Musta Been A Bad Time

Utility "townie" rig- An old Schwinn High Sierra re-purposed

Have you ever had one of those days where, (mostly) you'd just as well had skipped over, asked for a "do-over", or would like to have end as quickly as possible? Yeah.......Sunday was that day for me. 

It was one of those days marked by things going wrong, being embarrassed, frustrated, saddened, and ultimately it was just a really craptastic day. Oh sure......there were good things, and I tried to grasp on to those things and not dwell on the bad stuff.

Anyway, I'll not get too personal here, but I will say that a planned long gravel ride on arguably the last hot day we will have this year was sabotaged starting on Saturday night and with the way Sunday went, it was deep sixed by noon. Oh well, there will be other days, but I was bummed none the less.

I did get out on an errand on my mid-80's Schwinn High Sierra "townie" bike which brightened my day a bit. I am always amazed at how comfortable that bike is for cruising to the store. I have it set up 1X5 with a friction shifter so it is really quite reliable as well. Funny how it doesn't matter how "cool" your bike is, just so you get out and ride it.

It was the medicine I needed on a down day.

Musta Been A Bad Time

Utility "townie" rig- An old Schwinn High Sierra re-purposed

Have you ever had one of those days where, (mostly) you'd just as well had skipped over, asked for a "do-over", or would like to have end as quickly as possible? Yeah.......Sunday was that day for me. 

It was one of those days marked by things going wrong, being embarrassed, frustrated, saddened, and ultimately it was just a really craptastic day. Oh sure......there were good things, and I tried to grasp on to those things and not dwell on the bad stuff.

Anyway, I'll not get too personal here, but I will say that a planned long gravel ride on arguably the last hot day we will have this year was sabotaged starting on Saturday night and with the way Sunday went, it was deep sixed by noon. Oh well, there will be other days, but I was bummed none the less.

I did get out on an errand on my mid-80's Schwinn High Sierra "townie" bike which brightened my day a bit. I am always amazed at how comfortable that bike is for cruising to the store. I have it set up 1X5 with a friction shifter so it is really quite reliable as well. Funny how it doesn't matter how "cool" your bike is, just so you get out and ride it.

It was the medicine I needed on a down day.

So, Are 26 Inch Wheels Going The Way Of 27 x 1 1/4"?

Are all old 26" mtbs destined to become townies?

Years ago, Niner Bikes Chris Sugai made what seemed like an outlandish statement in a video he appeared in from Interbike. He claimed that in a certain number of years, (five, I think), that the 26" wheel for mountain bikes would be dead. People thought he'd lost his marbles. However; although it may have taken a while longer than he thought, it appears that he may be right. (By the way, there is also a good rant from Chris on 27.5"ers out there as well.)

Anyway, I always figured that 26" wheels would be the domain of down hill oriented riding. That all changed when the "enduro" thing came around and every five inch to six inch travel platform that was formerly 26" wheels suddenly became "new" with the 27.5" wheel and the "enduro tag". It was "new" and you had to get one of these. What got missed in all of this was that the 26" wheeled bikes were almost identical to the 27.5" bikes besides the wheels, which were marginally different in performance. Marketing? Forced obsolescence? Whatever it was, it pushed 26 inch wheels off the radar and onto the back burner of mountain biker's consciousness.

I predicted a few years ago that when companies quit introducing new products like wheels and forks in 26" versions, that the 26" platform was going to die. Well, it is happening now. Forks are being introduced and there is no mention of a 26" version. Wheels are being produced with no mention of a 26" option. Only tire companies are quietly keeping pace with new 26" options to match their newest 27.5" and 29" rubber options. It won't be long before even this begins to stop happening for 26" wheels. Even down hill bikes are beginning to be more and more the realm of the 27.5" wheel. I would never have had thought that.

I wonder if in five more years or so that the tire rack at the local bike shop will have lots of tire choices and a couple hooks off to the side with the 27 X 1 1/4" tires, old 26 X 1 3/8ths tires, and the "old" mountain bike standard of 26" tires. It sure seems that things are headed in that direction now.

So, Are 26 Inch Wheels Going The Way Of 27 x 1 1/4"?

Are all old 26" mtbs destined to become townies?

Years ago, Niner Bikes Chris Sugai made what seemed like an outlandish statement in a video he appeared in from Interbike. He claimed that in a certain number of years, (five, I think), that the 26" wheel for mountain bikes would be dead. People thought he'd lost his marbles. However; although it may have taken a while longer than he thought, it appears that he may be right. (By the way, there is also a good rant from Chris on 27.5"ers out there as well.)

Anyway, I always figured that 26" wheels would be the domain of down hill oriented riding. That all changed when the "enduro" thing came around and every five inch to six inch travel platform that was formerly 26" wheels suddenly became "new" with the 27.5" wheel and the "enduro tag". It was "new" and you had to get one of these. What got missed in all of this was that the 26" wheeled bikes were almost identical to the 27.5" bikes besides the wheels, which were marginally different in performance. Marketing? Forced obsolescence? Whatever it was, it pushed 26 inch wheels off the radar and onto the back burner of mountain biker's consciousness.

I predicted a few years ago that when companies quit introducing new products like wheels and forks in 26" versions, that the 26" platform was going to die. Well, it is happening now. Forks are being introduced and there is no mention of a 26" version. Wheels are being produced with no mention of a 26" option. Only tire companies are quietly keeping pace with new 26" options to match their newest 27.5" and 29" rubber options. It won't be long before even this begins to stop happening for 26" wheels. Even down hill bikes are beginning to be more and more the realm of the 27.5" wheel. I would never have had thought that.

I wonder if in five more years or so that the tire rack at the local bike shop will have lots of tire choices and a couple hooks off to the side with the 27 X 1 1/4" tires, old 26 X 1 3/8ths tires, and the "old" mountain bike standard of 26" tires. It sure seems that things are headed in that direction now.

