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2014 Redux

29 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling, Northwest, Randonneuring

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

100k, 200k, 650b, a. homer hilsen, acorn bags, ahh, bar tape, bicycle, bicycle commute, brevet, commute, compact double, compass, cyclemeter, Cycles Toussaint, cycling, cypres, diamond wrap, dynamo, dynamo lighting, Edelux, fenders, Gran Bois


An auspicious year for this family of horses, 2014 was pretty nice.  There were a few epiphanies, and a lot of riding.  I’m sitting around resting a nagging medial knee issue that has kept me off the bike for the past week or so.  I’ve been wanting to get out and do one last permanent to finish off the 2014 season, but better judgement is telling me to wait until the knee feels normal.  I know from past experience that the best way to heal is to go easy for a while.

Cycle Distance Stats-MonthlyWhile I didn’t do much more mileage this year, it was still a full year of riding with 3,111 miles (just over 5000 kms) so far.  Last year I did just over 3000 miles, as well.  I did most of my brevets early, with the organized rides over at the end of March.  That month was also my first 500-mile month.  I rode my first solo permanent in April, and did some Moab mountain biking over spring break.  July brought the Entmoot, and as usual, a lower amount of riding as I seem to slow down in the summer months.

cycling speed and distance aveI picked it back up in September, and peaked in November with a late season 200k permanent around Whidbey Island.  I am loving this island’s smooth hilly roads, and have a few more brevets and just general rides planned for the future.  My average speed has not budged in the past 3 years, so I may work on my fitness in the new year and see if I can’t bump that up with some interval training.  I am still hedging on the longer rides (over 300k) – I’m just not sure if I would enjoy them.  The Entmoot ride was an eye opener this year, and I feel like unorganized rambles have a special attraction with exploration and time for photos and camping with friends being great short vacations.  The planning and anxiety around an organized brevet sometimes feels like work.

BH-2.jpg

As for the mechanical side, I am slowly gaining more perspective and opinions on what works for me.  I really like the Cycles Toussaint experiment with low trail and plump 650b tires.  Tubeless has worked out well, too.  I appreciate the extra cush on the rides, and less worry about flatting.  I still enjoy the Hilsen’s ride with the 32mm Compass tires, too – they are almost as compliant with significantly less air volume.

I’ve come to feel that the 42cm Noodles are the right cockpit for me over the long distance.  I continue to enjoy the Selle Anatomica saddles, and Sidi shoes.  I am not bothered by having 7 or 8 speed cassettes, and index and friction both work, but on the longer rides, I appreciate the simplicity of indexing.  I have bar-end shifters on the Toussaint, and downtube shifters on the Hilsen, and both are set up indexed at this point.

BH-8.jpg

I really enjoy the centerpull brakes on both bikes, but the post-mounted Dia-Compes on the Toussaint have amazing modulation and easy setup.  I appreciate the simplicity of the older brake style.  I think a great project would be to have centerpull braze-ons added to the Hilsen, perhaps with a low-trail fork, S&S couplers, and Compass Mafac copies added.  Hmmm – perhaps when it’s ready for a re-paint, I can convert her over to 650b as well?  Probably a silly experiment better addressed by a custom.

If I were to have a custom built at this point, it would be a titanium or ultra-light steel tubed, low trail 650b all-purpose bike.  I really feel like this is a do-all, go anywhere bike.  The Rivs would remain my country and camping bikes, and the Toussaint would be backup brevet and city porteur bike.  It would be great to have a lugged Weigle, MAP, or Pereira.  Maybe a Bantam?  Still dreaming of good rides ahead…

48.009537 -122.525983

Barlow Pass

13 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

a. homer hilsen, Barlow Pass, compass, cypres, fenders, Gran Bois, honjo, Hunqapillar, jack brown, rivendell, tires, toe overlap, VO, Zeppelins


BH-4.jpg

After putting 38mm tires (Compass Barlow Pass) and new fenders (VO Zeppelins) on my Hilsen, and riding them for a month or so, I have the following observations.

  1. They are cushy and ride well
  2. They are light (I have the Extra Lights) and don’t slow my pace down
  3. They increase stand over height by a half cm or so (it is noticeable)
  4.  The bike handles about the same
  5. The tread is very grippy – I like the sure-footedness
  6. There is now quite a bit of toe overlap, and I have bounced the fender several times during slow maneuvers
  7. The difference between my 31mm Cypress and these 38mm Barlows is much less evident than jumping to a 42mm Hetre

I am slowly coming to the realization that I like smaller, fatter wheels on road bikes, but if I’m on a 700c, 33.3mm is the most I need.  On both the Hunqapillar and my Hilsen the favorite tires for pure road riding have been either Gran Bois Cypres or Rivendell Jack Brown (Greens).  Both combos make the bikes feel fast, agile, and just “right”.  They also do a good enough job to absorb road bumps that I don’t feel beat up even after a long (200k/300k) ride.  When I have a bigger tire (35mm+) on a 700c wheel, the bike feels a bit ponderous.

Green in Front

I really want to like the Barlows – but they are just not Hetres, and they aren’t feeling significantly better or more comfortable than the Cypres/JBs.  I don’t know if the added volume makes the toe overlap worth the bother. I also like the hammered Honjo fenders I had on this bike.  They added a touch of class…

BH-1.jpg

The Weapon of Weep

14 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Brooks Pro, canti, compass, CX70, diamond bar wrap, dirt drop, harlequin wrap, Miyata, RidgeRunner Team, scrambler, thumbie, u-brake, v-brake


I plan to become a stronger rider.  That much is for sure.  One way to do it is stop eating big fat lunches with the workmates, and go out on my bus/carpool/motorcycle days to ride intervals.  I don’t really have a great bike for that, however.  Wait…  Maybe I do?  The old Miyata RidgeRunner Team that was my Bosco’d lazy bike might fit?  I’ve always sort of loved this mutt – it has a great fast, low feel to it.  Awesome Compass tires that feel like 26″ Hetres!

