Randomonium

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

The top one was first, then I opened the second one, both from the same Chinese take-out meal.

With all the end-of-year stuff going on I figured I would take this opportunity to do a little catching up around here. So, without any real cohesiveness to this post, (Random- get it?), I will do just that- catch y'all up on the latest goings on here at Guitar Ted Productions.

So, the weather! What the heck! It was awesome for three days last week, as in far too nice for December, and then it got downright December-like, just without the snow. I got a ride in Monday, but Tuesday and especially on Wednesday I did not plan on cycling due to the big winds. By the way, we did not have any real significant damage from Wednesday night's storms. Some folks in Iowa had tornadoes though. 

On a side note: If you hadn't heard yet, Andy's Bike Shop is out of business, so I am job-less at the moment. But I have picked up a very part-time gig as a mover. Yes.....it's odd, but a friend works at this place and they are desperate for help and I said I could lend a hand. That said, I have a prospect which -if it works out- may be the direction I decide to go in for the future. Stay tuned...... 

Projects:

I've been busy doing some clearing out of old stuff and clearing out some space for a long-planned 'hobby' I am pursuing. (More on that when I am ready), but along the way I've had to start trying to decide what to do with some stuff around here. 

It's not easy, because after nearly 20 years of doing review stuff and after all this time in the bike shop, I have accumulated a lot of 'stuff' I figured was valuable at one point or another. I have a bad habit of being a 'pack-rat' and justifying it on the odd occasions when I hold up a very obscure part or tool and 'save the day' on a repair. But......is carrying all this obscure inventory worth the bother? 

And I know that the answer to that question- most often- is "No". So, coming to terms with these decisions is what really is going on here. But suffice it to say that I have committed to clearing out a bunch of stuff around here and maybe a few of the items worth 'something' will show up on the garage sale page here. We'll see.

I have enough parts to turn some of this into complete bicycles, but I think I will only do that in one case for now. I figure on getting that old 'gravel mutt' I spray bombed up and running as a townie with fenders. If I can score a rack for it I will, and then maybe put a trunk bag on it for smaller items. 

If it works out I may retire the barn-built Trek from errand duties and do a 650B conversion on it. Then that would end up eventually becoming the light-touring/rando/gravel rig. If that happens it will be a huge project due to the fact that I will have to braze on some new brake studs and lace up some rim brake wheels, besides getting the rest of the drive train together. 

But I think that old Ishiwata tubed frame has the right geometry for 650B wheels and would make for a great road rig in that configuration. It'd probably be limited to 650B X 42's, but that would be just fine by me. It has been an idea I've had for this bike for a long time. maybe now is the time.....

Meanwhile I think I need to swap out tires on the Raleigh Tamland two and put fenders on that bike. I also have to go through a few of the other bikes in terms of quick tune-ups and cleanings so that I am all set to go for Spring. But there isn't a whole lot to do on that end of things, so that is good. 

It's hard to get a clear image of perpetual motion.

It's Like Herding Cats:

I've been babysitting this new cat, named Felix, quite a bit of late also. He's a ball of kitten energy, of course, but that isn't the biggest issue we are dealing with.

See, we have had a cat, named Minka, and she's full grown, and used to doing things 'her way'. Felix has been, as the young folk say, a 'disrupter' of the status quo around here. And another thing, Felix has no fear. Zero. The fact that Minka can swat him across the room does not faze him in the least. he comes right back for more.

So, Minka, to put a 'swift end' to things, generally gets over Felix's back and bites his neck. Then we have to intervene and the whole thing starts again. It's like refereeing a WWF wrestling match. 

But generally their has been less trouble as the days go by. I figure one cat just has to grow up, calm down a little, and the other has to adjust to the 'new normal'. And the really great thing is that everyone is pitching in to make things work. Well......except the cats, of course!

USAC Names New CEO:

News broke last week that USA Cycling lost its CEO to the mattress company Purple and then made a new hire in Brendan Quirk, who had held a high level executive position at Rapha, and was co-founder of Competitive Cyclist, which was sold to Backcountry.com. 

Quirk has reportedly been on the board of USA Cycling since October and was program director for the Runway Group, and investment group centered on Northwest Arkansas which is headed by the Walton brothers. 

 In an article published in "Velo News", Quirk mentions one of his goals for USAC is to grow 'grassroots cycling" and he mentions the boom in gravel events later in his statement. He also mentions that USAC will be focused heavily on developing new talent for the upcoming 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. 

 Comments: With a wide ranging statement which really did not reveal any new ideas, Quirk hasn't done anything, in my opinion, to make me think that USAC will change much of anything going forward. The focus is on competitive racing and Olympic development, seemingly, and with the resources USAC has, I would be surprised to see much of anything change in regard to that in the near term. 

