When 26 Is Like 27

Kona Bikes Dew Plus

WARNING: Intense bike nerding out to follow. Please move on if the consideration of the minutiae of bike tire and wheel technology finds you falling asleep!

 I had a chance to build up a Kona Dew Plus yesterday at Andy''s Bike Shop and it got me to thinking. "Twenty Six is like Twenty Seven". If you know your wheel size history, you'll understand. No- this is not my goofy understanding of math coming to the fore. But yeah....I can see where you might think that. My math skills are not what you might call 'very good'. 

Anyway..... Years ago there were tons of bicycles sold at retail which had the 630ISO bead diameter. These were commonly known as "27 inch tires". They are slightly bigger in diameter than 700c, which is the modern road bike derived size that also supports 29'er MTB and most all gravel tires. So, what happened to twenty seven inch tires and wheels? 

Well, they were phased out in the 1980's when Mavic and some other racing oriented companies moved to the ISO622 diameter sized wheel, or otherwise known as 700c (French designation). These tires and wheels were slightly smaller in diameter, but more importantly, they were lighter. Most manufacturers copied this for their designs on road racing style and lightweight bikes going forward. 27"/630ISO became a 'dead' wheel size, but of course, there are a million of these bikes out there yet, so tires are still available, albeit in limited options. Since 27"/630ISO is now relegated to having no new development, the 'replacement' tires and wheels tend to be- but not always- very low quality items. This has been the norm since I started in the bicycle business in the early 1990's. 

Compare this to what has happened to 26"/559ISO diameter tires and wheels. Once the darling of every high end mountain bike line, with scads of high end wheel and tire offerings, this wheel size has shrunk down to resemble the standing of 27"/630ISO in a very short period of time. It's really one of the startling, untold stories of the bicycling world. 

Think back ten years ago. In 2010 26" wheels were in a heated race for market supremacy with- ironically - a 622ISO based wheel, once again, fitted with 2"+ sized rubber, dubbed "29"ers".  At the time many said there was no way that 26" MTB would ever fade away. 29"ers were just too big and cumbersome for many things off-road riders wanted to do. Meanwhile, in 2007, Kirk Pacenti hacked a tire down to 27.5" size, claiming this 'new' MTB wheel/tire combo, presented as half the good stuff of 26" mixed with the other half of the good stuff from 29", was now going to be the "Next Big Thing". 

Of course, three tire sizes for off road was ridiculous. One of them, or two of them, had to go. Without beating the story to death, we all know which bird got pushed out of the nest. It was 26"ers that were doomed to the dust heap of forgotten tire and wheel sizes. 

I'd say that without fat bikes, anything 559ISO would pretty much be replacement type fare, just as with 27'/630ISO stuff. The 27.5" thing became a MTB size, which you all know now, but it isn't really 'new'. It is a derivative of an old French utilitarian/tandem/commuter wheel known as 650B in the French and 584ISO by the bike industry. In fact, it is a variant on 26" diameter wheels in reality. However; that has been pretty much lost to the depths of time now. 

What matters now is that, for all intents and purposes, adult, lightweight, sporting bikes are either 650B/584ISO or 700c/622ISO and the old 26" MTB and 27" road sizes are dinosaurs of our past. I think it is a fascinating turn of events, and the Kona Dew Plus was a sharp reminder of what has happened in a very short period of time.

When 26 Is Like 27

Kona Bikes Dew Plus

WARNING: Intense bike nerding out to follow. Please move on if the consideration of the minutiae of bike tire and wheel technology finds you falling asleep!

 I had a chance to build up a Kona Dew Plus yesterday at Andy''s Bike Shop and it got me to thinking. "Twenty Six is like Twenty Seven". If you know your wheel size history, you'll understand. No- this is not my goofy understanding of math coming to the fore. But yeah....I can see where you might think that. My math skills are not what you might call 'very good'. 

Anyway..... Years ago there were tons of bicycles sold at retail which had the 630ISO bead diameter. These were commonly known as "27 inch tires". They are slightly bigger in diameter than 700c, which is the modern road bike derived size that also supports 29'er MTB and most all gravel tires. So, what happened to twenty seven inch tires and wheels? 

Well, they were phased out in the 1980's when Mavic and some other racing oriented companies moved to the ISO622 diameter sized wheel, or otherwise known as 700c (French designation). These tires and wheels were slightly smaller in diameter, but more importantly, they were lighter. Most manufacturers copied this for their designs on road racing style and lightweight bikes going forward. 27"/630ISO became a 'dead' wheel size, but of course, there are a million of these bikes out there yet, so tires are still available, albeit in limited options. Since 27"/630ISO is now relegated to having no new development, the 'replacement' tires and wheels tend to be- but not always- very low quality items. This has been the norm since I started in the bicycle business in the early 1990's. 

Compare this to what has happened to 26"/559ISO diameter tires and wheels. Once the darling of every high end mountain bike line, with scads of high end wheel and tire offerings, this wheel size has shrunk down to resemble the standing of 27"/630ISO in a very short period of time. It's really one of the startling, untold stories of the bicycling world. 

Think back ten years ago. In 2010 26" wheels were in a heated race for market supremacy with- ironically - a 622ISO based wheel, once again, fitted with 2"+ sized rubber, dubbed "29"ers".  At the time many said there was no way that 26" MTB would ever fade away. 29"ers were just too big and cumbersome for many things off-road riders wanted to do. Meanwhile, in 2007, Kirk Pacenti hacked a tire down to 27.5" size, claiming this 'new' MTB wheel/tire combo, presented as half the good stuff of 26" mixed with the other half of the good stuff from 29", was now going to be the "Next Big Thing". 

