minimalism wins

the Long Haul Trucker is gone.

After several days after reconsidering my decision to sell the LHT, I reconsidered that decision.

It was somewhere between admiring the ample application of braze-ons, the spare spoke holders and the simple yet beautiful lugs on the front fork that I started thinking that I couldn't sell this bike. It was the next day that I got back to thinking how little I get to ride it. I thought to myself, "I'll just go on more rides. I'll make time to get out on the bike more than I do now."

If I'm honest with myself, I won't be able to get out any more than I do now. And with a new baby on the way (guess I hadn't shared that news here yet) life will be even more busy. And not in a bad way. I'd rather hang with my kids and wife than spend an afternoon by myself on a bike. I do love riding, but the stage my life is at offers better things that won't last for long. Being with my kids. Spending time in the garage with them, playing hockey with them, having tea with my little girl and shooting bows and guns with my sons. These things are things that I won't always be able to do, and I'd hate to miss this opportunity that I only have right now. The stage I'm at in life isn't a stage for epic bike trips, or hours spent grinding gravel. I do love spinning the cranks, seeing some new town or getting lost on a quiet country back road (and on a small scale live vicariously though those who do these trips), they are just not in season for me right now.

So, I stripped down the trucker, put it back to stock, and sent it off to a new home. I'm quite happy with the sale too. I sold it to a young man who is planning a 6 week cycling trip with his dad through Quebec. It's between his graduating law school and when he has to begin articling. It'll serve him well, and a father and son doing a tour together, that's just cool.

almost

Tonight I almost sold my Surly Long Haul Trucker. Wow, that was close.

On my recent personal study into minimalism and ultimately consumerism, I've been giving a lot of thought to things I own, and things I consider buying. This has been on my mind a lot and for several years and it's manifestations are quite noticeable. When I used to just go and and buy something I thought was cool, I now carefully consider the purchase. Even if the battle to have it is won in my head, it rarely materializes when I'm in the store. Most often I'll pick up said thing, start toward the cashier, and somehow end up turning around, putting it back and walking out of the store with empty hands. It's not for a lack of funds, it's not for a lack of want, but it's for a new sense of simplicity, unclutterment and a satisfaction and contentment that comes from focusing on what I already do have and finding pleasure in them. I have so much to be grateful for and certainly don't need more stuff. It's a lovely life.

The other side of the minimalism thing is to clear out things that I already do have and just don't use. My bike collection has been culled considerably. I've sold all of the not-so-fancy bikes and project bikes. My Karate Monkey went last fall, and for the last several months I've had my LHT listed for sale in the local classifieds. Maybe it was the winter and time spent off the bike. Maybe it's simply the fact that I just don't ride it as much as I used to. I'd felt good about sending it off and reducing my collection even further. I hadn't had many calls about it until this week, I found a buyer. I'm almost certain that the deal would have gone though tomorrow evening as planned if it weren't for me backing out.

Before I'd changed my mind about selling, I threw it up on the bike stand, started removing the bits that weren't for sale (B-17, King cages, Schmidt dyno-light etc) and started admiring the bike again. Nothing fancy, but a good bike. I'd waited about two years before finally deciding to buy it. I ordered it up from my LBS and I had Peter White build up the front dyno-wheel. I put a lot of thought into that bike. It was the first bike I'd ever ordered and built up just how I wanted it and it meant more to me than any other bike before, and any other bike since. There's just no way I can sell this bike.

Minimalism or not, this bike and I aren't parting ways for a while. It's a good, simple machine and I like it.

Photo: expired Kodak Gold 200 on a 1965 Konica Reflex T

Errands

I had some errands to run this morning, and opted to do them on the Long Haul Trucker. Love this bike. It's weird, I seem to go through spells where I exclusively ride either my LHT, or the Karate Monkey, or the fixie. One of these bikes will be my go to for a long while, and then I'll switch it up.

There are some things you get to experience that you would totally miss if you weren't on a bike. One of those things is crazy kids stunting in their cars. I watched the driver of this car start his power slide, lose it, and almost get it back. Not quite though. I also saw the cop watch the whole thing. Buddy scored himself a $225 ticket (which was pretty mild in my opinion) and a few demerits. I chatted with him while he was waiting for the tow truck. He said, "yeah, they're just giving me a little slap on the wrist." I would say so.
Stopped to listen to a few voicemails on my cell phone that I received while riding. My phone rings more now than it ever has before. I kind of hate it, but mostly it's clients booking sessions and discussing photos, so it's not all bad. It is nice to opt not to take the call and keep pedaling though.
This is the trail right behind my house. Now that the canal is drained (see last photo) there are a few places with rock-paths that I can cross if I need too. Saved myself a whole 3 minutes today. Go me! Once the snow flies, quite a few people cross country ski in there. I think I'm gonna pick up a used set of skies and give it a try this year.

