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What's Up?! New Events in the life of a bicycle recycler... SCROLL DOWN FOR CURRENT INFO:
6/21/03 [june 21]- Put 1/4 fenders on the black Centurion Le Mans. SWEEEET Bike! Needs new bar wrap but other than that it's a great looking bike and rides awesome. The stainless steel fenders look shiny and cool on the black bike. Nice curly lugs and the headbadge is mint. I put on a rear rack and added a light under the seat too, to make sure the drivers don't run me over, sucks bein' roadkill. It's a neat bike and lightweight. Rides really well, I'd say better than the Nishiki, but also better even than some nicer equipped bikes I've seen. Centurion made some good bikes in the Le Mans line and they just plain ride good, even with a rack on the back. Didn't need much work; threw on a new Avocet Touring seat, Aluminum toe clip peddles [the old seat was ripped and the old peddles were rubbish] and replaced the bar stem shifters with black Dura-Ace downtube shifters. Had to cut an inch off bottom of the stem to lower it a little when I got the stem shifters off. Went for 20 mile test ride in bloody downpour and got soggy shoes. Just made it; after I got home I looked later and the bridge was out. They better not give me any grief about a drout this summer... 6/26/03 [june 26]- Took the rack off the Centurion and shined up the fenders. Put clipless pedals (spd) on my Raliegh Technium. The weather's cleared and it's over 90 degrees! Great riding weather, just bring h20... 6/28/03 [june 28]- Rode through the swamp again on my Nishiki after finally replacing the cheapo cranks with nice SR aluminum ones. Those steel chainrings were, i thought, good for an everyday bike, but i just couldn't stand the look of them. The 52-42 aluminum chainrings on the SR custom cranks, which i had hanging above the bar in my basement, are also removeable so if they get worn i can replace the chainrings without having to pull the whole crank. These cranks have a cool history, salvaged off a hi-end motobecane that had a cracked frame, i put them on my Raleigh Record back when it was my main road bike. Trued the Nishiki's rear wheel a bit to stem a newly noticed wobble i hadn't spotted before. Also on june 28, i bid a fond fairwell to my f700 cannondale mountainbike, which went to a good friend of mine. I hope she gives it a good home! 7/04/03 [independence day!]- America rocks! 7/05/03 [july 5] - took the fixed wheel stuff off my Bianchi, took the gears and fenders and brakes offa my Centurion, and made the centurian into a fixed gear. I LOVE MY NEW FIXED GEAR BIKE! Because the frame isn't drilled for mounting a bottle cage I mounted one on the handlebar. The sloping old-school drop bars rock! Bike's got 52 tooth chainring and the same Mavic flip-flop track wheel with the 16 tooth rear sprocket. Going down this one steep hill on it's inaugural 20 mile test ride i swear i went so fast the bike literally screamed... Okay, 52x16 is bigger than i was used to but it doesn't leave me spinning in circles and i can still ride up all but the steepest of hills.The bigger chainring means less useless spinning and better speed, plus it actually makes brakes via leg resistence easier since the 52 tooth chainring pulls more chain than the 42 on my old fixed gear. Of course, without handbrakes resisting is the only way to stop, but then, sometimes i think "fixed" is the only way to ride!
The following Sunday I rode the fixed nearly 40 miles and back only had to walk up one hill on the way back! 7/11/03 [july 11]- Rode my Nishiki for about 25 miles even thru a rainstorm.Good thing i was wearing my 200m seiko solar dive watch with a screw down crown. It's a good durable watch for the active dude, especially if you run into water. My other favorite is the bigger automatic Seiko diver with the yellow dial and offsett screw-down crown at the "4 o'clock" position [i expect Seiko to mail me a check for this free advertizing...lol!]-- both good active watches.
When I then got home i got into a mechanical mood and decided to make some aesthetic improvements. The Nishiki's stock fork was kinda beat up, so instead of trying to match the turquiose paint job I installed a sweet looking chrome tange fork. This beautiful fork was originally taken off a 1980's Performance that has long since passed away and since has been on my grey and navy 1980's Raleigh Record. t fits great on the Nishgiki. I also engraved some of the Aluminum parts [cranks, stem, etc] to match the curly engraving on the Shimano downtube shift levers and the stylized heart shaped cutouts on the crown of the tange fork. The bike rides great now and the chrome fork really accents the turqiose paint job with its white lettering. Sweet bike!
7/21/03 [july 21]- Rode off-road for the second time in a long while. The local mountainbike trail by the passaic was under water for a long time from the rains and is only now dry enough to ride. Still some mud but that's a part of the ride. I just don't fancy quicksand... My rigid orange 24" Decathlon mountainbike performed great as usual and the smaller narrow wheels and compact frame made it easy to handle going between trees, logs, and branches. I've got to get a pic of it on the trail one of these days.
7/26/03 [july 26]- Put "spare pair" of spd clipless pedals on my Decathlon 24" mountainbike. 7/27/03 [july 27]- Cleaned the rims and adjusted the limit screws on the rear derailieur of my Scwhinn Le Tour. It wasn't shifting well into the outermost gear. It was then necessary to pull the cable thru some more. Then I rode it 61 miles. The bike is pretty darn cool!Also removed clipless pedals from Decathlon 24 and added them to the Le Tour.
8/16/03 [august 16] Yesterday [8/15]i found a pair of Schwinn mtb's in the rubbish. They are rigid Schwinn Frontiers, which was the basic mountainbike. One's red and one's blue.
The both needed work, but all it took to get the blue one rideable was tighten the handlebars and brake levers, replace the rear derailier [after finding a removable hanger which could be rigged to fit both it and the bike] and replacing the rear wheel. It's a cool bike, deep blue with rapid fire shifters [i don't like grip shift...] and drilled for two water bottle mounts in addition to racks if one wishes. Unlike the newer red one, the blue Frontier has cantilever brakes, which i prefer over the newer "v-brakes".
It has neat touches; the sides of the seat stay are drilled and fitted with allen-wrench bolts in addition to the center hole, so i can mount either type of rack if i want. And despite some scrathes there is no rust. I rode it to the coffee shop the night i got it [16 mile round trip] and today rode it in the woods and the swamp. If the trails by the river would just dry out a little more...
8/17/03 [august 17] Fixed up the red Schwinn Frontier for a family member to ride. Did some more work on my own Frontier, the blue one; cleaned off the mud from yesterday's misadventures, adjusted the shifter in the back, and replaced the stock bolt-on seat seatpost with a nicer micro-adjust seatpost and longer seat from a Mongoose mountainbike. The seat is sturdier, and being longer means i could inch it further back getting more room on the small frame; for a full size [26" wheel] mountainbike this blue Frontier has a small frame size. It was for the same reason i changed the handlebar stem later, after finding a slightly longer stem with a much lower angle; the stock stem was alged sharply for a more upright riding position i found uncomfortable when i went into the woods yesterday. Before i could fit the stem, however, i had to use a hacksaw to cut off a welded on cable housing on the underside which got in the way of the brake cable and cable guide on the Schwinn. Then the edges had to be filed down. Sure, i coulda gone to the local bike shop, but i didn't cut close enough to damage or weaken the stem itself, and why waste like 20 bucks on a part i already had...?
The next thing i did was work on my 1996 TREK Mountain Track 820. This bike, was my first store bought bike ever, purchased in 1996 as a gift to myself when i graduated high school; a suspension fork was added thereafter when i broke the stock rigid fork in college riding down a 40-foot long set of steep, two-foot tall steps on the side of a wooded hill. I rode it mercilessly until about a little less than a year ago and then it sat in storage for a while while i rode my rode bike most, only coming out for occaisional rides in the woods or riding the streets in winter. Then it sat and sat in my garage.
Rode my TREK 1000 road bike to a frend's house and raided the fridge for an after ride Drink. Then rode back; nice little 20-mile ride. I was out to ride more but a bloody thundershower came so i hauled it back to the garage and finished working on my TREK 820. It still needs a lot of work, but i put a new set or wheels on it, a new handlebar stem [one that will do for now] and a set of riser bars. Thewy don't make nice steel frames like this any more. I recall when i got it how the paint shined and shimmered from green to a blueish color... They put nice touches on it considering it was the entry level model. I gotta fix it up.
