NYC Journal

"New" to me 1951ish bicycle should be here by Thursday the 7th. I have a 3 day weekend coming up the following week, so I'll be doing a bunch of work on it then. As soon as it arrives, I'll spill the beans on its identity.

Phil
 
Finally the last remaining bike parts to fit “Maggie” to her New/old Yo Betty is in Peekskill and I expect delivery today.

What an ordeal. The two packages were shuffled around Mass. for 4 days and were originally scheduled to be delivered Wednesday.

I’ll say it again, “USPS sucks.”

Cal
 
Cal,
I think the deal of a lifetime was finding a Nikon F3HP with 180mm ED AIS lens for $50 (camera + lens) up in Anacortes, Washington, back in 2002.
There was/is a bookstore/record store/coffee shop with a few milk crates full of old cameras and I'd always peruse it. The owner told me the camera was busted and didn't work. I walked to the drugstore a couple block away, bought a battery, then walked back and tested the camera. Worked fine. I told the shop owner and he thanks me for my honesty, then stuck to his $50 price. I had that camera for a while and sold it to fund my first Leica.

The waiting for the "new" bike is pretty intense. I'll write up my build-sheet later and spill the beans now that the ad has been marked sold and the bike is on a truck heading this way.

Phil
 
I may need to add a caveat or walk back my above comment on the deal of a lifetime.
The stem on this bike turns out to be a hand-brazed, Reynolds 531 lugged stem which is quite rare. Rare to the point that I can’t find any information on them besides really dedicated collectors forum posts from years ago. One person mentioned to another member the prospective of buying a really rusty bike then selling just the stem for 10x more than the bike cost. The he stem on my inbound bike is in fantastic condition comparatively, with just little bits of surface rust. It’s now my mission to put this stem back into use but I need to wait to see what size bar it will clamp to, hopefully 1” not the straight 7/8” or 22.2. If that’s the case, I’ll need to get a bar from the UK.
The other issue is that the bike has 27” rims and I may need to build a set of 700C wheels just in the interest of brake reach. I found a set of the original GB long reach calipers, which will stick to the original build as close as possible, but may be too flexible to stop any wheels smaller than 700C.

Phil
 
Ok, so the “new” to me inbound bicycle is a circa 1951 Rudge Aero Clubman. Production of these bikes went from 1948-1951. The color of this bike is called “polychromatic orange” and it is a lugged brazed Reynolds 531 frame.
Back in about 2015, I worked on one of these when I was at Via Bicycle and got it ready for the Copake auction. I completely fell in love with the bike and haven’t seen one since I stumbled upon an expired ad in TheCABE forum. I looked up the location and found an updated craigslist ad, contacted the seller and waited for a couple days to see if it was even available, then asked the favor of the seller shipping it to me all the way across the continent.
So this bike currently has the upright style “Northroad” steel bars which were more popular in the US than the drop bars which this bike shipped with in the UK. I took a gamble on a GB Maes drop bar which is in the mail (GB is the logo and brand name for Gerry Burgess, a UK producer of mostly alloy components). This bike would have sold with a full complement of GB bars, stem, brakes and levers, I have all of the proper bits either here or on the way. Great thing is that many people turn their noses up to GB components, but they were some of the best available in the postwar era, save for French Simplex and Huret bits. That said, the fully forged brake calipers with quick release cams and micro-adjustable (from 1955!) levers will be awesome to ride.
I just polished up a set of Normandy high flange track hubs and the rear hub is soaking to remove the ancient polymerized grease which is probably original. This bike could have sold with Normandy hubs, but also could have been spec’d with Simplex or Airlite hubs. Those are simply far too expensive for me and the Normandy set are appropriate to the build but about 5 fold less expensive.
The crankset is a Williams 3 arm track crank with fluted crank arms. This is an unbranded Williams that was made on contract for Raleigh (bike is a Rudge, but Raleigh bought the Rudge name and consolidated in 1943). Currently it has a 48 tooth chainring which I may need to change to something smaller. If so, it will be a Williams or Chater Lea. I may just swap with my other Williams crankset, if the bottom bracket offset is correct. Oh, the BB spindle is a hollow type, so this was initially delivered as a racing bike if original with the bars being swapped to upright at the shop which sold it.
I have a set of Barelli Supreme racing pedals with Christophe Half-clips. If I go fixed, I’m going to have to stick on a set of true full toe clips with straps.
I strayed from the full-on period build by finding a 25.4mm American Classic seatpost. I just can’t do an old style straight post with 7/8” clamp partially due to the lack of micro-adjust, and partially due to not wanting a 2lb pendulum sticking out of my frame to hold up my saddle.
The bike currently has a set of 27” wheels with what are possibly the original hubs and maybe two different types of rims, one is a Rigida Chrolux, the other is unknown. The rear hub is a chrome shell Sturmey AW and the front is a well oxidized Normandy. Both may be original as the front has the “quick release” wingnuts, and the rear is 1951. If and when I build this up as a 3 speed, it’s getting my 1954 Sturmey AW Alloy hub to be more correct for a UK build.
Now I just need it to arrive so I can measure brake reach and determine if I will be building a set of 700C, 650A, or 650B wheels. I know that the best braking power will be from the 700C option, but this limits my choices of tires with regard to width in order to clear fenders.
Exciting times.

