Category Archives: Cycling

First Wheel

23 Thursday Jun 2011

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I’ve been a lifelong biking enthusiast, and have commuted and worked on my bikes for at least 20 years.  I never built my own wheels, though.  I finally got the gumption up to buy a truing stand, and give it a whirl.

First hand-built wheel

I picked up the basic parts (hubs, spokes, rims) from my local bike shop Free Range Cycles.  They were very helpful and sized the spokes for me.  This was the part I wanted help with the first time through, at least.  The front wheel took most of my Fathers Day – probably 3-4 hours, but I got it all laced up and true.  I used fairly standard XT hubs, and Sun CR18 rims.

My second attempt on the rear wheel went much more quickly, and I started to learn little things that made it a lot easier the second time around.  I can see that doing a bunch of these will make me a more proficient mechanic.  It’s definitely an art, but it is not hard to do if you have the time and inclination.  Pretty cool when you ride the end product, too!

All trued up

Rear Wheel

Finished wheels on bike

First ride - Awesome!

A Stop at Rivendell Headquarters

23 Thursday Jun 2011

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I was on a tech conference trip in Santa Clara last week, and decided to make the trek up to Rivendell headquarters since I was in the area.  This was my second visit since getting my A. Homer Hilsen in 2009.  A co-worker tagged along for the ride, and we had an enjoyable morning in Walnut Creek.  After I found my way up to the garage that is HQ, we walked into the first bay, and true to the last time I visited, nobody was there.  We were browsing around for only a short time, when who else but Grant Peterson himself came in and asked if anyone was helping us.

I asked him if I could take a couple bikes out for a spin, and he asked me my PBH.  Within about 5 minutes, he had set up 4 different bikes for me to ride.  They were all different in a big way:

  • 58cm Hunqapiller (with diagonal tube) with drops bars
  • 54cm Hunqapiller (no diagatube) with moustache bars
  • 58cm SimpleOne in single speed mode with Grip Kings and albatross bars
  • 60cm Bombadil (with diagatube) and bullmoose bars
My observations were that the Hunqas felt very similar from a frame perspective – they both felt like a nice solid steel frame mountain bike.  The cockpits were different, and I found that I really like the moustache setup.  I think it felt familiar to me since I’ve ridden the VO Porteur bars quite a lot.  The smaller frame was also a comfy setup for a mtb for me.  It was probably my favorite ride!  I found the Bombadil to be a bit large for me, but only when I stopped and moved up towards the bars – that tube slopes up quite a bit.  I didn’t really dig the bullmoose bars, but these were the very long reach versions, and since it was a big bike, it was just sized wrong for me.  Besides the sizing, I was in love with the frame, and I felt that the weight was not noticeably worse than a simple diamond frame.  Same observation on the Hunqa.  The SimpleOne was great, but I didn’t like Albas on it, and the Grip Kings weren’t better than my RMX Sneaker pedals (at half the cost), so it sort of fell down my list of bikes to eventually get.  I think I like gears too much.
I picked up some shifters, pedals, wool, and various other items, and vowed that I’d be ordering something soon.  Everyone we talked to there was helpful.  Grant’s got a great business, and his customer service model is to be envied.

Update to Bars and Cranks

18 Wednesday May 2011

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New compact double crank and rando bars

OK – 2 days under the belt and about 40 miles.  I like the cranks.  It seems the 5mm difference is noticeable, but not a change for the worse.  I seem to be fine in the knees, and it is not affecting my average speeds or feeling of power output.

On the bars, I’ve been tweaking the layout – I put the drops at about 17 degrees, and moved the shifters back a bit to fit my hands.  It’s a bit weird to be so laid out, but not bad so far.  My back and neck seem to be fine.  I feel like it is definitely helping me fight the wind to be more aero.  The problem with biking in May is I’m going into the wind both ways – it blows from the south in the morning, an the north in the evening.  I love getting low in the drops when that happens.  I do like the flare of the drops in the rando bars.  I also don’t mind the narrow width so far compared to the 46cm Noodles I had been using.

The cassette is going to have to go.  The 8-speed SRAM 12-30 is not ideal for the chainline – the spacer by the hub pushes the 7-speed cassette out, and this seems to help.  I also like the 34 tooth big cog on the 7.  I’m cleaning it up, and that bad boy is going back in service.  The LX derailleur is no better or worse than the DuraAce it replaced.  The front derailleur is still creeping in on the big ring, and I constantly have to trim it.  I need a new derailleur – if I can find a nice Campy compact double, I need to snap it up.  Riv used to sell them 😦

Oh yeah – no basket.  I’m dumping the basket on the Riv.  Going to stick with the Acorn bags…

MTB Update

18 Wednesday May 2011

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My snow bike has been morphed back into a regular mountain bike.

I added a Brooks seat, properly color coordinated, and put Schwalbe Big Apples on it for commuting.  It was used for my 9-mile commute and performed admirably,  albeit sort of like a big sail with the upright position.  With the shock and the Big Apples, it’s severely cushy, though.  A real Cadillac.

I may keep this bike around for awhile, at least until I can add a newer steel frame to the stable. There are only a few components I will keep on this bike over time.  The whole drive train is quite worn, and needs replacing.  It’s amazing how much better the simple Sugino cranks are in comparison to the “modern” Shimano/SRAM stuff.  The rings look like they were stamped from sheet metal and bent to shape.  Garbage.

I also need some simple pedals that are uniform on both sides.  I really like the MKS Sneaker pedals, and may try the Grip Kings for this kind of bike.  I will keep the wheels and Big Apple tires – great ride on/off road if it’s not muddy.  I may experiment with other shifting options – the XT Thumbshifters are nice, but I’ve moved on at this point, and can really see the advantage of a modern mountain brifter for off-road riding.  I’m fine with friction for the road, but there are more extreme transitions in the dirt, and quickness can save your ass.

Cranks and Crankstas

18 Wednesday May 2011

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I am doing some changes on the Hilsen at a most inopportune time of the year – Bike to Work Month.

I had picked up a compact double Sugino crank in 170mm instead of my usual 175mm.  As long as I can remember, I’ve always ridden 175s, and lately my psyche was telling me that my legs were extending up too far and it would help my knees to go with a shorter crank.

It seems like internet-lore is very inconsistent on the “proper” length of cranks, although there is a lot of pseudo science about it.  I decided to do my normal “test it myself” routine.  I left the Tange bottom bracket that came on the bike, and simply swapped the crank out.  The old crank was a triple 24-36-46, and the new one is 34-48.  I also changed out the chain and cassette as it was quite gunked up.  I got a Wipperman 808 that I love – best connector link I’ve used – super simple.  I slapped on my older SRAM 8-speed 12-30.

The DuraAce 7800GS I have used since the bike was new has never had a warm spot in my heart, and I had been reading good things about the LX derailers.  I picked up one cheap on e-bay, and set it up, as well.

Since I was in a changing mood, I also swapped my Porteur bars and bar-end shifters for Nitto Randonneur bars and down-tube shifters.  I always liked having the clean simplicity of this shifting setup, and it’s been windy lately, so I wanted to get more aero.

Phew – lots of change in the middle of a high-mileage month.  I’ll give a more detailed report on how this is working out later this week.