Friday News And Views

Beauty of a Scooter

Breezer Bikes Lightning: Okay, it is mountain bike history time folks. Guess who made.....as in assembled tubes into a frame and assembled components to it......the first purpose built mountain bike of the modern era. (Okay- we're not including the "Buffalo Soldiers" here, former college profs,  or any ol' French gang that happened to be riding a bicycle off pavement. We're talking a purpose built machine for down hill racing off road.

Yup- that'd be Joe Breeze circa 1977.

This rig here is the latest design from the mind of that pioneer of mountain biking that was contemporary with Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly, and others who formed the basis of what we call mountain biking today. That makes this bike a bit more special in a way. That and it is almost too pretty to get dirty.

Almost.

Joe Breeze was one of those early Marin folks that took to "clunking" on old Schwinn "ballooner" bikes that were fitted with all manner of components in an effort to make the ultimate off road machine from "found" parts. One of his earliest creations was a bike based upon a "Pre-War", (That'd be the Second World War my chillun!) , Schwinn that featured the ubiquitous "dart" paint job. Later on in Joe's mountain bike history, many of his Breezer mountain bikes sported similar livery, thus the traditional dart paint scheme on the Lightning here. The blue positively glows on this rig. It is an amazing looking bike.

Hopefully the review for Twenty Nine Inches will match the amazing level of the look this bike has as well. We'll see.

Project Two-Six- Yet again!

Project Two-Six Update: Yesterday I posted all about the tires on this rig, but I didn't say anything about the bike in particular. Well, I made one major change, which will lead to another. There is a plan to all of this as well.

First, the eagle-eyed amongst you may see that I swapped out saddles with the help of Captain Bob. (Thanks man!) This is a Brooks Pro of indeterminate vintage. Massive improvement over the Wrights saddle that came off. That said, it still isn't quite right. 

The proper saddle would be a Brooks B-17, but I'm thinking B-67.  Springs. Width. Heavy Duty. It all fits the purposes I have in mind here, which is for this bike to become my "townie", errand bike, grocery-getter. I'd like to put some nicer fenders on it, and maybe, if I can get enough use out of it, I'd put on a nicer wheel set at some point. But the saddle and fenders come first.

Of course, this then begs the question: "Where is the Brooks Pro going?" Right then. Well, my initial thought is to send it on over to my Karate Monkey. The Pro model is meant for a handle bar position somewhat below the saddle, and that's exactly where the handle bar position is on the Monkey. I think it will be a good fit.

Fixation "Accela" Tires: Fixie hipster? Just like colored tires? Need some long wearing, puncture resistant training tires?

Well, Fyxation has a new tire out in folding and wire beads in black or white/black, (as shown), in 700 X 23mm and 700 X 28mm sizes for MSRP of $36.95 (folder), and $25.95 (wire bead).

The press release said that the rubber compound used is a harder, longer lasting one that resists abrading. Could be good as a commuter tire, or for dressing up a bike with the flashy white treaded model. Either way, these are available now from dealers. Check it all out on their site here where you will also find a dealer list.

NOS Ukai Alloy wheel, circa 1980

Mike's Bikes: Tonight is the night I will be hanging out at Mike's Bikes in Northfield, Minnesota. I like going here. I'm a bike geek, and Mike's got bike geek magnets all around his shop.

I never cease to be amazed at the stuff I've unearthed while poking around there. Last year I saw this NOS Ukai wheel, and an early 90's Ritchey P-22 frame set.

What will I see this year? Who knows? It will most likely be very cool, old, and rare. Oh yeah......I'll probably see a bunch of beers and Greek pizza. Maybe not.......but most likely, I will. Let's see- what else will happen? Well, we might go and ride outside this time. It has been a lot milder this winter. Usually we lay down a blue groove right inside Mike's shop.

Whatever happens, I'll likely be off the grid here till Monday. So, Mike's Bikes, Frostbike, and what ever else happens will have to wait until Monday's post. (Most likely)

Have a great weekend ya'all!

Friday News And Views

Beauty of a Scooter

Breezer Bikes Lightning: Okay, it is mountain bike history time folks. Guess who made.....as in assembled tubes into a frame and assembled components to it......the first purpose built mountain bike of the modern era. (Okay- we're not including the "Buffalo Soldiers" here, former college profs,  or any ol' French gang that happened to be riding a bicycle off pavement. We're talking a purpose built machine for down hill racing off road.

Yup- that'd be Joe Breeze circa 1977.

This rig here is the latest design from the mind of that pioneer of mountain biking that was contemporary with Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly, and others who formed the basis of what we call mountain biking today. That makes this bike a bit more special in a way. That and it is almost too pretty to get dirty.

Almost.

Joe Breeze was one of those early Marin folks that took to "clunking" on old Schwinn "ballooner" bikes that were fitted with all manner of components in an effort to make the ultimate off road machine from "found" parts. One of his earliest creations was a bike based upon a "Pre-War", (That'd be the Second World War my chillun!) , Schwinn that featured the ubiquitous "dart" paint job. Later on in Joe's mountain bike history, many of his Breezer mountain bikes sported similar livery, thus the traditional dart paint scheme on the Lightning here. The blue positively glows on this rig. It is an amazing looking bike.

Hopefully the review for Twenty Nine Inches will match the amazing level of the look this bike has as well. We'll see.

Project Two-Six- Yet again!

Project Two-Six Update: Yesterday I posted all about the tires on this rig, but I didn't say anything about the bike in particular. Well, I made one major change, which will lead to another. There is a plan to all of this as well.

First, the eagle-eyed amongst you may see that I swapped out saddles with the help of Captain Bob. (Thanks man!) This is a Brooks Pro of indeterminate vintage. Massive improvement over the Wrights saddle that came off. That said, it still isn't quite right. 

The proper saddle would be a Brooks B-17, but I'm thinking B-67.  Springs. Width. Heavy Duty. It all fits the purposes I have in mind here, which is for this bike to become my "townie", errand bike, grocery-getter. I'd like to put some nicer fenders on it, and maybe, if I can get enough use out of it, I'd put on a nicer wheel set at some point. But the saddle and fenders come first.

