May 31, 2013
May 29, 2013
I was given another free frame. But unlike the GT, this Cross-Check needs a few repairs before I scrounge through the partsbin for components. The reason it needs the repairs is because it was hit by a car, which bent the fork sideways and, as you can see, buckled the top and downtubes right behind the headtube.
So they need to be fixed.
And the way I’m going to fix it is to cut the crumpled part of the top & downtubes, then braze on a new (and longer) headtube and a boom tube that runs from the downtube forward past the head tube, where I’ll braze up a platform for carrying a lot of cargo (or at least more cargo than I can carry on the GT; the Trek will still be my go-to bicycle for major shopping trips.)
The back wheel will probably be 650b, since I’ve got a spare rear wheel and three Col de la Vie tires lying around. The front wheel, on the other hand, will either be 20" or 16", depending on how much of a steertube I can find for a fork. I’m not sure whether to try to build it up with my normal comfortable position (drop bars 9-11cm lower than the saddle) or to fit my mustache or VO milano bars to the thing.
—orc Wed May 29 22:05:45 2013
May 28, 2013
This draft horse was looking at its owner with a “why are you using that wheely thing when I could be pulling your trailer instead?” expression.
—orc Tue May 28 12:49:11 2013
May 24, 2013
May 23, 2013
A not-so-close encounter with a Skoda Astra on the way downtown to return a broken bike lock to REI.
—orc Thu May 23 18:33:02 2013
May 22, 2013
So rather than putting the mlcm into storage until I can sell another rack or bag (I /do/ have a rack that’s going to be sold, but the buyer has gone incommunicado – and this makes the whole business of trading the rack for some money just a little more difficult) I took the 34t cassette and stuffed it onto the bicycle.
The Sora RD-3400 I’m using claims that the largest cog it can handle is 27t. That appears not to be the case. It also claims that it only has 27 teeth worth of chain wrap. That also appears not to be the case.
It makes the whole business of climbing steep ramps in my big ring a pretty meaningless boast.
—orc Wed May 22 23:25:33 2013
May 19, 2013
I’d fallen out of the routine of checking chain stretch on the mlcm. Whoops!
—orc Sun May 19 13:33:55 2013
May 17, 2013
Perhaps you could put away your harpoon and have a nice cup of tea?
—orc Fri May 17 21:59:46 2013
May 15, 2013
I tweaked the GT a little more by scraping off all of the standard decals (except for the head badge) and applying my other “Gary TURNER” constructeur-style decal. I also pulled the PDW “Magic Flute” minipump, strapped a spare Lezyne road/floor pump to the seattube and replaced the Del Norte stem with a more angled and slightly longer (12cm vs 10cm) Ritchey stem from the pile of random junk in the basement.
—orc Wed May 15 19:27:24 2013
May 13, 2013
The GT compared to an IH combine.
—orc Mon May 13 21:28:48 2013
May 11, 2013
The GT and I pause to staff a secret control on our way up to Ripplebrook.
—orc Sat May 11 23:05:19 2013
May 10, 2013
May 03, 2013
Dust Mite wants to ride a 300k with me tomorrow.
—orc Fri May 3 22:44:35 2013
May 01, 2013
When I was out riding the Cuthbert Binns populaire this morning I rode by (then immediately turned around and scooped up) this adjustable wrench. I didn’t get a particularly good look at it when I picked it up (I was riding my Sweet Fixie™ so I had to keep moving to stay under my 4h30 deadline) but when I got home I noticed two buttons on the thing and was amused to see that they opened and closed the jaws of the wrench.
Score?
—orc Wed May 1 19:51:08 2013
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