There I Was, Just Thinking When.....

Willie Honeman's Brennan track bike.

Late last Summer I posted the idea for a single speed gravel bike based on 1930's track bike geometry. I noted that much of what has become "gravel bike geometry" seemed to be uncannily similar to those old single speeds. Then I learned that those old track racers actually rode these bikes, in many instances across country, and very likely on gravel roads. 

Ever since I converted the Twin Six Standard Rando in 2022 to a geared set up, I have missed that bike as a single speed. I dunno..... There was just something about that bike. And I was toying with having a custom made single speed with ideas borrowed from a 1930's Brennan track bike with modernized appointments. But that fell through and well..... Money. Time. Space. 

Excuses.

So, that all got in the way and yet the idea was sitting there, simmering, and one day not long ago, something got to cooking again. 

 

The "Honemann Flyer" as proposed by King Fabrications

It took Erik Mathy to stoke the fires again. He would, of course, that's the kind of guy he is. So, this went from "falling through" to right on the front burner on high. Things look to be moving along again, and I have a feeling it all has to do with a story that just came out in "Mountain Flyer" about King Fabrications. Up until that published I think Erik's mind was elsewhere and well, communications had grown cold. Anyway, you may be wondering why Erik Mathy is in this story anyway. That part may be revealed later on. Stay tuned.....

Paragon single speed through-axle drop outs. (Image courtesy of PMW)

See, this whole project has layers. There is the bicycle, of course, and that much I can talk about here. However; there is a bunch of this that is all up in the air yet and plans are......tenuous? Yeah, that's the word now.

I made mention here not long ago that events were probably not going to happen for me due to my job, but part of this project has to do with an event. I could"push a few buttons" and I am willing to bet that it would put into motion some things that would possibly make that event thing a real possibility rather than a pipe dream. But other stuff has to happen as well......

As of right now, all I know is that the ideas for this Honemann Flyer (working name- this could also change) is being developed rather quickly and is looking like it may be a reality. So, here's what I can say now....

• Single speed, through-axle, using my current Paul Components WORD Disc hub as a wheel.
• Front wheel ideally would be built to match as current one is a mis-matched rim/hub combo. 
• Steel, tig-welded frame with flat mount disc brake standard, no provisions for derailleurs. 
• Drop bar design based upon the Honemann track bike featured on these pages built by Brennan. 
• Carbon fork.(Brand yet to be determined) 
• Finished raw with clear coat or...? Some ideas being bandied about here yet. King Fab does a cool crackle finish which might be used here as well. 

And the finer details would be filled in later. I would opt for silver ano stuff but yeah.... Whatever. We'll see. This is what happens when I start thinking about an idea. 

Stay tuned....

Water Carriers: Update #4

Note the position of this seat tube mounted water bottle cage.

 In my last update (seen here) I mentioned these custom made 'Popsicle Sticks' that DG machined for MJ years ago so MJ could move his water bottle cages in positions that better suited his needs. These are a precursor to the Wolf Tooth B-Rad System rails. I mentioned that I had plans for these machined bits of alloy. 

So, to the left here, you see a grainy image of a seat tube from my Raleigh Tamland Two and the water bottle cage on that tube. Notice how the bottom is higher than the front derailleur clamp? That means that any size bottle I put in that cage interferes with a top tube mounted bag like a Tangle Bag, for instance. 

I wanted to use one of the Popsicle Sticks to move the position of this seat tube mounted cage as low as possible. There are a couple of things to note here. One- I had to allow for clearance of the front derailleur clamp. Two- I had to find shorter water bottle bolts to bolt the cage to the Popsicle Stick at the bottom so the bolt would not interfere with the derailleur clamp. Fortunately, DG machined some spacers and gave them to MJ, who in turn passed them on to me, so that the spacing away of the Popsicle Stick to the seat tube was not an issue. Finding really short water bottle bolts? Could be a problem, that is unless you've been wrenching on bicycles for 20+ years and have been hoarding bits and baubles. 

You can see the special spacers that DG machined to go with the Popsicle Sticks here.

I also had to find longer bolts for the Popsicle Sticks that would find enough purchase after going through the base and spacer. The original bottle boss bolts only stuck out maybe a couple of millimeters after adding spacers. No good for holding a full 24 ounce bottle on rough gravel! So, once again thanks to my hoarding of fasteners, I had no trouble at all finding brand new stainless bolts to mount the Popsicle Stick with. 

Another nice touch here was the counter-sunk pocket DG machined into the stick to allow the mounting bolt's heads to not interfere with the water bottle cage. You can see the bolt heads peeking out in the image above, but I can assure you that they were buried into that aluminum bar once I fastened the stick on the seat tube of my Raleigh.

Here you can see the completed project. Note how the really short lower bottle cage bolt misses the front derailleur clamp.

Fortunately I found a short bolt for the lower mounting hole of the water bottle cage which barely passes through the Popsicle Stick but avoids contact with the front derailleur clamp. Good thing I decided that short bolt was worth hanging on to! 

As you might imagine, that beefy aluminum bar is not flexing at all and the cage, and therefore the water bottle, is secure for any long haul in rougher terrain. Everything clears, and all the bolts are just the right length to do their jobs. I test rode the set up and there are no issues other than that this bottle is a little harder to reach now. Hey! I have long arms! I can stretch yet......

The full view showing that now I have plenty of room for a Tangle Bag, or the equivalent.

So now instead of my cage and bottle sitting above the front derailleur clamp, the cage is lowered so that the bottom of the cage is a good two inches below the top of that clamp. This easily opens up the entire area under the top tube for a 'half-frame' bag, like a Revelate Tangle Bag or customized equivalent. That and a top tube 'tank' bag, like my Bike Bag Dude Garage Bag, and a couple of Chaff Bags and I will be set up for any super-long ride with the Tamland. 

Using one of the Chaff Bags as a water bottle holder, I now can get five bottles onboard the Tamland when originally this bike could only do two bottles. It was an oversight of mine to not advise Raleigh to put on under-the-down-tube water bottle mounts. I also am fortunate that Fyxation made this fork for quick release wheels and added bosses so that I could expand the versatility of this bike even more. In fact, I'm pretty sure that with another B-Rad 4 I could get another water bottle cage up on the down tube above the one already there. Maybe I'll do that as well someday.

