The Climb

High & Low

2012-02-10T23:32:00.000-08:00

Source: TheAnamito
Via Victor Cubed

Fairwheel

2012-02-10T01:50:00.000-08:00

Via: FairWheel Bikes

2012-02-10T01:20:00.000-08:00

Source: 8doherj
Via: Blackwidow

Para-cyling Track World Championships

2012-02-10T00:52:00.001-08:00

Happening this weekend at the Home Depot Center velodrome: INFO

Come check it out and be inspired.

Picture Source

Paint Stripping pt. 1

2012-02-09T17:10:00.001-08:00

I shaved off the paint where the cracks were to reveal the carbon underneath. I was looking for any signs of cracks or delaminating but couldn’t find any that were easily visible. With things the way they already are I went ahead and started my Naked Super Six project.

Some may cringe at the sight sanding down a frame this nice (i did too) but it was quite an easy decision with everything considered:

- I was going to sell it but found cracks in the paint, no way do i expect anyone to pay top dollar with that issue.
- It is already riddled with chips and scratches everywhere as seen here
- Stripping it will first of all guarantee to me and maybe the next owner that there are no structural issues
- Should save about 100-200 grams. HiMod Superlight!
- I hate over branded-frames!

Cannondale Assembly line

2012-02-08T03:09:00.000-08:00

Some of these machines are amazing!

Solid Works

2012-02-08T03:03:00.001-08:00

Super Six Strip Down

2012-02-07T17:17:00.001-08:00

I’ve stripped down the whole thing to prepare for the next step… Crack investigation.

The frame is wonderfully light at 1030g with cage bolts and the bb30 adapter. I will get an official number once everything is stripped.

Hopefully these parts will be able to go back on the bike.

Here’s the crack in question again.

Being a former race bike this frame has its fair share of cuts, bruises, and cosmetic blemishes so I’m not too worried about stripping it of its paint. I’m more concerned about the structural integrity of the carbon and stripping it will resolve that question.

Holy CRACK

2012-02-06T20:33:00.001-08:00

I was planning on selling this frame so I thought I’d go over it to see if there are any issues. Sure enough, a nice hairline crack on the top tube with a nearly symmetrical one on the other side. I haven't crashed it since I've gotten it and I am certain there weren’t any problems with it when I got it as I checked it quite vigorously. Right now this is just a total let down. So much for brand name quality. I’m hoping that Its just the paint that’s cracking (these bikes have very thick paint). So it looks like a Supersix HiMod Superlight project is coming up along with a potential carbon fix project.

Carbon Canyon

2012-02-06T18:22:00.001-08:00

Saturday morning pain

2012-02-06T00:49:00.001-08:00

Getting dropped on the first major climb of the day.

Ye ole beef jerky salesman on Santiago Canyon.

Lost…

~~Coffee~~ Water break.

What started as a sunny day joy ride turned into a ~63 mile ass whooping for me. I bit off way more than I can chew and suffered greatly for it and still am trying to rest it out today. Thinking back at it I don’t exactly know why it was so tough; I was well fed and well hydrated. I guess the pace was just too fast for me to keep up. From all of my pain I did make a big decision though: I don’t like my Supersix. When I was at and beyond my fatigue limit this bike was a total handful. I’m sure I’m not the greatest bike handler so take this with a grain of salt but it got to the point where the parallel cracks and grooves on the road were dangerous. The bike would track onto the grooves and being so twitchy it’d be hard to get myself out of them. That’s not something I want to have to worry about on any bike. I’m just not worthy of a super aggressive handling bike.

Peddels

2012-02-05T19:42:00.001-08:00

Note: Older used Ti spindles always have the groove worn onto them.

Trotting around with a Miyata 1000

2012-02-05T19:40:00.001-08:00

Velo Ciao

2012-02-05T15:49:00.001-08:00

How are this guy’s bikes SO nice???

Check out some remarkable bikes at a remarkable website: http://www.velociao.com/

Mig 70 Mag 180

2012-02-05T15:36:00.001-08:00

Tune Mig/Mag hubs. Always a great start to a great wheel build.

PISTA!

2012-02-03T21:38:00.001-08:00

Crazy Italians with their 151mm BCD. I didn’t even know there was such a bolt pattern ‘till recently. I also didn't know that Campy track lockrings are different from the standard.