Phil
 
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I got a late afternoon delivery and built out the Yo Betty.

“Maggie” is in love with the bike. The upright position I set her up with serves her well. She mentioned maybe selling the Trek Domane AL-3. Pretty much now another orphaned bike. $1.5K down the toilet.

Oh-well…

I figure the Trek was a learning curve.

Granted that the bike is small for me, but it is a very smooth ride and very stable. I was concerned that with the short wheelbase of 39.2 inches that the steering could be twitchy, but not at all. I did some field testing and climbed Renold’s Hills and did the downhill to feel how it would be at at high speed. Feels like a racing bike because it likes to go zoom-zoom.

For me V-brakes that came out in 1996 are modern brakes, and the Paul’s MotoLites, their version of a V-brake, are like power brakes. Lots of leverage over the canti-brakes I’m use to.

Also the 9-speed XTR requires a soft touch or you will shift more than one gear. The feel is different than my 8-speed XTR and my 11-speed XTR. Kinda like a hair trigger.

The bike also is very pretty and it looks kinda newish with shiny paint and only little wear.

So I got to experience the Fat Chance vibe. A really nice ride. The bike looks too cool also.

Maggie wants to go riding tomorrow.

We both feel that even though there was an overlap for a rider that’s 5”2” between a 10 inch frame and a 12 inch frame, that the 10 inch frame is best for her.

Cal
 
Cal,
I’m fine for sleep this weekend. Get me to Tuesday and Wednesday night this week, when the bike is arriving, then I’m gonna go nuts.
It’s the anticipation and question in planning my wheel build that is really causing issues in my bike mania. The unknown of the brake bridge to dropout distance is the thing which I feel is pausing this whole build.

Phil
 
Phil,

I understand. Uncertainty is exciting, but also a double edged sword.

I’m thinking positive for you.

Our imaginations get pretty crazy.

Cal
 
I kinda had to mow the lawn twice today with the push mower. There was a dew, and this enabled me to cut the lawns mucho short. The grass was a bit overgrown from the rain. It seems like my mulching causes the grass to grow fast. I don’t rake up the lawn clippings, this is my slacker’s way, and the result is an organic lawn where I don’t use any fertilizer.

The mower got clogged with clumps of wet grass, so mowing was like pushing a sled. Took me all morning.

I forgot that we have a Bar-B-Q to attend tomorrow.

Looking forward to dialing in the fit on the Yo Betty for “Maggie.”

Cal
 
I’m planning on building a trials course in my backyard. Don’t forget I have a dead end to annex. Blue Mountain Preserve is 1500 acres and is only two blocks away, but you know me, I’m a lazy slacker.

My Ti IBIS is likely a one-off prototype. Understand that Gary Helfrick was at IBIS at the time, and he is regarded of The Godfather of Titanium Bikes who gave away a full scholarship at MIT to go on the road with Aerosmith to do “sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Next step was work at Fat Chance building mountain bikes, and then evolving into a Merlyn partnership to make what were the best Ti bikes of the day.

Then Gary went to work for/with IBIS To further the art of building titanium bikes. My bike features “Moron” tubing which is internally butted titanium tubing. This development was used on a bike known as the “Mojo” which is still regarded very highly, and my Ti IBIS basically utilized this development, but for a different style of bike that preceded the Mojo.

Don’t get confused, the name Mojo was used for a carbon fiber full suspension bike that IBIS created that is still available today.

Labor Day makes me think about being retired, the meaning of work which is now my past, and how did a misfit like me kinda adapt and fit in.

I know I have disappointed a lot of people who saw great promise in me. In college I stood out and since I was a liberal arts major all my professors from different disciplines tried to recruit me into majoring in their programs. Truth be told I was drawn into the art department because I found the girls more interesting. Know that I like/love crazy women for some reason.