I cleaned it up and touched up most of the chipped spots in the paint with white [all i had...]. I need to get some dakr green paint to ouch it up proper, and replace the fork boots [or maybe the whole fork; god doesn't even know when i last cleaned it... but it should be rideable as is, and will be as good as new soon!
8/28/03 [august 28] - Sold my blue Schwinn Frontier to a friend of a friend. Sorry to see it go but if i fix up my TREK 820 i won't really need it, and he needed wheels. It goes to a good home.Also on 8/28 i reconfigured my fixed gear [the Centurian]. I figured brakeless i rode it enough, but that with a front brake i'd be more apt to use it even more frequently, as currently some hills are just frightening. Also experienced some finger numbness after any ride longer than like 16 miles or so. Solving both problems at once, i took the handlebars and stem offa an old Raliehg Record i used to ride a lot and cut the bars off just after the curves started on the drops. Then i flipped them over and mounted them horazontal, like the cow-horn bars you see on time trial bikes and stuff. After this i took the front brake lever and mounted it backwards [open end facing front] on the left side of the bar, and attatched the sidepull brake to the front. After adjusting the cable pull and brake pad alignment it was all set. Tested good so i decided to keep it that way and finish it the next day...
8/29/03 [august 29] - Rode my fixed gear to the bike shop, got bar tape, and put it on. The handlebar grip tape is mottled, like camo, in white, grey and black. Looks great. Them i put on a Cateye mity 3 speedometer and rode it 23 miles!9/20/03 [september 20] - Bought black paint to touch up spots on my Centurian Fixed Gear so it won't rust. Haven't painted it yet though...
10/03/03 [october 3] - Haven't updated this for a month nearly, but I've still been riding -- mostly my TREK 1000 and my Fixed Centurian. It's practically winter already [last night we had a frost here in NJ] so it's time to break out the long sleeves and start mixing booze with my water so the contents of my hydration bottles doesn't freeze solid... heh!
The battery in my TREK 1000 Cateye cordless cyclocomputer up and died on me but at least its an excuse to adjust it cause the thing was giving eraticreadings anyway... i think i gotta move the sensor closer to the main unit. Gonna ride tomorrow but the coffee shop is closed for a party so I got no destination! Jeez, it's like that old Bobby Darin song... "Just Bummin' Around..."
10/04/03 - [october 4] - Painted my FIXED GEAR! I rode my TREK 1000 for a bit this morning. It was overcast and about 40-something degrees. When I got back it poured so in the comfort of my garage i popped the lid offa can of gloss black paint I had bought some weeks ago for the purpose and painted all the scuffed and scratched spots of my Centurian fixed gear. It matches since it's black to begin with and no I need not fear the bike rusting. I also painted the chrome seatpost binder bolt and most of the exposed seatpost, and blacked out the chrome of the bearing cups on the top of the headtube, as well as the chromed crown fork. I left the chromed for end as was, and painted inside the recesses of the allen bolt in the handbar stem because water collects in it and can rust thru the chrome an' nothin looks worse than brown bolts!
So far the bike is cool! It looks awesome, the paint shines, and is almost dry. It is a high gloss and brings the bike to life, and in turn will prevent frame rust, ensuring the bike's life is a long one.
I'm hoping it dries in an hour so i can ride it!
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10/14/03 [october 14]: This past weekend i found a discarded TREK 830 Mountain Track moutnain bike, rigid frame, green fade to black paintjob. My size. All it needed was a seat and seatpost, chain and handlebar work. I replaced the grubby rusted bars and drilled stem it had with a stem and riser bars of shiny aluminum offa mongoose mtb. Then I had to find a cable stop to go above the head tube bearing cup ander the knut, because the stem it had on it was drilled to serve as a cable stop, and the stem i replaced it with wasn't. This meant also getting a slightly longer cable housing for the front brake cable and i replaced the cable itself as it was frayed. Then i pried a link offa the solid rust chain and threaded it out of the derailieurs, replacing it with the chain from the same parts bike i got the bars and stem from. Finally, i used said parts bike to replace the seatpost clamp, too, as it was rusted and wouldn't tighten fully.
Almost done. i was excited. The 830 is like the holy grail of retro rigid mountainbikes to me, because in 1996 when i was in high school [and bought my TREK 820] this girl i knew had a guys 830 and it was the most awesome bike... i wanted one but couldn't see paying over $350 for a mountainbike with no shocks [not that i knew what shocks were back then, or how a rigid bike can have a nostalgic quality the latest techno-gadgetry doesn't, and a simplicity of form and purpose that is positively philisophical...
Then i adjusted the front brake pads, put air in the tires and thru in a Kalloy black alluminum microadjust seatpost with a small, padded but reinforced-corner Mongoose bmx-mountainbike seat. The 830 -- the difinitive rigid moutnainbike of my dreams -- was ready to ride, at the cost of nothing but a few hours' labor and some grimy fingers.
I took it out as the rain began falling, big thick drops and ice cold. I rode on the street, just to test it, around the block and then down the main road Springfield ave. The rain was streaming down my face and back, glistening on the bike, making it live, as it washed down my arms in sheets. I didn't care. The cold rain made me feel alive. THIS WAS A BIKE! I rode past the supermarket where i worked night shift unloading trucks and dreaming about chicks the year i took off from university, then stopped for a smoke and a cup of coffee. Java put away, I got on the TREK 830, set my headphones to blast, and headed out into the deluge.
I was leaning hard into a turn when the bike disappeared and the world turned upside down, the streetlights sliding past me like a drunk carousel. I had slid out on some wet debris, and the ashphault did a number on my side and elbow. My yellow dial Seiko divers watch was unharmed, though, and the bike survived intact -- that was the most important part.
I can't wait to take the 830 on a real ride. But with its test ride in mind, i will wear a helmet!
10/18/03 [october 18] Saturday! I rode my Centurion fixed gear almost ten miles, then began fixing up my Schwinn Sport Tourer. This is a ten-speed road bike, not very light but in decent enough shape. I took the moustache bars i had on my fixed gear bianchi and put them on, then attatched the brake levers and inserted bar end shifters. Finding cables long enough was a pain but i finally took arart a pair of old grip-shift mechanisms from my parts box and the cables in those worked fine. I took it for a test ride, but am convinced i need to put aluminum rims on it before its next ride. I only rode 20 miles on it but it seemed heavy as heck towards the end of the ride, the steel rims it came with are just too much ballast, aned the fenders don't help...
10/19/03 [october 19] Took the fenders off the Schwinn Sports Tourer. Fixed up a few other things and cleaned up my new watch, a Poljot Aviator. I still need to paint up some chipped spots in my TREK 830 but its too wet out today.
11/16/03 [november 16] I've been riding my Fixed Gear Centurion and Trek 1000 almost exclusively lately. I want to get back into the woods on my Trek 830 but it was too darn wet for a while. My Trek 1000 needs the rear wheel trued and The Cateye cordless cyclocomputer isn't recieving its own signal after I replaced the dying battery. Maybe the guys at the Local Bike Shop know what's wrong... Yesterday I rode about 41 miles, between my Trek 1000 and the Fixed Gear. The Fixed Gear has all the light mounts on it so I only ride the Trek in the morning or afternoon, cause it gets dark now at like 4:45pm! Darn daylight savings time...
Today I pulled the 165 mm cranks with their one-piece 52 tooth chainring offa my Fixed Gear Centurion and fit on a set of aluminum 170 mm cranks with a bolt-on chainring -- using five bolts from a Haro BMX bike because the crank's originals were intended to go through the 42 ring too, and with it removed were too long to tighten in place. Then I put the black Shimano SPD pedals fromt he 165 cransk on the 170's so the bike had its clipless pedals back. I made it clipless a while ago because toe clips are a nuisience trying to get into and out of in traffic on a fixed gear -- your feet won't stop moving long enough to grab the passing tow straps!