So, that leaves one more Popsicle Stick. I have a plan for that one as well which I will show you all soon. Stay tuned for that...... Oh! And by the way, someone asked in the comments about my cue sheet holder and light mount for the pink BMC. I've not forgotten about that. That will get shown soon as well....

Water Carriers: Update #4

Note the position of this seat tube mounted water bottle cage.

 In my last update (seen here) I mentioned these custom made 'Popsicle Sticks' that DG machined for MJ years ago so MJ could move his water bottle cages in positions that better suited his needs. These are a precursor to the Wolf Tooth B-Rad System rails. I mentioned that I had plans for these machined bits of alloy. 

So, to the left here, you see a grainy image of a seat tube from my Raleigh Tamland Two and the water bottle cage on that tube. Notice how the bottom is higher than the front derailleur clamp? That means that any size bottle I put in that cage interferes with a top tube mounted bag like a Tangle Bag, for instance. 

I wanted to use one of the Popsicle Sticks to move the position of this seat tube mounted cage as low as possible. There are a couple of things to note here. One- I had to allow for clearance of the front derailleur clamp. Two- I had to find shorter water bottle bolts to bolt the cage to the Popsicle Stick at the bottom so the bolt would not interfere with the derailleur clamp. Fortunately, DG machined some spacers and gave them to MJ, who in turn passed them on to me, so that the spacing away of the Popsicle Stick to the seat tube was not an issue. Finding really short water bottle bolts? Could be a problem, that is unless you've been wrenching on bicycles for 20+ years and have been hoarding bits and baubles. 

You can see the special spacers that DG machined to go with the Popsicle Sticks here.

I also had to find longer bolts for the Popsicle Sticks that would find enough purchase after going through the base and spacer. The original bottle boss bolts only stuck out maybe a couple of millimeters after adding spacers. No good for holding a full 24 ounce bottle on rough gravel! So, once again thanks to my hoarding of fasteners, I had no trouble at all finding brand new stainless bolts to mount the Popsicle Stick with. 

Another nice touch here was the counter-sunk pocket DG machined into the stick to allow the mounting bolt's heads to not interfere with the water bottle cage. You can see the bolt heads peeking out in the image above, but I can assure you that they were buried into that aluminum bar once I fastened the stick on the seat tube of my Raleigh.

Here you can see the completed project. Note how the really short lower bottle cage bolt misses the front derailleur clamp.

Fortunately I found a short bolt for the lower mounting hole of the water bottle cage which barely passes through the Popsicle Stick but avoids contact with the front derailleur clamp. Good thing I decided that short bolt was worth hanging on to! 

As you might imagine, that beefy aluminum bar is not flexing at all and the cage, and therefore the water bottle, is secure for any long haul in rougher terrain. Everything clears, and all the bolts are just the right length to do their jobs. I test rode the set up and there are no issues other than that this bottle is a little harder to reach now. Hey! I have long arms! I can stretch yet......

The full view showing that now I have plenty of room for a Tangle Bag, or the equivalent.

So now instead of my cage and bottle sitting above the front derailleur clamp, the cage is lowered so that the bottom of the cage is a good two inches below the top of that clamp. This easily opens up the entire area under the top tube for a 'half-frame' bag, like a Revelate Tangle Bag or customized equivalent. That and a top tube 'tank' bag, like my Bike Bag Dude Garage Bag, and a couple of Chaff Bags and I will be set up for any super-long ride with the Tamland. 

Using one of the Chaff Bags as a water bottle holder, I now can get five bottles onboard the Tamland when originally this bike could only do two bottles. It was an oversight of mine to not advise Raleigh to put on under-the-down-tube water bottle mounts. I also am fortunate that Fyxation made this fork for quick release wheels and added bosses so that I could expand the versatility of this bike even more. In fact, I'm pretty sure that with another B-Rad 4 I could get another water bottle cage up on the down tube above the one already there. Maybe I'll do that as well someday.

So, that leaves one more Popsicle Stick. I have a plan for that one as well which I will show you all soon. Stay tuned for that...... Oh! And by the way, someone asked in the comments about my cue sheet holder and light mount for the pink BMC. I've not forgotten about that. That will get shown soon as well....

Bikes Of 2020: 2007 Pofahl Signature Custom

 It's THAT time of year again when I have my year-end reviews. This series will cover my bikes I used during 2020, any changes made, and why I still like each one- or don't! Thanks for reading!

The Pofahl brand is not a well known one outside of Southern Minnesota, but it should be. Mike Pofahl has built many custom bikes since the 80's and also did some contract work for some parts in the past. I became aware of Mike's proficiency at joining steel tubing through my friend Ben Witt, who had come across some of Mike's work since they are both from  the same area. The connection with me started when I met Ben and told him I had been doodling up some ideas for a 29"er that I thought would be cool. Ben had a BikeCad design software set up on his computer and he offered to look at the design. After seeing what I had in mind he suggested that we get this made and have Mike Pofahl do the brazing. So, that's how this bike came together. 

Of course, this was all before the Fargo Gen 1. Had I known to think the way most of us adventurers do now, I would have insisted on fork mounts for water bottles, but alas! I wasn't very smart, so I had to use a seat post mount for a third cage. I asked about slipping a cage on top of the laterals but I was told there wasn't enough room, so...... 

Yeah, so there ya go. The story behind the Pofahl. It has been a great bike, despite my crackpot design, and I have done some of my longest rides on this rig. This would also have been the bike I was falling asleep on going down hills at the last Good Life Gravel Adventure, which became Gravel Worlds the following year. So, good times have been had on this one. 

I recently switched out my old I-9 wheels to these slightly newer I-9 wheels and added the awesome Vittoria Terreno XC tires. I also stuck that shorty stem on there which ended up being something I really liked. Otherwise this bike has been pretty much the same for years. It has the distinction of using some old parts from my MTB history. There's the original Syncros 27.0mm seat post which came off my 1992 Klein Attitude. the 180mm Race Face cranks were originally on my 1996 Diamondback V-Link Pro dual suspension bike. 

I might change the stem to one slightly longer than this one is, but otherwise I think the Pofahl is looking good. It's a one-off and since it was my design, well.......I'm not going to be getting rid of it.

