NYC Journal

With Mako sharks the females are bigger than males of the same species.

Same with Striped Bass. All the trophy sized bass are cow/females.

Today I saw a fisherman catch a small mouth bass, perhaps 3/4’ers of a pound using a swimming plug In Dickey Brook just after the first pond in Blue Mountain.

This fisherman released the bass, and I kinda knew he was a more serious fisherman than most because he used a bait casting rig instead of a spinner.

Mowed the lawn today and used a machete to chop down brush in my dead end. I also used a mower to cut the weeds and some poison ivy. The poison ivy was not a thicket, but was just starting to invade. In the Boy Scouts they say cut and bury… I just raked the mulch into a pile and will let it rot.

I went to BloomDoom guitars, the site where this guy uses nitrocellulose to paint Fender style guitar bodies. I have GAS for a Strat, and I took note that the available inventory of painted bodies has dwindled from pages to only one page. Slim pickings as I imagine people are using tax refunds to build guitars. Oh-well.

One of the reasons why I want a Strat is I don’t own one.

Cal
 
My friend Craig came by around lunchtime with a delivery of logs for my terracing.

Craig saw the area in the dead end I cleared, and says a load of wood chips would be great to mulch the area. Kinda perfect for my Trials course…

He was also amazed that I moved a chain link fence down the slope by myself. Really not so hard to wiggle the posts and pull out of the ground if not cemented down. I rolled up the fence, secured the bundle with some tie wraps, and let gravity take it down the hill when after sledge hammering the posts into the ground, I remastered the fence.

Currently the fence is half buried on one side with dead leaves, branches and Christmas trees.

Went to DSW to use a $20.00 coupon that expires at the end of the month. Bought two pair of Merrill’s for $42.00 and change that were also discounted from $104.00 (50%) off a close out sale price to $62.00, then $20.00 off.

This comes down to almost free.

How cool is that?

Cal
 
Stayed up late last night to work on the Ti IBIS. Setting it up as a 2x11 XTR trail bike with a Rock Shox suspension fork.

The fork has been serviced and updated with medium Speed Springs, an enhanced fork brace, and all Ti hardware.

Pretty much putting together a bike for epic rides. What is really nice is that I stockpiled all the parts years ago on close out when Shimano announced a new 12 speed group.

Next bike to work on will be the Ti Basso mountain that I will also make into a 2x11 XTR, but with a long cage derailleur for wide range gearing to effectively be like a “gravel” bike.

Another bike for epic rides.

I have the steel IBIS set up as a 1x11 XTR technical bike with UBER low gearing, specifically built for Blue Mountain Preserve near my house.

Yesterday I moved and manhandled some large logs. I didn’t want a huge pile of logs to draw attention, and pretty much it was a two man job done by one man who is kinda stubborn. Walking an awkward object half your body weight down a slope is not so easy, but I did it. The logs lay on brush piles that create a terrace. I have some sod I removed from making beds to add to this maybe today.

Looking forward to wood chips from Craig as mulch and clean fill. The dead end is reserved to build a trials course. The logs I have are big and heavy enough to stack and stay in place. Pretty ideal to have this so near my house.

Happy-happy…

Cal
 
Still have to add cables and the front brake, but the Ti IBIS with chain and everything else weighs under 22 pounds with a front suspension.

The completed bike should weigh in under 22 1/2 pounds which is kinda crazy for a bike with a suspension fork.

You can see why this bike is for epic rides…

I forgot that the 22 pounds which is with a GoPro mounted on my stem. The completed bike might weigh under 22 pounds as a rolling bike.

How crazy is that?

Cal
 
Ti IBIS as a rolling bike is just under 22 pounds. WOW. This is as a 2x11, a front suspension and a GoPro. Also this is with an XT cassette.

Even though by spec I should not be able to go “cross-gear” (big cog with big chainring) I can. Not a good idea to use cross-gear because of a crazy chain angle and added friction that increases wear, but if it happened it is good to know I won’t snap an expensive derailleur.

The Middleburn 4-hole spyder chainrings have aggressive ramps so chain ring jumping in rolling terrain allows big jumps in gearing which is great fort hammer mode. I love it.

I have a 42/32 Middleburn Duo which is a trick lightweight setup because the small chainring is also the spyder, but it has no ramps to speed up chainring shifts. I also have two XTR cassettes, but XT are so inexpensive so I have a stockpile of them (Thanks Phil).

“The Ti IBIS is insane,” I tell you. Lightweight, agile, and built for acceleration.

Anyways, it was years ago that I stockpiled 11-speed XTR on close out, then I bought more because I’m greedy. It took a while to get wheels built, parts, shortages, and money, but now a dream has come true, and it is as if Scot Nicole designed and built this bike, which likely is a one-off, for me.

Point of story is that I’m in no frantic rush, and time allows me to go a bit overboard and crazy. This is no urgent fad that has no tomorrow.

Happy-happy.

So I have had some other rare/scarce items: a Checker Limo with a black vinyl top and opera windows; and a Jeep Scrambler with a half cab. I mention these because they are rather novel, but the Ti IBIS as a prototype or one-off is mucho cool.

I forgot my Wetzlar M6 has a Ti plated zinc top plate that pre-dates the M6 Titanium by 5 years. Evidently a prototype. I also have a Baby Linhof that has no movements and is basically just a Linhof folding camera that has no serial number. Another freak/prototype/experiment.

Cal
 
With experiments and playing around there are sometimes failures… I was unable to get the UBER wide gearing I wanted on the “Newsboy” (Ti Basso rebranded Litespeed). Oh-well I gave it a try, and it didn’t work out. Sometimes dreams don’t come true, and that’s reality.

I wanted the low gears of a mountain bike, and the tall gears of a road bike in one to avoid having a “gravel” bike that seems on trend. In the end I had to limit my high gear range, I’ll suffer a spin out on steep descents, and pretty much won’t be able to take advantage of gravity. Oh-well.

Anyways the bike still is a great bike and I’m pleased with the results. I ended up using the Middleburn “Duo” that uses the small chain ring as a spyder to save weight and conserve rotating mass. Looks also very trick, not something you see every day.

I still had to use a long cage derailleur where I can safely go cross-chain without damaging the drivetrain.

I still have the Ti Basso road (Rebranded Litespeed Classic) that I started to dissemble. I’ll either restore it back to a plain 8-speed that it was; or convert it into a 9-speed. Right now I favor restoring it rather than converting just to wear out what I already have, but I have everything on hand I need to convert to 9-speed at a later date.

Thanks to Phil I got inspired to do this work.

Cal
 
Bed Bath and Beyond is now bankrupt and closed. I wonder how much responsibility I have for its demise?

I lived in a luxury apartment building for a decade in Madhattan, and many of the 40 units in my building discarded the BBB coupons next to our mail station. I would retrieve them because it was like dollar bills laying on the sidewalk waiting for someone to pick them up.

Did you know that even though there’s no exploration date they still can be used for in store purchases? Many people did not know this, but you know me: I’m a smut queen.

Then the BBB on 59th Street or thereabouts was close to the hospital where I worked, which made it easy to do my raids. Part of my exercise routine was hauling my loot back to work, and after work on my walk home.

So I would go shopping there and exploit the sich-E-A-tion and pretty much bulk up on items with $10.00 off coupons, and 20% off savings. Pretty much I hosed them and I’m pretty sure they made no money on me. I really loaded up the truck shopping there and taking advantage of them. Some people would call what I did abuse.

In my secretary currently are a pile of coupons. They say the Container Store will honor BBB coupons so I can further my abuse.

I’m not saying single-handedly I took BBB down, but I surely contributed to their demise.

Am I evil? Am I greedy? Or am I just a criminal?

“Oh-well,” I say. LOL.

Cal
 
Not unusual for writers to suffer from depression, and it seems women are more prone to suffer from depression.

I shared with “Maggie” that when I wrote a screenplay about the loss of my mother, when I finished it I kinda had a breakdown and suffered a depression.

Of course because I am a man, and because I am Calvin, this went unheard and was disregarded. I also made it a point that beginnings and endings are fraught for people that have suffered great losses.

So anyways, my points got validated by a writer friend of Maggie’s who is both a woman and a writer, that writer’s often suffer depressions after writing a book, and this in fact is pretty common.

Anyways another example of why men have shorter lifespans… BTW I accept that generally folks that have PhD’s that many seem to be know it alls and can display rigid predictable behavior.

Meanwhile if my voice goes unheard, I’m cool with that. I don’t let little things make me unhappy. Again happiness is a choice…

Oh-well…

Cal
 
The Joe Breeze is DONE!
Unfortunately, it's been raining since Thursday and will continue raining until maybe Wednesday, so I'm definitely not getting out on the trails for a while.
Here's a link to the album with some photos of the bike outside in the drizzle. The first 5 are of the Breezer:

Bicycle

gallery.leica-users.org

I have to say, in the stand, it shifts PERFECTLY. I know with the XT thumbshifters, I'm not expecting Dura Ace 10 speed precision. I chose to use the Uniglide system because with the XT shifters, that's the best it can get; yeah 8 speed cassettes work because of the super-secret extra index bump, but I don't need a 13t cog, I need lower gearing. I'm not bombing down any fire roads for long distances, and I no longer want to go 40+ MPH off pavement. I haven't weighed it yet, but it feels like mid-high 20 lbs, definitely less than 30.
Anyway, it's raining, the trails will be muddy for at least a week until they really dry out, so I might be able to take a ride next weekend.

Now the Breezer is done, I can really get the Raleigh Mtn Trials up in the stand. It's a MESS, but I like projects.

Phil Forrest
 
Phil,

Gotta love that Salsa High-Rise stem. How retro is that?

1994: I figure my Ti IBIS and your Joe Breeze are of the same vintage.

It’s a washout up here in Peekskill. Lost the envelope of no rain this morning for road testing and tweaking the new drivetrains. Seems like most of April was dry for the first three weeks.

Surprisingly the Duo on the Ti Basso seems as great in shifting as the 4-hole spyder on the Ti IBIS, so I might move the lighter spyderless chainrings to the Ti IBIS for lighter weight And weight savings of rotating mass.

The ramps on the Middleburn chain rings makes for fast chainring jumps. I love that.

Thanks for sharing those pics. Also my days of bombing down hills are behind me. Did you know I cracked a new crown mountain biking in West Virginia at Snowshoe, a ski resort. Pretty much I got a new replacement because it was brand new, but a drop cause my jaw to clamp and thus the cracked crown.

Oh-well.

Cal
 
Restored the Ti Basso road (rebranded painted Litespeed Classic) to 8-speed using XTR shifters and a a straight bar.

Only upgrade I did was change from a 12-21T corn cob to a 12-26T for lower gearing and of course a new chain. It has new Rene Herse tires, and I repacked the sealed bearings in the bottom bracket. The wider tires just clear the seat tube by a small faction of an inch, perhaps 3/32.

After working on 11-speed drivetrains the 8-speed seems overly beefy, and I can see why Phil says it is mucho sturdy.

Tomorrow seems like a break in the rain, so I hope to do some road testing, and lube the new chains.

Cal
 
I took the Breezer for a test ride after work tonight. This thing is very different! I haven't ridden an aggressive mountain bike since 2012 and this is both a surprise and a memory. It feels like the bike is so small since I'm used to larger touring-type bikes. The geometry on the Univega is so slack that it makes a great heavy touring bike. The Miyata 610 was built as a light touring bike, so it handles like one.
The Breezer comes from the days of competitive aggressive mountain biking and it feels like it. My old Stumpjumper M2 S-Works was a 17.5" frame and this Breezer is a 17". I set up all the distances as close to my old Spez as I could and I forgot how aggressive that bike was. I'm still the same height I was when I built the Stumpy, though I think my old Kore stem was 1cm longer. Goodness, I don't want to be that far out in front and over the tire.
The brakes are fantastic, as I knew they would be. Shifting is PERFECT across the whole range and I'm going back to Uniglide plus thumbies. I'll buy it all up and be set for the rest of my life with 7 speed cassettes. When I run out, I'll just use 8 speed cassettes, knock out the bolts or rivets, then use the individual cogs with the Uniglide spacers and the locking gear.
I can't wait to get out on a trail with this thing.
Phil Forrest
 
Phil,

Back in the day UBER long stems were the rage. Pretty much riding position involved a lot of leaning forward. Today’s 29’rers utilize UBER short stems.

Aggressive geometry is kinda unforgiving, but hyper responsive. Perhaps not the best for epic rides, but a thrill to ride.

I had the time and opportunity to test ride the three bikes I updated. I am very pleased to have all four of my bikes updated and all tuned up for a season. All have new tires, new chains, and everything that needed overhaul got it.

I have to say the 8-speed XTR is a beefy setup on the Ti Basso/Litespeed road bike. The shifts are so solid, and there is a level of confidence because everything is so overbuilt when compared to 11-speed drivetrain. I get why you love 7-8 speed.

Did some climbing on Renold’s Hill which is not a steep climb, but a long climb. Nice that it is by my house, and I can see doing interval training…

The 12-25 works out to be pretty good gearing, but there are some steep climbs I’ll try to avoid on the road bike.

I am pleased with the fruits of my labor.

