Two Things

Revival Time

 Things have slowed down quit a bit at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective, but they haven't come to a standstill. By no means! This is the time of the year that I try to get into those "projects" that will take up some time and will require a lot of focus. Things that are not wise to try to do when you might be getting interrupted on a fairly consistent basis. 

One of those projects is a 1959 Schwinn Corvette 3 speed. We had this bike up in the stand back in the Fall but when I realized that the internals of the Austrian made 3 speed hub were frozen up, I had to take a different approach to the job. 

The bike, overall, was in pretty decent condition considering its nearly 66 years of existence on the planet. Sure, it was scarred up, but it had all its original equipment parts still on it, which, for a boy's bicycle, is rare. Even the fenders were decent. 

So, I wanted to try to save the originality of the bike and not swap out the wheel for a similar one. My first approach was to soak the internals in penetrant, which thankfully was easily enough done due to the design of the hub. The manufacturer pretty much copied a Sturmey Archer design right down to the metal oiling port cap. I simply opened it up and loaded the hub with penetrant and sat the wheel in a corner for a month and a half. 

Recently I got back to this project and focused on the hub. I partially disassembled the axle which allowed access to the internal Sun and planetary gears. I was able to get those loosened up and then I was also able to get the hub to shift again. A little cleaning up, reassembly, and new oil and she's good to go now! 

That means the Corvette project can proceed. Next hurdle: Tires (maybe) and a different saddle. 

Image from a warmer time...

The Wheel Saga Continues

That DT Swiss wheel I have worked on is still giving me fits. I replaced all the alloy nipples and test rode it this past week and....

tick.......tick......tick......

Gah! What the....!!!

Okay, so it could be a spoke loading and unloading in its straight pull socket. It could be something else. All I know is that this tick-ticking will not be tolerated. So..... 

 I'll try another wheel set just to make sure it actually is the DT/Roval wheels. And if it is, then....

I have a set of Velocity Blunt SS rims sitting there doing nothing. I would just need to buy some nice hubs and well, build a proper set of wheels. There are possibilities to rebuild that DT Swiss hubbed Roval rimmed wheel set too, and yeah.....I could go that way, but either way, a set of J-bend hubs and spokes would need to be purchased. 

I think something like this needs to happen. Funny what an annoying noise will do to a bicycle mechanic. The thing is, at single-digit wind chills and with that cold possibly skewing my results I think this may have to wait until things warm up a bit. Then if that noise is what I think, there will need to be some hubs and spokes ordered.

Two Things

Tire Swaps:

I took that new SILCA Terra pump and did a couple of tire swaps the other day. First up was to switch the WTB Vulpine S tires to another wheel set. I decided on the DT Swiss hubbed Roval wheels I have. 

These are mountain bike wheels, they have six bolt rotor interface, and convertible axle interface, and are narrow. I think the internal width is something like 21mm? I cannot recall, but it is skinny. 

The Vulpine S tires are 45mm wide and they look great on these rims. As in they set up well and look fine, as far as how they should perform goes. Aesthetically? Well, this scheme on the rims is a little "shouty", and that really isn't in vogue these days. But the Rovals are probably 12 years old. So times have changed. 

One thing is certain, not only are the graphics out of date, but the inner rim width is as well. However; as with most trends, I feel the "wider is better" trend is going to pull back some from the extremes it is reaching for now. Maybe things won't go back to 21mm inner rim width, but I can see 23mm - 25mm being a "sweet spot" where inner rim widths for road and gravel will eventually settle into. 

I don't think I am wrong because if you look at how light wider rims are now for gravel, just think how light they could be using less material in a narrower rim. The performance won't suffer, and 42mm -45mm tires will be just fine in the inner rim width range. There are no downsides. I know tire sizes are reaching toward 50mm+ on gravel bikes the racers use, but I think even this trend will pull back for similar reasons. Lighter, more aero, and easier to attain mud clearances. 

But I digress...

The tire swaps will encourage more riding, allow me to get some more review stuff done and buttoned up, and keep me riding. All good things. 

A Success Story:

The Honeman Flyer by King Fabrications based upon a 1930's track bike design has become something of an obsession with me. I am constantly reaching for this bike even just to go around the block once if that is all the time I have. 