Of course, three tire sizes for off road was ridiculous. One of them, or two of them, had to go. Without beating the story to death, we all know which bird got pushed out of the nest. It was 26"ers that were doomed to the dust heap of forgotten tire and wheel sizes. 

I'd say that without fat bikes, anything 559ISO would pretty much be replacement type fare, just as with 27'/630ISO stuff. The 27.5" thing became a MTB size, which you all know now, but it isn't really 'new'. It is a derivative of an old French utilitarian/tandem/commuter wheel known as 650B in the French and 584ISO by the bike industry. In fact, it is a variant on 26" diameter wheels in reality. However; that has been pretty much lost to the depths of time now. 

What matters now is that, for all intents and purposes, adult, lightweight, sporting bikes are either 650B/584ISO or 700c/622ISO and the old 26" MTB and 27" road sizes are dinosaurs of our past. I think it is a fascinating turn of events, and the Kona Dew Plus was a sharp reminder of what has happened in a very short period of time.

A Different Flavor

Drop bar bike, 40mm tires, and single track. Why not?

I was talking with a customer at the shop the other day whom I have known for many years. We were reminiscing about a trip we shared to Vail, Colorado to ride mountain bikes in 1994. It was two weeks before the World Mountain Bike Championships. There were several foreign athletes there preparing for the biggest mtb event on the calendar.

Well, this customer and I were trading stories of our time there when it came to our mind that we were riding on what amounts to antique equipment, compared to today's steeds. Hard tails were the order of the day. If you were cutting edge, you might have a front suspension device sporting a whopping 63mm of travel. Otherwise the "working man's rig" usually was a steel hard tail with a rigid fork.

So what? Well, keep in mind that the UCI Worlds were there and that downhill was part of that championship weekend. Otherwise known as "DH", the likes of which today is contested on bikes that do not resemble XC rigs at all. Dual suspension, of course, and eight inches of travel, or round abouts. Okay.....so we rode the DH course. Yes.....on hard tails. Not only that, but some of us that went out did some back country riding, not unlike what you might see in an enduro event today. On hard tails.

It might surprise you if you try it.

 Now, I am not at all trying to say that we were tougher, more core, or whatever. We were just riding like anybody else, and back then, this was normal. People cleared trails without dabbing without suspension. Folks did stuff that, back then, wasn't weird, out of the ordinary, or seen as being "more pure" than........well, whatever. You get the drift. It was what it was.

So anyway, here I was the other day riding local single track on a drop bar gravel road bike with 40mm tires. I was reminded of that conversation and "the old days". I was having fun and doing things on that bike that maybe many wouldn't think to try, or want to try. I get it. You don't have to buy in to using one bicycle for everything. But if I could only have one bike, this type of bike would be it.

Road, gravel, single track, this bike can do all of that, and pretty well too. Now, of course, I don't have to stick to one bike, and I won't. However; if you are looking for a "one bike solution", especially in the Mid-West, you could do a whole lot worse than this type of bike. It's certainly a way to do it.

A Different Flavor

Drop bar bike, 40mm tires, and single track. Why not?

I was talking with a customer at the shop the other day whom I have known for many years. We were reminiscing about a trip we shared to Vail, Colorado to ride mountain bikes in 1994. It was two weeks before the World Mountain Bike Championships. There were several foreign athletes there preparing for the biggest mtb event on the calendar.

Well, this customer and I were trading stories of our time there when it came to our mind that we were riding on what amounts to antique equipment, compared to today's steeds. Hard tails were the order of the day. If you were cutting edge, you might have a front suspension device sporting a whopping 63mm of travel. Otherwise the "working man's rig" usually was a steel hard tail with a rigid fork.

So what? Well, keep in mind that the UCI Worlds were there and that downhill was part of that championship weekend. Otherwise known as "DH", the likes of which today is contested on bikes that do not resemble XC rigs at all. Dual suspension, of course, and eight inches of travel, or round abouts. Okay.....so we rode the DH course. Yes.....on hard tails. Not only that, but some of us that went out did some back country riding, not unlike what you might see in an enduro event today. On hard tails.

It might surprise you if you try it.

 Now, I am not at all trying to say that we were tougher, more core, or whatever. We were just riding like anybody else, and back then, this was normal. People cleared trails without dabbing without suspension. Folks did stuff that, back then, wasn't weird, out of the ordinary, or seen as being "more pure" than........well, whatever. You get the drift. It was what it was.

So anyway, here I was the other day riding local single track on a drop bar gravel road bike with 40mm tires. I was reminded of that conversation and "the old days". I was having fun and doing things on that bike that maybe many wouldn't think to try, or want to try. I get it. You don't have to buy in to using one bicycle for everything. But if I could only have one bike, this type of bike would be it.

Road, gravel, single track, this bike can do all of that, and pretty well too. Now, of course, I don't have to stick to one bike, and I won't. However; if you are looking for a "one bike solution", especially in the Mid-West, you could do a whole lot worse than this type of bike. It's certainly a way to do it.

The Dark Art Of Solid Tyre Mounting- Part 2

The late 19th Century jig used to wire tires on with.

