The Monkey Decade: Plus Three

The operating table

The "Monkey Decade" was a series of posts I did back in 2013 concerning my Campstove Green Karate Monkey single speed. (The last update can be revisited here) The bike was purchased as a frame and fork by me in 2003, March I believe it was, and I rode it pretty religiously up till about 2007-2008 when other bikes and obligations kind of put that old critter on the back burner for quite a while. That series was a way for me to rekindle interest in the bike, and it did. There was one small detail that precluded me from getting back in the saddle with the project, as it were. That one thing was a very stuck bottom bracket that was in need of replacement.

Well, as I posted my Minus Ten Reviews, I was looking for an image, and found one of that old Karate Monkey in its heyday. (See yesterday's post) That pushed me over the edge, as I was not going to ride to work Friday in the sub-zero windchill, and I knew the repair schedule was pretty open. My boss at work is into challenges like stuck bottom brackets, so I knew he would be okay with me doing this in the dead of Winter. So, I hauled in that hulk of a Monkey and fastened it securely into my repair stand. The game was afoot!

There is one image of the process I did not get that I wished that I had. First, a bit of imagery description to help out here. I had purchased a large, 1 1/4" combination wrench which fit the Shimano bottom bracket tool quite nicely. That was all affixed to the non-drive side bottom bracket cup, (the drive side I managed to remove in 2015), and that big ol' wrench was hanging out there quite a ways. More leverage than I thought one may need. I braced myself, grabbed the frame in one hand and the heavy lead mallet with the other, and smacked away as hard as I could. That didn't work, so Andy stepped in to lend a hand, but to no avail.

By now my boss had come out and he decided that three of us could do the job. Two folks bracing the frame, me whacking the wrench with the lead mallet.

Nope.

My boss stood back and said, "Where is the fork straightener?" I knew exactly what he was on about.

The fork straightener comes from a less litigious, a less carbonated time, when forks were steel and people were willing to take the risk that a mechanic's bending a fork back in plane was an okay thing to do. Nowadays it's main usage is for cases that require extreme amounts of leverage. Times like this ......

Todd had wandered in about this time to see what all the fuss was about. Then he was employed into the process. Four grown men, heaving on a four foot long lever of steel on a 1 1/4" tool affixed to a splined interface. We were pulling so hard that the big combination wrench was deflecting about two inches. Finally, it moved! We all stood back in self-congratulatory stances, as only men can do after accomplishing manly tasks. Not that women couldn't have done it, but we men have a special air about us. I think everyone knows what I mean by that........

Anyway, it wasn't loose. We broke off the splined interface!!!

Yeah........that's just awesome. Now what?!!

 Okay, so now what? Well, there was no tool interface left anymore, so a destructive technique was all that was left to me, but how? I looked at the bottom bracket and knew that Shimano had assembled it in some way, but in what way? If I could reverse the process some how, I could maybe break it down to just the threaded part which was stuck in the frame. I began to pick at it with my sharp pick set tools. Eventually, a circlip came out, then a seal. I was making progress, so I was encouraged. I eventually pulled out the bearing cage and revealed the 1/4" ball bearings in their races. Hmm......hammer time! I grabbed a ball peen hammer and whacked the end of the spindle with a few sharp blows.

The BB-UN72 bottom bracket cartridge.

It came flying out of the frame like a missle, just barely missing a bike in the other stand! Whew! That would have sucked if I had hit it. But, I didn't, and now all I had to do was to remove a steel collar which was about an inch and a quarter wide and which was threaded into the bottom bracket shell.

Yeah.....that's all I had to do. 

There was only one way that was coming out. Remember, I had no tool interface, the piece was already missing a bit of its outer dimension which we had sheared off, and getting a chisel in that tiny space was almost impossible. I tried the chisel route, but it was not really very effective. I was going to have to hack saw that bugger out of there, and in doing that, not ruin the frame! We didn't have a jab saw, so I had to disassemble a standard hack saw, pass the blade through the bottom bracket shell, and then reattach the blade to the frame of the hacksaw. Tedious, but not impossible. Now, on to cutting!