Fall Riding

Fall is such a great time to be riding. The smells, the colours and the sounds of leaves crunching under the tires. This season seams to be one of the fastest to go by, and every year I just try and try to hold onto it and make it last.To that end, I've been out on my LHT. A lot. Typically several rides per day. Saddle time is the goal, not distance or speed. I'd hate to be rushing through the parks and pathways with this kind of scenery anyway. Slow down, enjoy the ride and take it in. That's what it's about.

Cheers.

The Mystery bike mysteriously disappeared!

Well, okay, it wasn't mysterious I guess. But it is gone. After giving long thought to my cycling needs, and the style of riding that I do most often, a skinny tired road racing bike was a ride that would be much use by me. So, I found it a good home. Or a good home found it. Jeff is going to put it to good use and is going to use it in some triathlons. It would indeed be a fine ride for that. Quick, but comfy. Man I will miss that bike.

Back to further thinking of my cycling needs. When I consider what bikes I actually ride, and where I actually like to ride them, I can't really dream up figures and stats. What I ride is what I ride. What I ride is my LHT and my Karate Monkey. That's pretty much it. My fixie used to see a lot of use, but after a bit of a close call earlier this year (my foot slipped off the pedal while trying to do an emergency skid stop) I kind of wonder if it's the smartest thing for me to ride a brakeless fixie, when I have a wife and family at home. I love them, they love me, and they do want me to make it home safely.

Put brakes on the fixie? Well, the kicker for me and that bike is it's pure aesthetic. I love how clean it is. When there's brakes installed, it just doesn't look as good to me. It's the clean and pure line of just bicycle that I love about that bike.

So, I'm selling it. I posted previously that I was going to sell it, but I didn't have it priced to sell really. I think I was trying to sort of go through the motions of selling a bike, minimizing my possessions, without actually having to do it. Now it's time. I'm listing it for $400. Maybe that's high? Don't think so. Paul Hubs, hand built wheels. It's a solid bike and it's well put together. If I can't get $400 for it, I'll sell it for less. I will sell it though. That's the sure thing.

I'm not sure why, but there's something about having lots of bikes that really doesn't sit well with me anymore. Not sure why. I used to revel in the fact that I had 13 bicycles, all road ready, and all mine. Not all were fancy or worth bragging about, but I like to have them. Now, I'm constantly weighing the pros and cons of each one of my bicycles. So far this year I've rid 6 from my collection. I feel as though I'm not done yet.

The question is always in my mind: "if I could only ride the KM or the LHT, which would be the best for me." I can't say. I could get some gears for the KM, and set it up for more of a utility bike that would still do well off road. I could get some slightly more aggressive treads on the LHT and use that as my only bike. I had a little email dialog with a local cyclist this week who suggested the Salsa Fargo would be the perfect in between bike for me. Yes, it might very well be. But, chances of finding one of those used are slim to none. And, I'm not going to be buying any new bikes in the near future.

For now, I continue to weigh the options and ponder what to do next. And of course, ride my bikes!

Cheers,

Jeremy

Breath

Yesterday, I seriously needed a breathe of fresh air. Had a perfectly nice person waste an hour of my life, chit-chatting, while I had a huge to-do list that wasn't being overcome. The whole day was like that. Lots to do, but somehow, nothing getting done. Time waster here, time waster there, everywhere a time waster. Not or lack of trying either.

After said person finally let me go (after telling me of her childhood vacations, past houses, children that have moved on and countless other details of her life) I was in a foul mood. I'd never met this person in my life. And somehow we're good to chat for an hour? While I've got things to do? Fuming at this point.

My sweet wife, knowing what's best for me, suggested I head out for a little bike ride. While my to do list was bursting, and nothing for the day had diminished it, I did agree. Going for a ride was probably the most productive thing I could do at that point.
So, I threw my old 20D around my neck, checked the pressure of the LHT tires and headed out. Nowhere in mind, but hard on the pedals. Hard on them with thoughts of piss and vinegar. Thoughts of how I'd just lost an hour of my life I'll never get back. Thoughts of how such a person has no idea of how rude that was and how detrimental it was to my business. All for what? Chit chat? I pedalled harder.
My route started routine, and I was cruising the gravel in no time. My favourite roads were unraveling before me, winding here and there with their graceful flow, but all I could think about was this horrific person (criminal by this time in my mind) who wanted to babble on for what seamed like forever about nothing that I cared, or ever would care about. By this point, I think it was adversely affecting my health, and taking a toll on my heart and veins.

I continued in the building rage.
The effect of your favourite gravel route and irrigation canal can have a very powerful, honing effect on ones attitude. I slowly was feeling more relaxed. I'd have to make myself get angry again out this incident and remember how angry I was. And I'd seem to have to do it again and again.
Then, all of a sudden, I realized, who cares? I've still got a huge list of things to do, much of which I can contemplate out here, on this great gravel route, while doing one of my favourite things. I realized how much of my time and energy I'd wasted in anger about a silly little situation. I reminded myself again that I indeed can't control everything, nor would it be good if I could. I could never handle such a task. People are people and people are different. This gal was a different flavour than I'd ever met, but she was still a person. She is still important. If she want's to tell me her childhood vacations, issues she's having with her builder, or the details of her life, I should just sit back, enjoy it and remember that indeed, she's a person too. This may not have been on my agenda for today, but, it is now and if it's made it's way into my daily schedule, I must treat it as important, and realize that indeed, sometimes you just need to let other people's agenda's have a little affect on your day.
I'm not saying that you can be loose with your time. Hardly at all. I'm the guy who just doesn't ever answer the phone, because I'm in the middle of something. I protect my time like it's going to save my life. I don't let others waste a second of it. But today, I realized again, people need to come before our "to-do" lists.

Cheers.

Mystery Bike Revealed - Peugeot Sante

Finally I've gotten around to putting some pictures up of my 'mystery' bike that I've been slowly, very slowly been plunking away on since last summer. The idea was to get it up and on the road fairly quickly, but all too soon time was slipping away and I resolved that this would be a winter project. Technically, it ended up a spring project, but, it's done.I'd been searching for some time to find a nice, decent quality steel frame road bike that actually fit me. 62cm frames aren't the most common in local classified ads. I was pretty much sure I wouldn't find anything decent and thought that if the desire to ride a fast, skinny tired road bike bit me that hard, I'd have to save up the pennies and buy a new one. Well, I found a great deal on a bike that had been spared from being placed out in the dumpster. The gent that I purchase the bike from didn't want to see the bike going to waste, but also wasn't really in a place where he needed another bike project. In the end, I got a sweet deal on it, and now, I've finally got a really nice steel frame road bike that fits.
The bike is a mid-late 80s Peugeot Sante. Made in France, with a Renolds 531P tubeset, nervex lugs and simplex drop outs. That 531 P says so much about this bike. One of the finer tubesets that you could build a bike with at the time.
This bicycle has such an amazing ride. Very aggressive in it's riding position, but the ride itself is smooth. The drive train is Shimano Sante, which was basically a limited edition Dura-Ace line commissioned for this frame. Pearlescent paint was a distinctive feature of the line. That and the special chain-ring bolts that were smooth on the outer side. The brakes are really impressive for their vintage, and after a re-build, the shifting is silky smooth. This bike never had many miles on it. The bio-pace chain rings are in excellent condition. It's pretty cool to have a bike this old, and be able to leave so much of the original hardware on it, without sacrificing performance.
I was thinking about painting the frame, but quite quickly kaiboshed that idea. Added some white tires and bar tape to keep in tune with the aesthetic of the components and paint.
Haven't logged too many miles on it yet, but that'll soon change. Going from the LHT, to this, I'm again amazed at how fast you can actually move under your own power. Skinny tired, go fast bikes are really something.

Cheers.

Minimalists Ideals start to take hold

Over the past year or so, I've been really contemplating the idea of minimalism.

Minimalism isn't really new or revolutionary, nor would minimalism necessarily be the best way to describe the thought process. Maybe it is, but minimalism seams to be more of a title to counter-act the consumeristic lifestyle that we as North Americans have been so caught up in. Always need the latest and greatest, always need more. Why? The thought process of minimalism is to pair everything down to the smallest amount that we can comfortably get by on. Try to do without the latest and greatest. Be content with what we have. My motivation for minimalism has stemmed from my frustration with trying to keep all of my worldly possessions in order. My life, may not even look minimalistic yet. I've always been a bit of a collector, and even as a kid, I would hate to get rid of anything, "in case I might need it later." Classic.

A lot of my life and my stuff has been very easy to pair down. Stuff that I've had for years, I've given away over the last year. I've kept track and I've hauled 8 pickup truck loads (and I mean completely loaded truck-fulls of 'stuff') in the past year and a half. Most of it is easy, and I've gotten my personal belongings to a much more manageable level. Still not near done, but I've made some real progress. One area that I thought would be completely unaffected by minimalism was my bicycles. Turns out, I was wrong. Yesterday I gave away 3 bikes and my old trusty trek frame (which was pretty much the starting point of my bike commuting and this blog). Today, I put up the fixie for sale.

I'm trying to pair my bike collection down to as few bikes I can have, and still partake in my favourite styles of riding. The fact of the matter is that I don't need a great city bike with a front basket for the one day a year that I make a wine and cheese run before enjoying he sunset with my wife on the back deck. I did that once last year, and I've romanticized the ride ever since. It was probably the biggest reason I kept that bike so long. Hadn't ridden it since. Get rid of the bike, keep the memory.

My bike collection to meet my style of riding should be quite nicely accommodated with the following: my LHT, my Karate Monkey, my Xtracycle, and my Rockabilly Boogy. Those are the bikes that I ride the most. There is also the 'mystery bike' (which I should probably get pictures up here) that would have it's place, but most likely will go. That will still leave me with 4 bicycles, which is quite a collection to the average person. To a cycling fanatic, it's hardly respectable, but to a minimalist, it's plenty. Who knows, it may be culled down even further, but my thoughts are this. My LHT is a great bike for errands, long relaxing rides in the country, and for road rides. My Karate Monkey has been my evening bike ride 'go to' for quite a while. This was very different than what I thought when I bought it. I didn't think I'd ride the Karate Monkey near as much as I do, and it's just such a great bike. Soots (Xtracycle) is obviously for hauling kids and groceries and running whatever other errands I might need to run. And lastly, the Rockabilly Boogy. This bike is just for fun. Since my wife has a cruiser to match, it's a bike that I'll hang onto, even though it's mostly a novelty. Every other one of my bikes is a better, more efficient ride, but sometimes it's fun to just cruise with my bride (of 9 years now!) and go no-where important slowly.

I've been told by people that I'll regret getting rid of my bikes. If I truly do find that I can't live without the collection I currently have, I can always build it back up again. But I don't think that'll be the case. The fact that I'll have fewer bikes to maintain accessories and ride makes me worry that I'll see how great simple is, and be tempted to further reduce my fleet. That, wouldn't be a bad thing.

To the fixie. I'm gong to try and sell it locally. Shipping is a royal pain in the butt and quite expensive to anywhere south of the border. So, locally, I've got it listed for $650 with a few options.

Life is getting simpler and I'm liking it.

Back out on the LHT

I forgot how great this bike is. For some reason, all of the other
bikes in the garage have been getting all of the attention lately. A
shame indeed. This bike fits so well, rides so well, and handles so
many different purposes, it makes all the others in the herd nervous.
LHT, you rock!

Possible new (light) gravel cruiser

Looking at a few options for a light(er) 700c gravel cruiser. My Karate Monkey is nice, but the big meats, and heavy frame are a little overkill for speedy gravel cruising. My LHT has been assigned to gravel duty in the past, but it's not ideal either. A while ago I started thinking about building up a gravel specific machine, and seeing if I could do it from the parts bin. While cleaning the garage today, an idea came.

Take the old faithful Antelope frame, the touring wheels from a Miyata 100LT I sold, and some Nitto mustache bars. I'm thinking about a 1X8 drivetrain. I don't need a huge gear range, but it would be nice to compensate for slight inclines/decline, and for the wind.

The 700c wheel actually fit well in the frame, although I don't think fenders will be an option. Not that I really want any for this specific build either. I've got some Shimano bar end shifters I could use, and some Shimano 600 brakes that are in pretty nice shape. I'll need a new stem, as this one puts the bars a bit too far forward. You'll also notice a stem extender in there. This frame is really too small for me, by a long shot. But, with the seat-post extension, and the stem extender, it's a pretty nice fit. Add those 700c wheels, and this thing has about an inch more BB clearance that the Karate Monkey. This might just turn into a really sweet, nice and fast gravel machine.

LHT with a Basket up front

Now that the herd is being culled, it's time to play, alter and adjust the setups of the select few.

I've wondered about a basket for the front of the trucker. A few quick (and reversible) mods to the Wald, and some zip ties, and we have our testing ground. Test results didn’t really surprise me, but I was hoping for better. With any significant weight in the basket, the bikes handling is significantly compromised. To the point that I had a close call this morning while trying to avoid a puddle of water. Should this area of the bike be a place where I really want to be able to haul stuff, a few fork with more rake would be a wise investment. By that point in time, maybe a Kogswell P/R with the corrected fork rake would just be easier.

But, this was just a brief little test, and now I know. LHTs handle fine with panniers mounted on either side of the wheel and down low. Not so fine with loads mounted up above the wheel. Would have been a great, practical and dare I say……….stylish option for carry things. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Cheers.

Winter Commuting Decisions

I’ve been doing some thinking lately, and I’m questioning some of my approach to winter cycling. After recently building up the MUTT, I wondered if this is the correct approach. As I ride that bike, there is much of it that I question, much that I’m not too fond of, and it kind of got me to thinking…….is it better to keep your “good” bikes nice, un-ridden and make them last forever. Or is it best just to ride your bikes and if they wear out, replace them with new bikes?

