Beers, homemade chili, bike talk, and testing my homebrew free motion rollers. The things I get to do when the wife and little one leave me home alone for a week.
Jim styling no hands...Patrick on the fixed gear Hufnagel, with Edelux lighting his way!A Rivendell, on rollers.
Explored near home this afternoon after working this morning. Took a quick post lunch ride to check out a stretch of beach on lake Champlain. Part 1 turned into hike a bike over driftwood and through some boggy marshy reeds so I climbed out and tested the fat tires at North Beach. Firm and semi loose sand was no problem – but the pea gravel like mush didn’t like the bike nor the bike shoes very much.
Stunning November day. Hike a bike warmed me up.1/2 mile or more to get to where I thought some decent sand was... so I backtracked it out.North end of North Beach. 2.2s at low pressure. Seemed to work well enough. Compressed snow maybe?The pea gravel mush was tough going.
Met the boys for an early cruise out to the causeway and was finally able to check out Patrick’s new ride in person. Its been a loooong time coming. 650b Hufnagel rando specific frame. Integrated decaleur, custom front rack, wire loops for the Edelux, fender mounts to the inside of the fork and frame. Currently running as fixed / single speed, but can take gears. Matching fenders will make an appearance when the weather threatens. Beautiful.
Long dropouts - fixed, free, geared, and a mount for a PB Superflash.Paul Racers... and GB tires.Fender mounts to the inside of the frame and fork.Custom stem, decaleur, and front rack.
I know larger tires work against you when comparing rolling resistance, gear calculations, and overall effort… but since putting on the Kenda Nevegals I’ve felt like I’ve been riding with both front and rear brakes dragging. Sure, they certainly are not the 28s I ride on the IF, nor the 35s I used to ride on the CrossCheck, nor even the 42s I started with on the Soma…
Yes, I know they are not that wide...
This morning I heard a chirping sound. Damn! I was dragging a brake. Cool. I can fix that. Except that even with the brakes wide open I still heard it. Then I spun the rear wheel by hand. I made it about 1/4 revolution before stopping. Bearings must be mal-adjusted. Picked up the appropriate sized cone wrenches, spun off the single speed side, and loosened. Nope. Bearings were shot.
Off to the internet. Plenty of instructions on removing sealed bearings from Surly hubs. These have served me for 3 winters… rain, snow, salt, dirt roads – pretty much everything. Pulled the axle. Tap tapped the bearing as instructed in lieu of a fancy bearing puller. The innards popped out and I now have a collection of tiny steel balls rolling around on the garage floor.
Which leaves the problem of how to get a sealed bearing race out of a hub shell. Dirt Rag provided the answer. I opted to not hammer the star nut from the opposite side, and instead applied a bit of finesse (in short supply at this moment in my caveman actions thus far) with a bolt and socket. Success. Now to wait for some new bearings – and to let the LBS pull the opposite side.
1\A wide socket and stack of washers...A few turns of the bolt...Out!Success!
The Juice is coming along. Front wheel ready for disc brakes, bar padded and taped, levers pretty close to finalized. Steerer tube cut to length. Gearing will be an ongoing challenge. Adding those fat tires certainly changed things – it takes some muscle to get them moving.
Fattest tires I've ever run...!Flip flop - 17/19 FG or 18t SS drivetrain. 32t up front - but that may change.Wide bars...
My brother found this image of me while rummaging at the homestead. While I do have a crush on specific BMW all road motorcycles, I’m glad my two wheeled fun revolves around the pedal variety.
Recent snaps. The Soma is coming along. Proper stem is on the way. Steerer will be cut next week after it arrives. Bars will be left loooong with tape for the time being. Replacement hub for a new wheel build is in… just have to wait for shop time. Surly stainless steel chainring will replace my TA, and a mate will be used to run the dingle cog. Gearing is perplexing me – for now I’m going to run 34/19 or 34/17 and figure out the steep stuff come spring in the woods.
Soma Odin bars... wide - and I like them!The 'Cut'.John's grocery getter and the IF.Mr. McM from the Sunday coffee ride.ADKs across the lake.My trusty steed...