Friday News And Views

It seems that 29+and fat bike stuff was the order of the day at I-Bike '14

Interbike '14: 

Well, if this Interbike is anything like the last eight, today will be a slow news day. Exhibitors will have their hands on the plugs, ready to pull them and pack up to get the heck outta that place they've been stuck in- likely for over a week now. It's "Consumer Day" at the show, so a little something new there, but we'll see how it goes.


Of course, with today's immediate digital connectivity, one can sit wherever they want and "see" everything of note, since it gets uploaded within about two hours of the doors opening on Wednesday. After that, it's rehash time, and small oddities and by Thursday evening, you've seen it all. All without being sullied by the swirling, sucking vortex of The Strip. There wasn't a whole lot to get excited about either.

So, it seems that fat bikes are a "thing" like the 27.5"ers were last year and the year before. Fat bike tires being introduced by the bucket loads and not just a "me too" model to fill in the void. No- we're looking at two widths, two levels of quality, tubeless compatibility, studded, dual compound, and folding and wire beaded fat bike tires from several companies, and even a new 29+ tire or two. Mentions of B+ models coming as well.

Dual suspension frames with fat tires were introduced by the smaller companies. If we see Salsa sell a bunch of Bucksaws, and these smaller companies selling rigs, it'll draw out the big guns and next Interbike could get real interesting. But who knows? There may be another niche trend by that time. Gravel going cycle trucks, that's what I'm hearing............

Trans Iowa V11:

Recon plans are being worked on, and a sketch for the entire route has been done. Getting out in the field soon will reveal much. I have a funny feeling there will be a major revision and several minor ones, but we'll see. I have a "back up plan", a "Plan B", if you will, that could be used if this new route doesn't pan out, and "Plan B" was originally the front runner, but things changed. Stay tuned......

Okay, so Registration is being fine tuned and an announcement will come at the end of the month. Keep your eyes peeled on the Trans Iowa site  for that particular announcement and afterward the fine details will get discussed over here. 

Part of what I am going to change has to do with how many of you have finished a Trans Iowa out there. Kevin Doggett, himself a T.I.finisher, likes crunching numbers and did a whole slew of data for me and this jumped out at me....

 "Over the 10 years of Trans Iowa, a total of 334 different riders have made 647 attempts. 
Just 153 of the 647 attempts have been successful.  That is 23.6% or a little less than 1 in 4. 
The 153 successful attempts have been made by 107 different riders." (Note- emphasis mine.)

You know, out of 120 spots available, finishers could take the lions share if I kept things unchanged. So- you know already that will be getting tweaked! 

Project 26- Still rollin'

 Utility Rig:

I think everyone needs a "townie". You know- a utility rig. A bike that you don't have to worry about maintenance for, one that you "just hop on and go", no need for special shoes- or heck, even a helmet. (I know some of you will bristle at that notion, but that's how I roll sometimes.) 

Anyway- remove all barriers to use, that's the point here. My Project 26 rig is that bicycle for me. I threw some lights at it and a set of old Jaand panniers which make this my most useful bike in the stable. I can just grab and go with Project 26. I air up the tires and wipe it down now and again, but with its super simple, sturdy build, it doesn't need much attention. It's always ready to go at a moment's notice. 

So it gets the lions share of short travel errand duty for me. Convenience store runs, grocery getter, and mailing out smaller items- it's all in the Project 26's wheelhouse. Bigger items go to the Xtracycled Schwinn I have, but this one can handle a lot of stuff. 

It's not perfect. Not by a long shot. It needs a front roller cam stud turned down, but I don't own that tool, and I don't have access to one. It needs wider fenders, since these barely clear the Continental Winter Contact tires. My replacement for the original saddle on here is better than the original, but a Brooks Pro isn't really ideal. Still need to get that B-67! The wheels still roll smoothly, but the spokes are rusty and need cleaning up. Maybe a rebuild on the wheels is imminent. 

But those things are overlooked when I am popping wheelies over curbs, going across a patch of grass, or smoothing down a side street. It's just an awesome, useful steed. It may not be much, but I don't think I'll ever part with this one.

Okay, that's a wrap on this edition of Friday News And Views. Have a safe and fun weekend- hopefully on two wheels! 

Friday News And Views

It seems that 29+and fat bike stuff was the order of the day at I-Bike '14

Interbike '14: 

Well, if this Interbike is anything like the last eight, today will be a slow news day. Exhibitors will have their hands on the plugs, ready to pull them and pack up to get the heck outta that place they've been stuck in- likely for over a week now. It's "Consumer Day" at the show, so a little something new there, but we'll see how it goes.


Of course, with today's immediate digital connectivity, one can sit wherever they want and "see" everything of note, since it gets uploaded within about two hours of the doors opening on Wednesday. After that, it's rehash time, and small oddities and by Thursday evening, you've seen it all. All without being sullied by the swirling, sucking vortex of The Strip. There wasn't a whole lot to get excited about either.

So, it seems that fat bikes are a "thing" like the 27.5"ers were last year and the year before. Fat bike tires being introduced by the bucket loads and not just a "me too" model to fill in the void. No- we're looking at two widths, two levels of quality, tubeless compatibility, studded, dual compound, and folding and wire beaded fat bike tires from several companies, and even a new 29+ tire or two. Mentions of B+ models coming as well.

Dual suspension frames with fat tires were introduced by the smaller companies. If we see Salsa sell a bunch of Bucksaws, and these smaller companies selling rigs, it'll draw out the big guns and next Interbike could get real interesting. But who knows? There may be another niche trend by that time. Gravel going cycle trucks, that's what I'm hearing............

Trans Iowa V11:

Recon plans are being worked on, and a sketch for the entire route has been done. Getting out in the field soon will reveal much. I have a funny feeling there will be a major revision and several minor ones, but we'll see. I have a "back up plan", a "Plan B", if you will, that could be used if this new route doesn't pan out, and "Plan B" was originally the front runner, but things changed. Stay tuned......

