New game: grind hard during commercials.
Also, sweaty hands on iPhone probably voiding warranty.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Damp Clementines
Last Thursday as I was rolling down my driveway (on a bicycle, not like this) to begin my commute to work. At that very moment, the Basset Hounds Sunning Themselves Weather Index, BHSTWI, took a nasty turn from overcast to "go back inside, point your junk skyward and fall fast asleep", as shown here by my dog Gunther.
Stellar example indeed.
Side note: Basset Hounds are the rat-rod cruisers of dogs; low, slow, not what one would call intelligent, but awesome nonetheless.
Anyway, the BHSTWI went from tolerable to bad, junk skyward, etc. Long story short, it started raining.
At this point, I was about two blocks and a dismount from taking the bus to work, but Liquid Swords were coursing through my earbud (I only ever ride with one) and I thought "I can beat it"
I can beat it?
Really? Water falling from the sky? You can beat it?
No.
No matter how fast you ride, and no matter how much Wu-Tang you have in your one earbud, you cannot beat the rain. Thankfully, it wasn't that bad, I was on the fixie so my pretty new Surly didn't get dirty, I didn't have my laptop in my backpack, and everything else survived the 4 mile trip. My clementines did get a little damp though. Feel free to read into that as much as you care to.
After arriving at work, I set up a shanty town of drying clothes in a recently abandoned cubicle near mine, started up a little space heater, and began dousing the entire floor with wafting odors of drying cycling clothes. It was like having Gunther a cubicle away, all day.
Lessons learned: GZA makes you overconfident, you can't outrun the rain, and every now and then a slightly rainy commute isn't a bad thing.
Stellar example indeed.
Side note: Basset Hounds are the rat-rod cruisers of dogs; low, slow, not what one would call intelligent, but awesome nonetheless.
Anyway, the BHSTWI went from tolerable to bad, junk skyward, etc. Long story short, it started raining.
At this point, I was about two blocks and a dismount from taking the bus to work, but Liquid Swords were coursing through my earbud (I only ever ride with one) and I thought "I can beat it"
I can beat it?
Really? Water falling from the sky? You can beat it?
No.
No matter how fast you ride, and no matter how much Wu-Tang you have in your one earbud, you cannot beat the rain. Thankfully, it wasn't that bad, I was on the fixie so my pretty new Surly didn't get dirty, I didn't have my laptop in my backpack, and everything else survived the 4 mile trip. My clementines did get a little damp though. Feel free to read into that as much as you care to.
After arriving at work, I set up a shanty town of drying clothes in a recently abandoned cubicle near mine, started up a little space heater, and began dousing the entire floor with wafting odors of drying cycling clothes. It was like having Gunther a cubicle away, all day.
Lessons learned: GZA makes you overconfident, you can't outrun the rain, and every now and then a slightly rainy commute isn't a bad thing.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Good News Bad News
First the good news, which also happens to be the bike related portion. The weather is getting a little better here in Denver. My preferred weather forcast system is the Basset Hounds Sunning Themselves Weather Index, BHSTWI, which I use to judge if I should ride a bike or take the bus to work.
Here's Mona and Gunther telling me to mount up on the Surly, save the bus fare and spend it on a sugar cookie.
I took a bit of time and got the rest of the stable ready to ride as well.
Left to right, the 29er, the Dirt Jumper, (the disassembled GT frame in the background), and the Fixie. I've been riding the fixie when the BHSTWI doesn't look so good. I'll probably ride the 29er if I feel like braving the rain. I'm still debating taking the Dirt Jumper to work and leaving it there to get around on campus. I've been running from building to building a lot recently, and it would be nice to have it there to huck around.
In the meantime, during the week, I've been riding the Surly indoors. Not really that fun, but at least I can catch up the Colbert Report.
Next and last, the bad news. My beloved Saab broke down with a blown head gasket. I'm going to be riding a lot more in the coming weeks due to the fact that I'll be doing the work myself. Hopefully I'll be able to do it without setting the car on fire in the process.
At least bikes don't have head gaskets.
Here's Mona and Gunther telling me to mount up on the Surly, save the bus fare and spend it on a sugar cookie.
I took a bit of time and got the rest of the stable ready to ride as well.
Left to right, the 29er, the Dirt Jumper, (the disassembled GT frame in the background), and the Fixie. I've been riding the fixie when the BHSTWI doesn't look so good. I'll probably ride the 29er if I feel like braving the rain. I'm still debating taking the Dirt Jumper to work and leaving it there to get around on campus. I've been running from building to building a lot recently, and it would be nice to have it there to huck around.
