I’ve suffered from Charley horses for years, particularly in the summer months, or after longer, more intense rides.  So, to help combat that, I bought a giant jug of Hammer HEED, and add it to my bottles.  It works!  Unfortunately, it sort of tastes like strawberry-flavored piss.

Post-ride, I like to drink about 30-50 grams of whey protein powder mixed with water.  So far, the best I’ve found is Muscle Tech, which is drinkable, but tastes like chocolate-flavored piss.

However, this week, I made a great discovery:  chocolate-flavored piss, mixed with strawberry-flavored piss, makes for the best tasting health drink I’ve ever had the fortune of choking down.  In fact, it’s so good that I feel like I’m drinking something unhealthy.

So, here’s my formula:

– 2 scoops of chocolate whey powder (pick your brand, it’s all the same shit)

– 1.5 scoops of strawberry Hammer HEED powder

– 10-12oz of cold water

Shake vigorously, or put it all in a blender.  Trust me, it’s good stuff.  So good, I actually passed up a plate of beef today just to make myself a chocolate-strawberry piss shake.

Remember awhile back when I converted my EighthInch Scrambler V2 frame from a singlespeed to a 2-speed?  Well, I decided I still wasn’t done with it.

When I was in the middle of the conversion, I discovered another guy who converted his Scrambler V2, as well, only he basically did the opposite:  he stuck with a single chainring, but scrammed a 10sp cassette in the rear.

(some other guy’s Scrambler conversion)

I figured, since I already had the rear shifter (it came with the front as a set, and I never sold it like I’d planned to), all I really needed was a rear derailer and a wheel with a proper road hub.  Well, that, plus I needed to widen the rear triangle to fit a 130mm hub.  Using a combination of the homemade frame spreader tool (see previous post), along with Sheldon Brown’s 2×4 method, I was able to cold set the frame to 126mm, up from 120mm.  I’m now able to squeeze in a road hub, or add a couple 2mm spacers to either side of my SS hub, and go either direction.

As usual, I wanted to do it right, so I bought a second STI cable stop for the downtube, and a regular cable stop for the chainstay, drilled 1/8" holes in the frame, and riveted them on.

I’m happy to say it all worked out as planned.  The one thing I’d been worried about was the tight clearance between the small chainring and the chainstay, which was already just 3mm before I widened it.  However, after I was finished, it still remained more or less the same, so no worries there.  I swapped the Paul Components Melvin chain tensioner for a used SRAM Force rear derailer I found on eBay, re-using the DMR chain tug with it’s built-in derailer hanger.

With it complete, I can run just about any combo of gears I want: singlespeed, 2-speed, fixed, or 2×10.  I also have the option of running skinny road tires, or cramming in my Kenda 32c knobby cyclocross tires.  The cassette is a 12-28, to make off-road climbing a little easier while staying seated.

I just pieced together this invaluable tool for about $5.  If you know what it is, you may know what I’m up to.

More to come in a few weeks…

Wow, I’ve been slacking quite a bit lately; not on the bike, but on my blog.  So, here’s what Ive been up to since my last post:

–  I finished off 2011 with 3,475mi, which is quite a bit less than I did in 2010.  Last winter was a wet one, and by the time March rolled around, I was already hundreds of miles in the hole compared to the year before.  Still, it wasn’t a terrible year, and I had fun building up two bikes and 3 new wheelsets.

–  I made some updates to my Scrambler Dinglespeed conversion, most notably different gearing and the addition of cross levers.

Over the coldest months (which weren’t too bad this year, thankfully), I kept running into issues with my chain skipping, and I began to think it was the 10-speed chain slipping on the Paul Comp. Melvin tensioner.  After a lot of frustration–including buying a 9-speed chain and the problem not going away–I finally discovered the culprit was my cheap-ass 18T freewheel.  What was happening was, the cold weather was causing the grease inside the freewheel to thicken, and not allowing the pawls to engage properly.  It’s apparently a very common problem with cheap freewheels.  So, I bit the bullet and finally purchased a White Industries freewheel.  Problem solved!

