Tag Archives: brooks

Wheel Carrier

08 Thursday Dec 2011

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riv-wheel-carrier-1riv-wheel-carrier-2riv-wheel-carrier-3

Wheel Carrier, a set on Flickr.

I had to carry a rim home tonight, and could not devise a good way to put it on the front rack. This seemed to work out pretty well, and I got home with nary a scratch.

I used zip ties to try to keep everything snug and rattle-free (at least on the fender).  I had done this method of wheel transport before, and every bump bounced the bottom of the wheel off the fender.  Tieing it down really helped this time.

I had to watch how close I got to traffic, parked cars, and other bikers, but it wasn’t a problem.  I did have a bit of scratching on the top where the rim was held by the straps and buckles.  This was likely due to the rim coming in contact with the metal seat loops that the bag straps use.  Nothing a light sanding won’t remove, but a slight annoyance in the occasional rattle department.

Next – on to the build…

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.

Snow Commuter

25 Friday Feb 2011

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I had built a set of snow stud tires a few years ago after a particularly long spell of snow in Seattle.  I hadn’t gotten a chance to use them in last year’s mild winter, and put them away.  In the meantime, I got a new “old” frame that I swapped out all my MTB components on and made a new winter bike.  The problem is that my new bike wouldn’t fit the snow stud tires.  I ended up rebuilding the old mountain bike frame into a dedicated snow beast.  I finished it earlier this year, but too late to test it in the early winter snow we had.

Well – I got my chance on Wednesday.  It was forecast to be a rough commute home with 2-6″ of new snow.  Needless to say, I rode the bike in, and home on dry pavement (figures), and discovered a few things I had learned a long time ago.

  1. Commuting on a mountain bike is no fun.
  2. Thin handlebars with plain old cotton tape is not too comfy – I prefer cork tape overwrapped with cotton for a added girth.
  3. I really like thumb shifters and v-brakes!
  4. A non-leather hammock seat (in this case a WTB) modern seat is not comfortable to me – I developed hot spots on the “cushy” seat after only a few miles.  I’m sticking with Brooks.
  5. Studded knobby tires are a waste of time unless you are on deep snow.  I went through more snow on Schwalbe Big Apple road tires with little problem earlier this year, and they were definitely less work.

I hate to say it, but this bike will quickly be sold, or just become a dedicated mountain bike again.  Sometimes what appears to be bitchin’ is really just lame…