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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

Diamond Tape Session

27 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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Tags

bleriot, bosco, city chickens, cycling, diamond bar wrap, diamond wrap, harlequin, harlequin wrap, Miyata, saluki


AudienceChickens?Ahhh - BeerCan we come in?Usual SuspectsThe Host
Host BikeBruce's CockpitCool RackTall Acorn Boxy RandoRob M's Big BagBleriot & Ridge Runner Team
Rob M is Quick!Celeste and Yellow!It Takes Concentration!First RowAccent is DoneFirst Row on Bleriot
Beausage!In ProgressWorking the HoodsWhere do I Cut This??Starting More DiamondsRob M at Work

Diamond Tape Session, a set on Flickr.

This afternoon, four mad-rad RBW list members got together for a bar taping fest in a Seattle garage (yes, it was raining). Amazingly, all members arrived on their bikes and carrying nothing more than bar tape, and the willingness to be made a fool of by cotton tape, they learned the fine art of the harlequin bar wrap.

We had a good time, and in the end there were 3 new diamond’d up cockpits on a Saluki, Bleriot, and Bosco’d Miyata Ridge Runner Team. Special thanks to Rob Harrison for his garage, and his family’s patience! For those that missed this round, there will be more. I will host one in a few months at my place.

Pics prove it happened in the rain with chickens…

Harlequin Bar Tape How-To

28 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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Tags

bar tape, cloth tape, diamond wrap, handlebar tape, harlequin, harlequin wrap, Hunqapillar, Newbaum's, rivendell


Taping the Diamonds

Taping the Diamonds

How-To on Taping Bars

This is a short how-to video on doing a Harlequin (diamond pattern) bar wrap with cloth tape on drop bars.  I am definitely not a video professional, so this may not be helpful, but I’ve done over 10 bar wraps using this method, and it works.  As I can’t find a good video tutorial on how to do this, I figured I would contribute what I could to the cause.  I hope you enjoy it.  This pattern is unique and really classes up a bike.  I originally learned this via Jim Varnum’s excellent photo tutorial linked here: http://www.wastedlife.org/bike/harlequin/index.html

Progress!

Progress!

Hunqapillar Harlequin Drops

06 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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Tags

bar tape, cotton tape, diamond wrap, harlequin wrap, Hunqapillar, nitto, noodles, shellac bar tape


Finishing the diamondsCompleted right sideTwo sectionsWorking the leftLower leftLeft complete
Cockpit viewFront viewGetting ready for shellacOne coat finished

Hunqapillar Harlequin Drops, a set on Flickr.

This was my latest bar work. After a recent fit, I decided to set up both of my main rides with similar cockpits and dimensions to minimize bodily pain.  I’ve also been slowly beginning to favor drop bars.  I did a dual harlequin wrap on Nitto 42cm Noodles putting the diamonds on the straight parts. This keeps them well-shaped and avoids the warped diamonds you get on curves. I used Newbaums Maroon and Yellow with amber shellac finish (three coats). I also video taped some of the wrap work and hope to edit an post my first video blog soon.

Miyata Commuter Update

09 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

bar tape, bike, commuter, cork grips, diamond wrap, harlequin, Miyata


Miyata commuter ready for businessSackville Shopsack in Medium Wald BasketCockpit closeup

Miyata Commute, a set on Flickr.

This is the latest setup on my Miyata commuter. I finished up the Albatross bars with cork, did a diamond wrap, and twined and shellac’d the setup. I love the thumbshifters I’m using now. I used to have bar-ends on these bars, but they were just too long to make it usable. This is a really comfortable setup for me, although it’s definitely a slower ride when compared to the Hilsen.

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