Calzone
Gear Whore #1
This is a prime example of why I am known as a “Smut-Queen.”
Cal
Cal
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Calzone
Gear Whore #1
London Broil on the grill with grilled sweet potatoe, fresh corn in the husk, and a salad for dinner.
Did some prison work moving the last bit of gravel from the driveway and raking out the gravel pad. The heat index is really bad today. Very oppressive.
Let’s see if Mike and his gal rode up on track bikes.
Our agent in London is negotiating a fee for us. We might get paid to hike the coast of Italy near/around Naples. The idea here is to do a good job with creating assets (photographs) and with writing that we get asked to do another trip. There is some amount of time where we have to remain exclusive.
We figure the best way to do a good job is to be on foot, but on our second trip we want to be on bikes. The bike trip might be in 2024 anyways.
Cal
Did some prison work moving the last bit of gravel from the driveway and raking out the gravel pad. The heat index is really bad today. Very oppressive.
Let’s see if Mike and his gal rode up on track bikes.
Our agent in London is negotiating a fee for us. We might get paid to hike the coast of Italy near/around Naples. The idea here is to do a good job with creating assets (photographs) and with writing that we get asked to do another trip. There is some amount of time where we have to remain exclusive.
We figure the best way to do a good job is to be on foot, but on our second trip we want to be on bikes. The bike trip might be in 2024 anyways.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Ordered some more bike parts. 9-speed XT cassettes are in stock at Jenson USA, and I ordered proper tubes for my Rene Herse skinny tires as well as a black wall 26x1.8 to have a pair to kinda make the old/new IBIS SS Avion somewhat a crossover bike.
I also bought more anti-seize compound, and a grease gun for the grease guard bearings.
I did take a spin on the SS Avion to test the raised stem tweak after yesterday’s adjustment. Once I get the maintenance done I will have two kinda crossover bikes that are basically old mountain bikes.
”Maggie” is going to buy a second Seasucker bike holder.
Time to start grilling…
Cal
I also bought more anti-seize compound, and a grease gun for the grease guard bearings.
I did take a spin on the SS Avion to test the raised stem tweak after yesterday’s adjustment. Once I get the maintenance done I will have two kinda crossover bikes that are basically old mountain bikes.
”Maggie” is going to buy a second Seasucker bike holder.
Time to start grilling…
Cal
Particular
Disassembler, occasional reassembler
Cal, Make sure the hike is scheduled in the off season. It is even hotter in Naples than it is here. In the mean time we are heading to Norway where the forecast is rain for the next 10 days.
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Cal, see if you can get someone to pay for your bikes or a sponsorship. With Lyn’s social media presence, you could possibly get some nice Bike Friday touring rigs, or even a tandem, if you wanted to go full insane. Then you can fold up your bikes, take them on trains unrestricted, get off when you want, and ride.
Phil
Phil
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
Full insane sounds good to me. I don’t want a boring life.
Cal
Full insane sounds good to me. I don’t want a boring life.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Devil Christian,
The Naples coastline likely would be in the fall. I understand that Europe is baking. Even today some prison work shoveling gravel was taxing me, a guy with a body built for the tropics.
Cal
The Naples coastline likely would be in the fall. I understand that Europe is baking. Even today some prison work shoveling gravel was taxing me, a guy with a body built for the tropics.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Correction: Mike the skinny hipster has a full Campy 13-speed gravel bike that is sub 20 pounds that costs about $13K. Earlier I mistakenly though it was a 12 speed drivetrain. Mike’s bike is kinda insane.
His gal’s bike was also a sub-20 pound gravel bike with electronic shifting.
His gal evidently likes to bomb the downhills and race against guys in gravel races. In one gravel race she finished 11th against a pack of pro’s.
Remember she is a a pro athlete. In her country she was rated 5th in ranking in her country (tennis) and became a pro at the age of 14. She came to the U.S. on a full scholarship.
Mike and his gal rode the viaduct to the Croton Dam and then hit the road to get to Peekskill. Their ETA was 4:30 and I had started cooking knowing that they would be ready to eat upon arrival. “Maggie” thought why are we eating so early, and she did not understand that refueling and eating is of heightened importance after a ride.