Bikes Of 2020: 2007 Pofahl Signature Custom

 It's THAT time of year again when I have my year-end reviews. This series will cover my bikes I used during 2020, any changes made, and why I still like each one- or don't! Thanks for reading!

The Pofahl brand is not a well known one outside of Southern Minnesota, but it should be. Mike Pofahl has built many custom bikes since the 80's and also did some contract work for some parts in the past. I became aware of Mike's proficiency at joining steel tubing through my friend Ben Witt, who had come across some of Mike's work since they are both from  the same area. The connection with me started when I met Ben and told him I had been doodling up some ideas for a 29"er that I thought would be cool. Ben had a BikeCad design software set up on his computer and he offered to look at the design. After seeing what I had in mind he suggested that we get this made and have Mike Pofahl do the brazing. So, that's how this bike came together. 

Of course, this was all before the Fargo Gen 1. Had I known to think the way most of us adventurers do now, I would have insisted on fork mounts for water bottles, but alas! I wasn't very smart, so I had to use a seat post mount for a third cage. I asked about slipping a cage on top of the laterals but I was told there wasn't enough room, so...... 

Yeah, so there ya go. The story behind the Pofahl. It has been a great bike, despite my crackpot design, and I have done some of my longest rides on this rig. This would also have been the bike I was falling asleep on going down hills at the last Good Life Gravel Adventure, which became Gravel Worlds the following year. So, good times have been had on this one. 

I recently switched out my old I-9 wheels to these slightly newer I-9 wheels and added the awesome Vittoria Terreno XC tires. I also stuck that shorty stem on there which ended up being something I really liked. Otherwise this bike has been pretty much the same for years. It has the distinction of using some old parts from my MTB history. There's the original Syncros 27.0mm seat post which came off my 1992 Klein Attitude. the 180mm Race Face cranks were originally on my 1996 Diamondback V-Link Pro dual suspension bike. 

I might change the stem to one slightly longer than this one is, but otherwise I think the Pofahl is looking good. It's a one-off and since it was my design, well.......I'm not going to be getting rid of it.

Minus Ten Review- 23 & 24

The "OG" Twin Six bicycle offering. Made by WaltWorks

After taking up last weekend with my recap of my Kansas ride, we get back on track with a double dose of Minus Ten. Enjoy!

Ten years ago on the blog covering the first two weeks of June I had been allowed to talk, finally, about a bike I had been aware of for months. Twin Six's first frame and fork offering, the "CustomStock".

It was welded up by WaltWorks in Colorado and looked great. Had I not already had two custom projects in the works there is a really good chance I would have ended up with one of these bikes. Actually, I did end up with a set of wheels meant as spec for one of these frames. But the bike would have been awesome.

More importantly for this review, this T-6 frame and fork offering set off a firestorm of critique based upon how "custom/semi-custom frames and forks are rip-offs" by the keyboard jockeys of the day. This prompted a week long series about "Custom vs Production" posts here on the blog. I re-read that and I think it is something worth revisiting here. Stay tuned on that.......

In another interesting post, I talk about the ways that events like the Kokopelli Trail Race and other, ultra-endurance, off-road, under-the-radar type events were getting shut down by the BLM and government rules and regulations. I talked about how that could be spread to affect events like Trans Iowa. Perhaps this too might be worth revisiting as a topic here......

Finally, there was a two post string at the end of this time period ten years ago about "killing the blog". Not my blog! I was talking about the trend of many endurance based and grassroots cyclists who had started blogging but had found the burden of content creation too much to bear. Blogging really got cranked up in the early 00's and reached a zenith of sorts by 2007. I think ever since then it hasn't been the same.Certainly there are some solid cycling based blogs out there, but the salad days of blogging are long gone.

I haven't got any inclination to stop writing here just yet, so don't get yer hopes up!.

Minus Ten Review- 23 & 24

The "OG" Twin Six bicycle offering. Made by WaltWorks

After taking up last weekend with my recap of my Kansas ride, we get back on track with a double dose of Minus Ten. Enjoy!

Ten years ago on the blog covering the first two weeks of June I had been allowed to talk, finally, about a bike I had been aware of for months. Twin Six's first frame and fork offering, the "CustomStock".

It was welded up by WaltWorks in Colorado and looked great. Had I not already had two custom projects in the works there is a really good chance I would have ended up with one of these bikes. Actually, I did end up with a set of wheels meant as spec for one of these frames. But the bike would have been awesome.

More importantly for this review, this T-6 frame and fork offering set off a firestorm of critique based upon how "custom/semi-custom frames and forks are rip-offs" by the keyboard jockeys of the day. This prompted a week long series about "Custom vs Production" posts here on the blog. I re-read that and I think it is something worth revisiting here. Stay tuned on that.......

In another interesting post, I talk about the ways that events like the Kokopelli Trail Race and other, ultra-endurance, off-road, under-the-radar type events were getting shut down by the BLM and government rules and regulations. I talked about how that could be spread to affect events like Trans Iowa. Perhaps this too might be worth revisiting as a topic here......

Finally, there was a two post string at the end of this time period ten years ago about "killing the blog". Not my blog! I was talking about the trend of many endurance based and grassroots cyclists who had started blogging but had found the burden of content creation too much to bear. Blogging really got cranked up in the early 00's and reached a zenith of sorts by 2007. I think ever since then it hasn't been the same.Certainly there are some solid cycling based blogs out there, but the salad days of blogging are long gone.

I haven't got any inclination to stop writing here just yet, so don't get yer hopes up!.

Minus Ten Review- 21

The Badger drop bar specific 29"er Image by Josh Patterson

On the blog ten years ago this week I was revealing my two "secret project bikes". One I have already spoken of, the Badger drop bar specific bike. This design, other than the fact that I wanted it to be a single speed, and it came to me as a geared only bike, was something that foreshadowed another bike I would get a year later. That bike was the Salsa Cycles Fargo. Interestingly, there was no other time I can recall when a fat tired, drop bar, 29 inch wheel based bike was so desired by a lot of people.

Consider that during this period that not only did I have this Badger brazed up, but that Salsa Cycles heard the customers out there who, like my friend MG, were clamoring for a drop bar 29"er. Consider that at the same time, Singular Cycles' Sam Alison was busy working on the drop bar specific Gryphon 29"er. So, it would be a time that this sort of bike was in the limelight. Not that it isn't to this day. Salsa Cycles longest running model now is the Fargo. Sales of that model are still pretty strong. I don't see it going away any time soon.

