have a front brake on my fixie and I, like most fixie riders try to ride using the brake as little as possible. This means I have to be much more aware of traffic and has probably saved me a few crashes. On the other hand, it’s nice to have a brake when I miscalculate.

But what is it, with what NYC Snob calls, the Three Commandments of Fixed Gear Riding 1) Thou Shalt Have Thine Keys Exposed At All Times; 2) Thou Shalt Not Tape Thine Bars; and 3) A Helmet's Okay, But A Brake Is Gay. (I would add 4) Thou Shalt only put a Brooks on your behind) NYC Snob followed this up with the New Fixed-Gear Bicycle Owner's Manual; Funny Stuff.

Monday, July 16, 2007
New Fixed-Gear Bicycle Owner's Manual

For the most part I like off-the-rack track bikes. More inexpensive entry-level anything is a good thing. It's what a lot of people are doing with these bikes that's infuriating. And manufacturers have followed suit by blithely dismissing brakes on their websites, festooning their bikes with graffiti, and naming models after trendy neighborhoods. Look to find something like this hanging off the bars at your LBS soon:

New Fixed-Gear Bicycle Owner's Manual

Contratulations on the purchase of your Bianchi Pista/Specialized Langster/Cannondale Capo/Jamis Sputnik or similar. Your new bicycle should give you many days of enjoyment until you tire of it for aesthetic reasons and list it on Craigslist for the full retail price in order to help fund the purchase of an NJS-certified keirin bike, a vintage Fender Telecaster, or your move to another, trendier city.

Until that moment arrives, here are some things you need to know in order to get the most enjoyment out of your new toy:

A Note on the Fixed Gear Drivetrain

Your bicycle is equipped with a fixed gear drivetrain. For this reason you may want to alter your riding style accordingly. Firstly, ride slowly. Very slowly. This is the best way to avoid obstacles. When riding with friends on city streets, in bike lanes, or in parks, it is acceptable to disregard the flow of car or bicycle traffic and ride in whichever direction you choose. Slowly. If you find yourself traveling in the same direction as traffic and encounter an intersection with a red light or turning vehicle and are unable to stop, simply turn right. Riding around the block will eventually put you back on course and save you embarrassment and injury. In fact, did you know it's possible to get to any point on an urban street grid using only right turns? Well, it is. And it's safe and fun! Remember this acronym: AAL (Always Avoid Lefts).

Furthermore, your drivetrain enables you to enjoy your bicycle without having to actually ride it more than a few feet at a time. Fun things to try include: skidding, skip-stopping, trackstanding, and putting stickers and colorful parts on it.

Upgrading

It is important to begin the process of upgrading your bicycle’s appearance immediately. This can occasionally have the side-effect of improving your bicycle’s performance as well. Fortunately there are increasing numbers of track bicycle boutique shops. These shops dispense with the selection, service, and expertise of old-fashioned bike shops and instead focus on catering to your every candy-colored whim. They can also offer you sound and practical advice. Best of all, they carry lots of cool t-shirts.

Proper Usage

Though the model name or advertising copy for your bicycle may include words like “pista,” “track,” or “entry-level racing,” in no circumstances should you attempt to use your bicycle on or for any of the above. Doing so shall void your warranty.

“Proper Usage” includes: riding slowly to the bike boutique to purchase accessories and clothing; photographing your bike for submission to on-line galleries; participation in ad-hoc skidding contests; and doing track stands for hours outside of the residence of a person you would like to impress.

Handlebars

Your handlebars are wrapped in tape made of synthetic cork. Please note that the purpose of this tape is to protect your bars during shipping. This tape should be removed immediately.

You should be aware that once the tape is removed the bars may be slippery and difficult to grip. If this is the case, remove bars from stem, invert, and re-install. Then, using a hacksaw, cut in the middle of the curved portion until the excess length is removed. Your hands will now be slightly less likely to slip from the bars due to the limited hand position. This is called “flop n’ chop,” and your bicycle is now a gelding.

Brakes

Depending on make and model, your bicycle may have been shipped with a brake or a pair of brakes pre-installed. These brakes should only be used in emergencies. Once you are comfortable bringing the bicycle to a safe and complete stop without using the brakes, they should be removed and discarded.

The term “safe and complete stop” means bringing the bicycle from 5mph to 0mph in a distance of no more than 50 feet.