Miyata 1000LT

2012-02-03T19:03:00.001-08:00

A Miyata 1000 with Nitto Moustache bars?! That’s like Michael Jackson doing a James Brown cover. It’s legendary upon legendary. If you don’t know what I’m talking about check out my XO-1.

This bike was very thoughtfully built by its previous owner. Plenty of gears, FAT tires, bulletproof components, a very comfortable cockpit, light but full coverage fenders, and racks on racks on racks.

Miyata’s amazing steel tube production brought to the masses.

I love the way the moustache bar feels and rides but there’s always the issue with how the stem looks. A true moustache bar setup almost always requires a lot of stack on the stem or a good amount of rise on the angle. This in turn looks rater un-racy in my mind. I have yet to see a very good way around this besides having a very long head tube.

Ready to ride cross continent.

Hetchins pre-game

2012-02-03T18:05:00.001-08:00

Just throwing some parts together for kicks.

The clearance on this front wheel is crazy tight.

Design with a purpose. No more top tube dings.

2012 Sram Red

2012-02-03T03:03:00.001-08:00

Nice, clean and simple

Via Bicycling

Pack and ride

2012-02-03T01:55:00.001-08:00

Alone, cold, tired, and content.

Impressive Goose

2012-02-03T01:52:00.001-08:00

Note: Brooks, tan walls tires, and a Campy crankset.

Nice paper weight.

@ Richard’s Cyclery

Strip down party

2012-02-02T23:13:00.001-08:00

Wipe and clean passionately. Check for pits.

Use new balls. Grade 25 Chrome steel bearings. Wipe cones passionately. Check for wear.

Marine grease. Plenty of it. In goes new balls.

gangster style, no dust cap. Just kidding, i will need to fab some custom dust caps.

Off goes the chain, pedals…

..and pista cranks into the bath tub.

More balls and cones.

LV

2012-02-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

Via Wimp

Dash Nique Saddle

2012-02-01T19:36:00.001-08:00

At 86.4 grams the Dash Nique saddle is one of if not the lightest fully padded saddles available. The padding is generous and the leather top is very soft. It also has a very big cutout, and i LOVE cutouts, however, this saddle has one subtle problem…

It looks great from the top.

It looks great from the front.

Looks great from the back.

Hrmm.. kind of looks like a cheap foam saddle…

OH GOD… the side profile is terrible. The Rails are too low and far back. The nose of the saddle looks like:

Source

-and the rear is just way too chubby and short. I’ve juxtaposed it with an SLR saddle above so one can compare the lines. Overall it just looks terrible from most natural angles and I'm not sure if i can take the aesthetic hit for a decrease in ~50 grams. Sure, its going to be under my ass anyways and my ass isn’t exactly beautiful but when I’m sitting there at the park or at a coffee shop my derriere wont be seen but this saddle will and it will taint one of the things I enjoy doing, admiring my bike. I’ll have to think about this one.

Casati Monza

2012-02-01T17:05:00.001-08:00

This Casati is just a very simple show of elegance and fine craftsmanship. Lugs are clean and well fitted. Logos are etched deep and concise. Great mix of Campy components.

One thing that I seem to like a lot on this frame is the internal gear cables. Pictured above and below – no cables to be seen.

DMT Radial

2012-02-01T16:38:00.001-08:00

Newer, lighter, stronger, prettier. Upgrade time!

Also time to pledge allegiance to the Speedplay King. No more silly converter pieces.

Small toe boxes… if you have wide toes these will not work for you.

Internal Cables

2012-02-01T16:33:00.001-08:00

Internal cable routing, especially the vintage kind, are great to look at but terrible to work with. This example above has some kind of mystery tunnel that took me 30 minutes to get the cable in. @#!%

Tune cages for Scott

2012-02-01T03:02:00.001-08:00

Reluctantly putting these on… I was on a weenie fervor while buying these and so I didn’t think about the shortfalls of being such a light and minimalistic design. The Cages have no bottom footing for the bottle to stand on. The whole design relies on the tapered’ness of the bottles and their ability to set themselves into place and not pop out. The problem arises when you need to take it out and it’s stuck. Supposedly adding some wax to the inside of the cages should alleviate this issue.

The 2nd issue is that the minimal amount of material here leads to a lot of flex which leads to movement of the bottle and the cage. This translates to a lot of force being felt by the bolts. This is why I opted to use all 4 aluminum bolts instead of my usual 1 aluminum 1 nylon bolt combo.