But, at any rate, the Badger was an idea that was slightly ahead of its time. A steel framed drop bar 29"er. The Badger is not festooned with the amount of braze ons that the Fargo was and is, but the basic idea is there. Oh.......and yes- I still have it. Stay tuned........

A naked Pofahl Special. Image by Ben Witt

The other "Secret Project Bike" was my Pofahl. This odd little deal was straight out of my brain. When 29"ers were still a rare thing in the early 00's, I would often draw up frame designs as a way to doodle and pass the time. Yes......I used to have spare time. That was before blogs, Trans Iowa, and reviewing stuff! See, it was dangerous for my mind to be idle. Just think of all the wonky designs I would have come up with had I still been idle all these years!

Well, when I met Ben Witt concerning the Badger mtb I reviewed, I mentioned this design to him and he got excited and encouraged me to work with him and Mike Pofahl to make it a reality. Ben took my basic design and then made all the necessary tweaks to that idea to make it an approximation of a  "Karate Monkey/single speed specific" 29"er. Ben even designed a swoopy take off of a Jones Bar that he wanted me to put on this bike. It was to be made in titanium. However; things didn't quite go as planned in regard to the bars that were intended for this design.

Ben was excited about a builder in Colorado many of you have heard about. Now this will be the first time I have revealed this. It is the story, and the truth, but more importantly, water under the dam. Ten years of it....

The design was sent to Black Sheep. We were excited to see how it would come out. Ben initially heard back concerning some details, but then the communication grew cold. Eventually, after months of waiting and trying to get through to Black Sheep, we gave up. I ended up putting drop bars on the Pofahl, and that's the way it has been ever since. So, what became of the "swoopy Jones-like design"? Funny thing- About six months later Black Sheep has a variation on Ben's design offered on their site. Coincidence? Maybe..........

But, as I said, water under the dam. I have the Pofahl as a drop bar bike and that works fine. 

Minus Ten Review- 21

The Badger drop bar specific 29"er Image by Josh Patterson

On the blog ten years ago this week I was revealing my two "secret project bikes". One I have already spoken of, the Badger drop bar specific bike. This design, other than the fact that I wanted it to be a single speed, and it came to me as a geared only bike, was something that foreshadowed another bike I would get a year later. That bike was the Salsa Cycles Fargo. Interestingly, there was no other time I can recall when a fat tired, drop bar, 29 inch wheel based bike was so desired by a lot of people.

Consider that during this period that not only did I have this Badger brazed up, but that Salsa Cycles heard the customers out there who, like my friend MG, were clamoring for a drop bar 29"er. Consider that at the same time, Singular Cycles' Sam Alison was busy working on the drop bar specific Gryphon 29"er. So, it would be a time that this sort of bike was in the limelight. Not that it isn't to this day. Salsa Cycles longest running model now is the Fargo. Sales of that model are still pretty strong. I don't see it going away any time soon.

But, at any rate, the Badger was an idea that was slightly ahead of its time. A steel framed drop bar 29"er. The Badger is not festooned with the amount of braze ons that the Fargo was and is, but the basic idea is there. Oh.......and yes- I still have it. Stay tuned........

A naked Pofahl Special. Image by Ben Witt

The other "Secret Project Bike" was my Pofahl. This odd little deal was straight out of my brain. When 29"ers were still a rare thing in the early 00's, I would often draw up frame designs as a way to doodle and pass the time. Yes......I used to have spare time. That was before blogs, Trans Iowa, and reviewing stuff! See, it was dangerous for my mind to be idle. Just think of all the wonky designs I would have come up with had I still been idle all these years!

Well, when I met Ben Witt concerning the Badger mtb I reviewed, I mentioned this design to him and he got excited and encouraged me to work with him and Mike Pofahl to make it a reality. Ben took my basic design and then made all the necessary tweaks to that idea to make it an approximation of a  "Karate Monkey/single speed specific" 29"er. Ben even designed a swoopy take off of a Jones Bar that he wanted me to put on this bike. It was to be made in titanium. However; things didn't quite go as planned in regard to the bars that were intended for this design.

Ben was excited about a builder in Colorado many of you have heard about. Now this will be the first time I have revealed this. It is the story, and the truth, but more importantly, water under the dam. Ten years of it....

The design was sent to Black Sheep. We were excited to see how it would come out. Ben initially heard back concerning some details, but then the communication grew cold. Eventually, after months of waiting and trying to get through to Black Sheep, we gave up. I ended up putting drop bars on the Pofahl, and that's the way it has been ever since. So, what became of the "swoopy Jones-like design"? Funny thing- About six months later Black Sheep has a variation on Ben's design offered on their site. Coincidence? Maybe..........

But, as I said, water under the dam. I have the Pofahl as a drop bar bike and that works fine. 

Minus Ten Review- 20

The Badger's plans

Ten years ago on the blog this week I was yakking about one of my "Special Projects" which I had done back then by two different custom frame and fork builders. Yes- I had two custom bikes made at the same time. I've never had any done before then or since.

This was a Badger. Now, if you know anything about that brand, there was a lot of bad blood related to this builder starting right around the time I had this frame done up. I won't get in to all of that, and I am not at all interested in dredging up old hurts and hang ups any of you may have concerning Badger frames or the guy that made them. It was what it was, and it is over now.

But when this was being planned, all was on the up and up, at least as far as I knew. Originally, this frame was supposed to be a single speed, but then things went on, and on, and on..... I had heard a few rumblings of bad news surrounding the builder, and I had no updates for several weeks. I was worried, I'll admit. Then I got a call from the builder. "This was suposed to be a geared frame, right?".

Yeah..... Right. I figured I'd be lucky to get it, so just go with the flow, even though the Industry 9 wheels I had purchased for it were single speed specific. Dang it......

Then there was my last ride with "Mr 24". That happened at the Boy Scout Camp. or "Camp Ingawanis". The North side, of course, because that is where we rode back then. I was on my old black geared Raleigh XXIX+G. I remember my BB-5 brakes came out of adjustment and I about ate it on a fast down hill corner. Anyway, I never have ridden with Jeff Kerkove since then, and if I am not mistaken, it was one of the last times he was around the area to ride.I guess I didn't really know it, but it was his way of saying "goodbye", perhaps.

