CM Report
July 1, 2006
I rode Critical Mass in Chicago yesterday. It was rad. We went to the beach. And there are two stories I have to share. The first one is the glorious discovery of the existance of the Chicago Bike Polo crew. They play bike polo at northside parks every Sunday. We are getting a team together as we speak. There are some choice picks on their Myspace page--on the link above.
Also, I actually had this conversation with someone at Critical Mass yesterday:
[While biking down the street with like 2,500 other people]
Dude: So, I ah, saw you riding on your bicycle earlier, and ah, i have one too...do you, do you ride often?
Me: Oh yea, you too? My god, we have so much in common.
Dude: That's what I'm sayin'
Me: Wow. Its like we've known each other forever.
Dude: I know. So. then, maybe its time we took our relationship to the next level...
Me: Tandem bike?
Dude: Recumbent tandem?
Me: Oh my god. I am totally writing that down when I get home.
Ha! This is the best day ever.
Sean's Neu Wheels
June 4, 2006
This is my benefactor and common law husband, Sean:
Wow, what a winner!
A few months ago, Sean discovered a wheel builder in California by the name of John Neugent. He owns a small business named Neuvation Cycling. Sean was drawn to this website because he heard fabulous review of the wheels that this guy makes. Among many riders on several diffent forums, he found that the general consensus was that Neuvation produces wheels that are of equal quality to other high end makers, like Campy, Shimano, and Mavic, at half the cost.
After doing some investigating on his website, I found out why he has this reputation. He uses all the same materials as other high-end wheel makers. Aside from the fact that this dude is allegedly just a damned good wheel builder, he has travelled to places like China and Taiwan and developed business relationships with the companies that Mavic gets there aluminum from, where Velocity gets their spokes. He is shopping wholesale from people that he bills as the best metalurgists of materials for bike parts on the globe.
Additionally, I totally love that Neuvation is a one man operation. Even though he is very well known in the cycling community for his work, he is still just single dude in a garage. He doesn't market hard. He doesn't sponsor. He doesn't cop to all the commercialism and branding that can make participating in cycling as a lay enthusiast so god damned expensive.
A quote from John Neugent's website:
My philosophy is that the product quality is the most important thing, followed by value and design. Wheels costing over $1000 are excellent and may be the best wheels in the world but they really don't offer a lot of value because you are paying top dollar for development costs, team sponsorship, marketing and the staff to do all of those things....Cutting edge is for people who want to bleed. Neuvation Cycling™ looks for the best ways to provide solutions that are also the most cost effective. Many companies open new tooling and pay for extra machining when the bottom line benefit is very small. I don't need my own spacer profile if it's going to add to the cost of the product.
This guy is moving to the top of the list of people I'd like to have a beer with.
So, back to Sean and his new toys. He bought the M28 Aeros, which are absolutely gorgeous wheels. I mean, just look at 'em:
Neugent says that these are the strongest wheels that he makes, strong enough even for cross. And with a 15 spoke design! It blows the mind. Anyway, I could go on and on even from here about my infatuation with these things, but I will sign pff here with a STRONG ass recommendation that you peruse this website (www.neuvationcycling.com) and check out all the goods for yourself. And keep a napkin around to catch the drool.
Wheelset! Wheelset!
May 15, 2006
So, it has been a while since I posted last. Much has gone down. But suffice to say that wheels have been purchased and I am completely in love with them.
I found a place online called Ben's Cycle. They are like a candy store for singlespeed gear. One of the things that I adore about their website is a feature called the Fixed-Gear Wheel Builder. It offers several pull-down menus that let you select from a variety of rims, hubs, spokes, and drilling options to piece together the wheelset that you want. There is a bit of a markup on the components, but the labor is only $15 per wheel. This is just perfect for someone like me who knows a little bit about these bike parts, knows what she wants out of a wheelset, but isnt determined enough to learn to lace these wheels up myself or to pay top dollar for a local wheel-building guru to piece together the parts that I want. The only other option that seemed financially and logistically viable was waiting around for a set of trackwheels with the right features to showup on craigslist. And, for real, paying a few hundred for wheels that are used, might have hidden damage, and arent exactly what you want? Fuck that noise.