Earlier in the week I mentioned that the shop where I work at had a job to do that required some really old knowledge. The job involved two old wheel chair wheels that needed new rubber wired on to their rims. These rims were simple "U" shaped hoops of sheet steel that had no mechanical connection to the tire, like our current day "clincher" wheels do. These also weren't "tubular" tire rims either, where a pneumatic tire is glued to a rim.

The way these treads were held on the rims was by a wire which runs through the center of the rubber tread. The "tires" are really "hoses" with really thick walls, or you can also say that they are solid rubber "ropes" with a hole molded in the center running the length of the "rope" which a wire is strung through. Either way you want to describe this, it is not a circular tire. Nope. These are coiled rubber lengths of a certain diameter that are cut to a specific length, then strung with wire. The wire holds the section of rubber to the specified rim.

The length that you need for a specific rim is done by a formula which requires a certain amount of rubber "rope" be added to the overall rim circumference. (It's not too complicated to figure out, by the way.) If this is done correctly, the tread, or "rope" of rubber actually will overlap itself by about three inches or so when you string it around the rim. The wire extends out from the ends of the tread a significant amount more. Now, I will attempt to give you all an overview of how this is done.

There is a lot going on here! Read below! 

Okay, I have this image which shows a lot of things. I want to break it down and walk you- the reader- through all of what is going on here. I'll start out with the objects shown in the upper, center part of this image. Let's dive in!

•  Coiled Rubber: In the upper center part of the image you see the coiled rubber "tread" and by looking carefully you will note the silver colored steel wire sticking out of each end of the tread. This wire runs the length of the tread. 
• Bundle Of Wire: Next to the tread, in the upper right hand side on a white piece of paper, you can see a bundle of wire. That is actually silver soldering wire which I used to braze the wire in the tread together. The jar is the special flux I used for brazing. You'll see what I mean later........
•  No. 500 Tire Setter: Here you can see in the center of the image the jig shown up above. I affixed it directly to the work bench with two dry wall screws and a "C" clamp. 
• Wheel and Tread: In the lower part of the image you see the gold colored wheel chair rim, spokes, hand rail, and hub. The tread is laced around the rim, and the central wire can be seen here as it was affixed to the jig and drawn tightly up by the hand crank and worm gear arrangement. The tread is held apart here by a cast metal jig, which the wires are running over the top of here. The tension on the wires will be held when I cut the excess ends off by two needle nosed "Vice Grip" adjustable jaw pliers. All will be explained below. 

Remember I said that the tread overlapped the circumference of rim by a specified amount? Well, when the wires are threaded into the jig, those blocks on the worm gear are close together at the center of the jig. The hand crank is turned clockwise which then starts the blocks on their outward journey on the worm gear. This pulls the wire which in turn begins to draw up the rubber to the rim. Once the tread settles into the "U" shaped channel of the rim, enough tension is applied that the ends of the tread are butting right up against the jig which the wires are running over. When do you know when to stop cranking? Well, that was a guess on my part, but it seemed reasonable to stop at the point where the tread was deforming against the jig block.

A close up look at the jig block, wires, and how my pliers were positioned to hold the tension of the wires once cut. 

A look with wires cut, aligned alongside each other, and fluxed in preparation for brazing. 

Again, I will walk you through what you see in the image above which was taken just before I brazed the wire ends together.

• Jig Block: This was my first attempt at this ever, and I wasn't 100% pleased with how the jig shifted after I cut the wires which exposed a bit of the tire in the center. I made a slight change when I did the second wheel which worked perfectly. 
• Wire Prep: The exposed length of wire was clipped, which then allowed me to move the wheel away from the tire setter jig. The tension cranked into the wire was being maintained at this point by the two carefully positioned Vice Grip pliers. Then I had to get into that tight space the block jig created between the tread ends and maneuver those wire ends alongside each other close enough that the silver solder would adhere and bind them together. Once that was done, a paste of flux was applied with a small bush. A piece of tin bent over the rim to protect it from heat is also seen above. 
• Brazing: I used to be a bench jeweler for 10 years and I have done a lot of soldering and brazing work. It had been some years since I had handled a torch, but I managed and this was done using a frame brazing torch fueled by oxygen and acetylene. 

Like I said, it had been awhile since I had operated a torch and I went straight into this with zero practice, so I was taking a risk, but relying on my years of experience. The torch was a bigger one than I was used to and it hadn't been in regular use either. All in all, looking back on the first attempt, I was so lucky it worked out. The flame was too hot, for starters, and how I didn't atomize the whole deal into a gaseous cloud, I don't know. I was a bit taken back by the heat the flame I had generated. The thing was, due to the tip being contaminated/dirty/underused, I couldn't dial it down at first. Well, anyway, it brazed up like a champ, amazingly, and that one was done. The second wheel was much smoother due to the torch having been cleared out and I was able to set it much cooler on that pass so everything went with much more control and a lot less luck!

Finished product.

Once the thing had been cooled down by spraying down the block jig and brazing area with water, I could remove the tin heat shield, jig, and Vice Grip pliers. This takes the tension off the tread, and since the tread wants to creep in toward the center to release that energy that was put into it by the setting jig, the tread butts up against its ends and that's that. You have a rideable wheel.

The process itself isn't too complex, but there are, as in anything you do, nuances and tricks which you don't see, or have described in an article or from a YouTube video. Like I said above, I changed a couple of things on the second wheel attempt and it went a lot smoother than the first one did. I wasn't 100% stoked on how it was afterward, but for a first attempt at a 120 year old process, I was pretty pleased overall. It worked! We got the job done.

