Well, I went dark for a long time. In March 2009, I had arm surgery for problems with my ulnar nerve. I continued to ride for a while, until the end of summer 2009. At that time, I decided to lay off the bike riding, as I was unsure if it was impeding recovery, which can be real slow and gradual where nerves are involved.
That brings us to today, which is the first time I got on the bike again and knocked out about 10 miles pulling my son in a trailer. Riding the Fuji Gran Tourer, naturally.
Felt good, really good.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Details
One thing I enjoy when riding is the greater engagement one has with the world than in a car. The richer sights and smells often allows me to make observations about a locale than I would whilst motoring.
Today, I set out on my Fuji America to run some errands. As I proceeded down a neighborhood lane, I noticed a set of keys in the roadway. I stopped and picked them up. Evidently, they had been run over by several automobiles. Were I driving, I would probably would have been included in that number.
Using my incisive deductive skills, I walked up the steps to the nearest house. The owner was home and thanked me for finding his wife's keys. How she managed to either get into the house or drive off in her car without her keys will remain one of life's little mysteries.
Just a little feel good story on a bright summer day.
Today, I set out on my Fuji America to run some errands. As I proceeded down a neighborhood lane, I noticed a set of keys in the roadway. I stopped and picked them up. Evidently, they had been run over by several automobiles. Were I driving, I would probably would have been included in that number.
Using my incisive deductive skills, I walked up the steps to the nearest house. The owner was home and thanked me for finding his wife's keys. How she managed to either get into the house or drive off in her car without her keys will remain one of life's little mysteries.
Just a little feel good story on a bright summer day.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Run What You Brung
Following the wisdom of readers of this blog, I went with their choice, my 1980 Fuji Gran Tourer, to enter in the 2009 Le Cirque du Cyclisme.
The morning, very early morning, of the event, my son and I saddled up on the Gran Tourer and trailer and headed out for Leesburg, about a 42 mile journey. Mrs. Otaku declined to join us, but did prepare some of her special cycling onigiri and other treats for the boys.
We headed down the Capital Crescent Trail and crossed the Potomac at Chain Bridge:
The Potomac is still a pretty untamed river, one is always surprised by scenes like these well inside the Capital Beltway:
We eventually hooked up with the W&OD Trail and started a 30 mile slog out to Leesburg. A lot of folks rave about this trail, but I find it pretty charmless. Most of the way it is accompanied by a lot of power lines. Admittedly, in Fairfax County, it goes through a few quaint town centers, but the banlieues of Loudoun County are a dreary progression of indistinguishable townhouses and McMansions that are much more "mc" than "mansion".
A bit after 10 a.m., we pulled into the parking lot of the Leesburg Best Western, the purported location of the event. This parking lot was suspiciously empty and after querying somebody with a bike rack, I discovered that this day's events were being held at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds, another six miles or so down the W&OD Trail. This had the effect of putting the day's total mileage just a smidge over 100 miles, which is a pretty good workout with a trailer full of 5 year old boy, onigiri, and other sundries.
We finally arrived at the Fairgrounds and chatted a bit with the lady selling tickets. She seemed amazed that I had ridden all that way (her words..) in unremarkable shorts, tee shirt, boat shoes. For those interested in such things, boxers, not briefs. She then posed with our rig:
We unhooked the trailer, which the admin folks graciously stowed behind their desk and put the bike on display.
So here it is, my Fuji Gran Tourer on show:
I ran into Sam Day and his s.o. Rak (sp?). Sam is now the owner of what used to be my Trek 620 and is keenly interested in vintage bikes/parts:
As one would expect, there were gobs of beautiful bikes. One that I particularly liked was this Bilenky mixte:
I handed the camera off to my son to take some pictures. He showed a distinct interest in the back of saddles:
And flashy wheels/components:
Around 3 pm, we called it a day and started the trek back. We stopped for some soft serve ice cream at the Herndon DQ and made it home in time for dinner, Mrs. Otaku's shabu-shabu.
Overall, a very fine event, well worth attending if one is afforded the opportunity.
The morning, very early morning, of the event, my son and I saddled up on the Gran Tourer and trailer and headed out for Leesburg, about a 42 mile journey. Mrs. Otaku declined to join us, but did prepare some of her special cycling onigiri and other treats for the boys.
