Tale of two rando bikes

28 Wednesday May 2014

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a. homer hilsen, Barlow Pass, brevet, Cycles Toussaint, jack brown, light bike tires, randonneur, rivendell, tires, Velo Routier

After my brief flirtation with a bigger tire on my Hilsen, I’m back to the real original version. Jack Brown 33.3s. They actually measure just under 34mm, so only 3 or 4 mm smaller than the Barlows. Who knew! They feel great, and I don’t have as much toe overlap with this setup.

I noticed how much this bike is like the “new” rando I’ve been taking on the longer rides this year. Slightly different geometry on the frames, different tire size, but really close to the same measurements at the body contact points. Here are two side by sides:

A. Homer Hilsen

Velo Routier

I’m using the same seat, bars, and cranks. Pedals will soon be the same if I can make up my mind on the clipless of choice. There is one main difference I could feel today on my ride home. The bars on the Hilsen are 2cm above seat height. On the Routier, they are only 1cm above the seat. This was changed as soon as i got home as I’ve been plenty comfortable on the Routier this season, and the Hilsen actually felt a bit odd – like I was riding a “comfort” setting. It was not feeling quite the same in the power output. With the bars dropped, and a test ride to confirm, I now have a spare rando bike (it was actually the original brevet bike and did just fine for the past two seasons).

Now I just need to get the time to actually devote a day to a ride!

Barlow Pass

13 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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

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.

They are cushy and ride well
They are light (I have the Extra Lights) and don’t slow my pace down
They increase stand over height by a half cm or so (it is noticeable)
The bike handles about the same
The tread is very grippy – I like the sure-footedness
There is now quite a bit of toe overlap, and I have bounced the fender several times during slow maneuvers
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.

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…

Introducing the Full Line of Compass Tires

22 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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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

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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Snow Commuter

25 Friday Feb 2011

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bicycle commute, brooks, commute, knobby, schwalbe, snow, snow commute, studs, thumb shifters, tires, v-brakes

I had built a set of snow stud tires a few years ago after a particularly long spell of snow in Seattle. I hadn’t gotten a chance to use them in last year’s mild winter, and put them away. In the meantime, I got a new “old” frame that I swapped out all my MTB components on and made a new winter bike. The problem is that my new bike wouldn’t fit the snow stud tires. I ended up rebuilding the old mountain bike frame into a dedicated snow beast. I finished it earlier this year, but too late to test it in the early winter snow we had.

Well – I got my chance on Wednesday. It was forecast to be a rough commute home with 2-6″ of new snow. Needless to say, I rode the bike in, and home on dry pavement (figures), and discovered a few things I had learned a long time ago.

Commuting on a mountain bike is no fun.
Thin handlebars with plain old cotton tape is not too comfy – I prefer cork tape overwrapped with cotton for a added girth.
I really like thumb shifters and v-brakes!
A non-leather hammock seat (in this case a WTB) modern seat is not comfortable to me – I developed hot spots on the “cushy” seat after only a few miles. I’m sticking with Brooks.
Studded knobby tires are a waste of time unless you are on deep snow. I went through more snow on Schwalbe Big Apple road tires with little problem earlier this year, and they were definitely less work.

I hate to say it, but this bike will quickly be sold, or just become a dedicated mountain bike again. Sometimes what appears to be bitchin’ is really just lame…