• About Me

Cycle Seattle

~ Posts on bikes

Cycle Seattle

Tag Archives: ahh

Racers

22 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

a. homer hilsen, ahh, brake shudder, Funky Monkey, Paul, Paul Racer, rivendell, Silver Sidepull


Paul Racer Brakes

I’ve been upgrading the Homer for the past 3 years as the time and money becomes available.  I have always admired Paul products from a distance, and recently realized I had a Riv dividend that would pay for a set of Paul Racers.  I finally got the time to install them, so I’m all set.

A couple of notes/thoughts.  The new brakes don’t feel stronger to me than the original Silver sidepulls.  There is more modulation with these, but I’m guessing it’s just related to cable stretch.  There is more exposed cable on both front and back.  Both the Silvers and these Racers have great breaking power, so no net gain/loss there.  Perhaps better feel.  I do like the looks of the Pauls slightly more, but the Silvers were no slouch in that category either.

Brake Hanger

The cable hanger was interesting, and one downside to the center-pull brakes.  I didn’t have much room for a fork crown mount as I have a rack and brakes mounted already, so I used a drop hanger, also a Paul (Funky Monkey), mounted to the stem.   It leaves more exposed cable, and I’ve heard from a few sources (here is a good one) that this may cause shudder as the brakes may grab the rim, the fork flexes back as the tire grabs the road, and the cable tightens, until the pad breaks free, and the process starts again.

Front Racer

The good news is that this doesn’t seem to impact me with these brakes.  It seems to be more of an issue with canti brakes on bikes with flexy forks.

Racer’d Out

Time for some real riding to break them in…

 

These

Night Ride

13 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

a. homer hilsen, acorn bags, ahh, beer, bicycle, bike, burke gilman, jack brown, just ride, randonneur, Ride, rivendell, Rivet saddle, Seattle, sidi gtx


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!

GPS vs. iPhone

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

ahh, case, charger, cyclemeter, dynamo, garmin, gps, hilsen, iphone, motionx gps, randoneurring, rivendell, runkeeper


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.

 

 

 

 

My First 200k

20 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

200k, ahh, bellingham, brevet, etrex, garmin, hazelnut, rando, randonneur, rivendell, SIR


After working up some distance with a couple Populaire’s and a 32 miler over the past few months, I signed up for, and rode my first full 200k (126 mile) brevet.  I had planned to head to Portland with my wife and daughter for a “brewpub” 100k, but when travel plans fell through, I saw that SIR was doing the Bellingham 200k the same weekend. Perfect intro to the longer distance!  It was a relatively flat ride for the area with 3-4k feet of elevation gain, so it seemed pretty reasonable for me to test my fitness.

The night before was packing and prepping.  I knew there was a chance of rain, and it would be in the upper 30’s to lower 4o’s most of the day, so I put an extra wool jersey and tights in my saddlebag, as well as spare socks and a hat.  I brought my rain gear thinking I would just pack it if necessary.  In the front rando bag, I put a couple packets of Perpetuem drink mix, some Nuun tablets for electrolytes, and various snacks like dark chocolate, a roll of Thin Mints (my daughter is a Girl Scout), and some snack mix.  I also threw in a couple small cans of V8.  Locked and loaded, I checked the bike and got my new Garmin eTrex set up and ready.  I did a dog walk, and then tried to follow the same 1 mile track on my bike.  After experimenting, I found a fairly good dashboard for biking that allowed me to navigate like I do in a car GPS in following a marked line.  I had downloaded the route earlier, so I had that ready to go.

Other incidentals in the bag were spare batteries, 2 tubes, and the usual tool kit for flats and such.

After listening to increasing rain all night, I had go get up at 4:30am to get up to Bellingham by 6:30 for check-in.  Driving up, I noted that the 1.5 hour drive at 60mph was less distance than I would be riding for the day, at only about 76 miles.  Intimidating, but I felt ready.  I stopped for a coffee at Starbucks, and the barista said there were a number of folks passing through that were on their way to a run, climb, or bike ride.  I was definitely not going to be alone on this wet day.

As I neared Bellingham, it started to snow.  Now I was getting excited!  The snow wouldn’t stick – it was too warm.  It would certainly be invigorating.