Besides the little tricks and processes, there are two major things here without which I would never have been able to accomplish this job. The first and foremost was having the setting jig. The other was having the skill of brazing that I have learned from my years as a jeweler. I was reminded how things like torches kind of freak some people out when my coworker was acting skittish around the torch and jumped when I popped the torch a couple of times at first because I was having an issue with the touchy acetylene valve. I know I get freaked out sometimes by things folks do with regularity and I am not familiar with how what they are doing works. So, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that a few of the guys hanging around the shop were awed by what I had done. That said, I couldn't have done it without that decade of experience around a torch and without that jig. Then there were the internet videos and articles I found explaining the process. Those were the missing links I needed to understand it all.

Well, I am glad we got that job done. Am I going to be doing this again? Who knows? But if so, I will have some invaluable experience to draw upon. I was glad to have had the chance to set my hand to this task.

The Dark Art Of Solid Tyre Mounting- Part 2

The late 19th Century jig used to wire tires on with.

Earlier in the week I mentioned that the shop where I work at had a job to do that required some really old knowledge. The job involved two old wheel chair wheels that needed new rubber wired on to their rims. These rims were simple "U" shaped hoops of sheet steel that had no mechanical connection to the tire, like our current day "clincher" wheels do. These also weren't "tubular" tire rims either, where a pneumatic tire is glued to a rim.

The way these treads were held on the rims was by a wire which runs through the center of the rubber tread. The "tires" are really "hoses" with really thick walls, or you can also say that they are solid rubber "ropes" with a hole molded in the center running the length of the "rope" which a wire is strung through. Either way you want to describe this, it is not a circular tire. Nope. These are coiled rubber lengths of a certain diameter that are cut to a specific length, then strung with wire. The wire holds the section of rubber to the specified rim.

The length that you need for a specific rim is done by a formula which requires a certain amount of rubber "rope" be added to the overall rim circumference. (It's not too complicated to figure out, by the way.) If this is done correctly, the tread, or "rope" of rubber actually will overlap itself by about three inches or so when you string it around the rim. The wire extends out from the ends of the tread a significant amount more. Now, I will attempt to give you all an overview of how this is done.

There is a lot going on here! Read below! 

Okay, I have this image which shows a lot of things. I want to break it down and walk you- the reader- through all of what is going on here. I'll start out with the objects shown in the upper, center part of this image. Let's dive in!

•  Coiled Rubber: In the upper center part of the image you see the coiled rubber "tread" and by looking carefully you will note the silver colored steel wire sticking out of each end of the tread. This wire runs the length of the tread. 
• Bundle Of Wire: Next to the tread, in the upper right hand side on a white piece of paper, you can see a bundle of wire. That is actually silver soldering wire which I used to braze the wire in the tread together. The jar is the special flux I used for brazing. You'll see what I mean later........
•  No. 500 Tire Setter: Here you can see in the center of the image the jig shown up above. I affixed it directly to the work bench with two dry wall screws and a "C" clamp. 
• Wheel and Tread: In the lower part of the image you see the gold colored wheel chair rim, spokes, hand rail, and hub. The tread is laced around the rim, and the central wire can be seen here as it was affixed to the jig and drawn tightly up by the hand crank and worm gear arrangement. The tread is held apart here by a cast metal jig, which the wires are running over the top of here. The tension on the wires will be held when I cut the excess ends off by two needle nosed "Vice Grip" adjustable jaw pliers. All will be explained below. 

Remember I said that the tread overlapped the circumference of rim by a specified amount? Well, when the wires are threaded into the jig, those blocks on the worm gear are close together at the center of the jig. The hand crank is turned clockwise which then starts the blocks on their outward journey on the worm gear. This pulls the wire which in turn begins to draw up the rubber to the rim. Once the tread settles into the "U" shaped channel of the rim, enough tension is applied that the ends of the tread are butting right up against the jig which the wires are running over. When do you know when to stop cranking? Well, that was a guess on my part, but it seemed reasonable to stop at the point where the tread was deforming against the jig block.

A close up look at the jig block, wires, and how my pliers were positioned to hold the tension of the wires once cut. 

A look with wires cut, aligned alongside each other, and fluxed in preparation for brazing. 

Again, I will walk you through what you see in the image above which was taken just before I brazed the wire ends together.

• Jig Block: This was my first attempt at this ever, and I wasn't 100% pleased with how the jig shifted after I cut the wires which exposed a bit of the tire in the center. I made a slight change when I did the second wheel which worked perfectly. 
• Wire Prep: The exposed length of wire was clipped, which then allowed me to move the wheel away from the tire setter jig. The tension cranked into the wire was being maintained at this point by the two carefully positioned Vice Grip pliers. Then I had to get into that tight space the block jig created between the tread ends and maneuver those wire ends alongside each other close enough that the silver solder would adhere and bind them together. Once that was done, a paste of flux was applied with a small bush. A piece of tin bent over the rim to protect it from heat is also seen above. 
• Brazing: I used to be a bench jeweler for 10 years and I have done a lot of soldering and brazing work. It had been some years since I had handled a torch, but I managed and this was done using a frame brazing torch fueled by oxygen and acetylene. 