I did not expect this to happen. The radically slack seat angle and long chain stays are laughable on paper. No one would choose this for their bicycle in 2024. 

But perhaps they should consider this. 

I'm not going to sit here and claim that this is "the next big thing" but I've never ridden a bicycle that handles like this one does. Well.....maybe my old 20" banana seat bike did. I recall that bike being really stable, but think about what the effective seat angle is on a bicycle with a long, 'banana' style saddle. Pretty slack, I bet. 

So, maybe that is where I developed an affinity for the set up on the Honeman Flyer. Or, perhaps, those old builders were on to something in the 1930's. I mean, they weren't doing this to make the bicycles slower, or less racy. This design won a track championship, so it isn't like it was some cruiser meant for recreational riding. 

All I know is that, while the design might be crazy, I love it. This has been the most fun bicycle to ride that I have owned since I got the Gen I Fargo in late 2008. I just cannot seem to stop wanting to ride it. So, for me the Honeman Flyer is a success.

Fargo Gen I: Winter Project - Status Complete!

Thanks to Grannygear, I have refreshed the Fargo Gen I.

 Bonus: Bikes Of 2022: Salsa Cycles Fargo Gen I:

This post will also serve as my "End-Of-Year" post on the Fargo. No need to duplicate this in a dedicated post in the series I have going on with my bicycles I used in 2022. Okay, with that, on with the post.

 A little over a week ago I told you all about these new wheels I received from my friend in SoCal, Grannygear, that I picked up for a song. The post is here in case you missed that.

That kicked off the idea of refreshing the old, worn out drive train. It really needed it, because the parts had been on there for so long I cannot remember when I changed anything on that bike last. 

Another reason I should keep log books on my bikes, eh? 

Well, that hasn't happened yet, so I went with my measurements and my intuition and just bought a new chain and cassette anyway. I already had installed a lightly used Shimano XT crank last Summer with 48/38/28 chain rings. I decided to use a new Shimano 11-36T cassette, (thanks 29"ers!), and a new Shimano 9 speed chain. 

I bought the cassette because with a 28T granny, I would have two gears lower than 1 to 1 with a 32T and 36T choice. The Shimano chain, because it shifts better on Shimano stuff than SRAM, and mostly because it came with 118 links instead of 116, like most SRAM chains do. 

The original XT rear derailleur handled the 36T cog with ease.

This chain length is important. Nowadays, with the dominance of 1X drive trains, the difference in chain wrap from lowest gear on the cassette to the highest is all the chain has to accommodate for besides the single front chain ring. With a double or triple chain ring crankset, that gets a bit more complicated to figure out. 

It also takes, typically, a little longer chain than a 1X system will. I knew from my old set up with the 34T largest cog that the old chain was maxed out in terms of length. I knew that going up 2 more teeth to a 36T would require at least two more links. A SRAM chain wasn't going to cut it, and honestly, I didn't know if a Shimano one would either! 

As it turned out, the Shimano chain was at least one link too short. But to be completely comfortable and safe, I wanted to add two links more. Why not? I was going to have to add at least one more anyway.
 

The XT crank set has an unusual 48/38/28 chain ring set.

I scoured all my cast-off bits of chain and only found a nearly complete KMC 9 speed chain with its quick link. 

Years ago at a Frostbike dealer only show, I met an Asian man at a KMC chain booth who adamantly insisted that KMC made Shimano chains. He was pretty amped about that, so that always stuck with me. So, I figured that, if he was right, a KMC 9 speed chain should play well with a 9 speed Shimano chain, despite their differences in appearance. 

The quick link worked perfectly, and I was able to use the Shimano chain pin on the other end of my two-link graft. All seemed on the up and up, so I tested the combinations and "big to big" was just fine. Small to small was even okay! Whew!  Not that I would ever- nor should anyone ever- use the extreme cross-chain choices, but in the rare instance where you lose track of where it is you are at on the cassette and front chain rings, you won't rip off the derailleur if you should forget and go "big to big". 

I almost gave up on mounting these tires.

Now as for tires, I decided to take off the SOMA Cazaderos from the old wheel set and install them on the "new-to-me" wheel set. Cazaderos have, in my experience, been difficult to get to set up tubeless. Panaracer makes these tires for SOMA, and they act a lot more like the Panaracer made Rene Herse tires. In other words, they are a pain in the tookus. I almost gave up on them for the Fargo. 