Okay, so Registration is being fine tuned and an announcement will come at the end of the month. Keep your eyes peeled on the Trans Iowa site  for that particular announcement and afterward the fine details will get discussed over here. 

Part of what I am going to change has to do with how many of you have finished a Trans Iowa out there. Kevin Doggett, himself a T.I.finisher, likes crunching numbers and did a whole slew of data for me and this jumped out at me....

 "Over the 10 years of Trans Iowa, a total of 334 different riders have made 647 attempts. 
Just 153 of the 647 attempts have been successful.  That is 23.6% or a little less than 1 in 4. 
The 153 successful attempts have been made by 107 different riders." (Note- emphasis mine.)

You know, out of 120 spots available, finishers could take the lions share if I kept things unchanged. So- you know already that will be getting tweaked! 

Project 26- Still rollin'

 Utility Rig:

I think everyone needs a "townie". You know- a utility rig. A bike that you don't have to worry about maintenance for, one that you "just hop on and go", no need for special shoes- or heck, even a helmet. (I know some of you will bristle at that notion, but that's how I roll sometimes.) 

Anyway- remove all barriers to use, that's the point here. My Project 26 rig is that bicycle for me. I threw some lights at it and a set of old Jaand panniers which make this my most useful bike in the stable. I can just grab and go with Project 26. I air up the tires and wipe it down now and again, but with its super simple, sturdy build, it doesn't need much attention. It's always ready to go at a moment's notice. 

So it gets the lions share of short travel errand duty for me. Convenience store runs, grocery getter, and mailing out smaller items- it's all in the Project 26's wheelhouse. Bigger items go to the Xtracycled Schwinn I have, but this one can handle a lot of stuff. 

It's not perfect. Not by a long shot. It needs a front roller cam stud turned down, but I don't own that tool, and I don't have access to one. It needs wider fenders, since these barely clear the Continental Winter Contact tires. My replacement for the original saddle on here is better than the original, but a Brooks Pro isn't really ideal. Still need to get that B-67! The wheels still roll smoothly, but the spokes are rusty and need cleaning up. Maybe a rebuild on the wheels is imminent. 

But those things are overlooked when I am popping wheelies over curbs, going across a patch of grass, or smoothing down a side street. It's just an awesome, useful steed. It may not be much, but I don't think I'll ever part with this one.

Okay, that's a wrap on this edition of Friday News And Views. Have a safe and fun weekend- hopefully on two wheels! 

Catching Up Here....

Ah....this bike rack is too small!

Well, I have a few tidbits I wanted to catch up on before time got too far down the road on me. So, here are a couple of things that have happened recently around here....

Father's Day: Best Dad's Day I've had in awhile. I got to do a little grillin' ahead of the day, and on the holiday proper, it was a gloriously sunshiny day which I enjoyed by going for a ride with my Son. I rode By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk and boy! Does it ever need a cleaning! Oh well- I didn't let that stop me from enjoying a good time with my Son, and I even got in some slow speed grinding when we stopped at an abandoned school yard. Jacob played on the playground equipment while I made laps in some of the deepest pea gravel I've seen in a while. Just about mimics going through deep, fresh snow. Only it sounds a lot differently!

Mrs. Guitar Ted even got me a new tool chest! How about that? Yeah, it was a really great day. Thanks to all my family for making it a memorable one.

Speaking Of The Mukluk: 

I had a few e-mail exchanges with a fellow from Oz recently. He's a bag maker, and I have made arrangements to have a bit of a frame bag sent out for some upcoming adventures. 

Australian frame bag goodness.

In fact, this bag maker, called Bike Bag Dude, already has the frame bag done. I have an image he forwarded to me here. This bag is custom fit to my Mukluk and has a two zipper opening with a "false floor" that can be removed to make the interior a cavernous hold area for satellites and  transportation of small furry critters. (Well- no, not really! ) But the bag does have the false floor and can be made to be one big bag, or a two compartment affair.

This is the "Standard" bag and weighs 445 grams fully lined in an orange, which I figured would make it easier for my dim eyes to find stuff inside of it. Colors are chosen by the clients, and this one is a light grey to match the titanium Muk. Bike Bag Dude can also do an ultra-light version which is unlined, if you are super-freakish about weight.

There will be a couple of accessory items to go along with this, but I'll leave that for later. This frame bag will be doing duty at an upcoming long distance gravel event, and of course, lots of Winter time shenanigans as well. Triple D again, perhaps? We'll see.....I am excited to give this stuff a whirl and find out how I can utilize it for my adventures.

Project Two Six

Project Two Six Update:

It has been a while since I have talked about Project Two Six here. That is the Schwinn High Sierra that I refurrbed into a "townie". It has been a great little utility bike around the town here.

It has the rare roller cam style brakes on it, which you either know all about, or you think they are "weird U brakes". I have a boss on the front fork that is slightly mushroomed, and I do not have the proper milling tool for that repair, so the front brake is a little weird, but the back brake works like butter. One of these days I'll address that front brake and get it operating correctly.

The 1 X 5 drive train is simple, effective, quiet, near maintenance free, and has never given me a problem. Friction shifter, of course! Brooks Professional by way of Captain Bob is not really the "right" saddle for this bike, ( a B-67 would be better, or a Flyer), but doesn't it look "right" on there? It works well enough for me, so I am in no hurry to replace it just yet. I stuck a pretty upright Tioga stem on this with a Salsa 17° bar and Ergon grips with old Deore DX levers doing the brake duties. There used to be some nutcase that sold crazy cheap deals at QBP's open house back in the day. That's where the levers came from. I think I paid a buck for them and they came out of a bucket! This was waaaaay before Frostbike days. What was that guys name? Anyway....