The 170 mms are a little longer but pedal strike doesn't worry me -- and the bolt-on ring means I can always put on a different size one without pulling the cranks again. I'm thinking about putting a 48tooth chainring on, making the bike a 48x16 instead of its current 52. That way I could get up more hills and turn the cranks faster -- but it would still be big enough to go down hills, unlike the 42 front chainring I had on my first fixed gear ride which was too small once I got used to it. Also touched up some paint on the fixed gear, and moved the headlight over to the left side next to the Cateye Mity 3 speedometer. This way it's closer to the side the cars are, so they are less likely to run me over in the dark!
12/7/03 [december 7]: Pearl Harbor Day 03! The "big storm of '03" came in Friday [12/5/03] and it took me 5 hours to drive home from work 'cause people don't know how to drive in snow. The roads were passable if they'd keep movin' but they'd sit for half and hour or more at a time. I was sitting by the theatre for over and hour and a half... It was Nuts! To relieve the stress i went for bike rides Saturday and Sunday. Saturday when i left it was Blizzard Conditions, and not just in name only... Couldn't see more than a dozen yards ahead of you and only like 5 yards with clarity... I took out my Trek 830 "mountain track" mountain bike, and kept it in the middle and inside front rings [the two small ones] and like 5th gear int he back so I didn't spin too much. Just into the next town I stopped for a smoke int from of a store, leaning my ride against a Star-Ledger newspaper machine with headlines about the "Big Blizzard" and a pic of a car driving sideways into a snowbank! i wish I had a camera that day because my bike with that in the background woulda looked so cool. It was good to ride after spending five hourse the previous night trapped in a metal coffin! I rode over the bridge to help my friend shovel her driveway, then back and around town until it got dark. By that time it was still snowing but not so bad. Put a light on the back and rode some more.
Sunday it was cool and stopped snowing. My helmet busted [strap broke, no biggie I didn't crash] and had to chuck it. New helmet's on my X-mas list... Rode like eight miles and came back. Now the truth can be told: The Lone Rider Braved the Blizzard! Ride safe and remember Pearl Harbor, USA rules! 12/14/03 - December 14: IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS: U.S. forces busted Saddam Hussien in Iraq today, hiding in a hole in the ground! Hopefully it'll put a dent in the local terror-mongers who've been butchering our troops. In any event, it should be a happy day for the world -- the jerk has been found!
In my news: The lone rider put an 18 tooth rear cog on his FixedGear a week or two ago and it rocks. Yesterday I drilled out the front chainring [looks cool] while waiting for a friend of mine to come over, she took her time. Also will be picking up a vintage Nishiki Modulus road bike with braze-on mounted index downtube shifters and aero brake levers. It's also got forged dropouts and dual h20 bottle mounts on downtube and seattube. Nice road bike... Can't wait!
12/18/03 [december 18]: Just pciked it up! Frame marked "Nishiki Modulus Performance Equipe" "Double butted" tubes. Dual water bottle mountings on inside of down and seat tube;
downtube click shifters and Shimano Exage aero brake levers. Exage 400EX derialieur and 7 speed rear wheel; biopace 2-ring cranks. 700c rims with Continental tires and schreader tubes. Forged [not stamped] dropouts with built-in chain tensioners. Paint is still shiny and only rust is surface area on the washers and things of the EXAGE ACTION brakes and the chainring bolts. Only needed a roade bike seat. The cushy Saerfas cruiser style seat it incongruously had on it will go great on a mountain bike for one of my older relatives. As to the bike: Light a heck! It better not snow this weekend cause I wanna ride!
1/17/04 [january 17 2004] Been ridin' my new old Nishiki off and on, but got really into my fixed gear again. The centurion frame had BB problems, so I put the fixed rear wheel on my old Bianchi frame, which has a 42 tooth chainring, making it a 42x18. I put a mountainbike bar [flat] on, cut down to 7 inches on either side of the center clamp, and fitted it with bar ends. The bar ends are arranged almost horizontal, tilted up only a little, so it resembles the riding position of the cow-horn bars on my fixed Centurion. I been riding it for a week or two now, with no brakes, and it rocks. Today is Saturday. Yesterday I got my grades and just found out I'm graduatin college, and so I decided to celebrate by using my savings to invest in a new bike. A real bike -- a bike that does anything. It's a road bike, but it's not -- it can handle bad weather, and even a little off-roading. It's a cyclecross bike.For those too young to recall touring bikes, this doesn't mean anything, but it has many of the same features as touring bikes: bar end [or barcon] shifters, wider tires and stronger rims and hubs, cantilever brakes. The frame is nice and light and makes a cool "ping" when you tap it; its triple butted aluminum, stronger and lighter than the alu my TREK 1000 is made out of. In fact, this bike has a similar downtube, but everthing else is diferent. The bike has a aheadset style bar stem, removable derailiuer hanger which is integrated smootly into the frame, yet can be removed if it is fouled for replacement; the rear shifter is indexed... The bike is a *2001 TREK X01*, and it rocks!
It was NOS from 2001 -- brand new, hanging in a corner of the l.b.s. when I spotted it and recalled seeing it there some time ago. The specs: Bontrager Jones tire, Bontrager seat and handlebar, replacement stem [original one was too short for me] aero brake levers, Shimano front shifter; sora rear shifter, 8-speed rear cassete and 52/42 up front on the sora 175 mm cranks. Came with spd pedals, and on the flip side of the pedals there are clip in platforms so i can ride with regular shoes if I don't want to foul my cycling shoes in bad weather... The bike rocks, and it's a deep blue with white and red decals. Best part: The ride. Other Best part: "Handmade in the USA" on the right chainstay. Took it for a test ride and it rocks. Rides quick up hills, light and stiff, and the hubs and tires smooth out crap on the roads. Brakes are awe-inspiring compared to sidepulls, and it has slightly relaxed frame geometry.
1/18/04 [january 18] Still lovin' my TREK X01 cyclecross bike. Mounted a water bottle cage on the downtube mounts. Bolts were stiff and I was terrified I'd stip the liner outa the aluminum frame the way I once ruined an old Technium, but with care they looseded up. It's raining an ice storm right now and I really don't want to get the bike all yucky, but I did buy it so I'd have an all-weather ride... Guess I'm gonna have to take it out!1/26/04 [January 26] Today's Monday. Just paid a speeding ticket for going faster than the grandmotherly speed limit of 40mph on Route 202 in my Honda. Come on, I've gone faster than that taking a decent-sized hill on a vintage ten speed! Anyhow, cars suck. Bikes rule. Rode 6 miles on my Fixed Gear Bianchi. A big snow's coming tomorrow [so they say, it was supposed to be today but of course we just got a dusting so courts were open], which sucks cause I wanna ride more. On the other hand, my X-01 handles well even in nearly a half-inch of snow, provided I keep the rear shifter in one of the easier gears and don't lean too much to one side as I turn. This past weekend it didn't get above 20 degrees. I rode 80 miles, mostly on my new TREK X-01 but I also took the old Nishiki Modulus out for twenty, and it still glides along. Lovin' those index downtube shifters, but the TREK X-01 has bar end shifters, which -- much to the joy of my frozen fingers -- can be shifted wearing mittens!
In the meantime, when it warms up I'm gonna ride my fixed gear more, and my X-01.
1/28/04 [january 28] We got hit by snow last night and it snowed right on thru til morning here in NJ, USA. My Job is closed for the day, and we had nearly six inches ont he driveway. So I'm riding [of course!] I rode my fixed gear last night and noticed the road tires [continental duraskin rear, can't recall front tire make] on my Fixed Gear Bianchi were sliding a wee bit. It rode great otherwise; unlike my Centurion, the Bianchi is a wimpy 42x18 -- but such a small front gear and the 18 combo make good gearing for the snow. Only problem; the tires slid -- mostly the rear, when going around turns. I couldn't lean into turns at all. So I took a salvage find Michelin TREKING knobby off a 700c hybrid bike I found last weekend and stuck it ont he rear rim of my Bianchi. Gonna test it now, but it should be better in the snow, like the tires on my X-01.