That weekend ten years ago was the Dirty Kanza 200. I was supposed to go, but I ended up playing at a friend's outdoor wedding. I couldn't get out of that gig. I remember thinking the whole time at the wedding that I'd rather be in Kansas that weekend, and I still do. Oh well. I believe that was the earliest the DK200 was ever run also. It would have been good, but that was not in my cards.

Minus Ten Review- 20

The Badger's plans

Ten years ago on the blog this week I was yakking about one of my "Special Projects" which I had done back then by two different custom frame and fork builders. Yes- I had two custom bikes made at the same time. I've never had any done before then or since.

This was a Badger. Now, if you know anything about that brand, there was a lot of bad blood related to this builder starting right around the time I had this frame done up. I won't get in to all of that, and I am not at all interested in dredging up old hurts and hang ups any of you may have concerning Badger frames or the guy that made them. It was what it was, and it is over now.

But when this was being planned, all was on the up and up, at least as far as I knew. Originally, this frame was supposed to be a single speed, but then things went on, and on, and on..... I had heard a few rumblings of bad news surrounding the builder, and I had no updates for several weeks. I was worried, I'll admit. Then I got a call from the builder. "This was suposed to be a geared frame, right?".

Yeah..... Right. I figured I'd be lucky to get it, so just go with the flow, even though the Industry 9 wheels I had purchased for it were single speed specific. Dang it......

Then there was my last ride with "Mr 24". That happened at the Boy Scout Camp. or "Camp Ingawanis". The North side, of course, because that is where we rode back then. I was on my old black geared Raleigh XXIX+G. I remember my BB-5 brakes came out of adjustment and I about ate it on a fast down hill corner. Anyway, I never have ridden with Jeff Kerkove since then, and if I am not mistaken, it was one of the last times he was around the area to ride.I guess I didn't really know it, but it was his way of saying "goodbye", perhaps.

That weekend ten years ago was the Dirty Kanza 200. I was supposed to go, but I ended up playing at a friend's outdoor wedding. I couldn't get out of that gig. I remember thinking the whole time at the wedding that I'd rather be in Kansas that weekend, and I still do. Oh well. I believe that was the earliest the DK200 was ever run also. It would have been good, but that was not in my cards.

French Shiny Bits

The French Connection for shiny, pointy rings of doom was Peter White Cycles.

Another rung in the ladder to the finish of my old custom bike has been reached. The crank set and bottom bracket have now been acquired and installed. Of course, I tried to stick to my plan of keeping it as polished as possible going strong. That meant I had to go to a source that maybe we don't think enough about. The French company, TA Specialties.

Old, old school mountain bikers might recall that the earliest Breezers, Ritcheys, and other custom mountain bikes came with TA Specialties crank sets as they were the only thing around one could fit to a bike with triple chain rings and get ring tooth counts which would provide the wide range gearing riders wanted. After the industry caught on to mountain bikes and started making purposeful designs for the activity, TA Specialties fell from grace. Touring, as a cycling activity, also faded from the forefront in the late 80's and early 90's and where TA Specialties held a strong presence was now no longer a focus for the majority of cyclist in North America.

Here are the rings with the bottom bracket and my XT crank arm.

I am not going to pretend to know how TA Specialties managed to carry on after those days, but I would imagine that they have had good sales in Europe all along. I say this because when my search for silver chain rings led me to this company, I found out that there were 34 pages of choices in chain rings alone! Now, I may not know details, but a company just doesn't make that many chain rings unless they are selling some.

I purchased my rings via Peter White Cycles, but I understand that there are a couple of other US importers as well.  Anyway, since I had a triple chain ring crank, I decided to utilize all three positions and purchased a 46T, 36T, and 26T Chinook model set of rings in silver. The rings are ramped and pinned for better shifting and they have a beefy, solid feel to them. I was impressed with how well they seemed to be made.

I bolted those up to my circa 2008/2009 XT triple crank and then I matched that up with a set of Shimano outboard bearing cups that I filled with Enduro sealed bearings. I also used an anodized red FSA bottom bracket sleeve just because it looks cool and is, well..........metal. I like the way it interlocked in with the Shimano bearing cups better than a plastic Shimano tube does.

All bolted up and ready to install.

The big, thick tabs on the TA Specialties rings don't quite match up with the lines of the spider on the XT cranks, but that's okay with me. This would really be an issue only if the cranks were black and the rings were silver or vice versa. With both being a similar hue, it isn't the eyesore it could be. So, I am okay with this.

I have found that a 46T is a good place to be for gravel travel on flatter roads, so the 36T only gets used on hilly to rolling terrain. That 26T will come in handy when I am on really long rides and the legs are spent, or if the winds are contrary in combination with hills. A "leg saving" bail out gear. It is nice to have that to fall back on.

This bike will likely bike a 9 speed rig now. I have a mostly silver XT rear derailleur from the mid 90's that I will likely use here. I also will have to check in to a front derailleur, but obviously those are silver most of the time, so I am not too worried there. I checked in to my parts bin and I do not have a shifter set up. This means I will likely get either a set of bar end shifters, (not the best option with Luxy Bars), or I will opt for a new set of Gevenalle levers.

Then there are the wheels. That could get pretty expensive, and I am leaning toward doing White Industries XMR hubs laced to Velocity Blunt SS polished rims. This may have to wait for a bit. So, depending on how things go on that front, I may end up rolling on a place holder wheel set for a time. Most likely I will if the rest comes together well.

Stay tuned........

French Shiny Bits

The French Connection for shiny, pointy rings of doom was Peter White Cycles.

Another rung in the ladder to the finish of my old custom bike has been reached. The crank set and bottom bracket have now been acquired and installed. Of course, I tried to stick to my plan of keeping it as polished as possible going strong. That meant I had to go to a source that maybe we don't think enough about. The French company, TA Specialties.

Old, old school mountain bikers might recall that the earliest Breezers, Ritcheys, and other custom mountain bikes came with TA Specialties crank sets as they were the only thing around one could fit to a bike with triple chain rings and get ring tooth counts which would provide the wide range gearing riders wanted. After the industry caught on to mountain bikes and started making purposeful designs for the activity, TA Specialties fell from grace. Touring, as a cycling activity, also faded from the forefront in the late 80's and early 90's and where TA Specialties held a strong presence was now no longer a focus for the majority of cyclist in North America.