When I was 15-16 I took the PSAT’s and scored remarkably high. I got an invite for a full scholarship to the Coast Guard Academy, an Ivy League education to basically get an engineering degree and become an officer. Of course I did not pursue that, I objected to getting my hair cut, and knew I would not fit in.

When I was perhaps 16-17 I did take the armed forces test, and then got hounded. Pretty much I could write my own ticket I was told. They wanted me badly.

So like Gary I figured I just wanted to have fun, do what I wanted, and pretty much be an underachiever.

Snarky Joe once told me I am the type of guy can do anything well, but that’s my problem along with having the short attention span of say an small annoying inbreed dog that barks for no reason.

My 17 years at Grumman, a Fortune 500 company, and at the time I worked there was the 4th largest military contractor in the U.S. that later merged into Northrop Grumman, eventually became an ideal job for me. I got to work on-on-one with PhD scientists and work with some of the best cherry picked engineers, had access to unlimited resources like a 500 acre aircraft factory that included a tool and die shop.

Basically I got a personalized education that exploited tax payer dollars where I had access to all this infrastructure. The street thug part of me allowed me to get jobs done fast because I was a workaholic who operated like a Navy SEAL. I was a ruthless thug back then, and I was kinda licensed to be an operator.

Work was fun and remained challenging. As an artist I was great at problem solving, and of course I did not follow rules. I was kinda rogue back then.

Then there was the field assignment at Los Alamos when Ronald Ray-Gun was President building a Neutral partial beam weapon to shoot down Intercontinental Ballistic Missles (ICM’s). That was like a 1 1/2 year vacation and was interesting Untill the end of the Cold War.

Then with Reaganomics the downsizing happened. Layoffs, and being a “distressed worker” was no fun. Grumman was the largest employer on Long Island employing 30K people. For about a year I was a holdout and was part of the 10K that remained, but if you do the math the same work had to be done with fewer people, and pretty much I could not sustain the workload. Pretty much sweatshop conditions.

There was rumor that the severance packages would be cut, part of Reaganomics, so I volunteered to get laid off so I could go to grad school and recover. I did a two year program in 1 1/2 years.

Then I got my old job back at Grumman, but got laid off again. The next job was was at Brookhaven National Labs building out a Superconductor Super Collider that involved acceleration gold ions to the speed of light to creat a Quark Gluon plasma to basically recreate the Big Bang And explore particle physics.

This was a decade long program and I got involved in the last 2 years where after prototypes were built out systems had to be built out.

Effectively I was working as a project manager but was getting paid as a technician doing my bosse’s job without the pay. Again this project was funded with taxpayer’s money…

I kinda knew that I would be working myself out of a job. Getting hired as staff was not looking good, and I was a “Term” employee that just had an annual contract.

That’s when I got the job at Sloan-Kettering as Cyclotron Engineer. Pretty much a boring job that was like being a bus driver following a schedule. A cyclotron is a particle beam accelerator that uses the same physics that spins an armature in an electric motor to accelerate charged particles. The idea is to add Protons or Deuterons to the nucleus of atoms to make them radioactive.

The isotopes I made were further processed into Radio Pharmecueticals for PET Imaging And for labeling Monoclonal Antibodies.

This was a mucho boring job where I day trade energy stocks using a margin account. I also got a MFA in Creative Writing, and I spent a lot of time on the Internet trying to stay awake. I was paid a lot for very little work, but I had to show up and put up with a somewhat hostile work environment. I survived there and of course I almost got fired a few times, but I managed to work there for 22 years earning a second pension.

So pretty much I am a lot like Gary Helfrick who did a lot of crazy things and had his fun.

Cal
 
Discovered that my Ti IBIS is a slightly smaller frame than my steel production IBIS Mountain Trials. The Ti IBIS measures only 16 1/2 inched instead of the steel version’s 17 inch from center of bottom bracket to center of top tube.

Also the top tube is a quarter inch shorter on the Ti IBIS.

The wheelbase also is different with the Ti IBIS being a fixed 40 inches (vertical dropout), and the steel IBIS when set to the max is only a 39 1/2 inches (horizontal dropouts).

Basically two different bikes, but both with 24 inch rear wheels and 26 inch front.

On the steel versions only a 17 inch and a 13 1/2 inch frame sizes were offered. The 13 1/2 size is designed for riders up to 5’8” tall.

Also know that the era of my Ti IBIS is about 15 years later when Gary Helfrick moved to California and worked at IBIS. My Ti IBIS comes from that era of Gary Helfrick and the development of the Ti Mojo.

