Green in the Front, Blue in the Back

27 Sunday Jan 2013

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I love Rivendell Jack Brown tires.  They are a great combo of cush on a 700c wheel and low rolling resistance.

http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/t100-g.htm

Hilsen with Jacks

I have had Jack Brown’s on my A. Homer Hilsen for a few years, with a brief fling using the also sublime Gran Bois Cypres tires. For the past 6 months, I’ve been regularly riding a Hunqapillar with heavier Schwalbe Duremes on my work commute of 10-20 miles, and I have been gradually come to a conclusion.  Heavy tires with tough sidewalls are great for avoiding flats, but I don’t like riding on them.  They feel really sluggish – like I’m constantly pushing and fighting to keep the bike moving.  Not fun to me.  Biking should be fun.

Hunqa with Jacks

With that in mind, I swapped out the Duremes for my extra set of Jack Browns and rode in the other day with this configuration.  Yes – it made a difference.  I also noticed the difference in feel of the bike frame going from the more flexy AHH to the stiffer Hunqapillar.  My normal cruising speed on the flats is 15-20 mph depending on the inclines/wind/legs on the AHH.  With the heavy Schwalbe Duremes (50mm) on the Hunqa, I was typically struggling to keep it at 13 mph.

Now, I’m not trying to set speed records, but I’ve found that the beauty of “road” bikes is that they typically feel more effortless on the pavement.  In my many years commuting with a mountain bike with roadish tires, I know that a lot of it has to do with geometry as well, but tires DO make a big difference.  That said, it’s not the diameter, it’s the weight, and the sidewall.  Big cushy tires can be AWESOME if they are light and have a supple sidewall.

Blue in Back

Green in Front

Yes, you will get more flats.  Only you will be able to decide if the rest of the time riding is worth the few flats.  I’m not in goathead country, so the biggest problem is road trash (glass, radial wires, nails).  This will result in a flat every few months.  I can live with this.  To avoid it as much as possible, I use the Jack Brown Blue (kevlar belt) as my rear tire, and the lighter, suppler Green on the front.  This keeps me pretty flat proof, as everyone knows that you always get flats on the tire that is hardest and messiest to change (rear).

Now I just need to move those fenders in a bit…

Night Ride

13 Sunday Jan 2013

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BeginningRando StyleBig Front BagSafety?Nice and LightOld Style
Snowy CascadesAcross Lake Washington

Night Ride, a set on Flickr.

This week’s WTS ride was called off due to icy conditions. I will miss next week’s due to a trip, so I put in a few miles tonight on the Burke Gilman Trail. It was about 30 degrees, but with little wind I stayed warm in 2 layers of merino and a soft shell top. My Sidi winter boots are not keeping my feet warm below 40 degrees, so I need to take some warmers with next time I’m out in this temp. The Hilsen made it over many an ice patch with no issues. Even with the nearly treadless Jack Browns. I had a nice comfy session on the Rivet saddle. This is the first time I’ve had it on this bike. It has some potential for longer rando rides. The Acorn bag continues to score highly. I put the tools in the bottom of the main compartment, and took the rear bag off the bike. It handles fine, and I even dropped in a 6-pack and a big bottle of beer for the final quarter mile. Utility rocks. All smiles when I got back. Love these clear cool Seattle nights!

Experiment with a Short Saddle

13 Sunday Jan 2013

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I always thought that a shorter “women’s” saddle should work great for the fellas.  There is less nose to get in the way of your junk, right?  I saw my chance to try one when Kent Peterson posted for sale a ti Brooks Finesse.  I pounced thinking it would be a great way to try both a ti Brooks and a short nose saddle.

B17 on left, Finesse on right

It was a bit on the dry side, so I put a few coats of Proofide on it to soften it up a bit.  The first thing I noticed is how nice the brown leather looks.  It’s like having a nice piece of wood with unique grain.  The copper rivets and nameplate were a nice match for my copper Hilsen, as well.  The thing felt like it weighed about half of my normal B17 Special.  All systems go!

Copper plate

The first few commutes dialed it in, and I found that I was getting similar comfort to the B17 I was used to.  This saddle has more of a Team Pro shape, and I liked how it was easy to slip around on while riding.  No sticky points.  I really liked the shape – the sides are molded inward a bit more, and less apt to stick out and rub your thighs.  The one area I wasn’t sure about was the nose.  It seemed to pop up a bit more than I liked, and to get it to the angle I needed it at for my sit bones, I could feel the nose tip.  This turned out to be the rub for me.  I really didn’t like having that upward push happening further back than on the normal “men’s” saddles I ride.  It wasn’t painful, just there.  A good saddle is supposed to disappear beneath you…

First long ride

I ended up taking it on a longer ride (38 miles), and it was comfortable, but when I reached the finish, I decided it was time to end the experiment.  I knew that after 100 miles, this slight bump would become a royal pain in the taint!  No go.  Oh well, it is a really nice saddle.  I may hold on to it for a while and see if my wife or daughter find it to their liking.  Next up – I’m going to try the Rivet Pearl (again) on a longer ride.  I may have it just about dialed in this time, and the shape is superb!

Side view of the B17 – notice the longer flat nose

The Finesse is more of a bowl – less nose…

 

WTS 1 Redmond – Carnation

09 Wednesday Jan 2013

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Homer-1.jpgHomer-4.jpgHomer-5.jpgHomer-3.jpgHomer-2.jpgHomer-7.jpgHomer-6.jpgHomer-8.jpg

WTS 1 Redmond – Carnation, a set on Flickr.

Seattle Randonneurs (SIR) puts on a Winter Training Series in January that gets us ready for the spring series of riding. It’s interesting in that it is usually pretty dismal weather, but I have to remember that 30’s and 40’s aren’t bad when compared to my old stomping grounds (Minnesota).

To that end I rode in the first ride of the series this year, and will try to get in as many as I can. This ride started in Redmond and went out to Carnation and back in a nice hilly loop that had about 2300 feet in elevation gain. The second hill was a killer, but there were some really great descents. Nearly no traffic on this route, and fairly good roads. I rained on us most of the route, but I didn’t hit any slippery spots.

WTS1Map

As the bike goes, I was riding the Hilsen in rando garb. The Acorn Tall Boxy Rando bag was awesome and useful. I had extra clothes in it and a clif bar, but not much else. I also brought 2 bottles of h2o and only used one in the 38 miles we rode. I had the Brooks Finesse Ti saddle I recently purchased from Kent Peterson on the bike. While it was comfortable, I think I am going to go back to a full size saddle as it felt odd to me – not as much room to move around? Perhaps it was just less gripping area from what I am used to. I still want to give the Rivet a chance on a longer ride – perhaps I’ll put that one back on…