Obviously, there is a relationship with the Walton family and Northwest Arkansas which, theoretically, could be leveraged to help USAC squeeze their way into the gravel world, but with Life Time Fitness having a big event already there in the Fall, I would be surprised to see any ground gained there. But, I have been surprised before.

And additionally, USAC seems to be the focus for the social issues some people are championing. There was a bit of controversy over a group protesting trans athletes at Cyclo Cross Nationals last week which USAC drew a lot of criticism over for their lack of response to some people who wanted the protests and heckling of athletes to be stopped by USAC. (By the way, is it not strange that a group like Life Time Fitness doesn't see these same issues?) So, USAC will probably see the same scrutiny if they propose something along the lines of a Gravel National Championship. Not to mention the fact that there already is a "Gravel Nationals" put on by the USE. So they'd have to navigate those murky naming rights issues there.

Busy Holiday Time: 

So, that about wraps it up here for now. I had a very busy week last week with Mrs. Guitar Ted and my daughter having birthdays two days apart from each other. The end of this week is Christmas, and then a week after is New Year's and the 2nd of January will be my wedding anniversary. So, lot's happening with my life in this period. 

I may get a few rides in, but typically this period doesn't see me out a whole bunch due to the aforementioned life stuff and whatnot. I'll be back with more riding in the New Year as weather permits. Until that happens, riding reports will be slim here. 

I hope you all have a fantastic week and have an easy time during this busy Holiday stretch. Look for more end-of-year stuff the rest of the week and next as 2022 comes on like a freight train! And as always, thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Randomonium

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

The top one was first, then I opened the second one, both from the same Chinese take-out meal.

With all the end-of-year stuff going on I figured I would take this opportunity to do a little catching up around here. So, without any real cohesiveness to this post, (Random- get it?), I will do just that- catch y'all up on the latest goings on here at Guitar Ted Productions.

So, the weather! What the heck! It was awesome for three days last week, as in far too nice for December, and then it got downright December-like, just without the snow. I got a ride in Monday, but Tuesday and especially on Wednesday I did not plan on cycling due to the big winds. By the way, we did not have any real significant damage from Wednesday night's storms. Some folks in Iowa had tornadoes though. 

On a side note: If you hadn't heard yet, Andy's Bike Shop is out of business, so I am job-less at the moment. But I have picked up a very part-time gig as a mover. Yes.....it's odd, but a friend works at this place and they are desperate for help and I said I could lend a hand. That said, I have a prospect which -if it works out- may be the direction I decide to go in for the future. Stay tuned...... 

Projects:

I've been busy doing some clearing out of old stuff and clearing out some space for a long-planned 'hobby' I am pursuing. (More on that when I am ready), but along the way I've had to start trying to decide what to do with some stuff around here. 

It's not easy, because after nearly 20 years of doing review stuff and after all this time in the bike shop, I have accumulated a lot of 'stuff' I figured was valuable at one point or another. I have a bad habit of being a 'pack-rat' and justifying it on the odd occasions when I hold up a very obscure part or tool and 'save the day' on a repair. But......is carrying all this obscure inventory worth the bother? 

And I know that the answer to that question- most often- is "No". So, coming to terms with these decisions is what really is going on here. But suffice it to say that I have committed to clearing out a bunch of stuff around here and maybe a few of the items worth 'something' will show up on the garage sale page here. We'll see.

I have enough parts to turn some of this into complete bicycles, but I think I will only do that in one case for now. I figure on getting that old 'gravel mutt' I spray bombed up and running as a townie with fenders. If I can score a rack for it I will, and then maybe put a trunk bag on it for smaller items. 

If it works out I may retire the barn-built Trek from errand duties and do a 650B conversion on it. Then that would end up eventually becoming the light-touring/rando/gravel rig. If that happens it will be a huge project due to the fact that I will have to braze on some new brake studs and lace up some rim brake wheels, besides getting the rest of the drive train together. 

But I think that old Ishiwata tubed frame has the right geometry for 650B wheels and would make for a great road rig in that configuration. It'd probably be limited to 650B X 42's, but that would be just fine by me. It has been an idea I've had for this bike for a long time. maybe now is the time.....

Meanwhile I think I need to swap out tires on the Raleigh Tamland two and put fenders on that bike. I also have to go through a few of the other bikes in terms of quick tune-ups and cleanings so that I am all set to go for Spring. But there isn't a whole lot to do on that end of things, so that is good. 

It's hard to get a clear image of perpetual motion.