I have a fashion show to attend with “Maggie” next week. Maggie will get “dressed” meaning clothes by the designer will be sent for her to wear. Of course front row seating. I will have to dress myself.

There is another show that is bigger that I don’t know if I will be invited. Maggie will be dressed for that event also, and we have to go into the city for her to get fitted. I will likely go with her and since this brand also does menswear I too might get “dressed” with the designer’s clothes to model, but not from the runway but front row center.

Maggie surely will be posting pics of her new/old Yo Betty.

You should know that Scot Nicol and Chris Chance of IBIS and Fat City fame were friends. Some great stories exist on the IBIS site of how visits shut down bike production and of crazy antics and practical jokes.

In California there was a bike party where the Fat City crew came for a visit. Scot had caught some salmon in Alaska and there was a big Bar-B-Q, but somehow the bones and leftover salmon were packed in the Fat City bike boxes along with the bikes for the return ride home.

Of course the bikes were not unpacked in a timely manner, and the workers at Fat City wondered where that smell came from. It took a while, but eventually they figured out where the smell came from. Then there was a series of freight collect packages that could be trick or treat.

Then there was another story about their first meet-up. The Fat City group pulled up in style in a brand new Caddy rental with 5 bikes mounted on the roof rack. Gary Helfrick gets out and climbs on the hood to get the bikes down, but kinda trashes the hood of the caddy rental to the horror of Chris Chance, but later they kinda use the Caddy as a rally car and basically roll it.

The called Hertz for a replacement vehicle and also got an apology from Hertz for ruining their vacation.

Anyways this Labor Day weekend I am thinking about play and not work. Tomorrow a nice ride. A field test of sorts for Maggie’s new bike. Maggie also wants me to ride the IBIS Avion SS because she thinks the two retro bikes are too cool and will look great mounted on the roof of the Audi.

Have a great Labor Day.

Cal
 
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Trader Joe’s sells white large eggs for only $1.49 a dozen. Pretty much they sell eggs as a “loss-leader” to draw in customers like me who love to save money. Money has to come from somewhere and I hate wasting money.

The Yo Betty was/is a bit of a gamble. Regardless of all the recycled assemblies I had on hand to moderate costs, in the end it is an expensive bike. I even paid a rather stiff premium to get clean original paint and for a rarity, but in the end I think this is money well spent.

I spent about an hour tweaking and adjusting everything. I got rid of the front brake squeal that Phil would hate. It seems “Maggie” does not like it either, but it has proven useful to me because the loud resonance for me is like a horn that announces my presence to cars and pedestrians on the road.

On the trail it let’s slow riders know that they are causing me to brake excessively and that they should allow me to pass or go faster. I don’t mind giving “love-taps” where I purposely tailgate and rub my front tire against their rear tire if they don’t yield.

Adjusted the cockpit, seat angle, oiled the new chain, and set up the rear brake with a shorter reach than the front to encourage the pattern of initially energizing the rear brakes before the front brakes.

More and more I love the Yo Betty. It is a fun ride, already a very lite bike, and really has a great balance handling and responsiveness that I dare say is smoother than any of my IBIS’s, even the new/old IBIS Avion SS.

I think part of the joy and fun is that the bike is small and easy to throw around, almost like a BMX bike. The seat would have to be raised, and a longer stem for my long torso would allow for a very comfortable upright position.

A Ti bottom bracket, a lighter seat, lighter pedals, and lightweight skewers could make the bike a sub 19 pound rigid with a 3x9 drivetrain. Hmmm.

So don’t tell Maggie that this will never become an orphaned bike. I could easily exchange the 70mm 15 degree rise Paul’s Components stem on the Yo Betty with the 90mm 15 degree Paul Components stem on my Ti IBIS which has a rather aggressive forward lean to the position. No money needed to spend, and both bikes likely would benefit.

I have a floating Ti White Industries bottom bracket, but on of the bearing shells needs the threads to be chased, or I could secure a steel version of the bottom bracket for parts and just use the Ti spindle for weight savings.

Back in the day some riders purposely bought undersized frames. Now I understand why. The IBIS Avion SS is a 17 inch frame, within my size range, but my Newsboy is an 18 inch frame. While the newsboy has the comfort for epic riding, the smaller frame is mucho more fun.

Also I can understand why Chris Chance’s Fat City bikes are so legendary: a real balance tuned ride that is responsive and just so smooth. I would say my IBIS’s have a bit of overbuild in comparison, way stiffer, but the Fat Chance really exploits the feel of steel in a loving way.

Anyways, I’m diseased. Now I want my own undersized bike to throw around. Maggie’s bike is too much fun.