Does having ribbons for bottle cages make me look like a douche bag?

They are seriously light though. A full set weighs about 20 grams. That’s the same weight as ONE already very light carbon cage with an alloy + nylon bolt combo.

Hetchins in Leather

2012-01-31T17:29:00.001-08:00

A Hetchins to me should always have a Brooks saddle. No curly stays and ornate lugs here so we also need a hardcore Brooks saddle – the Swallow.

I didn’t want to go with black as that’s quite boring. Brown doesn't seem to go too well with orange and neither will the Honey color. So I searched around and found that a lot of companies offer a “natural” or tan’ish leather color. This should go well with the Hetchins logo. I’ve also compiled a list of Swallow style saddles from a couple of companies along with the prices.

Gyes Saddle with cutout $65. These are the cheapest option. I like the cutout but the shape is a bit weak.

Source CrowCycleCo

Gilles Berthous $275. These are quite expensive. They’re supposedly built very well but I don’t like the look of those bolts and the Brooks Swift look.

Source DistanceBiker

Selle Anatomica $190. Loving the cutout on these and the shape is quite pleasing too.

Source Jwanermanbikeblog

Brooks Swallow Select $250. Perfect in shape and the Select has the nicer hand pounded rivets. If only this saddle had a cutout.

Source CoolHunting

Hopefully I’ll get a nice “Orange Cream” theme going on once it’s together.

Casati Gold Line Track

2012-01-30T21:38:00.001-08:00

TIGHT is the word that should come to mind when looking at this bike. The angles on this frame are ridiculous. The fork has almost no rake! Current tires are 700x25s and they barely fit. Short seat tube, extra long top tube with super aggressive angles should make for a very quick ride and from a quick forum search it seems that that’s the case.

Pista bars.

Gorgeous Italian craftsmanship and flare.

What’s better than a track bred frame of this attitude and style? A track bred frame with Dura Ace 10 pitch!!! I’ve seen these things on (a few) forums and hear them being discussed by the most hardcore of riders but never have I even seen a set in person.

TO clarify: This Casati comes with a DA 10 Pitch drivetrain. Back in the days Shimano decided to make a (most notably) lighter track group set by reducing the pitch of the gears. This reduced the diameter of the cogs and rings and ultimately dropped rotational inertia.

The system worked… It made for tiny chainrings and cogs but it never caught on because of the staying power of the standard 1/2 inch (~12.7mm pitch) system. Now only the most hardcore of riders actually ride with these.

Trashy to Weenie

2012-01-30T14:44:00.001-08:00

Nothing new here. I’m collecting worn and ugly weight conscious parts for another build. If aesthetics isn’t your top priority then save yourself a bunch and buy ugly parts. Most of the mechanical wear and even some of the superficial wear can be worked back to fluid working and respectable looking condition given some time and elbow grease.

This Aspide saddle is a great candidate for some light wet sanding and further weight reduction given that the clear coat is already peeling in some parts. The rear derailleur will be perfect for a weight weenie hack / drill job. No remorse here, its already ugly.

I’ll see how good i can get these levers to look after some sanding.

Now to find an ugly light weight frame…

Hetchins BRICK

2012-01-30T08:51:00.001-08:00

This gem isn't actually called Brick. I just made that up because of the color and because it was built with tandem tubes for some serious sprinting duty. “It rides like a brick” (or maybe he said rock). Whatever it was it sure does feel like it was made to support a very arduous load. Apparently there were only two of these ever produced.

Whoever the Neanderthal was that commissioned the build of this frame had a very evolved sense of aesthetics. The lugs are not the typical long and intricate type that Hetchins’ bikes are usually known for but they are very elegant and subtle. Check out the little handlebar guard on the top tube.

Double butted Reynolds 531, the main ingredient for all high end British bikes . The sweeping seat stay is also a common attribute of an English racer.

One can never go wrong with a lugged brake bridge.

The seat lug is just gorgeous!

Nothing to say about the bb, it’s just simple and clean.

Beefy Campy track dropouts round out this simple and to-the-point build.

Oldies

2012-01-29T20:47:00.001-08:00

Some very nice and exciting vintage stuff to show in the coming week(s)

LA Velodrome Record Attempt @6pm Tonight

2012-01-29T16:27:00.001-08:00

Video streaming by Ustream

Via Mr Jack

Source http://lavelodrome.org/

Land Shark Time Shark

2012-01-29T14:13:00.001-08:00

Funny bike, Silly Me. This is the first funny bike I’ve come across and what a bike to start with! I’m on a Land Shark roll this month. Fillet brazed, pista cranks, Phil Wood hubs, ridiculously areo position. A nice track sister frame to this Land Shark.