Obviously I’m not talking about super high end, racing bikes. My “good” bikes are pretty plain, simple, steel bicycles. Ie: Surly Long Haul Trucker, Surly Karate Monkey, my Xtracycle and my Fixie.

Now, I have giving the fixie a pretty hard smattering of nasties and slop. I could re-install the brake, and add some studded tires, and this might be a great option for a winter commuter. I’ve got a Paul rear flip-flop hub that I don’t want to waste; but then again, wouldn’t a Paul hub stand up better to being used in real life than a less expensive hub?

My LHT; this bike would probably not be my first option as a winter commuter. It’s got some serious gearing, most of which is un-used while commuting, and the more gears, the more damage caused by salt and grime. The dynamo head light would be nice, but this bike is one that I actually don’t know if I would want to ride in the snow. It’s a touring bike, not one that would be conducive to riding with both feet out to break a fall if things get hairy.

My Karate Monkey; here’s one that I’m seriously thinking about using for winter. The single speed drive train is what’s wanted for grime and muck, the disc brakes also will save heavy rim wear that happens with the salt and dirt used in the winter, and the big tires would be a huge benefit. Planet Bike Cascadia fenders are available in 29er size, and I am a huge fan of these fenders since putting them on the Xtracycle.

Part of this is also driven by the idea of simplifying every aspect of my life. First of all, I’ve got 3 bikes that are kind of junk bikes, but for some reason I keep them. I could save space in the garage and basement if I just got rid of them. Also, I spend time and money (while it may not be much, a little on each bike adds up over time) and all these bikes. I think about the money and time I spend on “junk” bikes, and wonder what I could be upgrading or tweaking on a bike that’s half decent to begin with. Sure, my bikes won’t last as long if they’re exposed to salt, and dirt, sand and all the rest that comes with winter commuting; but, how much time are we talking? Would a Surly steel framed bike last 5 years with proper maintenance and care? Would I mind upgrading and buying a new bike when anyone of mine actually wears out? No, not at all. These are not collectors pieces, they are real, practical, and tough bikes that are meant to be ridden and could be bought over again if needed.

Here is what I’m thinking for my commuter setup:
· My fixie with studs, a front brake and a basket, and full fenders for the icy and sloppy conditions.
· My Karate Monkey with fenders, leave the stock 29” X 2.3” tires on there, and ride this on days when there’s snow melting, or when there is deep snow to contend with.
· My Xtracycle with the snow studs off of MUTT, for days when I need to haul stuff. Well, maybe for most days. I just like riding the Xtracycle for some reason.

The idea being that between the fixie and the KM I’d be covered for the “bad’ winter conditions. I’d have my Xtra for hauling in any weather and I’d still have my LHT for days when all is dry.

I’d like to hear your thoughts. Do you have any insight you could share about using good bikes for bad weather, or if you think it’s worth just using beater bikes like the MUTT? What’s your winter setup?

Cheers,

The history of my Xtracycle: a brief run down

Since this bike is now in it’s 3rd iteration, I thought I would quickly run through where it’s been, and how it came to where it’s at.

I first received my freeradical bolt-on kit from my sweet wife for Christmas, 2007. By the end of Boxing day (returns day to my American friends) it was put together and I took it out for a test ride. At the time, I was living in Rockyford Alberta, and I worked in a combine repair shop, literally 1 block from my house. I was building an office building (all by myself, and I even designed the trusses, layout, every aspect of the building). After the design was done, I built the thing myself, inside of a shop. When it was -30C outside, I was sure a spoiled ‘framer’ to be inside a shop with in-slab heating. During this time, I used my Xtra to haul my tools between work and home. I had a crazy home renovation going on at the time, and needed my tools in both places. I could carry some significant loads of tools with me on the Xtra. Only rarely would I have to use my pickup truck. The few times were when I was hauling my table saw and air compressor, and other really heavy stuff. Essentially, I was contracting with my Xtracycle as my truck.

Now, while I didn’t log too many miles on the Xtra, I did use it every day, and it saved huge wear and tear on my pickup truck.

One issue I had with the Xtra in this configuration was that the donor frame was really too small for me. It was originally my mom’s bike, and a decent Trek Antelope Cro-Mo frame, but simply too small. After I started working back at my other (and current) employer (our slow season was done) I had a 26mile commute each way. I tried several different bikes for this commute; a recumbent, which was actually a great option for this commute. I rode my fixie quite a bit and also bought a beautiful vintage specialized sequoia, which again was too small for me. Finally I got my LHT. All during this time, my Xtracycle sat unused. The frame was simply too small and the components were pretty much junk. During the time I was hauling tools, I pretty much used it as a single speed. When you’ve got weight, and 1 block to go, one low gear is all you need.