In the meantime, during the week, I've been riding the Surly indoors. Not really that fun, but at least I can catch up the Colbert Report.
Next and last, the bad news. My beloved Saab broke down with a blown head gasket. I'm going to be riding a lot more in the coming weeks due to the fact that I'll be doing the work myself. Hopefully I'll be able to do it without setting the car on fire in the process.
At least bikes don't have head gaskets.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Surly! Finished! Woo!
So I managed to squirrel some time away and finish building my Surly! And by "some time" I mean it took me several hours to do what someone with better looks, motor skills, and record collection could have in about 45 minutes.
Tuning derailleurs is hard. No wonder all the busy hipsters ride fixies (I assume their schedule is pretty packed, researching bands that just formed, broke up, and released posthumous EPs), no derailleurs means the bike takes minutes to assemble! (please ignore the fact that I do indeed own a fixie, love it, and spent hours, days, and scores (That's a unit of time, right? (Abe Lincoln said so!)) swapping parts and getting it just right). I probably better throw an extra end parenthesis up there just to be sure I finished it out. )
Ok so let's see...
I bought shoes for what to use on the new pedals!
They are considerably more shiny than my current footwear.
The new Shimano shoes are nice, light, and fit really well. I kind of have a love affair (don't worry, the bikes aren't jealous) with low-end (read: cheap) Shimano pedals and shoes. Next post will be about that. Oh yeah, spoiler alert, sorry to ruin it for you, three people that read this that are not my wife.
Clipping in and out of these newfangled pedals will take a little getting used to. And by a little getting used to, it means that I am going to fall over when I stop at a stoplight. At least once. I guess that could be cured by never stopping at stoplights, but RTD busses, pickup trucks, and hospital bills would be the new thing to get used to in that scenario.
You know you listened to too much (or just enough?) A Tribe Called Quest when you grew up when you type the word "scenario" and hear that song in your head.
Sorry, that has nothing to do with bikes.
I bought the extra parts I was missing...
(That's where my butt goes! S5 saddle from my new favorite bike company, Neuvation)
... some Thai food...
(Mmmmmm... sesame tofu. Pro tip, keep a fork in your garage. Since I am un-pro, and I was too lazy to go inside and get a fork, I ate my tofu with my hands, the way Jebus intended. I am not a proud man, but I am usually hungry.)
...and set about to finish the build.
After fighting the rear derailleur for about an hour, I decided to take a break and wrap the bars.
I can just hear that white bar tape getting dirty from here. I did a little stripe with gaffer tape (again, thank you Colorado Film School) to hold the tape that came with the bar tape. Tape.
I don't think I've ever had the tape that comes in the box hold sufficiently. I usually just throw it away and reach for the gaffer tape, but this time I wanted to use it because it looked nice.
So, here we have the bike, completely assembled, almost ready to ride.
Looking good! You can hardly see the sesame tofu residue from here.
I rode around for a bit, and messed with the shifters and got the bike to the point where it was ready to ride to work. My commute is only 4 miles one way, so if something went horribly wrong and the bike wouldn't shift, I wouldn't have a problem making it the rest of the way in one gear. That's assuming that the bike stays in one piece though.
Anyway, the ride to work was nice, the brake and derailleur cables broke in a bit, and I have to say, this frame rides really nice; I think Surly is on to something. If you can't afford carbon, by all means, buy one of these.
I have to admit, I feel a bit like a foreigner in this road bike world. I am not looking forward to my first lycra purchase. All those years of making fun of the roadies for smuggling plums, and look where I end up. I guess I pretty much set those wheels in motion as soon as I started making fun of them. Oh, irony, so iron-ey.
The day after the ride to work, I put the bike on the trainer in my basement and set out to watch some television. That's something road bikers do, right? They ride indoors when it is dark and/or cold out? Anyway, after about 30 minutes on the trainer, I came to the conclusion that I needed a shorter stem. I kept finding my hands set back about 2cm (metric system!) on my brake hoods, instead of where they should have been. Thankfully, since I am a bike parts whore, I had a shorter stem already. I swapped it out and now I think the fit is set.
I'm excited. It's nice to build it and ride it, even if it takes more time and effort. I'm really looking forward to trying to keep up with my buddy JimmyJam on some road rides.