Cervelo S5

2012-01-27T17:00:00.000-08:00

Cyclepedia

2012-01-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is too cool!

Via MostExerent

Concept 64

2012-01-26T01:57:00.001-08:00

Mr. Jerome Bache is somewhat like me… but much better. That’s a mighty fine FD Mr. Bache. Personally i would have used a thin sheet of stainless steel instead of what looks like Delrin. Delrin is theoretically perfect for that application but it wears down way too fast.

Via Jerome Bache

Orange County: The Most Hipster Place in America?

2012-01-25T15:58:00.001-08:00

Pop open that can of PBR. Orange County has been ranked as the No. 1 hipster place in America, surpassing San Francisco, Portland, New York and Austin.

(Go ahead and lift your jaw off the floor--we'll wait.)

Hipsterness, of course, isn't easy to quantify--ironic mustaches can disappear with the swoop of a razor. But price-guide startup Priceonomics took on the challenge with the National Fixie Index, which ranked 96 areas by the number of fixies for sale per capita.

Priceonomics explains:

Fixies (fixed gear bikes) are considered to be a strong indicator of hipsterness. For those unfamiliar, a fixed gear bike requires riding in a single gear and the only way to stop the bike is to pedal backwards to help skid the bike to a halt. You can't "coast" on a fixie; when you are biking downhill, your pedals will keep moving so you better keep pedaling too. Because of the minimalism of this fixed gear system, the bikes tend to be aesthetically pleasing but somewhat challenging to ride. This enigmatic combination may be what draws hipsters to the bikes, or not.

After mining its database of 1.3 million bicycle listings, the researchers were "shocked to learn that Southern California is the epicenter of the fixie community." If this is the hipster metric we're going with, then it's true. OC is a thriving fixie playground with shops like City Grounds in Costa Mesa, Road Warrior Bicycles in Fullerton and Livery Design Gruppe in Huntington Beach.

So go forth and get your fixie fix. Just don't bring up the hipster thing, though. Hipsters hate that.

Source: OCWeekly

Open Tubular

2012-01-25T12:48:00.001-08:00

Note to self…

Veloflex Open Tubular tires… NOT tubular.

Tension

2012-01-24T19:15:00.001-08:00

How’s this for an idea? Instead of hemp I use Zylon PBO fibers and incorporate a tensioning device into the system somehow.

Couple of problems right now though:

1. Tensioning system
2. No self centering
3. Current setup pulls rails together and off the cradle slots

Cassettes

2012-01-23T17:17:00.001-08:00

Dura Ace cassettes for the best all around performance!

Shit Cyclists Say

2012-01-23T02:01:00.000-08:00

Via MostExerent

Caliper 5

2012-01-23T00:59:00.001-08:00

It’s been long enough! lets get this made!

Tune Wassertrager

2012-01-21T14:16:00.001-08:00

Fresh from Great Britain

2012-01-20T16:05:00.001-08:00

Isogrid

2012-01-20T13:11:00.001-08:00

Just seen this technology pushed to the limit and it looks pretty amazing.

Garmin

2012-01-20T01:31:00.001-08:00

I’ve never bothered with bike computers but I'm tempted to get one of these. These might be extra beneficial for me since I'm riding alone most of the time.

Speedplay X/5 X5 Disassembly

2012-01-19T23:15:00.001-08:00

I’ve looked all over the internet for info but couldn’t find any. I wanted to know how one would go about disassembling Speedplay X5 pedals and if one could swap out the CrMo spindles for the stainless ones. I couldn’t find anything so I experimented.

It turns that the X5 design is quite different from the X2 and X1’s. There is an internal sleeve/bearing holder underneath the lollipop and bowtie cover. In the case of the X5 the two bowtie screws actually hold the lollipop pieces together, that explains why they use a torx interface instead of the regular Allen interface. Undo these two screws and the whole cover comes apart as shown above.

Next, there is a plastic grease cap on the end of the bearing holder. Grab and twist this cap off to reveal the nut that holds the whole thing together. By this point I could see that the X5 and X2 spindles are NOT interchangeable so i did not need to go any further. However, if you needed to change or check the inner bearings all you’d need to do is unscrew the nut.

