Bike Fleet News

Mangled XtraCycle Upgrades, Little M's Bike Fixed and He's a Biker Now!

2012-01-21T23:43:00.000-08:00

I was in a hurry to get home in the dark, rainy night, and managed to cross the chain on the commuter bike, the old Diamondback Apex + Xtracycle, and when this happens the chain is short and the cranks wedge up and stop moving. Rather than taking the time to stop and properly loosen the wheel or whatever it takes, I pushed hard. It seemed to work, and off I rode in the rain. I noticed something dragging, seemed to be brakes, but the light in the garage revealed damage:

1. 2 broken spokes
2. bent & twisted rear derailler
3. bent rim (7 speed 1994? LX from B's Gary Fisher, Shraeder valve)
4. flattened bearings/axle issues

Clearly, I AM HUGE! But destructive when lazy. Fortunately, the box of spare parts is deep in the fleet.

Put spare rear Neuvation MTB wheel onto the MTB finally, moved XT hubbed Mavic SUP rim to the rear of the commuter.
Moved the white industries hubbed Mavic front to the front of the commuter - all Presta now! Finally!
Found the Ultegra long cage and slapped it on to replace the mangledSimano Alvus POS
SLIME presta tubes have been waiting for this moment
some tuning on the rear and front deraillers was necessary
slapped on large reflectors that came with the Focus - if not here then where.

Considered were 10 speed shift pods and using the 10 speed 28t cassette. I love Shimano, near-Lego Like cross compatibility sometimes. OR upgrading the MTB to 10 speed, but that would take new shifers and then brakes.

Project 2 was more rewarding, as it already has results. My Little M is riding on 2 wheels like a big guy!
Little M did some fancy skidding in Golden Gate park a few weeks back, on training wheels, and somehow wore through the tire and tube, causing a flat a distance from the car. SO new 12.5" x 2.25" tires were acquired, with smooth treads and new tubes with an angled Shraeder Valves - just when I thought I was done with them, Shraeder keeps on coming.

M sort of helped put it all together, but doing his own thing as he does, the nuts to the training wheels were misplaced. A few backbreaking (my back) test rides holding him up in the driveway expanded to a trip to the school playground, and shortly after that, M was buzzing around on the smooth tires by himself! Very exciting. This little bike has launched both kids now, both kids due for an upgrade!

100mm Travel and Disk Brake

2011-11-12T00:13:00.000-08:00

Just back from the garage, where a mis-labelled fork (Manitou R-Seven Pro with cantis that did not have cantis) led to a mechanical disk brake upgrade (Avid BB7 Mechanical, XT lever compatible) and a little shop project. Keeping the white fork and buying more stuff was easier than returning it for a black model with cantis. I had the Neuvation MTB wheelset kicking around anyway, so why not enter 2001?

Too lazy to get the headset redone, I found the same WTB Momentum Comp ST I put on the frame in 2005 and kept the races in place using new bearings. I suspect that is a no-no.

The last item was a new Michelin XTC Extreme 2.0 tire, to match the rear. It doesn't, again a 5 year delta will do that, but its close enough, should be more reliable than the 12-13 year old Green Silica Michelin of the old wheel.

Took it for a spin in the dark of midnight, in the rain. Feels like 1/2 a new bike,
I notice the front is raised significantly, the travel is huge and super adjustable, the new tire is noisy, and the brake modulates nicely/fine with the rear V-Brake.
Bunny hopping damped severly, have to find some curbs to hit with this fork.

Thinking about all this, I wonder if I tightened the stem to the steerer enough, better leave a note for myself in case I do ride in the sloppy hills tomorrow am.

Roll Call 2011-09-17

2011-09-17T23:27:00.000-07:00

11 bikes in the fleet as of today.

I took the camera out to take shots of the Xtracycles and just kept on going, deciding documenting the existence might be good for insurance purposes.

I congratulated myself on the uniqueness of form and function of each machine until I realized I have 3 roadbikes, 2 of them carbon and now without the fenders
to make it "The World's Coolest Rainbike", the Giant is redundant. And the frame looks way too small given the crazy seatpost length. Guess its supposed to be that way, being compact, maybe the fashion has changed.

So thinking about selling off Xtracycles, Santana Tandem, Giant and even (gulp) the big Pinarello. I like the fact all are in good running shape and actually used. Mismatched tire models/colors, dust, filth on the MTB, messed up handlebar tape.
Drivers all, no wallflowers in this bunch.

Bicycle Fleet Weights

2011-08-04T22:43:00.000-07:00

All weights in Lbs. Procedure was to weigh myself, then weigh byself holding the rig, then recheck both by doing it again.

Focus w/lights & saddle bag: 18.7

Giant TCR w/lights and fenders: 18.1

Ti MTB (dusty/dirty): 24.2

Pinarello, no tools no lights: 20.7

MTB w/Extracycle + bags, full fenders, child seat, stoker bars, padded deck, bike lock: 52 lbs

TODO: tandem, single speed....then could get into B's bikes too...

