So every so often I try to make something happen on a bike that really shouldn't happen. I don't do some crazy trick or jump off a cliff I rebuild something to make it work in a way it wasn't designed for. So my latest experiment was to create a polo bicycle without completely destroying my fixed gear bicycle. I seen it successfully done by others so I figured how hard could it be.
When I bought my wheel set for my fixed gear bike it has 2 different kinds of possibilities for cogs. There is a fixed side for track cogs so you can ride a fixed gear and a freewheel side so you can hook up a freewheel which is different from a cassette (like a geared bike). A freewheel is slightly different as it has the pawls and mechanism all within it so you don't need a hyperglide style hub like you see on a road or mountain bike hub. It's also only designed for one gear. So I now have the option to flip the direction of my wheel and change gears in a matter of minutes. The gearing goes from a 44x16 fixed (74.25 gear inches) and the single speed side has a gearing of 44x22 (54 gear inches). So a nice fairly stout road gearing for riding around town, but a nice easy simple low gearing for rolling back home or playing a round of polo.
Now the first problem I had with arranging this gearing was if I could this gearing on my bike without having to re linking my chain to a different length. So at first the chain lenght was too long, then too short. So I had to either re pick a gearing on the SS or fix side to make it work. I tried something haphazardly and I got a half link and magically I could run both. A chain normally has links that have to be taken out and put back in 2 links at a time, that adds up to 1". A half link allows 2 links to be taken out and 1 link to be placed in its position. These things fix a lot of chain tension problems on a single speed or fixed gear and they are totally awesome. So a difference of 6T, roughly 3/4" of movement in the drop and it just fit like a glove.
Now since I was going to be running a single speed I needed a new brake. I learned that a vintage frame has a weird rear brake mount. I got lucky and placed a vintage look-a-like rear brake on the bike, but the lever I had sucked. I did not know that this was the problem. I tried another rear brake and learned that the newer bikes have different rear brake mounts. This recessed bolt was not long enough to fit through the rear mount. So I had to abandon that brake. I got a tricky double mount brake lever that I could pull both the front and rear brake at the same time. This lever sucked. I got different set of brake levers, some Avid 5 long pull brakes. Turns out they sucked also. I began to do some research and realized taht the problem was not the levers, but the style. There are long and short pull levers and brakes. Most road style brakes are short or normal pull. The levers I have are long pull. If you mix long levers with short pull brakes it turns out you have to pull twice as hard to get the force required from the appropriate brake. So... I am currently waiting on my short pull levers to arrive in the mail and hopefully will resolve this braking issue I've been having.
So after some fucking around hopefully I will have my polo/fixed gear machine under wraps. All my bicycles serve dual purpose. This will just be an addition to the list. I need to order a few more parts but I think once my brakes show up things will get to rolling in the right direction and I will be able to stop on a dime.
I must say though after riding bikes seriously for about 5 years now I am still learning new things all the time. Sheldon Brown is still the man, RIP.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Holy Crap you Biked here!?
This was the response I heard a lot tonight. I kind of like that response. I got a lot of "In a suit!?" or "In this cold/fog/weather?"
These are the kinds of things that start conversations I can talk for hours on. This makes a night with some friends I don't see to often far less awkward at first.
A friend of mine got married. I biked to his wedding. By the end of the night you would have thought I shown up in a helicopter. I'm officially "that guy," to most of them. Most of them live in the suburbs and don't get that this is a perfectly viable transportation option. Yes sometimes I do get cold. Yes I get wet. Yes I sweat, but these are all minuscule hindrances in the long run of doing what I love.
I am officially obsessed.
These are the kinds of things that start conversations I can talk for hours on. This makes a night with some friends I don't see to often far less awkward at first.
A friend of mine got married. I biked to his wedding. By the end of the night you would have thought I shown up in a helicopter. I'm officially "that guy," to most of them. Most of them live in the suburbs and don't get that this is a perfectly viable transportation option. Yes sometimes I do get cold. Yes I get wet. Yes I sweat, but these are all minuscule hindrances in the long run of doing what I love.