While i had the tools out I decided to tune another X2 pedal set of mine. First step, remove the grease cap.

Undo the holding screw (torx interface) and pull the spindle out.

I’m also replacing the bowties with my custom aluminum pieces. Like i mentioned I used the wrong tool when cutting the chamfer and the angle came out too short.

Nothing that a grinding wheel cant solve!

Ti spindles + Aluminum bowties + gratuitous amount of grease = 137.9g

Junky rusty bikes

2012-01-19T15:29:00.001-08:00

A couple years ago the bike market was booming with the surge of people finding interest in fixed gear bikes. Suddenly used bikes were very valuable. Junky road bikes like the ones above were coveted. They were bought, hacked, and fixed (geared that is). Then people came to the realization that they’re not athletes, they can’t handle riding a bike, $3 a gallon for gas isn’t so bad, or that hot hipster chick just isn’t interested, or maybe she’s not even a hipster anymore. Whatever the reason, interest in road bikes started to wane and like some of my ill purchased IPO’s, value plummeted.

There was a lot of good that came out of the spurt of cycling enthusiasm though. For one, this blog was born out of that fertile time and is still growing and evolving. Plenty of people found a new hobby in cycling. Maybe they haven't all realized that riding a fixie brakeless with neon color wheels is ridiculous but at least they’re riding. Many have grown over to road bikes and are commuting with them if not at least riding on the weekends. Whatever it is, exposure is great.

In the spirit of that, I am giving away these junky bikes pictured above. They need WORK. but i hope someone out there has time and some money to invest. Make some single speeds, make some road bikes, whatever it is i hope some bloke out there can see what it is to ride a bike and someone else makes some money for fixing them up. Contact me if you want them, there are about 7 bikes here. Bring a truck. I will update this posting once they’re gone.

Pile of Junk IS GONE

Judging from the response to this post it seems like a lot of people out there are still willing to put in some love and labor. Sorry for the rest of you that missed out and thank you for reading the blog. Until next time!

Apollo Skewers

2012-01-18T21:45:00.001-08:00

These weight weenie skewers utilize pretty much every light weight material known to science. Titanium shafts, aluminum ends & cams, and carbon levers…

This is pretty much the same design as Tune’s skewers minus some details that further reduced the weight.

Pretty nice for about $30.

Blistering cold

2012-01-18T21:35:00.001-08:00

I was able to take the Isaac out for its maiden ride. The ride is nice and neutral. The handling is rather quick but closer to neutral than insane. Overall a great ride, a bit too big for me but climbing and descending felt swift.

It was so cold i had to bring out my murderer gloves.

One little quirk about this frame is the placement of the shifter cable stop. Its placed rather close to the brake levers, close enough that the caliper barrel adjuster hits the shifter cable when turning. This causes the caliper to go off center and rub the wheel… I'll see if this becomes a persistent problem.

Too Tight

2012-01-18T17:42:00.001-08:00

Some of these pieces came out TOO tight. Time for action.

Brake cylinder bore tool thing to the rescue!

Didn’t work. Well, probably would work if i stood there for 5 or so days.

Perfect sized sanding drum to the rescue!

Perfect sized sanding drums produce perfect sized bores!

Now these spacers have an air-tight fit! You wont get hand crafted perfection like this anywhere! Not even Germany.

Moar Spacers

2012-01-17T19:25:00.001-08:00

Now we’re in business!

20mm Spacers: 6.3 grams.

I’ll likely be selling them in a pack like this: 2 x 10mm, 1 x 5mm, 1 x 20mm. Should be enough stack height for anyone.

Isaac Force Build Pt. 5

2012-01-16T22:38:00.001-08:00

Last pieces of the puzzle have been placed and now the ride is done! Hopefully better pictures and a ride report soon.

The Climb Delrin Spacers

2012-01-16T17:37:00.001-08:00

Finally got these Delrin spacers made. I went with the same design as my previous aluminum spacers but beefed up the walls a bit to compensate for the lower strength of the material.

3.7g for the 10mm 2.1g for the 5mm, that’s lighter than carbon! There will be a 20mm piece coming soon.

I’ve spec’ed them to fit over the steerer tube very snug which should increase the strength of the system. The finish of the 10mm pieces seem to be smoother than the 5mm pieces. I shall test them out after which they will be available for mass consumption.

