Monthly Archives: August 2012

GPS vs. iPhone

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

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When I decided to try out the insane sport of randoneurring, I quickly found that my iPhone running my tracking app, RunKeeper, was not going to work.  The battery only lasted 4 hours in GPS mode, and these rides started at about 4-5 hours.  I ran out and picked up a Garmin, as these things still take AA batteries and go for 25 hours before expiring.  After riding it on one brevet in March, and fiddling/cursing the old mode of convoluted GPS UI/OS the Garmins use, I launched it off the handlebar mount on a large bump on the commute home one night.  I didn’t notice it was gone until I came to the next stop light, and after circling back to the likely area, it was never found.  After weighing the logic of dumping another $200 into a device I found cumbersome, I decided against it.  The iPhone has GPS and will always have a more competitive app arena that will ensure the best GPS experience.  Already, apps like CycleMeter, MotionX GPS, and RunKeeper have better UIs and more specific usability features.  Now I just had to find a way to use my dynamo hub to power both the lights and the iPhone.

There are a few options out there.  Peter White sells some chargers, Wahoo makes a case with built in battery, but I settled on the BioLogic ReeCharge system that is made up of a case/battery combo, a handlebar mount, and a dynamo charging system.  The setup was very straightforward, and I used my older iPhone 4 with it for the first few weeks (in case it launched, as well)

iPhone case mounted on A. Homer Hilsen

I had no issues with the case coming loose on both road and trail over the past month or two of use.  I have put a couple hundred miles on the bikes with the case mount, and gone over some knarly bumps, but the case has held fast.  This is by no means an exhaustive test regime, but it has certainly done better than the Garmin I had.  Wiring on both bikes was simply a matter of merging the light and ReeCharge wires at the clips that attach to the hub.  This took about 15 minutes at most.  The other end just plugs into the handlebar mount.  I honestly had a tougher time figuring out what to do with all the extra wire.  I took a couple different tacks on the two bikes.  On the Hilsen, I wrapped the extra around the handlebar mount, as I was trying to minimize the wiring down on the frame:

Wrapped around handlebar mount

On the Hunqapillar, I coiled the cable around the shifter cabling.  I did this one first, and didn’t like the result, as it is more visible overall:

Coiled

The dynamo unit is strapped to the back of one of the fork legs, and simply held in place by zip ties.  Here are some pics of my wiring on the Hilsen.  I followed the basic process that Lovely Bicycle had posted a while back to keep the wiring as invisible as possible, while still being an easy job that doesn’t require any frame drilling or fiddling.

Front Hub Mount Point

ReeCharge unit

Cabled up to Bar Mount

More images of how the lighting cables are run are found HERE.

 

 

 

 

Bosco Bars

02 Thursday Aug 2012

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Homer-1.jpgHomer-2.jpgHomer-3.jpg

Bosco, a set on Flickr.

I’ve added a new bar to the mix. This went on a bike it was seemingly designed for. I have an ’88 Miyata mountain bike that is long and low, and was built as a downhill racing bike for the mighty Greg Herbold. I had used Nitto Albatross bars on it for a few years, and they were almost perfect, but I felt that I couldn’t get low enough as I used a “dirt drop” stem to get them up high enough for upright commute duty. The Grant Petersen designed Boscos do a great job of giving two extreme positions that is really the beauty of a good drop bar. If I hold the flat center position, I get a stretched out, low profile, and If I want upright, the swept back portion is high and mighty long. So far, so good.

Two considerations in going with this bar. I put a 13 cm stem on it to get it far enough forward so the back of the bars don’t impale my legs. It also helps stretch me out. I also had to really crank the stem down on the bar to keep it from moving. This bar has some serious leverage!

Leather Saddles

02 Thursday Aug 2012

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Brooks B17 – Rivet Pearl – Selle Anatomica Titanico (left to right)

I’m a convert to the comfort of a good leather saddle for longer distance bike rides.  The look and durability of a nice leather saddle is a plus, as well.  I’ve been riding the Brooks B17 saddles since 2008, and have ridden up to 200km on one.  At that distance, I was not too sore post-ride, but I definitely had a bit of numbness for a few days.  The only other issue with the B17 is that you have some minor maintenance  to attend to if you want the saddle to last.  It is not waterproof, so a cover, and regular application of a leather treatment (Brooks Proofide, or Obenauf’s) is recommended to keep a saddle in good shape.

I was rebuilding a bike for a friend, and he wanted to try a leather saddle, so I bought a couple of Selle Anatomica (SA) Titanicos.  I figured he would be less inclined to baby the saddle, and they advertise  a “water resistant” leather.  The current thoughts on the SA saddles is that they don’t hold up well to clydesdales (folks on the positive side of 200 lbs).  I’ve even read that they tend to stretch out quite a bit for folks in the 180 lb range, and often end up with maxed out tensioning screws within a year.

In looking for a good color match for the kidney and gray scheme on my Hunqapillar, I also wanted to add a Rivet Pearl saddle to the mix.  This is a new saddle maker that uses US leather and design, and builds the saddles in Taiwan.  The owner/founder is a well known randonneuse named Debra Banks who had worked for Selle Anatomica.  This saddle has a cutout like the SA, but is built with thicker leather to firm it up.  As a distance rider runs this company, I am hopeful it is designed to provide long distance comfort, and initial reports are that it does.

My observations are as follows:

(l-r) Selle Anatomica – Rivet – Brooks

  1. In measuring the setback, I did some rough measurement of the front-most point on the rails to the front of the saddle.  The SA had the most adjustability and measured only 10cm from the front of the saddle to the front-most point of mounting on the rail.  The Rivet had the second most amount of setback with a measurement of 12cm from the front of the saddle.  The venerable B17 was at 14cm.  You can see this clearly in the photo above.
  2. The Selle Anatomica is immediately comfortable and tends to disappear from thought.  It is more finicky to line up for proper comfort – the angle has to be right.  It is very much like a stretchy hammock, and has a lot of movement or “give” while riding.  I’ve already tensioned the saddle after about 200 miles of commute use, and have the tension screw halfway out.  The bag loops in the back are close to being unusable as they line up with, and have interference from the saddle rails.  Getting a bag on it is doable, but could be a lot simpler with a small adjustment in where they line up.  The finish of the saddle is a bit rough at the edges.  I also notice the front of the saddle twisting slightly when I lift the bike by the seat.  It is not a problem, but it seems a bit odd if you are used to seats being one-piece immobile affairs.  The rails have the longest adjustability of the three saddles, and I can move the saddle back farther on the post than the other two saddles.
  3. The Rivet saddle is very firm.  It is not a hammock like the SA – much more like a firm Brooks saddle.  The finish is beautiful – better than the SA saddle.  It is more in the realm of Brooks quality, although I still think the Brooks is tops in this category.  More “classic” anyway.

I have not ridden the Rivet more than a few miles so I can’t comment on break-in feel.  I will have to report back on that after a few hundred kms.  I have installed the Rivet on my Hunqapillar which will become my daily commuter, as well as camp/tour bike.  The SA is now on my Hilsen which will do primary duty on brevets for the immediate future.  It is still the most comfortable of the three, and I have no problem with it on my 18-mile round trip commute in plain old pants or short (no padding).  I’ve got a pair of B17s sitting on the shelf in semi-retirement.  If the SA gives out, or the Rivet doesn’t break-in, they will go back on the bikes.  They are my benchmarks.  I may have one of them “slotted” by SA if I feel compelled.

Brooks B17 Side Shot

Rivet Pearl Side Shot

Selle Anatomica Titanico Side Shot