We headed down the Capital Crescent Trail and crossed the Potomac at Chain Bridge:
The Potomac is still a pretty untamed river, one is always surprised by scenes like these well inside the Capital Beltway:
We eventually hooked up with the W&OD Trail and started a 30 mile slog out to Leesburg. A lot of folks rave about this trail, but I find it pretty charmless. Most of the way it is accompanied by a lot of power lines. Admittedly, in Fairfax County, it goes through a few quaint town centers, but the banlieues of Loudoun County are a dreary progression of indistinguishable townhouses and McMansions that are much more "mc" than "mansion".
A bit after 10 a.m., we pulled into the parking lot of the Leesburg Best Western, the purported location of the event. This parking lot was suspiciously empty and after querying somebody with a bike rack, I discovered that this day's events were being held at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds, another six miles or so down the W&OD Trail. This had the effect of putting the day's total mileage just a smidge over 100 miles, which is a pretty good workout with a trailer full of 5 year old boy, onigiri, and other sundries.
We finally arrived at the Fairgrounds and chatted a bit with the lady selling tickets. She seemed amazed that I had ridden all that way (her words..) in unremarkable shorts, tee shirt, boat shoes. For those interested in such things, boxers, not briefs. She then posed with our rig:
We unhooked the trailer, which the admin folks graciously stowed behind their desk and put the bike on display.
So here it is, my Fuji Gran Tourer on show:
I ran into Sam Day and his s.o. Rak (sp?). Sam is now the owner of what used to be my Trek 620 and is keenly interested in vintage bikes/parts:
As one would expect, there were gobs of beautiful bikes. One that I particularly liked was this Bilenky mixte:
I handed the camera off to my son to take some pictures. He showed a distinct interest in the back of saddles:
And flashy wheels/components:
Around 3 pm, we called it a day and started the trek back. We stopped for some soft serve ice cream at the Herndon DQ and made it home in time for dinner, Mrs. Otaku's shabu-shabu.
Overall, a very fine event, well worth attending if one is afforded the opportunity.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Some Help From My Friends
Earlier today, I put up a post about the upcoming Le Cirque Du Cyclisme this coming weekend in Leesburg. I described how I intend to ride over for the show/swap meet on Sunday and shared some of my agonizing about whether it would be appropriate to even enter a Fuji into a show that is lousy with the most coveted vintage French, Italian, and other euro bikes.
Later in the day, while riding my Gran Tourer, pulling the trailer carrying my little boy home from a hard day at kindergarten, I continued to ponder this, and finally decided that I couldn't decide.
But I did decide to rely upon the wisdom of the readers of this blog, so I've put up a little poll to the right asking which bike, if any, I should enter in the show, or if the whole thing is just plain wrong.
To recap, my America and my Gran Tourer are the only two that are in a condition to ride the 40 miles each way to the show, so those are the only options. In principle, I could get the Del Rey up and running by this weekend, but it really isn't a special enough model to warrant this. In a heroic effort, I may be able to get the Finest going, but I'm still debating some aspects of that build.
So it is the America, the Gran Tourer, or just leave well enough alone.
Here is the Gran Tourer:
Here is the America:
Thanks in advance for any input.
Later in the day, while riding my Gran Tourer, pulling the trailer carrying my little boy home from a hard day at kindergarten, I continued to ponder this, and finally decided that I couldn't decide.
But I did decide to rely upon the wisdom of the readers of this blog, so I've put up a little poll to the right asking which bike, if any, I should enter in the show, or if the whole thing is just plain wrong.
To recap, my America and my Gran Tourer are the only two that are in a condition to ride the 40 miles each way to the show, so those are the only options. In principle, I could get the Del Rey up and running by this weekend, but it really isn't a special enough model to warrant this. In a heroic effort, I may be able to get the Finest going, but I'm still debating some aspects of that build.
So it is the America, the Gran Tourer, or just leave well enough alone.
Here is the Gran Tourer:
Here is the America:
Thanks in advance for any input.
The Circus Is Coming To Town
So who is going to Le Cirque Du Cyclisme?
Formerly held in North Carolina, the event was moved last year to Leesburg, Virginia, a short 40 mile ride each way from my home. Indeed, it is mere feet from the Leesburg Loop, a quite nice ride I take whenever I am able to trick Mrs. Otaku into doing some miles on the C&O towpath (she despises this...).