Of course, this then begs the question: "Where is the Brooks Pro going?" Right then. Well, my initial thought is to send it on over to my Karate Monkey. The Pro model is meant for a handle bar position somewhat below the saddle, and that's exactly where the handle bar position is on the Monkey. I think it will be a good fit.

Fixation "Accela" Tires: Fixie hipster? Just like colored tires? Need some long wearing, puncture resistant training tires?

Well, Fyxation has a new tire out in folding and wire beads in black or white/black, (as shown), in 700 X 23mm and 700 X 28mm sizes for MSRP of $36.95 (folder), and $25.95 (wire bead).

The press release said that the rubber compound used is a harder, longer lasting one that resists abrading. Could be good as a commuter tire, or for dressing up a bike with the flashy white treaded model. Either way, these are available now from dealers. Check it all out on their site here where you will also find a dealer list.

NOS Ukai Alloy wheel, circa 1980

Mike's Bikes: Tonight is the night I will be hanging out at Mike's Bikes in Northfield, Minnesota. I like going here. I'm a bike geek, and Mike's got bike geek magnets all around his shop.

I never cease to be amazed at the stuff I've unearthed while poking around there. Last year I saw this NOS Ukai wheel, and an early 90's Ritchey P-22 frame set.

What will I see this year? Who knows? It will most likely be very cool, old, and rare. Oh yeah......I'll probably see a bunch of beers and Greek pizza. Maybe not.......but most likely, I will. Let's see- what else will happen? Well, we might go and ride outside this time. It has been a lot milder this winter. Usually we lay down a blue groove right inside Mike's shop.

Whatever happens, I'll likely be off the grid here till Monday. So, Mike's Bikes, Frostbike, and what ever else happens will have to wait until Monday's post. (Most likely)

Have a great weekend ya'all!

Continental Top Contact Winter Tire Review

The 26" version here...

Continental Tires "Top Contact- Winter" Tire Review: Winter- a typical winter at any rate- would have seen this review happen a lot sooner than it has taken, but as most of you well know, this has been a "winter of little winter", so to speak.

Conditions have been less than conducive to testing this tire, but I think I now have had enough, (barely), experiences to at least give a good impression on what you might expect from this winter specific tread.

The tires in question here went on my "Project Two Six" bike, which I built especially as a commuter/townie rig for these tires. It should be mentioned that a 700c X 37mm Top Contact Winter tire is also made by Continental, but at the time I was to do this review, none were available. That said, I think you can expect the same from either size in terms of performance/ride aspects.

Okay, before we get to the review, let's see what Continental says about the Top Contact Winter tires: (from the Conti website)

"We contribute all of our know-how as one of the leading automotive winter tyre producers into the new TopContact Winter II. And it shows. The tread design’s outer appearance alone is convincing due to its never-ending grip.

Thanks to countless lamellae, hundreds of biting edges permanently interlock with the surface. The tread compound that is adapted specifically to cold temperatures will even continue to get you going when other bike riders are spinning their wheels."

"Lamellae" tread pattern

 What are "lamellae"? Well, the term comes from "lamella", which is described as a "thin plate-like structure" by Wikipedia. In this case, it is representative of the myriad plate-like tread blocks with small, open spaces between them on the Top Contact Winter tire. Much like the pattern found on a Geko's feet, the Top Contact Winter tire is made for gripping and should impart a more secure feel on smoother, slippery surfaces. Now the big question: "Does it work?"


My quest to find suitable riding conditions one might encounter while using a tire of this sort was not easy. That's part of the challenge of doing reviews like this on specific use products. But, I did get out on compressed, icy snow, wet ice, granular snow, rough ice, and frozen chunky snow and ice along with plenty of crappy pavement and dirt ridden rides. 


Riding in winter time and looking for ice to ride over is very counter intuitive, by the way. Especially when for years I have been conditioned to avoid it like the plague, but I did it. First of all, those who might be thinking these tires are a "studded tire replacement" can stop here and be satisfied to know that they are "right" and nothing works as good as studs.........on ice. Put the test on a mix of dry pavement and snow, maybe a couple of icy patches thrown in, and the equation becomes turned around though. Anyone who has ridden studded tires knows the love they feel on ice and the hatred they feel on the longer stretches of dry pavement in between. 

Conti's best construction here.

The Top Contact Winter will grip far better than most any non-studded tire on glare ice, but not quite to the level of full on studs. Then again, the type of ice you get is going to determine a lot of this. Glare wet ice is tough even with full on studded tires, and not real good with Top Contact Winter tires. However; if you keep a sharp eye out for ice, and you are a "seasoned winter rider", you probably could do just fine on "most" ice. My experiences were mostly positive, with the lone exception of that wet, black ice, which isn't too surprising, really. 


Other types of conditions were really eye opening though. Packed snow with a nice shiny sheen to it was no match for these tires. Similarly, any icy, frozen snow with texture was super easy to find traction on, almost dry pavement like. I found the Top Contact to be an excellent tire for cutting into and down onto pavement through newer fallen snow, and dry pavement performance was more than acceptable. I used pressures from 40psi to 55psi in my tests, and even at higher pressures, the Top Contacts still made an impression of having great traction on sketchy snow and frozen, irregular ice formations. 

The Project Two-Six rig

Dry pavement commuting during post-snow melt conditions is often a mixed bag of sand, dirt, debris, and oddments not normally seen on the road side any other time of the year. (Lost mittens anyone?) I can say that the "PolyXBreaker" belt did its job and no glass bits, strips of metal, or other sharp objects made their way into the casing to puncture my tubes while I tested these tires. Continental also claims this bead to bead belt does not hamper rolling resistance and ride feel, which I can attest to. It rides quite decently for a commuter tire, and far, far better than any studded tire could. 


That said, the Top Contact Winter tires are not going to win you any extra speed. I know you could find faster tires for true, dry weather riding, but that is not what these were made for anyway. I mean, it does say "Winter" in the tire's name, and that should be a clue, right? 