Like I said, it had been awhile since I had operated a torch and I went straight into this with zero practice, so I was taking a risk, but relying on my years of experience. The torch was a bigger one than I was used to and it hadn't been in regular use either. All in all, looking back on the first attempt, I was so lucky it worked out. The flame was too hot, for starters, and how I didn't atomize the whole deal into a gaseous cloud, I don't know. I was a bit taken back by the heat the flame I had generated. The thing was, due to the tip being contaminated/dirty/underused, I couldn't dial it down at first. Well, anyway, it brazed up like a champ, amazingly, and that one was done. The second wheel was much smoother due to the torch having been cleared out and I was able to set it much cooler on that pass so everything went with much more control and a lot less luck!

Finished product.

Once the thing had been cooled down by spraying down the block jig and brazing area with water, I could remove the tin heat shield, jig, and Vice Grip pliers. This takes the tension off the tread, and since the tread wants to creep in toward the center to release that energy that was put into it by the setting jig, the tread butts up against its ends and that's that. You have a rideable wheel.

The process itself isn't too complex, but there are, as in anything you do, nuances and tricks which you don't see, or have described in an article or from a YouTube video. Like I said above, I changed a couple of things on the second wheel attempt and it went a lot smoother than the first one did. I wasn't 100% stoked on how it was afterward, but for a first attempt at a 120 year old process, I was pretty pleased overall. It worked! We got the job done.

Besides the little tricks and processes, there are two major things here without which I would never have been able to accomplish this job. The first and foremost was having the setting jig. The other was having the skill of brazing that I have learned from my years as a jeweler. I was reminded how things like torches kind of freak some people out when my coworker was acting skittish around the torch and jumped when I popped the torch a couple of times at first because I was having an issue with the touchy acetylene valve. I know I get freaked out sometimes by things folks do with regularity and I am not familiar with how what they are doing works. So, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that a few of the guys hanging around the shop were awed by what I had done. That said, I couldn't have done it without that decade of experience around a torch and without that jig. Then there were the internet videos and articles I found explaining the process. Those were the missing links I needed to understand it all.

Well, I am glad we got that job done. Am I going to be doing this again? Who knows? But if so, I will have some invaluable experience to draw upon. I was glad to have had the chance to set my hand to this task.

The Dark Art Of Solid Tyre Mounting

Medieval torture device or .......?

Yesterday I had the unique experience of learning how to do something bicycle mechanics like Wilbur and Orville Wright were doing in their sleep in the late 1800's- that being how to mount a solid tyre to a steel rim that uses a wired on method to affix the rubber to the rim. 

I did a search on the internet and came up with about five resources which all pretty much agreed upon the "how" to do the job, but varied greatly in the "what to use" department to get there.

Oh........yes, you may be wondering why in the world I am undertaking the search for this archaic knowledge. Fair enough- The odd job came in which requires the mounting of a solid core tire, (I have been spelling it "tyre", for the reason to indicate this method's antiquity), which is held on to the rim with a wired on core. Let me explain more clearly: This "tyre" is really nothing more than a hard rubber tube which has ends. One then threads a heavy gauge wire through the center of this rubber tube and then by using a special formula, the rubber is cut so that it overlaps a certain, precise distance. Then the wire, which should extend further out of the ends of the rubber, is tensioned by a special jig or machine, (depending upon the tool used), which drws the wire tight around a rim with the rubber seating into the rims "U" shaped well. Then by a special process, the wire is cut and brazed together resulting in a continuous loop of wire, which the rubber surrounds.

Well, typically this would have been for the "ordinary" type of bicycle, (or "penny farthing"), but not this time. No, this is a really odd set of wheels for an ancient wheel chair.

So not one, but two! I get to try to do this feat of ancient, dark bicycle knowledge, and I don't have much margin for error since, ya know......I can't just walk into the back room and pull out some more solid rubber tire material. There is only so much of this stuff at my disposal, and quite frankly, I wonder if there is even enough to do both wheels! I actually found a place on-line that sells the solid rubber and wire for this sort of deal and it isn't cheap. I wasn't surprised, since this sort of thing is rare. That you can still get any of it at all in 2015 is amazing to my mind.

Well, at least there is one good thing about this job, and that is that we aren't going into RAGBRAI, when we would be crazy busy. I have plenty of time to sit down and take my time to get this right the first time. Oh, and did I mention that I get to use fire in the process? It's pretty much a guarantee that if your local bike shop mechanic gets to use either (a) a hammer, or (b) fire, in repair of a bicycle, it is considered to be a red letter type of a day. I don't think I'll have to use a hammer, but one YouTube video I found regarding the mounting of a solid rubber, wired on tire, showed a guy beating on the tire with a hammer. So, there is still hope! 

Stay tuned to see if I was successful or not.......

The Dark Art Of Solid Tyre Mounting

Medieval torture device or .......?

Yesterday I had the unique experience of learning how to do something bicycle mechanics like Wilbur and Orville Wright were doing in their sleep in the late 1800's- that being how to mount a solid tyre to a steel rim that uses a wired on method to affix the rubber to the rim. 

I did a search on the internet and came up with about five resources which all pretty much agreed upon the "how" to do the job, but varied greatly in the "what to use" department to get there.

Oh........yes, you may be wondering why in the world I am undertaking the search for this archaic knowledge. Fair enough- The odd job came in which requires the mounting of a solid core tire, (I have been spelling it "tyre", for the reason to indicate this method's antiquity), which is held on to the rim with a wired on core. Let me explain more clearly: This "tyre" is really nothing more than a hard rubber tube which has ends. One then threads a heavy gauge wire through the center of this rubber tube and then by using a special formula, the rubber is cut so that it overlaps a certain, precise distance. Then the wire, which should extend further out of the ends of the rubber, is tensioned by a special jig or machine, (depending upon the tool used), which drws the wire tight around a rim with the rubber seating into the rims "U" shaped well. Then by a special process, the wire is cut and brazed together resulting in a continuous loop of wire, which the rubber surrounds.