For informational purposes, this event is an outgrowth of the Classic Rendezvous mailing list, the venerable and rarified gathering place for the most discriminating vintage bike connoisseurs. I used to keep tabs on this back when I was still a campy-phile, but since moving downscale a little, I pay less attention to it.
Nonetheless, it is so close to home and so chock-full of the finest european drool-ware.
Unfortunately, I missed the event this year, but I'm pretty determined to make it out Sunday for the bike show. The weather currently seems promising for a ride out there (and back..) and my schedule seems clear, no birthday parties for any of Otaku Junior's friends. I'll probably ride either the Gran Tourer or the America. The Mondia is much more to the style of the event, but this bike isn't shaken out yet.
Plus, I like the idea of adding a little vintage Fuji to the stew should I decide to enter my ride in the show. The high end America is a little more congruent with Le Cirque than the distinctly working class Gran Tourer, which would probably be one of the few entries with a derailleur claw. On the other hand, I'm quite enchanted with the Gran Tourer's ride and the customizations I've done on it.
But I don't want to be a spectacle or the object of derision. Maybe I could enter it as a "Fucci".
Anyone else going? If you want to meet on Sunday, look for the guy with some sort of Fuji and possibly a trailer, small boy, and Mrs. Otaku in tow.
Formerly held in North Carolina, the event was moved last year to Leesburg, Virginia, a short 40 mile ride each way from my home. Indeed, it is mere feet from the Leesburg Loop, a quite nice ride I take whenever I am able to trick Mrs. Otaku into doing some miles on the C&O towpath (she despises this...).
For informational purposes, this event is an outgrowth of the Classic Rendezvous mailing list, the venerable and rarified gathering place for the most discriminating vintage bike connoisseurs. I used to keep tabs on this back when I was still a campy-phile, but since moving downscale a little, I pay less attention to it.
Nonetheless, it is so close to home and so chock-full of the finest european drool-ware.
Unfortunately, I missed the event this year, but I'm pretty determined to make it out Sunday for the bike show. The weather currently seems promising for a ride out there (and back..) and my schedule seems clear, no birthday parties for any of Otaku Junior's friends. I'll probably ride either the Gran Tourer or the America. The Mondia is much more to the style of the event, but this bike isn't shaken out yet.
Plus, I like the idea of adding a little vintage Fuji to the stew should I decide to enter my ride in the show. The high end America is a little more congruent with Le Cirque than the distinctly working class Gran Tourer, which would probably be one of the few entries with a derailleur claw. On the other hand, I'm quite enchanted with the Gran Tourer's ride and the customizations I've done on it.
But I don't want to be a spectacle or the object of derision. Maybe I could enter it as a "Fucci".
Anyone else going? If you want to meet on Sunday, look for the guy with some sort of Fuji and possibly a trailer, small boy, and Mrs. Otaku in tow.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Living With 35s
Followers of this blog will recall that I recently built a new set of wheels to which I mounted 35mm Specialized Armadillo Nimbus tires. These are the widest tires I've ever had on a road bike. As I age, it seems that my tire size and waistline are slowly increasing....
Over the past several days, I've had the opportunity ride on the new wheels a number of times, including a trip out to Tyson's Corner from my home in Silver Spring, which is about 40 miles round trip. I've been keeping these inflated to about 75 psi.
Overall, about what I expected. The ride is markedly more comfortable than higher pressure and narrower tires. The gravel path that forms the beginning of many of my rides is much more comfortable. Rolling resistance is noticeably higher - I can easily detect this coasting down familiar downhills. The bike does not accelerate as sprightly. However, none of this is objectionable for the trade off in comfort in short to medium length rides.
Bottom line - this seems to work for what I intended, a comfortable set of wheels for daily use. Given the higher rolling resistance, were I going on a longer trip on good pavement, maybe more than 50 miles, I'd probably take the time to swap the wheels to a set with a narrower tire.
Or maybe just pump these up to their max pressure of 100 psi. Perhaps that is my next experiment.
Over the past several days, I've had the opportunity ride on the new wheels a number of times, including a trip out to Tyson's Corner from my home in Silver Spring, which is about 40 miles round trip. I've been keeping these inflated to about 75 psi.
Overall, about what I expected. The ride is markedly more comfortable than higher pressure and narrower tires. The gravel path that forms the beginning of many of my rides is much more comfortable. Rolling resistance is noticeably higher - I can easily detect this coasting down familiar downhills. The bike does not accelerate as sprightly. However, none of this is objectionable for the trade off in comfort in short to medium length rides.