They ate a lot and appreciated how I knew the culture between biking and eating.
Anyways lots of catching up happened. What a great day.
Cal
His gal’s bike was also a sub-20 pound gravel bike with electronic shifting.
His gal evidently likes to bomb the downhills and race against guys in gravel races. In one gravel race she finished 11th against a pack of pro’s.
Remember she is a a pro athlete. In her country she was rated 5th in ranking in her country (tennis) and became a pro at the age of 14. She came to the U.S. on a full scholarship.
Mike and his gal rode the viaduct to the Croton Dam and then hit the road to get to Peekskill. Their ETA was 4:30 and I had started cooking knowing that they would be ready to eat upon arrival. “Maggie” thought why are we eating so early, and she did not understand that refueling and eating is of heightened importance after a ride.
They ate a lot and appreciated how I knew the culture between biking and eating.
Anyways lots of catching up happened. What a great day.
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Cal,
Come to think of it, a folding bike, like a really nice Brompton or a Bike Friday might be perfect for her. Step/standover is very low, they can be really lightweight, they pack up quite small, can be ultimately utilitarian or very sporty, even the same bike. Those 16" or 20" wheels are some of the strongest built (the reason heavy duty trailers use 20" wheels) and being lighter, they accelerate quite fast. Handling can be excellent, they often come with top-end lighting (Schmit dyno hubs and Busch & Muller lighting).
I have this crazy idea to get two Bike Friday folders (or a single BF tandem) and a couple of trailers, to recreate the Lewis and Clark route with a buddy of mine. We'd pull my Sea Eagle 435 in one trailer and extra supplies in the other. Ride from Philly out to the Monongahela River, pump up the boat, fold up the bikes, then float/paddle all the way to Cairo, Illinois via the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers. If we can paddle strong enough, we could make it up the Mississippi to St. Louis then start up the Missouri River. The deep slow rivers are easier to paddle up to a point after which time, we'll have to get back on the bikes and ride to the Snake River, meet up with the Columbia and take it all the way to the Pacific.
Now I'm off to finish up the Breezer.
Phil
Come to think of it, a folding bike, like a really nice Brompton or a Bike Friday might be perfect for her. Step/standover is very low, they can be really lightweight, they pack up quite small, can be ultimately utilitarian or very sporty, even the same bike. Those 16" or 20" wheels are some of the strongest built (the reason heavy duty trailers use 20" wheels) and being lighter, they accelerate quite fast. Handling can be excellent, they often come with top-end lighting (Schmit dyno hubs and Busch & Muller lighting).
I have this crazy idea to get two Bike Friday folders (or a single BF tandem) and a couple of trailers, to recreate the Lewis and Clark route with a buddy of mine. We'd pull my Sea Eagle 435 in one trailer and extra supplies in the other. Ride from Philly out to the Monongahela River, pump up the boat, fold up the bikes, then float/paddle all the way to Cairo, Illinois via the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers. If we can paddle strong enough, we could make it up the Mississippi to St. Louis then start up the Missouri River. The deep slow rivers are easier to paddle up to a point after which time, we'll have to get back on the bikes and ride to the Snake River, meet up with the Columbia and take it all the way to the Pacific.
Now I'm off to finish up the Breezer.
Phil
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Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Breezer Lightning is done.
Here's some photos:
I took it to my LBS to show off and get it weighed.
It's respectable for a steel bike with heavy Rhyno Lite rims, and Magura hydraulic brakes coming in at 25.13 lbs. It can bunny hop which the suspension fork was preventing because the front end was quite heavy and the bike weighed about 31lbs.
I'm really excited about this "new" rig and can't wait to get out to some local trails, maybe even a mountain biking commute home one day when the temperatures drop by 10 degrees.
Next up is to finish the Raleigh Mtn. Trials. This afternoon I may be drilling a chainring to create a custom 56 BCD 26 tooth ring (something which hasn't been available for almost 30 years.)
Phil
Here's some photos:
I took it to my LBS to show off and get it weighed.
It's respectable for a steel bike with heavy Rhyno Lite rims, and Magura hydraulic brakes coming in at 25.13 lbs. It can bunny hop which the suspension fork was preventing because the front end was quite heavy and the bike weighed about 31lbs.