The machine

We left the coffee shop at 7:32am, and I told myself to take it easy and try not to burn out of the gate.  I had a long ride ahead.  There was a secret control not too far down the road at a lookout on Chuckanut Drive (normally a panoramic beauty of a road).

Chuckanut Drive

As it was snowing and cold, I commented that it probably couldn’t get any worse, and of course that sealed our fate for more of the same for the next few hours.  As we rode along Lake Whatcom, it started snowing harder, and seemed to be sticking everywhere but the road.  As we exited the lake’s northern end, I happened to run into a road race that was just getting started.  I pulled to the side for a cookie when the pace/support cars and about 30 riders came by climbing a long hill.  I thought to snap this pic a bit too late, but it shows the nasty conditions pretty well:

Road Racing

After this point, things started to look up.  I continued to ride solo as I had from the start.  I was trying to keep an easy pace, but also realized that the headwinds I was starting to run into would not help.  Luckily, I had tailwinds going north.

Definitely Sticking

Getting up to Sumas was a trip – lots of semi-flooded farmland that seemed to be growing hazelnuts.  I snapped a lot of pictures as the clouds were starting to clear and the sun was starting to break through occasionally.

Hazelnut Farms

Once I got to the border, I realized I had come a long way.  It felt like I was days away from Bellingham, but I still felt pretty good.  I had been keeping up with regular eating and taking water, and still had plenty of go.

Still Smiling at 100K

Now it was time to start heading back towards the water.  After riding along the invisible Cascade foothills, I started to get into a headwind.  This wasn’t too bad, but it definitely slowed me down, especially in the relatively few hilly sections.  It was a bit of a bummer saying goodbye to the mountains.

Goodbye Mountains

Riding on the border was a trip.  This section is populated and mainly farmland.  There was a road on the US side, a small ditch, and a road on the Canadian side.  It was like riding down a split highway.

Don't Jump That Ditch!

I saw quite a few border patrol cars, but it’s interesting seeing the big border crossings built up, and riding roughly 20 miles where one just has to jump across an open ditch to be in another country!  Along the boundary roads, I came upon another rando rider who blew a sidewall and needed a spare tire (not tube).  I told him that I hadn’t brought one, but may start packing one on future rides.  He told me it was the first time it happened to him in 20 years.  After wishing him good luck (and making sure he had a phone), I continued on.

Nice Border, Canada!

When I arrived in Blaine and saw the water again, I really knew I could do it.  It seemed so close now.

Puget Sound At Last!

At one of the controls, I met up with a couple riders who were fueling up, so I rode with them on an off for the next 20 mile or so.  It was getting windy now, and the forecast northwesterly winds turned out to be southwesterlies.  The paceline helped us get through the headwinds down to the Lummi ferry.  Riding in the Lummi nation was pretty cool.  I waved to a lot of folks on the way, and they waved back.  This was definitely friendly country, and not the hostile city environment I’m used to.

Ferry to Lummi Island

Lummi Land

At this point, there was all of 15 miles left – my typical commute.  I felt like I was in ok shape, but I definitely wanted to get back.  I started out faster, and quickly lost sight of my drafting friends.  There was a nice tail wind heading back north up the peninsula.  Lots of great views across the water of the final destination.  This was great motivation.  I was down to my last bit of water, and still had plenty of food, so things were looking really good.

Final Destination Just Over There...

Not Much Farther

Wild Tidal Patterns

The last 10 miles went by quickly, and I soon found myself in the final control with a group of happy Randonneurs congratulating me on finishing my first 200k!  Wow – it turned out really well, and I have to thank all the folks that encouraged me on the way.  This was a fast crowd.  I came in at 11 hrs 4 minutes, but the majority of the riders were in under 10 hours.  There were only 5 DNFs, and one that didn’t make the cutoff, but I was surprised that so many folks kept going with all the snow from the first half of the ride.

Back at Last

Consequently, my spare summer gloves came in handy.  I changed out my soaked winter gloves halfway through, thinking that the new ones would quickly freeze my fingers, but my hands and feet remained toasty after the rain stopped.

Now that I’ve done this distance, I can see doing a 300k, but 400 and up looks mighty challenging.  I definitely have no illusion that folks that pull off a 600k or 1200k are truly tough individuals!