I am officially obsessed.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
USA Cycling
http://usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=4560
This annoys me. I am not a big fan of organized races but its a necessary evil to have an entity watching over all of us and make sure everyone is obeying the rules. This year they handed down a rule to all the cyclocross racers that feeding will not be allowed.
This means no more beer, poptarts, honeybun, hand ups or downs. So I guess this means I just carry my own beer and no one give it to me right? I'm sure this won't be heavily enforced in GA-CX much less in the C's or SS race where its pretty laid back and the field is so varied no one really cares much of their placement, except for the few up front I suppose. It'll be interesting to see how other racers take this.
That is all for now.
This annoys me. I am not a big fan of organized races but its a necessary evil to have an entity watching over all of us and make sure everyone is obeying the rules. This year they handed down a rule to all the cyclocross racers that feeding will not be allowed.
This means no more beer, poptarts, honeybun, hand ups or downs. So I guess this means I just carry my own beer and no one give it to me right? I'm sure this won't be heavily enforced in GA-CX much less in the C's or SS race where its pretty laid back and the field is so varied no one really cares much of their placement, except for the few up front I suppose. It'll be interesting to see how other racers take this.
That is all for now.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Taste of Spring (started on 1-15-10)
So yesterday the temp got up to 56. A balmy sunny 56. I, of course, got on my bike and tore off into the city. It's been a while since I have done battle with traffic as I've been in hermit mode a bit, but it was fun. I dragged my old roomie along who has a single speed which is geared way too high for him. We ambled about and took our time and did a slow 12-13 mile loop around the city. I really kind of wanted to do a solid burn of about 45 minutes, but we stopped a lot to just take in the sights and sounds and stop off in a few places.
I usually embrace winter. I have had trouble this year though as its been far colder than normal. It was good to finally take the cross tires off my LeMond and make it go fast on asphalt though. I really enjoy that bike. It was a bit of a headache when I first got it, but now its pretty much butter. A solid steel frame wrapped up nice and neat with some 105/Ultegra components. It's not the fastest bike or most aggressive but it certainly is fun and very easy to ride with its relaxed geometry. I got it for Cyclocross and it serves a dual purpose as a road bike. It's probably my 2nd favorite bike after the Karate Monkey.
I really want to get better at riding on the road. I mean I am quick, but I can't sustain speed for very long. I have poor habits developed from years of riding a fixed gear and single speeding in mountain biking. I push too big of a gear too long and burn my legs out quick. Then I feel like I don't shift into a high enough gear as I'm used to spinning like a mad man, but slowly fall off the back of the pack. I hope this year I can hang a whole ride on the FM loop in town. I should start riding it once it gets a bit warmer.
I started writing this Friday morning and now its Monday so I totally lost my train of thought so I'm just going to end this beast.
I usually embrace winter. I have had trouble this year though as its been far colder than normal. It was good to finally take the cross tires off my LeMond and make it go fast on asphalt though. I really enjoy that bike. It was a bit of a headache when I first got it, but now its pretty much butter. A solid steel frame wrapped up nice and neat with some 105/Ultegra components. It's not the fastest bike or most aggressive but it certainly is fun and very easy to ride with its relaxed geometry. I got it for Cyclocross and it serves a dual purpose as a road bike. It's probably my 2nd favorite bike after the Karate Monkey.
I really want to get better at riding on the road. I mean I am quick, but I can't sustain speed for very long. I have poor habits developed from years of riding a fixed gear and single speeding in mountain biking. I push too big of a gear too long and burn my legs out quick. Then I feel like I don't shift into a high enough gear as I'm used to spinning like a mad man, but slowly fall off the back of the pack. I hope this year I can hang a whole ride on the FM loop in town. I should start riding it once it gets a bit warmer.