Conclusions: The Continental Top Contact Winter tires are a definite advantage over standard tires in most winter time riding conditions. The relatively skinny, (for a 26"er), tires amazed me with traction that I thought couldn't be produced by a tire with such tiny tread features. I've got to hand it to Continental though, that "lamellae" really works. That said, you are still going to have to watch for the "black ice" and especially wet, slick ice because, like it or not, only studded tires will allow you to let your guard down a little bit there. The Top Contact Winter tires will give you a far better chance of not dumping it over regular tires though, but there is still "that chance". 


So, if your commute is a varied and mixed bag of snow, frozen snow, some ice, and dry pavement during the winter months, you may love these treads. If you are worried about the dreaded "black ice" and you see it more often than not, these may help, but studded tires will win over the Top Contacts there hands down. Pick yer poison. 


Note: Continental sent the Top Contact Winter tires over for review and testing at no charge. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review. I strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Continental Top Contact Winter Tire Review

The 26" version here...

Continental Tires "Top Contact- Winter" Tire Review: Winter- a typical winter at any rate- would have seen this review happen a lot sooner than it has taken, but as most of you well know, this has been a "winter of little winter", so to speak.

Conditions have been less than conducive to testing this tire, but I think I now have had enough, (barely), experiences to at least give a good impression on what you might expect from this winter specific tread.

The tires in question here went on my "Project Two Six" bike, which I built especially as a commuter/townie rig for these tires. It should be mentioned that a 700c X 37mm Top Contact Winter tire is also made by Continental, but at the time I was to do this review, none were available. That said, I think you can expect the same from either size in terms of performance/ride aspects.

Okay, before we get to the review, let's see what Continental says about the Top Contact Winter tires: (from the Conti website)

"We contribute all of our know-how as one of the leading automotive winter tyre producers into the new TopContact Winter II. And it shows. The tread design’s outer appearance alone is convincing due to its never-ending grip.

Thanks to countless lamellae, hundreds of biting edges permanently interlock with the surface. The tread compound that is adapted specifically to cold temperatures will even continue to get you going when other bike riders are spinning their wheels."

"Lamellae" tread pattern

 What are "lamellae"? Well, the term comes from "lamella", which is described as a "thin plate-like structure" by Wikipedia. In this case, it is representative of the myriad plate-like tread blocks with small, open spaces between them on the Top Contact Winter tire. Much like the pattern found on a Geko's feet, the Top Contact Winter tire is made for gripping and should impart a more secure feel on smoother, slippery surfaces. Now the big question: "Does it work?"


My quest to find suitable riding conditions one might encounter while using a tire of this sort was not easy. That's part of the challenge of doing reviews like this on specific use products. But, I did get out on compressed, icy snow, wet ice, granular snow, rough ice, and frozen chunky snow and ice along with plenty of crappy pavement and dirt ridden rides. 


Riding in winter time and looking for ice to ride over is very counter intuitive, by the way. Especially when for years I have been conditioned to avoid it like the plague, but I did it. First of all, those who might be thinking these tires are a "studded tire replacement" can stop here and be satisfied to know that they are "right" and nothing works as good as studs.........on ice. Put the test on a mix of dry pavement and snow, maybe a couple of icy patches thrown in, and the equation becomes turned around though. Anyone who has ridden studded tires knows the love they feel on ice and the hatred they feel on the longer stretches of dry pavement in between. 

Conti's best construction here.

The Top Contact Winter will grip far better than most any non-studded tire on glare ice, but not quite to the level of full on studs. Then again, the type of ice you get is going to determine a lot of this. Glare wet ice is tough even with full on studded tires, and not real good with Top Contact Winter tires. However; if you keep a sharp eye out for ice, and you are a "seasoned winter rider", you probably could do just fine on "most" ice. My experiences were mostly positive, with the lone exception of that wet, black ice, which isn't too surprising, really. 


Other types of conditions were really eye opening though. Packed snow with a nice shiny sheen to it was no match for these tires. Similarly, any icy, frozen snow with texture was super easy to find traction on, almost dry pavement like. I found the Top Contact to be an excellent tire for cutting into and down onto pavement through newer fallen snow, and dry pavement performance was more than acceptable. I used pressures from 40psi to 55psi in my tests, and even at higher pressures, the Top Contacts still made an impression of having great traction on sketchy snow and frozen, irregular ice formations. 

The Project Two-Six rig

Dry pavement commuting during post-snow melt conditions is often a mixed bag of sand, dirt, debris, and oddments not normally seen on the road side any other time of the year. (Lost mittens anyone?) I can say that the "PolyXBreaker" belt did its job and no glass bits, strips of metal, or other sharp objects made their way into the casing to puncture my tubes while I tested these tires. Continental also claims this bead to bead belt does not hamper rolling resistance and ride feel, which I can attest to. It rides quite decently for a commuter tire, and far, far better than any studded tire could. 


That said, the Top Contact Winter tires are not going to win you any extra speed. I know you could find faster tires for true, dry weather riding, but that is not what these were made for anyway. I mean, it does say "Winter" in the tire's name, and that should be a clue, right? 


Conclusions: The Continental Top Contact Winter tires are a definite advantage over standard tires in most winter time riding conditions. The relatively skinny, (for a 26"er), tires amazed me with traction that I thought couldn't be produced by a tire with such tiny tread features. I've got to hand it to Continental though, that "lamellae" really works. That said, you are still going to have to watch for the "black ice" and especially wet, slick ice because, like it or not, only studded tires will allow you to let your guard down a little bit there. The Top Contact Winter tires will give you a far better chance of not dumping it over regular tires though, but there is still "that chance". 


So, if your commute is a varied and mixed bag of snow, frozen snow, some ice, and dry pavement during the winter months, you may love these treads. If you are worried about the dreaded "black ice" and you see it more often than not, these may help, but studded tires will win over the Top Contacts there hands down. Pick yer poison. 


Note: Continental sent the Top Contact Winter tires over for review and testing at no charge. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review. I strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Dumbing Down The Front Derailleur

Or: How Technology Is Making the Front Derailleur Irrelevant

No Chain Rub! No Missed Shifts!

The front derailleur- You know- that thing that swaps the chain from one chain ring to another? I have a funny feeling the bicycle industry has targeted this component for elimination.

