Mountain Hardware Puzzle

I love the idea of a bike touring tent like the Mountain Hardware Ghisallo but... wouldn't it be impossible to get into the tent then put your bike under the vestibule? Conversely, wouldn't it be impossible to get into the tent once the bike is there? It appears that there might be two doors, one on the bike side and one on the other side. However, how does the bike stand up once it's under the canopy other than leaning it's greasy, pokey self all over the white fragile nylon? Better to bring a regular tent and a $0.05 trash bag slit open to cover the bike.

Photo from www.rei.com

Salsa Front Rack

Still no sign on the Salsa web page of the sweet front cargo rack that I saw way back at Sea Otter. I'm waiting and watching because I'd like to buy one. Not only should it be a little less expensive than similar racks from Nitto through Velo Orange and Rivendell, but it looks like it also might be aluminum or "alloy1" in bike industry parlance, making it lighter. Still burly enough for me. I've never had an aluminum rear rack fail on my after miles of commuting and touring (although no MTB or 'round the world type stuff).

1 I think that bike companies call aluminum parts "alloy" or "scandium" even though they're mostly aluminum because aluminum reminds people of soda cans and alloy reminds people of science.

Hard workin' panniers

So I had these panniers. For several years. Commuted with them all the time, took them on at least one overnight trip. Rain, sun, wind (no snow), all sorts of wacky loads. Worked pretty fine. Cheap too. I wrote them up almost a year ago now.

Well, last week, they started to give up the ghost. The stitching is coming apart at the point of the greatest loads (where they hang over the rack). I stitched the snot out of them by hand but they're still unraveling. Besides my best suturing skills, I'm afraid the patient can't be saved. Hopefully they hold out until my new JANDD panniers arrive in the mail. I'll let you know how the new ones work after a little riding.

Helium Bike Case

When I saw this on the Boulder Report I thought - that's the ticket. That's the bike case I need! I've been in the market for one for a while since I'd like to travel with a bike. Maybe this fall, definitely next summer. The air filled bladders of the Helium Case allow it to be deflated, saving valuable storage space when it's not in use, protect the bike, and make it luggage-like enough to ease you by the ticket counter Gestapo at the airport. So, I emailed the maker and got the following response:

Thanks for your interest in our product. The Helium bike case will be available for purchase at many locations as well as online dealers by the end of January. We will email you or you can visit our web site for the official release and dealer locations.

Not exactly vaporware, but not exactly hardware yet either. I can't wait that long. So, I'll probably get something hard sided and see how this thing pans out in the market.

Circumnavigation

I rode around Lake Tahoe last weekend. I had done this once, probably 17 years ago, so my impression of the ride is totally different now. For one thing, it was a lot flatter than I remembered. Probably because many of the rides in my area begin with a steep climb to get out of the valley. Don't get me wrong, there's some real elevation change, it's just not really steep. Also, You don't spend as much time looking at the lake as I remembered. The scenery is all fantastic, but there's more mountain meadow, hillside and housing than I remember. The meadows and hillsides aren't new, but maybe the housing is. Anyway, I thought I'd write down some advice, partially to help myself remember, and partially as a trip report for others wishing to do the ride.

-Ride on a weekday. Summer weekends in Tahoe are very crowded.

-Ride on the lake side (go clockwise). In the steep sections around Emerald Bay, drivers are more likely looking at the lake than the ditch on the other side of the road.

-Start early. Beach traffic and thunderstorms are more likely in the afternoon.

-Bring a rain jacket and some arm warmers. I didn't need them, but as with any alpine travel, the weather can get exciting.

-There are lots of state parks and beaches where highways 267 and 89 meet the lake. Good spots for toilets and water.

-Incline Village has some city parks for water and the Nevada scenic overlook south of that is the last water source until the Cave Rock Area. You can avoid the highway for a bit on Lakeshore Blvd. in this area. Wish I'd known.

-There's a really fast descent down Higway 50 on the East side of the lake. This is an interstate but you can go really fast. I took up the right lane since there was another lane to pass me and no shoulder.

-Forget Stateline (South shore). It's a shoulderless, confused, drunken, gambling addicted urban driving scene. There may be a better way to go through the Tahoe Keys, but I couldn't find it and the bike path system is confusing and worthless. Make your stops before or after town and blast through.

-There's a cool historic site just past Stateline with water fountains, a nice beach and some giant stone and timber lodges built by rich San Franciscans at the turn of the last century. Good place to stop and snack before the big Emerald Bay inclines.

-The bike path on the West shore is a mess of strollers, kids with training wheels and people walking 3 abreast. Hardly good for riding. If the traffic is light, stay on the narrow shoulder, if not, the path crosses the road many times and you can get back on it. People appreciate it when you shout 'On your left!' more than being buzzed.

-There is a mile marker system that begins in Tahoe City and goes clockwise.

-Round trip, minus side routes ~72 miles. I averaged 15 mph and had a late lunch in the grocery store parking lot in Tahoe City. Total fuel consumed - 1/4 lb of G.O.R.P. and a Cliff Bar

Custom frame is now known as custom bike

Way back in October, I wrote about commissioning a custom lugged steel frame. Tonight was its maiden voyage. It's been a long road with a few building delays, some technical challenges and just plain finding the time, but I eventually got it built up with a carbon CX fork and the components off my Surly Pacer frame (which is for sale wink wink). The frame is just clear coated with Rustoleum Painters Touch Clear which I can't recommend because it creates a finish that is far too delicate for use on a bicycle. Sanding and polishing wasn't as easy as I thought it would be and as a result, it doesn't exactly look like a steel gem. There are also tiny spots of corrosion below the finish, the sort of thing you'd never see if it were painted. The inside of the frame is also coated for rust prevention.