It's Like Herding Cats:

I've been babysitting this new cat, named Felix, quite a bit of late also. He's a ball of kitten energy, of course, but that isn't the biggest issue we are dealing with.

See, we have had a cat, named Minka, and she's full grown, and used to doing things 'her way'. Felix has been, as the young folk say, a 'disrupter' of the status quo around here. And another thing, Felix has no fear. Zero. The fact that Minka can swat him across the room does not faze him in the least. he comes right back for more.

So, Minka, to put a 'swift end' to things, generally gets over Felix's back and bites his neck. Then we have to intervene and the whole thing starts again. It's like refereeing a WWF wrestling match. 

But generally their has been less trouble as the days go by. I figure one cat just has to grow up, calm down a little, and the other has to adjust to the 'new normal'. And the really great thing is that everyone is pitching in to make things work. Well......except the cats, of course!

USAC Names New CEO:

News broke last week that USA Cycling lost its CEO to the mattress company Purple and then made a new hire in Brendan Quirk, who had held a high level executive position at Rapha, and was co-founder of Competitive Cyclist, which was sold to Backcountry.com. 

Quirk has reportedly been on the board of USA Cycling since October and was program director for the Runway Group, and investment group centered on Northwest Arkansas which is headed by the Walton brothers. 

 In an article published in "Velo News", Quirk mentions one of his goals for USAC is to grow 'grassroots cycling" and he mentions the boom in gravel events later in his statement. He also mentions that USAC will be focused heavily on developing new talent for the upcoming 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. 

 Comments: With a wide ranging statement which really did not reveal any new ideas, Quirk hasn't done anything, in my opinion, to make me think that USAC will change much of anything going forward. The focus is on competitive racing and Olympic development, seemingly, and with the resources USAC has, I would be surprised to see much of anything change in regard to that in the near term. 

Obviously, there is a relationship with the Walton family and Northwest Arkansas which, theoretically, could be leveraged to help USAC squeeze their way into the gravel world, but with Life Time Fitness having a big event already there in the Fall, I would be surprised to see any ground gained there. But, I have been surprised before.

And additionally, USAC seems to be the focus for the social issues some people are championing. There was a bit of controversy over a group protesting trans athletes at Cyclo Cross Nationals last week which USAC drew a lot of criticism over for their lack of response to some people who wanted the protests and heckling of athletes to be stopped by USAC. (By the way, is it not strange that a group like Life Time Fitness doesn't see these same issues?) So, USAC will probably see the same scrutiny if they propose something along the lines of a Gravel National Championship. Not to mention the fact that there already is a "Gravel Nationals" put on by the USE. So they'd have to navigate those murky naming rights issues there.

Busy Holiday Time: 

So, that about wraps it up here for now. I had a very busy week last week with Mrs. Guitar Ted and my daughter having birthdays two days apart from each other. The end of this week is Christmas, and then a week after is New Year's and the 2nd of January will be my wedding anniversary. So, lot's happening with my life in this period. 

I may get a few rides in, but typically this period doesn't see me out a whole bunch due to the aforementioned life stuff and whatnot. I'll be back with more riding in the New Year as weather permits. Until that happens, riding reports will be slim here. 

I hope you all have a fantastic week and have an easy time during this busy Holiday stretch. Look for more end-of-year stuff the rest of the week and next as 2022 comes on like a freight train! And as always, thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Townie Update

My 1978 Trek converted to single speed and 700c wheels

 I mentioned those old Dura Ace hubs and Salsa Cycles Delgado Cross rims back a week or so ago now. Well, here is where those ended up. This is an old 'barn-built' Trek that I acquired several years ago. I had tried it as a Gravel Mutt back in 2013 or so, and then it ended up on a hook shortly thereafter. so, like nearly eight years later.....

I built up those Dura Ace hubs and Salsa rims and thought about what to put them on. This bike seemed like a good place. And as I said, this will end up becoming my townie after I divested myself of the old Surly 1X1. That was my go-to errand rig for a while there.

Looking back at the back story on this bike, I realized that my intentions all along were to make this bike into a single speed. Ha! Things have finally come full-circle then. And I think that's a good thing with this bike. While I did do a gravel ride or two on this, it is a 'road bike' in the old-school, classical sense of the term. It isn't meant for anything too rowdy like a gravel road can be like. 

No, bikes built with the classic road racing ideal in mind back then all featured certain ideas about how the end user was to be sat on the thing. It was all about nose-to-the-stem, butt-in-the-air, aero type positioning. You get that feeling immediately when you sit on this bike, even though I fitted some old Origin 8 Gary Bars with a super-shallow drop. Your face is 'out in the wind' and the whole experience is one of feeling as though that if the front wheel hit a stick you'd come flying straight off the front of the thing as the bike stopped dead in its tracks. Personally, I find this feeling to be quite uncomfortable. Especially on gravel.