It is a pesky component from a manufacturers standpoint. It gets in the way of innovation, it needs several different variations, and by golly, people complain about them. (Or do they?) I wonder. I think front derailleurs get a bad rap. But whatever the reason, you can look around and see that the component manufacturers are finding ways to emasculate this component. Electric powered servo motors, advanced geometry, and outright elimination of the component altogether are being shown on many top end bikes these days.

It used to be a skill that was somewhat cherished back when a rider had to learn how to shift without causing mayhem, and without noise. Back in the days of friction shifting you really earned your ability to shift with a stealth-like quietness and lightning quick speed. What? It wasn't possible, you say? Oh, au contraire my friends. Actually one could shift those old bikes quite efficiently and with a smoothness that might amaze you.

I once had a commuter bike with run of the mill 1980's componentry. Bar end shifters, drop bars, seven speeds, and two chain rings of 53 and 39 teeth a piece. Without a doubt this was one of the best shifting bikes I had ever owned or have been afforded the opportunity to ride. Yes- I had to learn how far to move the lever for each shift, but after some practice it was intuitive, smooth, silent, and fast. Plus, I didn't have to worry about where I put a battery charger for when the battery goes dead.

The front derailleur was dead simple and reliable. Fast shifting up or down. Under power or not. Miss a shift? Trim problems? Whatever. You learned how to operate the bike and it rewarded you with an always there, simple to use system.

Yeah.....maybe it's the retro-grouch coming out. Either that or there is something to this attraction to simplicity and reliability. Something just rubs me a bit the wrong way when a bicycle becomes a "device" and not the machine of beautiful simplicity and functionality that it has been for over a century.

Dumbing Down The Front Derailleur

Or: How Technology Is Making the Front Derailleur Irrelevant

No Chain Rub! No Missed Shifts!

The front derailleur- You know- that thing that swaps the chain from one chain ring to another? I have a funny feeling the bicycle industry has targeted this component for elimination.

It is a pesky component from a manufacturers standpoint. It gets in the way of innovation, it needs several different variations, and by golly, people complain about them. (Or do they?) I wonder. I think front derailleurs get a bad rap. But whatever the reason, you can look around and see that the component manufacturers are finding ways to emasculate this component. Electric powered servo motors, advanced geometry, and outright elimination of the component altogether are being shown on many top end bikes these days.

It used to be a skill that was somewhat cherished back when a rider had to learn how to shift without causing mayhem, and without noise. Back in the days of friction shifting you really earned your ability to shift with a stealth-like quietness and lightning quick speed. What? It wasn't possible, you say? Oh, au contraire my friends. Actually one could shift those old bikes quite efficiently and with a smoothness that might amaze you.

I once had a commuter bike with run of the mill 1980's componentry. Bar end shifters, drop bars, seven speeds, and two chain rings of 53 and 39 teeth a piece. Without a doubt this was one of the best shifting bikes I had ever owned or have been afforded the opportunity to ride. Yes- I had to learn how far to move the lever for each shift, but after some practice it was intuitive, smooth, silent, and fast. Plus, I didn't have to worry about where I put a battery charger for when the battery goes dead.

The front derailleur was dead simple and reliable. Fast shifting up or down. Under power or not. Miss a shift? Trim problems? Whatever. You learned how to operate the bike and it rewarded you with an always there, simple to use system.

Yeah.....maybe it's the retro-grouch coming out. Either that or there is something to this attraction to simplicity and reliability. Something just rubs me a bit the wrong way when a bicycle becomes a "device" and not the machine of beautiful simplicity and functionality that it has been for over a century.

Randomonium

Okay folks, get ready for a disjointed jumble of thoughts! I have no real direction for this boat today, so let's drift.....

Beard = Bike Knowledge?

Monday's With Mark: Yesterday the classes at the shop for consumers started up again, after a six year hiatus!  I had no idea it had been that long ago, but a search of this very blog showed me that the last time the courses were offered was March 2006. This blog was not even a year old yet! Ancient days.....

So, I didn't quite know what to expect for attendance.I do recall that the classes generally were not all that big back then, but last night blew me away as 25 folks came by to hear me yak about this, that, and the other thing.

I even garnered some compliments on my presentation. Cool! Must be the beard, ya know. Yeah......I've seen this thing on the social networks lately that shows a bicycle mechanics knowledge is proportional to the length of his beard. While I can not verify that this is entirely true, (because, ya know- there are some pretty smart, capable female bicycle mechanics that do not have beards- at least I hope not!), but it works for me!

So, it was a success last night, anyway, and we'll see how the next two Mondays go. We may have to jettison the ski tuner and make some more room back there if we keep drawing a crowd the size of this past Monday. Next week; Trail side bike repair! There should be some info with times and what not on the shop's website if you happen to be reading this and are local to me.

Big Fat Larry is good, but...

What I Want To See In Fat: Okay, I've had enough time on Big Fat Larrys to know that I want......nay- need more lateral traction than these tires have. I'm not sure how to get there, but maybe lower the center tread blocks and raise the outer ones? Kind of like the old Dart SC tires.

I'm definitely not a tire designer, but I know that getting these BFL's to not do the slippy-slide sideways sometimes is annoying. And no.....don't even say "Nate". Too much knob on that one. I'm not looking for extreme lugs like that, just a little help here with the Larry. Something in between the Nate and Larry perhaps? I pretty much really like where the Big Fat Larry, (and Larry, for that matter), are taking me, but they don't grip laterally all that well in looser, softer stuff. That's where the Larry shines otherwise.

Other than that, I can't really think of much, but I'm sure that Surly and 45NRTH are way ahead of me in terms of tires for fat bikes. Maybe we'll see something come this weekend.

Salsa Cycles Vaya from Frostbike 2011

Speaking Of This Weekend....

It is Frostbike weekend again coming up, and at least I shouldn't get snowed out of town, if I can believe the forecast for the weekend's weather.  Last year I got chased out of town on Saturday night by an oncoming blizzard that had folks socked into Minneapolis for a couple days.