I did a lot of detail filing on this crown

The biggest surprise for me about the bike is the Continental Winter Contact tires. These things are Winter specific with a special softer compound and all these grippy edges. I figured I would burn them up and swap out to other tires in a big hurry, but they have lasted. They show no appreciable signs of wear after three years of errands on pavement.

The rack and panniers are the self same set that I used for two overland self contained tours in the mid-90's. The wheels are off an 84 Mongoose Mountain Pro and have drilled out rims, just like the newer fat bikes. (What's old is new again!) Everything here is bolt on. No QR levers in sight, so the theft issues are less with this ike. Not to mention I had it powder coated in a textured military green color, which really makes it drab and  not noteworthy.

Anyway, it has been a great bike and really, really useful. The geometry is a knock off of the early Marin style mtb's. I figure this is my "poor man's Ritchey Timber Comp". I'll likely never get to ride one of those!

Well, that should about do it. Thanks for reading!

Catching Up Here....

Ah....this bike rack is too small!

Well, I have a few tidbits I wanted to catch up on before time got too far down the road on me. So, here are a couple of things that have happened recently around here....

Father's Day: Best Dad's Day I've had in awhile. I got to do a little grillin' ahead of the day, and on the holiday proper, it was a gloriously sunshiny day which I enjoyed by going for a ride with my Son. I rode By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk and boy! Does it ever need a cleaning! Oh well- I didn't let that stop me from enjoying a good time with my Son, and I even got in some slow speed grinding when we stopped at an abandoned school yard. Jacob played on the playground equipment while I made laps in some of the deepest pea gravel I've seen in a while. Just about mimics going through deep, fresh snow. Only it sounds a lot differently!

Mrs. Guitar Ted even got me a new tool chest! How about that? Yeah, it was a really great day. Thanks to all my family for making it a memorable one.

Speaking Of The Mukluk: 

I had a few e-mail exchanges with a fellow from Oz recently. He's a bag maker, and I have made arrangements to have a bit of a frame bag sent out for some upcoming adventures. 

Australian frame bag goodness.

In fact, this bag maker, called Bike Bag Dude, already has the frame bag done. I have an image he forwarded to me here. This bag is custom fit to my Mukluk and has a two zipper opening with a "false floor" that can be removed to make the interior a cavernous hold area for satellites and  transportation of small furry critters. (Well- no, not really! ) But the bag does have the false floor and can be made to be one big bag, or a two compartment affair.

This is the "Standard" bag and weighs 445 grams fully lined in an orange, which I figured would make it easier for my dim eyes to find stuff inside of it. Colors are chosen by the clients, and this one is a light grey to match the titanium Muk. Bike Bag Dude can also do an ultra-light version which is unlined, if you are super-freakish about weight.

There will be a couple of accessory items to go along with this, but I'll leave that for later. This frame bag will be doing duty at an upcoming long distance gravel event, and of course, lots of Winter time shenanigans as well. Triple D again, perhaps? We'll see.....I am excited to give this stuff a whirl and find out how I can utilize it for my adventures.

Project Two Six

Project Two Six Update:

It has been a while since I have talked about Project Two Six here. That is the Schwinn High Sierra that I refurrbed into a "townie". It has been a great little utility bike around the town here.

It has the rare roller cam style brakes on it, which you either know all about, or you think they are "weird U brakes". I have a boss on the front fork that is slightly mushroomed, and I do not have the proper milling tool for that repair, so the front brake is a little weird, but the back brake works like butter. One of these days I'll address that front brake and get it operating correctly.

The 1 X 5 drive train is simple, effective, quiet, near maintenance free, and has never given me a problem. Friction shifter, of course! Brooks Professional by way of Captain Bob is not really the "right" saddle for this bike, ( a B-67 would be better, or a Flyer), but doesn't it look "right" on there? It works well enough for me, so I am in no hurry to replace it just yet. I stuck a pretty upright Tioga stem on this with a Salsa 17° bar and Ergon grips with old Deore DX levers doing the brake duties. There used to be some nutcase that sold crazy cheap deals at QBP's open house back in the day. That's where the levers came from. I think I paid a buck for them and they came out of a bucket! This was waaaaay before Frostbike days. What was that guys name? Anyway....

I did a lot of detail filing on this crown

The biggest surprise for me about the bike is the Continental Winter Contact tires. These things are Winter specific with a special softer compound and all these grippy edges. I figured I would burn them up and swap out to other tires in a big hurry, but they have lasted. They show no appreciable signs of wear after three years of errands on pavement.

The rack and panniers are the self same set that I used for two overland self contained tours in the mid-90's. The wheels are off an 84 Mongoose Mountain Pro and have drilled out rims, just like the newer fat bikes. (What's old is new again!) Everything here is bolt on. No QR levers in sight, so the theft issues are less with this ike. Not to mention I had it powder coated in a textured military green color, which really makes it drab and  not noteworthy.

Anyway, it has been a great bike and really, really useful. The geometry is a knock off of the early Marin style mtb's. I figure this is my "poor man's Ritchey Timber Comp". I'll likely never get to ride one of those!

Well, that should about do it. Thanks for reading!

Friday News And Views

Beauty of a Scooter

Breezer Bikes Lightning: Okay, it is mountain bike history time folks. Guess who made.....as in assembled tubes into a frame and assembled components to it......the first purpose built mountain bike of the modern era. (Okay- we're not including the "Buffalo Soldiers" here, former college profs,  or any ol' French gang that happened to be riding a bicycle off pavement. We're talking a purpose built machine for down hill racing off road.

Yup- that'd be Joe Breeze circa 1977.

This rig here is the latest design from the mind of that pioneer of mountain biking that was contemporary with Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly, and others who formed the basis of what we call mountain biking today. That makes this bike a bit more special in a way. That and it is almost too pretty to get dirty.

Almost.