I mounted the cross levers after having a few incidences of feeling like I was about to go over the bar while braking on steep off-road descents.  Unfortunately, the cables coming out of the back of the levers continued to hit each other, so I ended up swapping from a 38cm to 42cm bar.  With the freewheel and brakes worked out, I can finally ride the bike without having to think about it anymore.

–  I finished off 2011 the same way I did 2010, with a metric century on New Year’s Eve day.  Only, this time around I did it in St. Louis for a change of scenery.  I hope to make it a yearly tradition, but that will be determined by the weather.

–  I bought my wife a Fuji Absolute 2.0 hybrid in February, so now she has something more appropriate than a mountain bike to take on road rides.

That photo was taken before I put on a Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour Tri saddle, cut the steerer tube, and made a few other small modifications.  I’m pretty impressed with the bike overall, especially considering the price.  Thanks to my weight weenie disease, it’s already lost over 2lbs since we got it, and I’ll get rid of more excess weight as time goes on.  The 32-spoke wheels are first on my agenda.

–  Due to the unseasonably warm weather–the nicest winter I’ve ever experienced living in the mid-West–I’ve been getting in a lot of miles so far this year.  I hit an even 400mi for February, which nearly doubles my old record back in 2010.  I finished up with a 65mi ride on Leap Day, fighting a 35mph wind the entire time, with gusts well above 40mph.  But, it beat spending the day at work, so I can’t complain.

That’s about it for now.  I’ll try to get some reviews up as soon as I can, so check back.

Genius.

Via Craigslist.org

In my previous post, I stripped the paint off my frame, sprayed on some primer, and was beginning to sand it.  Well, I eventually got around to painting it, but I wasn’t happy.  Even a perfect spray paint job still looks like spray paint, so I took it to a professional and had it powder coated 80-90 Jet black.  One upside to powder coating is, the powder melts very nicely into the welds.  This frame always had crappy looking welds, so now they’re a little easier to look at, although I doubt Gary Klein has anything to be jealous of.

The sad part is, I spent more time fucking around trying to paint it on my own, than I did driving back and forth to the powder coater in a city about 40 minutes away.  The guy who did the work was Jeff at Xtreme Body & Paint in Jefferson City.  He was really easy to work with, and does awesome work.  Turn around time was a mere 2 days.

Once I got the frame back, I had to visit my local bike shop to get the BB threads chased, and the head tube re-faced, but that’s to be expected after any paint job.

Since I’m running a front derailer now (and because I don’t want to run full-length cable housing) I decided to install an STI cable stop on the downtube, and an under-BB cable guide.  I got both parts at Nova Cycles for just a few bucks.  For the STI stop, I used a 1/8" drill bit and some 3mm x 3mm aluminum pop rivets.  The cable guide needed to be screwed on, so I drilled with a 5/32" bit, and used a Park TAP-8 5mm x .8 tap.  Installing the guide was as easy as it gets, but the STI stop took some work.  I’ll mention how I got that on in another post.

You’ll notice I also have rear brake cable guides, so I never have to zip-tie full housing to the top tube ever again.  I installed those prior to painting, and once the powder coat melted all around them, they look like part of the frame.  I intentionally left the STI stop off until after the paint job, because I didn’t want paint–or powder–to get inside the threads.

Unfortunately, along with some pretty easy mods, I’ve also had some very annoying issues.  Because I’m turning a track bike into a 2-speed cyclocross bike, I’m having clearance issues, most specifically with the tires.  I verified long ago that some 32c Kenda Kwicker tires fit the frame and fork, but what I wasn’t expecting was for them not to clear the Cane Creek SCR-3L brakes I just bought.  Due to the design of the calipers, the mounting bolt is higher on the body than it was on my Alhonga brakes, meaning the brakes hung too low below the fork crown and rear brake arch.  Because of this, 32c tires rubbed big time, so I had to order some 30c Kenda Kwick tires instead.  BUT, I wanted 32c, dammit, and I wasn’t about to give up.  Currently, I’m waiting on a set of Tektro R538 brakes, which should give me the clearance of the Alhongas, with the reach of the Cane Creeks.  Once I get that worked out, I’ll be able to use either tire, depending on where I’m riding.

