Gritty to Pretty: the Lovely Donation Bike!

I am pleased to report that the refurbished vintage donation touring bike - also known as "the roadbike for women who fear roadbikes" - is ready! As often happens with these things, the project took longer than I anticipated. In the end we did not have time to put the bicycle together ourselves, and I entrusted the job to the saintly Jim at Harris Cyclery - which contributed the labor pro bono and donated the remaining parts my build was missing, thus becoming a sponsor of this project along with Velo Orange. My sincere thanks to them, as well as to all readers who contributed parts and funds to this effort. This is not yet the official give-away announcement, as I first wanted to show off some pictures and describe the bicycle in detail. I hope you like it!

So what exactly is this bicycle... It began as a vintage Shogun 400 touring bike that looked like this when I picked it up, but has been rebuilt from the frame up. When I spotted the original bike, I immediately thought it had potential. The early '80s Japanese cro-moly frame with relaxed geometry promised a comfortable, "Rivendell-esque" ride. And, despite the fairly small size (52cm), it looked like there would be no toe overlap, even with fenders. As many know, it is extremely difficult to find a roadbike in a small size, with relaxed geometry and no toe overlap - be it modern or vintage - which is what makes some of these unassuming vintage Japanese frames special. My idea was to start with such a frame and build it up with comfortable, functional components - ending up with an unintimidating "starter" roadbike that a beginner would be able to learn on without undue nervousness or discomfort.

The biggest priority was the handlebar set-up. When women tell me they cannot ride vintage roadbikes, much of the time this turns out to be because the handlebars are uncomfortable - lacking a sufficient "shoulder" area. Those who are new to drop bars often assume that they are all the same, but in fact there are dozens of models, with subtle variations in shape. I chose the Nitto Randonneur handlebars for this bike, which have long, flat "shoulders" and a slight, ergonomic flare to them that most cyclists find extremely comfortable, particularly on long rides.

I also chose modern Tektro short-reach brake levers, which are easy to squeeze from the top, even for those with weak hands.

Finally, I chose Silver bar-end shifters, which are much, much easier to use than downtube shifters and less awkward than stem shifters.

The leather handlebar tape is by Velo Orange. I had never tried it before and was glad to discover that it has a softer, more matte texture to it that Brooks leather tape (which I personally find a little too slippery).

Velo Orange Model 3 touring saddle. Saddle comfort is one of these things that is different for everyone, but I have to say that (somewhat to my surprise) I found this one more comfortable than the Brooks B17s I once owned. The leather is very different from Brooks leather, and I cannot speak for its longevity or durability. But for me, there was no "breaking in" period, and no pressure on sensitive body parts. I will soon write a review of this saddle with additional details.

Velo Orange hammered fenders, their pattern of indentations resembling a honeycomb. Later I will also post a comparison between the VO and Honjo versions of hammered fenders.

Velo Orange also provided the headset and their Grand Cru double crankset. It was exciting when these cranksets came out, because they are classically shaped yet affordable. Personally, I find the looks of chunky modern cranksets rather depressing, so it's wonderful that these are an option. I have not ridden with them except during my test rides of this bike, but I welcome readers who've owned them to provide feedback. The pedals included are MKS Touring pedals, which I have on most of my bikes and love.

The wheels are 27" touring wheels from the early '80s - a slightly nicer and cleaner version than the ones originally on the bike. The tires are the puncture-resistant Panaracer Pasela Tourguards. The headset, bottom bracket, chain, brakes, and front derailleur have all been replaced with modern components.

The rear cassette and derailleur are pretty much the only components that were left original. They are in good condition, but the downside is that the bicycle is only a 12 speed - as bikes of its era are. In order to upgrade to a cassette with more cogs, we would have needed to get modern wheels, which was beyond the scope of this project.

Here is a close-up of the bicycle's colour: an unusual champagne-lilac that I personally find very attractive.

The frame has been left original - frayed decals, rust spots and all - and I want to make it very clear that at heart this is still a vintage bike that looks its age, despite the updated components.

I received a Rivendell "SaddleSack" as a donation from one of my readers, but I think this bike works better with a Carradice. So I will let the recipient choose - either the SaddleSack, or one of my own Carradice bags, as shown here. I will soon post a review of the SaddleSack (pictured here).