Bottom line - this seems to work for what I intended, a comfortable set of wheels for daily use. Given the higher rolling resistance, were I going on a longer trip on good pavement, maybe more than 50 miles, I'd probably take the time to swap the wheels to a set with a narrower tire.
Or maybe just pump these up to their max pressure of 100 psi. Perhaps that is my next experiment.
Friday, May 29, 2009
New Wheels
Just got done building and installing some new wheels on my 1981 Fuji Gran Tourer SE, the bike that has been the serious object of my attention in recent months.
The hubs are a really nice set of 36 hole Campy Nuovo Tipo high flangers. Although they hardly needed it, for good measure I replaced the bearings (grade 25, natch, 1/4" in the rear, 3/16" in the front) and repacked. The rims are the ever classic 700c Sun CR-18's, spokes are DT 14/15 stainless.
Here are some closeups of the front hub. You can see the retro straight quick release levers.
You may have also noticed the slightly fatter tires. These are Specialized Armadillo Nimbus 700 x 35. One of my motivations for going with 700c rims rather than the original 27" was to be able to run something slightly larger than a 32. With 27" rims and fenders, this bike was running out of clearance, even were there much of a selection of tires larger than 32mm in 27" (there isn't...).
I don't build many wheels, since I only do it for myself. But I always enjoy it and always have gotten good results having faithfully internalized the Sheldon Brown instructions on the topic some years ago. I don't have a truing stand, just use a bike frame with brake calipers installed. If you are careful with this rudimentary approach, you can easily get results that are well within 1mm true on radial, lateral, and dish.
I also always use the Spocalc spreadsheet on the Harris Cyclery website, it has always given good results.
This is the last wheel I will build inserting the spokes through the hub one at a time as they are laced. I managed to scratch up the front a bit, plus it is a bit of struggle getting the leading spokes into position without bending them too much. I found this to be especially true with a high-flange hub, as the spokes and clearances end up a bit bit shorter.
The Specialized Armadillos have a fearsome reputation for difficult installation, their wire bead being very tight. This is my second set, and I was determined not to have the two pinch flats I suffered when installing my first set. But I didn't want to spend an hour wrestling the tire onto the rim.
Normally, when installing the tube, I'll get the valve in place and give the tube a bit of air to give it some shape. This makes it easy to fit into the tire, just pops right in, but does leave the tube rather close to the bead even if all the air is let out. With this set, I figured I would have to use tire irons to get the second bead into place, so I just put the tube in with no air whatsoever, being very careful about the orientation around the wheel. I then levered the bead on with tire irons, even using these required significant grunt - these are very stout tires, at least the bead tightness is.
Following this, I inspected the bead looking for pinches. I did find one potential one and rectified it, then partially inflated, deflated, broke the bead, looked for problems, then took up to full pressure.
Voila, no pinch flats, I'm quite proud of myself.
This morning, I took a spin on the bike. The wheels are holding true. The 35mm Armadillos are my compromise between cush and convenience. I loved not having flats on my previous set of 32mm, but this required keeping them pumped above 100 psi for full protection. That sort of pressure defeats the purpose of having thick tires and is bone jarring/teeth shaking on the gravel paths I frequent.
These tires have a minimum pressure of 75 psi, which, while still a bit high, definitely smooths things over a lot. I could probably cheat a little and run them down around 60 psi. The word on the street is that this reduces the flat protection, but I'm willing to gamble a little. My previous daily rider, my now-sold Trek 620, had sprung Brooks Conquest saddle, this one does not, so I need to compensate elsewhere for a little comfort.
The front brake threatened to be a big issue. A Dia Compe 610 centerpull, its pads were near the bottom of the slot with the 27" rim and really didn't have enough reach for 700c rims, with the pads ending up at the very tippy-top of the rims. Technically, this could have barely worked, but I'd have to be very vigilant about pad wear creating a situation where the tire sidewall could be rubbed. Plus, for almost any part on a daily rider bike, I avoid setups that require parts to be at the absolute limit of an adjustment for the bike to work - this limits options for field repairs, in general makes for a less reliable, serviceable machine.
I considered, then abandoned, the notion of filing some more clearance into the slots. Then, I started thinking about getting a Dia Compe 750 caliper for the front until I remembered that I had some tektro canti pads with threaded posts and elliptical spacers. This worked excellently, leaving much adjustment options.