I made three, very calculated, careful cuts. Two close together, and one roughly 90° from those two. Then I used a standard blade screw driver that I had sharpened a bit as a chisel to start to split the collar at the cuts I made, and then to drive the blade under the collar, hopefully prying up the smallest bit of the circumference of the collar first. It was a slow, tedious process, but I could see that the edges were working up. Finally, it snapped up off the bottom bracket shell! Then the two larger pieces came right out as well.

The two larger pieces of the collar show how rusted they were into the frame.

Success!

I got the bottom bracket out, and cleaned up the threads of the bottom bracket shell with the bottom bracket thread chaser. Whew!

That was close.

And it took entirely way too long to reach this result, but at least now I have a frame that I can rehabilitate and rebuild into a working bicycle once again. No more hang ups. Nothing to stop forward progress anymore.

Now what.....

You know, back in 2013 I thought maybe I would put the KM back into the (mostly) original configuration that I had it in back 2003. The thing is, that configuration was short lived, and I actually liked it best in the 2005-2008 time frame when I had a Midge drop bar, leather saddle, and a pretty stout gravel grinding gear set up on the bike. I got to thinking, well.........why not do that? 

New KM's are much more capable off road machines than my '03 is.

The old KM was good for its day, but the straight 1 1/8th head tube, non-gusseted frame, and antiquated rear drop out design make for a less than optimal off road bike now compared to the modern day KM which is a better Monkey all around for single speed activities on single track.

Plus, as I looked at the old, worn frame, it occurred to me that I might be able to use a specific, "old school" style wheel set I picked up from Mike, a Trans Iowa/Tour Divide veteran a few years back. It's an XTR hubbed, Salsa Delgado rim brake style wheel set which comes right out of the same time frame that the 2003 Karate Monkey does. You may remember also that '03 Monkeys could run cantilever brakes. Plus, the Shimano SLR levers I have on the bike should pull linear pull brakes well enough, and even if they don't, I have a pair of Tektro long pull levers sitting around that will.

I figure I'll set up a fresh pair of Bruce Gordon Rock and Road skinwalls on that, and my Velo Orange leather saddle. That along with a new handle bar, stem, and a TruVativ, outboard bearing single speed crankset, and Surly cog with a 9 speed chain driving it all, and I should be sitting pretty well and have a great single speed gravel travel rig.

So, no bike project is worth doing without a goal. This bike is being resurrected at the perfect time for me to reprise the first Guitar Ted Death Ride course. The Karate Monkey single speed was the bike I used on that first GTDRI, and as we're doing the same route, why not use the "same" bicycle?

All righty then......its on. 
 

The Monkey Decade: Plus Three

The operating table

The "Monkey Decade" was a series of posts I did back in 2013 concerning my Campstove Green Karate Monkey single speed. (The last update can be revisited here) The bike was purchased as a frame and fork by me in 2003, March I believe it was, and I rode it pretty religiously up till about 2007-2008 when other bikes and obligations kind of put that old critter on the back burner for quite a while. That series was a way for me to rekindle interest in the bike, and it did. There was one small detail that precluded me from getting back in the saddle with the project, as it were. That one thing was a very stuck bottom bracket that was in need of replacement.

Well, as I posted my Minus Ten Reviews, I was looking for an image, and found one of that old Karate Monkey in its heyday. (See yesterday's post) That pushed me over the edge, as I was not going to ride to work Friday in the sub-zero windchill, and I knew the repair schedule was pretty open. My boss at work is into challenges like stuck bottom brackets, so I knew he would be okay with me doing this in the dead of Winter. So, I hauled in that hulk of a Monkey and fastened it securely into my repair stand. The game was afoot!