So, I went online to Ben's Cycle, and I got me a pair of these:
And I love them.
So, what I really wanted out of a wheelset is something that is on the lighter side, but, more importantly, was strong enought to handle the beating that biking around in the city can dish out. I decided to go with Velocity Fusion rims. These are Australian rims, and the Fusion model is designed to combine the elements of a lightweight road rim with the the strength of a high-profile V tri or track rim.
The hubs are Surly track hubs. Interesting as I thought that these didn't actually exist. (See my post from 4/21) This has quite a lot to do with the fac fact that I apparently can't read. The same product listing that goes over the ATB hubs also mentions the 120mm variety.
Now, one issue is that these are standard 120mm track hubs and my rear spacing is 126mm. But I have been told by several trustworthy authorities that my steel frame is elastic enoughto slip the hub in the dropouts and squeeze those extra 3mm out of each of the stays. Obviously, this is not ideal, and I fear that it may be compromising the strength of my frame more than I want, but I am told that this is common practice enough to be considered rather trust-worthy on the road. I guess we'll just have to try it out.
Best. Shirt. Ever.
April 27, 2006
Lauren got me a t-shirt for my birthday. It just arrived in the mail last night, and is the fucking sweetest thing I have ever pulled over my nappy head.
It is total hotness, and Lauren is awesomeness incarnate. It will have its public debut at Critical Mass, tomorrow, where we will be flyering for urban golf.
Hubs and My Major Geekout
April 21, 2006
I was out in south Wicker Park yesterday at the Small Bar with Harold, Ligs, Jane, and Gemma . As we were leaving to head home, we passed a nice steel road bike with a flip-flop hub. Because I have been trying to explain to folks what these things look like for a few weeks, and because Ligaya also shares in my bike lust, we did this drunken prance-run with an "ooh ooh ooh!" over to the rack where this bike was curbed to take a look.
Sadly, I did not have my camera with me at the time. Bike hunting is fun, and lord knows that opportunities arise when you least expect it. Suffice to say, that this was an older Schwinn steel frame that was clearly used for some serious city riding. It was in beautiful shape, and the drive trail looked almost brand new. As this bike also had a flip flop hub on the back, I scoped out the components and saw that both wheelsets had Soma hubs on them. I was surprised, as Soma was not a brand that I had seen anything about on any site as I had been looking into different track hubs for my SS project. As well, this older Schwinn looks like it might have awkward rear axle spacing just like my Peugeot.
Ok, so in my search for hubs, I have found a few that are of note The first are Phil Wood track hubs.
Everyone across the board agrees that these are the best hubs out there. Phil Wood is a California based manufacturer of practicaly maintenance free hubs and brackets for most types of bicycles and has been a pioneer in developing components with sealed bearings. (Unlike most fo the components already on my Peugeot--see below).
These hubs are also close to $180 a piece. That is ridiculously out of my budget. I have been totally impressed with the qualityof Phil Wood components, and hte reviews that they garner online, but I am going to ride my bike through potholes and leave it out in the rain one too many times to justify purchasing a stellar piece of equipment like this. I just dont need that much quality. Nor can i pay for it.
The second hub that I looked at were was a Goldtec track hub.
Now, Goldtec generally makes mountain bike and cyclo-cross components. But nearly one out of every five people who mentioned Phil Wood mentioned Goldtec in thenext breath. One of the neat things about ordering these hubs is that you can order them direct from the manufacturer laced onto an assortment of rims, inlcuding various styles of Mavic, which is a bonus. BUT, this wheel set still comes out close to $400. I dont need that. I cant afford that. I know track parts are expenseive, but, Christ.
Its somewhere around this point that i realize that i only really need two things in a hub. I need it to be strong, and i need it to fit my frame. There are a few mid-line parts out there that are nothing fancy like performance parts, but were made with riding in the city in mind. Because of this, compromises have been made, especially in areas like size and weight. But who the fuck cares? Its just gotta work.
I have gotten the sense that the standard when it comes to parts of this category have recently been set or matched by Surly. Surly makes a lot of different bike parts, most of them geared for hard city riding of some kind. I have seen a lot of people rocking these frames and SS parts in the city. They do have hubs, and flip flop hubs at that. They describe them on their website as "Chuck taylors for your bike" They look neat, and they fucking work. woot.