Here are the rings with the bottom bracket and my XT crank arm.

I am not going to pretend to know how TA Specialties managed to carry on after those days, but I would imagine that they have had good sales in Europe all along. I say this because when my search for silver chain rings led me to this company, I found out that there were 34 pages of choices in chain rings alone! Now, I may not know details, but a company just doesn't make that many chain rings unless they are selling some.

I purchased my rings via Peter White Cycles, but I understand that there are a couple of other US importers as well.  Anyway, since I had a triple chain ring crank, I decided to utilize all three positions and purchased a 46T, 36T, and 26T Chinook model set of rings in silver. The rings are ramped and pinned for better shifting and they have a beefy, solid feel to them. I was impressed with how well they seemed to be made.

I bolted those up to my circa 2008/2009 XT triple crank and then I matched that up with a set of Shimano outboard bearing cups that I filled with Enduro sealed bearings. I also used an anodized red FSA bottom bracket sleeve just because it looks cool and is, well..........metal. I like the way it interlocked in with the Shimano bearing cups better than a plastic Shimano tube does.

All bolted up and ready to install.

The big, thick tabs on the TA Specialties rings don't quite match up with the lines of the spider on the XT cranks, but that's okay with me. This would really be an issue only if the cranks were black and the rings were silver or vice versa. With both being a similar hue, it isn't the eyesore it could be. So, I am okay with this.

I have found that a 46T is a good place to be for gravel travel on flatter roads, so the 36T only gets used on hilly to rolling terrain. That 26T will come in handy when I am on really long rides and the legs are spent, or if the winds are contrary in combination with hills. A "leg saving" bail out gear. It is nice to have that to fall back on.

This bike will likely bike a 9 speed rig now. I have a mostly silver XT rear derailleur from the mid 90's that I will likely use here. I also will have to check in to a front derailleur, but obviously those are silver most of the time, so I am not too worried there. I checked in to my parts bin and I do not have a shifter set up. This means I will likely get either a set of bar end shifters, (not the best option with Luxy Bars), or I will opt for a new set of Gevenalle levers.

Then there are the wheels. That could get pretty expensive, and I am leaning toward doing White Industries XMR hubs laced to Velocity Blunt SS polished rims. This may have to wait for a bit. So, depending on how things go on that front, I may end up rolling on a place holder wheel set for a time. Most likely I will if the rest comes together well.

Stay tuned........

Building From Scratch

Chase And Face

It isn't every day that you get to build up a bike from the "frame up", but I was given that opportunity at the shop the other day by a local rider. He was keen on doing a gravel/touring/any road bike and since he is also a Minnesota Vikings fan, the obvious choice was Surly's Straggler model. He got the frame, fork, and a box-o-parts and brought the whole shootin' match down to the shop where I began the long process of making it all a bicycle.

Now if you are an older bicycle mechanic like myself, you get all excited when the frame you get to build up is a steel one. Why? Because you get to "chase and face", that's why. It all involves a nearly antiquated tool that is made of machined steel cutting bits and a heavy, steel shaft and handle apparatus. This hand run thread chaser and bottom bracket facing tool was made to clean up the threads in a metal bottom bracket and "face" the outer shell so that both "edges" of the bottom bracket are perfectly flat and perfectly parallel to one another. This makes for a nicer, smoother, aligned bottom bracket. Is it all really necessary? Probably not as much as it used to be when serviceable bottom brackets were still being used, but I'll tell ya what- those cups threaded in so smoothly it was uncanny after the machining operation. So, yeah.....it makes a difference.

After that was accomplished I always move on to what I consider the next essential step in building up a bicycle. That's installing the head set and fork. To my mind, it isn't a bicycle to build until the head set and fork are joined to the rest of the frame.

Chris King, Gevenalle, Old Edge wheels, and Cowbell bars.

The owner chose a gold anodized Chris King headset for this project and so that was carefully pressed in and then it was on to the matching Straggler fork. This is where things can get touchy since you never know how much steer tube is too little. So, after I consulted with the owner, I chose to err to the "too long" side and added three 10mm spacers in addition to the spacers provided by the owner for the build. That should be enough, right? The thing is, Surly Cross Checks and Stragglers have notoriously short head tubes for their size. It's a good thing I added those three spacers!

Well, now I had a bicycle. The rest went pretty well until I ran into a missing couple of bits that were essential to getting this build completed. The old style shifter bosses that Surly uses needed cable stop adjusters. Bah! The owner hadn't thought of those, which is completely understandable. Those little gubbins are easy to forget about until you need them! Fortunately, I am something of a pack rat when it comes to the essential gubbins, and after a half an hour search, I came across a pair of old Profile cable stop adjusters in black ano. Perfect for this build. Now it was on to stringing up cables in some blingy gold Jagwire housings.

Finished build- (Image by Andy)

Fortunately, Jagwire sent its brake housing in one, giant length because I needed a full run housing to the back of the bike. The rest was easy-peasy, and then it came time to mount a Brooks Cambium c-17 saddle on a vintage Dean titanium post, wrap the bars with some synthetic Cinelli tape, and dial in the Gevenalle GX shifters. The chain is a blingy gold KMC ten speed chain and that wraps around a 11-36T cassette and a Shimano 105 triple crankset for a big, wide range of gear ratios.

The owner was pretty stoked when he saw images of the bike on the shop's Facecrack page, and was only a bit ambivalent about the tires, but those may be swapped out soon. Otherwise the build was dubbed a success.

Anyway, building a bike up like this with quality parts is always a fun thing and definitely a good respite from the typical "MalWart" bike tune ups and neglected road bike refreshes that normally populate my work stand.Thanks to Mr. Z for the opportunity and I hope the rig brings you joy for many years to come.

Building From Scratch

Chase And Face

It isn't every day that you get to build up a bike from the "frame up", but I was given that opportunity at the shop the other day by a local rider. He was keen on doing a gravel/touring/any road bike and since he is also a Minnesota Vikings fan, the obvious choice was Surly's Straggler model. He got the frame, fork, and a box-o-parts and brought the whole shootin' match down to the shop where I began the long process of making it all a bicycle.