This time should be a bit more exciting, I think. Last year was a bit "ho-hum" as far as new stuff was concerned. Now I think we'll see more new stuff with the economy not looking quite so dreadful. I know some new tires and some new components should be popping up at Frostbike, and I bet some new bikes will too.

Of course, the whole deal will start with going up to Mike's Bikes again, which is always a good time. That will be Friday evening. Look for some updates to pop up all throughout the weekend on the goings on.

Happy Valentine's Day, ya'all!

Randomonium

Okay folks, get ready for a disjointed jumble of thoughts! I have no real direction for this boat today, so let's drift.....

Beard = Bike Knowledge?

Monday's With Mark: Yesterday the classes at the shop for consumers started up again, after a six year hiatus!  I had no idea it had been that long ago, but a search of this very blog showed me that the last time the courses were offered was March 2006. This blog was not even a year old yet! Ancient days.....

So, I didn't quite know what to expect for attendance.I do recall that the classes generally were not all that big back then, but last night blew me away as 25 folks came by to hear me yak about this, that, and the other thing.

I even garnered some compliments on my presentation. Cool! Must be the beard, ya know. Yeah......I've seen this thing on the social networks lately that shows a bicycle mechanics knowledge is proportional to the length of his beard. While I can not verify that this is entirely true, (because, ya know- there are some pretty smart, capable female bicycle mechanics that do not have beards- at least I hope not!), but it works for me!

So, it was a success last night, anyway, and we'll see how the next two Mondays go. We may have to jettison the ski tuner and make some more room back there if we keep drawing a crowd the size of this past Monday. Next week; Trail side bike repair! There should be some info with times and what not on the shop's website if you happen to be reading this and are local to me.

Big Fat Larry is good, but...

What I Want To See In Fat: Okay, I've had enough time on Big Fat Larrys to know that I want......nay- need more lateral traction than these tires have. I'm not sure how to get there, but maybe lower the center tread blocks and raise the outer ones? Kind of like the old Dart SC tires.

I'm definitely not a tire designer, but I know that getting these BFL's to not do the slippy-slide sideways sometimes is annoying. And no.....don't even say "Nate". Too much knob on that one. I'm not looking for extreme lugs like that, just a little help here with the Larry. Something in between the Nate and Larry perhaps? I pretty much really like where the Big Fat Larry, (and Larry, for that matter), are taking me, but they don't grip laterally all that well in looser, softer stuff. That's where the Larry shines otherwise.

Other than that, I can't really think of much, but I'm sure that Surly and 45NRTH are way ahead of me in terms of tires for fat bikes. Maybe we'll see something come this weekend.

Salsa Cycles Vaya from Frostbike 2011

Speaking Of This Weekend....

It is Frostbike weekend again coming up, and at least I shouldn't get snowed out of town, if I can believe the forecast for the weekend's weather.  Last year I got chased out of town on Saturday night by an oncoming blizzard that had folks socked into Minneapolis for a couple days.

This time should be a bit more exciting, I think. Last year was a bit "ho-hum" as far as new stuff was concerned. Now I think we'll see more new stuff with the economy not looking quite so dreadful. I know some new tires and some new components should be popping up at Frostbike, and I bet some new bikes will too.

Of course, the whole deal will start with going up to Mike's Bikes again, which is always a good time. That will be Friday evening. Look for some updates to pop up all throughout the weekend on the goings on.

Happy Valentine's Day, ya'all!

Getting Some Ride Time Logged

The post on Friday past made me think: "I'd better get a move on and ride some gravel!" That is because CIRREM is quickly approaching. That is a "metric century", so it will be the same distance as Triple D, more or less. (Likely slightly less)

Electrical wires....hrrumph!

I had to back off after Triple D for awhile on riding. That really knocked me for a loop, physically. I was fatigued for days on end afterward, and recovery took a while. I was super pleased with my result, since training ahead of that event was, well........not very intense, shall we say?

That and I got really sick there for a bit ahead of Triple D, which made me think, "If I just finish Triple D, it'll be a success." Well, obviously I did, so it wasn't just a success, but coming in 22nd overall was a fantastic result, for me.

So, at any rate, here I am afterward feeling pretty drained, and no wonder at that. I wasn't surprised. But I let the riding go a bit too long. At least serious riding. So, I got started this weekend and put in a good longer gravel road ride. I wanted to do that Saturday, but frigid temps and high winds with the resulting low wind chill factor kept me off the dusty tracks.

I decided also that I would try taking the Black Mountain Cycles bike out and make that my CIRREM rig. The Retroshift levers worked okay. (More on those later) I also used a new bib short. Not very good! They will not be getting used for CIRREM, I'll tell ya that. My posterior was not interfacing with that chamois in a happy way.

I may go sans Tangle Bag for this one.

Which leads me to this "mini-rant". I got geared up to do this ride in the "traditional garb" of a road going or mountain going cyclist. Bib shorts, base layer in wool, thick, winter weight tights, heavy long sleeved wool jersey, winter cycling jacket, "booties" over two pair of wool socks and my cycling shoes, and finally, a thick, long wristed winter glove. A hat under my helmet too, by the way.

Typically, when riding the fat bikes, it is "slip on the winter boots, grab my helmet, winter jacket, gloves, out the door. No other cycling specific gear at all, and it is enjoyable. The freedom of movement, the time saved, and I actually feel just as good and as warm as I did today with all that cycling specific stuff on.

The big difference is time saved and movement. I do not like the restrictive feelings I get when wearing tights, and most cycling winter layering stuff. That's one of the reasons I wore Dickies on almost every winter ride so far, and I almost did for Triple D too. I didn't wear bib shorts, or any cycling specific chamois at Triple D, and I am thinking I may not at CIRREM as well. Bam! Works for me, but don't take my gear as a recommendation for you. It just so happens to work for me, that's all. I'm thinking two or three layers of skin tight clothing is two or three layers too many for me.

Well, enough about that! There was one other thing I think I'll switch out before CIRREM on the bike, and that is to go back to the original Black Mountain Cycles fork. The carbon Bonty fork is waaaaay stiff! I know the steel BMC fork feels much smoother.

Other than that, the ride went off without a hitch, and I should have my set up honed in this week. Maybe I'll have myself honed in too.