As for other clearance concerns, they all seem to be working themselves out quite nicely.  My biggest concern with running a non-track crankset with dual chainrings is, the inner ring may come in contact with the frame.  As it turns out, I have about 4mm clearance between the chainstay and a 39T ring on my SRAM Force cranks.  It’s tight, but that’s more than enough room to get by.

My other issue was whether a water bottle bolt would get in the way of the front derailer clamp, but I have just enough room to make it work.  I can’t use that bottle mount anymore, but I don’t think I ever have before anyway.

I did luck out with my rear tensioner set-up, so I’m happy about that.  I’m using a Paul Comp. Melvin tensioner, with a DMR chain tug, which includes a rear derailer hanger.  The Melvin has 3 spacers to help align the pulleys, and once I was finished configuring them, alignment was perfect.

This is basically where I sit for the time being.  I’m waiting on an STI barrel adjuster and the Tektro brakes.  Once those pieces arrive, I should finally be able to go for a ride.

In my opinion, the best thing about Central Park in NYC is the wide-open bike path.  Technically, it’s part road, part multi-use path, but I’ve only ever used it as a bike path, and I suspect many others do as well.  The route itself circles the 843 acre park, and measures approximately 6mi in length.  Leave the path on foot, and it’s possible to get lost in the park, and spend an entire day exploring.

Not until recently, though, did I realize a similar bike path existed not too far from me, in St. Louis, at Forest Park.  Sure, I’ve been aware of the park for years, and even driven through it a few times, but I was never aware of the bike path.  On a recent trip to St. Louis, I finally took my bike along, and Forest Park was one of my destinations.  I entered the park on the north-east corner somewhere, cruised around for 15-20 minutes, and left fairly unimpressed.  At the time, I had no idea what I was missing.

Later, checking out Forest Park’s Wikipedia page, I learned that the park is over 50% larger than Central Park, at 1,293 acres.  I eventually discovered the bike path, too, and found it’s 7.5mi in length, a full 25% longer than the one at CP.  I was a little pissed at myself for having left so soon, without bothering to really look for the path, so I’ll have to make up for it next time I’m in town.

For anyone who might be looking for it, here’s a detailed map of the full bike path at Forest Park:

And for anyone wondering just how much bigger Forest Park is compared to Central Park, I made this map using Google Earth, with CP laid over FP (both rotated east to west):

FP is about 2mi long and 1mi wide, while CP is 1.6mi long, and .6mi wide.  At the end of the day, though, I’d still rather spend my time in CP.  The park is far livelier, with hotdog vendors, horse and buggy rides, and a few thousand people sharing the bike paths and sidewalks.  Forest Park seems a bid deserted, on the other hand.

The guys at FlyBikes.com have a new innertube available that allows you to swap tubes without removing your tire.

Basically, the tube has sealed off ends that, when the tube is inflated, butt up against each other.  Since it’s not round, this means you can simply remove one side of the tire, pull the old tube out, and slide the new one in place, all without removing the tire.  I like the concept, but I’d like to see it with road and MTB applications, on top of just BMX.

For more info, check these links:

http://www.flybikesbmx.com/noticias/cobraeng.htm

http://www.flybikesbmx.com/frames/products/cobra.html

If you recall, I did a post on a vintage bike part a couple months back, called the Flickstand, made by now-defunct Rhode Gear USA.  Well, I’m happy to say, I’m now the owner of one.