I started writing this Friday morning and now its Monday so I totally lost my train of thought so I'm just going to end this beast.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Snow/Cold
So let me preface this blog post with I'm tired of making the excuse its too cold to do something. Today it got up to a balmy 31 despite the weather saying it was only going to get to 23. The sun really warmed things up but the wind... cut through you like a dagger. So I decided I'd try my hands at riding a bike today.
It snowed in Atlanta on Thursday night. It left some awesome ice patches on the roads that don't get any sun and man it sucks. So I wanted to see how hard it was to ride a bike in said ice. Ice sucks. I ate it hard on my way home trying to stop. I decided to skid a little just to slide across the ice and I went down hard. This was a minor setback as I had bigger plans for the day.
I got my trusty mountain bike and headed for the woods to a secluded trail nearby. There was tons of powder still fresh in the woods. The sunny parts were all melted, but the shady parts were totally covered in snow. A few bike tires had spelled out the best lines for me luckily as this is a mighty rooty trail. A steel bike behaves differently when its sub freezing temperatures I felt like. I couldn't ever get up to speed as I normally would have, but I felt a bit over cautious. My brakes had shifted and my front was rubbing really bad on the disc, but I could not hear it as the constant sound of snow crushing under my tires drowned out most of the subtle noises I normally hear that would indicate a bike needs a little tuning. So I had a really good time. Tree roots are a bitch when its this temp, they act like very long icicles and are more slipper than when they are wet. I had a few instances where a normal roll over resulted in a total loss of front tire contact and bad bad sliding. I had a few small falls, but normally caught myself. So I got to ride in the snow. Something I've never been able to say I've done before. It was fun. It was a lot slower as the snow was on top of a layer of already moist pine straw. It was certainly not optimal biking conditions but how often can you go mountain biking in the snow in Atlanta? If ever?(except now)
So one of my goals was to see what it takes to stay warm in these riding conditions. First thing I learned is that a wind breaking layer on my legs (even shorts) is critical. I wore a pair of cycling shorts under some underarmor long underwear but it wasn't enough. I could never fully get warm legs, but mostly cause I wasn't pushing very hard. My feet were perfect thanks to my Smartwool socks in combo with some Pearl Izumi toe warmers. Those guys make some amazing socks. I finally got to try out my new Pearl Izumi Attack II shoes. This is my first real pair of cycling shoes. I like em. The sole is super stiff, but man they suck for walking in, unlike my Shimano MT41's which are great for walking/hiking/running in. I decided to try the arm warmer thing after seeing a bunch of people use them and I don't know how I ever got by without these things. I am hooked. Smartwool made the ones I am using now and I can ride without a jacket on and still feel great. I have been using my merino wool cycling jersey as a base under another jersey and that is perfect. Occasionally a gap opens up and skin is exposed, but depending on the wind/sun it doesn't phase me too much.
I left the trail early cause I forgot my multitool (knew it would be a short ride and wasn't far from the car ever). I had a chain break. I have never had a chain break on any bike I own so it was due time. I normally do the single speed thing but I have a 1x9 setup now so I can climb a bit more efficiently in the mountains, but I never really felt confident on the 1x9 setup. Today was a perfect example of why. If I had a chain tool I would have gone on my way, but I didn't. So I hiked it out. I wasn't even pushing hard at all. I was in fact going very slowly when it broke. I went to the bike shop to get a quick link for next time it breaks right after.
It snowed in Atlanta on Thursday night. It left some awesome ice patches on the roads that don't get any sun and man it sucks. So I wanted to see how hard it was to ride a bike in said ice. Ice sucks. I ate it hard on my way home trying to stop. I decided to skid a little just to slide across the ice and I went down hard. This was a minor setback as I had bigger plans for the day.