1/30/04 [january 30] Just rode a nice five miles spin on my new fixed gear! It's my TREK 1000 from 2000! Thing is, I don't need two "new" Treks with gears -- now my X-o1 is the new roadie. And the rear wheel on my Trek 1000 was shot anyway with busted spokes. So I took the knobby tire off the fixed gear wheel [we got piles of snow five feet high at the curb but the roads are clear...for now] and put a Continental road tire on. Took both front and rear wheel off my fixed gear. Stripped the chains, shifters and brake levers from my TREK 1000. Put the wheels on. The bike shop had to get me a new bottom bracket and put spacers on the wheel, but I got it set up as a fixed gear. Originally set to use a 42; when I had to pull the cranks offa my Centurion, I took the 48 tooth chainring with them... this wouldn't fit right, it was either too loose or two slack. Because the 1000 has verticle drop outs for the rear wheel, unlike the angled drop outs on many older bikes, there is little room for horizontal adjustment. Half a chainlink forwards or back woulda made it work -- but it couldn't be done. Not one to be deterred, I went home. The TREK 100 was almost built... just that chainline problem. All that was left of the original was frame, fork, headset, handlebars, bar stem, and front brake. The integrated shifter and brake lever went into storage, replaced by an old aero Shimano 105, but I used the original front brake cable and housing. The rear brake was gone, bb and cransk replaced, and both wheels were offa my other fixed gear [Matrix junk find front with quick release, bolted Mavic rear wheel].
It rides great, and I finally found a gear that I could fit without too much slack or bein too tight: A 43 tooth chainring on the 175mm cranks, and the 18-tooth rear cog I had on before. That makes it 43x18. Riding without grip tape for now; gotta get it tomorrow before I go away for the weekend...
2/12/04 [february 12]Got a sweet Zeno Explorer wristwatch for my Graduation... Hafta write a few thank yous to the folks... Rode my fixie again. Before I take it out again later I've gotta do some mods. I'm gonna drilly out the 43 t chainring and maybe the rear cog [that would look so cool but you'd barely be able to see it!]
Main modification I hafta do is file a little inside the dropouts so I can get some slack on the chain: it's so tight I fear the teeth ont he cog and chainring will wear prematurely, and the extra tension actually slows me down sometimes. But it's a fine day to ride!
It's later, and I drilled out the chainring. Looks cool! Filed a little of the dropouts but it was slow going and didn't seem to help in any event. Feeling the chain it feels a little slacker, but no difference in ride feel.
3/01/04 [march 1] Fixed my friend's Cannondale f700 yesterday. It was rigged as a single speed when I gave it to her; I put on a new chain and rear derailieur plus grip shift activator for said derailieur. We went riding that day together, just around town. It was great!
Today after work I took down my Trek 830 rigid mtb. This was the mountainbike I took the grip shift off of in order to fix her Cannondale. It had the 3 speed on the other side for the front but no back shift lever, and no grips.
I took off the remaining grip shift shifter and replaced both shifters with old-school thumb levers, Shimano SIS versions. these neat little levers allow you to select either friction shifting or indexed shifting. I have the rear set for indexed and the front for friction. Threw on a pair of short blue grips and end caps and the bike is in business. The 830 is as basic as it gets, no shocks, no flashy paint job, and replacing the grip shifters with simpler levers added the right tough of retro. I can't wait to ride it again. Next time she's here, or perhaps off road, once the snow finishes melting and the trail mud is less than knee deep...
3/5/04 [march 5] Put fenders on my TREK 1000 fixed gear roadbike. It's going to rain all weekend they tell me so this should keep me a little drier as I ride. The weather sucks!
Also finally got some scans of my old Enicar automatic wristwatch.
3/28 [march 28] : Took fenders off the TREK 1000 fixed [they didn't have the right clearence]. Ready for summer! Threw some road (23x700c) tires on my TREK X01... Rides smooth!
3/30/04 [march 30]: removed the drop bars from my TREK 1000, fitted it with a flat mountainbike bar [with the slight curve which it has angled downwards and about an inch chopped off each end]. Blue short grips, mountainbike brake lever. Rode 22 miles on it, then installed a Specialized cyclocomputer, and remounted the small detachable "planet bike" front light. Installed an old Blackburn rack on the rear of the bike and then moved the rear light to the side. Bike rides great and is fast considering its 43x18 gearing... but unlike my older fixed gears, some of which had 48 and 52 chainrings, this one ain't meant for speed. Just all day riding. Thinking about switching the 18 for the old 16 tooth cog when I get better at going up some of the local hills, to give me a little more ooomph on the downhill runs... In the meantime, it's a great ride. I think the drop bars climbed better, but the mtb bar provides a more upright position and is better in traffic, plus feels better when cruising along at a leisurely pace. plus it looks like a million bucks. Classy. All it needs is full fenders and a cup of cappacino balanced on the seat... ;)
Anyway, the it rides great, and the rack can be used to mount backs if I need to carry anything [as I am want to do when I ride 20 plus miles, such as something to read when I stop for coffee mid ride. Maybe it isn't fast. But I got my X01 for speed, after all.... Next project: I want a fixed [or singlespeed] mountainbike, if I can find an old frame that'll hold up and the right set of cranks.
Cleaned up an old Univega Rover Sport mountainbike... rigid frame. I want to get out in the woods again now that the trails aren't underwater... I rode my TREK 830 yesterday, but sadly, it's seatpost is stuck and I think that means the seat tube is corroded, so it might end up as a parts bike. In the meantime, the old 1980's Univega is an awesome old ride, grey paint, black fork, thumb shifters and suntour components -- including the cranks. Can't wait to get air in the tires and take it into the dirt! In the meantime, think I'm heading out to the swamp on my TREK X01 today... 4/07/04 [april 7] Found a set of Mavic XP21 rims the other day, with radial spoke pattern and Coda hubs and skewers, but no freewheel. Threw 'em on my TREK X01 bike and rode a little under 40 miles to my old university in Madison -- which just opened a coffee shop!
Nice ride! The 7-speed freewheel came off of the busted original rear wheel from my TREK 1000 [which obviously didn't need it, being a fixed gear]. The rims, spokes, and hubs are all black, as are the skewers, except for the braking surfaces of the rims. The gearing of the old TREK 1000 freewheel is nice, road bike gearing -- easier going up hills in the big gears, and faster in the little ones. Also removed the stock Bontrager seat from the X01, and replaced it with a slimmer Coda seat which I found with the wheels. Radial spokes are beautiful to look at -- and the rims ride nice!
4/08/04 [april 8]: Polished the seatpost and cranks of my Univega and finally got the nasty plastic pedals off, replacing them with metallic blue beartrap pedals. Put a flatter stem [road bike stem] on the Univega and this meant I needed a cable stop [cause the new stem had no pulley]. I ended up making something myself, but wasn't satisfied with how sturdy it was, so I finally got the right part, a calbe stop that fits like a washer over the threaded part of the fork, under the stem. Bike rides cool, now all I need to do is replace the bald tires, true the rear wheel of its wobble and get it to stop raining so the trails aren't knee deep in muck by Easter.
5/19/04 [may 19] : It be Wednesday. This past Saturday I rode my Trek 1000 fixed gear [43x18 gearing] with its NEW TIRES for a liesurely jaunt. Almost home I hit a huge pothole and crashed. Dislocated shoulder and lost some skin. The bike needs a rebuilt rear wheel. I'm getting a Mavic Open Pro rim, which is an upgrade from previous rim, the Open is double-walled and should hold up better than the original, which ended up looking like a rippled potato chip.
In the meantime, to get back into the simplicity of one gear, I converted my old school Univega mountainbike to a single speed. First I had to take off the cranks which had ovalized chainrings and replace them with the 170's that had been stock on my Trek 1000 when it had been a geared bike [dis is why I save parts... heh!] Used the same metal blue pedals the Uni had on its own cranks, and the Trek 42t chainring. Running the chain thru like the 2nd gear on the rear wheel right now. I know someone who has a single speed mtb rear wheel they'll let go, so when I get a chance I'll swap it fer that. In the meantime, it rides sweet!
