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Introducing the Full Line of Compass Tires

22 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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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…

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Bike Writers

07 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

bike writers, cycling, Grant Petersen, jan heine, randonneur


Jan and Seattle Randonneurs

There has been a lot of debate in the steel bike internets about Grant Petersen and Jan Heine, which one is “right” about bike design, and various merits of their writings.  I have been following both since 2008, when I moved back to Seattle and started commuting again in earnest.  Now I should express full disclosure that I’m a Rivendell owner (obvious from my posts), but I have also ridden a few low trail bikes like the Rawland rSogn and VO Polyvalent with and without front loads.  OK – not an expert by any means, and I certainly won’t try to resolve this debate here…

I see Grant and Jan as modern writers akin to sports/hobby guys such as those I read as a youth growing up in the Midwest.  Back in my formative days, I was very interested in hunting and voraciously read all there was to read in the journals of the time.  I still hunting as a romantic, meditative soul-soup activity that recharges me from time in the rat race, but I also get this from bike riding, randonneuring, and build/mechanic work.

Grant is sort of a Jack O’Connor (writer for Outdoor Life) who has great stories, and likes classic bikes that are designed in a certain way.  His bikes use steel, lugs, oversized tubing, mid-trail geometry, large tires, leather saddles, and upright bars and riding positions.  He likes bikes that are fun to ride everyday, and useful for a wide range of folks.  He especially fits those that are on the larger or smaller size physically, and really tries to keep his designs consistent for his riders whether they are 6’6″ or 4’10”.  He puts a lot of character (and characters) in his writing, and talks about other loves like cameras, fitness, and camping overnights.

Jan does a great job of appealing to the more technical or race oriented riders, and his love of the romance of the randonneur and the long rides fuel his efforts in soulful stories that inspire people like me to try endurance cycling (whether we should or not).  Kind of an Elmer Keith who comes at things from a different angle but goes into it a bit more heavy on the “science”.  He designs components, like Keith (who designed bullets and magnum handgun cartridges).  His style is, in my opinion, more authoritative or perhaps parental which can put folks off when he pisses on someone’s dream bike, but I believe he tries to be fair, and just has an opinion he really believes to be true.

What I really like about both of these guys is that they work hard to put out a lot of interesting content, they both run successful businesses that rely on the reputation of their word, and they aren’t afraid to express themselves.  I hope they continue to inspire bikers for a long time to come!

Spring 200k

11 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

a. homer hilsen, Biologic, cyclemeter, Escape from Seattle 200k, garmin, Hahn Rossman, iphone, jan heine, rando, rivendell, Seattle Randonneurs, Selle Anatomica, SIR, son 28, SON Delux, Titanico X, Wool


Randos!

I started my rando season yesterday with a 200k that conveniently began and ended within a mile of my house.  There were probably 100 folks that started this ride.  It was a great day with temperatures ranging from 38-65 F resulting in little need for more than a couple wool jerseys and a vest.  No rain – just a bit of fog for the first few hours with sun breaks at the tops of any hill over 300 ft.

Jan and Friends

Jan Heine was at the start with his lovely chrome rando bike, and was the first one out of the gate with his friends and riding partners including Hahn Rossman who was test riding a Mad Fiber bike.  I rode the whole ride with my new pal Bruce, and was grouped up for a while with Asta and a friend who had ridden up from Portland the day before.  Wow – 200 miles up, and 200k for the ride.  Solid!

Cockpit

This was a test for me in a couple of ways.  The most mileage I have put into a ride in the past 8 months was a 38 mile training ride.  I have been commuting over 200 miles a month for the past few years with 3-4 days per week the norm.  I also end up doing a lot of climbing on my commute, so this definitely helped.  I also benefited from a few longer rides last year, as well as a bike fit.  I found a few things that didn’t work once the mileage got over 50 (plain B17, lack of consistent nutrition and water).  On this ride, I started eating and drinking right away, and never really stopped.  My riding app (cyclemeter) said I burned 7500 calories on the ride, and I’ll bet I only had a slight deficit by the end, although 2 bowls of chili and a beer definitely went down with no problems!

Pit Stop

I also got to put some miles on a Selle Anatomica Titanico X which I’ll write up later.  Verdict?  No saddle soreness with my Ibex wool knicker/tights.  The iPhone Biologic rig worked, but it took finessing to keep it charged.  I ended up having to turn off the display and lights to keep a charge going to the battery.  Verdict?  Use the SON28 (more output) on these rides, and leave the Delux on the other bike for now.  That or look into a smaller battery powered GPS, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to jump back to the Garmin without giving the larger SON a try first.

Beautiful Day!

Overall, at the end of the ride, I felt tired, but great.  My right knee was a bit sore, but the pain was gone by Sunday night.  I think a 300k is actually in my sights.  It was a great start to the season!

Extra pics from the ride on Flickr

Grant Was Here

06 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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Tags

bicycles, dan boxer, Grant Petersen, jan heine, just ride, kent peterson, rivendell, unracer, unracing


Grant at the podium

We had a visit in May from the unassuming hero of steel, leather, and twine.  Grant Petersen made a stop on his book tour for Just Ride at Free Range Cycles in Fremont, Seattle, WA, USA, Universe.  We had a glorious sunny day to welcome him, and it brought local luminaries like Jan Heine, Kent Peterson, and Dan Boxer (among others I am surely missing) to wish him well and listen.

It was standing room only

His half-hour talk was a personal recollection of his path from young bike racer, to becoming an un-racer who is out to enjoy riding for its own sake.  The crowd flowed out the door at the small Seattle bike shop, and after his discussion, we all went for an easy ride along the ship canal to the Ballard Locks and back.

Grant at the locks

He had to leave for the airport by 7:30pm, so we had to get him back within an hour according to his “agent” who was going to hold yours truly personally responsible for this.  Hmmm – me responsible for Grant’s safety for an hour.  That’s funny…

Kathleen and Grant

I saw some friends from prior “riv rides” and was able to meet some new friends, as well.  I’m wishing I had taken some better photos of the whole event, as Jan had ridden his infamous Alex Singer, and there were so many nice Rivendells and Bridgestones, I lost count.  I’d like to thank Kathleen at Free Range Cycles for having an awesome LBS, as well as giving me the opportunity to “lead” the ride after the signing.  Truly one experience I won’t soon forget!

 

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