Joe Breeze was one of those early Marin folks that took to "clunking" on old Schwinn "ballooner" bikes that were fitted with all manner of components in an effort to make the ultimate off road machine from "found" parts. One of his earliest creations was a bike based upon a "Pre-War", (That'd be the Second World War my chillun!) , Schwinn that featured the ubiquitous "dart" paint job. Later on in Joe's mountain bike history, many of his Breezer mountain bikes sported similar livery, thus the traditional dart paint scheme on the Lightning here. The blue positively glows on this rig. It is an amazing looking bike.

Hopefully the review for Twenty Nine Inches will match the amazing level of the look this bike has as well. We'll see.

Project Two-Six- Yet again!

Project Two-Six Update: Yesterday I posted all about the tires on this rig, but I didn't say anything about the bike in particular. Well, I made one major change, which will lead to another. There is a plan to all of this as well.

First, the eagle-eyed amongst you may see that I swapped out saddles with the help of Captain Bob. (Thanks man!) This is a Brooks Pro of indeterminate vintage. Massive improvement over the Wrights saddle that came off. That said, it still isn't quite right. 

The proper saddle would be a Brooks B-17, but I'm thinking B-67.  Springs. Width. Heavy Duty. It all fits the purposes I have in mind here, which is for this bike to become my "townie", errand bike, grocery-getter. I'd like to put some nicer fenders on it, and maybe, if I can get enough use out of it, I'd put on a nicer wheel set at some point. But the saddle and fenders come first.

Of course, this then begs the question: "Where is the Brooks Pro going?" Right then. Well, my initial thought is to send it on over to my Karate Monkey. The Pro model is meant for a handle bar position somewhat below the saddle, and that's exactly where the handle bar position is on the Monkey. I think it will be a good fit.

Fixation "Accela" Tires: Fixie hipster? Just like colored tires? Need some long wearing, puncture resistant training tires?

Well, Fyxation has a new tire out in folding and wire beads in black or white/black, (as shown), in 700 X 23mm and 700 X 28mm sizes for MSRP of $36.95 (folder), and $25.95 (wire bead).

The press release said that the rubber compound used is a harder, longer lasting one that resists abrading. Could be good as a commuter tire, or for dressing up a bike with the flashy white treaded model. Either way, these are available now from dealers. Check it all out on their site here where you will also find a dealer list.

NOS Ukai Alloy wheel, circa 1980

Mike's Bikes: Tonight is the night I will be hanging out at Mike's Bikes in Northfield, Minnesota. I like going here. I'm a bike geek, and Mike's got bike geek magnets all around his shop.

I never cease to be amazed at the stuff I've unearthed while poking around there. Last year I saw this NOS Ukai wheel, and an early 90's Ritchey P-22 frame set.

What will I see this year? Who knows? It will most likely be very cool, old, and rare. Oh yeah......I'll probably see a bunch of beers and Greek pizza. Maybe not.......but most likely, I will. Let's see- what else will happen? Well, we might go and ride outside this time. It has been a lot milder this winter. Usually we lay down a blue groove right inside Mike's shop.

Whatever happens, I'll likely be off the grid here till Monday. So, Mike's Bikes, Frostbike, and what ever else happens will have to wait until Monday's post. (Most likely)

Have a great weekend ya'all!

Friday News And Views

Beauty of a Scooter

Breezer Bikes Lightning: Okay, it is mountain bike history time folks. Guess who made.....as in assembled tubes into a frame and assembled components to it......the first purpose built mountain bike of the modern era. (Okay- we're not including the "Buffalo Soldiers" here, former college profs,  or any ol' French gang that happened to be riding a bicycle off pavement. We're talking a purpose built machine for down hill racing off road.

Yup- that'd be Joe Breeze circa 1977.

This rig here is the latest design from the mind of that pioneer of mountain biking that was contemporary with Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly, and others who formed the basis of what we call mountain biking today. That makes this bike a bit more special in a way. That and it is almost too pretty to get dirty.

Almost.

Joe Breeze was one of those early Marin folks that took to "clunking" on old Schwinn "ballooner" bikes that were fitted with all manner of components in an effort to make the ultimate off road machine from "found" parts. One of his earliest creations was a bike based upon a "Pre-War", (That'd be the Second World War my chillun!) , Schwinn that featured the ubiquitous "dart" paint job. Later on in Joe's mountain bike history, many of his Breezer mountain bikes sported similar livery, thus the traditional dart paint scheme on the Lightning here. The blue positively glows on this rig. It is an amazing looking bike.

Hopefully the review for Twenty Nine Inches will match the amazing level of the look this bike has as well. We'll see.

Project Two-Six- Yet again!

Project Two-Six Update: Yesterday I posted all about the tires on this rig, but I didn't say anything about the bike in particular. Well, I made one major change, which will lead to another. There is a plan to all of this as well.

First, the eagle-eyed amongst you may see that I swapped out saddles with the help of Captain Bob. (Thanks man!) This is a Brooks Pro of indeterminate vintage. Massive improvement over the Wrights saddle that came off. That said, it still isn't quite right. 

The proper saddle would be a Brooks B-17, but I'm thinking B-67.  Springs. Width. Heavy Duty. It all fits the purposes I have in mind here, which is for this bike to become my "townie", errand bike, grocery-getter. I'd like to put some nicer fenders on it, and maybe, if I can get enough use out of it, I'd put on a nicer wheel set at some point. But the saddle and fenders come first.

Of course, this then begs the question: "Where is the Brooks Pro going?" Right then. Well, my initial thought is to send it on over to my Karate Monkey. The Pro model is meant for a handle bar position somewhat below the saddle, and that's exactly where the handle bar position is on the Monkey. I think it will be a good fit.

Fixation "Accela" Tires: Fixie hipster? Just like colored tires? Need some long wearing, puncture resistant training tires?