There is one image of the process I did not get that I wished that I had. First, a bit of imagery description to help out here. I had purchased a large, 1 1/4" combination wrench which fit the Shimano bottom bracket tool quite nicely. That was all affixed to the non-drive side bottom bracket cup, (the drive side I managed to remove in 2015), and that big ol' wrench was hanging out there quite a ways. More leverage than I thought one may need. I braced myself, grabbed the frame in one hand and the heavy lead mallet with the other, and smacked away as hard as I could. That didn't work, so Andy stepped in to lend a hand, but to no avail.

By now my boss had come out and he decided that three of us could do the job. Two folks bracing the frame, me whacking the wrench with the lead mallet.

Nope.

My boss stood back and said, "Where is the fork straightener?" I knew exactly what he was on about.

The fork straightener comes from a less litigious, a less carbonated time, when forks were steel and people were willing to take the risk that a mechanic's bending a fork back in plane was an okay thing to do. Nowadays it's main usage is for cases that require extreme amounts of leverage. Times like this ......

Todd had wandered in about this time to see what all the fuss was about. Then he was employed into the process. Four grown men, heaving on a four foot long lever of steel on a 1 1/4" tool affixed to a splined interface. We were pulling so hard that the big combination wrench was deflecting about two inches. Finally, it moved! We all stood back in self-congratulatory stances, as only men can do after accomplishing manly tasks. Not that women couldn't have done it, but we men have a special air about us. I think everyone knows what I mean by that........

Anyway, it wasn't loose. We broke off the splined interface!!!

Yeah........that's just awesome. Now what?!!

 Okay, so now what? Well, there was no tool interface left anymore, so a destructive technique was all that was left to me, but how? I looked at the bottom bracket and knew that Shimano had assembled it in some way, but in what way? If I could reverse the process some how, I could maybe break it down to just the threaded part which was stuck in the frame. I began to pick at it with my sharp pick set tools. Eventually, a circlip came out, then a seal. I was making progress, so I was encouraged. I eventually pulled out the bearing cage and revealed the 1/4" ball bearings in their races. Hmm......hammer time! I grabbed a ball peen hammer and whacked the end of the spindle with a few sharp blows.

The BB-UN72 bottom bracket cartridge.

It came flying out of the frame like a missle, just barely missing a bike in the other stand! Whew! That would have sucked if I had hit it. But, I didn't, and now all I had to do was to remove a steel collar which was about an inch and a quarter wide and which was threaded into the bottom bracket shell.

Yeah.....that's all I had to do. 

There was only one way that was coming out. Remember, I had no tool interface, the piece was already missing a bit of its outer dimension which we had sheared off, and getting a chisel in that tiny space was almost impossible. I tried the chisel route, but it was not really very effective. I was going to have to hack saw that bugger out of there, and in doing that, not ruin the frame! We didn't have a jab saw, so I had to disassemble a standard hack saw, pass the blade through the bottom bracket shell, and then reattach the blade to the frame of the hacksaw. Tedious, but not impossible. Now, on to cutting!

I made three, very calculated, careful cuts. Two close together, and one roughly 90° from those two. Then I used a standard blade screw driver that I had sharpened a bit as a chisel to start to split the collar at the cuts I made, and then to drive the blade under the collar, hopefully prying up the smallest bit of the circumference of the collar first. It was a slow, tedious process, but I could see that the edges were working up. Finally, it snapped up off the bottom bracket shell! Then the two larger pieces came right out as well.

The two larger pieces of the collar show how rusted they were into the frame.

Success!

I got the bottom bracket out, and cleaned up the threads of the bottom bracket shell with the bottom bracket thread chaser. Whew!

That was close.

And it took entirely way too long to reach this result, but at least now I have a frame that I can rehabilitate and rebuild into a working bicycle once again. No more hang ups. Nothing to stop forward progress anymore.

Now what.....

