Tour of Raytown

In about 2 weeks I'm going to have a ride call the Tour of Raytown. It's basically a course around the perimeter of Raytown. It's 18 miles long and it took me 70 minutes. The original route went down Raytown road to 47th, but I wanted the ride to take about 1 hour. and I think this route accomplishes that goal. Plus I think it's a better start. Becaue going the original way would have just been spent going down a big hill. just to go back up to blue ridge . . . . If you ride this route you will know why it's called a "Ridge".

I got there about 8:30 and got some coffee and a muffin. I hadn't ridden the route, so before I posted a ride for the masses, I wanted to make sure it was OK. The route does have some stop lights, and some stop signs, but the route is circle with right turns so we . . . . we? . . . who's "we" suck'a? (Dirty Harry movie quote, I couldn't resist). . . . never really have to stop to cross traffic.
It's ok, but it's just for fun, and to get new riders out.

8:30am: Benneti’s

9:00am: Benneti’s

3 minutes, Blue Ridge Blvd. & Sterling: Ok one left hand turn.

7 minutes, Sterling & 47th. Not much traffic on a Saturday morning.

10 minutes, 47th & Norfleet: Here is where the Meat & Potatoes of the ride starts.

17 minutes, Norfleet & 61st: This is right before Norfleet Elementary

18 minutes, 61st & George: Hmmm George Road . . . Do you know me? George, George, George of the Jungle . . . Watch Out For That Tree!

21 minutes, George & Little Blue: Watch out for that Brick . . . Brick? . . . Whatchamacallit.

25 minutes, Little Blue & Woodson: Ok another lefty.

30 minutes, Woodson & 75th: Ok another lefty . . . what is this 3?

31 Minutes, 75th & Westridge: All right Folks, Up hill.

36 minutes, Westridge crossing 350 Highway: Crossing 350.

38 minutes, Westridge to Military/87th: This is where the longest non interupted section begins.

54 minutes, 87th & Blue Ridge Blvd.: Back to the Blvd. Time to cool down.

64 minutes, Blue Ridge Blvd. & 63rd: Righty Tighty

68 minutes, 63rd & Blue Ridge Blvd. Lefty Loosey: Arrgh . . . 4 leftys?

10:10am, 70 minutes later: Back to Benneti’s safe and sound.

I grabbed a Jones Soda and rode back home. That about it.

The Bad Angles

Well it looks like I got some work to do to conform to F.I.S.T.!
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/bikefit06.html

It look like I need to lower the seat some. I knew it was a little high . . . Anybody got a hacksaw? . . . Crap! This should turn that 92 into the 95-105 I'm looking for. Now to deal with that 85. I'm gripping the curve of the extension instead of the end of the extension. But when I achieve this 90, it doesn't place my shoulder above my elbows. I still need to rotate by lowering the bars some, but I can't because the stem is as far down as I can get it . . . well sand it. As for the 117 it's just a matter of rotation, and also remember I'm gripping the curve of the extension and not the ends.

got tape?

If you know me, you know I love alternatives. On my last build, the CD split tube fixie I forgot to get bar tape . . . so what do you do on a Sunday night?

Get a: Lighter (to sear the ends of the string, so it doesn't unravel), Scissors (to cut the string and tape), String (to wrap the bars), and electrical tape (to wrap the string).

This idea came to me about 2 months ago, and for the last 2 months I've been riding my fixie with this bar tape setup. So far so good.

The thing you need to know is I used to ride Benotto Celo tube for years . . . and without gloves. So the idea of riding a bicycle with electrical tape as bar tape doesn't frighten me so much, as I'm already familiar with the texture to a degree.

While electrical tape would be fine with me. I did want to change it up a bit . . . add a little texture to it, since electrical tape is intrinsically slick.

I just posted these pictures because it's pretty obvious what I did. You can also make patterns with your string since you are taping over the string. I just went straight forward because I'm just not feeling imaginative I guess.