Well, Fyxation has a new tire out in folding and wire beads in black or white/black, (as shown), in 700 X 23mm and 700 X 28mm sizes for MSRP of $36.95 (folder), and $25.95 (wire bead).

The press release said that the rubber compound used is a harder, longer lasting one that resists abrading. Could be good as a commuter tire, or for dressing up a bike with the flashy white treaded model. Either way, these are available now from dealers. Check it all out on their site here where you will also find a dealer list.

NOS Ukai Alloy wheel, circa 1980

Mike's Bikes: Tonight is the night I will be hanging out at Mike's Bikes in Northfield, Minnesota. I like going here. I'm a bike geek, and Mike's got bike geek magnets all around his shop.

I never cease to be amazed at the stuff I've unearthed while poking around there. Last year I saw this NOS Ukai wheel, and an early 90's Ritchey P-22 frame set.

What will I see this year? Who knows? It will most likely be very cool, old, and rare. Oh yeah......I'll probably see a bunch of beers and Greek pizza. Maybe not.......but most likely, I will. Let's see- what else will happen? Well, we might go and ride outside this time. It has been a lot milder this winter. Usually we lay down a blue groove right inside Mike's shop.

Whatever happens, I'll likely be off the grid here till Monday. So, Mike's Bikes, Frostbike, and what ever else happens will have to wait until Monday's post. (Most likely)

Have a great weekend ya'all!

So......Now What?

This winter is.......fading fast! With the snow getting visibly less every hour during daylight, it won't take long with these 40 degree days to roach all the snow and put an end to fat biking on snow exclusively.

Fun while it lasted....

Yep! I am back to commuting on "skinny" wheels, wearing a helmet again, and using clipless pedals and shoes. I rode the "Project Two-Six" bike to work yesterday and I had to actually go looking for icy spots to test the Continental Winter Contact tires. There just wasn't any ice to be found!

So, I have been in the game of switching gears mentally to spring time. Too early, you say? No.......no, spring is coming.  I know. I heard the Cardinals start singing already, and that usually doesn't happen until mid-February. The forecast says 40's all week. I'm digging out the Gryphon and "Orange Crush" and I'm thinking long gravel rides are coming on fast.

I have an event coming up at the end of February too, so I need to get the gravel grinding done in preparation for CIRREM which is a hilly, challenging course. It is the same distance as Triple D was, so I should be okay with that part.

Single Gear Suffering?

I'm pretty sure I'll do the majority of the training on my Singular Gryphon. The gravel probably won't be too kind to a geared drive train for a while, and a single keeps the pace more constant on flatter terrain.

Plus, it has just been too long since I spent quality time aboard this bike. It certainly is a comfortable enough rig. I rode this one the last time I did Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, and spent all day on the bike. That didn't stop me that day, but the extreme heat sure did!

If I really wanted to be a goof ball I would just ride this in CIRREM. Who knows......maybe I will! Heck, it goes up hills just fine. I know that from my Nebraska trip. Just stand on those 180mm White Industries cranks and get goin! If CIRREM looks to be a peanut buttery mess, I definitely will be taking this rig.

Otherwise it'll be a Black Mountain Cycles kind of day. Either way, I will be needing to take some time plying some Iowa gravel roads and seeing what is going on out there in the country. The off road trails won't be up to snuff for quite a while yet, and the snow biking, well.......those days are done for this year. 

Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I bet not. 

So......Now What?

This winter is.......fading fast! With the snow getting visibly less every hour during daylight, it won't take long with these 40 degree days to roach all the snow and put an end to fat biking on snow exclusively.

Fun while it lasted....

Yep! I am back to commuting on "skinny" wheels, wearing a helmet again, and using clipless pedals and shoes. I rode the "Project Two-Six" bike to work yesterday and I had to actually go looking for icy spots to test the Continental Winter Contact tires. There just wasn't any ice to be found!

So, I have been in the game of switching gears mentally to spring time. Too early, you say? No.......no, spring is coming.  I know. I heard the Cardinals start singing already, and that usually doesn't happen until mid-February. The forecast says 40's all week. I'm digging out the Gryphon and "Orange Crush" and I'm thinking long gravel rides are coming on fast.

I have an event coming up at the end of February too, so I need to get the gravel grinding done in preparation for CIRREM which is a hilly, challenging course. It is the same distance as Triple D was, so I should be okay with that part.

Single Gear Suffering?

I'm pretty sure I'll do the majority of the training on my Singular Gryphon. The gravel probably won't be too kind to a geared drive train for a while, and a single keeps the pace more constant on flatter terrain.

Plus, it has just been too long since I spent quality time aboard this bike. It certainly is a comfortable enough rig. I rode this one the last time I did Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, and spent all day on the bike. That didn't stop me that day, but the extreme heat sure did!

If I really wanted to be a goof ball I would just ride this in CIRREM. Who knows......maybe I will! Heck, it goes up hills just fine. I know that from my Nebraska trip. Just stand on those 180mm White Industries cranks and get goin! If CIRREM looks to be a peanut buttery mess, I definitely will be taking this rig.

Otherwise it'll be a Black Mountain Cycles kind of day. Either way, I will be needing to take some time plying some Iowa gravel roads and seeing what is going on out there in the country. The off road trails won't be up to snuff for quite a while yet, and the snow biking, well.......those days are done for this year. 

Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I bet not. 

Project 26: Completed

I had to put this on the back burner for a while due to Triple D. It is my project to get a bike built around a set of Continental Top Contact Winter 26"er tires. It also was taking a lot longer than I wanted to due to the persnickety roller cam brakes. Anyway, you can go back to the original post here if you want.

Old MTB turned commuter

So, here it is in all its vintage mtb glory. This started out life as a Schwinn High Sierra, probably from '86 or so. It came stock with SunTour Rollercam brakes, so I had to stick with those as brakes. They are a bit temperamental  and it took several tries to get them to operate correctly. The only other surviving parts from the original bike are the seat post, seat post quick release, and the head set.