5/20/04 [may 20] : Cool. Just pulled the Trek cranks off my Univega single speed mtb and threw on the 175 [i think] cranks off an old chrome mtb. They've got cool angled bolt arms and the smaller bolt pattern allows a smaller ring for easier pedealing -- I kept the blue pedals and am using the 38t ring, which was the middle one when the cranks were on their bike of origin. Chain tension is tough with this gear combo due to virt dropouts, but the smaller gear makes easy riding.
6/23/04 [june 23] : A few weeks ago i fixed up a sweet Specialized Sirrus. Unlike the current [2004] model bearing that name, this was a road machine, lugged steel frame, traditional geometry, drop bars with aero brake levers and Shimano 105 gruppo. A cleaning, new rear tire, and paint touchup later, plus a chain, and it was all set. I rode it over the mountain thru the Watchung Reservation. Nice ride and nice bike. Today [june 23] I finished the latest touches on my current project, a Peugeot Record De Monde. This white bike with "Peugeot" in gold downt he downtube had stem shifters, cottered cranks and chromed rims with bolted axles, but a sweet frame. The internally lugged frame resembles a Peugeot UO-8 but without the chromed fork ends, making it probably a AO-8/18. Replaced the handlebar stem shift levers with Campy downtube friction shifters, removed the kickstand, threw on a handlebar-mounted bottle cage, and replaced the wheels with more modern quick released set, a 6-spd rear wheel and a matching front, which have Sansin hubs and skewers but Weinmann rims. Current specs: Cottered Nervar Cranks and double steel chainring w/guard; Atax aluminum bar stem, steel bars, original plastic grip wrap, Weinman brake levers [safety levers removed] and Weinmann 730 sidepulls. Simplex derailieurs with Campagnolo downtube friction shifters, Lyotard pedals and QR wheels as described. Stock seatpost with junk seat, will fit appropriate vintage seat [Brooks or Wright] when i get the time.
But right now, it rides sweet! Next step is installing aluminum cotterless [modern] cranks, but that will take a while.
6/30/04: [june 30] - Put some finishing paint touches on my Old Skool track buildup. I took the frame from my black Centurion fixed gear bike [the wheels of which were on my Trek 1000] and removed the handlebars. Put on a pair of "northroad" roadster bars, from a 3 speed, inverted so they had a drop, kind of like a cross between road bars and moustache bars -- the sorta bars you see on pics of old track bikes from 1905 or thereabouts. The bb spinle has nuts, not bolts, and when I used a crank with a bolt-on chainring it eventually worked loose. Wanting to avoid the expense of a new bottom bracket, I used the cranks original to the bike: 165mm SR Apex cranks, aluminum cotterless, with a 52 tooth attached chainring. Threw ont he wheels [rear recently rebuilt] from my Trek 1000 fixed gear and I have a decent repro of a turn-of-the-century track bike.
It's a great street ride, but no handbrakes means I gotta keep my eyes peeled and the speed down, at intersections. So much fun and the 52x18ear does allow a little more "go" that the 43x18 I was running before. I trimmed the edge of the fork chroming in red edged with blue, then outlined the white skull I'd previously put on the rear of the top tube with red and blue flames. Grey profile grips, grip caps and crank bolt covers painted red. On the drive side chainstay I put "OLD SKOOL" in red with a blue border, and I pinted the headtube read. Also outlined fork crown in red and blue and put a "1" in same color on front of the handlebar stem and seat tube [for 1 gear!]. Mountainbike seatpost and CODA seat. I could not find a allen-wrench size seatpost bolt, so I used a quick releade one, which is why I don't like leavign the bike locked, otherwise I'd ride it to the station everyday for work, too -- but I'm afeared they'd steal the seat! It's a funky looking, fun bike, and a reasonable facsimile of the bikes of old. Kept the toe clips but lost the straps. SPD is more practical but I love the vintage look of this machine!
7/16/04 [july 16] - Built my Panasonic DX-1000 into a fixed gear. Used small front chainring and the rear and front wheels from my Centurion. it worked out to 40x18 with a front brake and a total hillkiller.
Built up my Bianchi again using flat mtb bar and borrowed the Panny's wheels for that... Would make a good commuter bike but the thing has some internal rust I can hear it rattle... I may have to retire it.
7/24/04 [july 24] - The Panny is now 40x16, with a 16t rear cog. Added a cyclocomputer and used some touch up paint to outline the lugs on the frame. Looks like a million bucks.
7/27/04 [july 27] The Panasonic is sharing its rims with my Centurion, now berift of it's retro bars/wanna be turn of the century track bike phase. It now has the VX Road cranks [170mm] offa the Bianchi and the Bianchi's flat mtb bar and grips. Mountainbike lever and sidepull Shimano Tourney front brake. Vetta rack off my homebuilt "club" bike. Built it up as a utilitarian bike cause my car died, running 39x16. All it needs is 700x35c tires and it'd be sweet.
Now I just need another fixed rear wheel for the Panny so I don't hafta share...
8/1/04 [august 1] Put cowhorns and a Shimano 105 aero lever on the Panasonic. Also replaced bar stem.
8/5/04 [august 5] Must I constantly tinker? The Panasonic now has 42x16 gearing... the 42 chainring is a red pro-neck BMX 'ring that I found on municipal cleanup wheel a few years ago. It has gone thru several uses, first on an old BMX bike I rebuilt, then on my Bianchi during it's use as my first fixie. Now it's on the Panasonic. And the irony; I'm back at the gearing I started with on my first fixed gear -- 42x16! Also lowered the Panny's bar stem half and inch and raised the seatpost about the same amount, as well as slid the seat rails back about half an inch.
8/7/04 [august 6]The Panasonic is back to 40x16. Rides great!
8/8/04 [august 8] Converted the Centurion again. Today's mods include cutting off/ filing down the cable stop for the rear derailier -- since it's a fixed gear -- and removal of the stem and flat mtb bar. I took the drop bar setup, stem and all, that was on the Panasonic and installed it on the Centurion. The Centurion is now a drop-bar, front brake only, rack-on-the-back 39x16 fixed gear road bike -- berfect for liesurely rides where there are hills. The Centurion is also good on hills. I plan to keep a 16t cog for both bikes, once I get my second fixed gear wheel for my b-day this August. Then I won't have to switch the rear wheel every time I go between the Panny and the Centurion.
8/15/04 [august 15] Been riding the Centurion. It rocks. The hills are so easy and even the descents are cool. In my never-ending tinkering manner, I built a third fixie, out of a small-framed Fuji Sagres. This was a hybrid with a semi-sloping top tube which I originally intended to build into a "touring bike" due to its long rear triangle, cantilever brakes and rack mounts. However, the head tube is too small for drop bars, even w/ a long stem my knees would be hitting my elbows. Off go the shifters and on go the fixed gear rims. A few links out of the chain, and the installation of an inverted cruiser bars [and metal brake levers - hate plastic] - and I got a "scorcher": a fixie suitable for all around riding, maybe even off road. I left the triple chainring on cause I don't have any more good cranks -- will try to pull the extra rings when I get a chance so I can move the one I use over and have a true chainline. I maintained both front and rear brakes but barely use the front one. I don't touch the back.
8/19 - The Fuji fixed gear project is now running a 40x16. Only thing I need is grip tape and an eventual pair of clipless spd pedals.
The stock cranks had riveted chainrings so I could use the middle one, but not remove the others and set it up with that one chainring. This necessitated replacement. Besides, the stocks cranks with their triple steel chainrings weighed three times as much as a decent crank with removable aluminum ‘rings. My first attempt was to utilize old-school Dura-ace cranks from the 1970s, but the chainring bolts were seized and one pedal gave me grief attempting to remove it. The next option was to use a nice lightweight triple crank, but with the existing bottom bracket on the bike the crank bolt arms were too far out to have any kind of sane chainline. All my other good cranks are already on bikes and I do not care to remove them, so I just put the stock cranks on and consigned myself to utilizing the middle ring of the heavy cranks, which gave something like a 36x16 gear and weighed a ton, plus looked like rubbish due to the extraneous chainrings.