Made it Without a Mechanical

Happy 200k'er

Dad – you bike too much!

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

ahh, bonk, Camano, MAP, populaire, rivendell


January Populaire-1January Populaire-2January Populaire-3January Populaire-4January Populaire-5January Populaire-6
January Populaire-7January Populaire-8January Populaire-9January Populaire-10January Populaire-11January Populaire-12
January Populaire-13January Populaire-14January Populaire-15

January Populaire, a set on Flickr.

This was my first “bonk” ride. I was out of gas at about the 58 mile mark. Nearly had it finished, and just bonked hard.  That night, my daughter told me “Dad – you bike too much!”.  I had to agree (regrettably).  I resolved to commute a bit less, and bus more.  I want to get more miles on the longer rides, and need to save my energy.

In hindsight, I took a month off cycling, and then the week before, had done 4 solid days of commuting. I was tired.

I then met up with a rider from Bremerton with a beautiful Mitch Pryor (MAP) Rando project bike.  We ended up talking through most of the ride, and I was forgetting to eat much or drink water until over halfway through.  I started to suffer at 30 miles, and had a granola bar and a handful of trail mix. I’m pretty certain I became dehydrated by the end of the ride.  I was a bit dizzy, and had no energy left. I had to stop to eat on the 45 minute drive back to keep from dozing off.

Live and learn.

Otherwise, it was a beautiful ride around Camano Island. There were 80 folks that pre-registered, and it looked like we had at least 50 show up. Lots of variations of machines. Everything from custom MAP randos, to titanium Davidsons. Tandems, carbo/alums, and everything in between. I did the ride in a bit over 5 hrs. My AHH rode flawlessly. I had no discomfort, and the drivetrain was nice and quiet. I had put new cranks on with a lower 32t small ring, and was glad I did based on the hills we went up.

I’m looking forward to a real 200k. Now I know that I need constant food/water to make this work…

← Older posts
Newer posts →

Top Posts & Pages

  • Commuting Balance
    Commuting Balance
  • New fenders, old bike
    New fenders, old bike
  • Gorge(ous) Rides
    Gorge(ous) Rides
  • A. Homer Hilsen 7-year Review
    A. Homer Hilsen 7-year Review
  • The Little Things...
    The Little Things...
  • Backup Bike
    Backup Bike
  • Trillium Forest
    Trillium Forest
  • Winter Hills
    Winter Hills

Flickr Photos

BH-19.jpgBH-18.jpgBH-17.jpgBH-16.jpgBH-15.jpgBH-14.jpgBH-13.jpgBH-12.jpgBH-11.jpgBH-10.jpg
More Photos

Archive

  • August 2020 (1)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (1)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • December 2016 (1)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (2)
  • March 2016 (1)
  • January 2016 (6)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • November 2015 (1)
  • June 2015 (5)
  • May 2015 (1)
  • April 2015 (1)
  • March 2015 (2)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • December 2014 (2)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (2)
  • September 2014 (2)
  • August 2014 (1)
  • July 2014 (1)
  • June 2014 (1)
  • May 2014 (2)
  • April 2014 (5)
  • March 2014 (4)
  • February 2014 (4)
  • January 2014 (6)
  • December 2013 (1)
  • November 2013 (2)
  • October 2013 (2)
  • September 2013 (1)
  • August 2013 (1)
  • July 2013 (2)
  • May 2013 (6)
  • April 2013 (1)
  • March 2013 (6)
  • February 2013 (2)
  • January 2013 (7)
  • December 2012 (5)
  • November 2012 (2)
  • October 2012 (2)
  • September 2012 (3)
  • August 2012 (3)
  • July 2012 (1)
  • June 2012 (4)
  • May 2012 (7)
  • April 2012 (1)
  • March 2012 (1)
  • February 2012 (4)
  • January 2012 (5)
  • December 2011 (6)
  • November 2011 (4)
  • June 2011 (2)
  • May 2011 (4)
  • March 2011 (2)
  • February 2011 (4)

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 95 other followers

Follow Cycle Seattle on WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Cycle Seattle
    • Join 95 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Cycle Seattle
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar