New York September 2022 NYC Meet-Up

I shed one and a half pounds off the steel IBIS by changing the front wheel and tire. Still have a 2.35 wide tire, just one that is not so knarly. 24 1/2 pounds is not heavy for a mountain bike with a front suspension.

What a difference a pound and a half makes, especially weight on the front end. Much easier to lift the front wheel, also the front end kinda floats better and does not dig in. This is going to be a fun bike.

Got all my bikes road and trail ready again.

Been finishing the kitchen door, set up a cabinet for my knife block, and cutting boards. Recycled some X-S materials in a clever manner.

I discovered that I don’t like Stan’s No Tube tubeless tire liquid. Took of a tire and had to scrape off all these dried latex “boogers.” What an ugly job. Anyways I’d rather pay for expensive latex tubes for the low rolling resistance and not have to deal with the cleanup, the mess, and the hassle.

Spent a good part of the day cleaning up the yard, the basement, and the garage. This will take a while…

Cal
 
So between Devil Dan and Devil Christian I say these guys are kinda evil. Devil Christian has been PM’ing me, and his project has to remain a secret and private. And then Devil Dan of course has his influence.

So pretty much I have two crazy friends who are kinda pumping me up to do mucho crazy things that are on a scale that is truly crazy. So anyways I think what is being formed/born is the notion of “Monster Works.”

Not that I’m Elon Musk, but pretty much I want to do crazy ambitious things, and after Devil Christian’s idea presented yesterday and sleeping on it I’m rather inspired into full blown madness. My thoughts are kinda racing and all kinds of ideas are emerging. Kinda clever on how all these capabilities are unifying and emerging.

So even though I’m a smut queen I have to keep secretes, but know that there are things stirring that are on a big scale to deserve the title “Monster Works.”

Cal
 
If you thought Intercourse and Blue Ball, Pennsylvania were interesting, you should head to Kentucky and check out Big Bone Lick State Park, which is just down the road from Beaver Lick.

Phil Forrest
 
Making the best of a overcast and rainy day. Even just north of Peekskill are drought conditions around West Point.

”Maggie” has a struggle where she cycles between inspiration and a sad desperation in her creativity.

Her problem I see is that she allows deadlines, outside pressures and responsibilities, schedules, and lastly deadlines to compromise her creativity.

I try to tell her that “Time is a precious commodity” and yet she over commits and is way to busy having a complicated life.

Then I say, “To do art, it takes time,” and this is where time constraints, schedules, and deadlines kinda prevent one from doing the extra effort that elevates things into art.

I spent nearly three days on staining my kitchen door. How crazy is that? I was not upset that I had to remove the door knob, the lock set, the deadbolt. Could it have been easier staining the door before it was installed like some of the moldings? Not really. Is masking off the weather stripping a careful and tedious job? You bet. And know I am no Decorative Artist, so pretty much I am still learning a skill of applying a gel stain.

So for me all this was not only a challenge, but it was fun and not really work.

But then consider my carpenter, he is working and needs to get his job done in a productive manner. The faster he works the closer he is to going home and having a beer. He also basically can’t afford to take his time and go the length of any extra effort. He is not looking for value added, perfection, a hard edge to a line, to match color, to make the grain of the wood interesting and opulent, a way to express natural beauty, or even as a demonstration of love, pride, talent or skill.

I could continue ranting how the simple task of staining a new door for me was like doing art work. I learned skill and control and developed my own signature technic. To me it is no longer just a stained door, but an expression of who I am, and what I can do. This door I will remember every time I see it, but other than you my readers no one will know that I took almost 3-days to accomplish staining a door.

So call me a lazy-slacker. I really didn’t get paid, and it was of no benefit to work faster. I had no motivation to “Hurry-up” so I could do something else. I took my time, had fun and enjoyed the experience. It was worth my time…

So today I removed two tires off these high end Mavic wheels that have bladed spokes, even though they are for a Mountain Bike (Mavic Cross Max). These wheels are made for using the new tubeless technology, and I figure it is close to 3 months and I wanted to see how the sealant was doing. So I learned that I don’t like Stan’s No Tubes sealant because it coats the inside of the tire with “Boogers” not unlike rubber cement, but because this is dried latex harder to remove.

Each “Rocket Ron” 2.35 cost around $95.00. The tires are well engineered, they are German, and they are light weight, high performance, and well constructed. Some racers just replaced the tires, others replace the tires after just one season, but I basically removed the tires and used some coarse Scotch-Bright pads to scrub away all the “Boogers” to save $190.00. The tires are still fresh, but now I know to avoid tubeless unless I have to.

So I installed latex tubes that are supple and also light in weight. No more Stan’s No-Tubes for me. If I have to use a sealant I’ll use this product called “Orange Seal” where the dried latex can be removed easily. The bad to Orange Seal is that it does not last as long as Stan’s, so more maintenance is involved. Anyways, this is less work than scrubbing off “Boogers” for a half hour for each tire and getting lathered in sweat to save $190.00.

So for entertainment watch this video of this bike nerd, who I think said he was an Engineer, go into a rant a rage a public attack against Schwable tires. He cites this Schwable video who mounts a tubeless tire entirely by hand without any tire levers. Pretty much the Schwable video shows how EZ-PZ it is.

Then you watch this engineer try to replicate the result. Pretty much this Engineer spends hours trying to install a mount bike tire. What he failed to address was the important instruction of how tubeless rims are designed and how the bead has to be centered in the rim in order to allow the required play needed to negotiate the second bead on the rim. This Engineer accuses Schwable of lying, false advertising, and pretty much the guy is close to a total breakdown, all over trying to mount a bike tire. Very high entertainment value, and so silly if he only could follow directions. LOL.

”Real men don’t need instructions” was on a T-shirt my friend Jack wore to work at Grumman. My spin is “Real men don’t need to listen to instructions.” So funny that this dude is an Engineer.

So did you know that rubber stretches and deforms? Presently my stretched tires are really easy to remove and re-install. Kinda great for out on the trail. But initially it was a kind of struggle and a bit of a learning curve. The first time was kinda difficult, but now I developed skill and understanding.

So in the Schwable video I can reasonably say that the tire that was installed could of been “stretched.” Putting on new folded tires for me required tire levers, but now with stretched tires I pretty much can install or remove almost by hand.

With Maggie, I pointed out how time constraints and art always leads to an unhappy ending. To do art it takes time, and pretty much it is about giving yourself a chance and not only that but being patient with yourself.

Anyways today I share an exclamation point. Maggie is impatient with herself, and all those time constraints don’t help: they hinder.

Moral of the story is that anything I’m proud of or made timeless or enduring basically took a lot of time. I’m in no rush with the house, and that pretty much was what my hussy-fit was all about last week.

Another example: Clearly the Knotweed is dying off. I could of felt exasperated and given up. In fact there was a reported suicide where Knotweed was deemed the cause, but putting in the time and hard work it seems very evident that the Knotweed is not only loosing, but is getting extinguished.

There is a Chinese expression,”Time is the best weapon.” Maggie with her anxiety basically creates this cycle of unhappiness. She defeats herself… I hope she eventually learns to become a lazy-slacker like me. Already today though she is doing better. Let’s see.

So in this narrative who is wasting time: the lazy-slacker; or the chronically overwhelmed who is too busy. Anyways, one person is happy-happy, and the other not.

Cal
 
Today I went for two rides on the Ti Basso. I decided to stay local. Everyone is kinda crazy anxious about the grand kid being born on Labor Day, but that might happen early because he is a big boy. Either they are going to induce early, or do a C-Section. That determination will happen this Thursday.

The new English 3-Speed like handlebars radically changed the bike, and it looks more retro, and more Newsboy than ever. I sit very upright, and the balance of the bike somehow became more twitchy. So on the first ride, about an hour and 10 minutes, I returned home to make some adjustments. I retightened the crank bolts even though they were not creaking, I moved the seat back a quarter inch, and I tilted the nose of the seat up. I changed out my BMX like grips for a pair of Ergonomic paddle like grips that are cupped to fit the palm of the hand.

The bike was much more stable and comfortable. On the climbs the BMX grips were lame and the Ergon’s were much better. Did another hour of riding.

Did you know that an hour of cycling burns about 500 calories. I just burned over a thousand, and pretty much I had to eat. I had some Rav-E-O-LEE from Trader Joe’s.

So I was field testing the Ti Basso. It turned out to be a really great bike. As a 1x11 the gearing has a limited range, but in my tests it has enough gears. My low is only a 26 inch gear, and it was enough for the long hill on Hudson Avenue coming up from the river at the train station in Peekskill. Top gear I could spin out on the downhills. So the gearing is kinda ideal and good enough that I don’t yearn for a twelve-speed.

So I can see how on long rides how one might want a larger range of gears, but 11 seems like enough.

I have the steel IBIS to field test, but I figure it rained yesterday, and to let a day pass to dry out the trail. The Rock Shox Judy SL is set up with Speed Springs that replaced the OEM elastomers. The springs installed are for a 130 pound rider, and pretty much I can bottom out the shock rather easily, but understand that on an IBIS Mountain Trials you always keep your weight to the rear and try to keep the front end lite.

Perhaps tomorrow a ride in the woods. I got the steel IBIS down to 24 1/2 pounds by changing out a tire and wheel. The front suspension should make for an interesting ride. I used a 30 tooth Wolf Tooth chainring so the gearing is for “Rock Crawling” and I have a low of about 18 inches. This bike very much now with all the updates strongly resembles a motorcycle. It even has BMX carbon handlebars with a 4-5 inch rise.

I started working in the back-backyard to lay out a gravel bed for a 4x8 foot cedar shed. We decided to move it to near the dead end, this way the back-backyard remains more open, and pretty much the view of the marsh and wooded hillside is preserved. All I’m doing presently is burying 4x6 pressure treated lumber to contain the gravel.

Cal
 
I’m a lazy-slacker. After fixing some technical problems on the steel IBIS, I took it for a 3 1/2 hour exploration of Blue Mountain Preserve. The WMBA (Westchester Mountain Bike Association) has a map, but the trails are not so well marked, and the map is kinda vague. Separately I have been on many trails exploring them, but linking them together is not so easy a task, so today’s adventure was a bit like mountaineering.

So navigation is never really clear, and realize that there are many trails that are not marked, but they are named. Then there is in a few areas where the trails merge and have two colors on the map, but in fact on the trail they might not be marked that way.

There are all these numbered trail markers also that also add to the confusion. On the map some are missing, and today I see marker number 28 on the trail, but it is not on the map. Then I come to a fork, where basically I have to navigate both because the trail lacks markings, but on the map there are markings. Lots of confusion to get one lost. Trailheads that are unmarked is another source of confusion.

Already leaves are turning color because of drought conditions and leaf litter obscures roots and rocks. At times the trail is hidden under leaf litter, so there is a slowing down. Surprisingly I saw some trees that already are changing color, and the amount of fall leaf litter was surprising.

Today’s mission was to assemble a mountain bike loop that I can use for training. I also wanted to test the steel IBIS.

I forgot how adding a suspension tames the rocks and roots. The front suspension fork made a huge difference. What was I thinking when I was riding a rigid bike at Blue Mountain of all places? Pretty insane and mucho crazy.

I wondered if my 18 inch gear would be too low a gear, but it got used quit a bit and was of great utility on technically steep, roots, and rocky climbs. I few times I did spin the tires, due to loss of traction in loose rock and gravel. I also ended up using my high gear a surprising amount.

The ride was at a gingerly pace to avoid injury. Wheel traps are like booby traps all over the place, and then there are these “rock gardens” and drop offs. On one drop off somehow I crashed the bike doing an endo, but somehow like a cat I did not crash. Because I tamed my speed I somehow was able to step off the bike as it was doing an endo in slow motion, so technically I did not end up on the ground like my bike.

The el Cheapo wheel now needs to be trued, but it never was a tightly built wheel anyways. I’m sure today’s abuse stretched the spokes enough so that with truing and tightening the wheel should stay true. Anyways I bought this wheel as a throwaway to get me by because of all the shortages.

So the 30 tooth Wolf Tooth chainring provided me with the UBER low gearing I wanted. I was surprised that I used high gear so much, and all the shifting I enjoyed. The 11 speed XTR even shifts well under load when climbing. I was concerned that the light spring rate of the Speed Springs would bottom out a lot, but I don’t think I experience any bottoming even though the load rating was for a 130 pound rider.

I enjoyed cleaning climbs and technical sections that I never could before. This bike setup made for a better ride experience, and some speed could be harnessed safely in some sections, but these trails are fraught with rocks, drop offs, roots, fallen trees… Speed has to be moderated to be safe, unless you want to kill yourself.

I feel it in my upper body. When I climb stairs my legs are not so firm. I had a good day. After 4 eggs without the yokes and a lot of toast, I figure I burned over 1500 calories easily on my ride. Dinner of course was great and had its enhancement to replenish me. Sweated a lot. Lately I favor carbonated water of flavored seltzer. Trader Joe’s is my brand.

I love that this ride is about 2 1/2 blocks from my house. Two mountain bikers came upon me on the trails, both were riding full suspension bikes. One rider, and old guy like me, had fat tires. That’s how underutilized this park is. 3 1/2 hours in the park and I only came upon two people. How cool is that? How about having a park that is almost twice the size of Central Park so close to my house.

Many more trails to explore and connect.

BTW “Maggie” uses these trail walking poles that simulate cross country skiing to hike trails as a workout.

Cal
 
Cal,
Here around Philly there are old trail signs that have been left over from races from past years. I know that Blue Mountain has had some regular collegiate races as it is within the mid-Atlantic region of the NCCC.
On another note, now that you are riding upright, you should consider a suspension seatpost like a Redshift ShockStop or a perhaps a saddle with springs like a Brooks Flyer or at least a lot of flex like a Cambium. The upright position is going to put a lot more compression on your vertebral discs, as the usual, more aggressive leaned over position puts more weight on the legs and allows the back to flex more like a cat's. The farther upright you get, the more your spine is going to take the brunt of the vibration. Even high frequency, low amplitude road noise can cause sciatic and lumbar spinal irritation. Don't be surprised if you go through a few stem changes. I think I have four stems of varying length and angles, along with four different handlebars. I just changed to riding in a pair of cycling specific flat-pedal shoes by Specialized, instead of the RedWing boots I've been using for a year and they are night and day. As a result of the new shoes, I had to lower my seatpost 3/8" then I noticed my hands getting numb with my old Mary cruiser/mountain bar. I'd been saving up to get a Redshift ShockStop stem for a long time and finally pulled the trigger on it. That said, since the fulcrum point of the stem is right in front of the steer tube, I had to switch to a straight bar, so I stuck on an old Scott AT-2 bar with integrated bar-ends. The ShockStop stem is a complete revelation; no more road noise in my hands. I haven't taken a long ride on it yet but I'll get there and I'll get the elastomers dialed in better after some time on the road. My saddle is a Brooks Conquest which is a discontinued leather saddle on spring suspension designed for mountain bikes. It took me about six months of riding to get used to it again, but it's just about perfect. This is on the 1983 Univega that I'll be riding across the continent one day; until then I'm going to be commuting on it. I'll also probably be commuting on my 1981 Miyata 610 (if I get this job that I'm going through the HR motions right now for.) Anyway, take care of your back. At least get some saddle with a little bit of flex like a Brooks Cambium C19 or a seatpost that can absorb some of the hits from the road. It only takes 3mm of movement to herniate a vertebral disc. I have several that are bulging but not completely herniated and no stenosis in the mid- or lower-back; and my discs are probably 20 years more flexible than yours. Take care of your back so you can keep riding, and keep walking. It was just one minor accident that completely ended my competitive cycling career after I had already been selected for a spot at the 2010 national collegiate CX championships. It took me two years to get back on a bike after that accident and I still don't have the range of motion that I used to. I mention it because it was all soft-tissue damage, cartilage and tendons torn from bone. It's the stuff that doesn't grow back, and why I have a few inches of tiny rock-climbing rope and pitons stuck in my shoulder, holding my left arm on my torso. We don't have any such tech for the spine yet, only rods and fusion surgery once that cartilage is gone.

Phil Forrest
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Cal,
Here around Philly there are old trail signs that have been left over from races from past years. I know that Blue Mountain has had some regular collegiate races as it is within the mid-Atlantic region of the NCCC.
On another note, now that you are riding upright, you should consider a suspension seatpost like a Redshift ShockStop or a perhaps a saddle with springs like a Brooks Flyer or at least a lot of flex like a Cambium. The upright position is going to put a lot more compression on your vertebral discs, as the usual, more aggressive leaned over position puts more weight on the legs and allows the back to flex more like a cat's. The farther upright you get, the more your spine is going to take the brunt of the vibration. Even high frequency, low amplitude road noise can cause sciatic and lumbar spinal irritation. Don't be surprised if you go through a few stem changes. I think I have four stems of varying length and angles, along with four different handlebars. I just changed to riding in a pair of cycling specific flat-pedal shoes by Specialized, instead of the RedWing boots I've been using for a year and they are night and day. As a result of the new shoes, I had to lower my seatpost 3/8" then I noticed my hands getting numb with my old Mary cruiser/mountain bar. I'd been saving up to get a Redshift ShockStop stem for a long time and finally pulled the trigger on it. That said, since the fulcrum point of the stem is right in front of the steer tube, I had to switch to a straight bar, so I stuck on an old Scott AT-2 bar with integrated bar-ends. The ShockStop stem is a complete revelation; no more road noise in my hands. I haven't taken a long ride on it yet but I'll get there and I'll get the elastomers dialed in better after some time on the road. My saddle is a Brooks Conquest which is a discontinued leather saddle on spring suspension designed for mountain bikes. It took me about six months of riding to get used to it again, but it's just about perfect. This is on the 1983 Univega that I'll be riding across the continent one day; until then I'm going to be commuting on it. I'll also probably be commuting on my 1981 Miyata 610 (if I get this job that I'm going through the HR motions right now for.) Anyway, take care of your back. At least get some saddle with a little bit of flex like a Brooks Cambium C19 or a seatpost that can absorb some of the hits from the road. It only takes 3mm of movement to herniate a vertebral disc. I have several that are bulging but not completely herniated and no stenosis in the mid- or lower-back; and my discs are probably 20 years more flexible than yours. Take care of your back so you can keep riding, and keep walking. It was just one minor accident that completely ended my competitive cycling career after I had already been selected for a spot at the 2010 national collegiate CX championships. It took me two years to get back on a bike after that accident and I still don't have the range of motion that I used to. I mention it because it was all soft-tissue damage, cartilage and tendons torn from bone. It's the stuff that doesn't grow back, and why I have a few inches of tiny rock-climbing rope and pitons stuck in my shoulder, holding my left arm on my torso. We don't have any such tech for the spine yet, only rods and fusion surgery once that cartilage is gone.

Phil Forrest
Click to expand...

Phil,

On the steel IBIS I have a riser bar, and indeed I think I need a shorter stem. Back in the day the setup was very long stems, and handlebars were set 3-4 inches lower than the saddle for aggressive use of upper body. Also this position supported lots of “standing.”

My friend Iron MIke crashed his road bike and broke his hip. It was a kinda freak accident. In his case he fully recovered, but bone is not soft tissue.

I can see how the Newsboy could use a brooks saddle, or a suspension seatpost. This bike is also set up to spend lots of time riding. It is a cruiser. With a new saddle it would be more old school and retro than ever. I like the idea.

The only bike I think I have dialed in well right now is the Ti IBIS, and it has a new riser bar and a new stem.

My more upright position on my bikes is not so radical, perhaps just a bit relaxed from where they were, but the big exception is the Newsboy that is a radical departure, and is a fully upright bike. I think I favor a Brooks leather sprung saddle on this bike. It also would look cool. Perhaps a mucho ratty old one.

Lastly I have a Ti straight bar on my Ti Basso road bike, it is basically a rebranded Litespeed “Classic” that is somewhat a steel feel that also is flexible that takes up lots of road shock. I know what you mean about how the road rumble gets transmitted through the tires and frame. Then on later bikes the stiffened things up with oversized tubing. For this reason I avoid aluminum and carbon frames. Too much road transmission.

I have this Ti bike is set up with 8-speed XTR shifter/levers for a mountain bike style even though it is a road bike. I have a full blown 9-speed XTR group assembled a long with a XT 11-34 when and if I want to go 1x9, but I also accumulated mucho Dura-Ace 9 speed cassettes before they cost big money.

Pretty much I will wear out my 8-speed stockpile and eventually upgrade to 9-speed. I have both a long cage XTR rear derailleur, and Dura-Ace 9-speed. If I need crazy low gears, I’m prepared to go there. On top of that I have mucho 12-25 stockpiled.

Seems like my direction is wider bars along with a shorter stem. I still use a lot of my upper body, and I also still do standing. I’m not so much of a pure spinner. THe two IBIS bikes will always be aggressive bikes, but wide bars really stabilized things and made them less twitchy.

Seems like the steel IBIS is great for picking a line, but this involves slowing down a lot to perhaps walking speed on descents. I do this for safety and to prevent injury. On yesterday’s ride I walked down some rocky sections because I knew fatigue could case me to trip up. All I try to do is clean the climbs, and stay on the peddles as much as I can. I already can see that my technical skills are progressing, but one cannot “jump the shark” and get ahead of oneself. I’m being patient with myself, and pretty much riding a hard tail is a big challenge at Blue Mountain.

I’ll get there, but I’ll be going slow…”Clean and slow,” is my motto.

Pretty much I took your advice a few years ago and stockpiled…

Cal
 
Whatever you do, don't cheap out on a Brooks saddle and get a "ratty old one." You will just wind up with further stretched leather and rivets in your butt. I rode a worn B66 that was "period correct" for my 1956 Rudge and wound up with a bad case of sciatica because of the position the saddle put my pelvis in. Get a B67 or a Flyer brand new, put on some Proofide and do the work to break it in like a good pair of shoes. Your butt and your back will thank you. They aren't even that expensive, as far as saddles go; some lens filters cost more. Just like all the other durable and expensive goods you like, the Brooks saddle can be one that you may have for the rest of your life if you take good care of it. I have three Brooks and they are all I want to ride now. I have a B17 on my Miyata, I've had this saddle since 2008. I have a B67 on my 1956 Rudge and it is perfection. I have a first-generation brass-rivet Conquest on my Univega; this saddle I've had since 2015 and has taken the longest to break in as it is a Brooks Professional (the heaviest of their leathers) over a set of springs. It cost more than the bike it sits on, but that's because I'm a mechanic and I brought that bike back from the dead and fully restored it. Regardless, the Conquest was still quite pricey then and is unobtanium NOS now.
If you don't go with a Brooks sprung saddle, take a look at the Redshift seatposts. They are really cool and take up the hits very well. Regardless, your back needs something, as does everyone's, otherwise, we will all need osteopathic doctors and neurosurgeons.

Phil Forrest
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Whatever you do, don't cheap out on a Brooks saddle and get a "ratty old one." You will just wind up with further stretched leather and rivets in your butt. I rode a worn B66 that was "period correct" for my 1956 Rudge and wound up with a bad case of sciatica because of the position the saddle put my pelvis in. Get a B67 or a Flyer brand new, put on some Proofide and do the work to break it in like a good pair of shoes. Your butt and your back will thank you. They aren't even that expensive, as far as saddles go; some lens filters cost more. Just like all the other durable and expensive goods you like, the Brooks saddle can be one that you may have for the rest of your life if you take good care of it. I have three Brooks and they are all I want to ride now. I have a B17 on my Miyata, I've had this saddle since 2008. I have a B67 on my 1956 Rudge and it is perfection. I have a first-generation brass-rivet Conquest on my Univega; this saddle I've had since 2015 and has taken the longest to break in as it is a Brooks Professional (the heaviest of their leathers) over a set of springs. It cost more than the bike it sits on, but that's because I'm a mechanic and I brought that bike back from the dead and fully restored it. Regardless, the Conquest was still quite pricey then and is unobtanium NOS now.
If you don't go with a Brooks sprung saddle, take a look at the Redshift seatposts. They are really cool and take up the hits very well. Regardless, your back needs something, as does everyone's, otherwise, we will all need osteopathic doctors and neurosurgeons.

Phil Forrest
Click to expand...

Phil,

I have been looking at Brooks on EBAY. I fancy a B67.

Looks like the “Critter” will be emerging tomorrow or Saturday. There is concern because he is a big baby, so if there is any distress with the mother or baby C-Section will happen.

So everyone is excited and anxious. I have to put together a go bag. Some procedure was performed today that might induce labor.

Cal
 
Speaking of Critters, a few days ago I got up to pee, I saw that the motion detector light was on in the driveway, and because it was not windy I suspected an animal had triggered the light.

When I got to my bedroom I saw the motion detector got triggered closer to the house that illuminates the patio and pergola in my front-backyard. I looked out the window and saw a porky-pine scurry into underneath a Rode-A-DEN-Drum right next to the house.

In real life Porky-Pines are bigger than I imagined.

On the bike front, had to get the el Cheapo wheel on the steel IBIS trued. The el Cheapo wheel is my way to build a geared XTR bike during the age of shortages. They don’t make a tight wheel, and eventually the spokes will get stretched and the wheel get tightened eventually.

This is a bike that needs a shorter stem, and one with a rise. Currently I have a 135 on the steel IBIS with zero rise.

I devolved the Ti IBIS Newsboy and went back to the Ti “Mustache” bar. The position is a bit less upright than the 3-speed NITTO aluminum bar, but the cockpit has more room and is more comfortable. Know that on this early mountain bike frame it had a short top tube, so it actually benefits from a long stem, and I used a “High-Rise” Ti stem to gain a more upright position. The High-Rise stem I recycled from the steel IBIS, and it looks just so period correct.

I am very pleased with the evolution of these bikes. Also the Mustache bar makes it EZ-PZ to convert to a Fat-Tire with just a wheel change. If required a chain an chain ring can be exchanged, also EZ-PZ for lower gears for off road. I imagine that I will have the ideal bike for riding on the road in snow storms so I can do some shooting. I already secured a seat post rack to carry a tripod.

I’m looking into a Brooks “Flyer” saddle which is slimmer, but is sprung. Perhaps a little less retro, but still a throwback. Research reveals that Phil’s advice of buying a new one and breaking it in is mucho valid. It seems a Brooks saddle kinda gets customized as it sculpts itself into pretty much a one-off saddle as time goes on. I am a skinny bitch with a small butt, so I don’t need a fat seat.

It also so happens that Schwable stopped production of a tire that was called “Table Top” that was favored by freestyle BMX and Jumpers, but they just released a new tire as a replacement called a Billy Bonkers that has mucho low rolling resistance. The tread is a rounded tire with all these micro knobs that follows a design as their G-One All Rounder a 28x1.35 Addis Speed Grip (soft compound that actually is sticky) that is a tire made for “gravel” bikes.

This tire has me excited because they make a 24x2.0 version that will fit on my Ti IBIS effectively allowing me to kinda build out the Ti IBIS as a kinda Gravel like bike. Because of the small wheel (24 inch) and gravel bikes having 28 inch wheels, I would have to build out the bike as a 2x11 to have gearing that extends into the range of a road bike. With XTR this is no handicap. For an old man having more gears is a great thing.

Also with a GS Mid cage rear derailleur somehow I can get away without having to go to a long cage derailleur on the Ti IBIS. The Ti IBIS has a longer derailleur hangar that is more modern, and even though the 11-40T and a 42/32 double exceeds the designed capacity I discovered in my tooling around that I actually can safely go “cross-gear” meaning big rear cog and big chainring without problems.

Generally riding cross gear is bad for a drivetrain and promotes wear. Added friction caused by more side rubbing and chain angle is to be avoided, but stuff happens on the road and trail by accident. I was “tooling” around and somehow discovered and realized that somehow because of the geometry and short chain stays, along with the longer extended derailleur hangar that I’m able to go cross gear with a mid cage derailleur that has its design exceeded.

How cool is that? See what happens when being OCD is a good thing? Sometimes some of my experimenting works. Anyways having the time to play around has some great surprises and benefits.

So basically the Ti IBIS, when I get a new high end hub can be built into a mucho evil bike as a Sue-Dough gravel bike with exaggerated tires that are wider. The Billy Bonkers is also available in 26x2.1, so it as a candidate for a new set of tires for my Newsboy Ti Basso also.

The tires have a mucho low rolling resistance and weigh little. Low rotating mass is a great thing, but with low weight the trade off is strength and durability. Light weight tires are a no-brainer. This Ti IBIS is the kinda bike that I literally could ride all day. Think of rotating mass as being like flywheels that require energy to spin and how much more energy needs to get expended to accelerate.

Wider tires cushion the road, but Titanium has its own form of dampening. Jolts, bumps and shock are deadened because Titanium is structurally a natural spring, but unlike steel that weighs about twice as much when of equal strength, it also has fast dampening so it deforms and then immediately becomes rigid again. Pretty much Titanium is the most comfortable bike frame material because of these properties. So titanium has the give, but has the assets of high strength and fast dampening over any other material.

The opposite end are aluminum bikes that utilize oversized tubing to avoid any flexing. Pretty much you feel every road and trail irregularity. Then there is carbon fiber which is also built light and stiff. The transmission of shock and road and trail transmission to the handlebars is not imagined and is real; and in a ways it adds to being like micro traumas that add to fatigue.

So understand the Titanium advantage of comfort that is like having a bit of suspension built right in. Titanium has a resilience and comfort, and I think is the best material for “epic” long rides and touring. Understand that the Ti IBIS weighs just 17 pounds built out as a single speed, but as it still likely will be well under 20 pounds as a 2x11 Sue-Dow gravel bike.

BTW the geometry of the Ti IBIS is great for fast and efficient climbing.

I take heed of Phil’s advice, and I am now thinking of how to exploit the building of my bikes.

Just think of how all of my behaviors will defer over to the Chevy C-10.

Cal
 
The “Creature” is in the hospital because she is going to birth the “Critter” who is a big boy. Lots of waiting… Any distress by the mother or child and they will perform a C-Section…

So I realize anxiety seems innate and genetic. Pretty much mother, daughter, sister, and grand daughter all kinda go insane.

Upon hospital admission they test for Covid, and the Creature tested positive, but her symptoms have been mild like a cold. Pretty much I have had very close contact with the “Creature-Junior” the eight year old grand daughter only just yesterday.

When I mention close contact, it means picking her up and carrying her around a strip mall. She likes being cuddled like a baby by me and pretty much she breathes my air.

So I am part of a grand experiment, at “Maggie’s” mother’s funeral I was exposed and in close contact with Maggie’s family, and they almost all got Covid, yet Maggie and I did not.

A second time we were exposed, and we did not get Covid. We performed at home tests to confirm.

So pretty much I have to pick up the grand daughter at 1:00 PM from her overnight stay with her best friend, and somehow not make the Creature-Junior anxious. Pretty much I will have to use my experience in performance art to not trigger a panic attack in an 8 year old.

Meanwhile “Maggie” has thinking that bounces all over the place and does not make any sense.

I ask for the address to pick up the Creature-Junior because I know I’ll need it. Pretty much it takes about 3 phone calls to get the information. The Creature is on the phone with Creature-Junior’s best friend’s mom, and pretty much she is anxious too, so pretty much an answer to a rather simple question to get an address gets mucho complicated.

In the first half hour of my day that began at 6:10 AM I already have had 4-5 phone calls. Ask me why I hate cell phones. For me the world would be a more peaceful and better place without cell phones.

Pretty hard to concentrate or do anything with all the anxiety going on. Of course I’m excited, but basically I am dealing with crazies. At least I know that the hospital is a really good one, and it is just on the other side of the city.

I’m confident that I will do well in my performance and remaining calm, but I don’t think Maggie can pull it off. After the baby is born I have to pick her up from the hospital, and then I see a problem where the Creature-Junior will or might figure things out.

So a real life drama…

Cal
 
Cal,
Give Continental tires a try one day. As a matter of pure opinion, if you haven't already, give almost any other brand of tire a try. Schwalbe tires tend to have a lot of vulcanized rubber content and can feel really "dead". I love Panaracer and Continental, but prefer the latter. For MTB tires, the best ones ever made are now unavailable and haven't been seen since about 2002; they were made by IRC for the Yeti team and branded Yeti FRO "For Racing Only". When I was working at Albuquerque Bicycle Center, before I joined the Navy, I bought four sets of these because the writing was on the wall back in 1997 when Yeti was on top of the racing circuit. Then they got bought by Schwinn and the special tire made by IRC was no more. The last I saw of those tires was on my old 1996 S-Works that I sold to Rory at Beacon. IRC still makes some of the best tires out there. One tire I'd definitely avoid is the Specialized Armadillo range, which is a thick, soft rubber, almost sliding over a tough cross-weave of amarid fiber. Excellent at keeping out sharp bits but feels like riding on marshmallows and they corner just like riding on marshmallows. Badly, with little confidence. In my personal opinion, the only thing I'd ride a Schwalbe for is a tarmac-only cross-continent tour with known sections of broken glass and shards of metal, in which case I'd ride the Marathon Mondial Plus. Tires are a personal choice, I know and I've spent probably five-figures on bike tires since the late-80s, and while Schwalbe may make some of the most durable, long wearing rubber out there, railroad wheels are also long wearing but aren't known for comfort or good road feel. Just my opinion though.
I'm currently running Continental Contact Plus 26x1.75 and I love them. I'm saving up to get a set of Contact Plus Travel, their top-end touring tire in a 2.0" width, but they are north of $60 each depending upon supply availability. I've seen them as high as $98 in the last year. I'm not rolling anywhere far in the near term, so the "skinny" 1.75s I have now will work just fine for now.

I'm often reminded when I look at my bicycle tires that they are made by the same company that made the tires of my 1967 VW Beetle. Back in 1996, it was $23 per tire for my car and $42 per tire for my bike if I wanted Continentals on everything. Since I was working at a shop that sold Specialized, I went with the employee wholesale purchase and always bought the Specialized tires early in my career (the Ground Control set were great), so I'd spend $18 on my bike and just under $100 on my car.

Phil Forrest
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Cal,
Give Continental tires a try one day. As a matter of pure opinion, if you haven't already, give almost any other brand of tire a try. Schwalbe tires tend to have a lot of vulcanized rubber content and can feel really "dead". I love Panaracer and Continental, but prefer the latter. For MTB tires, the best ones ever made are now unavailable and haven't been seen since about 2002; they were made by IRC for the Yeti team and branded Yeti FRO "For Racing Only". When I was working at Albuquerque Bicycle Center, before I joined the Navy, I bought four sets of these because the writing was on the wall back in 1997 when Yeti was on top of the racing circuit. Then they got bought by Schwinn and the special tire made by IRC was no more. The last I saw of those tires was on my old 1996 S-Works that I sold to Rory at Beacon. IRC still makes some of the best tires out there. One tire I'd definitely avoid is the Specialized Armadillo range, which is a thick, soft rubber, almost sliding over a tough cross-weave of amarid fiber. Excellent at keeping out sharp bits but feels like riding on marshmallows and they corner just like riding on marshmallows. Badly, with little confidence. In my personal opinion, the only thing I'd ride a Schwalbe for is a tarmac-only cross-continent tour with known sections of broken glass and shards of metal, in which case I'd ride the Marathon Mondial Plus. Tires are a personal choice, I know and I've spent probably five-figures on bike tires since the late-80s, and while Schwalbe may make some of the most durable, long wearing rubber out there, railroad wheels are also long wearing but aren't known for comfort or good road feel. Just my opinion though.
I'm currently running Continental Contact Plus 26x1.75 and I love them. I'm saving up to get a set of Contact Plus Travel, their top-end touring tire in a 2.0" width, but they are north of $60 each depending upon supply availability. I've seen them as high as $98 in the last year. I'm not rolling anywhere far in the near term, so the "skinny" 1.75s I have now will work just fine for now.

I'm often reminded when I look at my bicycle tires that they are made by the same company that made the tires of my 1967 VW Beetle. Back in 1996, it was $23 per tire for my car and $42 per tire for my bike if I wanted Continentals on everything. Since I was working at a shop that sold Specialized, I went with the employee wholesale purchase and always bought the Specialized tires early in my career (the Ground Control set were great), so I'd spend $18 on my bike and just under $100 on my car.

Phil Forrest
Click to expand...

Phil,

This is so interesting. Back in the day 24 inch tires were rather limited and being an odd size not much of a selection.

The “Ground Control” was not a very good tire on an IBIS. Back in the day I favored Richey tires like the WCS with a high thread count. Seems I loved the low rolling resistance, mucho knobs, and sturdy side knobs for leaning the bike. When leaning the bike the Ground Controls would slide and loose grip.

So these Schwable Rocket Rons resemble my old Richey tires.

BTW the Schwable Han’s Damph is designed as an all-rounder, and the ride kinda reminds me of the Panaracer “Smoke” with a high rolling resistance and as you describe kinda dead. I guess I favor lively tires. The Han’s Damph do pretty well as far as grip goes, but as you describe kinda dead.