Extralite SX Hubs

2012-01-16T03:22:00.001-08:00

Planning on going with Extralite hubs for my sub Kg wheel build.

Front Hub: Extralite Ultrarear 49g 20H
Rear Hub: Extralite Ultrafront 135g 24H
Spokes: Sapim CX-ray 4.5g
Nipples: Pillar .38g
Rims: Reynolds KOM 225g

Projected weight: 49+135+4.5*44+.38*44+225*2 = 848.72g

That’s a savings of 1050 – 848.72 = 201.28g for approximately $1250 or $6 per gram. Terrible

It isn’t all about the weight though. The stock Reynolds hubs leave a lot to be desired and these Extralite hubs will fill that void quite nicely. But even then that’s a lot of dough for very little gain (or loss).

So many Mono's

2012-01-16T02:34:00.001-08:00

Sunday Funday ride

2012-01-15T16:10:00.001-08:00

Overcast days, mean you can ride anytime!

Lets extend the pain a bit, LA CUESTA!!!

This ride is made possible in part by SMUCKERS.

The handling of the Ruegamer makes it a very good climbing bike. It isn’t so twitchy as the Supersix and doesn't feel so soft as the Addict. What does it feel like riding a bike this light? When ascending a big climb It kind of feels like you’re in a lower gear than you really are.

eROCKIT

2012-01-15T02:26:00.000-08:00

quite the novel idea.

The Wheel

2012-01-15T02:20:00.000-08:00

Relics of the past

2012-01-14T18:31:00.001-08:00

Nighty nights

2012-01-13T19:38:00.001-08:00

Hello stranger in black…

I’ve had some great moonlit night rides this week. It seems that no matter how cold it is, its never too cold while you’re climbing. Descending is another story, however.

One of my rides often take me to this lookout point where couples tend to park their cars at night to admire the city lights -and each other. Thing is, the road is on a pretty steep incline, something I'd estimate to be around an 8-10% gradient.

So here they are… parked in their cars with a gorgeous view in front and silence all around when a guy in a road bike(me) slowly and agonizingly pedals his way up the road. He huffs and puffs, his gut is wrenching because he’s been climbing at least a mile now to get to this point. They lock the car doors as he gets closer. His body curled and tense, his mouth like a kettle rhythmically shooting steam from his face. As he rides past the car his sweat burnt eyes quickly meet that of the couple’s then retreats back towards the ground. He passes with the swiftness of a sloth. They have no idea what to make of what they’ve just seen.

Isaac Force Build Pt. 4

2012-01-13T19:07:00.001-08:00

I’ve changed my mind on the handlebars again, hopefully this is the last time. I will be going with a Ritchey WCS bar to match the stem. It also has a nice short reach.

Wheels for this build will be Mavic Aksiums. Strong, reasonably light, and the 2009/2010 versions can be had for quite cheap.

Annoyingly the last things I need are headset spacers and I’ve run out of them. I don’t want to go out and buy any more because my custom ones are supposed to be coming soon so I’ll have to wait for those. So far without pedals we’re looking at 17.5 lbs. Reasonably light.

Next

Cannibalize

2012-01-12T19:47:00.001-08:00

This set will be my starting point for a (hopefully) sub 900 gram wheelset. I’m still trying to source a good set of hubs to go with these rims. KOM rims are like forgotten heroes. They are well built and are extremely light. Problem was they were often paired with rather cheap-for-the-price hubs which people despised. Also, the inner nipple design can be a pain to deal with. Even so, a stock set comes out to be slightly over 1000 grams and for the price you can get them for nowadays, this is the go-to wheelset for budget minded weenies.

Litespeed @ dusk

2012-01-12T17:38:00.001-08:00

Paris Roubaix 1988

2012-01-12T00:35:00.000-08:00

Cut

2012-01-11T19:54:00.001-08:00

Before…

After…

Now it fits! I probably got some anti-drillium-guy’s blood boiling with the first two pics.

I'm not Always drilling things out to save weight… that’s only the last step.

Trek

2012-01-11T17:01:00.001-08:00

This WAS going to be a semi vintage build I planned on showcasing but plans have changed. It would have been a full DA 7700 build, something a little reminiscent of what Lance used to ride. All i needed were Rolf wheels.

Real Life

2012-01-11T14:12:00.001-08:00

Or i need to get another job…

Paul Smith

2012-01-11T01:39:00.001-08:00

his is kind of neat… but which one of you will wear it.