Focus Finally Dialed IN

2011-04-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

I write this as a record to say that the FOCUS is finally dialed in. The
new bars have been terrific, the second new cable has fixed the Shimano
shifting, and the last step was tightening the cassette down with my old
mountain-bike tool for the purpose - no rattles!

The bike feels good, eats up the miles and now that its working, I really
am starting to enjoy the Shimano shift-brake levers.

New Bars, WCRB Getting Miles in the Seattle Weather of Berkeley

2011-03-23T05:56:00.000-07:00

Got carbon bars on the FOCUS finally. No test ride yet, been using the WCRB - world's coolest rain bike - for the few times I have been riding of late.

Weather has been terrible, better riding in Dec/Jan than Feb/Mar, and the daylight savings time + work have been killing me.

XtraCycle Number 2, Bye Bye to the Adam's Trail-a-bike, Maiden Voyage

2010-10-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Big movements continue in the Fleet this week.

Steve in El Cerrito posted a WTB trail-a-bike, and got a good fast deal for $20. After trying our little one on it last week, decided it was no fun for either of us, and
we need the space.

The new Focus got a 6ABC Maiden run, did fine. Shimano STI was the biggest delta, learned to appreciate it changing gears downhill in the drops, despite its lever ugliness compared to the Campy. Good ride so far, not sure if we'll change the 28t pancake out.

In the midst of the action, wifey played the Xtracycle card, so we ordered one with the Pea-Pod LT for a seat - a lot of bike and $$ to be put on a <$400 1994 Gary Fisher, but hopefully it will be loved.

Disposing of the Santana Tandem is on my list to make more room. What to do with the Giant and Big Pin are also in the air, I don't need 3 road bikes.

New Stem, New Bike

2010-10-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

So it was a sweet deal on Ebay but took a month for the FOCUS to actually get here. Well almost a month. Its not quite white, very strange styling/design from Germany. Bright white and red accents - had been hoping all white. The Fulcrum wheels and Conti tires are a nice touch. Will need to replace the long cage derailler and 28 tooth pancake rear cog.

Poor "Carbon Lord" sold me a stem for the Giant, after helping me determine the old, crumbling stem was not sold by him but by an outfit calld "VeloCarbon". New stem is nice, but has been flipped upside down to provide an extra inch or 2 of lift off the front for me.

Ordered another Xtracycle and Peapod seat. Will need to make space, pondering selling off the tandem, the Giant (assuming the Focus works out) and as always, the electric motorcycle.

I need room for a MotorDoper rig as well...

Pinarello Neuvation Spoke, Finally Fixed the Brake, Breaking the Back?

2010-09-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

The brake on the Giant took many mailings and emailings to get right, I failed to spec the "spring holder" part, a tiny thing, and when I did, I got the outty version versus the "inny". Branford bike set me up.

In the meantime, it meant lots of seat time in the Pinarello beauty bike, so much that the Neuvation rear started making noise, and eventually broke a spoke nipple. Shocking.

Nice getting the Giant back, very light and handles nicely. My back is bugging me though, not sure if its the running I'm doing or being too low in the drops again.

NY Fixie Updates to Broken Campy Brake Spring

2010-08-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

Its was that time of the year - back to NY and to the fixie in a box in the inlaw's basement. I brought a new set of Cane Creek brake levers and some cheap Cannondale-labelled ebay brakes to make the bike a bit more rideable. I also brought my old LOOK pedals (1995) and over-ventalated Diadora shoes. Installation went well, used on 4 two or so hour rides in lots of hot humid air.

Back home, rode in high humidity but 40 degrees cooler. Broke a brake spring on the way down Tunnel road. Seems to be a wear part, found a match on ebay and disassembly instructions.

Put the old SPD-7800s onto the old Pinarello assuming the Giant will be out of commission. They work great with the new cleats. Ordered a set of replacement pads for these pedals too, tracking some auctions for used/new 7800s on ebay - these pedals are very nice, very svelt even compared to the new Shimano 105 SPDs.

More Neuvation Incoming, Fried Rear Brakes on Xtracycle and New Pedals/Broken Shoes

2010-06-21T23:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, hit some sort of limit and so will log the journey.

1. Cracks on the Neuvation R28 Rears again. About 1600 miles on the ODO, probably quite a few more miles. Counting turns up only 20 spokes in the rear, and 16 up front. Ordered a R28SL wheel with 24 spokes, which is how many the silver Neuvation on the Pinarello has and is NOT breaking.

2. Pedals for the Carbon - off my SPD everywhere thing, going (back) to the nice big SPD-SL's by ordering the new Shimano 105 PD-7600's, with cleats. Will look to put the old dura-ace set on the Pinarello.

3. Hauling son to camp today on the extra-cycle. Too short for footsies still, but getting heavy. Returning home I checked out the nasty rear brake sound, found the brake-pad holder rilling into the rim - little metal shavings and everything. Came home and put on some less worn out V-Brake pads, maybe its time to consider a cheap mechanical disc back there.