I got my trusty mountain bike and headed for the woods to a secluded trail nearby. There was tons of powder still fresh in the woods. The sunny parts were all melted, but the shady parts were totally covered in snow. A few bike tires had spelled out the best lines for me luckily as this is a mighty rooty trail. A steel bike behaves differently when its sub freezing temperatures I felt like. I couldn't ever get up to speed as I normally would have, but I felt a bit over cautious. My brakes had shifted and my front was rubbing really bad on the disc, but I could not hear it as the constant sound of snow crushing under my tires drowned out most of the subtle noises I normally hear that would indicate a bike needs a little tuning. So I had a really good time. Tree roots are a bitch when its this temp, they act like very long icicles and are more slipper than when they are wet. I had a few instances where a normal roll over resulted in a total loss of front tire contact and bad bad sliding. I had a few small falls, but normally caught myself. So I got to ride in the snow. Something I've never been able to say I've done before. It was fun. It was a lot slower as the snow was on top of a layer of already moist pine straw. It was certainly not optimal biking conditions but how often can you go mountain biking in the snow in Atlanta? If ever?(except now)
So one of my goals was to see what it takes to stay warm in these riding conditions. First thing I learned is that a wind breaking layer on my legs (even shorts) is critical. I wore a pair of cycling shorts under some underarmor long underwear but it wasn't enough. I could never fully get warm legs, but mostly cause I wasn't pushing very hard. My feet were perfect thanks to my Smartwool socks in combo with some Pearl Izumi toe warmers. Those guys make some amazing socks. I finally got to try out my new Pearl Izumi Attack II shoes. This is my first real pair of cycling shoes. I like em. The sole is super stiff, but man they suck for walking in, unlike my Shimano MT41's which are great for walking/hiking/running in. I decided to try the arm warmer thing after seeing a bunch of people use them and I don't know how I ever got by without these things. I am hooked. Smartwool made the ones I am using now and I can ride without a jacket on and still feel great. I have been using my merino wool cycling jersey as a base under another jersey and that is perfect. Occasionally a gap opens up and skin is exposed, but depending on the wind/sun it doesn't phase me too much.
I left the trail early cause I forgot my multitool (knew it would be a short ride and wasn't far from the car ever). I had a chain break. I have never had a chain break on any bike I own so it was due time. I normally do the single speed thing but I have a 1x9 setup now so I can climb a bit more efficiently in the mountains, but I never really felt confident on the 1x9 setup. Today was a perfect example of why. If I had a chain tool I would have gone on my way, but I didn't. So I hiked it out. I wasn't even pushing hard at all. I was in fact going very slowly when it broke. I went to the bike shop to get a quick link for next time it breaks right after.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Random Story
Gather round blog readers, all 3 of you. I have a story to share.
So, this was in 2008, in April, in Tampa Florida. We were doing a survey on a pipeline under a state highway and had to shut down 2 lanes of traffic. In order to get the permit to do this, we had to work from 9pm to 5am. It was weird. I got used to it pretty quick tho. So there was a lot of random things you see staying up this late for 2 weeks on end.
One night we were eating dinner before 9pm and I was talking about Clockwork Orange, and how awesome it would be to have a pimp cane that had a sword in it. You could just pull that thing out and people wouldn't fuck with you at all. Then do your pimp strut and walk away. Conversations get silly when you are that kind of flip schedule. So we are doing our thing and about 2am rolls around and I see something on the side of the road in the gutter. I walk over with my Petzl light and I see a cane. This cane was short and looked weird. I go to pick it up. It was a pimp cane, with a sword in it. I picked it up and was like, no way. NO FUCKING WAY! So I'm beside myself cause I felt I had some sort of premonition. I run over to my coworkers from dinner and they were beside themselves. I never had anything that coincidental happen to me. I ended up leaving the pimp cane in the road. I was afraid that it might have been a murder weapon, which of course had about 4 workers prints all over it. I really didn't want a pimp cane and it was one more thing to carry the rest of the night. So somewhere in a suburb of Tampa Florida there is probably still a pimp cane floating around waiting for its rightful owner. It wasn't me. I'm not cut out for pimpin.
So, this was in 2008, in April, in Tampa Florida. We were doing a survey on a pipeline under a state highway and had to shut down 2 lanes of traffic. In order to get the permit to do this, we had to work from 9pm to 5am. It was weird. I got used to it pretty quick tho. So there was a lot of random things you see staying up this late for 2 weeks on end.