Via HoldYourTongue

What’s the difference?!

2012-01-10T02:25:00.001-08:00

Great article on the differences in component levels and what you’re actually paying the difference in price for. Most of the time its about tooling/ manufacturing costs. Then its about the costs of materials used. Then sometimes its straight up for the sake of setting price points.

Check out this great article that goes in depth into the differences between Ultegra and Dura Ace.

Bikeshport: Ultegra Vs Dura Ace

Buff

2012-01-09T22:40:00.001-08:00

I miss when my Litespeed used to look like this. In dissecting it and lightening it up I've made it look rather emaciated now.

Leopard saddle

2012-01-09T17:51:00.001-08:00

That spring saddle looks mighty comfortable…

On a serious note, deforestation WHOA!

Source: India?

King of the Cage

2012-01-08T20:34:00.001-08:00

BCI route Sat Jan 7

2012-01-08T00:25:00.001-08:00

I spent all night last night installing a compact crankset on my Supersix in anticipation for my hilly ride. The cranks installed wihtout a hitch but it took me an hour to get the chain’s quicklink off since I haven’t made any tools to make the job easier.

We followed the BCI Sat route of the day starting from Irvine going towards Tustin, then Orange and up to Anaheim and back. There were a lot of climbs that I haven’t known about before. The weather was gorgeously clear and comfortable.

Special thanks to Eman and his girlfriend for their bacon, eggs and rice patties, without them I would have bonked or worst. As for the Supersix, I was so glad that I had installed a compact on it the night before with all of the hills that we did today. As for the Supersix being a climbing bike though, I'm not so sure. Its firm and smooth, which makes power delivery great but the handling of the bike was so quick for me that when I was tired it was actually hard for me to keep the bike in a straight line. Descending was great though. The responsiveness gives the bike a very motorcycle feel. Cornering while descending was more of a look and lean than turn and steer experience.

For BCI routes and Evens check out Bike Irvine

Isaac Force Build Pt. 3

2012-01-06T15:04:00.001-08:00

I found a good deal on an Ultegra crankset so I decided to go with it. I’ve lost the versatility of having a compact setup but now the group is mostly complete minus the 105 calipers but even that still follows the Shimano theme. I’ve finally found a seatpost for cheap and its a Richey too so it goes well with the WCS stem. The handlebar has been switched to a Controltech unit for a compact, shorter reach setup as this top tube is a bit long for me.

Next up is a chain (which I'm still looking for), cassette, cables, and a nicer wheelset on the way.

Stem choices…

2012-01-06T03:04:00.001-08:00

Concor

2012-01-05T17:44:00.001-08:00

These Concor Supercorsa saddles are some of the baddest vintage saddles around. I love the aggressive swooping shape.

Chilln’

2012-01-05T13:35:00.001-08:00

Via TheChive

Isaac Force Build Pt. 2

2012-01-04T17:19:00.001-08:00

Coming along nicely with this bike… It is sitting on Mavic CXP22 wheels at the moment, which makes me wish i didn’t sell all of my spare wheels last month. I have yet to find a suitable CHEAP, PRETTY, and Light seatpost.

7700

2012-01-03T23:08:00.001-08:00

Guess where this is going.

Sketched Circuits

2012-01-03T03:32:00.001-08:00

Holy crap these would be great for kids!!! and Me!

Via Wimp

Isaac Force Build Pt. 1

2012-01-03T02:36:00.001-08:00

Can’t say I’m certain where I am going with this because the frame is one size too big for me but I am also very fond of Isaac as a brand and their engineering focus. The short term plan is to get a nice inexpensive, smooth, and reliable setup together so that I can simply see how it rides.

The Ultegra 6600 group is something of a forgotten hero in my opinion. The shifting actuation for this group is extremely crisp and easy (short). The upshifts for the rear almost feel like pressing buttons rather than pulling levers. The levers can be had for around $120 or even less, which cheap by any standard for a 10 speed setup. They are, however, extremely heavy and there isn’t much that can be done to remedy this. Rear derailleurs are a bit heavy, but they’re good enough for the price of around $50. I usually opt for a Dura Ace front derailleur as they’re about the same price but are a bit lighter.

I’m currently using a Nashbar RPM crankset as a place setter until I find something better.