4. In preparation for the new pedals, took the SPD cleats off the road shoes - whoops, found cracks and a missing chunk of plastic on the right shoe, explaining all sorts of evil noises and clip in problems for the last few weeks. Hopefully the SPD-SLs can stabilize the shoe a bit, seems like I just got those things.

5. Concerned about the flex in the carbon handlebars. Noticed CarbonLord does a 3 year warrantee - I suspect I am on year 4 or 5 with the current setup. Riding Saturday I felt too hunched over, too much neck strain, might be time to sneak some degrees up front.

6. Motor-doping. Thinking hard about this (www.tronbikes.com), makes so much more sense energy-wise compared to the motorcycle, which now has 6-8 miles of range - I did 10x that on Saturday alone, I bet a dozen batteries could get me 10 miles out of a good road bike setup.

Tim to the Rescue of DarthCarbon

2009-11-18T22:13:00.000-08:00

Finally got DarthCarbon to a pro. Tim at Left Coast Cyclery was the man, rebuilding the troublesome shifters - apparently a big chunk was broken inside. He straightened the derailler hanger, tightened up the cassette and a myriad of other tweaks. I was able to take it for a quick ride on my birthday. Very nice, works great.

Funny when he called to say it was done, I was in the middle of a EBay bidding war for a new Giant frame. Turns out my current frame is fine, and after how well it rode, my itch for a new bike has subsided. I did notice after riding the big red steel and the commuter rig, hopping on the carbon felt like riding a piece of cardboard - just nothing to it, all air.

New Chainrings and Derailler Cable

2009-10-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

New chainrings finally showed up.

When installing I got pricked by metal spikes coming from the brake/shifter hoods. Turned out the cable was frayed/breaking, I ordered some replacements and found some at a local shop to ride tomorrow.

"Darth Carbon" Rides Again

2009-10-07T23:43:00.000-07:00

2 new Neuvations later, new 11-25 cassette, new chain and a thorough cleaning/inspection of the frame and crank, the Giant TCR is ready to ride again. I slipped a Mr. Tuffy back in the rear tire too figuring the tire is getting thinner back there, though this time I cut it to prevent any folding/fit weirdness.

I went official Campy Veloce 10 speed on the chain, but naturally I lack the proper punch tool - all my hand chain tools are breaking down/broken. After breaking the handle of the working one I had, I took a previously stripped one and devised a "leverage upgrade" using the bench vise. Safety glasses a must. I used a spare Wipperman manual link to hold the Campy chain together - when taking the old chain off, I couldn't find the other - maybe I punched it in old school when I installed.

The goal will be to maintain this chain, and catch any Neuvation cracks early. May this blog serve as the maintenance log!

Neuvation Wheelset Replacement

2009-10-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

The cracks that started the blog have been more than addressed by Neuvation - we are at 2 new wheels, front and back.

On inspection after the rear failure documented below, the front also had some hairline cracks at the nipples. John Neugent(Neuvation) responded by calling it a warranty issue and shipped me a new wheel, which arrived less than 24 hours later. The customer service from the guy is amazing - I mean, I am a nearly 200lb rider running on 20 spokes rear, 16 spokes front on a less than $500 wheelset that weighs under 1600grams - unreal all-around. He's my Santa Man at the moment, sending me the slightly heavier and stronger rimmed wheel to see if that will hold me up.

I am going to just consider wheels an expendable, not unlike running shoes. They simply wear out. At Neuvation prices, these wheels are cheaper than running shoes and good for about 8-10K miles. I recommend these wheels despite the doubters ("do you really want to keep riding those wheels?"), just an awesome value, just prepare to cash in on the awesome service.

Mountain Bike Drivetrain Upgrade

2009-09-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

I decided to fix up the MTB rather than try to buy another, since I'm getting less than a dozen serious rides a year. I have a cool Ti Frame to work around and the old wheels have been bulletproof. So no discs for me yet, I replaced the brake pads and upgraded the 10 year old drivetrain parts( splurged on XT crank/BB, cheap SRAM cassette & chain). Still 8 speed, its cool the stuff hasn't changed for 15+ years.

Yes, thats a 10 year old Michelin Silica Green Front tire. Given the durability of weird colored bike parts, I went with very red pads too.

Towing a Bike Behind the Xtracycle

2009-09-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

A 5 minute solution to towing the kids bike to the park - we don't trust him in traffic.

I have a pile of ancient random car bike racks, and with the addition of a seat post shim, I was able to mount an old fork mount to the rear-cross piece of the Xtracycle.

I wonder what the tongue weight is - it says "no step" so I assume its not much. I also wrapped the quick release with a small bungie cord.

XtraCycle Peapod Seat Re-Mount

2009-09-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

Kids legs getting too long, so I had to raise the Peapod and lean it back. Now my heels no longer hit the stirrups...

Neuvation R28 Aero4 Failure

2009-09-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

18 month old Neuvation R28 Aero4, spoke pulling out.

I still recommend these wheels and the great service provided by the company, but inspect before it gets to this point please.