These guys are basically exactly what i need.The only problem is that they only offer one spacing. (135mm). That is a BMX or mountain bike spacing, and way bigger than my 126mm roadie. There is just no way to make that work. Round peg, square hole. Sadness.
So, now i think the next place my adventures will take me is onto the 900 number for Soma to talk compatibility with their parts and my bike. Last time I checked, Soma was still just a bunch of guys in a basement in California making wheel sets. Is that still right? I dunno. But they dont list spacing on their website, and I needs me some answers!
Hubs, Headsets, and Brackets, Oh My....
April 15, 2006
TAXES ARE DUE!
I just sent way to much money in the mail to Oregon. Also, the adventures in bearings that I am about to recount to you happened a good week ago, but I have been too damned busy celebrating my acceptance into Central European University to really be sitting at home getting my blog on.
Anyway, I treked up to Uptown Bikes with Sean the other day because I knew that the headset on my Peugeot frame needed tightening, and I thought that the bottom bracket was all fucked up. I mean, hell, it looked like this:
and it rolled really tightly. It was my assumption that the bearings were all tired out and that the thing probably needed to be rebuilt. This goes on to the long list of things that I apparently know nothing about. I was expecting to have to throw down for some medium-grade repairs. The guy at the shop told me my bottom bracket was totally fine, just dirty, and only charged my $5 to tighten the headset cause I didnt have the tools to do it at home.
Now, here is where it gets more complicated. I knew that in going with an old frame like this one, I ran the risk of facing some major compatibility problems. This bike is old and French. That means that size, spacing, threading, and all other sorts of things could be totally different than what people are making for the much more standardized American bikes today. The guy at the shop recommended that I replace the bottom bracket, even though it was totally functional because the bearings are exposed. See?
Those little divets and threads in there are places where sand and water and all other sorts of unpleasant crap can get in there and destroy my bracket. Now, as soon as he suggested this, he retracted his statement. This bracket, as well as the headset that I have, are threaded in such a way that only they will fit into this frame. I beleive that the threading is narrower on these older French bikes. Either way, trying to screw in a modern b/b or headset into this frame will result in frustration or irreperable damage to the frame and components, or both. So, I need to be good to this guy and run on these parts for as long as humanly oossible. Its not that parts for this bike dont exist anymore. They just aren't made anymore, so it could be an unpleasant adventure to find them.
So, now that I dont have to worry about taking care of all the rolley parts on this bike, I turn my attention to the wheels and hubs. I want a flip/flop hub in the back. Sheldon Brown gives a really good description of these hubs on his website. Basically, though, it is a hub that is threaded for gears on BOTH sides, not just one. So, iffin you're feeling the need for a change, you can release your wheel, flip it over, and re-attache it on the otherside for a whole new gear ratio or something.
One of the nice things about this frame I have is that, even though it is still technically a vintage, it is from the 80s and still new enough to have some standardized spacings. The front hub is 110mm, and the back is 126mm. Here is a nice picture of that with Sean's super shiney, ridiculous ruler.
A perfect 126mm spacing. That is SO EASY to get hubs for. wicked. Some older French bikes had spacings as odd as 96mm. Were the hell would one get a 96mm hub? Good God. Sounds like a nightmare to me.
I have an idea of what kind of track hubs I want to get, but I will pontificate and splurge about that one later. Right now, it is gorgeous summer day, and I have a BBQ to get to.
Its 10 miles south of here, right off the Lake Shore Path, and my new Chrome bag holds a half rack of beer. Perfect.
My Point Exactly.
April 7, 2006
I got this e mail from my friend Ligaya today.
i was riding my bike north on woodlawn and some car behind me just
started laying on their horn. not a polite hic-up like an excuse me,
but a loud, rude, automobile fuck you. so i did what came naturally
and just held out the bird. homie finally drives around me and is
like "Get the FUCK on the sidewalk!!" Karmic justice prevails and
we're both stopped at the same red light, so I pulled up next to him
and yelled, "it is ILLEGAL to ride on the sidewalk, ASSHOLE!!" Other
nasty words were exchanged and it ended up with me and my bike infront
of asshole and his filthy mouth again. I never knew road rage could
feel so good.