They were just a bit looser than I'd like. The previous wheel set, based on the ever so slightly larger diameter Stan's wheels, worked okay with these tires. I'll see how it goes with the Rovals, but if I can wear these out, or nearly so, I will not buy them again for this bike, no matter how nice they ride. And they do ride nicely. 

So, with that all set up, I decided to hit the neighborhood for a test ride. There is a cemetery near me that has some short, steep climbs so I tested the bike there to make sure I wasn't going to detonate a chain or have some other catastrophic failure right out of the box. Besides, I am still battling the back end of this cold, so I cannot get out for a longer ride just yet anyway. The good news? Everything worked as it should.
 

And the full-monty. I think it looks pretty nice, even with the "shouty" wheels.

And there it is! The newly set up Fargo. I probably will tweak out the handle bar set up a bit by lowering the stem on the steer tube. It's a hair too "sit up and beg" for my tastes and needs at the moment, but I will admit that this is rather relaxed and comfy the way that it is. 

The Fargo is now all ready again for adventures. When I'll get to do those, I don't know just yet. The Winter weather we are sure to get will have a big say in this, and as I said, I still am not 100% out of the woods with this cold.

Fargo Gen I: Winter Project - Status Complete!

Thanks to Grannygear, I have refreshed the Fargo Gen I.

 Bonus: Bikes Of 2022: Salsa Cycles Fargo Gen I:

This post will also serve as my "End-Of-Year" post on the Fargo. No need to duplicate this in a dedicated post in the series I have going on with my bicycles I used in 2022. Okay, with that, on with the post.

 A little over a week ago I told you all about these new wheels I received from my friend in SoCal, Grannygear, that I picked up for a song. The post is here in case you missed that.

That kicked off the idea of refreshing the old, worn out drive train. It really needed it, because the parts had been on there for so long I cannot remember when I changed anything on that bike last. 

Another reason I should keep log books on my bikes, eh? 

Well, that hasn't happened yet, so I went with my measurements and my intuition and just bought a new chain and cassette anyway. I already had installed a lightly used Shimano XT crank last Summer with 48/38/28 chain rings. I decided to use a new Shimano 11-36T cassette, (thanks 29"ers!), and a new Shimano 9 speed chain. 

I bought the cassette because with a 28T granny, I would have two gears lower than 1 to 1 with a 32T and 36T choice. The Shimano chain, because it shifts better on Shimano stuff than SRAM, and mostly because it came with 118 links instead of 116, like most SRAM chains do. 

The original XT rear derailleur handled the 36T cog with ease.

This chain length is important. Nowadays, with the dominance of 1X drive trains, the difference in chain wrap from lowest gear on the cassette to the highest is all the chain has to accommodate for besides the single front chain ring. With a double or triple chain ring crankset, that gets a bit more complicated to figure out. 

It also takes, typically, a little longer chain than a 1X system will. I knew from my old set up with the 34T largest cog that the old chain was maxed out in terms of length. I knew that going up 2 more teeth to a 36T would require at least two more links. A SRAM chain wasn't going to cut it, and honestly, I didn't know if a Shimano one would either! 

As it turned out, the Shimano chain was at least one link too short. But to be completely comfortable and safe, I wanted to add two links more. Why not? I was going to have to add at least one more anyway.
 

The XT crank set has an unusual 48/38/28 chain ring set.

I scoured all my cast-off bits of chain and only found a nearly complete KMC 9 speed chain with its quick link. 

Years ago at a Frostbike dealer only show, I met an Asian man at a KMC chain booth who adamantly insisted that KMC made Shimano chains. He was pretty amped about that, so that always stuck with me. So, I figured that, if he was right, a KMC 9 speed chain should play well with a 9 speed Shimano chain, despite their differences in appearance. 

The quick link worked perfectly, and I was able to use the Shimano chain pin on the other end of my two-link graft. All seemed on the up and up, so I tested the combinations and "big to big" was just fine. Small to small was even okay! Whew!  Not that I would ever- nor should anyone ever- use the extreme cross-chain choices, but in the rare instance where you lose track of where it is you are at on the cassette and front chain rings, you won't rip off the derailleur if you should forget and go "big to big". 