The wheels are even older, having come from an old Mongoose All Mountain  Pro from about 1984-85 vintage. The rims are drilled like fatbike rims and have a gold foil rim strip showing through the grey anodized aluminum. The hubs are Suzue sealed bearing units with bolt on axles. Another component from that bike is here in the form of the SunTour top mount shifter.

Next we have the stem, which was pilfered from an early 90's Schwinn Criss-Cross hybrid bike. That holds a pair of Ergon GE-1 grips and a Salsa Moto Ace 17 degree sweep bar. Brake levers are early 90's Shimano Deore DX SLR two finger type in a black anodized hue, (or is that paint? Dunno. They are very black though.).

These about drove me mad.

The crank set is from an early 80's Specialized touring bike. The Sugino arms have a nice, pearly ano finish. I miss this look in components! I bolted a single Sugino 38T ring to this. The crank set spins on a 90's vintage Shimano UN-52 sealed cartridge bottom bracket. I suspect this used bottom bracket will easily outlast this bike.

The pedals are some old Odyssey Triple Traps. These were some of my favorite old pedals back in the day.

The chain is a Sedis Sport from Sachs, which was bought out by SRAM eventually. Sedis chain was my preferred 90's mtb chain, and they do last a long time. This one is from back in the day. I pulled it out from my single speed box, since I save these old Sedis chains for single speed duty when I find them. Fortunately it was the perfect length for this application.

Butchered!

The chain turns through a SunTour MounTech derailleur which shifts that chain over a five speed SunTour freewheel. Again, I wanted to go single speed with this rig, but the wheels I had would not allow for this sort of set up.

The five speed set up will be simple, should stay working through most winter muck, and should last a long time. Not single speed simple, but it should be okay.

The saddle is from a 70's Raleigh Gran Prix. It is a Wrights leather saddle, very similar to a Brooks B-17. I "butchered" it to look more like a Brooks Swift model. I actually rode this very saddle, (pre-butchered), on the longest single ride I have ever done, which was over 160 miles.

I then bolted on some accessories. I had an old Vetta rack, which was used for touring back in the day by me, (I think!). Then I grabbed a set of  Planet Bike Hardcore Fenders and slapped those in there. Finally, my old touring days are represented here by my vintage Jaand Mountain panniers.

The reason for the whole deal.

During my test ride of this set up today, I found that everything works just fine. Shifts great, brakes work, position is upright-ish and comfy. I do think I will need to buy one thing to make it really useable though. That would be a Brooks saddle.

I'm thinking a Brooks B-67 in black is what I need here. My aim is to make the bike as comfortable and useful as possible, and that saddle will go a long way to making it so. Okay, other than that, the bike is finished.

Now, about those tires! I have only ridden them down to the store and back, so this is merely a very brief impression, but the grip is definitely there on packed down snow. Of course, the real test will be when we start getting some ice here and there. I'll be back with more about the tires, and this bike, in due time.

Continental sent the  Top Contact Winter tires over for test and review at no charge. I am not being paid, nor bribed to do this review and I will strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Project 26: Completed

I had to put this on the back burner for a while due to Triple D. It is my project to get a bike built around a set of Continental Top Contact Winter 26"er tires. It also was taking a lot longer than I wanted to due to the persnickety roller cam brakes. Anyway, you can go back to the original post here if you want.

Old MTB turned commuter

So, here it is in all its vintage mtb glory. This started out life as a Schwinn High Sierra, probably from '86 or so. It came stock with SunTour Rollercam brakes, so I had to stick with those as brakes. They are a bit temperamental  and it took several tries to get them to operate correctly. The only other surviving parts from the original bike are the seat post, seat post quick release, and the head set.

The wheels are even older, having come from an old Mongoose All Mountain  Pro from about 1984-85 vintage. The rims are drilled like fatbike rims and have a gold foil rim strip showing through the grey anodized aluminum. The hubs are Suzue sealed bearing units with bolt on axles. Another component from that bike is here in the form of the SunTour top mount shifter.

Next we have the stem, which was pilfered from an early 90's Schwinn Criss-Cross hybrid bike. That holds a pair of Ergon GE-1 grips and a Salsa Moto Ace 17 degree sweep bar. Brake levers are early 90's Shimano Deore DX SLR two finger type in a black anodized hue, (or is that paint? Dunno. They are very black though.).

These about drove me mad.

The crank set is from an early 80's Specialized touring bike. The Sugino arms have a nice, pearly ano finish. I miss this look in components! I bolted a single Sugino 38T ring to this. The crank set spins on a 90's vintage Shimano UN-52 sealed cartridge bottom bracket. I suspect this used bottom bracket will easily outlast this bike.

The pedals are some old Odyssey Triple Traps. These were some of my favorite old pedals back in the day.

The chain is a Sedis Sport from Sachs, which was bought out by SRAM eventually. Sedis chain was my preferred 90's mtb chain, and they do last a long time. This one is from back in the day. I pulled it out from my single speed box, since I save these old Sedis chains for single speed duty when I find them. Fortunately it was the perfect length for this application.

Butchered!

The chain turns through a SunTour MounTech derailleur which shifts that chain over a five speed SunTour freewheel. Again, I wanted to go single speed with this rig, but the wheels I had would not allow for this sort of set up.

The five speed set up will be simple, should stay working through most winter muck, and should last a long time. Not single speed simple, but it should be okay.

The saddle is from a 70's Raleigh Gran Prix. It is a Wrights leather saddle, very similar to a Brooks B-17. I "butchered" it to look more like a Brooks Swift model. I actually rode this very saddle, (pre-butchered), on the longest single ride I have ever done, which was over 160 miles.

I then bolted on some accessories. I had an old Vetta rack, which was used for touring back in the day by me, (I think!). Then I grabbed a set of  Planet Bike Hardcore Fenders and slapped those in there. Finally, my old touring days are represented here by my vintage Jaand Mountain panniers.