I wanted badly to have a nice frame on the Xtracycle, to make it an option for longer rides and in particular, a longer commute. So I started searching. At the time, I didn’t want to spend any money on a frame, and even in it’s current rendition, the frame was a freebie. I picked up a Giant frame for $20, and even though it wasn’t the great quality, I liked the large size and built it up. Now, there is something to be said for actually having a liking for a bike. If it fits you, but you just don’t like it, you’ll never really enjoy the bike. I learned that. After building the Xtra up on the Giant frame, I had something against it that I just couldn’t get over. I don’t know what it is, but it was like a smitten puppy or something. Didn’t like it, didn’t like to ride it, and even though it did its job fine, it never got my seal of approval.

What to do, what to do. After purchasing my Karate Monkey S/S 29er MTB, I realized that I no longer needed my 26” S/S pink bike. Now this pink bike, I had a real attachment to. I don’t know why. It’s not spectacular and I don’t even know the make. I do know that it is built with Tange Cromoly, and there are a few lugs in the frame construction, but it’s not a completely lugged frame. This pink bike, would become the platform for the Xtracycle as it is today.

I sanded the pink bike down, painted it, repacked all the bearing with grease and gave her a complete overhaul. Painted it semi-gloss black to pay homage to the original inception of my Xtracycle.

The drive train came from a sweet Miyata 100LT that I picked up for $80. Even though it was a 48cm frame I couldn’t turn down a bike like that, at that price. The frame went off to Conneciticut, where it’s currently undergoing a transformation to 650B. The gent who bought the bike only want the frame (triple butted, splined tubing) so I kept all the parts.

While first re-doing the Xtra on the Giant frame, I even used the Shimano bar-ends that came off the Miyata, but on this past re-build, I opted for the riser MTB bars. Some cheapo Shimano thumbies are playing very well with the Deore derailleur, so I’ll let them keep playing together. I like these cheap thumbies. They’re comfy, and they’ve got the friction option, which is nice. Currently they are set up in ratchet mode and working very well. I even sent a set over to my friend Smudgemo, when he was needing a set. I think these thumbies are highly under-rated, and should get some serious consideration when looking for shifting options for commuter or utility bikes.

So, now that I’ve had a few days of riding the new and improved Xtracycle, I will say I think I like it’s current set up. The frame is comfortable, and I like it. Sizing is good, while I could stand a larger frame, it’s not to the point where I’m concerned about it. I feel like this is a bike that I can ride for hours, and I hope to get some long rides in next summer. As for the winter, I’m not sure I’ll run studded tires on it. I’m in the process of converting the Giant into a Single speed winter beater with Studded tires, as it once was, just without the extreme DIY studded tires. However the Xtra might just turn into my main commuting bike over the winter. Studded tires may just find themselves on the rims one day. I love the fact that I can keep a lock, patch kit and some other supplies tucked into the pockets at all times. I love that I can wear a warm coat to work in the morning (this morning it was -2C) and on the way home, just throw it in the Xtra and enjoy the last of the T-shirt weather that is disappearing quickly.

Need to swing by the store to grab some groceries? Not a problem. Need beer for some friends coming over tonight? Covered. This freedom that the Xtracycle brings is really quite incredible, if you’re a person who loves to ride bikes as much as you can. Handling isn’t any better with the freeradical on, and only marginally worse. It’s a lot slower for sure, but last time I checked, the idea of having a bicycle replace a car has never been about speed, and the accelerated rate that we can do things, but rather about the quality of life we can live. The quality of my life is better because I ride my bike to work and don’t drive. The Xtracycle enables me to do that a whole lot more, and also ride a bike at times when before, I would have had to take a vehicle. If you’re wondering about getting an Xtracycle do it. You will not regret it.

Slipping Seatpost fixed!

I’ve had a chronic problem with a slipping seat post on my Karate Monkey ever since I bought it.

I would ride, and even for short distances (less than 5 miles) I noticed the seat post would slip. I posted it to the LHT and CC Google group (just because it’s quite active and often very helpful) to see if anyone had any experience with such slippage on any of their Surlys. Being as the seat tube on a Karate Monkey is the same diameter and tubing as any other Surly bike, I thought it was worth asking there. I heard a few stories where LHT frames were replaced by Surly, and others where it was just a matter of an undersized seat post. I hoped the ladder would be the case, but as it turned out, neither were.

I changed out the seat post with a different one (thanks to the good guys at Bowcycle) and that didn’t make a difference. I measured the seat posts with my digital calipers, and I was getting anywhere from 27.03mm to 27.18mm. The size is stamped 27.2mm and I assume that these are typical manufacturing tolerances. After calling Kurt at Bow, he asked if I could just bring the whole bike in. So I did, and Blue (one of those great bike mechanics who knows much about bikes, even weird stuff like retro-direct drives, and home brew 2 speed fixed setups) thought right away that it was the seat post locking collar. That thought entered my mind, but I doubted it for some reason. Surly used to make their constrictor seat post binder, but got complaints that it was just too beefy and ugly. My KM (as well as my LHT) came with the new collar. So, we strolled around the store until we found a cross check with the old style seat post binder.