I'm really excited about this "new" rig and can't wait to get out to some local trails, maybe even a mountain biking commute home one day when the temperatures drop by 10 degrees.
Next up is to finish the Raleigh Mtn. Trials. This afternoon I may be drilling a chainring to create a custom 56 BCD 26 tooth ring (something which hasn't been available for almost 30 years.)
Phil
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
My steel IBIS as a 1x11 is about 24 1/2 pounds, but that is with a Rock Shox Judy SL. Lots of trick parts were utilized to keep it light. I had it weighing 23 pounds, but I went to wider heavy squared cross sectioned tires that have a high rolling resistance for traction and Cush.
It is an aggressive bike, and I love it.
Cal
My steel IBIS as a 1x11 is about 24 1/2 pounds, but that is with a Rock Shox Judy SL. Lots of trick parts were utilized to keep it light. I had it weighing 23 pounds, but I went to wider heavy squared cross sectioned tires that have a high rolling resistance for traction and Cush.
It is an aggressive bike, and I love it.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Went back to Brewster, but this time to ride. Overall from Brewster to Pawling is about 12 miles, and we came pretty close to making it to Pawling, perhaps less than a mile shy.
The elevation change was only 200 feet, and the ride back was a soft gradual descent. “Maggie” took advantage and honked back to the car. Realize that she is a 70 year old woman who has not been on a bike in decades. Today’s ride was a big jump for her.
The passage is in an area called “The Great Swamp” and it is appropriately named. A place that time forgot.
I could imagine a group of road riders doing a mucho fast pace line through this area at time trial speeds without any aero gear. Very fast and smooth.
Along the way at about mile 5 was a road crossing, but it was really a gravel driveway to someone’s private property, and not really a road. At mile 10 was actually the first real road crossing that also included a bike station with tools and a floor pump.
Since this was a Saturday I saw more riders, runners and even a walker than earlier in the workweek, but by 10:00 AM things thinned out where we saw less than a handful of bikers on our way back to the car.
It will be interesting tomorrow. I say Maggie will likely be good for 25 miles tomorrow, and it won’t be very long until she is doing 35-40 miles in a ride. It is about 300 miles a week on a bike where you basically can eat as much as you want and stay thin, but also you are mucho fit.
Then there will be days where you ride 100 miles in say 6 hours… You are tired, but not really…
Then would be the time to start intervals and hill climbing for strength.
Maggie decided that biking is more pleasant and less sweaty than hiking. I agree. Pretty clear that she is becoming a “biker bitch.” She has GAS for a Trek FX-6 with a carbon fiber wheel set. The next round of her book advance is due, and that means the Audi gets paid off and that bike will be purchased.
The FX saves about 3 pounds of rotating mass because of the carbon wheels. Add on latex tubes for lowered rolling resistance and further weight savings paired with some light tires and that bike would be like a rocket ship. I think the FX would be a good bike for me. Stock the bike weighs 21 pounds: carbon fiber frame, fork and wheels. Not so hard to shave a pound to make a sub 20 pound bike.
My lawn is getting mange-E, and later this afternoon I think I will take the sweat bath of mowing my lawn with the push mower.
Today is day 29 of our fitness plan. Grilled salmon, salad, and maybe some pasta or rice.
BTW Mike the skinny hipster is my height, and his weight fluxes between 150-160. I’m 151.2, but I display mucho mas upper body strength. He got up to 160 during the Pandemic.
Cal
The elevation change was only 200 feet, and the ride back was a soft gradual descent. “Maggie” took advantage and honked back to the car. Realize that she is a 70 year old woman who has not been on a bike in decades. Today’s ride was a big jump for her.
The passage is in an area called “The Great Swamp” and it is appropriately named. A place that time forgot.
I could imagine a group of road riders doing a mucho fast pace line through this area at time trial speeds without any aero gear. Very fast and smooth.
Along the way at about mile 5 was a road crossing, but it was really a gravel driveway to someone’s private property, and not really a road. At mile 10 was actually the first real road crossing that also included a bike station with tools and a floor pump.