A solution presented itself when I took a hacksaw and a file to a pair of SR Apex 165mm cranks from 1976. These are the cranks that had been stock on the Centurion but they had a one-piece 52 chainring attached to them. However, the 52 ring had holes for bolting the smaller ring on. Cutting off the teeth-bearing edge of the bigger ring but keeping the “spokes” of the ring with the bolt holes, I turned it into a set of cranks and installed a 40t chainring – the 40 ring that was actually the small inner ring of these cranks back when the Centurion had gears. The Fuji fixed gear now has these components:
BIKE: Fuji Sagres hybrid conversion BARS: Homemade Cowhorns. Bar stem off Raleigh Record BRAKE: Stock cantilever brakes, hooked up to Weinmann non-aero road lever SEAT/POST: Long seatpost of unknown origin; junk find no-name seat. CRANKS: 165mm SR Apex ‘76s. Using old Shimano 105 pedals and toe clips [for now] CHAINRING: 40t WHEELS: Mavic Open Pro rim fixed rear, Matrix junk find front utilizing aluminum mtb qr skewer OTHER: Pouch under seat for lock and other cargo, bottle cage mounted on downtube. So far it looks good! Can't wait fer my first real ride on this thing!
8/22/04 [august 22]: Fuji is now 43x16 with 170mm cranks. I was riding a twenty-something mile ride today and the old chain I'd used started to fail. Got home and found the links seperating slowly at two spots. I got a newer chain to put ont he bike and then said to myself, Damn, it was harder going uphill on 165mm cranks. So I threw on a set of old 170s. Then I put on a slightly bigger chainring. Also adjusted the angle of the handlebars slightly and added old spd pedals. A brief few mile test after these modifications told me all I need to know; it rides great.
10/10/04 [october 10]: Been too busy riding and stuff to write much here. Fuji fixed gear was rebuilt back to a geared bike for a family memeber, and my Panasonic fixed gear is now running 43x16. I am using my Trek XO1 a lot now as well as it is my only modern road bike [even if it is a cyclecrosser]. The only other geared road bike I have in operational condition [meaning rideable as is or in less than half an hour's work time] is my Vintage red Specialized Sirrus, which needs a chain.
I flipped the bar stem on my XO1 so it is angled up a bit, as having it flat was just no good. I'm 25 and that is too old for that aero sh@t! The XO1 is currently running the black Mavic radial spoke wheels I found on junk days a while back, real cool lookin buggers with CODA hunds and QR levers, using the rear 8spd cassette off my old Trek 1000's destroyed rear wheel. I am intending to install the original Matrix rims with wider tires soon so the bike can venture off pavement if it wants. And I want to drop the 52 big ring down to a 48 or a 50 one of these days...
My other project is a folding bike I just got October 9, a Dahon Boardwalk in british racing green with 6 gears. If all goes well it should be my commute bike, going with me on the train so I do not have to walk thru Newark!
10/17/04 [october 17]: Girl ditched me for the evening so I tinkered in my Garage... built a fixed gear out of a green cheap mtb frame, one of those monocoque designs with weird-shaped frame, no round tubes. It's flat, kinda, so it looks really cool, like a flounder on wheels. As a mtb it was god-aweful heavy but with aluminum cranks, cowhorn bars and stem, and a steel fork of a vintage road bike, it is light as hell. Currently has bear trap platform pedals... I'm gonna throw better pedals on it, I like the way it rides. 42x16 gearing. In other news, the commute is going well on my Dahon folding bike, and there is a Page on Commuting now, so check the Index Page for the link! Also picked up a black Lotus road bike form like the 1970s with really cool engraved Shimano 600 components. Never seen anything like it, the rear derailieur cage was engraved with scroll work! Sweet! And rides okay too considering it has bum tires that'll need replacing.
10/21/04 [october 21]: Commuting on my Dahon folder. Need to buy some waterproofing for the hinge and seatpost though as the grease it came with is hardly enough protection. But it rides nat! Thru the original wheels on my X01 last week, had them put a better rear cassette on [wider range] but right now only that back wheel is on the bike; it still has the Mavic front rim because the original front rim needs truing. Yankees lost to the Red Sucks last night which is no fun. But bicycling is fun even when baseball stinks. Man, do I love my folding bike. The fact that it lets me ride every day is great!
10/22/04 [oct 22] - Friday: They had a shooting down the street from my work. It's crazy! fortunately my Dahon folding bike got me safely to the train and home.
10/23/04 [october 23] -- It's Saturday! Tonight i had a great time, Patty and I watched a movie and then I spent some time working on a Specialized Hardrock I picked up. The hardrock was Specialized's entry-level mountainbike, but this one was fitted with "comfort" components for around town crusing. Took some time to repalce the uprigth handlebar stem with one that had a flatter angle and a flat bar; because the front shifter grip shift mechanism bolt was rounded out, and couldn't be removed, I had to substitute another. None of the other shifters pulled the requisite amount of cable, so I went to an old school thumb shifter, friction-shift. Works all right.
Replaced the uncomfortable "comfort" saddle with a narrower Coda and added SDP pedals, and by 10/24 the bike was ready to hit the trail.
10/25/04 [october 25] - Monday, start of week three of commuting on my Dahon folder. And I can't wait to get home to ride my Specialized! I'd like to take it in the woods if it isn't too dark by then. Wahoo!
10/31/04: Finished another week of commuting on my Dahon tho two days were by car so it wasn't a full week. Revitalized my Centurion fixed gear, its running a 38x16 gear with "roadstar" bars and the Specialized "comfort" seat that was on the Hardrock. "beartrap" mountainbike style pedals and no handbrake. Why I built it up thusly is hard to explain; I think the "retro" bug bit me again, it is a great cruising around bike and I patterned it after the old turn-of-the-century bicycles.
11/5/04 - put mountainbike riser bars on Centurion. Been riding my Dahon but need to use lights in the evening now and my yellow winter jacket. BRRR.
11/11/04: 
Veteran's Day [Nov. 11.] Got my Citizen Titanium "180" (eco-drive) on a black strap after nearly losing it when the stock bracelet failed yesterday during my morning commute. Other than that not much going on. The Dahon makes the trip a breeze, tho!
12-02-04 [December 2]: Still been riding to work every day with only one or two exceptions since I started, on the Dahon. Gears skip and it bears some touch-up paint -- and the seat tube needs grease -- but with the exceptionof a little wiggle in the front end where the handlebars fold it has held up fine. Same cannot be said for myself. I have gained some weight in the paunch and am seriously considering a diet [horrors!] to help my cycling. No more eating like i ride 40 miles a day when in reality i only even get close to 40 on the weekends anymore. But I have made up my mind also to ride more. Not just six or so blah miles on my Dahon to and from work, but on my fixed gear. I cleaned up my Panasonic which I rode on Thanksgiving day up the hill to summit and back -- just a quick trip before the guests arrived but my god it was so much fun! Gearing is now 39x16 to help with the hills and I am so looking forward to the weekend. Saturday and Sunday I am going out for a ride in the morning and not coming back til its time to see Patty when she gets off work at nite!
With any luck i'll be back to shape in no time.
12-08-04 [december 8] - My Trek 1000 is back as a fixed gear road bike -- 43x18. Front handbrake only, activated by a bar-end shift lever!
Tonite after work i am going to throw some road bars on my Panasonic it is now a brakeless(!) fixed gear.
12-29-04 [december 29] Christmas was a blast! Got my fixed gear site up [2 actually] www.angelfire.com/retro2/cycles/index.html and www.angelfire.com/retro2/nogears_nofears/index.html ..being fixed gear specific they have more info and blah blah than the few pages on this site.