Getting Some Ride Time Logged

The post on Friday past made me think: "I'd better get a move on and ride some gravel!" That is because CIRREM is quickly approaching. That is a "metric century", so it will be the same distance as Triple D, more or less. (Likely slightly less)

Electrical wires....hrrumph!

I had to back off after Triple D for awhile on riding. That really knocked me for a loop, physically. I was fatigued for days on end afterward, and recovery took a while. I was super pleased with my result, since training ahead of that event was, well........not very intense, shall we say?

That and I got really sick there for a bit ahead of Triple D, which made me think, "If I just finish Triple D, it'll be a success." Well, obviously I did, so it wasn't just a success, but coming in 22nd overall was a fantastic result, for me.

So, at any rate, here I am afterward feeling pretty drained, and no wonder at that. I wasn't surprised. But I let the riding go a bit too long. At least serious riding. So, I got started this weekend and put in a good longer gravel road ride. I wanted to do that Saturday, but frigid temps and high winds with the resulting low wind chill factor kept me off the dusty tracks.

I decided also that I would try taking the Black Mountain Cycles bike out and make that my CIRREM rig. The Retroshift levers worked okay. (More on those later) I also used a new bib short. Not very good! They will not be getting used for CIRREM, I'll tell ya that. My posterior was not interfacing with that chamois in a happy way.

I may go sans Tangle Bag for this one.

Which leads me to this "mini-rant". I got geared up to do this ride in the "traditional garb" of a road going or mountain going cyclist. Bib shorts, base layer in wool, thick, winter weight tights, heavy long sleeved wool jersey, winter cycling jacket, "booties" over two pair of wool socks and my cycling shoes, and finally, a thick, long wristed winter glove. A hat under my helmet too, by the way.

Typically, when riding the fat bikes, it is "slip on the winter boots, grab my helmet, winter jacket, gloves, out the door. No other cycling specific gear at all, and it is enjoyable. The freedom of movement, the time saved, and I actually feel just as good and as warm as I did today with all that cycling specific stuff on.

The big difference is time saved and movement. I do not like the restrictive feelings I get when wearing tights, and most cycling winter layering stuff. That's one of the reasons I wore Dickies on almost every winter ride so far, and I almost did for Triple D too. I didn't wear bib shorts, or any cycling specific chamois at Triple D, and I am thinking I may not at CIRREM as well. Bam! Works for me, but don't take my gear as a recommendation for you. It just so happens to work for me, that's all. I'm thinking two or three layers of skin tight clothing is two or three layers too many for me.

Well, enough about that! There was one other thing I think I'll switch out before CIRREM on the bike, and that is to go back to the original Black Mountain Cycles fork. The carbon Bonty fork is waaaaay stiff! I know the steel BMC fork feels much smoother.

Other than that, the ride went off without a hitch, and I should have my set up honed in this week. Maybe I'll have myself honed in too.

Retroshift Update

I found enough time this weekend to get the Retroshift levers and my Shimano 9 speed bar end levers mounted to the Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" machine. Here's an image....

Retro-fied!

Installation: The install was pretty straight forward, but that said, you have quite a task on your hands when you swap out the levers to Retroshift.

Obviously the old levers have to come off, but so do all the cables with that, plus bar tape. You'll end up doing a tune up, so why not throw new cables and housing at your bike while you are at it? That's what I did.

So as far as the levers and adding bar ends to them, it was really easy. Retroshift sends along new bar end bases for your Shimano bar end or down tube shifters. Rivendell Silver shifters will also work. At this point there is no shifter adaptation for SRAM or older Suntour BarCons.

The only challenge I had was deciding how to route the cables for maximum flow and efficiency. I ended up going with a set up where the right shifter entered the top tube cable stop on the left side and vice versa. I ran the rear brake right down the middle of the top tube.

First Impressions: Once the brakes had been set up and the derailleurs tuned I re-wrapped the bars with my old tape, (I'm Scotch like that!), and I ran through the gears.

The default low gear position for the front is vertical/in line with your lever. As you can see in the image, the left lever is sticking out to the inboard side of the bike. That's the big ring position. The right lever is in the position where the chain is three cogs down from the lowest gear in this image.

The highest gear will put the lever on the right slightly outboard of the handle bars, so it sweeps a fair distance from low to high gear. Some folks asked about the shift lever being in line with the brake lever and how that affects braking from the hoods. Well, keep in mind that the shifter lever moves with the brake lever, so in cases where the shift lever is inline with the brake lever, simply pull back on the shift lever.  I honestly don't see this being an issue right now, but I'll reserve final judgment until after I've used these a bit.

Kind of like non-aero levers, but not really.

The switch from STI Ultegra 9 speed levers to these does a couple things. One: It saves about a 100 grams of weight. Second: It lends a totally different tactile feel to your rig's handle bars.

I think #1 is okay with about everyone. Number Two may become an issue, or it may be an improvement. I happen to think it is an improvement in feel and funtion for me, but let me explain something that affects my feelings on this.

My first road bike was a Tommasini steel bike with Campagnolo Ergo-power levers. So good! I loved the shifters, and ever since, I have found Shimano STI to be not so great for me. I won't get into all the details of that here, but since the Tektro levers Retroshift uses are more Campy-like than not, I happen to really like the feel. The other thing is that the shift motion is separated from the plane the brake lever moves in. I happen to have an issue activating the brake sometimes while shifting an STI lever. I know- I'm an unskilled STI shift operator! But, that tilts the scales to me liking the Retroshift set up.

Negatives are few. I've gone down the block and back so far, (too frigid to test ride yet), and I can easily operate the levers. The brakes work well from the hoods or the drops, but there is no way to shift from the drops. Other than this, the only odd thing is that due to the way the Retroshift mount sits against the upper body of the perch, the release button for the brakes is rendered useless. That isn't a real big deal to me, but it will make undoing the brakes more of a hassle.

So, that's the initial set up and a first impression. I'll be using these for riding and in the upcoming CIRREM gravel event in a couple weeks time. More to come later....