Since this was a Saturday I saw more riders, runners and even a walker than earlier in the workweek, but by 10:00 AM things thinned out where we saw less than a handful of bikers on our way back to the car.
It will be interesting tomorrow. I say Maggie will likely be good for 25 miles tomorrow, and it won’t be very long until she is doing 35-40 miles in a ride. It is about 300 miles a week on a bike where you basically can eat as much as you want and stay thin, but also you are mucho fit.
Then there will be days where you ride 100 miles in say 6 hours… You are tired, but not really…
Then would be the time to start intervals and hill climbing for strength.
Maggie decided that biking is more pleasant and less sweaty than hiking. I agree. Pretty clear that she is becoming a “biker bitch.” She has GAS for a Trek FX-6 with a carbon fiber wheel set. The next round of her book advance is due, and that means the Audi gets paid off and that bike will be purchased.
The FX saves about 3 pounds of rotating mass because of the carbon wheels. Add on latex tubes for lowered rolling resistance and further weight savings paired with some light tires and that bike would be like a rocket ship. I think the FX would be a good bike for me. Stock the bike weighs 21 pounds: carbon fiber frame, fork and wheels. Not so hard to shave a pound to make a sub 20 pound bike.
My lawn is getting mange-E, and later this afternoon I think I will take the sweat bath of mowing my lawn with the push mower.
Today is day 29 of our fitness plan. Grilled salmon, salad, and maybe some pasta or rice.
BTW Mike the skinny hipster is my height, and his weight fluxes between 150-160. I’m 151.2, but I display mucho mas upper body strength. He got up to 160 during the Pandemic.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
A nice looking bike. The sight of the triple shouts retro, and I love the loud green accents.
Cal
A nice looking bike. The sight of the triple shouts retro, and I love the loud green accents.
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
I've entered the realm of near-insanity.
The chainring combination of 26/30 isn't available anywhere by anyone (except companies with crazy drilled modular spiders).
So I made my own.
I found that Race Face makes a nice 26 tooth ring in 74 BCD and it has tabs inside the stock bolt holes, possibly for drilling to 58 BCD, also possible to keep the chain out of the gutter between the BB shell and the crank.
So I got one of these which is hard anodized 4mm aluminum, then took an old ring, matched up where the holes should be, clamped the two together and drilled out the new bolt holes. I had to do a little hand fitting with a rat tail file but it is super snug and I'm expecting it to hold really well. If it cracks, I'll have a custom one made out of stainless steel. I have a Surly 30 tooth stainless ring. It's a shame because Surly used to make a 56/58 BCD multi-mount ring out of stainless but they were discontinued over 10 years ago.
Here's the crank:
After that, I did some more jumping on the Raleigh Mtn Trials frame to get it straight and got the rear triangle within 1.5mm. That's less than the amount of tire knob deflection one can expect, so it's close enough I think.
Being impatient, I wanted to see if I had the right bottom bracket and installed the crankset on a Tange BB I have here. I also stuck the Suntour freewheel on the White Eno hub and got that mounted to check the chainline. The chainline is about 2mm off by my eyeball and calipers, but I haven't done any real measurements or math, so I'll get there. It's only a matter of a 1mm spacer, either at the bottom bracket or at the freewheel to bring it perfectly straight.
I'll be pulling all the parts back off the frame, then painting the chips with the near-matched enamel I got from Sherwin Williams long ago. I'll look like a patched up rat bike with a candy apple red fork, but it's going to be cool. Come to think of it, I may do a bit of a custom paint job on the head tube and stem with some red paint to match the fork, we'll see how motivated I am to do all that.
Thanks for the praise on the Breezer, Cal. I'll give credit to Joe Breeze for that one. While I like stainless steel hardware, I might change a few bolts out for titanium to see if I can drop a pound. Crank bolts, all the M5 bolts, handlebar clamp M6 bolts, titanium skewers and seat clamp. That's all probably a pound there. A lot of weight is in the wheels with the RhynoLites and wire bead tires. I'll just enjoy riding it for now before I become a weight weenie.
Phil
The chainring combination of 26/30 isn't available anywhere by anyone (except companies with crazy drilled modular spiders).