One night we were eating dinner before 9pm and I was talking about Clockwork Orange, and how awesome it would be to have a pimp cane that had a sword in it. You could just pull that thing out and people wouldn't fuck with you at all. Then do your pimp strut and walk away. Conversations get silly when you are that kind of flip schedule. So we are doing our thing and about 2am rolls around and I see something on the side of the road in the gutter. I walk over with my Petzl light and I see a cane. This cane was short and looked weird. I go to pick it up. It was a pimp cane, with a sword in it. I picked it up and was like, no way. NO FUCKING WAY! So I'm beside myself cause I felt I had some sort of premonition. I run over to my coworkers from dinner and they were beside themselves. I never had anything that coincidental happen to me. I ended up leaving the pimp cane in the road. I was afraid that it might have been a murder weapon, which of course had about 4 workers prints all over it. I really didn't want a pimp cane and it was one more thing to carry the rest of the night. So somewhere in a suburb of Tampa Florida there is probably still a pimp cane floating around waiting for its rightful owner. It wasn't me. I'm not cut out for pimpin.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
SGTT #1
The race/TT that wasn't meant to be.
I won't lie. Part of me was super nervous about the weather conditions. Spending 5+ hours on a bike in sub freezing temperatures on some very very remote trails is not my idea of a good time. At the same time though, that was part of the appeal. I was totally psyched to do this little ride.
Roll in the new year. I woke up with an ear ache from hell and a subtle hangover. No big surprise there. I figure I didn't get enough sleep. I drink some water, eat some toast, go back to sleep. I wake up with an even bigger stomach ache and a more notable ear ache that has gone from annoying to debilitating. I try to take a shower and relax take some OTC drugs to lessen the pressure. Nothing is working, and more importantly, nothing is staying down. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all rejected by my broken system. At 9pm after having some chicken noodle soup hoping it would stay within me and give me some much needed calories to my already dehydrated and depleted resources it too was rejected. I gave up and went to bed. Sipped on sprite all night and managed to keep it down.
Woke up 13 hours later after sleeping most of the New Years day. Debated getting on my bike and riding 17 in the cold, but I had NOTHING in the reserves. I was totally drained. So I slept some more and wished I was doing the one thing I love. I went for a walk got some food and feel much better now, but when I get sick I do it proper and quickly apparently. I had a subtle fever, threw up countless times, and couldn't stand from the ear ache messing with my balance. Good entry to 2010.
Next month I'll do it tho, hopefully.
Till next time.
I won't lie. Part of me was super nervous about the weather conditions. Spending 5+ hours on a bike in sub freezing temperatures on some very very remote trails is not my idea of a good time. At the same time though, that was part of the appeal. I was totally psyched to do this little ride.
Roll in the new year. I woke up with an ear ache from hell and a subtle hangover. No big surprise there. I figure I didn't get enough sleep. I drink some water, eat some toast, go back to sleep. I wake up with an even bigger stomach ache and a more notable ear ache that has gone from annoying to debilitating. I try to take a shower and relax take some OTC drugs to lessen the pressure. Nothing is working, and more importantly, nothing is staying down. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all rejected by my broken system. At 9pm after having some chicken noodle soup hoping it would stay within me and give me some much needed calories to my already dehydrated and depleted resources it too was rejected. I gave up and went to bed. Sipped on sprite all night and managed to keep it down.
Woke up 13 hours later after sleeping most of the New Years day. Debated getting on my bike and riding 17 in the cold, but I had NOTHING in the reserves. I was totally drained. So I slept some more and wished I was doing the one thing I love. I went for a walk got some food and feel much better now, but when I get sick I do it proper and quickly apparently. I had a subtle fever, threw up countless times, and couldn't stand from the ear ache messing with my balance. Good entry to 2010.
Next month I'll do it tho, hopefully.
Till next time.
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