NOTE: Retroshift sent these levers over for test/review at no charge. I am not being paid, nor bribed for these reviews and I will strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Retroshift Update

I found enough time this weekend to get the Retroshift levers and my Shimano 9 speed bar end levers mounted to the Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" machine. Here's an image....

Retro-fied!

Installation: The install was pretty straight forward, but that said, you have quite a task on your hands when you swap out the levers to Retroshift.

Obviously the old levers have to come off, but so do all the cables with that, plus bar tape. You'll end up doing a tune up, so why not throw new cables and housing at your bike while you are at it? That's what I did.

So as far as the levers and adding bar ends to them, it was really easy. Retroshift sends along new bar end bases for your Shimano bar end or down tube shifters. Rivendell Silver shifters will also work. At this point there is no shifter adaptation for SRAM or older Suntour BarCons.

The only challenge I had was deciding how to route the cables for maximum flow and efficiency. I ended up going with a set up where the right shifter entered the top tube cable stop on the left side and vice versa. I ran the rear brake right down the middle of the top tube.

First Impressions: Once the brakes had been set up and the derailleurs tuned I re-wrapped the bars with my old tape, (I'm Scotch like that!), and I ran through the gears.

The default low gear position for the front is vertical/in line with your lever. As you can see in the image, the left lever is sticking out to the inboard side of the bike. That's the big ring position. The right lever is in the position where the chain is three cogs down from the lowest gear in this image.

The highest gear will put the lever on the right slightly outboard of the handle bars, so it sweeps a fair distance from low to high gear. Some folks asked about the shift lever being in line with the brake lever and how that affects braking from the hoods. Well, keep in mind that the shifter lever moves with the brake lever, so in cases where the shift lever is inline with the brake lever, simply pull back on the shift lever.  I honestly don't see this being an issue right now, but I'll reserve final judgment until after I've used these a bit.

Kind of like non-aero levers, but not really.

The switch from STI Ultegra 9 speed levers to these does a couple things. One: It saves about a 100 grams of weight. Second: It lends a totally different tactile feel to your rig's handle bars.

I think #1 is okay with about everyone. Number Two may become an issue, or it may be an improvement. I happen to think it is an improvement in feel and funtion for me, but let me explain something that affects my feelings on this.

My first road bike was a Tommasini steel bike with Campagnolo Ergo-power levers. So good! I loved the shifters, and ever since, I have found Shimano STI to be not so great for me. I won't get into all the details of that here, but since the Tektro levers Retroshift uses are more Campy-like than not, I happen to really like the feel. The other thing is that the shift motion is separated from the plane the brake lever moves in. I happen to have an issue activating the brake sometimes while shifting an STI lever. I know- I'm an unskilled STI shift operator! But, that tilts the scales to me liking the Retroshift set up.

Negatives are few. I've gone down the block and back so far, (too frigid to test ride yet), and I can easily operate the levers. The brakes work well from the hoods or the drops, but there is no way to shift from the drops. Other than this, the only odd thing is that due to the way the Retroshift mount sits against the upper body of the perch, the release button for the brakes is rendered useless. That isn't a real big deal to me, but it will make undoing the brakes more of a hassle.

So, that's the initial set up and a first impression. I'll be using these for riding and in the upcoming CIRREM gravel event in a couple weeks time. More to come later....

NOTE: Retroshift sent these levers over for test/review at no charge. I am not being paid, nor bribed for these reviews and I will strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Wheels And Deals

I like wheels. I like to build bicycle wheels too. Good thing too, because this weekend I have to get a couple wheels built using some parts that I got in for a Twenty Nine Inches project.

These will be built using WTB's latest 29"er rims called "Frequency i23 Team" rims. They are sort of a Stan's Flow competitor, weighing about the same amount as Flow's, and the WTB rims are also tubeless compatible with a tape and valve stem that are very reminiscent of Stan's products. (They supposedly were made with Stan's help, as I understand it)

WTB lists these as "Trail/ All Mountain" type rims and that's exactly how they'll be tested. Hopefully they will make the trip to El Paso, Texas with me in March. The tires that will go on these, some WTB Bronson 2.2"ers, should be just the ticket for the rocky craziness down there too.

Imagine this in "Root Beer"

Black Mountain Cycles is a bicycle shop run by the inimitable Mike Varley, and he designed my "Orange Crush" gravel slayer. You can see the frame and fork here in my image of it just after I got it.

I'm tellin' ya, this frame and fork are pretty sweet. While you can no longer get an orange one like mine, Black Mountain Cycles has all sizes in "Root Beer" of this frame. Why I mention this now is due to the special deal on these right now. Buy a BMC "Monster Cross" and get a free set of tires to go with it. Pretty sweet deal, if I say so myself, (which I do!) Go here to check it out.

And by the way, I paid for my own frame and fork from BMC and they have not asked me, nor have they greased my palms to put this out there. I really like this frame and fork, and that is why I mention this. It's a smartly designed frame and fork that will easily take up to 1.8" tires and just kills it on gravel. You could do far worse than one of these.

By the way, I did get the Retroshift levers and my 9 speed shift levers mounted up to the "Orange Crush" last night. Hopefully Sunday, (when it is supposed to warm up a tad), I'll get to try them out!

Wheels And Deals

I like wheels. I like to build bicycle wheels too. Good thing too, because this weekend I have to get a couple wheels built using some parts that I got in for a Twenty Nine Inches project.

These will be built using WTB's latest 29"er rims called "Frequency i23 Team" rims. They are sort of a Stan's Flow competitor, weighing about the same amount as Flow's, and the WTB rims are also tubeless compatible with a tape and valve stem that are very reminiscent of Stan's products. (They supposedly were made with Stan's help, as I understand it)

WTB lists these as "Trail/ All Mountain" type rims and that's exactly how they'll be tested. Hopefully they will make the trip to El Paso, Texas with me in March. The tires that will go on these, some WTB Bronson 2.2"ers, should be just the ticket for the rocky craziness down there too.

Imagine this in "Root Beer"

Black Mountain Cycles is a bicycle shop run by the inimitable Mike Varley, and he designed my "Orange Crush" gravel slayer. You can see the frame and fork here in my image of it just after I got it.