Maybe that's because we've grown accustomed to bikes where the front is higher, the front-center is longer, and the angles are slacker. These things all push the front end 'out there' with the front wheel way out from underneath you. Even older MTB off-road machines weren't like this, and they were a lot more like this old Trek is. The old style of positioning along with the geometry is night-and-day different than it is now. 

The old brass head badge has a nice patina on it.

But this won't be anything but an errand bike now, so I am okay with doing short rides to pick up things here and there. The simplicity of the frame- no braze ons- makes for a really clean look, although I'm not a fan of the outboard, full-run housing rear brake. 

One thing that always strikes me about older steel road bikes is that they look like they are barely here in this world. I mean, look at those skinny steel tubes! Handle bars have larger diameter tubing. The seat stays are truly 'pencil thin'. It just looks like it would be impossible to ride it. Too flexy! How can it hold up? 

But therein lies the magic of steel tubing. Strength is not measured by visual mass. But most folks would never buy into a bike built with such gossamer thin tubes anymore. It just looks too weak! But it isn't! Maybe that is inherently why these old bikes are fascinating to some people. More than any space-aged carbon doohickey, a good steel frame is far more amazing to the eye upon closer inspection. The engineering principals are honed to their finest points. The connection method- lugged and brazed- is as minimal as it can be, yet if done properly, amazingly long lasting and strong. Add in wire spokes and a relatively weak aluminum hoop that becomes another thing when tensioned and laced to a stout hub, and the package is simply mind boggling, yet so familiar we lose sight of the marvel that is a bicycle. 

So, to me this is a classic example of the bicycle as it appeared most often throughout its history. It will glide along just fine on the streets of the city. Now I need to figure out just how I want to accessorize it- or not- to aid me in my goal. I could find a rear rack and that would open up some great possibilities, or I could just use a messenger bag. I have several. I also could go the top-tube bag route, or get a frame bag. So, we'll see. 

Not a lot of room here!

I did find that I needed every bit of space here to allow for the 36mm Panaracer Pasela tire to spin freely. This may end up being swapped for a 35mm tire at some point, but for now, my brief test ride gave me some hope that it will be okay. Tons of clearance elsewhere, of course. It's always at the chain stays where things get tight. 

The gear will stay. I like the ratio for city cruising. So, the 39T chain ring and the 20T free wheel. Seems about right. Plus the added bonus of having a longer lasting set of parts versus spinning smaller diameter components is a nice thing. 

Now, the rear brake was an issue going way back, and that due to a missing, rare bit that Dia Compe had to work as a cable stop inside their levers. I had forgotten that I came up with a kludge to get myself by. It was to use a fixing nut from a linear pull brake as a cable stop. Good idea but for the fact that by pulling the lever the pressure created stripped the plastic cover off the housing and the spiral reinforcing wire pulled through the opening in the nut. There was my problem with the rear brake! 

So I fixed that by installing a step-down ferrule on the new run of housing I installed and then have that go into the nut. Perfect! Now I could set up the rear brake and have decent stopping power. Nothing like a disc brake, mind you. Brakes back then were pretty much 'speed modulators' more than they were brakes. I probably could stand to use some real pads here, but that'll come later. This is basically an effort to prove the concept. 

The brake issue has been solved.....for now

So, besides making the rear brake functional, I had to re-wrap the handle bars as well. I found a couple forgotten rolls of fizik tape I had and used that on the Gary Bar. This bar is a pretty radical take on a flared drop bar. It has extreme flare and super-minimal drop. The ramps are really steep and the extensions are short. It happens to work, ergonomically, as long as you don't ever ride on the hoods, because that position is too weird on this bar. 

This oddness makes it a really tough bar to wrap too. I had to really take my time, and fizik's faux-leather like material they use is not very forgiving. So, I had to be patient and take my time. It ended up going well. I like how it turned out for now. This may end up getting changed anyway depending on what I decide with the stem. Yeah.......that old school stem! 

Of course it is a negative rise, old forged, no face plate style bit that was once super commonplace. It is a big reason I feel so much like falling off the front of this thing. I was thinking as I test rode this that I might like a taller front with less reach in the stem, but I am going to live with this for now. That said, I have a strong desire to get a stem with some rise and swap this out. Of course, that will ruin the classic lines this bike has. I could always opt for a flat bar with a shim....... Nah! If I start messing with that I'll end up wanting to swap out the seat post for an offset head one, (I happen to have the perfect Campy Record post for this) and that will be another thing to mess with. Besides, I nailed the position on that Brooks. Why mes with a good thing? 