Here's to summer and riding bikes with friends!
Tuning derailleurs is hard. No wonder all the busy hipsters ride fixies (I assume their schedule is pretty packed, researching bands that just formed, broke up, and released posthumous EPs), no derailleurs means the bike takes minutes to assemble! (please ignore the fact that I do indeed own a fixie, love it, and spent hours, days, and scores (That's a unit of time, right? (Abe Lincoln said so!)) swapping parts and getting it just right). I probably better throw an extra end parenthesis up there just to be sure I finished it out. )
Ok so let's see...
I bought shoes for what to use on the new pedals!
They are considerably more shiny than my current footwear.
The new Shimano shoes are nice, light, and fit really well. I kind of have a love affair (don't worry, the bikes aren't jealous) with low-end (read: cheap) Shimano pedals and shoes. Next post will be about that. Oh yeah, spoiler alert, sorry to ruin it for you, three people that read this that are not my wife.
Clipping in and out of these newfangled pedals will take a little getting used to. And by a little getting used to, it means that I am going to fall over when I stop at a stoplight. At least once. I guess that could be cured by never stopping at stoplights, but RTD busses, pickup trucks, and hospital bills would be the new thing to get used to in that scenario.
You know you listened to too much (or just enough?) A Tribe Called Quest when you grew up when you type the word "scenario" and hear that song in your head.
Sorry, that has nothing to do with bikes.
I bought the extra parts I was missing...
(That's where my butt goes! S5 saddle from my new favorite bike company, Neuvation)
... some Thai food...
(Mmmmmm... sesame tofu. Pro tip, keep a fork in your garage. Since I am un-pro, and I was too lazy to go inside and get a fork, I ate my tofu with my hands, the way Jebus intended. I am not a proud man, but I am usually hungry.)
...and set about to finish the build.
After fighting the rear derailleur for about an hour, I decided to take a break and wrap the bars.
I can just hear that white bar tape getting dirty from here. I did a little stripe with gaffer tape (again, thank you Colorado Film School) to hold the tape that came with the bar tape. Tape.
I don't think I've ever had the tape that comes in the box hold sufficiently. I usually just throw it away and reach for the gaffer tape, but this time I wanted to use it because it looked nice.
So, here we have the bike, completely assembled, almost ready to ride.
Looking good! You can hardly see the sesame tofu residue from here.
I rode around for a bit, and messed with the shifters and got the bike to the point where it was ready to ride to work. My commute is only 4 miles one way, so if something went horribly wrong and the bike wouldn't shift, I wouldn't have a problem making it the rest of the way in one gear. That's assuming that the bike stays in one piece though.
Anyway, the ride to work was nice, the brake and derailleur cables broke in a bit, and I have to say, this frame rides really nice; I think Surly is on to something. If you can't afford carbon, by all means, buy one of these.
I have to admit, I feel a bit like a foreigner in this road bike world. I am not looking forward to my first lycra purchase. All those years of making fun of the roadies for smuggling plums, and look where I end up. I guess I pretty much set those wheels in motion as soon as I started making fun of them. Oh, irony, so iron-ey.
The day after the ride to work, I put the bike on the trainer in my basement and set out to watch some television. That's something road bikers do, right? They ride indoors when it is dark and/or cold out? Anyway, after about 30 minutes on the trainer, I came to the conclusion that I needed a shorter stem. I kept finding my hands set back about 2cm (metric system!) on my brake hoods, instead of where they should have been. Thankfully, since I am a bike parts whore, I had a shorter stem already. I swapped it out and now I think the fit is set.
I'm excited. It's nice to build it and ride it, even if it takes more time and effort. I'm really looking forward to trying to keep up with my buddy JimmyJam on some road rides.
Here's to summer and riding bikes with friends!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
New Build - Surly Pacer - More Stuff, and the Parts I Forgot to Order!
I made some more progress late Wednesday bolting things to the Surly.
Braze on front derailleurs are a thing that I've heard of. I don't think SRAM is making any front derailleurs that have a clamp size of my Surly (28.6, or something like that), so I ordered an adapter. It mounts up nice and cleanly enough.
The crank looks nice all mounted and stuff too!
Which reminds me, let's make a list of the stuff I forgot to buy.
Bottom Bracket Tool
Top Cap for the Headset - This is kind of necessary. To keep the fork from coming off while I am riding. Which would kill me.