I'm tellin' ya, this frame and fork are pretty sweet. While you can no longer get an orange one like mine, Black Mountain Cycles has all sizes in "Root Beer" of this frame. Why I mention this now is due to the special deal on these right now. Buy a BMC "Monster Cross" and get a free set of tires to go with it. Pretty sweet deal, if I say so myself, (which I do!) Go here to check it out.

And by the way, I paid for my own frame and fork from BMC and they have not asked me, nor have they greased my palms to put this out there. I really like this frame and fork, and that is why I mention this. It's a smartly designed frame and fork that will easily take up to 1.8" tires and just kills it on gravel. You could do far worse than one of these.

By the way, I did get the Retroshift levers and my 9 speed shift levers mounted up to the "Orange Crush" last night. Hopefully Sunday, (when it is supposed to warm up a tad), I'll get to try them out!

Friday News And Views

A week ago I talked about Retroshift, a component that is a different take on shifting your drop bar bike. Instead of using STI/brifter type shifters in demanding situations like cyclo-cross, or gravel grinding, where grit, dirt, and grime are common and for which these types of integrated brake/shifters weren't designed for, these Retroshifters are suggested. They use the simple, durable, and easy to find down tube/bar end shift levers which you supply yourself.

Retroshift sent over a pair for review and testing. I am going to put these on my Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" bike and give them a go. I have been surprised by the amount of interest these have generated in just a weeks time with folks asking me specific questions about these. I'll get them mounted and tried out very soon and hopefully be able to answer all your questions then.

These will definitely get the full on test when I race them at CIRREM in a couple of weeks. That will likely be a messy, gritty 65 miles of tough gravel grinding. Looking at the forecast, it should be fairly warm and dry, but the frost in the ground may provide just the messy conditions these shifters were made to be best in. Stay tuned......

Oakley "Gearbox" watch

To The Winner Goes....

Well, you know the rest of that saying. In T.I.V8, this will include an Oakley Gearbox watch. This is a pretty fantastic award to whomever manages to finish T.I.V8 first.

So, why a watch? Good question! When Rob Versteegh, the Oakley contact I have, called me up about this, he thought doing something unique was in order. Some may remember that we have had Oakley sponsor us with eyewear in the past. But Rob reasoned that most folks coming to this event would likely be good with whatever eyewear they were using.

So, since Trans Iowa has time limits, and doing whatever you do out there during a Trans Iowa is affected by your use of time in a efficient manner, Rob suggested that a timepiece would maybe be a significant reminder to the winner that Trans Iowa was partly a challenge in time use. I thought it was a great idea.

That isn't all. The plan is to have the timepiece made even more unique with some custom engraved message. We'll have to determine what that might be. Any suggestions out there?

Speeding Up: My schedule of events is heating up now going from Winter into Spring. I mentioned CIRREM above, but before that, (only a week before that!), I go to do the annual ritual that is Frostbike. This will once again include the trek over to Northfield, Minnesota's Mike's Bikes. That should be another epic late winter shindig for sure.

The next gig, CIRREM will be a metric gravel grinder, then in about two weeks time after that, I go back to El Paso, Texas, where I have some unfinished business with a certain rocky trail to attend to there. Once I'm back from that, I have a super-top secret double check on the Trans Iowa V8 course. Then about a week or so later, I go to the Renegade Gents Race. Final prep for Trans Iowa will entail most of the rest of the month of April.

Then it'll be summer before I know it! Well, time's a wastin', better get my bags packed and my ducks in a row!

Have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

A week ago I talked about Retroshift, a component that is a different take on shifting your drop bar bike. Instead of using STI/brifter type shifters in demanding situations like cyclo-cross, or gravel grinding, where grit, dirt, and grime are common and for which these types of integrated brake/shifters weren't designed for, these Retroshifters are suggested. They use the simple, durable, and easy to find down tube/bar end shift levers which you supply yourself.

Retroshift sent over a pair for review and testing. I am going to put these on my Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" bike and give them a go. I have been surprised by the amount of interest these have generated in just a weeks time with folks asking me specific questions about these. I'll get them mounted and tried out very soon and hopefully be able to answer all your questions then.

These will definitely get the full on test when I race them at CIRREM in a couple of weeks. That will likely be a messy, gritty 65 miles of tough gravel grinding. Looking at the forecast, it should be fairly warm and dry, but the frost in the ground may provide just the messy conditions these shifters were made to be best in. Stay tuned......

Oakley "Gearbox" watch

To The Winner Goes....

Well, you know the rest of that saying. In T.I.V8, this will include an Oakley Gearbox watch. This is a pretty fantastic award to whomever manages to finish T.I.V8 first.

So, why a watch? Good question! When Rob Versteegh, the Oakley contact I have, called me up about this, he thought doing something unique was in order. Some may remember that we have had Oakley sponsor us with eyewear in the past. But Rob reasoned that most folks coming to this event would likely be good with whatever eyewear they were using.

So, since Trans Iowa has time limits, and doing whatever you do out there during a Trans Iowa is affected by your use of time in a efficient manner, Rob suggested that a timepiece would maybe be a significant reminder to the winner that Trans Iowa was partly a challenge in time use. I thought it was a great idea.

That isn't all. The plan is to have the timepiece made even more unique with some custom engraved message. We'll have to determine what that might be. Any suggestions out there?

Speeding Up: My schedule of events is heating up now going from Winter into Spring. I mentioned CIRREM above, but before that, (only a week before that!), I go to do the annual ritual that is Frostbike. This will once again include the trek over to Northfield, Minnesota's Mike's Bikes. That should be another epic late winter shindig for sure.

The next gig, CIRREM will be a metric gravel grinder, then in about two weeks time after that, I go back to El Paso, Texas, where I have some unfinished business with a certain rocky trail to attend to there. Once I'm back from that, I have a super-top secret double check on the Trans Iowa V8 course. Then about a week or so later, I go to the Renegade Gents Race. Final prep for Trans Iowa will entail most of the rest of the month of April.

Then it'll be summer before I know it! Well, time's a wastin', better get my bags packed and my ducks in a row!

Have a great weekend!