Let's see......There is only one other nit I would have to address if I end up going with this, as I think I am going to do. That is the head set. It is the original component to the bike and it is indexed pretty badly. That isn't a good thing for city riding. I will have to see about turning the crown race 90°, an old trick used by racers back in the day to extend the life of their head sets. If that doesn't work, I'll have to source a new head set. Maybe..... I may have a Campy head set somewhere.....

The test ride was successful, even though I had to ride on some snow.

 So, now I will have to strip this back down, clean up some bits, and then decide if I want to powder coat this jalopy or if I want to just touch up the paint job with some fingernail polish and leave it at that. The old Treks were painted with wet paint, Imron if I am not mistaken, and that is some pretty brittle paint. This could be a never ending touch-up job. That's why I am considering powder coating it for the more durable- but not original- finish. 

For now I want to get the necessities done. The head set being number one there. Then I'll go from that point and either rack this up, or whatever. Stay tuned.......

Townie Update

My 1978 Trek converted to single speed and 700c wheels

 I mentioned those old Dura Ace hubs and Salsa Cycles Delgado Cross rims back a week or so ago now. Well, here is where those ended up. This is an old 'barn-built' Trek that I acquired several years ago. I had tried it as a Gravel Mutt back in 2013 or so, and then it ended up on a hook shortly thereafter. so, like nearly eight years later.....

I built up those Dura Ace hubs and Salsa rims and thought about what to put them on. This bike seemed like a good place. And as I said, this will end up becoming my townie after I divested myself of the old Surly 1X1. That was my go-to errand rig for a while there.

Looking back at the back story on this bike, I realized that my intentions all along were to make this bike into a single speed. Ha! Things have finally come full-circle then. And I think that's a good thing with this bike. While I did do a gravel ride or two on this, it is a 'road bike' in the old-school, classical sense of the term. It isn't meant for anything too rowdy like a gravel road can be like. 

No, bikes built with the classic road racing ideal in mind back then all featured certain ideas about how the end user was to be sat on the thing. It was all about nose-to-the-stem, butt-in-the-air, aero type positioning. You get that feeling immediately when you sit on this bike, even though I fitted some old Origin 8 Gary Bars with a super-shallow drop. Your face is 'out in the wind' and the whole experience is one of feeling as though that if the front wheel hit a stick you'd come flying straight off the front of the thing as the bike stopped dead in its tracks. Personally, I find this feeling to be quite uncomfortable. Especially on gravel.

Maybe that's because we've grown accustomed to bikes where the front is higher, the front-center is longer, and the angles are slacker. These things all push the front end 'out there' with the front wheel way out from underneath you. Even older MTB off-road machines weren't like this, and they were a lot more like this old Trek is. The old style of positioning along with the geometry is night-and-day different than it is now. 

The old brass head badge has a nice patina on it.

But this won't be anything but an errand bike now, so I am okay with doing short rides to pick up things here and there. The simplicity of the frame- no braze ons- makes for a really clean look, although I'm not a fan of the outboard, full-run housing rear brake. 

One thing that always strikes me about older steel road bikes is that they look like they are barely here in this world. I mean, look at those skinny steel tubes! Handle bars have larger diameter tubing. The seat stays are truly 'pencil thin'. It just looks like it would be impossible to ride it. Too flexy! How can it hold up? 

But therein lies the magic of steel tubing. Strength is not measured by visual mass. But most folks would never buy into a bike built with such gossamer thin tubes anymore. It just looks too weak! But it isn't! Maybe that is inherently why these old bikes are fascinating to some people. More than any space-aged carbon doohickey, a good steel frame is far more amazing to the eye upon closer inspection. The engineering principals are honed to their finest points. The connection method- lugged and brazed- is as minimal as it can be, yet if done properly, amazingly long lasting and strong. Add in wire spokes and a relatively weak aluminum hoop that becomes another thing when tensioned and laced to a stout hub, and the package is simply mind boggling, yet so familiar we lose sight of the marvel that is a bicycle. 

So, to me this is a classic example of the bicycle as it appeared most often throughout its history. It will glide along just fine on the streets of the city. Now I need to figure out just how I want to accessorize it- or not- to aid me in my goal. I could find a rear rack and that would open up some great possibilities, or I could just use a messenger bag. I have several. I also could go the top-tube bag route, or get a frame bag. So, we'll see. 

Not a lot of room here!