Here is a comparison between the two Surly seat post clamps - photo credit goes to Chubby Super Biker -

I took it home, have it a try, and wala. I’ve got about 30 miles of gravel in on the KM this week and she’s holding steady. Man it feels good to get these little nagging problems taken care of. Kudos to Bow for making this top priority, and doing whatever they could to make it right. The customer service there is second to none. Kurt apologized numerous times for the inconvenience and always notified the mechanics when I was going to be coming in so I wouldn’t have to wait at all. They’d pull a bike out of the stand and put mine in there as soon as I walked in the building. I can’t say enough good about Bowcycle.

The new manly constrictor!

So nice to have the KM back. Last night went for a late right to work up the heart beat. First ride of the summer that I’ve had to use my lights. The KM continues to impress.

(I was told by a creative mind that melting a little wax to the seat post sometimes will help give it a little extra stick. Sounds like it might work, unfortunately, for me it didn't. Interesting idea though.)

LHT Exploring photo dump

Just thought I'd drop a few pictures from some recent exploring I did around my house last weekend. I figured there had to be some decent riding around the canals (other than what's directly behind my house) and all I had to do was go out and find it. I didn't have much more than an hour, so I'm not sure of the extent of the riding, but for fast training rides and such, there is plenty of nice gravel and double track.

My Surly constrictor clamp on my Karate Monkey snapped, so I rode the Trucker. I would rather have had the KM, but the trucker was capable indeed. I just don't like riding as hard on the LHT, because I don't want to destroy my Schmidt E6 or any of the racks. A single speed 29er is far more resilient when crashing. I just tried hard not to crash.

This is where my ride started. It's a 5 minute bike ride from my house.

Nice sweeping gravel corners
Cattle to the left

LHT 10' above the water

Heading toward the golf course

Obligatory panda shot

I think this is the widest bike path in the world. It has to double as emergency vehicle access to the back part of the golf course, hence the width. It's a great place to ride with kids when they're learning.

Found the problem

The front wheel of my LHT was built up with a Dyno hub by Peter White. I have the stock front wheel hanging in my parts department. There was some type of rim tap installed (not sure if it was I who put it on or PWC) but it was pretty thin in a few spots. The ridges of the spoke holes were sticking through in a few locations. I was able to determine exactly which spoke hole was causing the problem (props for matching up the logo on the tire with the valve hole and careful removal of the tire and tube while changing flats) and installed a new rim tape from MEC. I combed over the rest of the rim and the inside of the tire just to be sure, and they looked fine. We’ll give her a week or two to see, but I’m pretty sure that this little problem should be gone now.
On the fixie, I found that I had a failed presta valve. No tears in the rubber or anything, just the air leaked through the valve itself until it was down around 15PSI. I know you can tighten up the little valve inside the stem on a Schrader valve, but I don’t think this is the case with a presta. New tube on there and we’ve got both bikes back on the road again. Thank goodness!

Mechanical Woes

First, I seem to have an issue with the seat post on my new Karate Monkey. After finally tightening the crap out of the collar bolt, it still slipped down about an inch on my last ride. It was only 11 miles, and while it was gravel, it should never move. I posted it to the LHT and CC Google group, looking for anyone who may have had a similar experience, and I did learn of others having such problems on other bikes. There was a case where the same thing happened with a LHT, and Surly came to the table and ended up sending a new replacement frame. Good on ya Surly. I need to measure my seat post and make sure that it is the correct diameter. If not, I’ll head to my LBS where I bought the bike and see if we might be able to try a few sizes of seat posts. Hopefully one slightly larger size will do the trick. If not….hhmmm…..I hope to be able to get a new frame to change out. That’s the worst case scenario, and I’d rather not think about that.

Second, not such a big deal, just flat tires. First one was about 3 weeks ago on my LHT. I rode it to work after lunch as I always do, same old route, and when I went to leave that evening, the front tire was completely airless. As I was changing the tube, I was careful to remember where on the wheel the flat happened so I could inspect the wheel and indeed there was something in there that was suspect to me. I forget what that was though. I remember thinking that I’ll just wait and see if I get another flat and then I’ll know I’ll have to deal with whatever the possible cause was. Well, yesterday, that other flat came. Now I really wish I remembered what the suspect cause was. I guess I’ll find out when I take the wheel off.