You know, back in 2013 I thought maybe I would put the KM back into the (mostly) original configuration that I had it in back 2003. The thing is, that configuration was short lived, and I actually liked it best in the 2005-2008 time frame when I had a Midge drop bar, leather saddle, and a pretty stout gravel grinding gear set up on the bike. I got to thinking, well.........why not do that? 

New KM's are much more capable off road machines than my '03 is.

The old KM was good for its day, but the straight 1 1/8th head tube, non-gusseted frame, and antiquated rear drop out design make for a less than optimal off road bike now compared to the modern day KM which is a better Monkey all around for single speed activities on single track.

Plus, as I looked at the old, worn frame, it occurred to me that I might be able to use a specific, "old school" style wheel set I picked up from Mike, a Trans Iowa/Tour Divide veteran a few years back. It's an XTR hubbed, Salsa Delgado rim brake style wheel set which comes right out of the same time frame that the 2003 Karate Monkey does. You may remember also that '03 Monkeys could run cantilever brakes. Plus, the Shimano SLR levers I have on the bike should pull linear pull brakes well enough, and even if they don't, I have a pair of Tektro long pull levers sitting around that will.

I figure I'll set up a fresh pair of Bruce Gordon Rock and Road skinwalls on that, and my Velo Orange leather saddle. That along with a new handle bar, stem, and a TruVativ, outboard bearing single speed crankset, and Surly cog with a 9 speed chain driving it all, and I should be sitting pretty well and have a great single speed gravel travel rig.

So, no bike project is worth doing without a goal. This bike is being resurrected at the perfect time for me to reprise the first Guitar Ted Death Ride course. The Karate Monkey single speed was the bike I used on that first GTDRI, and as we're doing the same route, why not use the "same" bicycle?

All righty then......its on. 
 

Gravel Worlds: Pre-Race Prep

The rig is dialed

Gravel Worlds is this weekend and my final prep has already been taking place. I have been keeping myself in some semblance of physical fitness, and my bike is dialed. As mentioned Monday, the Tamland Two is getting the call with Bruce Gordon Rock & Road tires.

I'm going with a Topeak saddle bag and my Bike Bag Dude "Garage Bag" on the top tube. There will be two Chaff Bags to hold two extra water bottles. I'll utilize jersey pockets for food and the Garage Bag for that as well.

I'm going a hair on the minimalist side here, and that's due to my past experience with the event. I've come within 40-ish miles of finishing it twice, both times on a single speed, so with gears, I feel I will be gaining an advantage. The weather and course generally don't demand that I bring anything other than the basics- tube, pump, multi-tool, and enough water to get by for 40-50 miles at a crack. Food is also replenishable out on course at different spots. Now, I may regret these choices later on, but if I do, it would be because something happened incongruent to my past experiences with Gravel Worlds.

Oh yeah......I found an old Cateye computer in my stash that works. So, I didn't have to buy another. I'll stick a new battery in it, calibrate it, and that will get me by for this event. It will come off immediately afterward! I just don't care for computers on my bicycles. Now all I have to do is pack up my clothes and I'm good to go.

It looks a lot more like mid-September than it does mid-August!

I did go for a couple fat bike rides on Wednesday, just to blow off some steam. The day was cool and wet. Much like a mid-Fall day than a late Summer one. I actually had to wear a rain jacket and it felt okay. Not like wearing a stuffy garbage sack, which is what it should have felt like for a rainy August day. This is surely a preview for Fall weather which is right around the corner.

Speaking of weather- it is the wildcard at any of these events I go to or put on. It looks like we will see a slight return to Summer-like weather for Gravel Worlds with a typical humid, windy forecast, highs in the upper 80's, and possibly a late afternoon thunderstorm out and about to make it all interesting. I'm ready for heat and humidity. It's been that way around here for well over a month and I've done some tough days in some hot conditions. I feel pretty confident I am okay with doing 150 miles of Nebraskan gravel in the upper 80's for temps.