So I made my own.
I found that Race Face makes a nice 26 tooth ring in 74 BCD and it has tabs inside the stock bolt holes, possibly for drilling to 58 BCD, also possible to keep the chain out of the gutter between the BB shell and the crank.
So I got one of these which is hard anodized 4mm aluminum, then took an old ring, matched up where the holes should be, clamped the two together and drilled out the new bolt holes. I had to do a little hand fitting with a rat tail file but it is super snug and I'm expecting it to hold really well. If it cracks, I'll have a custom one made out of stainless steel. I have a Surly 30 tooth stainless ring. It's a shame because Surly used to make a 56/58 BCD multi-mount ring out of stainless but they were discontinued over 10 years ago.
Here's the crank:
After that, I did some more jumping on the Raleigh Mtn Trials frame to get it straight and got the rear triangle within 1.5mm. That's less than the amount of tire knob deflection one can expect, so it's close enough I think.
Being impatient, I wanted to see if I had the right bottom bracket and installed the crankset on a Tange BB I have here. I also stuck the Suntour freewheel on the White Eno hub and got that mounted to check the chainline. The chainline is about 2mm off by my eyeball and calipers, but I haven't done any real measurements or math, so I'll get there. It's only a matter of a 1mm spacer, either at the bottom bracket or at the freewheel to bring it perfectly straight.
I'll be pulling all the parts back off the frame, then painting the chips with the near-matched enamel I got from Sherwin Williams long ago. I'll look like a patched up rat bike with a candy apple red fork, but it's going to be cool. Come to think of it, I may do a bit of a custom paint job on the head tube and stem with some red paint to match the fork, we'll see how motivated I am to do all that.
Thanks for the praise on the Breezer, Cal. I'll give credit to Joe Breeze for that one. While I like stainless steel hardware, I might change a few bolts out for titanium to see if I can drop a pound. Crank bolts, all the M5 bolts, handlebar clamp M6 bolts, titanium skewers and seat clamp. That's all probably a pound there. A lot of weight is in the wheels with the RhynoLites and wire bead tires. I'll just enjoy riding it for now before I become a weight weenie.
Phil
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
Heavy wheels I can understand, but wire bead tires???
Even in 24 inch I can get Kevlar beaded tires. It would be less money just to get Kevlar beaded tires.
Back in the day it cost about a dollar a gram to shed weight with Ti hardware.
I found your address so when I send you the braided fishing line I will include some nylon 10-32 screws that you can use to replace water cage bolts. They weigh nothing and are strong enough to hold a water cage and bottle. These screws I got when I worked at Grumman.
Back in the day I was a weight weenie. Luckily I have all that retro lightweight hardware from back in the day.
The SS Avion got my XC Pro pedals that are grease guard. I decided to remove those pedals from my Newsboy and recycle them to the IBIS SS Avion so it would be all period correct and all Suntour. I’m leaving it with the Suntour quick releases. With Rene Herse 26x1.25 this bike is kinda like a cross bike. The Elk Pass tires only weigh 178 grams, but they cost about $90.00 each. Very low rolling resistance. Know that these are gravel tires.
Mike the skinny hipster took the Avion for a ride. He was amazed at the balanced handling and the responsiveness. I pointed out the oversized down tube for stiffness, and because the tires are so light it accelerated like a MoFo. This tire actually measures with a 25 inch diameter.
The Avion weighs 22 1/4 pounds on my $8.00 digital luggage scale I bought at CVS. I’m not going to go crazy with this bike. I ordered proper skinny tubes for the 1.25 width. Currently I used the original tubes that came with the bike that are for 1.75 -2.25 wide tires. Maybe I’ll loose a few ounces with the new tubes.
This bike is mighty pretty and all XC Pro grease guard including the pedals.
The Rene Herse Natches Pass is a 26x 1.8 and only weighs 300 grams, and has a 26 inch diameter. I run these on my Newsboy, and last night I ordered a second black wall version to have a spare pair to use on the Avion.
