Wheel Carrier

08 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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Tags

bicycle wheel, brooks, honjo, rim, rivendell, Synergy, transport, velocity, wheel carrier, zip tie

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…

Bike to Work – Changes Afoot

23 Monday May 2011

Posted by Stonehog in Uncategorized

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Tags

basket, bike, cypres, drop bars, grand bois, jack brown, rivendell, shop sack, Synergy

Goodbye Basket, My Old Friend...

I generally feel like it’s a bad idea to make changes when you’re trying to go above and beyond, but I’ve always been a tweaker. I felt it was time to try drops again, with the amazing May Seattle both-way wind. When I got them on, the basket became unwieldy. There is just not much leverage with drops, and the bag I use (Rivendell Shop Sack) is bumping the hoods, so I decided to go rando mode, again…

Since I was changing things, I also put some nice light tires on to see if I could feel a difference. I went with Grand Bois 700c x 30mm Cypres. They are definitely light, and measure in at about 31mm on my Synergy rims. I have them at 65psi rear, and 50 front. They definitely feel nice so far. The gravel road handling is just fine with these tires. They climb right up the short steep dirt part of my commute, and I didn’t have any slippage. So far, I love em. They look great, too. Not as unique as the Jack Browns, but great just the same.

I’m still unsure about the drops. Less control, but more aero position is definitely a tradeoff. My neck is feeling a bit tired at the end of the day, and I haven’t had that happen since the last time I was on drops. I’m hoping I get used to it. I did have a zen moment a few times on the ride home tonight while gripping right where the flats curve forward into the hoods. It felt right.