Now if you are an older bicycle mechanic like myself, you get all excited when the frame you get to build up is a steel one. Why? Because you get to "chase and face", that's why. It all involves a nearly antiquated tool that is made of machined steel cutting bits and a heavy, steel shaft and handle apparatus. This hand run thread chaser and bottom bracket facing tool was made to clean up the threads in a metal bottom bracket and "face" the outer shell so that both "edges" of the bottom bracket are perfectly flat and perfectly parallel to one another. This makes for a nicer, smoother, aligned bottom bracket. Is it all really necessary? Probably not as much as it used to be when serviceable bottom brackets were still being used, but I'll tell ya what- those cups threaded in so smoothly it was uncanny after the machining operation. So, yeah.....it makes a difference.

After that was accomplished I always move on to what I consider the next essential step in building up a bicycle. That's installing the head set and fork. To my mind, it isn't a bicycle to build until the head set and fork are joined to the rest of the frame.

Chris King, Gevenalle, Old Edge wheels, and Cowbell bars.

The owner chose a gold anodized Chris King headset for this project and so that was carefully pressed in and then it was on to the matching Straggler fork. This is where things can get touchy since you never know how much steer tube is too little. So, after I consulted with the owner, I chose to err to the "too long" side and added three 10mm spacers in addition to the spacers provided by the owner for the build. That should be enough, right? The thing is, Surly Cross Checks and Stragglers have notoriously short head tubes for their size. It's a good thing I added those three spacers!

Well, now I had a bicycle. The rest went pretty well until I ran into a missing couple of bits that were essential to getting this build completed. The old style shifter bosses that Surly uses needed cable stop adjusters. Bah! The owner hadn't thought of those, which is completely understandable. Those little gubbins are easy to forget about until you need them! Fortunately, I am something of a pack rat when it comes to the essential gubbins, and after a half an hour search, I came across a pair of old Profile cable stop adjusters in black ano. Perfect for this build. Now it was on to stringing up cables in some blingy gold Jagwire housings.

Finished build- (Image by Andy)

Fortunately, Jagwire sent its brake housing in one, giant length because I needed a full run housing to the back of the bike. The rest was easy-peasy, and then it came time to mount a Brooks Cambium c-17 saddle on a vintage Dean titanium post, wrap the bars with some synthetic Cinelli tape, and dial in the Gevenalle GX shifters. The chain is a blingy gold KMC ten speed chain and that wraps around a 11-36T cassette and a Shimano 105 triple crankset for a big, wide range of gear ratios.

The owner was pretty stoked when he saw images of the bike on the shop's Facecrack page, and was only a bit ambivalent about the tires, but those may be swapped out soon. Otherwise the build was dubbed a success.

Anyway, building a bike up like this with quality parts is always a fun thing and definitely a good respite from the typical "MalWart" bike tune ups and neglected road bike refreshes that normally populate my work stand.Thanks to Mr. Z for the opportunity and I hope the rig brings you joy for many years to come.

So Many Bikes- So Little Time (And $$$!)

It's Winter, it's cold, and you may be sick like me right now and can not ride much, or at all. Well, whattya gonna do? Dream about bikes, look at bikes, and check out the webz for more new bikes. Here are a few things I found interesting for various reasons.....

Black Mountain Cycles Cross: US Made?

It was announced yesterday that Black Mountain Cycles is going to try to do a run of U.S. made frame sets of the "cross" variety. They will be made in San Francisco of True Temper tubing and in a very limited number.

Although the geometry numbers are supposed to be the same as the current "monster cross" frame and fork, (like mine shown here), the tire clearances will be slightly limited from the amount seen on the Taiwanese frames. Still, the claim is that 43mm tires will clear, which is plenty big enough for gravel riding.

If that sounds good to you, and a U.S. sourced and built frame ticks your boxes, prepare to pony up about 1600 big ones and contact Black Mountain Cycles soon. I've really been happy with the one I bought from BMC and it does what I need it to very well. I imagine the U.S. built frame will feel differently, but handling should be right in the ball park with mine and it handles really well on gravel.

Ed Oxley stands proud....

On One Surprises: 

The next thing that popped onto the radar yesterday was a modified single pivot full suspension device with an On One brand on the downtube.


What? On One to make a full susser?

Apparently. This bike is a prototype and has been dubbed the "Codeine". Through a screed of Twitter babble between On One designer Brant Richards, his test rider/mate Ed Oxley, and other U.K. Tweeters/Facebookers, I read that the bike has a 128mm rear travel and is fit for front forks in the 140mm-160mm (???!!!) range.

The bike's designer, Brant Richrads, was said to have been medicated on Codeine when he designed the bike, thus the name. Hmmmm.....well, whatever, a name is a name. According to more sleuthing I did, I found that the prototype is said to have 440mm chain stay length and a 67 degree head angle. The proto is said to be fitted with a DSP Dueler rear shock. Estimate on availability? Folks connected to this are saying about a year or so.

I think it is an interesting specimen from the standpoint that it isn't a 27.5" wheeled bike, (which Mr. Richards has said he doesn't care for in the past), and that it has different travel front to rear. However it goes, this was a surprise find yesterday.

Johnny Mole design

But Is It UCI Certified?

This "artsy-fartsy" rig was making the rounds yesterday as well. I'm not really a roadie, so take the following with a grain of salt...

This wasn't very impressive to me. In fact, haven't I seen something like this before, only better? Let me think.....how about a Look 596 track bike, or how about that Factor Superbike? Maybe the Specialized McLaren? Or about any triathlon/time trial rig these days. Meh!

And this thing won a design award already. Good luck with that. I'm sure it will go a long way in making this design something we start knocking down doors for. Now- I know it has some cool storage "tech boxes" and that the frame has a single structural element running from the stem to the rear drop out. Big deal.

It is about as appealing to me as a bicycle as living in a stark white room with one plastic chair would be. Meaning: it isn't appealing at all to me as something I would want to ride. As art, or an architectural element, or just an interesting shape? Yeah.....it works for me on that level. Maybe you dig it? That's cool. I think it looks like it was designed to be a PlaySkool toy, but that's just me, maybe.

And that's what I was looking at yesterday in the world of bicycles......

So Many Bikes- So Little Time (And $$$!)

It's Winter, it's cold, and you may be sick like me right now and can not ride much, or at all. Well, whattya gonna do? Dream about bikes, look at bikes, and check out the webz for more new bikes. Here are a few things I found interesting for various reasons.....