McLaren Factory

2012-01-03T00:41:00.001-08:00

Trek 5000 OCLV

2012-01-02T02:13:00.001-08:00

Fuji SL1

2012-01-01T17:29:00.001-08:00

Last ride of 2011

2012-01-01T17:15:00.001-08:00

Good’ole Santa Ana river trail.

The Fog

2011-12-31T01:47:00.001-08:00

Hang

2011-12-30T21:55:00.001-08:00

Gorgeous, now all i need is an immaculately clean room with enormously spacious floor space.

Via: MostExerent by BYografia.

Delrin

2011-12-30T14:59:00.001-08:00

2012: Start producing parts for sale.

2016: Buy out Shimano Cycling division.

2020: First hybrid-human powered flight to the moon made possible by The-Climb Turbo Encabulator.

2024: The-Climb joins forces with Google to enslave humanity.

2035: The-Climb founder, now Climb Universal realizes company’s core values are lost decides to resign and go into recluse.

Plain Clamp

2011-12-29T20:11:00.001-08:00

Seat clamps are cost effective ways to save weight. Usually stock units are extremely overbuilt.

These simple clamps can be found all over eBay. This particular one is from 6Cycles, I got it because it was only $10. The machining on the clamp is very good. I am a bit worried that the bolt is only an m4 though. That seems a bit skinny for this type of use but boutique builders like M2Racer used this style clamp with this size bolt without much problem. When they did fail though, it is the clamp that fails, not the bolt.

At 10 gram this clamp saves more than 15 grams over the stock unit. I suspect some dremeling of the unnecessary edges and a swap to a titanium bolt will save another 2 grams.

Merino Wool?

2011-12-29T19:55:00.001-08:00

Ready to ~~party~~ ride! Merino wool is great for cold weather riding but athletic attire made up of the stuff is always expensive. They also rarely go on sale so I kept it frugal and rummaged through Target’s after Christmas sales racks. Same stuff, no rear pockets, a fraction of the price!

Jaws

2011-12-29T14:45:00.001-08:00

6 Cycles

2011-12-28T14:46:00.001-08:00

I came upon this seatpost on my daily browse for parts. What caught my eyes was that the carbon shafts look exactly like the M2Racer posts that I've seen. The only difference is in the hardware. The bolts are steel and the yokes and beam are very simple grade, basic aluminum pieces. Even with the non exotic hardware, the setup comes out to be only 113 grams for a 27.2 x 300mm post. These are quite good in value if you’re a lighter rider. They are going for great prices on eBay.

Check these out at 6 Cycles

Landshark

2011-12-28T01:36:00.001-08:00

Fillet brazed, Columbus Max, psychedelic paint, deluxe dropouts, gorgeous.

Thank you Mr Jack

Loose balls

2011-12-27T17:42:00.001-08:00

Thruster

2011-12-27T01:09:00.001-08:00

Wal-Mart has tapped into the fixie craze just as it seems to be dying and… i think its going to kill it for good. I’ll be real and honest about this though, i have mixed feelings about these bikes.

The bad: These things are the pure and ugly profit driven vehicles of bad taste, bad design. I know they’re appealing to kids but offset color wheels? Yellow and Red? Really? One has to see these bikes in person to appreciate the mix of Chinese “bin” parts that were chosen to build this bike. Lets not even discuss its designated name… THRUSTER. Terrible, terrible thing.

The Good: Its $100 bucks. One will find it hard to beat that price even if they were given a free old frame and were very shameless with their parts selection. My first real bike was a similarly priced (inflation adjusted) Huffy Bmx that I rode EVERYWHERE. I commuted long distances to and from school. It got me to the movies, friend’s houses, malls, everywhere. More importantly, it got me to realize the real usefulness of a bike. It was also so cheap that it made it reliable. I remember if I were to spend more I would have gotten the model with the brake cable system that allowed for 360 degree rotations of the handlebar for tricks. These gimmicks lead to problems, my bike was too cheap to have gimmicks, and therefore i was left with no problems.

I see quite a few of these on the streets nowadays. They’re easy to spot out because of the garish colors and there are plenty of them because of the price. I hope in time the kids keep riding them. I hope the don’t take the brakes off. I hope they play with he seat height and get it right for once. I hope they start tinkering. I hope they paint over the yellow and red and get matching tires. I hope they like it enough to move on to proper bikes as I did.

The ride Before Christmas

2011-12-27T00:44:00.001-08:00