Well, I'm delighted with the results and the slightly fatter tire look. I have a few fender line issues to address on the by and by, but these are now in service.
Given the high flange hubs, I suppose it is ok to violate the taboo against non-drive side pictures:
The hubs are a really nice set of 36 hole Campy Nuovo Tipo high flangers. Although they hardly needed it, for good measure I replaced the bearings (grade 25, natch, 1/4" in the rear, 3/16" in the front) and repacked. The rims are the ever classic 700c Sun CR-18's, spokes are DT 14/15 stainless.
Here are some closeups of the front hub. You can see the retro straight quick release levers.
You may have also noticed the slightly fatter tires. These are Specialized Armadillo Nimbus 700 x 35. One of my motivations for going with 700c rims rather than the original 27" was to be able to run something slightly larger than a 32. With 27" rims and fenders, this bike was running out of clearance, even were there much of a selection of tires larger than 32mm in 27" (there isn't...).
I don't build many wheels, since I only do it for myself. But I always enjoy it and always have gotten good results having faithfully internalized the Sheldon Brown instructions on the topic some years ago. I don't have a truing stand, just use a bike frame with brake calipers installed. If you are careful with this rudimentary approach, you can easily get results that are well within 1mm true on radial, lateral, and dish.
I also always use the Spocalc spreadsheet on the Harris Cyclery website, it has always given good results.
This is the last wheel I will build inserting the spokes through the hub one at a time as they are laced. I managed to scratch up the front a bit, plus it is a bit of struggle getting the leading spokes into position without bending them too much. I found this to be especially true with a high-flange hub, as the spokes and clearances end up a bit bit shorter.
The Specialized Armadillos have a fearsome reputation for difficult installation, their wire bead being very tight. This is my second set, and I was determined not to have the two pinch flats I suffered when installing my first set. But I didn't want to spend an hour wrestling the tire onto the rim.
Normally, when installing the tube, I'll get the valve in place and give the tube a bit of air to give it some shape. This makes it easy to fit into the tire, just pops right in, but does leave the tube rather close to the bead even if all the air is let out. With this set, I figured I would have to use tire irons to get the second bead into place, so I just put the tube in with no air whatsoever, being very careful about the orientation around the wheel. I then levered the bead on with tire irons, even using these required significant grunt - these are very stout tires, at least the bead tightness is.
Following this, I inspected the bead looking for pinches. I did find one potential one and rectified it, then partially inflated, deflated, broke the bead, looked for problems, then took up to full pressure.
Voila, no pinch flats, I'm quite proud of myself.
This morning, I took a spin on the bike. The wheels are holding true. The 35mm Armadillos are my compromise between cush and convenience. I loved not having flats on my previous set of 32mm, but this required keeping them pumped above 100 psi for full protection. That sort of pressure defeats the purpose of having thick tires and is bone jarring/teeth shaking on the gravel paths I frequent.
These tires have a minimum pressure of 75 psi, which, while still a bit high, definitely smooths things over a lot. I could probably cheat a little and run them down around 60 psi. The word on the street is that this reduces the flat protection, but I'm willing to gamble a little. My previous daily rider, my now-sold Trek 620, had sprung Brooks Conquest saddle, this one does not, so I need to compensate elsewhere for a little comfort.
The front brake threatened to be a big issue. A Dia Compe 610 centerpull, its pads were near the bottom of the slot with the 27" rim and really didn't have enough reach for 700c rims, with the pads ending up at the very tippy-top of the rims. Technically, this could have barely worked, but I'd have to be very vigilant about pad wear creating a situation where the tire sidewall could be rubbed. Plus, for almost any part on a daily rider bike, I avoid setups that require parts to be at the absolute limit of an adjustment for the bike to work - this limits options for field repairs, in general makes for a less reliable, serviceable machine.
I considered, then abandoned, the notion of filing some more clearance into the slots. Then, I started thinking about getting a Dia Compe 750 caliper for the front until I remembered that I had some tektro canti pads with threaded posts and elliptical spacers. This worked excellently, leaving much adjustment options.
Well, I'm delighted with the results and the slightly fatter tire look. I have a few fender line issues to address on the by and by, but these are now in service.
Given the high flange hubs, I suppose it is ok to violate the taboo against non-drive side pictures:
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