Now a thunderstorm down that way could get real interesting. I'm not going to pack a rain jacket, so if it should decide to pour rain, I'll have to deal with that without the rain gear, which, if it is humid and hot, wouldn't keep me dry anyway. Lightning, on the other hand.....

Well, we won't even think about that right now!

Gravel Worlds: Pre-Race Prep

The rig is dialed

Gravel Worlds is this weekend and my final prep has already been taking place. I have been keeping myself in some semblance of physical fitness, and my bike is dialed. As mentioned Monday, the Tamland Two is getting the call with Bruce Gordon Rock & Road tires.

I'm going with a Topeak saddle bag and my Bike Bag Dude "Garage Bag" on the top tube. There will be two Chaff Bags to hold two extra water bottles. I'll utilize jersey pockets for food and the Garage Bag for that as well.

I'm going a hair on the minimalist side here, and that's due to my past experience with the event. I've come within 40-ish miles of finishing it twice, both times on a single speed, so with gears, I feel I will be gaining an advantage. The weather and course generally don't demand that I bring anything other than the basics- tube, pump, multi-tool, and enough water to get by for 40-50 miles at a crack. Food is also replenishable out on course at different spots. Now, I may regret these choices later on, but if I do, it would be because something happened incongruent to my past experiences with Gravel Worlds.

Oh yeah......I found an old Cateye computer in my stash that works. So, I didn't have to buy another. I'll stick a new battery in it, calibrate it, and that will get me by for this event. It will come off immediately afterward! I just don't care for computers on my bicycles. Now all I have to do is pack up my clothes and I'm good to go.

It looks a lot more like mid-September than it does mid-August!

I did go for a couple fat bike rides on Wednesday, just to blow off some steam. The day was cool and wet. Much like a mid-Fall day than a late Summer one. I actually had to wear a rain jacket and it felt okay. Not like wearing a stuffy garbage sack, which is what it should have felt like for a rainy August day. This is surely a preview for Fall weather which is right around the corner.

Speaking of weather- it is the wildcard at any of these events I go to or put on. It looks like we will see a slight return to Summer-like weather for Gravel Worlds with a typical humid, windy forecast, highs in the upper 80's, and possibly a late afternoon thunderstorm out and about to make it all interesting. I'm ready for heat and humidity. It's been that way around here for well over a month and I've done some tough days in some hot conditions. I feel pretty confident I am okay with doing 150 miles of Nebraskan gravel in the upper 80's for temps.

Now a thunderstorm down that way could get real interesting. I'm not going to pack a rain jacket, so if it should decide to pour rain, I'll have to deal with that without the rain gear, which, if it is humid and hot, wouldn't keep me dry anyway. Lightning, on the other hand.....

Well, we won't even think about that right now!

Last Gravel Of 2014?

New tires will get christened today

Today is an opportunity day. It is abnormally warm here, and despite threats of mist and occasional rain, this can not be passed up. So, as if by appointment, some new tires showed up for test and review on Riding Gravel. They are a Panaracer made tire called the Cazadero by Soma. They run 42mm wide and look pretty interesting. Anyway, more on that coming soon, obviously.

So, I knew that whichever bike I chose, I would have to fit fenders on it, or at least clip on mud guards. I immediately thought about the ol' Orange crush rig. However; after some further thought about why it was that I hadn't ridden it in awhile, I remembered that it really needs a bottom bracket and the drive train has wear issues that need attention. A new chain at the least. Maybe more than that.

Okay........what then? Well, that leaves the Tamland. Yep! It has fender mounts! Okay, so I get busy with tires and mounting up the fenders and the rear tire goes smoothly. I did notice that these Cazaderos are nearly the equal of the Rock & Road tires, also Panaracer made. Uh-oh! I remember when I had the Rock & Roads on the Tamland and there was very little clearance in spots. The front was an issue with the Cazadero. I was going to have to do some modifications.