They’re pretty difficult to come across nowadays, but I was fortunate enough to find one for sale on Craigslist the other day for $10.  It’ll go on my singlespeed if it fits, but since that bike is awaiting me in NYC at the moment, I’ll have to wait a few days to see if it fits.  Even if I’m not able to use it, it’s something I’ll definitely hold on to because I love rare parts.

Edit:  It fits.

A simple idea that makes you wonder why it took so long for someone to think of it.

For more info, photos, and the chance to order one, head over to Knife & Saw.

I’ll admit, I don’t need these, since I already have some very nice ‘n light Shimano Dura-Ace track levers on my singlespeed.  However, they’re just too cool to pass up, and you never know when I might want some in the future.

(not my photos)

Basically, they’re curved levers that wrap around underneath the bar, allowing you to brake from the flats or the ends.  On the old French bikes, this style was referred to as Guidonnet levers.  Google that term, and you’ll find many classic examples.  Throw "Dia-Compe DC139" in the search results, and you’ll be able to track down a pair of these for around $30.  It’s far easier to find them in silver, but I was able to track them down in black.

They also work on drop bars, assuming the bars have enough reach before the drop, which most probably do.

SOURCE:  Dia-Compe

I had fun learning how to build wheels for my singlespeed last year, so I decided that’d be the way to go for the road bike, too.  The SS wheelset has held up extremely well, so I had no reservations about building another set.  The only new challenge was, I’d be building an asymmetrical rear wheel this time, as opposed to a symmetrical one, like the SS uses.

For hubs, I picked a red anodized pair from BikeHubStore.com, 24-hole front, and 28-hole rear.  I’d considered going 20/24, but ultimately, I’d prefer endurance over weight, and the weight penalty wasn’t too great anyway.

(pretty, huh?)

I didn’t bother with a photo on the scale, since BHS has one on their site, and the weight of these hubs was accurate to what they list: front 77g, rear 211g.

The rims are Stan’s ZTR Aplha 340, which can be run tubeless or with innertubes (I’ll be using tubes).  The name "340" is supposed to refer to their weight, but it doesn’t, unfortunately; the front weighs 347g, rear 355g.

Spokes are a mix of DT Swiss Revolution and Competition.  I’ve ridden Revolution spokes on my Rolf MTB wheels for a decade or more now, and have always been impressed with them.  They’re also what I built my SS wheelset with.  The front wheel will get all Revolutions, and the rear non-drive-side will, as well.  The drive-side is what will be getting the Competitions.

Nipples are a mix of alloy and brass; alloys up front and non-drive-side rear; brass on the drive-side.

The front wheel was pretty straight forward, although it did require a call to my buddy to ask about the spoke pattern.  I went with a 1-cross pattern, as opposed to 3-cross, so I was lost about how to do it.  After he explained, it went pretty smoothly.  It also helped that I had a Park spoke tension tool on hand this time around.  No more trips across town to the bike shop to bother those guys for theirs.

For the front, all spokes will have their heads on the outside.  No reason other than I like the way it looks, and since my Rolfs are just the same, I figured it’d be strong enough for a road wheel.

….And done.  This is prior to tensioning them properly, but that’s the boring part.

(ready to ride)

With the front wheel done, I got started on the rear.  I was too busy working to get any photos taken, but I promise it was a pain in the ass, and took much longer than what I’d hoped for.

When it comes to getting the correct tension for the rear, the best advise I found was this:  get the drive-side spokes tensioned properly first, then do whatever it takes to the non-drive-side to get the dish perfect.  Tension seems low on the NDS, but part of that may be the thinner Revolution spokes.  The same seems to hold true for my Rolfs, so I’ll just leave them as-is and see how it goes.

Weight:  545g front, 742g rear, w/o rim strip or skewers.

If you’ve never built your own wheels, keep this in mind:  you’ll wind up paying less for lighter wheels if you do it yourself, and you get to pick exactly the parts you want.  Sure, it’s difficult if you’re still new to it (or only do it once a year, as I seem to), but it’s a great feeling to know you’re rolling on wheels you built yourself.