Old 26 inch mountain bikes that run triples make great gravel bikes. Basically though no one knows about the 26 inch versions of these gravel tires. Don’t tell anyone. Even the Rene Herse Rat Trap Pass which is a 26x2.3 only weighs 418 grams. I’m thinking of getting a pair just for my spare set of wheels that have White Industries hubs and Mavic 231 rims.
Old retro mountain bikes make really interesting gravel bikes. The key is 26 inch gravel tires. BTW these tire feature low rolling resistance and the ride is awesome.
Don’t tell anyone my secret.
Cal
Heavy wheels I can understand, but wire bead tires???
Even in 24 inch I can get Kevlar beaded tires. It would be less money just to get Kevlar beaded tires.
Back in the day it cost about a dollar a gram to shed weight with Ti hardware.
I found your address so when I send you the braided fishing line I will include some nylon 10-32 screws that you can use to replace water cage bolts. They weigh nothing and are strong enough to hold a water cage and bottle. These screws I got when I worked at Grumman.
Back in the day I was a weight weenie. Luckily I have all that retro lightweight hardware from back in the day.
The SS Avion got my XC Pro pedals that are grease guard. I decided to remove those pedals from my Newsboy and recycle them to the IBIS SS Avion so it would be all period correct and all Suntour. I’m leaving it with the Suntour quick releases. With Rene Herse 26x1.25 this bike is kinda like a cross bike. The Elk Pass tires only weigh 178 grams, but they cost about $90.00 each. Very low rolling resistance. Know that these are gravel tires.
Mike the skinny hipster took the Avion for a ride. He was amazed at the balanced handling and the responsiveness. I pointed out the oversized down tube for stiffness, and because the tires are so light it accelerated like a MoFo. This tire actually measures with a 25 inch diameter.
The Avion weighs 22 1/4 pounds on my $8.00 digital luggage scale I bought at CVS. I’m not going to go crazy with this bike. I ordered proper skinny tubes for the 1.25 width. Currently I used the original tubes that came with the bike that are for 1.75 -2.25 wide tires. Maybe I’ll loose a few ounces with the new tubes.
This bike is mighty pretty and all XC Pro grease guard including the pedals.
The Rene Herse Natches Pass is a 26x 1.8 and only weighs 300 grams, and has a 26 inch diameter. I run these on my Newsboy, and last night I ordered a second black wall version to have a spare pair to use on the Avion.
Old 26 inch mountain bikes that run triples make great gravel bikes. Basically though no one knows about the 26 inch versions of these gravel tires. Don’t tell anyone. Even the Rene Herse Rat Trap Pass which is a 26x2.3 only weighs 418 grams. I’m thinking of getting a pair just for my spare set of wheels that have White Industries hubs and Mavic 231 rims.
Old retro mountain bikes make really interesting gravel bikes. The key is 26 inch gravel tires. BTW these tire feature low rolling resistance and the ride is awesome.
Don’t tell anyone my secret.
Cal
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Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Cal, does your Ibis with the Judy have an interference when your handlebar is turned 90 degrees? That is, does the adjuster knob on your fork come into contact with the downtube? That's what happened to my Breezer and it looks like the same situation with the Ibis Mt. Trials if a suspension fork is mounted. I can't find any reference to the Mt. Trials being made with a fork with an axle to crown measurement greater than 405mm. 395 was the standard and considering the steep head angle, the short AtoC measurement was necessary before the advent of bent downtubes to clear the fork crown. And there was no reason to hobble the handling and make production more difficult with a longer AtoC in the era before suspension forks. Does your Ibis oversteer at all, or experience wheel flop?
Phil
Phil
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
I'm not willing to buy a $90 tire, let alone two of them. Not to save 40 grams per wheel. Nothing is going to change the fact that I have heavy rims, and the difference between wire and kevlar is not that great with the tires I prefer to ride. I'm not racing, so it's fine, it'll just make me stronger and learn better handling skills. I looked, believe me, and the availability of kevlar beads in the tires I want is slim to none. This allows for retailers to charge what they want due to scarcity and again, I'm not spending more than $100 for two tires.
For the Raleigh I have two kevlar bead tires, but once they wear out, I have a set of wire bead Continentals waiting. Continental make my favorite tires now that the IRC Claw Comp is no longer available (hasn't been in 15 years and I have one remaining.)