There's only two colors for bike components as far as I'm concerned, black and silver. My black Campy Mirage gruppo made that easy. The front derailer was a bit of a challenge to adjust as the seat tube is a 74 deg, which isn't exactly compatible with the angling of the derailer cage. The first ride went pretty smoothly, and there may be a few small things to adjust (up with the handlebar, down with the seat post, rubbing rear brake pad, etc). The combo of the steel frame, carbon fork and 25mm tires made it feel like really smooth. There are also more handlebar spacers on it than I would like. Maybe for my next custom frame I'll go with a slanted top tube. That will probably be a while off though since I've got more bikes than I need right now in the mean time, maybe this one will take me up the hill to watch Stage 2 of the Tour of California this weekend.

Adventure Cyclocrossing

While riding my road bike down a local rural road, I found a mystery tunnel. It didn't have much of a path going to it, and went under a pretty major freeway, so I decided to come back with the cyclocross bike to follow it. I also checked it out with Google maps and Wikimapia and thought it might lead into a dirt path in a neighborhood on the other side, creating a neat road/dirt bike loop. Well, on my return visit, I found this:


Equestrian use only. Booo. This was found in an area so rich that people either drive their luxury cars, ride their horses or excercise in their home gyms, so I'm not going to hold out much hope that the path will ever be open to cyclists. Also, I dare not trespass, lest some very well connected resident call the authorities and have me sent to Guantanamo. In the mean time, it really whetted my appetite for some adventure cyclocrossing. The kind that goes from my doorstep, to a rural road, to a dirt road, to a trail and back to a road in a scenic loop.

The Bike Hut

The Northern California bike community is the recent recipient of some amazing generosity. Christine Pielenz and Bill Laven, owners of the enormous Potrero Nuevo Farm, have set up a rest stop specifically for bikers.  They own an organic farm and have dedicated a picnic area and garage to be a spot along the PCH where bikers can stop, get free water and eventually buy organic drinks and energy snacks.  Sometimes when you're riding out in the country, not everyone's very friendly to cyclists so that's pretty nice of them.  

Check it out, it's 1 mile inland of the coast on Tunitas Creek Road, just north of San Gregorio.

____________________

Just got an update from Bill.  They have made an email address just for the bike hut, thebikehut (at) potreronuevofarm.org  They're also soliciting feedback from you, the potential user.  What would you buy from them if you stopped?  Organic energy gel perhaps?  He also let me know that they would have a pump and such stuff for riders in need.

More thoughts on Fargo

I philosophized on the Salsa Fargo and thought I'd share it with the world.  The bike industry started out making transportation machines, then added racing machines to their line ups.  In the US, cars became huge, and so the transportation aspect of bicycling mostly dissapeared.  Companies were concerned with performance (or in the case of K-Mart dual suspension mountain bikes, the appearance of performance).  With expensive gas, the concept of a bicycle as a tool is returning and if a bicycle is a tool, the Fargo is a swiss army knife.  In Europe, cars are important, but not entirely necessary because of the dense cities and mass transit.  A fashionable, heavy, comfy bike like an Oma Fiets is perfect there.   The US doesn't have those things.  We have long distances, dirt trails and a cycling environment that is more of a battlefield than a civilized affair. Xtra cycles, and used mountain bikes with slicks are the way to roll around here.  I hope the Fargo does well, I hope that mass trasit makes accomodations for bringing more bikes on board, I hope more people buy touring bikes than RV's next year but most of all, I hope you get a chance to ride your bike today.

All hail the Fargo

Cyclingnews.com and their coverage of Eurobike 2008 have brought to my attention the Salsa Fargo. It's not particularly light or fast, it doesn't have 6 inches of suspension travel, and none of the materials it is made from have ever been launched into space. It is so boring it's exciting.

-29er wheels (so it might not be for everybody)
-tons of braze-ons
-disc brake tabs
-huge fender/tire clearance

Ride it on trails, ride it to work, ride it from the Pacific to the Atlantic, put a trailer on it and ride your kids to preschool. Have a set of road and a set of off road wheels and you could make do with just this one bike for everything.

Fan-fargo-tastic.

picture from salsacycles.com

Seen at Tour De Fat - Schwinn Varsity Restoration

I saw so many things at Tour De Fat Truckee, I have pictures galore and stories to tell. The first story is about a guy who rebuilt two Schwinn Varsity bikes. A yellow men's frame for himself and a green mixte frame for his lady. They were set up as perfect touring bikes with a Carradice style bag on the back, a triple up front and a comfortable position. Some of the really cool features included handlebar wrapping finished with cork and twine, the leather chainstay protector (also finished with twine) and the upgraded Shimano drivetrain. He was able to do this by getting a bottom bracket shim to fit a late model BB and a by using a rate changing pulley on the rear derailler to drop make an 8 speed shifter work. I'll have to learn more about those parts later. For now, just enjoy the pictures.

Picture showing bottom bracket shim adapter and leather wrapped chainstay.

Picture showing pulley cable rate changer.