I fixed up my Puch fixie... now has profile mtb grips on the upper parts of the drop bars, single-sided clipless pedals with platform on the other side [courtesy of Nashbar and Santa!] and is running 42x16 on a (wahoo!!!) Surly double-sided fixed hub with 26 spoke Mavic Open Pro rim. This new wheel is beautiful. My rebuilt rim with the 18t cog [also uses a mavic open pro rim but with 36 spokes] is now on my Centurion which has 38x18 gearing and knobby tires for winter use and occaisonal offroading! It runs an NOS Royal Enfield steel centrepull hooked to a Specialized 'cross lever, and clipped drops.
1-04-05 [january 4]: What a blast! Rode my Centurion a few times offroad. It was da bomb! Built my Specialized up as an offroad/winter specific fix, using a bmx chain, a half-link for chain tension with the vert drops [Thanks High Gear and 63xc.com!]. Running 39x18 with the wheels, bar/stem setup, and cranks from the Centurion. More details at my fixed gear site!
Can't wait to take it offroad. Have my shoulder surgery tomorrow so this'll be my last ride for a while... :(
1/16/05 [january 16]: Tomorrow they take the stitches out. I cleaned up a sweet old Lemond road bike, and went for my first post-surgery ride yesterday. 13 miles mostly hills. Today I just did 15 miles this morning, maybe another ride this afternoon...
1/24/05 [january 24]: Monday and back to work in Hell. Went for a bike ride this weekend, on saturday morning. Only 11 miles but boy was it cold; under 12 degrees when I left the house. The Lemond performed like a champ, tho. Snow dumped half a foot on the Garden State but the roads are clear so maybe I'll get to ride again soon! I hope.
2/2/05 [february 2] - Trek 1000 is back as a fixed! Got Syntace Bullhorns, Carbon fiber seatpost, 43x16 gear w/ a 1/8 chain... read more about it [and pics coming this week, too] on my fixed gear page (Retro*Cycles) ! Can't wait to ride it again, and I'm itchin to get the Lemond on a nice long ride, too... ;)
2/5/05 [february 5] - Got the Trek 1000f [f for fixed, duh!] all set up. Rode both it and the Lemond today -- it was so warm I wore shorts and got a haircut!
The Tektro tt levers came in, I installed it on the bike. I got new grip tape just in case [Cinelli cork, black] but was able to use the old vinyl black tape that I'd only recently installed, which is good; cork is "cool" but doesn't seem to last as long, gets all fugly and worn and dirty, even the black. The vinyl seems a little more resistant to that sort of thing. I just unwrapped it carefully and then rewrapped it. At the lip of the bar, where the level slipped in [it attaches via an expander bolt] I noticed the grip tape was wrapped kinda thin, so I wrapped a lil' bit of black electical tape around it to hold it for good measure. I've also used black electrical tape over the ends where the grip tape terminates on the inside curve of the bars, because the finishing tape provided with virtually every length of grip tape I buy never seems to hold in 20 degree riding and wet conditions. Not that this was an issue today, it was only about 40 but it felt like 50-60 something degrees in the sun. Wahoo!
After my ride I touched up a few chipped spots on the Trek with yellow rustoleum spray paint [careful to rub off any excess and just cover the nicks] and let it dry before giving the frame a going over with Boshield. I then wiped it down and it should be protected against road salt now.
Tomorrow looks to be just as warm, can't wait to ride more!
2-9-05 [february 9] -- Wednesday here. Yesterday evening I rebuilt my Panasonic fixie. Now it's 42x18 w/ its 175mm cranks. Same front brake, but the bar/stem combo offa' my Puch fix. And a non-aero, old-style brake lever. Rides good, I believe this will be my casual everyday fix. The wheels still have the 700x35c Specialized 'cross tires but that's okay cause its still winter. Now I got two road fixes; a one fer just riding around and my 43x16 Trek with its Aero bars, carbon fiber seatpost, and tt lever. The Trek is fast. The Panny is retro.
I cannot wait to ride it again, hopefully tonight!
2-17-05 [february 17] - Been riding my Dahon folder to work all this week. It is good to be riding again instead of walking! I experimented with putting road bars on it, but it did not fold as well so I will go back to a flat handlebar, tho I will upgrade the grips and brake levers...
3-1-05 [march 1] - 63xc.com put up my lil' peice about riding the backwoods of NJ, along with a few cool photos of my Centurion fixie in the woods.
Tonight, I have put the wheels on my Panasonic, however, which is currently running 42x18 with the cross tires and mtb grips [same handlebar setup the Puch had] and a Dia-compe sidepull in the front, hooked to a Dia-Compe non-aero old-school road brake lever... It also has the Nashbar single-sided SPD/platform pedals and has become my casual road fix [as the Trek 1000 fixed gear with its Tektro brake and tt bars is kinda nice to ride on winter roads and has rather narrow tires]. I am thinking of doing the 5 boro bike tour in NYC, either on my Lemond geared roadbike, or my Panasonic road fix. I think it'd be cool to do it on the Panny, and it is only a hair over 40 miles. But there are supposed to be 30,000 people there, and I've never even SEEN 30,000 people on bikes, let alone rode with them... At any rate, I could always use the Lemond, it has gears. Whataya think? I could turn the Civic into sorta a support car, and throw a sign on the top of the windscreen, "5B or bust"? It's already got a roof rack...
First I wanna ride the Panny around here, maybe on longer rides just to get back in the swing of it. If I can do 30 or 40 miles on it nonstop here in Jersey, maybe I'll take it... who knows?
3-5-05 [march 5] Beware the ides a' march! Rode my Lemond today, witha new San Marco seat, and worked a bit on my vintage track bike, an old Orero from probably the 1970's. I can't wait to ride it, even if it's just down the street, see how it feels... it's got round fork blades, chromed head lugs... rear-facing track dropouts. No holes in front or back for brake calipers... this is tthe real deal. Supposedly the previous owner lived a few towns over. It's a yellow-orange w/ chrome lugs and Campy headset. I had an acquaintance at the lbs find a bb to fit the 165mm cranks and I got a rear and front wheel put on it this afternoon. It is a little tall for me, but just works... when I sit on it it feels fine, it;s the standover height is almost too big. I have a limited selection of chainrings in that bolt pattern, so it was either 52x16 or 42x16. I got it at 42x16 setup for 'round town stuff... Just threw a chain on it. Can't wait fer that test ride! Goin' to bed now it's 12:55 in the AM], but with the addition of pedals and some touch up paint to a few nicks and scratches, it'll be ready to ride when warm weather hits and the roads are salt free. Sh!t, maybe I'll even look up a velodrome... at any rate, it'll be a kick @ss local bike, even if I don't have the jeuvos to take it on the hills outside a' town...
3-09-05 [march 9] - The Track Bike is all built up, 'cept for a few tiny scratches waiting on da right shade of yellow touch up paint. Took it 'round the block twice, felt like The King!
Been riding my Lemond more, and my Panasonic road fix. I gotta lotta stares today on my Panasonic fixie as it was about 10 degrees out with the wind! After my ride, I put proper bar tape on it, and swapped the old road brake lever for a Specialized Cyclecross lever. Looks really cool now and rides good. And having quit my job after Dr. Evil stiffed me for over a grand, I have more time to ride ... between job interview, anyway.
3-11-05 [march 11] - After a snowy morning ride, threw on a 44t CNC Salsa chainring. 44x18 is about the same as 42x16, no? And the bike feels faster now.
Also checked out a Litespeed at the LBS -- Campy equipped and 900$ off, but still outa my range... for now. Christ, I need to find a job.
3-20-05 [march 20] - Been riding my Trek XO1 and Lemond a lot! Love 'em. Also lovin' my Panasonic fixie. Today I put the rear brake on my Trek 1000 fixed gear, and drop bars. Shimano 105 aero road levers. All I need to do is run the front brake cable and replace the broken seatpost clamp... 3-25-05 [march 25] Cleaned up my Panasonic fix and been ridin' that. This thing is so much fun. I can't wait to put some road tires on it, the knobbies don't ride as fast or smooth and the snow's almost gone so I don't really need 'em.