Bar Tape
Seat - Saddle, whatever you want to call it, I'd call it important. Bought one from Neuvation today. I didn't necessarily forget to buy a seat, but I couldn't decide on one until today. Given the price and quality of the wheel I got from them, I'm sure the saddle will be up to snuff, and I see myself buying a bunch of stuff from them in the future.
Yeah, so I bought that stuff on the eBays and internets last night and today. If it all comes together, I might be able to finish the bike by next weekend, which would be cool.
Anyway, back to the build.
Pro tip, here's how you keep your frame from getting scratched in your work stand.
I know this, by moving it in the stand without it, and scuffing my paint. Damn. It isn't bad, probably buff out.
Second pro tip, if you don't have a stem and bars mounted, the fork can swing around and cause your newly-installed brakes to slam into your frame, chipping the paint or denting it. I saw this one coming, so I'm sure I'll have another mistake make it's way into my garage at an unspecified later date. Anyway, I put a few pieces of gaffer tape (thank you, Colorado Film School) on the downtube to protect it.
iPhone 3GS, could you be any worse at macro photography? No. Your lens might as well be waxed paper.
So here's where we are at now
and a box of trash
Tires! I forgot to buy tires! How do I even get dressed in the morning? Anyone have a recommendation for a 23c road tire for the natty Colorado roads?
Braze on front derailleurs are a thing that I've heard of. I don't think SRAM is making any front derailleurs that have a clamp size of my Surly (28.6, or something like that), so I ordered an adapter. It mounts up nice and cleanly enough.
The crank looks nice all mounted and stuff too!
Which reminds me, let's make a list of the stuff I forgot to buy.
Bottom Bracket Tool
Top Cap for the Headset - This is kind of necessary. To keep the fork from coming off while I am riding. Which would kill me.
Bar Tape
Seat - Saddle, whatever you want to call it, I'd call it important. Bought one from Neuvation today. I didn't necessarily forget to buy a seat, but I couldn't decide on one until today. Given the price and quality of the wheel I got from them, I'm sure the saddle will be up to snuff, and I see myself buying a bunch of stuff from them in the future.
Yeah, so I bought that stuff on the eBays and internets last night and today. If it all comes together, I might be able to finish the bike by next weekend, which would be cool.
Anyway, back to the build.
Pro tip, here's how you keep your frame from getting scratched in your work stand.
I know this, by moving it in the stand without it, and scuffing my paint. Damn. It isn't bad, probably buff out.
Second pro tip, if you don't have a stem and bars mounted, the fork can swing around and cause your newly-installed brakes to slam into your frame, chipping the paint or denting it. I saw this one coming, so I'm sure I'll have another mistake make it's way into my garage at an unspecified later date. Anyway, I put a few pieces of gaffer tape (thank you, Colorado Film School) on the downtube to protect it.
iPhone 3GS, could you be any worse at macro photography? No. Your lens might as well be waxed paper.
So here's where we are at now
and a box of trash
Tires! I forgot to buy tires! How do I even get dressed in the morning? Anyone have a recommendation for a 23c road tire for the natty Colorado roads?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
New Build - Surly Pacer - Full of AWESOME!
Tileocalypse (our kitchen tiling project) finished a little early this evening, so I was able to work on the Surly. Today was the day that I actually started bolting parts to the frame! I almost forgot that's what you do when you buy a bike frame and one million parts from the internet.
Speaking of the internet, she delivered more parts unto me this week.
From Nashbar-
And from the Amazons-
So, I put the frame in my work stand...
...and set about making mistakes and ruining things.
First part bolted on was easy enough, the rear derailleur. I'm still amazed at how lightweight this thing is.
I installed the seatpost, or butt-stick, depending on if you plan on using a seat or not.
I also installed the crank and bottom bracket. I went with SRAM's Apex compact crankset for two reasons. It's something I can afford, and it's actually good.
Black like my soul. First problem I ran into was that I had some grit in the bottom bracket threads, but I cleaned it out and re-greased everything, and it all threaded together cleanly. Second problem is that I do not have the correct tool to install the bottom bracket, so everything is hand-tightened at this point.
Next came the brakes.
I need those. I use those to keep from hitting things and bursting into flames. That's how the conservation of energy works, right? Haven't had a physics class for a while.
The brakes kind of make me want to get up on my soap box for a bit, so bear with me as I take a detour from almost funny to preachy....