And so that's it, in a nutshell. To my eye, this bicycle looks modestly beautiful, which is what I was aiming for. It is fairly light and is easy to carry. It is not "fast" by modern roadbike standards, so please don't expect to race or join paceline rides on it. Neither is it a bike for a tour of the Alps, since the gearing is somewhat limited by current standards. It is really meant to be a low-key, introductory roadbike for those with no athletic background, for those who want to explore nature while getting a bit of exercise, and for those who don't want to wear lycra and be all "serious" about roadcycling. If you've been unable to ride roadbikes in the past, this bike may be a good alternative to the ones you've tried. It is friendly. It is stable. There is no toe overlap. Lots of room on the handlebars for moving your hands around. Brake levers are easy to reach and easy to squeeze. Frame geometry is relaxed and won't hurt your knees. Having ridden the bike myself for a bit, it handles as comfortably and easily as I hoped. I've even ridden it in a dress and sandals, and it was great - just a really easy-going, "smell the flowers" kind of bike. Bicycles with drop bars are not for everyone - but this is as unintimidating of a way to try one as I can offer. I will announce the contest rules and timeline in the coming days, and I hope this bicycle will find the right owner.

I want to express my thanks again to Velo Orange, Harris Cyclery, and the generous readers who have contributed to this project: Justine, G.E., Neighbourtease, Spindizzy, Cedar, Somervillain, and others!

A Ride with Irene

And so we have weathered the storm. Here in Boston, the general attitude toward Hurricane/ Tropical Storm Irene has mostly been one of sarcasm. Sure, there was some anxiety - stocking up on water and that sort of thing. But for the most part it's been a collective rolling of the eyes, a general feeling that the whole thing was unnecessarily hyped up by the media. One local establishment posted a handwritten sign stating "Closed tomawrah due to wicked bad hurricane!" Other businesses ranted against the public transit system for shutting down - drafting "Closed for the Day Thanks to MBTA" signs explaining that their employees have no way of getting to work - but that otherwise they would have happily remained open.

My own feeling was that the hurricane/ storm was not so much intentionally overhyped, as unpredictable - and there was a conscious decision to err on the side of caution. I also felt that it was insensitive of some to make light of a potentially destructive phenomenon just because it did not cause havoc in their neighbourhood. We live on the border of Somerville and Cambridge, MA, where the storm felt mild - but it did damage even here. Around mid-day Saturday, a large tree toppled over onto a major road around the corner from us, knocking out power lines and blocking part of the street until the city cleared it away. Had anyone been walking, cycling or driving on that side of the street at that exact moment, they could very well have been killed.

Today we carefully cycled around the neighbourhood and discovered more trees uprooted and large branches strewn across side streets. The strange thing is that the wind did not feel all that strong even during the worst of it, so we were surprised to see some fairly large trees knocked over. Does this mean they had shallow root systems?

Powerlines were downed in quite a few places, too. One local coffee shop that decided to stay open lost power on Sunday afternoon, yet remained operational for as long as some pre-brewed coffee remained. Customers would come in and sit with their drinks and pastries in the dark - quite happily, since this was one of the very few places open.

Surveying the damage in our neighbourhood, I think that the calls for caution were justified, even if the storm did not reach hurricane level. Overwhelmingly, motorists chose to stay off the roads here and the streets have been mostly empty - which I am certain accounts for the lack of injuries and casualties, considering the fallen trees and dangling powerlines. Cap'n Transit wrote a post a couple of days ago about the connection between driving and hurricane deaths that is worth reading.

I hope that all my East Coast readers are doing well, and that the storm has not been too severe for you. Has anyone been cycling?

"Free Spirit" Brittany 12 Speed Ladies Bicycle Sold by Sears and Roebuck 1986

Hello and Welcome,
This bike has made two appearances on the blog already. I thought some of you might want to see what became of it. I will not go into detail about the rust removal since we already covered that part. Left Click on Pics to Enlarge. Click on Back(<)Button to Return.

Above: A before pic of the Brittany. It is amazing how kind the camera is to a bicycle. The surface rust is barely visible in this photograph. While the rust was not very bad, it was pretty much everywhere.

Judging by the "lack of wear" on these original tires, I would guess this bike saw very little action. There are other indicators that you will see as we move on.

Above: As usual I start with the Bottom-Bracket and Crank. If you blow this pic up you can see a little bicycle engraved into the bracket along with the number 10. Also there is an arrow pointing towards the drive side. I have never seen this before. I imagine this was done for the assembly workers. It should be a 12, as this is a 12 speed and not a 10 speed. But a good idea just the same.