Oh, starting Monday I'm workin' at a bike shop. Can't wait to get a discont on a Bianchi Pista.... Yeh! Pretty soon... and in the Meantime the Panasonic rocks the streets of N J.
3-29-05: [march 29] - Swapped out the 44t Salsa 'ring for an old drilled out 43t chainring on the Panasonic. Installed the Surly hub rear wheel and the Mavic front I've been using as my "good" fixed gear rimset. They got 700x23c tires and it rides sweet now at 43x16t. Ridin' a lot and quite ticked off. The job at the bike shop didn't pan out. Guy said I knew a sh!tload about bikes so I know it isn't that. Maybe he knew a friend who wanted the job, or maybe he just needed someone to help him get caught up in time for the store's reopening; who knows?
3-31-05 [march 31] - doin' what I do best -- building bikes! Took apart my Specialized hardrock rigid mtb and put the stock 26" rims back on. Setup is now as a single speed cross bike; a drop bar, road brake lever, mtb with one gear. It's got a 42t ring in the back cause it's the only one I had with the bolt spacing to match the shiny new alu road cranks, and I'm running the chain thru the 2nd outermost cog on the rear wheel til I can get a 26" rim w/ a single cog. So far the only thing that keeps it from being usable fer more than a short testride is the fact that it's still got a track chain on it -- I can't seem to get the damn thing off as it won't fit my chain tool, too darm thick. #*$%ing luck!!! I hope to have it done so I can send it to 63xc.com's next issue, and ride it in the summer woods.
4-6-05 [April 5] - Rode my Yellow Track Bike today. This thing rocks!
4-7-05 [Fixed up my Panasonic, including touching up a few nicks in the paint and cleanign the grime from the bottom of the fork [i also used a cut-down handlebar plug to cover the hole in the bottom to keep grime from corroding the front brake bolt and generally messing up the inside]. The Panasonic rides darn good. Pics updated on the Panny, and I installed a Tektro RX40 road brake on it.
In other news, started me own E-Zine, so check that out if you are not easily frightened, offended, or --- oh, heck, check it out anyway! It isn't THAT bad...
4-10-05 [april 10] - Rode a good deal today on my Lemond, also on my Panasonic Fixed Gear. It's been great riding weather here in NJ, sunny and hot. Sure beats 15 below zero! Posted updated pics of the Panasonic and of my Centurion [the sport utility bike].
4-25-05 [april 25] - Put real road cranks on my Dahon folder along with a 53t chainring. Rides better now. Equipped my Panasonic with a bell as the Incredibell from it is now on my fuji... speaking of which... Built up the Fuji Sagres as my fixed gear "tourer" -- 44x18 gearing for now, with drop bars, Ritchey seatpost, San Marco saddle, road levers, and both sets of cantibrakes. The frame has dual waterbottle mounts. I may be taking this one to the 5boro...
5-02-05 [may 2] - Did the 5 Boro on my Fuji Fixed yesterday -- story is HERE -- an' it was a blast! The fuji fixed worked great, tho it needed some tinkering last minute; putting my newer wheel on it and changing up the gearing to 42x16. It was AWESOME! Slow at the stops and starts, but great. So many cool bikes. People came from as far away as Maine!
5-5-05 [may 5] - Cinco de Mayo! Ysterday helped my friend Chris film a fake "murder" for his movie project. Then tinkered with me bikes. After the 5 boro I built a road-track conversion outa an old scwhinn I found. Roadbike frame, fixed gear drive train, long stem w/ bare drop bars and no brakes. Road bike frame built up as a track bike. Only thing is, since the frame has a plate attached to the 'stays to mount a kickstand, this stripped down simplistic bike has no gears and no brakes -- but it does have a kickstand. I'm running my Nashbar platform/single sided spd pedals on this one. Looks and rides great. ...more 'bout this one HERE Took it t'day when I drop off my film from the 5 boro to get developed.
Then used it to run fer coffee... using an old junk-find messenger bag i fixed up with a "Chrome"-style release lever [more on that project HERE ]... works good. And changing the stock chain out really helped. No more rattle!
5-9-05 [may 9] - Started first day o' me new job, commutin' by bike. It's a short commute, sadly [10 min if that] but no need fer a car... fixed up a Giant alu Boulder SE mtb, just needs a seatpost. Built up my Panasonic, the blue Scwhinn seems frame has issues.
5-10-05 [may 10] Worked on my new project -- a Scwhinn Tempo roadbike, black, soooo cool. It'll have a page soon!
5-14-05 [may 14] -- Writing in from MA. Riding my folding bike up here in New England -- see bit about it on the words page. There are some neat roads up here!
5-17-05 [may 17] - Last nite I found an old Puegot roadbike. nice alu Nervar cranks, carbolight Reynolds frame... good condition except for a scrath or two -- except the fork and handlebars had been totalled by a car [damn cars!]. Anyone else woulda passed on it, but after 40 minuted I'd found and fitted a replacement fork, removed the mangled drops and replaced them with bullhorns. The homemade bullhorns look less outrageous than storebought ones, which are longer, but ride okay. The other thing I did was add a seatpost and seat and replace the looong reach centrepulls with long reach sidepulls - reason being the replacement fork was a tad too short to fit the collar for the centrepull cable guide. Works okay except the wheels need to be trued b4 it really hits the road. Only thing that sucks about it is it's got those fugly handlebar stem-mounted shifters, but the frame's got cabel guides brazed on so mounting clamp on downtube shifters is outa the question... for now. [tho I might try it soon, stem mounted shifters are actually dangerous to operate at any speed as reaching up to the centre of the stem affect yer balance. Plus they scream "put around town bike". I've yet to see a "serious" roadbike [like my old Nishiki or my Schwinn Tempo] that came with other than downtube mounted shifters. I'd like to even fit bar ends -- but the angle of cut on the bull horns won't permit the bar end expanders to fit in all the way as the hit a curve in the bar halfway in. So for now it's the handlebar shifters, or downtube clamp ons... if I can find a way to swing that w/out destroying the paint as clamp ons are want to do [perhaps a strip of descreetly applied electrical tabe would protect it from paint chipping and eventual rust?].
5-25-05 [may 25] - Been commuting to work on my old Schwinn Tempo road bike (I feel like Kevin Costner in "American Flyers" on this thing, it's so 1980's, except for the mercifully monocromatic black paint job) and my Fuji fixed. Yesterday I cleaned up my Lemond which has been sitting dormant a while and been riding that and my XO1 as well lately. My current most-used fix right now is the Fuji.
The XO1 got some heavy mods, namely a replaced handlebar stem off an MTB, the seatpost offa my old Trek, and as mentioned previously, it has a 48t ring. I may give it a 39t inner ring when I get the chance, and I will definately be looking to swap the bar end shifters for STI -- maybe Shimano 105? -- when I get some spare $... all in good time...
7-14-05 [july 14] -- Been too bizee to post... duh! I'm riding and walking daily, mostly my fixed gear Fuji and Trek XO1. Black Schwinn Tempo on nice days sometimes... The walking is Patty's fault! ;) She wants me to get in shape, not just ride fer fun. I got her to ride some, tho so it's even.
The Fuji now has a proper 400mm length seatpost [26.6 diameter] and a Bontrager seat. It's also got 42t chainring back and water bottle cages. Ready for summer at last! Oh, and 63xc.com published my "first ride back" tale of recovery. Cool folks, they are, and they run a mad good site, you wanna check it out if yer into singlespeeds, fixed gears, or just biking generally. Also I been tinkering with my xo1...
7-22-05 [july 22]- Riding my Trek XO1 a lot... it's got it's stock wheels back [front now true] and the stock Bontrager Jones CX [32c] tires, as well as my San Marco Era seat and it now has it's stock black seatpost.
The only other mods I plan on are replacing the Giant stem with a stem that isn't recycled, and I may swap the steel 42t inner ring for a 39 or 36t chainring, I just have to decide which but I know I'm gonna do that! ;)
Also, I started keeping my bike log of rides again. For a month or so I was riding regular, but just not keeping track... now I'm doin' it again. Yay!
-- Elvis
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More coming as things develop...
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