The decision to go with SRAM Rival brakes was not a hard one. You simply cannot beat them for the price and weight. For those that don't know, SRAM's components go like this:
Apex - Cheapest and heaviest. This is also their newest line, and it's been well reviewed so far. This is the stuff I can actually afford.
Rival - This used to be SRAM's entry level until they released Apex. This set of components is one of the best reviewed and well received things I've ever seen. Guys that I know that simply do not compromise on their components still have a Rival component here and there.
Force - Better than Rival, not as good as Red.
Red - Red is the best, made of pure awesome and steez. Can't afford it, not going to dwell on it, so that's that. It's not what I'm about. If I could have it, it would be nice, but not having it is sure not going to stop me from loving the hell out of my bikes.
Anyway, enough about that stuff. Rival brakes are awesome, crazy light, and even crazier light for 80 dollars for a set. They weigh 288 grams. SRAM Red brakes cost around 300 dollars and weigh 265 grams. That's 220 dollars to save 23 grams. This is the crazy world of cycling components. I still don't understand it.
More later. Need sleepy.
Speaking of the internet, she delivered more parts unto me this week.
From Nashbar-
And from the Amazons-
So, I put the frame in my work stand...
...and set about making mistakes and ruining things.
First part bolted on was easy enough, the rear derailleur. I'm still amazed at how lightweight this thing is.
I installed the seatpost, or butt-stick, depending on if you plan on using a seat or not.
I also installed the crank and bottom bracket. I went with SRAM's Apex compact crankset for two reasons. It's something I can afford, and it's actually good.
Black like my soul. First problem I ran into was that I had some grit in the bottom bracket threads, but I cleaned it out and re-greased everything, and it all threaded together cleanly. Second problem is that I do not have the correct tool to install the bottom bracket, so everything is hand-tightened at this point.
Next came the brakes.
I need those. I use those to keep from hitting things and bursting into flames. That's how the conservation of energy works, right? Haven't had a physics class for a while.
The brakes kind of make me want to get up on my soap box for a bit, so bear with me as I take a detour from almost funny to preachy....
The decision to go with SRAM Rival brakes was not a hard one. You simply cannot beat them for the price and weight. For those that don't know, SRAM's components go like this:
Apex - Cheapest and heaviest. This is also their newest line, and it's been well reviewed so far. This is the stuff I can actually afford.
Rival - This used to be SRAM's entry level until they released Apex. This set of components is one of the best reviewed and well received things I've ever seen. Guys that I know that simply do not compromise on their components still have a Rival component here and there.
Force - Better than Rival, not as good as Red.
Red - Red is the best, made of pure awesome and steez. Can't afford it, not going to dwell on it, so that's that. It's not what I'm about. If I could have it, it would be nice, but not having it is sure not going to stop me from loving the hell out of my bikes.
Anyway, enough about that stuff. Rival brakes are awesome, crazy light, and even crazier light for 80 dollars for a set. They weigh 288 grams. SRAM Red brakes cost around 300 dollars and weigh 265 grams. That's 220 dollars to save 23 grams. This is the crazy world of cycling components. I still don't understand it.
More later. Need sleepy.
Monday, March 14, 2011
New Build - Surly Pacer - Delivery Part Deux!
Warning, my garage is messy. You try remodeling a house front to back, working on a bunch of bikes, and keeping a 14 year old Saab running, then see what happens.
Anyway, three boxes!
Two biggies and one wee one.
First biggie would be the front wheel, from Nashbar and picked up on sale for 30 bucks! I'm pretty amazed at the weight and hub quality for the price. I might have to order another one for the hipster trendy fixie machine.
Being a bigger guy, I've learned to put my money into the rear wheel of my bikes. Fixie's front wheel is a 15 dollar radial laced thingy picked up from Veloswap, BUT the rear wheel is a Mavic Open Sport, 36 spoke, and hand built by the good folks at Salvagetti. It's super true and has taken one hell of a beating so far.
Given that I know to put the money in the back (there's a Miami Bass song title in that line somewhere), the second big box is from Neuvation.
That would be an M28 Aero rear wheel, picked up on sale as well, for 150 bucks. Bladed spokes! Wow. This thing looks waaay cooler up close and in person. Except for the decals; those will have to go. I typically strip the decals off of just about everything I get, then build up a new layer of Venture Brothers, Pablo's Coffee, Red Fang, and Nintendo-themed stickers to get it back up to sticker quota.