Safety

Whenever operating your bicycle, safety should be your primary concern. Be sure to have a qualified mechanic install a top-tube pad immediately.

Thanks very much for your purchase, and welcome to the exciting world of track cycling!

Your bike is worth $20

2007-08-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

Bike thieves suck. They are the bane of my existence. Fortunately I am a policeman and have been so for 25 years. I post a link on the Santa Cruz Police Department web site (Bikes Found/Stolen) to show both stolen bicycles and those we recover. The sad part is we return very few bikes. Since your average bike owner can’t even find the serial number on their bike most of the recoveries I make come through comparing sparse descriptors to the bikes tweakers were riding when they were arrested. BTW your bike is worth $20. That is the amount of dope most drug attics get no matter what the quality of your bike is. That’s why I suggest you get to know your bike. Find the serial number and write it down; don’t rely on your LBS to write it down for you. Of the three bikes I bought new, twice the serial number was written down wrong. Also, make sure you can read the serial number. Many times it is painted over and illegible; use an engraver and dig out the paint. Treat it like you’d be really heartbroken if someone stole it. Don’t leave your bike sitting locked at a bus stop or outside bike rack for hours. I don’t care if it’s locked or not; eventually someone will steal it. All locks can be defeated. And if the thief can’t defeat the lock, he’ll just cut the frame and take the bike for parts. I do find solace in the fact that if a drug addict if caught on a stolen bike they will become ineligible for Prop 36. Finally, be paranoid! Assume that every time you park and/or lock your bike, someone is planning on trying to steal it; because they probably are.

NYC Snob

2007-08-18T02:48:00.000-07:00

I will be re-posting a number of NYC Snobs posts here because the guy is just flat out funny. These two posts fit together so well they have to be read together.

Worst of NYC Craigslist Bike Ads #7 and #8

Once You Ride Track You Never Go Back! Fixed Gears and Single Speeds - $100[original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/363527325.html]Reply to: see belowDate: 2007-06-30, 2:18AM EDT

What does this mean? I'm scared! Does this mean I will ride around and around a velodrome until I die? I mean, I love to ride, but that literally sounds like hell.

Once You Ride Track You Never Go Back! Fixed Gears and Single Speeds If you want to ride track, or just want learn more about it, we can help you find the right bike. CALL [deleted] after 5pm and call back if i dont answer!

Oh, I see. Riding "track" means riding a fixed gear bicycle. Got it. I have a friend with one of those. Sounds pretty cool. I think I'll read further.

We have several fixed gear and track bikes ready to go- 2 peugeots, 2 Fujis, a Schwinn, a Bianchi, a Univega, and a Panasonic. We can answer any questions you have, and we have a good selection of fixed gear and single speed bikes starting at $100. Every bike we sell comes with a six month warantee, and we are always happy to explain how to care for and maintain your fixie. Both converted rear hubs and track wheels are available for any bike, as well as flip flop wheels, with freehweel on one side and fixed on the other, for those who like variety. See below for more wheel info.Why do I feel like I'm about to buy a black market parrot or something? Every bike we sell will have: -a straight chainline -a secure cog and lockring -a rear wheel centered in dropouts -a front brake for added safety -new cables and housing -new bearings in the headset and bottom bracket

Sounds OK so far. I love added safety! Mom and Dad will definitely wire me the money to buy a safe bike like this.

For those who are wondering, here is a rundown of our procedure for converting rear wheels: A fixed gear is distinguished by direct drive; the pedals and the rear wheel are connected directly by the drivechain, so the if you pedal backward you go back, and if you stop pedalling you stop, unlike with a freewheel bike. On both converted road wheels and track wheels, the cog and lockring screw onto threading on the hub, but only a track wheel has reverse threading for the lockring. This way, when you pedal forward, you tighten the cog, and when you pedal back, you tighten the lockring. On a conversion, the cog and lockring both thread on the same way, so that whan you pedal backward, the chain torques them both loose. For this reason, for our conversions, we weld the cog and lockring onto the hub, so that when you stop, your cog wont pop off! In our experience, the welded conversion is just as safe as a track hub; neither one has ever broken that we know of. However, if you plan on riding without a front brake, we recommend using a track wheel just to be sure. The rest of the conversion involves adjusting the axle and spacers and re-dishing the wheel. We put longer spokes on the drive side of the wheel and shorter spokes on the other one; this ensures that the cog and the lockring are in a straight line and that the rim is centered in the dropouts. Both these things are critical for a functional fixed gear: if the chainline isnt straight, the chain will derail and the chainring will get bent, and if the rim isn't centered correctly, the balance and the steering of the bike will be off....So make sure any fixed gear you buy is set up right- don't be afraid to ask questions!