Now all I need to do is get my bike built, let the rain end, and get out for a ride.

Well, isn’t this some clever shit?  Browsing Reddit, I came across a post where someone was wondering what this device mounted to his downtube was.  Someone came to the rescue with this from Wikipedia:

Flickstand

While not strictly a kickstand, the Flickstand is a small bracket that flips down from the down tube and engages the front tire to prevent the front end from steering and tire from rotating, and thus enabling the bike to be safely leaned against an object without danger of the front end turning and the bike subsequently falling to the ground. These were made by Rhode Gear Company in the 1970′s and 1980′s. While the Flickstand is no longer made, a Velcro strap can be employed for similar success by strapping a brake lever to lock the brake or strap the front wheel to the down tube.

(photo credit to roburrito at Reddit)

I thought I’d seen it all, but this is definitely new to me, and I don’t appear to be the only one.  Why this ingenious little device was common on older bikes, yet they are all but unheard of today, is beyond me.

Via Reddit

After a year and a half of riding my SS road bike, and repeatedly singing the praises of riding with just one gear, I’ve decided it’s time for a geared road bike.

I love Manhattan which, ironically enough, is derived from the old Lenape Native American word Manna-hata, meaning "island of many hills", yet is now damn near ruler flat.  To ride there for the rest of your life, you’ll need exactly one gear.  Columbia, MO, on the other hand, is nothing but hills.  One visiting rider from Wisconsin once said to me at a stop light, "Around every corner is another hill!"  He was right.  Occasionally, you may be lucky enough to spend a minute or so on a flat section of road, but it won’t be long before you’re doing 45mph down a large hill, or climbing up an even steeper one at 8mph.

I run a fairly high gear ratio one my singlespeed so I can enjoy the descents, but it makes climbing a huge pain.  Going to a slightly lower ratio makes all my climbs somewhat easier, but I end up coasting down all the hills.  As a speed freak, the coasting part sucks, and as a guy who’s about to turn 35, the hard climbs are beginning to wear me out more and more.  So, the only viable option is to have a geared bike for the bulk of my riding, while keeping the SS around for my NYC trips, or shorter rides around town when I feel the need to blast my quads.

I’ve spent some time working out a decent build, and plan to have something ready to ride as soon as possible.  It’ll be based around a generic Chinese-sourced FM015 carbon frame–do your research, they’re loved by all who take the plunge into no-name bike land.  I’ll be using that extra Sram Force crankset I bought a few months back at ridiculous discount, as well as other Sram drivetrain components, and some wheels I’ll build up myself.

Lots of photos and info will follow once I begin piecing it all together, so stay tuned.

Mid-Missouri got hit with some ice and snow this week, so it looks like I’ll be sitting around waiting for it to melt once again.  Fortunately, we only got an inch or so, as opposed to the 17-18" from last time.  Since I have nothing better to do at the moment, I thought I’d post some random crap…

Not sure what’s going on here, but I think the guy could use a little more tubing to complete his bike:

Colnago releases their Master 55th Anniversary frame, painted gloss black, with gold accents.  As beautiful as it is, I couldn’t imagine anyone ever riding it.  Check out Colnago Con Brio for more info and a ton of photos from every angle.

I don’t have a reference for this one, but it’s great inspiration for learning how to braze my own frames.  Most kids have to make due with heavy, crappy discount store bikes, but I’d like to give my (future) children their own custom bikes–much like this one, sans the awkward top tube.  I like how they’re both pushing the same gear ratio, but I think maybe dad could’ve gone with something a little more knee-friendly for junior.