Well, typically this would have been for the "ordinary" type of bicycle, (or "penny farthing"), but not this time. No, this is a really odd set of wheels for an ancient wheel chair.

So not one, but two! I get to try to do this feat of ancient, dark bicycle knowledge, and I don't have much margin for error since, ya know......I can't just walk into the back room and pull out some more solid rubber tire material. There is only so much of this stuff at my disposal, and quite frankly, I wonder if there is even enough to do both wheels! I actually found a place on-line that sells the solid rubber and wire for this sort of deal and it isn't cheap. I wasn't surprised, since this sort of thing is rare. That you can still get any of it at all in 2015 is amazing to my mind.

Well, at least there is one good thing about this job, and that is that we aren't going into RAGBRAI, when we would be crazy busy. I have plenty of time to sit down and take my time to get this right the first time. Oh, and did I mention that I get to use fire in the process? It's pretty much a guarantee that if your local bike shop mechanic gets to use either (a) a hammer, or (b) fire, in repair of a bicycle, it is considered to be a red letter type of a day. I don't think I'll have to use a hammer, but one YouTube video I found regarding the mounting of a solid rubber, wired on tire, showed a guy beating on the tire with a hammer. So, there is still hope! 

Stay tuned to see if I was successful or not.......

Strange Magic

So far.....

Surly 1X1 Update:

It has been plenty busy around here of late, but I have scraped up a few bits and have found time to install them on the 1X1 bequeathed to me by former Europa employee, Brian.

Here's the parts listing so far:

• Super ancient Shimano cantilever brakes. Probably "Deer Head" era ones, and someone painted one set flat black. Hey, they'll work! 
• Mountain Goat "Goat Horns" bull moose style chrome plated bar/stem combo. I thought a product named "Goat Horns" was appropriate here. 
• Some old Ergon grips in white that I've had around since '08 or so on sevearl different bikes. 
• Bontrager seat post. It's long enough, silver enough, and darn it! I like it!
• Black Salsa Cycles Lip-Loc seat binder. 
• Black Mavic 221 rims laced to black Shimano Parallax LX hubs courtesy of El Presidente' Ari of the Slender Fungus
• NOS Panaracer Magic tires in the cream color with skin walls. 
• Ergon SM-3 saddle in black.
• A pair of Shimano Exage cantilever brake levers. Circa '93. Bought from Dave's Closeouts at Frostbike ages ago. Actually, I think they were free.

That's it so far. I have to find a 118mm bottom bracket, then I can install my '90's ere LX square taper cranks and Surly ring with a 16T cog I am buying from a friend. Grab some old binned chain, cable up the brakes, and that will be that.

Stay tuned!

Strange Magic

So far.....

Surly 1X1 Update:

It has been plenty busy around here of late, but I have scraped up a few bits and have found time to install them on the 1X1 bequeathed to me by former Europa employee, Brian.

Here's the parts listing so far:

• Super ancient Shimano cantilever brakes. Probably "Deer Head" era ones, and someone painted one set flat black. Hey, they'll work! 
• Mountain Goat "Goat Horns" bull moose style chrome plated bar/stem combo. I thought a product named "Goat Horns" was appropriate here. 
• Some old Ergon grips in white that I've had around since '08 or so on sevearl different bikes. 
• Bontrager seat post. It's long enough, silver enough, and darn it! I like it!
• Black Salsa Cycles Lip-Loc seat binder. 
• Black Mavic 221 rims laced to black Shimano Parallax LX hubs courtesy of El Presidente' Ari of the Slender Fungus
• NOS Panaracer Magic tires in the cream color with skin walls. 
• Ergon SM-3 saddle in black.
• A pair of Shimano Exage cantilever brake levers. Circa '93. Bought from Dave's Closeouts at Frostbike ages ago. Actually, I think they were free.

That's it so far. I have to find a 118mm bottom bracket, then I can install my '90's ere LX square taper cranks and Surly ring with a 16T cog I am buying from a friend. Grab some old binned chain, cable up the brakes, and that will be that.

Stay tuned!

Bike Parts Swap

Haulin' and swappin'

Yesterday was a big day of getting stuff done around the shop. I have a long, long way to go yet, don't get me wrong, but this made a big dent into a lot of what I needed to get done.

A short list then...

• Ancient late 90's Manitou Titanium Spring fork off to a new home in Illinois.
• Old Bontrager wheel set off to a new home in Cedar Falls. 
• A new-to-me fat bike wheel- (traded for the wheel set and a rigid fork)- Marge Lite, DMR hub, Bud tire. 
• Restored two wheel sets with fresh sealant.
• Tweaked the Sawyer back to B+ glory after a brief test with a different tire on its wheel. 
•  Started cleaning up the Fargo GEN 2 with a fresh set of tires and will be getting the rigid fork back on for Winter, but I didn't quite get that far.....yet!

The fat bike wheel is an interesting pick up. The wheel itself will end up on the son's bike. At some point another Marge Lite will be laced up to a rear hub in red, (his favorite color), and the front re-laced to a front brake standard red ano hub to match. (Then he can have TWO brakes!) I'll get the Bud. That's going on the Snow Dog. That bike is up for drive train updates and another matching Bud for the rear of the bike. Hopefully before the snow arrives.