I almost gave up on mounting these tires.

Now as for tires, I decided to take off the SOMA Cazaderos from the old wheel set and install them on the "new-to-me" wheel set. Cazaderos have, in my experience, been difficult to get to set up tubeless. Panaracer makes these tires for SOMA, and they act a lot more like the Panaracer made Rene Herse tires. In other words, they are a pain in the tookus. I almost gave up on them for the Fargo. 

They were just a bit looser than I'd like. The previous wheel set, based on the ever so slightly larger diameter Stan's wheels, worked okay with these tires. I'll see how it goes with the Rovals, but if I can wear these out, or nearly so, I will not buy them again for this bike, no matter how nice they ride. And they do ride nicely. 

So, with that all set up, I decided to hit the neighborhood for a test ride. There is a cemetery near me that has some short, steep climbs so I tested the bike there to make sure I wasn't going to detonate a chain or have some other catastrophic failure right out of the box. Besides, I am still battling the back end of this cold, so I cannot get out for a longer ride just yet anyway. The good news? Everything worked as it should.
 

And the full-monty. I think it looks pretty nice, even with the "shouty" wheels.

And there it is! The newly set up Fargo. I probably will tweak out the handle bar set up a bit by lowering the stem on the steer tube. It's a hair too "sit up and beg" for my tastes and needs at the moment, but I will admit that this is rather relaxed and comfy the way that it is. 

The Fargo is now all ready again for adventures. When I'll get to do those, I don't know just yet. The Winter weather we are sure to get will have a big say in this, and as I said, I still am not 100% out of the woods with this cold.

Fargo Gen I: Winter Project

My Fargo Gen I bike has gone through several permutations. The latest one has been taking shape over the course of this year. I added a new crankset not long ago and the Ti Regulator seat post and Brooks saddle, (which - honestly - that may have been done in 2021.)

Anyway, it was a good move all around and my only quibble was that the wheels, a set of old Sun Ringle' Black Flag hoops, was a bit on the flexy-narrow side. Flexy in that the aluminum extrusion and low-ish spoke count wasn't giving enough lateral support, and narrow in that the inner rim width was narrower than many current "gravel" wheel sets. 

I have some Velocity Blunt SS rims just waiting to be laced up to something, but I was held back because I remember when the Fargo had a carbon hoop set and how that literally transformed how that bike rode. I had sold those wheels several years ago, and honestly, that was a good move for me because those wheels were not tubeless and those rims were also pretty narrow internally.

I wanted wheels with a decent inner rim width

Yeah, so maybe some day I'd lace up those Blunt SS rims for the Fargo, but I'd need new hubs and those would be costly, because, well.....I'm not going to use just any old hub! So, that all got put on the back-burner. I mean, the Fargo was rideable as is. First world problems and all......

Then one day this past Fall, Grannygear, my friend and contributor to my work since the late 00's, pinged me with a  message. It went something like this; "Hey, I've got these old Roval carbon wheels that I want to move on. They need some work though, and since you are a wheel man, maybe you might want to fix them up?"

So, one thing led to another and I received the wheels the other day in exchange for a minor amount of cash (digitally, natch!). Grannygear was correct. These wheels are not perfect in any way, but with a bit of TLC and time, they should come out nicely and I think they will suit the Fargo well. 

From the days of painted spokes... Roval MTB wheels.

Near as I can tell these are 2011-2012 vintage 29"er hoops. They were reviewed by Grannygear for the old "Twentynine Inches" site I used to run. They have DT Swiss internals, DT Swiss spokes and nipples, and the wheels have swappable end caps, so I can use QR compatible end caps to retrofit these to the Gen I Fargo. No "boosty" nonsense either, which is good for that old green bike. 

They are 10 year old carbon wheels, so they need the previously mentioned "TLC". Cleaning, replacement of a couple nipples, and retensioning should put them back into order. I did not note any corrosion with regard to the nipples, so that was a good sign. 

And to boot, these won't be seeing any hard-core MTB action. They will enjoy "retirement" from Grannygear by being put to use here on the gravel roads. I should say also that the only thing these wheels will be subjected to is excessive dust, which probably is not a whole lot difeerent than their previous life in SoCal's environment, which was dusty with a different type of dust. 