The hub on the Neuvation spins butter smooth too. Just to be safe, I put extra butter on it to make sure it was topped off. If you pass me while I'm on this bike, which you will, and you get a hankering ("hankering" is in spell check ?(!)) for popcorn, now you'll know why.
After reading reviews online, my wheel choice for the back was down to two, the Neuvation or a Forte Titan (or Titan Forte, can't recall if it is a thing a titan is good at, or a description of how metaphorical someone's specialty is). Both apparently come off of the same production line, but the Neuvation is built to a higher spec, and seems to get the endorsement of larger riders like myself. That's all I really needed to hear, "buy the Neuvation if you're a big guy".
If you tell me you like donuts AND you like a certain bicycle component, then I will heed your word, husky fellow (sorry for calling you husky). Knowing that in the cycling world my double-benjamin weight makes me Shamu-esque makes me want to punch someone (smaller than me).
Third box, the little guy, is a cable and housing kit from Jenson.
Exciting, I know. Expecially because I don't have handlebars, brakes, or a front derailleur to connect my shifters to. Also it looks like I accidentally ordered white housing. Guess I'll keep the white shifter hoods and maybe look for a white saddle. Oh well. Should look nice against the green frame, and if not, then I'll go running back to the internets to order things that match the color of my black little soul.
Speaking of the internets, I just got an email that let me know my handlebars, stem, and pedals shipped! Yay!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
New Build - Surly Pacer - Delivery!
Mailbag! Mailbag! I came home from work to find three packages. Oh boy, bike parts!
Let's see what we have first:
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on Blu-Ray. Not quite sure how to install this on the bike, but it is a great movie! I hope there are some bike parts in the other boxes.
This looks promising...
Let's see what is inside!
A SRAM Force rear derailleur. Used. That's the only way I could afford one. This is probably one of the two best components that will be going on the bike, the other being a Neuvation rear wheel.
I'm not one for carbon fiber lust, but look....carbon fiber! I think it makes me a better rider and adds 50 horsepower.
Wait, there's another box!
Let's see what is inside.
Ooo, this looks like the shifters.
Yep, this be they. Another eBay purchase, and another part with carbon fiber. 100 horsepower all the time! The only thing I'm not hip to is the white hoods. You can hear them getting dirtier in the picture. I ordered some black ones to replace these. Those hide my dirt, but not my lack of riding talent, calf muscles, or gingerness.
So far, the only part I can install on the frame is the rear derailleur and the Scott Pilgrim movie.
Speaking of installing parts, I'm not going to be able to actually put the bike together until some time next week. My wife and I are going to pull a long weekend and install a tile floor in our kitchen. I'm not great at putting bikes together, and probably worse at doing things that are actually important, like home remodeling.
Wish me luck.
Let's see what we have first:
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on Blu-Ray. Not quite sure how to install this on the bike, but it is a great movie! I hope there are some bike parts in the other boxes.
This looks promising...
Let's see what is inside!
A SRAM Force rear derailleur. Used. That's the only way I could afford one. This is probably one of the two best components that will be going on the bike, the other being a Neuvation rear wheel.
I'm not one for carbon fiber lust, but look....carbon fiber! I think it makes me a better rider and adds 50 horsepower.
Wait, there's another box!
Let's see what is inside.
Ooo, this looks like the shifters.
Yep, this be they. Another eBay purchase, and another part with carbon fiber. 100 horsepower all the time! The only thing I'm not hip to is the white hoods. You can hear them getting dirtier in the picture. I ordered some black ones to replace these. Those hide my dirt, but not my lack of riding talent, calf muscles, or gingerness.
So far, the only part I can install on the frame is the rear derailleur and the Scott Pilgrim movie.
Speaking of installing parts, I'm not going to be able to actually put the bike together until some time next week. My wife and I are going to pull a long weekend and install a tile floor in our kitchen. I'm not great at putting bikes together, and probably worse at doing things that are actually important, like home remodeling.
Wish me luck.
New Build - Surly Pacer - Frame Selection
I picked up a gorgeous Surly Pacer frame from Craigslist. I'm not going to say that my reasoning is sound, or that you should do what I do. Never do that. At any time during this process. Can't stress that enough. On to the topic at hand:
I had some concerns about the size, 62cm, but after talking to the seller, we came to the conclusion that he was basically my bearded, non-ginger doppelganger; identical height and even inseam (he seemed put off that I brought my ruler to check, but you have to be through).