First up was how to clear the disc brake caliper. I did that by using a longer bolt and stacking Presta valve nuts in the gap I needed to create between the fender stay and the mount on the fork. Now I could try the tire for clearance. Uggh......not enough in front of the fork. The crown on the Tamland is a bit thicker and the area between the bottom of the crown and top of the tire was minimal. Hmmm......out came the Dremel! A bit of "bzzzt"! and some cleaning up of the new edge and I had shortened the fender back to the mount and the whole thing sits behind the fork now.

Okay, so I had that done and then it was new bar tape time. A nice roll of fizik black stuff and I had the bike ready. Stay tuned for a ride report later..........hopefully. This could be the last good gravel chance of the year.

I know many of you are getting ready for next year's events. You can find out about many gravel events by checking out the Riding Gravel calendar of events HERE. I'm transferring over events and it'll take a while, but if you are a promoter, there is a way to enter your own event on that page at the bottom. Check it out.

Last Gravel Of 2014?

New tires will get christened today

Today is an opportunity day. It is abnormally warm here, and despite threats of mist and occasional rain, this can not be passed up. So, as if by appointment, some new tires showed up for test and review on Riding Gravel. They are a Panaracer made tire called the Cazadero by Soma. They run 42mm wide and look pretty interesting. Anyway, more on that coming soon, obviously.

So, I knew that whichever bike I chose, I would have to fit fenders on it, or at least clip on mud guards. I immediately thought about the ol' Orange crush rig. However; after some further thought about why it was that I hadn't ridden it in awhile, I remembered that it really needs a bottom bracket and the drive train has wear issues that need attention. A new chain at the least. Maybe more than that.

Okay........what then? Well, that leaves the Tamland. Yep! It has fender mounts! Okay, so I get busy with tires and mounting up the fenders and the rear tire goes smoothly. I did notice that these Cazaderos are nearly the equal of the Rock & Road tires, also Panaracer made. Uh-oh! I remember when I had the Rock & Roads on the Tamland and there was very little clearance in spots. The front was an issue with the Cazadero. I was going to have to do some modifications.

First up was how to clear the disc brake caliper. I did that by using a longer bolt and stacking Presta valve nuts in the gap I needed to create between the fender stay and the mount on the fork. Now I could try the tire for clearance. Uggh......not enough in front of the fork. The crown on the Tamland is a bit thicker and the area between the bottom of the crown and top of the tire was minimal. Hmmm......out came the Dremel! A bit of "bzzzt"! and some cleaning up of the new edge and I had shortened the fender back to the mount and the whole thing sits behind the fork now.

Okay, so I had that done and then it was new bar tape time. A nice roll of fizik black stuff and I had the bike ready. Stay tuned for a ride report later..........hopefully. This could be the last good gravel chance of the year.

I know many of you are getting ready for next year's events. You can find out about many gravel events by checking out the Riding Gravel calendar of events HERE. I'm transferring over events and it'll take a while, but if you are a promoter, there is a way to enter your own event on that page at the bottom. Check it out.

Hot & Cold

Wally Kilburg will be doing imagery for T.I.V10 this year

It was a weekend of contrasting weather and activity. Saturday was the big day out taking care of the final cue sheet checking before we go to print. You can read all about that in the previous post to this one.

It was supposed to be warm Saturday, but the 80's? It was ridiculous. The wind was also bad, coming up to full gale by about 1:00pm and not relenting for several hours. Then on the way home that night the most spectacular lightning show I've witnessed in a while happened with strikes going off so often it was as if I was driving with a huge strobe light outside.

Saturday was great though. Without the warmer, drier weather we have had leading up to Saturday, it would have been difficult to drive all the B Maintenance roads that we did. In the end, we drove every single mile of the course but the last three, (since we already know all about that part), and all of it was in primo shape.......on Saturday. Of course, had we tried to do that on Sunday it would have been a complete disaster. So, we had that one thing go our way so far this year coming into this big event. Every time I've been out on the course, it has been like that. Hopefully that trend continues!