I don't have the kind of money to be buying expensive consumables, especially since I don't need extreme weight savings. I won't get into my personal criticism of the Rene Herse brand lately, aside from too expensive for what you get. All companies make expensive tires, but aside from the bead, the sidewall and traction technology is still the same within a company's product line.
Phil
For the Raleigh I have two kevlar bead tires, but once they wear out, I have a set of wire bead Continentals waiting. Continental make my favorite tires now that the IRC Claw Comp is no longer available (hasn't been in 15 years and I have one remaining.)
I don't have the kind of money to be buying expensive consumables, especially since I don't need extreme weight savings. I won't get into my personal criticism of the Rene Herse brand lately, aside from too expensive for what you get. All companies make expensive tires, but aside from the bead, the sidewall and traction technology is still the same within a company's product line.
Phil
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I guess I have a criminal mind. I do a lot of planning, and I have lots of strange ideas that generally lead to trouble.
I’m in the process of designing a Century using the Empire State Trailway. How cool is it that I can mitigate dangers from cars and getting pancaked. How cool is it that somehow I discovered part of the trailway not far from where I live that offers me safety and privacy.
Brewster to Pawling is 9 miles.
Pawling to Hopewell Junction is 15 miles.
Hopewell Junction to Poughkeepsie is 15.5 miles.
Then there is some old railroad bridge where you can walk or bike over the Hudson River.
9+15+15.5 is 47.5 miles, perhaps crossing the Hudson gets you mighty close to 50 miles. For me this would be an out and back and basically a Calzone Century.
One summer back in the day I did 3-4 centuries. Of course this pumps lots of blood, made me strong, and also fast. Once I parked my Jeep at Graces Hot Dog Stand at exit 70 of the Long Island Expressway. I got on my bike and headed east on Sound Avenue just to go on a ride, but the rolling hills through vineyards was so pleasant that suddenly I found myself at Orient Point and had ridden 50 miles.
I had a vanilla thick shake and headed back, but somehow rode past my turnoff and had to backtrack. Oh well did about 112 miles kinda by accident.
So doing a Century by myself in say 6 hours is an average speed of only 16.6 MPH. The tough part of course is the end when you are tired.
It just so happens that from Pawling to Brewster is a drop of 200 feet in elevation that kinda allows gravity to help you maintain speed and momentum. This section of the rail trail goes through what is known as “The Great Swamp.” It is a place that time forgot, really beautiful.
So “Maggie” discovered that in 2019 a plan to unify and create a New England rail-to-trail network is underway and is about 50% complete. Know that the Empire State Railway (750 miles) was completed in 2020 and was dedicated in 2021.
I only experienced one road crossing between Brewster and Pawling today at the 10 mile mark. Around the 5 mile mark there was another, but it was some private gravel driveway to private property. The point here is that there are few interruptions in the trailway, and reports say from Pawling to Hopewell Junction is much of the same with limited trailway access.
I figure If I can do a Century a month over a summer it would forestall a lot of decay to aging, and I could certainly be strong and fit.
Anyways, I’m living with some great possibilities. One of the problems though is access to food. I have to figure out logistics. Protein bars are not real food. Also if you visit the Empire State Trailway site you can see the changes in elevation. The Pawling to Hopewell Junction 15 miles looks to be rolling hills, then to Poughkeepsie it flattens out.
Hmmmm.
Anyone want to come along?
Cal
I’m in the process of designing a Century using the Empire State Trailway. How cool is it that I can mitigate dangers from cars and getting pancaked. How cool is it that somehow I discovered part of the trailway not far from where I live that offers me safety and privacy.
Brewster to Pawling is 9 miles.
Pawling to Hopewell Junction is 15 miles.
Hopewell Junction to Poughkeepsie is 15.5 miles.
Then there is some old railroad bridge where you can walk or bike over the Hudson River.
9+15+15.5 is 47.5 miles, perhaps crossing the Hudson gets you mighty close to 50 miles. For me this would be an out and back and basically a Calzone Century.