 Swapping now and plans for swapping later! And then the imminent arrival of the Blackborow cannot be forgotten. It's going to be a good Winter.........

Bike Parts Swap

Haulin' and swappin'

Yesterday was a big day of getting stuff done around the shop. I have a long, long way to go yet, don't get me wrong, but this made a big dent into a lot of what I needed to get done.

A short list then...

• Ancient late 90's Manitou Titanium Spring fork off to a new home in Illinois.
• Old Bontrager wheel set off to a new home in Cedar Falls. 
• A new-to-me fat bike wheel- (traded for the wheel set and a rigid fork)- Marge Lite, DMR hub, Bud tire. 
• Restored two wheel sets with fresh sealant.
• Tweaked the Sawyer back to B+ glory after a brief test with a different tire on its wheel. 
•  Started cleaning up the Fargo GEN 2 with a fresh set of tires and will be getting the rigid fork back on for Winter, but I didn't quite get that far.....yet!

The fat bike wheel is an interesting pick up. The wheel itself will end up on the son's bike. At some point another Marge Lite will be laced up to a rear hub in red, (his favorite color), and the front re-laced to a front brake standard red ano hub to match. (Then he can have TWO brakes!) I'll get the Bud. That's going on the Snow Dog. That bike is up for drive train updates and another matching Bud for the rear of the bike. Hopefully before the snow arrives.



 Swapping now and plans for swapping later! And then the imminent arrival of the Blackborow cannot be forgotten. It's going to be a good Winter.........

Remembering The Old School

Back in the day, this was my bike. Really!

I was up at the shop yesterday to bail out a customer that needed a special cassette built up from something he had brought in. While I was assembling that, I noticed a Surly Ogre, (yeah......hard NOT to notice that box!), and it needed assembling. So I stayed and started piecing it together.

I was twiddling wrenches when I looked up and saw a "customer" approaching the counter. Suddenly I recognized the figure as a person I hadn't seen in 18 years! It was an old riding buddy of mine. What an awesome surprise.

Well, it didn't take long before we were deep into the "old daze" when we both did a lot of riding together. Trips, night time rides, and after work jaunts in Geo Wyth. For a brief look at one adventure I wrote up a few years back, see here. Those night rides were actually instigated by this old friend, which is something I just learned yesterday. It was really fun to remember those times when riding was just for fun and adventure and mountain biking was still evolving at a breakneck pace.

It's funny to look back on it all now. In some ways, the whole suspension, free ride, and racing deal back then kind of messed up what was simply a great time. We didn't let it get to us, well......not too much. But as with anything, things change and we all went our different ways. It's all good......

It was great to reconnect after all these years and catch up, and who knows, maybe someday we'll be rolling wheels together again on another adventure.

Remembering The Old School

Back in the day, this was my bike. Really!

I was up at the shop yesterday to bail out a customer that needed a special cassette built up from something he had brought in. While I was assembling that, I noticed a Surly Ogre, (yeah......hard NOT to notice that box!), and it needed assembling. So I stayed and started piecing it together.

I was twiddling wrenches when I looked up and saw a "customer" approaching the counter. Suddenly I recognized the figure as a person I hadn't seen in 18 years! It was an old riding buddy of mine. What an awesome surprise.

Well, it didn't take long before we were deep into the "old daze" when we both did a lot of riding together. Trips, night time rides, and after work jaunts in Geo Wyth. For a brief look at one adventure I wrote up a few years back, see here. Those night rides were actually instigated by this old friend, which is something I just learned yesterday. It was really fun to remember those times when riding was just for fun and adventure and mountain biking was still evolving at a breakneck pace.

It's funny to look back on it all now. In some ways, the whole suspension, free ride, and racing deal back then kind of messed up what was simply a great time. We didn't let it get to us, well......not too much. But as with anything, things change and we all went our different ways. It's all good......

It was great to reconnect after all these years and catch up, and who knows, maybe someday we'll be rolling wheels together again on another adventure.

Where Do The Old Components Go?

NOS 6 speed Shimano 600 Freewheel

One of the most baffling things to my mind is how perfectly decent designs made for cycling go by the wayside, never to be manufactured again. Instead, an inferior design is manufactured as a replacement part and what is worse, most of the time the replacement parts are more than just inferior. Many times the replacement parts really are bad parts. It is such a shame.

Take for instance the following: A customer brought in an old freewheel he wanted replaced on a perfectly good 27" wheel with a Wolber rim, (decent dual wall extrusion, eyeletted, and anodized), and Sun Tour hub. He produced an old Shimano box and inside was a NOS Shimano 600 freewheel. Now I have seen my fair share of Regina and Sun Tour 6 speed free wheels, but never one like this Shimano unit.

It spun so freely, with a quiet snicking of the free hub pawls that would make any mechanic smile. The finish was jewel-like, and the cogs featured beveled teeth which were slightly canted for better shifting. Compared to a new replacement 6 speed freewheel, there is no way I could honestly say the replacement is anywhere in the same ballpark in terms of quality. So, why can't we just keep making that Shimano 600 freewheel forever? Wouldn't that be nice? Couldn't that be done at a reasonable price?

Then there are things like the original 110BCD Shimano XTR square taper interface crank. Those were some of the most beautiful, functional cranks ever made. Hey- they still make decent cartridge bottom brackets, so at least we have that part! But that crank was so well made and so versatile, it just seems a bit odd that it isn't still made yet. I mean.....why not? Given the option to buy that crank or a.....I don't know,  a Velo Orange crank, just to pull something out of thin air..... Well, I know which one I'd rather get for an old bike, or heck.....a new gravel grinder!