But, there is that high bottom bracket which was made to fly over fallen logs and various obstacles on the ’88 downhill circuit.  That’s the achilles heel for this bike, I fear.  Then there is the obnoxious U-Brake.  Hmmm – I guess this may still work for a 1-hour lunch ride slash torture session.  Better than sitting barless and sad in the basement bike heap.  OK – first things first.  Put on an old dirt drop cockpit setup I have laying around.  I hope the reach isn’t too short.

BH-10.jpg

Nice!  Even has the diamond tape!  Not really a match, but I’ll add a little blue to the drops.  There.  Much better…  Now about shifters.  Hmmm – I could do the stem setup like I had on the clown bike?

B&M Lumos B

Nope.  Too much hand movement – can’t deal with that while I’m cranking up a hill at top speed, right?  How about something more ergo – perhaps thumbie style?

BH-16.jpg

Awww yeah – that’s more like it…  Now is this a scramblin’ interval machine or what?

BH-8.jpg

This sucker looks fast just standing there.  Like it’s going to jump the start and kill the field.  Those lugs!  Those fenders!  That raked cockpit!  Damnnnnn.  Better put some clipless pedals on this beast.  Need maximum torque.  Let’s put a Ti Brooks Pro on there, too.  Keep the weight and comfort down – no sense getting complacent and sitting down on the ride…

BH-3.jpg

Hmmm – that old V-Brake’s gotta go.  No problem solver rig this time.  This bike was built in the golden era of cantis.  Hey – I just got a pair of CX70s for the rando bike that I didn’t need (had centerpulls).  How about we try one out on the front?  Crap – gotta put a cable hanger on there somewhere…  Hmmm… I know I have one lying around somewhere.  There we go.  Got it.  OK – now comes the fun part!  Get it to work.  It’s raining tomorrow – perfect day for a transport stage.  There’s life in this old steed yet!

BH-5.jpg

Introducing the Full Line of Compass Tires

22 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

a. homer hilsen, Babyshoe Pass, Barlow Pass, compass, cycles, extra lever, Gran Bois, Hetre, jan heine, light tires, randonneur, rivendell, supple, tires


Bigger, lighter 700C tires! Just what we’ve been waiting for, Jan! Can’t wait to try the Barlow Pass – looks like a great alternative on my country bike. Big thumbs-up on the names for the new tire range. Love the NW mountain pass theme. I have some Hetre Extra Legers going on a new bike, but I’m going to have to get a pair of the Babyshoe Pass tires for the next set.

More info from Jan – all new tires – not re-branded Gran Bois.  They have been created based on all the tire testing Jan and crew have done over the years.  I’m very interested in the 700c x 32mm, 38mm, and the 650b x 42s.  I will have to get new fenders for the Hilsen so I can put the big guys on!

Off The Beaten Path

cayuse_pass

Compass Bicycles Ltd. introduces a full line of high-performance tires in both 700C and 650B sizes. The narrower 700C tires are a great way to transform the performance and comfort of a racing bike. The wider 700C tires, especially the 38 mm-wide “Barlow Pass”, will allow riders of 700C bikes to enjoy the benefits of supple, fast and wide tires. The wide 650B models provide more performance and better cornering grip than existing models, thanks to their optimized tread pattern and thickness.

Eight years ago we started the first systematic real-world tests of tire performance in recent memory. We conducted both roll-down tests and track tests with a power meter. What was revolutionary about these tests was that they were performed with a rider on board. As it turns out, the rider is an integral system of the bike, and suspension losses in the rider’s body are one of…

View original post 395 more words

New fenders, old bike

23 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

B&M, B17, Bar Wrap, bosco, brooks, compass, hammered, harlequin, honjo, Luxos, Miyata, resurrectio, rivendell, sackville


I have an old mountain bike that has become one of my favorites.  Not sure why, but I think it’s the pump peg.  It’s always the simple things that give flame to our obsessions.

Old version

The Miyata has a few issues, but I’ve solved a lot of them in the past year, getting rid of the front rack and basket (too much trail to handle well), and adding the awesomely great Compass 1.75″ tires.  They are like Hetres for a 26er, but with useful tread. I even harlequined the hell out of the boscos.   OK – there are a few other things that need changing, like the crappy VO crankset, slippy MKS pedals, and plain old Brooks B17, and I may have the frame powder coated some day, but I’ll leave that for a while and keep enjoying the retro color scheme.  I also needed lights for the perfectly good unused Shimano dyno hub.  Enter the Luxos B:

New hotness

Another problem with said bike in that it had ugly black fenders.  Those had to go even though they were perfectly adequate (well – not really – they were too short to keep the front splashes off my feet in really big puddles).  I picked up some NOS 26″ hammered Honjos last year intending them for this bike but uninstalled due to time commitments.

Bad ass fenders

I took it for the inaugural ride today and had no rattles, log-jams, or other inconveniences.  It is still living up to a favorite!  This will be my winter ride.  I may even use it on a brevet if the main bike is in repair…

Rear view

Oh yeah – the bell is totally divine!  Multiple timbres and tons of decay, while not being too intrusive/obnoxious.

Nice foreground to a vodka yacht (Serene)

Pretty!

This frame is 25 years old, but it’s starting to have a new life.  I’m guessing it will go at least another quarter century if these fenders do their job in rainy Seattle…

 

 

 

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