Black Mountain Cycles Cross: US Made?

It was announced yesterday that Black Mountain Cycles is going to try to do a run of U.S. made frame sets of the "cross" variety. They will be made in San Francisco of True Temper tubing and in a very limited number.

Although the geometry numbers are supposed to be the same as the current "monster cross" frame and fork, (like mine shown here), the tire clearances will be slightly limited from the amount seen on the Taiwanese frames. Still, the claim is that 43mm tires will clear, which is plenty big enough for gravel riding.

If that sounds good to you, and a U.S. sourced and built frame ticks your boxes, prepare to pony up about 1600 big ones and contact Black Mountain Cycles soon. I've really been happy with the one I bought from BMC and it does what I need it to very well. I imagine the U.S. built frame will feel differently, but handling should be right in the ball park with mine and it handles really well on gravel.

Ed Oxley stands proud....

On One Surprises: 

The next thing that popped onto the radar yesterday was a modified single pivot full suspension device with an On One brand on the downtube.


What? On One to make a full susser?

Apparently. This bike is a prototype and has been dubbed the "Codeine". Through a screed of Twitter babble between On One designer Brant Richards, his test rider/mate Ed Oxley, and other U.K. Tweeters/Facebookers, I read that the bike has a 128mm rear travel and is fit for front forks in the 140mm-160mm (???!!!) range.

The bike's designer, Brant Richrads, was said to have been medicated on Codeine when he designed the bike, thus the name. Hmmmm.....well, whatever, a name is a name. According to more sleuthing I did, I found that the prototype is said to have 440mm chain stay length and a 67 degree head angle. The proto is said to be fitted with a DSP Dueler rear shock. Estimate on availability? Folks connected to this are saying about a year or so.

I think it is an interesting specimen from the standpoint that it isn't a 27.5" wheeled bike, (which Mr. Richards has said he doesn't care for in the past), and that it has different travel front to rear. However it goes, this was a surprise find yesterday.

Johnny Mole design

But Is It UCI Certified?

This "artsy-fartsy" rig was making the rounds yesterday as well. I'm not really a roadie, so take the following with a grain of salt...

This wasn't very impressive to me. In fact, haven't I seen something like this before, only better? Let me think.....how about a Look 596 track bike, or how about that Factor Superbike? Maybe the Specialized McLaren? Or about any triathlon/time trial rig these days. Meh!

And this thing won a design award already. Good luck with that. I'm sure it will go a long way in making this design something we start knocking down doors for. Now- I know it has some cool storage "tech boxes" and that the frame has a single structural element running from the stem to the rear drop out. Big deal.

It is about as appealing to me as a bicycle as living in a stark white room with one plastic chair would be. Meaning: it isn't appealing at all to me as something I would want to ride. As art, or an architectural element, or just an interesting shape? Yeah.....it works for me on that level. Maybe you dig it? That's cool. I think it looks like it was designed to be a PlaySkool toy, but that's just me, maybe.

And that's what I was looking at yesterday in the world of bicycles......

NAHBS: So, What Did You Think?

All City fat tire roadie: A result of NAHBS?

NAHBS, or the "North American Handmade Bicycle Show" just concluded yesterday in Sacramento, California. It's a "big deal" for cycling nerds in the same way that SXSW is for music, film, and interactive nerds, so if you haven't heard of it, don't feel bad. It's only a thin slice of humanity that even gives a rip about this stuff. But for those who pay attention, it is like the Detroit Auto Show for cycling, but without all the cash, and show girls, and hutzpah. Anyway...

On Frostbike weekend, I went to The Cutters Ball III which was held in the building where Eric Noren of Peacock Groove does his frame building. He had his NAHBS show bike frames all displayed in his office. We got there early enough that Eric was able to spend some "quality time" with us. This opportunity was highlighted by about a half an hour discourse by Eric while we all stood slack-jawed in awe.

Let's just say Eric has a "certain way with words" and a presence that fills a room, not unlike a talented actor might have. He is a very charismatic person, no doubt. Well,anyway, he got on with a bit about NAHBS and how the "Industry" sends their minions to the show with cameras in hand to basically "rip off" ideas from the hand made bicycle builders which then appear on new bicycles the following year. Eric was pointing out how "fat road" was one of these ideas, (but certainly not the only one). Okay, while you can say what you will about Mr. Noren, I believe he has a point worth considering.

Surprisingly, (or maybe not), there weren't too many of these at NAHBS

Look at this years show. I'm willing to bet that if you wade through the mainstream media photo galleries you will note the term "fat tired road bike", or "fat road" used a lot.  If what Eric says is true, you will be seeing more of that in the future at bike shops.

The other thing, which was maybe obvious to predict, was the multitude of ways that builders were integrating Di2 into their designs. I suspect some tricks used at NAHBS will be showing up on mainstream bikes soon that reflect this.

My take on the show, (other than the fact that it is over the top), was that besides the fat road bikes, I saw touring, adventure, and off road bikes make a big impact this year. It wasn't the urban/fixie heavy show that it has been in the past, but those bikes were certainly well represented. That may be a trend, or it may be just a reflection of the locales of the attending builders, due to the far west location of the event this year. I can not say, but I do not recall so many 29"ers, as a for instance, being shown in quite a few years. Add to this the off road adventure bikes like the Hunter single speed drop bar bike, and the Ahearn fat bike and you can see a different flavor to the event than it had at Austin last year.

I liked the detail of Ira Ryan's city bike/trailer combination. The more I looked at the photos of it, the more impressed I was by it, (although the ax insignia on the top tube plate was a bit baffling for me), and this bike deservedly won an award at the show this year. I also liked the Gallus classic inspired 650B full rigid mountain bike. It was just really cool.

Rick Hunter of Hunter Cycles definitely was one of my favorites this year with his "Dirt Tour" bike and a killer orange 29"er. Great looking and practical bicycles. I also liked the Cielo Mountain Bike, which was a grey and black 29"er. very classy! Components were highlighted and Paul Components really opened up my eyes with a new 170OLD hub for fat bikes featuring Industry 9 guts. They also showed some trick looking "Mini-Moto" linear pull brakes to work with "fat road" bikes.

Okay, that's what I saw that was of interest. What did you like, or not?