Cal
 
Cal, I remember the days of 120mm - 150mm stems being standard on every mountain bike. I remember for some reason, that Cannondale seemed to have the longest stems standard. My S-works came with a titanium 120mm stem which is now worth more than I've paid for any frame, and most of the bicycles I've bought in the last decade. Back then I traded it in towards a Kore 110mm stem with a 6 deg. rise.
The Breezer right now has a 110mm Salsa stem with a 50mm riser bar.
Since it feels so small, it lets me know that the Raleigh Edge Mtn Trials is going to feel like a BMX bike with bigger wheels. A pair of new cams and springs for the rollercam brake just arrived in the mail today. I need to find some new rollers because the original plastic ones look a little worse for wear. I think that with compressionless housing, the rollercam will be very capable. I'll be using Suntour XC Pro levers for braking. I'm not sure what cantilevers to use in the front. I have an extra set of Magura hydraulic, but I don't want the mismatch. I may use Suntour XC Pro cantis, but I'd really like to use the stock Dia Compe 982s which are original to the bike. The problem is that they probably need new springs, otherwise they are gorgeous looking.
This is a project that might be slow going, I'm expecting it might be done by June 1st.
Phil Forrest
 
Phil,

Your estimation that your Trials bike will feel a lot like a BMX bike is correct. How much fun is that?

The smaller wheel is considerable less rotating mass to spin, and since there is less flywheel effect the bike will accelerate faster. Also handling is very different with a high center of gravity…

Also these bikes are tough and meant to be thrown around and go over things you would not do with other bikes. Built for heavy abuse.

Paul Components offers two types of cantilever brakes: one is lower profile and kinda traditional; but the other is designed with a wider profile that specifically was made for stopping tandems.

On the rear the tandem brake many experience the arms getting in the way, but it is an ideal front brake where the increase in width profile is moot. This brake is great for doing nose wheelies.

Back in the day Peterson made these ”self-energizing” brakes. The Peterson SE would be a period correct brake, and it was available in both U-brake and canti forms. With my steel IBIS they were offered as an optional upgrade. Somehow the spin of the wheel was harnessed to increase brake pull.

Some people hated them, but they had the stopping power like the power assist on car brakes.

Right now I have my bases covered with my 4 bikes:

Steel IBIS: technical mountain bike 1x11 XTR with Judy SL suspension that can easily be converted into a single speed 30 inch gear full blown trials bike.

Ti IBIS: trail bike 2x11 XTR with Judy XC that can be easily converted into a rigid 63.59 inch gear single speed.

Ti Basso “Newsboy”: 2x11 cruiser that is somewhat of a gravel bike minus the tall gearing for “bombing” downhills that enjoys a second wheel set to easily convert to and from slicks/gravel tires to real mountain bike tires. This bike will remain a rigid because the retro geometry is old and relaxed and is pre-suspension fork. I have on hand 2.25 and 2.35 mountain bike options. Very flexible…

Ti Basso road (Rebranded Litespeed Classic): A classic road bike, but visually different because it has a blueish purple fade (Imaron) over bead blasted Titanium that has been clear coated. Drivetrain though is 8-speed XTR using Dura Ace rear derailleur and a Ti mountain bike straight bar. I have a set of UBER heavy training wheels (clinchers) and a set of racing wheels that are tubulars. Both have new tires.

I’m set for the season, but I need to buy a CO2 inflator, spare tubes, and probably a bar bag. Ready to ride…

Happy-happy.

Cal
 
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Cal, over the years I've found the best CO2 inflator was a presta-only unit that all the mechanics call the "crack pipe". It's just a little fitting that threads on the end of the cartridge. You screw down the cartridge fast and it pierces the seal. Place the inflator on the presta valve then slowly unscrew the cartridge until you get flow. When you're done inflating the tire, screw the cartridge back in and you're good to go. I have one of these inflators in every bag I regularly use. Years ago, one of the rubber seals on the cartridge side had shrunk (after using the thing for over a decade) and I didn't know, so I wasted a cartridge. They are less than $10 if I recall correctly, so that's less than $1 a year for a reliable inflator; just check the rubber seal regularly. Since these require the user to handle the CO2 cartridge directly to regulate flow, remember to use gloves!

The Suntour SE XC brakes look great (and are cheap) but I remember them squealing when I was a mechanic, so I never pulled the trigger on them. I also don't think I want to put a self-energizing brake on the front wheel, as I'm not a fan of faceplants. I've read that folks put these brakes on the Raleigh and Ibis Mtn Trials bikes so they can fork-wheelie, but I'm definitely not there. I suppose if I want that kind of power, I could just stick a set of Magura hydraulics on. I'll probably put on my trusted, dear set of XC Pro cantis and be good to go.

Phil Forrest
 
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