Above: I realize that 99% of you probably already know this. This is for the other 1%. The reason they call it "packing the bearings" is You don`t just smear grease on the bearings, You pack the area surrounding the bearings with grease.(as seen in the above pic)

Above: The drive-side bearing is in place with the exposed bearing surfaces facing out ward. Since the drive-side cup is already in place I will add a little extra grease to the outer surface before inserting it into the bracket shell. Notice I have coated the entire bracket with grease to protect it from corrosion.
The excess grease will be wiped-off before mounting the crank/arm.

Above: As some of you have (that I have heard from)I am making using the Teflon on the cup threads part of my routine. Why wait until it creaks? It makes sense to me too!

Above: Being this crank is chrome plated steel I used the Turtle-Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover and a little brass brushing as well. I removed the ring guard and small chain-ring for cleaning and polishing. I could have gotten away without doing that on this one. But it is always better to take it apart if you can.

Above: I did not take any pics of the Headset re-build. However if you are interested in seeing that. I did take some pics of that on the Men`s Brittany.
I will make it a point to cover that when I post the men`s Brittany.
At this point we are ready for some tires, pedals and a chain.

Above: This is important! The first set of numbers indicate the tires size, in this case 26 inch x 1 & 3/8 inch. But the second set of numbers is just as important. They are the I.S.O. numbers. In this case 37-590. The second set of numbers have to do with the inside diameter of the tire. If you have a tire that blows off the rim (modern) when inflated chances are the I.S.O. number might be incorrect. I have noticed this has to be watched carefully especially with 26 inch road tires.(37-590 vs 37-597) And also with some of the cheaper 27 x 1&1/4 inch tires. In particular cheaper tires sold at hardware and department stores. So watch the ISO numbers carefully and you will save yourself a lot of grief.

Above: I have centered the valve stem to the the inflation info on the sidewall.
Normally if there is a tag on the tire`s sidewall, I will center the valve stem to the tag. And make sure the tags both face the drive-side of the bike. It just looks more professional. But if there is no tag I center the valve to the inflation info. I actually picked this up from a reader. Never too old to learn something new.

Above: I decided to go with the classic style Greenfield kick-stand. A huge improvement over the department store kick-stand that was on the bike when I found it. As for the Wicker Basket it is a Schwinn detachable basket. I like these because the bracket keeps the basket out in front of the handlebars leaving ample room to route the brake cables. The stem-mounted shifters presented another problem. The lower adjustable brace that zip-ties to the head-tube spread-out the shift cables a little too much. To remedy this I disconnected the cables and re-routed them through the brace. And to clear the stem-mounted shifters I had to pitch the basket a little. I would have preferred it to be level.

Above: I wanted to get rid of this little paint chip on the down-tube. Not a horrible chip, just in a really bad spot. So instead of trying to match the paint, I decided to modify the pin-stripe piping a little.

Above: I cut an appropriate length piece of 3M Plastic Trim and Repair Tape. Then place it on a non adhesive surface, like this cover of the Blue Book of Bicycle Repair. (The usefulness of this book knows no bounds!) Then using a straight edge and a razor knife I cut a new pin-stripe. Then I used the knew piece to modify the piping to hide the paint-chip.

Above: Not bad :) Then to maintain a balanced look, I added a stripe to the opposite end. I had to stop working for the day after that. Seems I pulled a muscle patting myself on the back.

Above: I had plenty of extra Jag-Wire white cable housing left-over from the Parliament. So I decided to "Girl it up" a little more. Also I found the blue lever covers on a Schwinn Continental (go figure) and thought they might Girl it up even a more.

A view of the rear. There was a small but stubborn dent on the back fender, right where an English classic would have a reflector. So now it does, end of problem.
Sometimes it is better to eliminate a problem that a repair might make even more noticeable. Of course this only works if the dent is in the correct spot. This is the second time I have done the reflector thing to hide a defect or damage. And anything that makes the bike more visible at night (and looks correct) can only be a good thing.

Above: It`s a good idea to file the sharp edge off after trimming the kick-stand to proper length.
Until Next Time..Please Ride Safe and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE!
Cheers,Hugh

Side Street or Main Street?