Well, I'm convinced. Welding a cog to a hub sounds like a perfectly reasonable thing to do. I doubt I'll ever want to change my gearing anyway. And I'm comforted by the fact that he says not one has ever broken "that we know of." Why, the only way they wouldn't know if one had broken would be if the rider had died, and I certainly doubt that's the case. In fact, I think I'll cut-and-paste this entire paragraph and email it to Mom and Dad so they'll feel better about wiring me that money.

We are between workshops right now, so we're temporarily working out of my apartment in williamsburg- please contact us to set up a time to come by. If you tell us your height, your price range, and any other preferences you have, we'll let you know what bikes we have that might work for you. Please call [deleted] for more info- leave a message with your number if i dont answer and i will get back to you asap.

Hmm, surprising that they're between workshops. I'd think an operation as professional and conscientious as this would already have a chain of legitimate retail outlets all over Brooklyn. Oh well--I guess I'll just keep trying until he answers. He probably can't hear me over his welder.

50cm Bianchi Track Bike (fixed gear, NO BRAKES) for sale - $600[original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/365387986.html]Reply to: [deleted]Date: 2007-07-02, 9:28PM EDT This vintage early 1980's Bianchi Pista is a beautiful classic track bike in pristine condition. For the CL police who will no doubt post some smug comment about new Pistas selling for the same price, let me point out that I have just had the frame professionally powder coated, and I have also customized it with new upgrades of just about all the components. Even without the custom rebuild, the older Pista frames are vastly superior to the flashy new models, and unlike the Pistas currently on the market (which most racers would be too embarrassed to bring to a velodrome), they were actually made for RIDING ON THE TRACK. This bike is not drilled for brakes, and it has authentic track geometry. The new finish is a metallic sky blue color, and I have rebuilt it with all black components including:

Hold on there, Skippy. Last time I was at the velodrome I saw some of the fastest riders in NYC riding recent-vintage Pistas, and they didn't look too embarrassed. In fact, the only rider who would be "embarrassed" to ride a reasonably-priced and versatile bicycle is the kind of rider who would be afraid to enter a race in the first place. If you ever raced, you'd know that most real racers don't have a vanity bike for each and every discipline, and are more concerned with actually riding. Also, maybe you've been blinded by welding flash, but if you check the Bianchi site you'll find that the current Pistas do have true track geometry. Yes, they're handicapped by those pesky brake holes, but you can easily weld those shut.

Chris King sealed bearing headset Salsa stem straight aluminum bars with matching blue grips (or Nitto drops or bullhorns if you prefer) Dura Ace aerodynamic seatpost Koski Engineering leather saddle Campagnolo record track bottom bracket Truvativ track crankset and chainring Campy Record track pedals w/ new clips and straps Maillard high flange track wheels with Swift S11 deep dish Sunrims and butted spokes Dura Ace cog and lockring I am asking $600 for the complete bike, including 6mo. warrantee. This is a really cool looking bike, all blue and black, and it rides beautifully- very smooth and quiet. Sorry, I dont have any pics. If you would like to come see the bike please give me a call at [deleted], preferably after 5pm, and day this week. You can also email me, but I dont check my email very often so phone is best.

Good for you. Sounds like a hot setup. I love mix-matched ISO and JIS tapers. And I'm sure your warranty counts for a lot. Go back to welding lockrings onto Panasonics and leave bicycle retail to the shops that have some knowledge and accountability.

Bicycle videos

2007-08-17T02:54:00.001-07:00

There is some pretty funny things out there. Here are a couple of my favorites

How to build a Single Speed

and

Ted Shred or how I learned to ride a Single Speed without the need for brakes

Oh come all ye faithfull!

2007-08-17T02:47:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 2001 I was born again; to single speed mountain biking and a short time later to fixie road riding. This is a picture of my main squeeze. It takes me to work everyday and has seen the finish line of a couple of centuries. It has gone down hard and rose like the pheonix. There's more to come but it's late and I'm old.

Brad