Hey it works in a pinch. It does suck to do whole bars. Not only do you have to cover more space, you also have to negatiate the bends in the bar since the inside radius is smaller than the outside, making it impossible to cover the whole bar. I've come up with a few patterns to remedy this, but I don't really think it's worth it. although if you do have a cool design peopl will think your string & E-Tape bar wrap is out of the need to express creativity, rather then desperation.

It's Assembled!

It's Assembled!


(If your playing along folks in the game called, "Where's the headset's lock-nut", You will notice it's missing . . . I don't know? . . . It's just gone . . . however I was luck enough to find that threaded washer thingy-ma-jigger.)

The assembly went fine, except for one part . . . The Stem. The stem wouldn't go far enough down into the fork steerer because of the short head tube. So the had some problems to over come. 1) Cut off the bottom of the stem. 2) Re-slot the bottom of the stem. 3) File the inside of the stem to match the contour of the wedge. 4) Sand down the radius at the top of the stem with 50 ans 80 grit emery to get it to fit in the steerer. It's not much, but enough that you might just consider finding a new stem.

One thing I could not change was the stem bolt became too long since I cut it off to fit in the steerer. The thread is 7x1.0mm. Ever try to find a 7x1.0mm die to cut more thread down the bolt . . . or find any 7x1.0mm bolt period, let alone a long allen cap bolt. I just needed a couple more threads, so I found a high profile lock washer to put under the cap on the bolt to fit into the stem . . . Yea! . . . Lucky!


This is probably the shortest seat post ever, It goes down into the tube about 3". I'm going to see if the functionality of the bottle cage on the frame is better than my jersey pocket. I can probably drop 0.5 Lbs. by cutting off the extension and using a 330mm post.

Not that weight is an issue, but I built it from straight gauge 4130 an it's pretty heavy. Also yes those tires are Continental, Sport Contacts. 28c and 480g a piece. They are tank tracks. I've had the tires for 3 years and cuts are minimal. Usually you have a tire for 2 months then you get a flat one day and it open the flood gates for more flats and you have to replace your tires. Not these tires. They are the more cut resistant tire I've ever had. They also just barely fit.

Good Ol Specialized Cranks. Great Cranks, They do use the 144mm bolt pattern, the same as old Campy record cranks. Some bike shops . . . MIDWEST CYCLERY . . . still have a lot of Sugino, and Campy Record 144mm chainrings at great prices . . . Some people may have a problem with the smallest, practicle, chainring being a 42t. I did say practicle. Avocet made a 41t chainring that just barely made it. I think I cracked about 3 of these before going back to 42t. If I remember right the top of the chain hit the chainring bolts . . . we're talk tight tolerances.

The Orange Machine

(Right click on photo, click "open in new window" to enlarge image)

Wow . . . it's . . . it's . . . A Carrot? . . . or an orange time trial frame. One day I'll perfect brazing and have minimal clean-up. Lots of filing, and sanding . . . not too bad though. It's straight and aligned. I'm progesively getting better. I think the nextframe I should have down how big of a heat patch I need to get the seamless look. You can't tell by the picture, and while it's not as obvious as my other frame, but you can still tell a bit.

Good O'l Krylon primer and Ace brand paint. I finshed it with 120 grit, but I probably should have with 320. It's ok for an R&D project.

I couldn't decide if I wanted to keep the seat mast or not because it's not really functional, so I kept it and added a 3rd H20 braze-on to it to make it functional. . . .and yes those are bolts brazed to the frame because I ran out of braze-ons. I drilled the holes small enough so it I do have to use proper braze-ons I still can. . . . Just a little magic of Krylon.

I'll build it up tonight, and take it out tommorow.

The 100 Mile Diet

I thought about starting something like this, well I lay in bed at night thinking about things like this anyway. With the rising costs of resource, it's becoming less practical to get corn from lets say Iowa, when I can buy fresher produce from a local farmer 20 miles away. Plus you eliminate the middleman/grocery store.

I think it's a great idea that gets you less dependent on corporations and business, and dependent on "People". Let's say there is a trucker strike and the grocery store has run out of groceries. Well if you have a strong community of local farmers you are not as vulnerable to those that wish to take advantage of situations like this. It's all about taking responsibility for ourselves.