While it is true that some real clunker parts were made in the past as well, it just seems a waste to have had something that was so perfectly functional and beautifully made go by the wayside when we really could still use those same parts today.

Where Do The Old Components Go?

NOS 6 speed Shimano 600 Freewheel

One of the most baffling things to my mind is how perfectly decent designs made for cycling go by the wayside, never to be manufactured again. Instead, an inferior design is manufactured as a replacement part and what is worse, most of the time the replacement parts are more than just inferior. Many times the replacement parts really are bad parts. It is such a shame.

Take for instance the following: A customer brought in an old freewheel he wanted replaced on a perfectly good 27" wheel with a Wolber rim, (decent dual wall extrusion, eyeletted, and anodized), and Sun Tour hub. He produced an old Shimano box and inside was a NOS Shimano 600 freewheel. Now I have seen my fair share of Regina and Sun Tour 6 speed free wheels, but never one like this Shimano unit.

It spun so freely, with a quiet snicking of the free hub pawls that would make any mechanic smile. The finish was jewel-like, and the cogs featured beveled teeth which were slightly canted for better shifting. Compared to a new replacement 6 speed freewheel, there is no way I could honestly say the replacement is anywhere in the same ballpark in terms of quality. So, why can't we just keep making that Shimano 600 freewheel forever? Wouldn't that be nice? Couldn't that be done at a reasonable price?

Then there are things like the original 110BCD Shimano XTR square taper interface crank. Those were some of the most beautiful, functional cranks ever made. Hey- they still make decent cartridge bottom brackets, so at least we have that part! But that crank was so well made and so versatile, it just seems a bit odd that it isn't still made yet. I mean.....why not? Given the option to buy that crank or a.....I don't know,  a Velo Orange crank, just to pull something out of thin air..... Well, I know which one I'd rather get for an old bike, or heck.....a new gravel grinder!

While it is true that some real clunker parts were made in the past as well, it just seems a waste to have had something that was so perfectly functional and beautifully made go by the wayside when we really could still use those same parts today.

Cutting Edge Old

Since '11...That's 1911!

We as cyclists are always jumping on to the "next thing", the "latest and greatest", and whatever the "cutting edge" of technology is at the moment. Electronic derailleurs, electronically controlled suspension, or the lightest carbon fiber doo-dad du jour.

It keeps the wheels of the industry greased, as we all grudgingly will admit. We deride that this is how it is and yet, much to our own chagrin, we still run out and buy whatever the "shiny object" is that you can not live without. Weird, isn't it?

You know what is even weirder? That we still use chains, ball bearings, and leather saddles with steel undercarriages that were all developed in the 19th Century. Stuff that, as in the case of Brooks saddles, has not significantly changed in the way that it is made for a century. Why? Because those dudes had it dialed so tight back then, it can't be outdone. That's why.

Cycling was the cutting edge of all technology back then, and many words have been offered up on that subject, but I'll say one thing: I cease to be amazed whenever I look at my employer's engineering book for cycling dated 1897. I tried to wade through a chapter about wheel size once. Talk about pencil necked geekage! My eyes glazed over after only a paragraph into it, and don't even try to get me to explain the math I saw in that book. Let's just say I am a very poor man in terms of "math wealth" and leave it at that!

The point is, the engineering muscle aimed squarely at cycling back then will likely never be duplicated. The fine tuning of basic machines and principals of bicycling were all done back in the late 19th/early 20th Century, and the result is that some of these things will never be perfected, and for sure never bested. Like The Chain, (as I have written about here so many times), or Brooks saddles, as shown above. Not that folks don't keep trying, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

And that's why sometimes "old" technology is still "cutting edges" today.

Cutting Edge Old

Since '11...That's 1911!

We as cyclists are always jumping on to the "next thing", the "latest and greatest", and whatever the "cutting edge" of technology is at the moment. Electronic derailleurs, electronically controlled suspension, or the lightest carbon fiber doo-dad du jour.

It keeps the wheels of the industry greased, as we all grudgingly will admit. We deride that this is how it is and yet, much to our own chagrin, we still run out and buy whatever the "shiny object" is that you can not live without. Weird, isn't it?

You know what is even weirder? That we still use chains, ball bearings, and leather saddles with steel undercarriages that were all developed in the 19th Century. Stuff that, as in the case of Brooks saddles, has not significantly changed in the way that it is made for a century. Why? Because those dudes had it dialed so tight back then, it can't be outdone. That's why.

Cycling was the cutting edge of all technology back then, and many words have been offered up on that subject, but I'll say one thing: I cease to be amazed whenever I look at my employer's engineering book for cycling dated 1897. I tried to wade through a chapter about wheel size once. Talk about pencil necked geekage! My eyes glazed over after only a paragraph into it, and don't even try to get me to explain the math I saw in that book. Let's just say I am a very poor man in terms of "math wealth" and leave it at that!

The point is, the engineering muscle aimed squarely at cycling back then will likely never be duplicated. The fine tuning of basic machines and principals of bicycling were all done back in the late 19th/early 20th Century, and the result is that some of these things will never be perfected, and for sure never bested. Like The Chain, (as I have written about here so many times), or Brooks saddles, as shown above. Not that folks don't keep trying, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

And that's why sometimes "old" technology is still "cutting edges" today.