Cycles Toussaint

19 Wednesday Feb 2014

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http://flic.kr/p/hmdmkS

I have been awaiting the Soma Grand Randonneur frame I had ordered a month ago, and suddenly got a wild hair to re-think the decision.  Actually, I lost patience as the rando season is swiftly approaching.  

Late last year, my LBS built up a few newer arrivals in the steel bike, low-trail, 650B vein.  I did some test rides, and came away with a definite feel for how these bikes differ from my existing rides.  In my weekly after-work stop, I was chatting with owner Kathleen, and discussing ordering a Rawland Stag (one of the bikes in this club I hadn’t ridden) when she suggested I look at the Toussaint again.  I quickly dismissed it as I recalled it being a 57cm frame, and feeling that was too small.  But the seed was planted.  I looked up the geometry again, and noticed it was not much different from my A. Homer Hilsen – 1cm less top tube, but the same stand over.  Hmmm – that’s why it felt so right when I rode it after the Soma.  

After much soul searching and pondering alternatives, it sounds like the bike I’ve been looking for was the Cycles Toussaint Velo Routier that was right under my nose for the past few months.  Kathleen is pulling some of the original build off it so I can use my existing cockpit and crankset.  I will pick it up this week, and I can’t wait to get it built up and out on the trail.  I may try to ride it on the Chilly Hilly this weekend – that would be amazing, but possible if the chips fall in my favor…

Surprise Routes

02 Sunday Feb 2014

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I wanted to get up and do a different route to work today (had to go in on a Sunday to support Super Bowl mobile TV traffic).  I thought the route would add a few miles to my commute, give me some extra hills, and maybe take a lot longer.  Surprise – it was the same 12ish miles as my normal “long” route – ha!  It’s amazing how deceiving route planning can be.  It was a cool morning, and there were icy parts on the road, but the sun was out, and I knew it would be a good day for a ride.

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I went straight west a few miles to the Puget Sound.  I stopped for a few picture of the frosty beach.  It was vacant at 9am on a Sunday.  The mountains were trying to peak through the clouds, and we had a nice foggy inversion happening south of Seattle.

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Going across the Ballard Locks (also empty but for a few runners), I noticed the 12th man flag.

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The water was so gorgeous, I found myself looking for fish in the locks.  Nothing today, but with more time, I would have checked the fish ladders.  I’ve heard the steelhead are running now.

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I found a new route from the locks to the railway cut that allowed me to miss a short, steep rise, and then it was on to the Centennial and Myrtle Edwards and down the waterfront.  The sun really makes a day in Seattle extra great!

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RidgeRunner Porteur

14 Tuesday Jan 2014

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RidgeRunner Porteur, a set on Flickr.

I promised some photos of the re-cockpitted Miyata, and it was light out when I rode in today. It was a nice misty day by the time I got downtown.  The fog started as I neared the Sound, and I was covered in wet mist by the time I got to work. Another beautiful Seattle commute!

Comments on the setup:

  • I love the way this bike rides, but it’s time to disassemble in anticipation of the forthcoming Soma Grand Randonneur.
  • I may keep the frame, but I have a feeling it won’t get ridden much.
  • The bottom bracket is too high, which pushes the seat too high – too much seatpost showing.
  • I would also put a longer stem on this beast – probably a Nitto Technomics 110.
  • The reach is a bit too short this way.
  • I also won’t do 175mm cranks again. After 170/171s it feels like I’m really moving the legs a lot!

Bike Work

12 Sunday Jan 2014

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I needed some “dad alone time” tonight, so I did a little work on the Miyata RidgeRunner Team.  I like the Rivendell Bosco bars, and have used them for over a year, but it was time for a change.  They are huge, and allow an amazing amount of variety, but they started to feel a bit clownish – perhaps it’s the tape job…

Ready to go

I put a VO Porteur setup back on this bike.  This was a cockpit I had originally on the Hunqapillar, and liked it quite a bit.  I also started out with porteurs on my Hilsen after a bad experience with some of the larger (46cm) Noodles.  I rode that configuration for quite a while until I got a bit of hand numbness on a 100k in 2012.

January Populaire-1

The porteurs are narrow, and have enough reach back towards me that they offer a bit more upright position than drops.  They also look cool :)

In doing this, I had to replace all the cables due to the length differences.  I also went to bar end shifters (indexed Shimano 8-speed).  They work fine on the 7-speed cassette, BTW.  The bike feels smaller and narrower now.  I don’t have the bolt upright feel that I had with the Boscos, but I’m saving them for someday when I need to relax a bit.  With more randonneuring coming this year, I need to get used to the more aero position of the drops, and the porteurs aren’t too off.

I’ve thought about selling the Miyata with the forthcoming Soma GR I am planning to build up, but I’m not sure I can do it.  I like the bike a lot, and have put a lot of time and effort into reviving it from the ’80’s MTB form I found it in.  I will post some pics of the new config in the next week, but for now, here’s the old version.

B&M Lumos B