Valparaiso Cerro Abajo 2011 – my favorite style of downhill racing:

Via Vimeo

I ride a singlespeed road bike most of the time, and I’ve come to rely on 16T and 17T freewheels.  Typically, that means taking one off in order to install the other.  But, what if I could just have one freewheel, with the option to run either ratio?  Well, now I can.  Coming in at 194g, it’s about 60g heavier than a standard freewheel with only one set of teeth.  I doubt I’ll use it often, but on longer rides, it’d be nice to have a couple different ratios to choose from.

They’re fairly cheap (under $20) but can be a little difficult to find online.  I’d suggest checking eBay–which is where I found mine–and picking one up if you think you might want it in the future.  I’m not sure if they’ll continue being available, or if ACS will eventually pull them from the market.

I have some more interesting updates on my own bike that I’ll get to in a day or so.  In the never-ending quest to get it just right–while spending as little money as possible–I’ve upgraded a few components, both reducing weight, and getting a better seating position.  I’ll just say that anyone that spends retail on bike parts is doing it wrong.  Thanks to eBay, Competitive Cyclist, and Amazon, I was able to get some pretty great deals on parts that I otherwise would have spent literally hundreds of dollars more on.

"In that time, of course, the bicycle was literally the fasted vehicle on the road. People in the countryside were rather alarmed to see these large groups of cyclists riding furiously through their villages. It caused quite a bit of a stir and of course the people who were really inconvenienced were the people in their carriages and riding on horseback. These were the sorts of people who had influence in those days and before long the local police and the magistrates were taking action against these cyclists riding so furiously on the roads."

and:

"The coaching season on roads out of London commences for the summer this month. We trust that bicyclists will remember that they can easily beat a four-in-hand coach if they try, and that they rest content at that, and not bring an odeum upon our sport by trying to race them as the buzzing about of bicycles causes much trouble to coachmen."

bonus (slightly more recent):

"The world has thrown up a new type of gentleman altogether: a gentleman of all un-gentlemanly energy, a gentleman in dusty oil gloves and motor goggles and a wonderful cap. A stink-making gentlemen, a swift high-class badger who fled perpetually along high roads from the dust and stink he perpetually made."

From the BBC radio show On Your Bike, ep5. Available on iPlayer for those in the UK.

Via Reddit.com/r/bicycling

We’ve all seen bicycles made of wood before, but it’s typically just the frame.  Occasionally, you’ll find some hardcore enthusiasts that even sport wooden handle bars, and wooden wheel rims go back a hundred years; in fact, you can still buy them today.

But what makes this bike stand out is that it’s entirely made of wood.  Even the chain is wood!  Click on through to the article to see high school student, Marco Facciola’s, all-wood bicycle that he completed for a school project.

SOURCE:  Lee Valley.com

I shovel hand by snow.  Although it wears on my back, it’s great exercise, and the cheapest method of removing snow.  But what if there was a way to combine tedious winter work, with something I’d prefer to be doing, like riding my bike?

Craig Smith, of Milwaukee, WI, does just that, with a custom-made trike with snow plow attachment.  He says it only works during lighter snowfall, but even so, it sure beats doing it with a manual shovel.

If you’re looking for something a little simpler, check out the Sno Wovel on Amazon.  It features a handle bar and front wheel, but lacks pedals and derailers.

Via Hackaday.com via Makezine.com

It’s been a while since I’ve updated, but not because I was too busy riding my bike.  Nope, I’ve been sitting on my ass eating pumpkin pie and playing Angry Birds, and managed to put on 3-4lbs of winter blubber in the process.  However, I think I might have a chance to get rid of it all starting next week…

The Festive 500 is a challenge put out to cyclists everywhere, to get in 500km (310.6856mi, if you want to be nerdily accurate) over Christmas, namely the 23rd through the 30th of December.

The first 100 participants to finish–and somehow prove it–get a cool patch of the logo above, but let’s face it, the real prize is getting your legs back in shape and getting rid of a few extra pounds of winter shame.

More info on Rapha’s site:  http://www.rapha.cc/the-rapha-festive-500

Via Cyclelicio.us