On the book front Maggie has to contact people on a list supplied by her publisher to solicited “blurbs.” Anyways this is torture for her and is very difficult for her.

Already she got two positive responses from big time writers. In The Atlantic is a big article on how bulbs are or can be pure BS and just hype for marketing. Seems like authenticity was lacking in other words. Of course under these conditions known writers have to be careful on who they endorse now.

Yesterday my next door neighbor told a story of seeing a new kid on the block wearing sneakers and wearing a backpack, but then she realized it was me.

Deer cropped my strawberry patch.

Tomorrow we will have the grand daughter. The grandson goes to daycare. Will likely take the Creature Junior fishing at Blue Mountain Preserve. I gifted her a lightweight spinning outfit I bought at Dick’s. Mucho-Cheapo and spooled the reel with 4 pound test. Any panfish will bend this rod like a Tuna.

Worms are abundant on my back slope from all the mulch. Don’t know if I’ll have to work like a first mate and bait her hook. She hates insects, but evidently loves fishing. She hates ants and spiders…

Cal
 
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Another positive blurb response for a total of three. These responses are from writers who have followed “Maggie” that she somewhat has a relationship with.

She has other friends who will also blurb for her.

These blubbers will get advanced copies in the form of a PDF to read BTW.

The Nervious-Nelly in Maggie worries over nothing.

Cal
 
I will be loading up the Audi with the suction cup SeaSucker bike rakes. Made a temporary axel that uses a BMX solid axel on the Sea Sucker that had the mount for a solid axel. A nice pair of trophies: the Yo Betty; and the IBIS Avion SS.

Meanwhile “Maggie” is minding her business. One of her engaged readers is a famous cell actress. There is also a very huge writer who engages with her. I don’t see why they would not respond positively to the solicitation.

Separately her publisher is sending out their own solicitations for blurbs.

Cal
 
The plot thickens regarding the "new" Rudge Clubman bike. This bike has a pair of wingnut axle nuts securing the front hub to the fork. Does not have the rear wingnuts but it's also from the production period where Sturmey Archer was still working to deliver the most reliable hubs at a decent cost. That said, these bicycles weren't imported to the US with the axle wingnuts, so the front wheel is probably a past attempt to restore the bike to its 1951 UK sale spec. There are other possibilities though:
This bike is coming from the Bay area, right across Suisun Bay from Alameda, formerly the largest naval station on the west coast. Could have been brought back by a sailor. It could have also been purchased at the Naval exchange, duty free as they used to be able to get literally everything.
It could also be a regular UK import that had its rear wheel replaced. Just looking at photos suggests to me that the rear wheel has newer bits than the front, pointing to replacement or at least a new rim sometime in the past 50 years. The other forensic bit is that the handlebar would not have been on a UK spec bike, but the hollow bottom bracket spindle and fluted crankset would have.
I may never know the history of this bike, but it certainly has seen something.
It's currently in Pennsylvania, so it may be delivered earlier than Thursday, we'll see.
My birthday is in 2 weekends, so we know what I'm going to be doing 😁

Phil
 
Phil,

The ”forensics” are mucho interesting. Lots of history, time and possibilities.

I think it will be interesting whatever you do with a 70 year old bike. A full restoration to vintage period correct is mucho crazy, but miracles sometimes happen.

Even if the bike remains as is it is a very cool bike. Perhaps honor the history, the narrative, and the story of probabilities and possibilities.

On my C-10 I respect the eventual sagging of the suspension from being a “camper for decades. I honor the steering and suspension rebuilding that Danny the previous owner invested in the truck that kept the truck OEM. I kinda love that the truck that I bought is a “survivor” that more or less remains factory correct except for the bed mounted gas tank.

When I eventually replace the engine and drivetrain with a more modern heavier duty systems that will be enough.

I guess what I plan on doing to my truck would be called a resto-mod.

Meanwhile the IBIS Avion SS pretty much is vintage and period correct as a being really close to being a true survivor. The Yo Betty is a period correct Resto-Mod with some new modern updates.

Cal
 
A surprising amount of famous big time writers are responding positively to the blurb solicitations.

At this point it is seeming like a flood of notable names. Very impressive and beyond our expectations. Also know that this solicitationing happened just earlier today and already the response has been immediately.

So far 8 yes’es. All big names that are influential. The work involved individualized solicitations That were personal and not just some copy and paste template.

Cal
 
Another positive response.

Anyways the positive responses means that the people want advanced copies sent to them in either hard copy or PDF to read, but does not necessarily lead to a blurb.

Cal
 
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