The reason for the whole deal.

During my test ride of this set up today, I found that everything works just fine. Shifts great, brakes work, position is upright-ish and comfy. I do think I will need to buy one thing to make it really useable though. That would be a Brooks saddle.

I'm thinking a Brooks B-67 in black is what I need here. My aim is to make the bike as comfortable and useful as possible, and that saddle will go a long way to making it so. Okay, other than that, the bike is finished.

Now, about those tires! I have only ridden them down to the store and back, so this is merely a very brief impression, but the grip is definitely there on packed down snow. Of course, the real test will be when we start getting some ice here and there. I'll be back with more about the tires, and this bike, in due time.

Continental sent the  Top Contact Winter tires over for test and review at no charge. I am not being paid, nor bribed to do this review and I will strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Project Two-Six

Yes, it is a full moon, and you aren't seeing things. The title says "Project Two-Six". There is a good reason for that, so read on, if you dare!

Old. Reliable. Works.

The deal here is that I was asked to test something out. A pair of tires, to be exact. The tires in question were available at one time in 700c size, but stock was out and not likely to become available in a timely manner for the purposes of this test. (Not that it matters so far, but read on....)

The question was asked: "Don't you have a townie to put the other size tire on?" Well, I said that I had an old Schwinn that I had "Xtracycled", maybe that would work? And the deal was on. Tires were sent out, and I would put them on the old Xtracycle. Or would I?

Enter in an old, ancient, long forgotten project I started almost ten years ago. Of course, the Xtracycle is a 26"er, and at the time of the question about the tires, I thought it was the only 26"er I had left in my possession. However; then I recalled that old, forgotten project bike. Hmm.......maybe this is what I need to finally get that thing back together. I had all the old parts in boxes yet. Should be simple. But, I can't leave well enough alone!

You see, this bike, another old Schwinn, was a geared mountain bike I got that I had stripped down to bare metal, had powder coated, and then I had designs on really doing a "custom-modified" restoration. Kind of a hot rodded version of the stock bike.

But that was all out the window now. This was going to become a "winter time commuter bike", or so I thought.  I had intended on not putting derailleurs on this bike, and keeping it single speed seemed the right thing to do. However; after two failed attempts at single speeding rear wheels for the project, (One had a stuck on freewheel, the other a sealed bearing set up with an off-set axle), I decided a 1 X 5 would be okay.

So out came an old SunTour top mount, a MounTech rear derailleur, and SunTour 5 speed rear freewheel. Everything going on this bike, sans the grips, tires, handle bar, and tubes, is older than 1990. Probably older than 1988! I may end up putting on some fenders though, so there will be another newer part. But this will be pretty vintage stuff all around, for the most part.

Stay tuned for the final build, which should appear soon. Now, back to that test I mentioned. The tires are Continental's Top Contact Winter tires. These are "stud killers", supposedly. The idea is sort of like those Bridgestone "Blizzak" car tires. Very sticky-soft rubber with tons of working edges to grip ice and snow covered surfaces. So.......I am sure you see what the problem is! 

Since there hasn't been much of a winter, (yet), this test may be still born before it starts. But, there still is plenty of time for something of a winter to happen, so I will get this together and test ride it to de-bug anything needing de-bugging. Hopefully "Project Two-Six" will see the light of day before the weekend.

Project Two-Six

Yes, it is a full moon, and you aren't seeing things. The title says "Project Two-Six". There is a good reason for that, so read on, if you dare!

Old. Reliable. Works.

The deal here is that I was asked to test something out. A pair of tires, to be exact. The tires in question were available at one time in 700c size, but stock was out and not likely to become available in a timely manner for the purposes of this test. (Not that it matters so far, but read on....)

The question was asked: "Don't you have a townie to put the other size tire on?" Well, I said that I had an old Schwinn that I had "Xtracycled", maybe that would work? And the deal was on. Tires were sent out, and I would put them on the old Xtracycle. Or would I?

Enter in an old, ancient, long forgotten project I started almost ten years ago. Of course, the Xtracycle is a 26"er, and at the time of the question about the tires, I thought it was the only 26"er I had left in my possession. However; then I recalled that old, forgotten project bike. Hmm.......maybe this is what I need to finally get that thing back together. I had all the old parts in boxes yet. Should be simple. But, I can't leave well enough alone!

You see, this bike, another old Schwinn, was a geared mountain bike I got that I had stripped down to bare metal, had powder coated, and then I had designs on really doing a "custom-modified" restoration. Kind of a hot rodded version of the stock bike.

But that was all out the window now. This was going to become a "winter time commuter bike", or so I thought.  I had intended on not putting derailleurs on this bike, and keeping it single speed seemed the right thing to do. However; after two failed attempts at single speeding rear wheels for the project, (One had a stuck on freewheel, the other a sealed bearing set up with an off-set axle), I decided a 1 X 5 would be okay.

So out came an old SunTour top mount, a MounTech rear derailleur, and SunTour 5 speed rear freewheel. Everything going on this bike, sans the grips, tires, handle bar, and tubes, is older than 1990. Probably older than 1988! I may end up putting on some fenders though, so there will be another newer part. But this will be pretty vintage stuff all around, for the most part.

Stay tuned for the final build, which should appear soon. Now, back to that test I mentioned. The tires are Continental's Top Contact Winter tires. These are "stud killers", supposedly. The idea is sort of like those Bridgestone "Blizzak" car tires. Very sticky-soft rubber with tons of working edges to grip ice and snow covered surfaces. So.......I am sure you see what the problem is! 

Since there hasn't been much of a winter, (yet), this test may be still born before it starts. But, there still is plenty of time for something of a winter to happen, so I will get this together and test ride it to de-bug anything needing de-bugging. Hopefully "Project Two-Six" will see the light of day before the weekend.