I checked out the bearings and they are worn, but serviceable yet. I'll run them until they die and re-rack when the time comes. The star ratchet free hub should last a long time, and I'll take a peek at that once I remove the stubborn end cap that is on the drive side. That cap needs replacing anyway, since I am going with the quick release set up for the Fargo. 

Grannygear said these were pretty stiff laterally, and with a healthy 32 spokes tensioned properly, I bet these will straighten out the handling of the Fargo to my liking and previously held standard. The slightly wider internal rim width is welcomed as well. With an under 1400 gram wheel set, the Fargo should feel fantastic. 

I'll keep those old Black Flag wheels for the Fargo also. Those will go on when things get gnarly weather-wise. But the Rovals will live on and they will be a very welcome addition to the Fargo.

Fargo Gen I: Winter Project

My Fargo Gen I bike has gone through several permutations. The latest one has been taking shape over the course of this year. I added a new crankset not long ago and the Ti Regulator seat post and Brooks saddle, (which - honestly - that may have been done in 2021.)

Anyway, it was a good move all around and my only quibble was that the wheels, a set of old Sun Ringle' Black Flag hoops, was a bit on the flexy-narrow side. Flexy in that the aluminum extrusion and low-ish spoke count wasn't giving enough lateral support, and narrow in that the inner rim width was narrower than many current "gravel" wheel sets. 

I have some Velocity Blunt SS rims just waiting to be laced up to something, but I was held back because I remember when the Fargo had a carbon hoop set and how that literally transformed how that bike rode. I had sold those wheels several years ago, and honestly, that was a good move for me because those wheels were not tubeless and those rims were also pretty narrow internally.

I wanted wheels with a decent inner rim width

Yeah, so maybe some day I'd lace up those Blunt SS rims for the Fargo, but I'd need new hubs and those would be costly, because, well.....I'm not going to use just any old hub! So, that all got put on the back-burner. I mean, the Fargo was rideable as is. First world problems and all......

Then one day this past Fall, Grannygear, my friend and contributor to my work since the late 00's, pinged me with a  message. It went something like this; "Hey, I've got these old Roval carbon wheels that I want to move on. They need some work though, and since you are a wheel man, maybe you might want to fix them up?"

So, one thing led to another and I received the wheels the other day in exchange for a minor amount of cash (digitally, natch!). Grannygear was correct. These wheels are not perfect in any way, but with a bit of TLC and time, they should come out nicely and I think they will suit the Fargo well. 

From the days of painted spokes... Roval MTB wheels.

Near as I can tell these are 2011-2012 vintage 29"er hoops. They were reviewed by Grannygear for the old "Twentynine Inches" site I used to run. They have DT Swiss internals, DT Swiss spokes and nipples, and the wheels have swappable end caps, so I can use QR compatible end caps to retrofit these to the Gen I Fargo. No "boosty" nonsense either, which is good for that old green bike. 

They are 10 year old carbon wheels, so they need the previously mentioned "TLC". Cleaning, replacement of a couple nipples, and retensioning should put them back into order. I did not note any corrosion with regard to the nipples, so that was a good sign. 

And to boot, these won't be seeing any hard-core MTB action. They will enjoy "retirement" from Grannygear by being put to use here on the gravel roads. I should say also that the only thing these wheels will be subjected to is excessive dust, which probably is not a whole lot difeerent than their previous life in SoCal's environment, which was dusty with a different type of dust. 

I checked out the bearings and they are worn, but serviceable yet. I'll run them until they die and re-rack when the time comes. The star ratchet free hub should last a long time, and I'll take a peek at that once I remove the stubborn end cap that is on the drive side. That cap needs replacing anyway, since I am going with the quick release set up for the Fargo. 

Grannygear said these were pretty stiff laterally, and with a healthy 32 spokes tensioned properly, I bet these will straighten out the handling of the Fargo to my liking and previously held standard. The slightly wider internal rim width is welcomed as well. With an under 1400 gram wheel set, the Fargo should feel fantastic. 

I'll keep those old Black Flag wheels for the Fargo also. Those will go on when things get gnarly weather-wise. But the Rovals will live on and they will be a very welcome addition to the Fargo.