Cycling in greater Boston, I alternate between routes that take me along busy roads and routes that take me through quiet side streets. Each option leaves something to be desired. The busy roads are, well, busy - lots of car traffic, lots of action, lots of chaos. But they do seem to have enough room for everyone, including the processions of cyclists that now travel along them more than ever. The side streets are much quieter and greener, but are often too narrow to fit both a car and a bike side by side - resulting in its own set of challenges. 

I've mentioned before that when I have close calls or memorably negative encounters with cars, it almost always seems to happen on a side street. But the same is definitely not true for everyone, and a recent post on Let's Go Ride a Bike illustrates why many urban cyclists tend to keep away from busy roads. So I keep wondering what it is that, over time, has made me weary of side streets, whereas others see them as a refuge. 

One possibility is that I tend to overcompensate for the danger factor of main streets by being extra-vigilant, extra-focused and extra-careful as a matter of course - expecting the worst from every vehicle out there, and cycling in a way that anticipates that. On the other hand, side-streets lull me into a state of relaxation, because they seem so tranquil and friendly - so when something bad is about happen, I don't see it coming and am less likely to avoid it.

But this factor aside, I also think that drivers are less likely to keep their aggression in check when there are fewer witnesses. On side streets there aren't many people around, and perhaps the drivers with whom I've had confrontations and close calls were well aware of that. A scary thought, to be sure.

What is your take on main streets versus side streets, and what is your preference?

Bella Ciao Superba: Ready and Available!

Fashionably late and appropriately glamorous, the Bella Ciao Superba is here! I was nervous up till the moment I saw it, but the bicycle is perfect. The pre-ordered bikes should be off to their owners very soon.

To recap for new readers, this is the result of a collaboration between myself and Bella Ciao, and you can read about it here and here. Twelve bikes were made as a special edition and they are available exclusively at Harris Cylery in West Newton, MA. I know that a good portion of them have already been sold, so please check with Harris for availability. The price is $1,495. I am not the one selling the bicycles (and I do not receive commission on the ones sold), so please contact Harris directly with all sales inquiries.

The Bella Ciao Superba frames were handmade in Italy, using Columbus Thron tubing. The frame size is 54cm, with 700C wheels. Tires are the cream Schwalbe Delta Cruisers, 700Cx35mm. The wheelsets are proprietary to Bella Ciao, made inhouse.

The Superba includes all the components and accessories pictured here, which I will detail below. It is a 3-speed bicycle with a rear coaster brake and front handbrake, internally routed dynamo lighting front and rear, leather Brooks saddle, natural cork grips, chaincase, and a handmade rear rack.

The stainless steel racks were designed by me and handmade in Dorcester, Massachusetts by Trimount Ironworks. They are rated to carry 18kg (40lb) of weight, provide attachment for bungee cords, and will accommodate a variety of pannier systems.

There is a provision for attaching a battery-operated tail light to the rack, for those who wish to supplement the dynamo lighting.

One thing I like about the stainless rack with its thin tubing, is that it has the effect of being "invisible" on the bike. I've played around with a number of different racks, and this definitely suits the bicycle best. I may write a separate post about the rack design in the near future.

The high-polished alloy handlebars are made by Bella Ciao. I would describe them as a hybrid between North Road and Porteur style bars, and they are possibly my favourite handlebars on the market today.

The bike is fitted with natural Portuguese cork grips from Rivendell and elegant Tektro city brake levers. The cork grips will be left unfinished, but they can be shellacked by the owner - which will make them darker. The brake lever can be placed either on the right or on the left.

Brass bell, of course.

The dynamo-powered lighting is by the German manufacturer Buechel.

It looks fairly classic and unobtrusive, and works nicely.

The dynamo hub is Shimano. The wiring is routed externally up the fork, then internally through the frame, exiting through one of the chainstays.

Sturmey Archer 3-speed coaster brake hub.

Front caliper brake.

Brown Brooks B72 saddle.

Non-slip platform pedals.

And the fork ends/dropouts (I like to remove those black dust caps, but forgot to do it here). You can also see the bungee cord attachment point on the rack here.

The colour of the bike as it shows up in the pictures here is fairly accurate. It is not the same colour as my own bike, but a more vibrant, saturated pastel green. If you have any questions about the features, I will be glad to answer them here. I hope that the owners of these bicycles will be pleased with them - I am very happy with how they came out. There is some talk of more bikes, but nothing is certain yet - so your thoughts are welcome. Many thanks to Bella Ciao again for the opportunity to work on this project, and many thanks to Harris Cycley for all of their help.