Third was after lunch today. I drove my truck to work this morning (shame shame shame) and picked up the LHT. (I could change the flat at work, but I’m a wuss and by far prefer working on a stand if I have any choice at all) and was planning on riding my fixie back to work. Went to put on my race blade fenders to help keep the water from jumping up at me. What do I find? A flat rear tire! Argh. I go from having no flats in 3 years, to 3 flats in 3 weeks. Frustrating. Kind of makes me want to just run out and buy some of the toughest most flat-resistant tires I can find (think Schwalbe marathons). Before, while running any tire, even tires I found for free at the recycling yard, I’ve never had a flat. Now, these three. Oh well, I guess we all have to deal with our share of mechanical headaches. I just don’t know why I got all of mine in one lump sum.

Karate (monkey) Lessons

Got up with the sun this morning to sweat out an hour long bike ride on the new Monkey. Kind of felt like a training ride. I was pushing hard the whole time, and forced myself to sweat and be huffing. Good times. The bike feels great. A few changes will be coming though. I will be looking for a different saddle. I’ve got a WTB Speed V on my fixie, and I love it. I tried the WTB that came on the bike briefly, and may give it one more chance, but I wasn’t too impressed with a quick ride right after I brought the bike home. Today I tried the Velo saddle that came stock on my LHT. This wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t too good either. Every time I’ve set up my Speed V, I’ve been immediately comfortable on it, even if the angle or height of the saddle needed a bit of tweaking.

SPDs will be going onto this bike. I won’t be commuting on this stead, except maybe in the winter, we’ll see. And, a few times I was hauling over some wash-board and my feet were moving on the pedal. I had to stop pedaling and re-position my foot, which is very distracting and makes you momentarily loose the line you were riding.

Brakes are great. Size still feels excellent, but I might want a slightly longer stem. I don’t feel uncomfortable, but I kind of wish I were in a more aggressive riding position. I’ve got one that’s 20mm longer and I might give that a try.

Road find: Remnants of last nights "picnic"?

Eventually I’d like to get some Ergon grips, but I’m not in a huge rush for those. I’ll probably wait until these stock ones start to show some wear.

All in all, what a great and fun bike. Very smooth on the gravel (which is mostly what I rode this morning) and I’m really excited to log more and more miles on this bike

Surly, you make good bicycles.

My Favorite Bike

One thing about riding bikes every day, you’re favorites become even more favorite. Between my LHT and my fixie, I think I could give up every other bike that I own. Not that I’m planning on it, but I could. Now, between the two, that’s a hard call. Obviously for rain, it’s the fendered LHT, as would be the case when I was making longer trips and need to carry stuff. But for commuting and general running around the favorite is whichever one I happen to be riding.
For the last few days, it’s been the fixie.

Until I ride the Trucker next, I can’t think of a bike I like more.

You've only got 1 day off. Make it a good one.

That was my motto yesterday. After putting 25hrs in at my day job, and somewhere around 50 hrs at my Rockyford house this week, I needed to take at least one day off to rest. Besides, it’s biblical.

I wanted to just hang out with the family and do whatever the day would bring out way that was fun.

We started off with a walk for us/bike ride for the boys to visit some friends

Here is my oldest getting into the racing mind set. Everything is a contest to two brothers.

Here is my youngest on his run bike. He can actually motor really well on this thing. Even picks up his legs for short spells. I think these are definitely the way to go to teach children how to ride bikes.

Came home. Grabbed a picnic lunch and went to the park for a few hours. Came home, kids had a nap, my sweet wife and I enjoyed a little reading on the porch in the sunshine, and then the kids got up again and we went for another bike ride.

Came back, re-organized the bikes (now with my little 1 year old birthday girl in the chariot) and headed out on the 3rd little bike ride of the day. My oldest (4) is getting quite confident riding his bike. He’s having a blast too. He can even manage to control his speed on hills now, instead of crying and walking the bike. One great thing about being back in Strathmore, is the network of bike paths that are highly underutilized. I haven’t brought all the bikes from our old house to our new house yet, so I ended up lowering the seat on my Rockabilly Boogy and my wife rode that, and I rode the LHT. My little girl sang her little la la la songs the whole time we were riding. I think that’s a good sign that she enjoys cycling also.

I finished the day off with a pint of liquid gold in my new Bow Cycle beer glass. My parents just bought some nice bkes from Bow ( myDad got a Cannodale 6 and my Mom got a hand made titanium Merlin - contrary to my recommending a nice steel Rivendell or Surley or something "better". - okay, I can live with my moms Ti bike, but full carbon??? Come on Dad) and Bow gave them a set of beer glasses and a beer pitcher. My parents don't have a refined pallet that apreciates a good beer, so they gave the set to me. yeah.

I love days like yesterday. In my mind, that’s what the weekend was made for.