I did find that I needed every bit of space here to allow for the 36mm Panaracer Pasela tire to spin freely. This may end up being swapped for a 35mm tire at some point, but for now, my brief test ride gave me some hope that it will be okay. Tons of clearance elsewhere, of course. It's always at the chain stays where things get tight. 

The gear will stay. I like the ratio for city cruising. So, the 39T chain ring and the 20T free wheel. Seems about right. Plus the added bonus of having a longer lasting set of parts versus spinning smaller diameter components is a nice thing. 

Now, the rear brake was an issue going way back, and that due to a missing, rare bit that Dia Compe had to work as a cable stop inside their levers. I had forgotten that I came up with a kludge to get myself by. It was to use a fixing nut from a linear pull brake as a cable stop. Good idea but for the fact that by pulling the lever the pressure created stripped the plastic cover off the housing and the spiral reinforcing wire pulled through the opening in the nut. There was my problem with the rear brake! 

So I fixed that by installing a step-down ferrule on the new run of housing I installed and then have that go into the nut. Perfect! Now I could set up the rear brake and have decent stopping power. Nothing like a disc brake, mind you. Brakes back then were pretty much 'speed modulators' more than they were brakes. I probably could stand to use some real pads here, but that'll come later. This is basically an effort to prove the concept. 

The brake issue has been solved.....for now

So, besides making the rear brake functional, I had to re-wrap the handle bars as well. I found a couple forgotten rolls of fizik tape I had and used that on the Gary Bar. This bar is a pretty radical take on a flared drop bar. It has extreme flare and super-minimal drop. The ramps are really steep and the extensions are short. It happens to work, ergonomically, as long as you don't ever ride on the hoods, because that position is too weird on this bar. 

This oddness makes it a really tough bar to wrap too. I had to really take my time, and fizik's faux-leather like material they use is not very forgiving. So, I had to be patient and take my time. It ended up going well. I like how it turned out for now. This may end up getting changed anyway depending on what I decide with the stem. Yeah.......that old school stem! 

Of course it is a negative rise, old forged, no face plate style bit that was once super commonplace. It is a big reason I feel so much like falling off the front of this thing. I was thinking as I test rode this that I might like a taller front with less reach in the stem, but I am going to live with this for now. That said, I have a strong desire to get a stem with some rise and swap this out. Of course, that will ruin the classic lines this bike has. I could always opt for a flat bar with a shim....... Nah! If I start messing with that I'll end up wanting to swap out the seat post for an offset head one, (I happen to have the perfect Campy Record post for this) and that will be another thing to mess with. Besides, I nailed the position on that Brooks. Why mes with a good thing? 

Let's see......There is only one other nit I would have to address if I end up going with this, as I think I am going to do. That is the head set. It is the original component to the bike and it is indexed pretty badly. That isn't a good thing for city riding. I will have to see about turning the crown race 90°, an old trick used by racers back in the day to extend the life of their head sets. If that doesn't work, I'll have to source a new head set. Maybe..... I may have a Campy head set somewhere.....

The test ride was successful, even though I had to ride on some snow.

 So, now I will have to strip this back down, clean up some bits, and then decide if I want to powder coat this jalopy or if I want to just touch up the paint job with some fingernail polish and leave it at that. The old Treks were painted with wet paint, Imron if I am not mistaken, and that is some pretty brittle paint. This could be a never ending touch-up job. That's why I am considering powder coating it for the more durable- but not original- finish. 

For now I want to get the necessities done. The head set being number one there. Then I'll go from that point and either rack this up, or whatever. Stay tuned.......

Trying To Kick Start It

I've got a project involving this bike that has been over a year in process!

Too many projects, not enough time. Maybe that sounds familiar to some of you out there. I know I have an ever revolving door of project bikes and things in need of maintenance. Oh! The stuff that needs worked on! Bah! 

Take the case of both of my fat bikes. They both need work and for different reasons. The Blackborow is the one that doesn't need much, but I have had a plan in the works for over a year to try to transform it into something else for Summer uses. I might have almost all the parts.....finally...very soon here. Then there is my Ti Muk which needs a complete drive train overhaul and I am thinking about converting it to a 1 X 10 or 11.

Actually, I have two more fat bikes that need attention. One is my forlorn Snow Dog, which is basically sitting as a frame and fork right now. I maybe have the wheels for it, if I swap a few things around, and enough drive train bits exist that I could probably get it back up and going again. The long term goal there is to do a 27.5+ wheel set for it though. Then there is a more "front burner" project and that is my son's new fat bike. He out-grew the Mukluk he had, but he has made me promise I'll never change it. Well.......it does fit my wife, but..... I digress, anyway...