Our taxes pay for that asphalt too.
Its not that I resent drivers. Or that I would dare to suggest that all bikers ride safely and responsibly. But when we head out on the road, we dont do it with 2 tons of steel at our hands.
If we act like retards, we could scratch someone's fender. If they act like idiots on the road, they can kill us.
In January, our college hero Sarah Tucker was hit by a car while on her bicycle and killed instantly in SanFrancisco. She was 26.
One week earlier, one of my favorite youth group kids, Jocelyn Latka was hit by a car in Portland. She survived her injuries, but only for 48 hours. She was only 18.
Check your blind spot guys.
Hell yes.
April 4, 2006
It seems like there are a lot of people out there who put a lot of time and energy into the culture of road bike racing. That is all well and fine, but I have always enjoyed riding for the individual enjoyment that it offers. Same reaons I like rock climbing and playing the piano. There are lots of competitions for those things too, but they are for the crazy people who were raised by their Suzuki instructors or who have nothing better to do than smell their own armpits for the sake of the added testosterone.
Well, I say fuck that. Competition is nice, but I know that I should be more impressed with myself when I bike from Belmont into Hyde Park at night, in the snow, than if I turned a personal record in a Tour somewhere.
Online especially, bikers seem to be grouped into a few categories: BMX, MTB racing, road racing, and singlespeeders. Its like a girl cant be a hard core bike commuter and road enthusiast and be happy with that.
I would really like to see the acknowledgment of another category of cyclist. Urban, road wrangling, car-dodging, weather-enduring, holy-crap-thats- the-same-Hummer-that-almost-hit-me-yesterday, skin of your teeth, city survival cycling. That is its own reward, and carries its own set of badges.
You should have seen my right ankle last week. Fucking cabbies.
It begins...
April 3, 2006
So, I have long dreamed of building a single speed bicycle. Well, not that long. It really only became an obsession to build a new bike after I started buying necessary parts for the one I already have. You spend too much time online looking at handlebar tape, then text thing you know, you are buying new shoes and pedals, and then you wake up in the middle of the night screaming the model number of the double-walled rims that you now wish you had. It can be a vicious cycle.
I have riden a late 70's steel peugeot 12 speed with mid-line components that just work for the last 4 years. I have recently moved from Portland, where there are hills and shit, to Chicago, which is flatter than Katie Holmes. I dont think I have touched my gear shifters in months, and I long for the efficiency of a single-speed, and am totally enamored with the idea of a fixed gear, which i havn't been able to ride since I was like 7.
Thus, my current project was born. I want to take a vintage lugged steel frame and turn it into f/w-fixed gear with a flip flop hub in the back. I know that I am sacrificing lightness with the choice of a steel frame, but i want to have this bike as stripped down as I can after that. This will be for some moving and shaking in the city. So far, I have no plans for budget. We'll see what happens.
After much himming and hawing and scouring on e bay, I finally found a frame that will be a great base for this bike I want to build. Its a 1980s peugeot (go figure). It has horizontal simplex drop outs, perfect for a singlespeed, and comes with original seat post, leather saddle (which is fucking cool--not to mention incredbly light), handlebars, and stem. It has a bottom bracket, but it rolls like molasses, so it may need replacing. It has a full brake system on it too, but its old and heavy and corroded as shit, so i am going to donate the calipers to working bikes and toss the rest.
There it is! I paid $130 for that guy. It was more than i meant to drop on a frame--i dont need to have some mint condition vintage, just something solid--but i am going to be able to use so much of the hardware. It seemed like the right deal for me at the moment.
The bike has some major scratches on it, particularly on the decals, which, in a way, is rather sad. But when it comes to biking in a major city, anything that makes your bike less exciting to theives has its upside. Restoration sounds like too much of a pain, and not really what I am into. I am going to give the frame a good wipe down and protect what steel is showing with clear nail polish, probably. It just needs to be ready to handle these salty, bumpy ass roads.
This is gonna be so much fun. I cant wait.