Trying out a few things for grins.

Sunday was a complete washout. It was windy, colder, and a lot wetter! It was in the 40's most of the day and the weather pretty much dictated I would stay inside all day like most sane individuals. However; a few Trans Iowa nutcases were out training in that mess. I  did get out on a few, very brief excursions. One of those was to snap off a couple images of the results of my  experimentation with the Tamland.

I first mounted the Bruce Gordon Rock & Road tires to the stock wheels. Plenty of room to spare for clearances with that set up, so I was pleased to find that out. The tan sidewalls definitely give the Raleigh a more retro feel. Then I mounted up an old rack and pannier to check on the fit. It was great. Finally I tried my Revelate Tangle Bag. Everything worked well together and it is nice to know that someone could use bags or frame bags as a way to extend the versatility of this bike. I probably will take the rack and pannier off, but the rest will stay for a bit.

I also have a plan for a light weight wheel option on the Tamland, which I should have almost everything for here already. When I get that sorted I am going to check into a 46T Ultegra 11 chain ring to replace the 52T outer, and I should be good to go on this rig for a long time.

What else does a guy do on a wet, cold, damp Sunday but dink around with bicycle parts!

Hot & Cold

Wally Kilburg will be doing imagery for T.I.V10 this year

It was a weekend of contrasting weather and activity. Saturday was the big day out taking care of the final cue sheet checking before we go to print. You can read all about that in the previous post to this one.

It was supposed to be warm Saturday, but the 80's? It was ridiculous. The wind was also bad, coming up to full gale by about 1:00pm and not relenting for several hours. Then on the way home that night the most spectacular lightning show I've witnessed in a while happened with strikes going off so often it was as if I was driving with a huge strobe light outside.

Saturday was great though. Without the warmer, drier weather we have had leading up to Saturday, it would have been difficult to drive all the B Maintenance roads that we did. In the end, we drove every single mile of the course but the last three, (since we already know all about that part), and all of it was in primo shape.......on Saturday. Of course, had we tried to do that on Sunday it would have been a complete disaster. So, we had that one thing go our way so far this year coming into this big event. Every time I've been out on the course, it has been like that. Hopefully that trend continues!

Trying out a few things for grins.

Sunday was a complete washout. It was windy, colder, and a lot wetter! It was in the 40's most of the day and the weather pretty much dictated I would stay inside all day like most sane individuals. However; a few Trans Iowa nutcases were out training in that mess. I  did get out on a few, very brief excursions. One of those was to snap off a couple images of the results of my  experimentation with the Tamland.

I first mounted the Bruce Gordon Rock & Road tires to the stock wheels. Plenty of room to spare for clearances with that set up, so I was pleased to find that out. The tan sidewalls definitely give the Raleigh a more retro feel. Then I mounted up an old rack and pannier to check on the fit. It was great. Finally I tried my Revelate Tangle Bag. Everything worked well together and it is nice to know that someone could use bags or frame bags as a way to extend the versatility of this bike. I probably will take the rack and pannier off, but the rest will stay for a bit.

I also have a plan for a light weight wheel option on the Tamland, which I should have almost everything for here already. When I get that sorted I am going to check into a 46T Ultegra 11 chain ring to replace the 52T outer, and I should be good to go on this rig for a long time.

What else does a guy do on a wet, cold, damp Sunday but dink around with bicycle parts!

Rock & Road

Looks "right & proper" now.

Tires- I've probably ridden more types of tires than most folks on a bicycle, but they keep making more! Sometimes you have to wonder, "How can they make anything really different?" I mean, what type of tread hasn't already been tried? I find it to be kind of funny how many tires actually don't work very well, especially when there are tread patterns that work really well, and could be slightly altered to be someone elses tire that works reasonably well.