I have parts to get that done finally too, but I have to get at it. You know......kick start the thing. Once I get going on it, I am sure I'll get it underneath him.  Can't wait to show that one off. It's gonna look great.

I haven't even touched on my Vaya, or my Inbred, or my bikes that need some tubeless refreshes, or.........

It never ends!

Trying To Kick Start It

I've got a project involving this bike that has been over a year in process!

Too many projects, not enough time. Maybe that sounds familiar to some of you out there. I know I have an ever revolving door of project bikes and things in need of maintenance. Oh! The stuff that needs worked on! Bah! 

Take the case of both of my fat bikes. They both need work and for different reasons. The Blackborow is the one that doesn't need much, but I have had a plan in the works for over a year to try to transform it into something else for Summer uses. I might have almost all the parts.....finally...very soon here. Then there is my Ti Muk which needs a complete drive train overhaul and I am thinking about converting it to a 1 X 10 or 11.

Actually, I have two more fat bikes that need attention. One is my forlorn Snow Dog, which is basically sitting as a frame and fork right now. I maybe have the wheels for it, if I swap a few things around, and enough drive train bits exist that I could probably get it back up and going again. The long term goal there is to do a 27.5+ wheel set for it though. Then there is a more "front burner" project and that is my son's new fat bike. He out-grew the Mukluk he had, but he has made me promise I'll never change it. Well.......it does fit my wife, but..... I digress, anyway...

I have parts to get that done finally too, but I have to get at it. You know......kick start the thing. Once I get going on it, I am sure I'll get it underneath him.  Can't wait to show that one off. It's gonna look great.

I haven't even touched on my Vaya, or my Inbred, or my bikes that need some tubeless refreshes, or.........

It never ends!

Friday News And Views

Milltown Cycles Mukluk Release/Winter Arrival Party: I'll be skipping town this weekend to attend the Mukluk/Winter party-dealio thing at Milltown Cycles in Faribault, Minnesota Saturday evening. Proprietor Ben Witt and his mechanic Curtis have been busy sprucing up the joint of late and this is kind of an excuse to show off their accomplishments and get some bike geeks that Ben wants to see to show up. And there will be some serious bike-geekery going on, lemme tell ya! I happen to have an inside track on some of the esteemed attendees and I know that the vortex of bike gab will certainly be swirling around the confines of Ben's shop well into the evening. Look for a report on that coming up on Monday, most likely.

Time For A Concept Bike: Part of the bike geek-speak that will be happening will have to do with this project while I am up there. Ben tells me that he has been cooking up some ideas and we'll have the ears of various bike designer types to bend while we are there munching on whatever Ben has cooked up on the grill outside. This project is not just an exercise in brain warpage either. I am serious about actually putting the plan into motion for an as yet undisclosed gravel adventure I am putting on my calendar as a goal for next year. More on that goal later, but do look for a report of sorts on this project soon.

And Speaking Of Concepts.... The biggest in mountain biking this century is arguably the 29 inch wheel. It has revolutionized the way people not only think about their off road ride, but how they ride off road. I know it changed the way I looked at mountain biking forever. It's more fun, and that's the bottom line. Well, some know the story and some don't, but I found an image this week I wanted to share with everyone. It's been too long for this blog to have been going without this image having been shown here.

<==March, 1999: The first "modern 29"er" is born. (image credit: Wes Williams)

A bunch of people including Wes Williams, Gary Fisher, and others, had persuaded WTB's Mark Slate to make a ISO622 X 50 tire based upon WTB's then current racing tread, the Nanoraptor. A small batch were made early in 1999 and handed out to the principals involved in the then tiny movement to bring bigger wheels to mountain biking.

Wes Williams, who had formerly been a welder at Ibis Cycles, had been quietly making his "28"ers" in Crested Butte, Colorado using the largest ISO622/700c tires he could get his hands on at the time. These bikes were made under the Willits Brand name. (Mostly Continental Goliaths) These tires were not really mountain bike tires, being somewhat skinny, (45mm or so in width), and not having an ideal tread pattern for mountain biking. Wes noted that the outer diameter was nominally 28 inches, thus the "28"er" designation.

Wes got some of the first Nanoraptors and was quickly turning 28"ers into what he dubbed as "29"ers", seeing as how the overall outside diameter had increased with the Nanoraptor. In March, 1999, Wes unleashed the first of these bikes. Moots made one later in the year, and Gary Fisher and Steve Potts collaborated with Mark Slate to build others by late 1999/early 2000. The 29"er movement was underway.