One summer back in the day I did 3-4 centuries. Of course this pumps lots of blood, made me strong, and also fast. Once I parked my Jeep at Graces Hot Dog Stand at exit 70 of the Long Island Expressway. I got on my bike and headed east on Sound Avenue just to go on a ride, but the rolling hills through vineyards was so pleasant that suddenly I found myself at Orient Point and had ridden 50 miles.
I had a vanilla thick shake and headed back, but somehow rode past my turnoff and had to backtrack. Oh well did about 112 miles kinda by accident.
So doing a Century by myself in say 6 hours is an average speed of only 16.6 MPH. The tough part of course is the end when you are tired.
It just so happens that from Pawling to Brewster is a drop of 200 feet in elevation that kinda allows gravity to help you maintain speed and momentum. This section of the rail trail goes through what is known as “The Great Swamp.” It is a place that time forgot, really beautiful.
So “Maggie” discovered that in 2019 a plan to unify and create a New England rail-to-trail network is underway and is about 50% complete. Know that the Empire State Railway (750 miles) was completed in 2020 and was dedicated in 2021.
I only experienced one road crossing between Brewster and Pawling today at the 10 mile mark. Around the 5 mile mark there was another, but it was some private gravel driveway to private property. The point here is that there are few interruptions in the trailway, and reports say from Pawling to Hopewell Junction is much of the same with limited trailway access.
I figure If I can do a Century a month over a summer it would forestall a lot of decay to aging, and I could certainly be strong and fit.
Anyways, I’m living with some great possibilities. One of the problems though is access to food. I have to figure out logistics. Protein bars are not real food. Also if you visit the Empire State Trailway site you can see the changes in elevation. The Pawling to Hopewell Junction 15 miles looks to be rolling hills, then to Poughkeepsie it flattens out.
Hmmmm.
Anyone want to come along?
Cal
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Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
You are correct with your assumption that at 90 degrees the adjuster will contact the frame. This is the least of your problems though because that frame contact means not only a really bad endo, but something a kin to pole vaulting a bicycle.
Don’t ask, I know, I have pole vaulted. Ouch.
Only recently I asked about these lumps on both my shoulders. The doctor told me evidently I at some time in my life broke both of my collar bones. I never knew that.
Another chronic injury riding the IBIS on very narrow deer trails was “bark-burn” on your shoulders. Wide bars were a liability on our single track which really were deer trails in the pine barrens. Weaving through trees you often brushed trees and shouldered them. Bar-ends hooked trees and were liabilities. Pretty much like road rash we had scabby shoulders, hence the term bark-burn.
So far the Ti IBIS has not pole vaulted me, but the steel IBIS forensics show contact from Rock Shox Judy contact. I think Scot Nicol for a reason uses forks designed for a tandem like the IBIS Type 2 fork. There can be huge side loads in an IBIS Mountain Trials.
Cal
You are correct with your assumption that at 90 degrees the adjuster will contact the frame. This is the least of your problems though because that frame contact means not only a really bad endo, but something a kin to pole vaulting a bicycle.
Don’t ask, I know, I have pole vaulted. Ouch.
Only recently I asked about these lumps on both my shoulders. The doctor told me evidently I at some time in my life broke both of my collar bones. I never knew that.
Another chronic injury riding the IBIS on very narrow deer trails was “bark-burn” on your shoulders. Wide bars were a liability on our single track which really were deer trails in the pine barrens. Weaving through trees you often brushed trees and shouldered them. Bar-ends hooked trees and were liabilities. Pretty much like road rash we had scabby shoulders, hence the term bark-burn.
So far the Ti IBIS has not pole vaulted me, but the steel IBIS forensics show contact from Rock Shox Judy contact. I think Scot Nicol for a reason uses forks designed for a tandem like the IBIS Type 2 fork. There can be huge side loads in an IBIS Mountain Trials.
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
I guess Inwas wondering if the handling was adversely affected by adding a suspension fork to a bike not designed for one. Just like my Breezer with the fork, the extra 120mm of lift takes away about 2-3 degrees of head angle and makes the bike not handle as it originally did. The original Ibis Mt Trials fork, either Koski or Type II, had an Axle to Crown measurement of 405mm. A Judy suspension fork has an AtoC of between 435 to 455mm.
Phil
Phil