Well, however that works, I don't understand, but here's something unusual in the bicycle tire world: A tread design made up by a Mountain Bike Hall of fame member in the late 80's that you can still buy today, and still gets rave reviews. The Bruce Gordon Rock & Road tire.

I was up late last week on a Facebook page for cyclists here that trade and sell components and bikes. I happened to jump to this page 13 minutes after a Nebraska friend posted two Rock & Road tires with minimal use for sale. I did not hesitate to pounce. The deal was fair, and I have always wanted to try a pair of these out. He already has another pair anyway, so these were not getting used. A win-win, you could say. 

These tires get thumbs up from many users yet, even 25 years after they were first made. Gravel riders, dirt riders, and even folks that mountain bike with these. It's a tire made by Panaracer in Japan, so the quality is top notch. Plus- it's got snazzy skin walls!  I like that myself. (For the party-poopers, there is also a black wall version.)

Funny thing about tread design. I once heard it said, (or read this somewhere), that the best design for an off road tread is one that uses square blocks. Just look at most any dirt tire from any discipline and you'll see that a squarish block pattern is predominately the favorite type. Notice the Rock & Road's pattern? Well, I've heard it said that these do quite well on dirt, and I will be finding that out soon. 

The Rock & Roads are 43mm wide and true to spec, mine weighed in at 540 grams. I mounted them to the HED Ardennes+ wheels and used tubes, but honestly, they fit so tight and snapped into place so well, I probably could have gone tubeless. Anyway, I am sure they will work just fine with tubes. I'm not going to lose any sleep over that.

So, gravel and dirt will be assaulted with these tires and I will be back with a report. Although these are not "brand spanking new" Rock & Roads, they are the next best thing to it, and I suspect I'll be using them for quite some time to come.

Rock & Road

Looks "right & proper" now.

Tires- I've probably ridden more types of tires than most folks on a bicycle, but they keep making more! Sometimes you have to wonder, "How can they make anything really different?" I mean, what type of tread hasn't already been tried? I find it to be kind of funny how many tires actually don't work very well, especially when there are tread patterns that work really well, and could be slightly altered to be someone elses tire that works reasonably well.

Well, however that works, I don't understand, but here's something unusual in the bicycle tire world: A tread design made up by a Mountain Bike Hall of fame member in the late 80's that you can still buy today, and still gets rave reviews. The Bruce Gordon Rock & Road tire.

I was up late last week on a Facebook page for cyclists here that trade and sell components and bikes. I happened to jump to this page 13 minutes after a Nebraska friend posted two Rock & Road tires with minimal use for sale. I did not hesitate to pounce. The deal was fair, and I have always wanted to try a pair of these out. He already has another pair anyway, so these were not getting used. A win-win, you could say. 

These tires get thumbs up from many users yet, even 25 years after they were first made. Gravel riders, dirt riders, and even folks that mountain bike with these. It's a tire made by Panaracer in Japan, so the quality is top notch. Plus- it's got snazzy skin walls!  I like that myself. (For the party-poopers, there is also a black wall version.)

Funny thing about tread design. I once heard it said, (or read this somewhere), that the best design for an off road tread is one that uses square blocks. Just look at most any dirt tire from any discipline and you'll see that a squarish block pattern is predominately the favorite type. Notice the Rock & Road's pattern? Well, I've heard it said that these do quite well on dirt, and I will be finding that out soon. 

The Rock & Roads are 43mm wide and true to spec, mine weighed in at 540 grams. I mounted them to the HED Ardennes+ wheels and used tubes, but honestly, they fit so tight and snapped into place so well, I probably could have gone tubeless. Anyway, I am sure they will work just fine with tubes. I'm not going to lose any sleep over that.

So, gravel and dirt will be assaulted with these tires and I will be back with a report. Although these are not "brand spanking new" Rock & Roads, they are the next best thing to it, and I suspect I'll be using them for quite some time to come.