Now some will point back to other bikes based on 700c wheels and say, "What about ____". Well, the thing is, none of those bikes had a two inch wide/50mm tire and since that was the case, none of them had a nominal 29" outer diameter. Yes- there were 700c  based mtb bikes and even going further back, 28"ers being made in the late 1800's, but nothing had ever been concocted to match that first orange rig in Crested Butte in March of '99. That's where we got our "modern 29"er". That's where this all started as far as a bicycle that could become what it has today. It all hinged upon getting that big, voluminous tire that just didn't exist before 1999.

It is as if several threads of thought got focused on that one moment when "The Tire" was conceptualized and first produced, then all those threads of thought were wrought into something new that spread back out and grew and became the 29"er movement, and now is well on its way to becoming "just a mountain bike".

Well, that's a shortened version of a very big, very complex story, but there ya go! Hope you enjoyed that and I hope ya'all can get outside and enjoy the world this weekend! Ride On!

Friday News And Views

Milltown Cycles Mukluk Release/Winter Arrival Party: I'll be skipping town this weekend to attend the Mukluk/Winter party-dealio thing at Milltown Cycles in Faribault, Minnesota Saturday evening. Proprietor Ben Witt and his mechanic Curtis have been busy sprucing up the joint of late and this is kind of an excuse to show off their accomplishments and get some bike geeks that Ben wants to see to show up. And there will be some serious bike-geekery going on, lemme tell ya! I happen to have an inside track on some of the esteemed attendees and I know that the vortex of bike gab will certainly be swirling around the confines of Ben's shop well into the evening. Look for a report on that coming up on Monday, most likely.

Time For A Concept Bike: Part of the bike geek-speak that will be happening will have to do with this project while I am up there. Ben tells me that he has been cooking up some ideas and we'll have the ears of various bike designer types to bend while we are there munching on whatever Ben has cooked up on the grill outside. This project is not just an exercise in brain warpage either. I am serious about actually putting the plan into motion for an as yet undisclosed gravel adventure I am putting on my calendar as a goal for next year. More on that goal later, but do look for a report of sorts on this project soon.

And Speaking Of Concepts.... The biggest in mountain biking this century is arguably the 29 inch wheel. It has revolutionized the way people not only think about their off road ride, but how they ride off road. I know it changed the way I looked at mountain biking forever. It's more fun, and that's the bottom line. Well, some know the story and some don't, but I found an image this week I wanted to share with everyone. It's been too long for this blog to have been going without this image having been shown here.

<==March, 1999: The first "modern 29"er" is born. (image credit: Wes Williams)

A bunch of people including Wes Williams, Gary Fisher, and others, had persuaded WTB's Mark Slate to make a ISO622 X 50 tire based upon WTB's then current racing tread, the Nanoraptor. A small batch were made early in 1999 and handed out to the principals involved in the then tiny movement to bring bigger wheels to mountain biking.

Wes Williams, who had formerly been a welder at Ibis Cycles, had been quietly making his "28"ers" in Crested Butte, Colorado using the largest ISO622/700c tires he could get his hands on at the time. These bikes were made under the Willits Brand name. (Mostly Continental Goliaths) These tires were not really mountain bike tires, being somewhat skinny, (45mm or so in width), and not having an ideal tread pattern for mountain biking. Wes noted that the outer diameter was nominally 28 inches, thus the "28"er" designation.

Wes got some of the first Nanoraptors and was quickly turning 28"ers into what he dubbed as "29"ers", seeing as how the overall outside diameter had increased with the Nanoraptor. In March, 1999, Wes unleashed the first of these bikes. Moots made one later in the year, and Gary Fisher and Steve Potts collaborated with Mark Slate to build others by late 1999/early 2000. The 29"er movement was underway.

Now some will point back to other bikes based on 700c wheels and say, "What about ____". Well, the thing is, none of those bikes had a two inch wide/50mm tire and since that was the case, none of them had a nominal 29" outer diameter. Yes- there were 700c  based mtb bikes and even going further back, 28"ers being made in the late 1800's, but nothing had ever been concocted to match that first orange rig in Crested Butte in March of '99. That's where we got our "modern 29"er". That's where this all started as far as a bicycle that could become what it has today. It all hinged upon getting that big, voluminous tire that just didn't exist before 1999.

It is as if several threads of thought got focused on that one moment when "The Tire" was conceptualized and first produced, then all those threads of thought were wrought into something new that spread back out and grew and became the 29"er movement, and now is well on its way to becoming "just a mountain bike".

Well, that's a shortened version of a very big, very complex story, but there ya go! Hope you enjoyed that and I hope ya'all can get outside and enjoy the world this weekend! Ride On!