Tag Archives: hilsen

GPS vs. iPhone

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Cycling

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,


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.

 

 

 

 

Grant Petersen in Seattle on May 11th

05 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in Cycling

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


From Momentum Magazine Article

One of the big influences in the modern bike renaissance of steel frames, leather saddles, 650b wheels, fatter road tires, and all around comfortable fun biking is coming to Seattle on Friday, May 11th to talk about his new book “Just Ride – A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike”.  I have one of his bikes and can attest to the well thought out design, beauty, comfort, and detailed execution of a Rivendell bicycle.  He designed and marketed bikes for Bridgestone in the US from 1984-1994, introducing much loved iconic bicycles such as the RB-1, MB-0, and the thoroughly offbeat and cult status XO-1.  His writing and design of the Bridgestone catalogs and Rivendell Readers has drawn a good-sized following of serious bikers who didn’t (and don’t) follow the mainstream race fork of bicycle marketing and industry.  Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarterly did a great write up on him a few months ago on his blog: http://janheine.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/people-who-have-inspired-us-grant-petersen/.

I’ve met Grant a couple times at his humble company headquarters in Walnut Creek, and he is the kind of personality who exemplifies the caring, leader of a modern American small business that treats its employees and customers well, and seems to make it through rough economic times (as well as good times) without trying to sell and appease towards only short term profits.  Dude’s got it going on!  He finds and markets products that are higher quality, longer-lasting, and may not be available if it were not for Rivendell’s market pull.  The variety of things you can find on the Rivendell site boggles and really shows the unique mind that is Grant.

He will be talking about his latest book and answering questions on Friday, and I would love to give him a warm welcome to Seattle.  I will be leading a ride after his discussion that will be a flat and casual tool down to the locks and Golden Garden Park.  Specific details are below:

Where:  Free Range Cycles

When: Friday May 11th, 5pm

What: He will do a book presentation from 5-5:30pm, a question and answer session from 5:30-6pm and a bike ride from 6-7pm.  They will have books to sell.

Proposed route:

http://runkeeper.com/user/Stonehog/activity/86076095

The Rack

02 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by in Cycling

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,


I’m a convert to front racks, baskets, and nice canvas bags.  I currently use an Acorn Boxy Rando bag on my Riv, and a small Sackville Saddlesack for tools.  On my “donut bike”, I have a medium sized Wald basket with a Riv Shopsack that I totally love.

Rivendell Front End

I was planning to try out the “low-trail” design, but I’m having trouble justifying getting a new bike just to test this.  I recently rode a few low-trail bikes at my LBS.  I tried a VO Polyvalent, and a Rawland rSogn, but they felt not too much different than my Hilsen in terms of stability with a front load.  I think I just key into trail less than some.

Fall Foliage on the Bridge

I am currently using a Mark’s Rack on this bike.  As I want a bit more platform for the Rando bag, as well as the basket I have been known to sport, I ordered a Nitto/Riv Platrack to add to this.

Rivendell Platrack

I’m probably going to experiment with the struts.  They are supposed to run to the eyelets at the front axle, but I’m more interested in having the same supports from the mid-fork eyelets hold this guy in place.  I think it would look cleaner.  I’m also worried about having more reinforcement from the bottom of the fork, as it may stiffen up the fork in a bad way.  It’s probably psychological, but I’ll see if I can get a quantifiable feel for this.

 

Dyno = Good!

08 Tuesday Feb 2011

Posted by in Cycling, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,


Steel Dyno Commuter

I’ve biked in the dark for years using battery lights.  Over the past few seasons I’ve used various Planet Bike lights, and put up with the  fading light on my hour commute home.  I was contemplating getting a lithium-ion rechargeable that a friend had recommended (Exposure Toro), but a nagging little voice kept bugging me to try a dyno and be free of the battery mess.

I finally picked out a Shimano/Mavic dynamo hub/rim combo from Universal Cycles for a buck 50, and called Peter White for some lights.  I went with the B&M IQ CYO RT

B&M IQ CYO RT Headlight

and Toplight Line Plus.

B&M Toplight Line Plus Taillight

As the wheel came with no instructions, I had to dig them up on the web.  I found the manual in the Shimano docs.

The only tricky part was figuring out which wire was ground (white stripe) and where it goes on the hub connector (the side with the little graphic).  I mounted the light to the fork crown.  Once that was done, I just zip tied the front light wire to my fork, taped the tail light wire under the top tube, zip tied it out the rack and up to the tail light that I mounted on the back of a Wald Large basket.  I used a couple large washers to hold it to the rack wires, and it turned out solid and lined up well.

Wald Washer Mount for Taillight

I left all the extra wire to the tail light and just looped the excess under the rack so I would have it if I ever mounted it on another bike.  I coiled the extra front light wire around the fork by the connector for the same reason.

Extra wire near hub

On my beam alignment first ride, I found that the perfect beam happened when I had the face of the CYO at exactly 90 degrees.  As it’s also a reflector, I figure this is just due to precision engineering.  I also found that my iPhone app, Clinometer, has become one of the most effective tools to have in the bike kit.

Reflections

For what it’s worth, I ride between 12-17 mph on my commute, but there are large sections where I’m doing under 9 mph on hills.  I haven’t over-run the light yet on my 30+ mph downhill blasts, but most of my fast downhill sections are well lit streets.

I’m sold.  I will now be adding this same lighting setup to my A. Homer Hilsen next season.  It’s super great to not have to worry about batteries, and I find myself going to my “rain” bike just so I can ride this light combo home at night.  It’s much better than the 2 watt Planet Bike Blaze (at over twice the price…) I’ve used now for 2 seasons.  That light tends to have a poor definition, and the B&M has such great focus, it truly cuts off at waist level when riding, so it’s not blasting folks on the trail coming towards me.  I get much better close field light, and there is noticable light to either side in front of me. It’s also always the same!  No more of the guessing if the batteries are starting to die.  Just consistently bright light.  Love it!