I was going back and forth on looking for a used complete bike versus building something up myself. Yes, it is always fun to build up the bike yourself, and yes, it can be more expensive. I just couldn't seem to find a bike in my size (Sasquatch) with the components I wanted. Unfortunately, I am up to speed on my component options, enough to be picky. Yes, we all want SRAM Red. No, we cannot afford SRAM Red. SRAM Red is like bigfoot to me, I've seen blurry pictures, and heard mumblings and yarns from the villagers, but have never had the luxury of laying eyes on (owning) some of my very own. Building the frame up allows me to choose which components I could skimp on (almost everything), and which ones I could get and barely afford.
As for the frame, I was contemplating an aluminum/carbon mix from Nashbar, which was on sale. I ended up deciding against it and going for the steel Surly for two reasons. Steel is awesome and rides like butter. Surly bikes are awesome and I've wanted to own one since I discovered the brand.
I have long abandoned the idea that you can have one bike that truly does it all. Not to say that I was looking for one, but I don't think I'll ever find one. Yes, some bikes are more versatile than others, Nothing is as fun or huckable as my Atomlab, nothing makes me look as pretentious and trendy as my fixie, and nothing reminds me that I have no lungs and couldn't climb the slope of a spork like my 29er. That said, I didn't have a bike that was good for long road rides. I've done some long rides on my fixie, long rides on a fixie for me is about 40 miles. I want to (try to) ride further than that. The Pacer is a bit more versatile than my other bikes. It can run up to 32 mm tires, 28 with fenders, hell it can run fenders. I plan on setting it up with 23 mm tires to start, and setting it up for distance road rides.
The frame came with the Surly fork, seatpost clamp and a headset. All of which I will be keeping until I decide to swap the fork out for something made out of carbon and pixie dust. The headset will stay until it starts to grind, then stay a while longer, and longer still, until I find something on sale (Cane Creek S3 or Chris King) to replace it.
I'm looking forward to building this up. I should be getting some components in the mail today.
I had some concerns about the size, 62cm, but after talking to the seller, we came to the conclusion that he was basically my bearded, non-ginger doppelganger; identical height and even inseam (he seemed put off that I brought my ruler to check, but you have to be through).
I was going back and forth on looking for a used complete bike versus building something up myself. Yes, it is always fun to build up the bike yourself, and yes, it can be more expensive. I just couldn't seem to find a bike in my size (Sasquatch) with the components I wanted. Unfortunately, I am up to speed on my component options, enough to be picky. Yes, we all want SRAM Red. No, we cannot afford SRAM Red. SRAM Red is like bigfoot to me, I've seen blurry pictures, and heard mumblings and yarns from the villagers, but have never had the luxury of laying eyes on (owning) some of my very own. Building the frame up allows me to choose which components I could skimp on (almost everything), and which ones I could get and barely afford.
As for the frame, I was contemplating an aluminum/carbon mix from Nashbar, which was on sale. I ended up deciding against it and going for the steel Surly for two reasons. Steel is awesome and rides like butter. Surly bikes are awesome and I've wanted to own one since I discovered the brand.
I have long abandoned the idea that you can have one bike that truly does it all. Not to say that I was looking for one, but I don't think I'll ever find one. Yes, some bikes are more versatile than others, Nothing is as fun or huckable as my Atomlab, nothing makes me look as pretentious and trendy as my fixie, and nothing reminds me that I have no lungs and couldn't climb the slope of a spork like my 29er. That said, I didn't have a bike that was good for long road rides. I've done some long rides on my fixie, long rides on a fixie for me is about 40 miles. I want to (try to) ride further than that. The Pacer is a bit more versatile than my other bikes. It can run up to 32 mm tires, 28 with fenders, hell it can run fenders. I plan on setting it up with 23 mm tires to start, and setting it up for distance road rides.
The frame came with the Surly fork, seatpost clamp and a headset. All of which I will be keeping until I decide to swap the fork out for something made out of carbon and pixie dust. The headset will stay until it starts to grind, then stay a while longer, and longer still, until I find something on sale (Cane Creek S3 or Chris King) to replace it.
I'm looking forward to building this up. I should be getting some components in the mail today.
Let's Face the Facts
It was finally time to add a road bike to my stable, and since this will by my 4th bike, I've come to accept the fact that I am a bike polygamist.