I also would agree with the puncture resistance and durability. In a German kinda way overbuilt, but understand that the Rocket Ron’s are lightly built and are designed for race conditions, not durability.

I see your point as far as Schwable making good tires for touring where durability and puncture resistance is a primary concern.

My days of racing are over, I just want to spend mucho time on my bikes. Thanks to some advice given years ago I bought mucho XTR 11 speed at close out prices when Shimano announced a new XTR 12-speed. I also loaded up the truck as they say with XT cassettes. I also secured a 9 speed XTR complete group along with mucho Dura-Ace 9-speed cassettes. Boy did these prices go crazy.

Anyways sitting on a stockpile is kinda wonderful, and I saved lots of money. BTW the 9-speed XTR is reserved for my Ti Basso road that currently has a straight ti bar and XTR 8-speed trigger brake levers. I’ll wear out my 8-spped cassettes first before converting to 9-speed.

On the Newsboy I’m going skinny. I have some Schwable Marathon Supremes to mount on a set of retro wheels that have old school narrow rims that have a 1.6 inch width. Then on my modern Mavic bladed spoke wheelset I’ll be mounting Maxxis Cross-Marks that have a 2.1 width. On reserve are 2.35 mountain bike tires (Rocket Rons, and Hans Damph) for snow rides.

Happy riding.

Cal
 
Mother (the “Creature”) is home. The “Critter” (newborn grandson) will be coming home tomorrow.

Been a few days of being around mucho anxious people. I’m mucho glad everyone is fine. The grandson was not the big baby they expected. The hospital is keeping him for a day to observe him as a precaution. While the mother tested positive for Covid, the baby did not.

My grand daughter had mild Covid Symptoms: low grade fever; head ache; sore throat… but now seems like herself.

Meanwhile “Maggie” and I have been exposed to Covid yet again and seem not to be getting sick. Maggie even took a Covid home test and it was negative.

So I’m home alone taking a break from being surrounded by an anxious family.

I did watch a lot of cartoons and learned a lot. Skylander Academie, and Captain Underpants kinda brain washed me into being like an 8 year old.

Cal
 
Cal,
One of the fastest tires I ever rode I think was a Ritchey, but I could be mistaken. The mid-90s were all over the place for tire tread design with regard to material and lug design/placement. So these tires had a diamond dimple pattern which was fantastic on the Sandia soil and sections of limestone. Across South Hwy 14 on my home turf of Cedro Peak, it was all limestone and there was or maybe still is a trail with a section call the staircase, for good reason. Anyway, these tires were almost bald with the diamond dimples but had aggressive knobs if you leaned even 5 degrees so they cornered very well. The knobs acted like paddles in the Sandias and up in the northern NM and southern CO mountains where the forest floor was often a decent bed of loose pack black soil and organic matter. You could keep the tires at higher pressure and the almost square profile would dig in and the side lugs would provide the grip. Of course I weighed about 125lbs back then. When I arrived at Great Lakes Naval Recruit Station on the evening of September 23, 1997, I did my weigh in and I was almost a full pound underweight, so I had to do the trick of going to drink as much water as I could then getting back in line to do the weigh-in again and just made it at 129lbs, the bare minimum at the time. With my weight, I could have probably ridden an all-weather road tire up the mountain.
One thing about the Ground Control tires is that Specialized always used soft rubber, like pencil erasers, and they excelled in dry, shallow, gravel or loose dirt. They didn't shed mud well, you shear off a lug if you did some hard skidding on some sandstone.
Back when I was in High School and later, I didn't really want to drive (that bug hit when I got in the Navy), instead I wanted to ride everywhere. The exception was with mountain biking because I knew about the economics of tire wear. I lived 35 miles from Albuquerque open space, 19 miles from the top of Sandia Crest, and 7 miles from the top of Cedro Peak, and it was only Cedro that I would actually ride to in order to go mountain biking because I didn't want to wear down my expensive off road tires riding on Route 66 or Frost Rd or Hwy 14 getting to where I wanted to actually ride, so I would practically beg for rides even one-way to the Sandias. Eventually, I got a 1985 Subaru wagon that cost me less than a set of wheels for my bike that I put on top of the car.
I really do love mountain biking, but these days I have to ride in a much more upright position due to mild stenosis in my cervical spine, so I have to figure out how to reconcile bike handling which predicates an aggressive stance with my own health needs. I'll get there though.
These days I'm semi-obsessively looking for commuter bike solutions on the cheap. I have my Univega ultimate touring bike, I have my Miyata 610 randonneuring bike, but both are too valuable to me to lock up outside, so I am searching for a folding Raleigh Twenty. I'm rambling too much.
Here's a photo of the first build iteration of my 1983 Univega to keep this loosely on a photo topic:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/d/535...nivega_1st.jpg

Phil Forrest
 
Calzone said:
So I'm home alone taking a break from being surrounded by an anxious family.

I did watch a lot of cartoons and learned a lot. Skylander Academie, and Captain Underpants kinda brain washed me into being like an 8 year old.

Cal
Click to expand...

Cal,
Remember that you have to always place the oxygen mask over your face before helping those around you.
Also, there is no harm in temporarily "regressing" to a few mindful traits of an 8-year-old; the best part is that you have cooler, bigger toys: cameras, guitars, bikes, Chevy truck.

Phil Forrest
 
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