The 100 Mile Diet is a quest for local food. A diet that’s based on eating what’s nearby and in season.

http://www.kcfoodcircle.org/100-Mile/

Why the 100 Mile Diet?
Because the freshest food is the healthiest for both people and the earth. In the United States food travels an average of 1,300 miles from the field to your plate. Local food is fresher due to its proximity, and this freshness helps retain nutritional value. It is also more secure, with food often traveling from the farmer’s hands directly to the eater.

It's a bit of anarcho-syndicalism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-syndicalism

The world is like a ride at an amusement park

The world is like a ride at an amusement park

"The world is like a ride at an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it, you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly colored and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us. They say, "Hey, don't worry, don't be afraid ever, because – this is just a ride." And we … kill those people. "Shut him up. We have a lot invested in this ride. Shut him up. Look at my furrows of worry. Look at my big bank account and my family. This just has to be real." It's just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok. Jesus, murdered; Martin Luther King, murdered; Malcolm X, murdered; Gandhi, murdered; John Lennon, murdered; Reagan … wounded. But it doesn't matter, because – it's just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here's what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace."
-Bill Hicks

Another frame and a ride

Tentative plans for another frame. This is a road frame. This time I'm going with 2x 1/2" down tubes, and 2x 7/16" top tubes. I think I'm going to make the top tube and seat stays out of one piece of tubing. 7/16" dia 4130 is easy enough to but a subtle bend in, I just need to decide on a radius. Funny enough I'm going with a conventional seat post. I started with a split seat tube, but I want a front derailleur. I don't have a Front derailleur braze on handy to measure so I don't know what the offset would be. Also plans for a head tube cutout and more.

And I have a ride planned. It's just an easy ride. a good excuse to get out and have a cup of Joe and meet new people whether they are new riders, or people at the coffee shop just curious about the ride.

Race Lace Hubs Anybody?

These are pictures of a Super Rare set of BMX hubs. They were made by a company called Speed Scura Tech (SST).

I looked around the internet for some more imformation to make sure I have my facts straight, and for some reason all the vintage/old school sites I visit don't feature components, or I'm looking to hard. So I'm going to have to go this off 25+ year old memory.

They were called Race-Lace hubs. SST made two generations, the ones pictured are the first and most unique as I think they only produced 40 sets around 1984, 85ish. The idea was to create a lace patern with minimal energy lose. Plus I think they advertised other advantages, but I don't really remember.

The production was so intensive that they cost $450+ in 1984 . . . (and I thought my Philwood's were expensive at $100) . . . Obviously they didn't sell many. So they simplified the design, hence the 2nd generation, which were also expensive, but not as bad.

They also must have used ceramic bearings, because they were the smoothest spinning bearing I ever felt. You could hold the rim and spin the axel and wait for it to spin down. Imagine if we had the technolgy to replace bearings with really strong magnets . . . yea a lot like that.

The hubs were popularized by the Pro Greg Hill and he obviously had great results. However it seemed not enough to justify the $450 cost. They seemed to be popular in Texas for some reason.

Big Wheel

This is one of Moser's bikes he used for one of his many hour record attempts. I'm sure it's not light. Look at the chain, it looks like it's 200+ links. There is a quote about Moser, and I think it goes something like this. "He is an imposing site of almost effortless rotorary action".

Moser has good "form" on a bike, and that is different than having good "style". "Form" meaning his position and action on a bike is something you will find in a book. "Style" meaning, and what applies to most of us, is that your body doesn't conform to whats in the book. I'm not very flexible and stiff, so when I'm in the TT position I'm still a billboard with arms and legs.

Greg LeMond is also a good example. During the wind tunnel testing they did back when Scott came out with the first Aero Bars. They found that Greg's shape on the bike was more aerodynamic than any other tested.

(Click to Enlarge)

No.3 Almost done

Now all I have to do is put a cap on the wish bone, some cleaning up, and a few braze-ons. Everything went OK. There are somethings I'd like to do again. but I already have ideas for a new project.