So far the flock includes:
The obligatory trendy hipster fixie
an SE Lager bought WAAAAY back in two thousand and seven. It looks a bit different now, drop bars, and blacked out. The only original parts are the frame, fork, and headset. Everything else that came with it has broken, or caught fire, and subsequently replaced with the insurance money from said fire. I enjoy this bike quite a bit; it's nothing special, but it's low maintenance and fun to ride.
Up next is the dirt jumper...
...an Atomlab Traildigger. This bike reminds me that I will never be able to bunny hop more than 2 inches off of the ground, and that I will never huck the gnar steez triple endo, but that's OK. It's the bike I ride when I just want to hop on something and get an espresso, and/or thai food, then usually more espresso, then urgently find a bathroom. Honestly, this bike makes me feel like a kid again. Pure fun.
Then came the 29er...
...a Specialized M4 (I don't know what that means) 29er (I know what that means); shown here in it's native habitat, also known as my cubicle.
My buddy Jim and I are quite possibly the worst mountain bikers ever, so bad, that I tried to mountain bike on the Atomlab for a season, and realized that riding a single-speed adult-sized BMX is quite possibly the most punishing way to climb a hill, let alone tackle a 35 mile ride on the Colorado Trail in which we almost died in the forest. Twice. Maybe three times. It got fuzzy and dark for a while there. Now that I have a proper mountain bike we've been on a few mountain rides, and I am happy to say, have not died. Well, Jim died, but just for a minute or two. This bike brought me back to the reality that is a geared drivetrain. Yes, it takes more maintenance, and yes, it is more expensive, but the versatility simply cannot be replaced at my skill level (low to lower than low). I'm sure there are people out there riding single-speed MTBs that could drop me on a climb like a sack of metaphors, but I am OK with that.
Then came the Surly
I made a little extra money (I wasn't turning tricks, I swear. Are you a cop? You know if you are a cop, you have to tell me, right?), and decided to spend it on a road bike. Several of my friends are roadies, and in fact, Jim is an amazing road biker. Certainly not the worst ever, far from it! I'd like to go on some road rides with my friends, and see if I can do one of these century rides that they are always yapping about. The following entries will document the build process, my mistakes, some small house fires, hospital visits, and hopefully result in a complete bike that a human could ride.
So far the flock includes:
The obligatory trendy hipster fixie
an SE Lager bought WAAAAY back in two thousand and seven. It looks a bit different now, drop bars, and blacked out. The only original parts are the frame, fork, and headset. Everything else that came with it has broken, or caught fire, and subsequently replaced with the insurance money from said fire. I enjoy this bike quite a bit; it's nothing special, but it's low maintenance and fun to ride.
Up next is the dirt jumper...
...an Atomlab Traildigger. This bike reminds me that I will never be able to bunny hop more than 2 inches off of the ground, and that I will never huck the gnar steez triple endo, but that's OK. It's the bike I ride when I just want to hop on something and get an espresso, and/or thai food, then usually more espresso, then urgently find a bathroom. Honestly, this bike makes me feel like a kid again. Pure fun.
Then came the 29er...
...a Specialized M4 (I don't know what that means) 29er (I know what that means); shown here in it's native habitat, also known as my cubicle.
My buddy Jim and I are quite possibly the worst mountain bikers ever, so bad, that I tried to mountain bike on the Atomlab for a season, and realized that riding a single-speed adult-sized BMX is quite possibly the most punishing way to climb a hill, let alone tackle a 35 mile ride on the Colorado Trail in which we almost died in the forest. Twice. Maybe three times. It got fuzzy and dark for a while there. Now that I have a proper mountain bike we've been on a few mountain rides, and I am happy to say, have not died. Well, Jim died, but just for a minute or two. This bike brought me back to the reality that is a geared drivetrain. Yes, it takes more maintenance, and yes, it is more expensive, but the versatility simply cannot be replaced at my skill level (low to lower than low). I'm sure there are people out there riding single-speed MTBs that could drop me on a climb like a sack of metaphors, but I am OK with that.
Then came the Surly
I made a little extra money (I wasn't turning tricks, I swear. Are you a cop? You know if you are a cop, you have to tell me, right?), and decided to spend it on a road bike. Several of my friends are roadies, and in fact, Jim is an amazing road biker. Certainly not the worst ever, far from it! I'd like to go on some road rides with my friends, and see if I can do one of these century rides that they are always yapping about. The following entries will document the build process, my mistakes, some small house fires, hospital visits, and hopefully result in a complete bike that a human could ride.
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