Ride Lugged

OSOBIKE.com, Road bike and cruiser mix, Pictures

I guess this is for people who want the clean look of a fixed gear but don’t want to rely on sheer leg power to skid their way to a stop. Or it’s for those who just like to coast. Granted you don’t get that “connected” feel that you do with a fixed gear or a big wheel and you can’t pedal backwards and do cool fixie tricks, but I think the coaster brake has enough nostalgia points for me to make this post.

Holy cow: Walking consumes more gasoline than driving! | Brad Ideas

I’m a little offended that he didn’t include segways in his analysis. I’m also suprised that he’s the chairman of the EFF.

Biking’s better. The average-diet cyclist is getting 85 miles per gallon of fossil fuel. Still better for 2 to share a Prius. The beefeater is, as before only 1/4 as good. At 21mpg he’s better than a Hummer, but not that much better.

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Little does cory know that this actually costs 1 dollar a link. buahahaha. Cory has a mountain bike, and supposedly he is getting a cross bike. What he doesnt have is a cory proof townie bike. As far as I can tell, cory likes bikes that almost look 100 percent rad, but have 5% or so built in wack factor, ie a disc brake on a really lite bike, or a shitty saddle cover on an otherwise fine looking road frame. Cory likes to do dumb shit, like drop off loading docks when he is drunk, or ride up berms on a fixie, ect. He broke some AM classic road racing wheels within weeks of owning them, by riding them very off road. I have ridden and even owned a cory townie bike, the brakes didnt work the frame was covered in rust, ect. What follows is my interpretation of what cory would like to have in a townie bike (a challenging yet enjoyable ride, the ability to take it off road, on half centuries, ect, the ability to do no maintenace for 3 years and still have the pedals turn, wheels that dont break, a big basket for beer, and a rear rack for whatever, almost super classy asethics, ect ect)

Here we go-

Frame and Fork- This is hard. Cory is by turns super picky/doesnt give a fuck. I am going to say 650 B-able frame set: Big tires roll fastish, but are fat enough to provide cush without the weight of a 29er. Also, quirky. Thats a plus. I’m going with an Oswald: he does really clean work, his fork crown is hotter than hell, and he is a PA frame builder who doesnt use any powertools in his shop. Rad. This Lugset, with this crown. We’ll say dark grey with Creme lug lining, no logos, just headbadge, preferably cut from a piece of core-ten, so it progressivly stains the headtube. forward facing horizontal dropouts, campy style, with the mech hanger filed off, and an extra eyelet brazed on. $2200

Headset: Cory thinks that 1.125 inch headsets are the deal, for no real reason. I am gunna be a bitch, and give him an old school 1.25 threadless headset, mainly to get his goat. King made one, and we’ll find it on ebay. $140

Stem: Custom Oswald. Fillet Brazed with a bell mount on it. $120

Bars: Origin Dirt Drops. Not super elegant, but they seem to have a deeper drop and a longer reach than the on-ones. Modified as needed with wooden dowels. $60

Bar Tape: This is hard. What wears like Iron but doesnt feel like crap? I am going with japanese track grips, say, dark orange? $17

Levers: Ok, only one brake, but two levers. For comfort. The newish Paul fixie lever is pretty hot, but frankly not in a great place for decents. Cory likes all road levers it seems, but I think for this application a modolo lever set will work great. Strong, good modulation, ect ect. $65

Brake: Just a front brake, yo, cause the end result is a fixie. We’ll go with a strong one, some vintage Paul Stop Lites. Hard to find, but I know a place. $65

Front Rack: This is just a dream bike, so we’ll get our rack from ant, who only supplies them on bikes he makes. Wooden planks and a place for the U lock. Hot. $175

Rear Rack: Ant again. Cant pass it up. $175

Saddle: Cory hates brooks, for again, no good reason. He says they are heavy then rides a 32 lbs Ti monster. So we need something classy yet comfortable. WTB’s SST saddle was really nice, until they did away with it. Maybe we can find one in the bargain bin. We want the nice one without the stitching, and a full leather cover, of course. $10

Seat Post: Cory really likes Thompson, but for this application we are going to go with something a little more esoteric. Say a cook bros post with built in reflector. it adjusts with shims, which is super annoying to get dialed. Perfect. $120

Front Light: Schmitt e-6. its the best and most bomber there is. $109

Tail Light: B and M with stand lite. Dont get wacked again cory… $35

Front Hub: The Ultergra Level Dynamo Hub, 36 hole for durability sake. $90

Rear Hub: High Flange Paul Components hub, 36 hole, polished silver: bomber rear axel, big bearings, adjustable sealed bearings, ridiculous finish. $120

Spokes: Durability here is paramount, not weight. Cory loves to ride his wheels barely tensioned, with at least 5 spokes hanging more or less tensionless and bent. For this reason, XL 14s wont work. We need Wheelsmith’s DH 13/14/13 gauge spokes which you could shred logs and small childrens limbs with. $80

Rims: Cory is secretly french, so we’ll go with the bomb proof, double eyeleted, french made rigida 650b rims. 520 grams of touring style toughness. $100

Tires: Gran Bois Hetre Tires. Super spendy, very hot, 650b x 44, clay red with tan sidewalls. Sub 400 grams. Why? You’d be hard pressed to pinch flat a tire that fat, but its still very fast due to its minimal tread. Perfect for city biking, bike paths, touring, slowish centuries, and lets not forget the bling factor. $130

Fenders: Biggest Honjo’s made 650b/58mm. I feel like Honjos are less prone to rattle loose: SKS fenders have so much hardware that they seem to never stay adjusted, and when riding off road, the fender bounces around and wacks the tire. Not good. $80

Bottom Bracket: 113mm SKF, stainless spindle. SKF invented the sealed cartridge bearing, and they still make really nice ones. The only sealed cartridge in the MOMA. $80

Cranks: Syncros Revolution Cranks. Steel, (we’ll get them repainted to match the bike) canadian, rarish, strong as crap, and not too heavy. Ebay is a great place. $100ish

Pedals: Rivendell Grip Kings. Made by MKS, so you know they’ll last long. Perfect for riding barefoot. $50

Chain: Izumi super toughness. Its super tough, yo. $60

Cog: Euro Asia 18 tooth. Its retardedly spendy. Gotta mean something. $120

$4,111, not including pump, or any bags. Not too bad, again. The thing is, this bike wouldnt be just a townie. It would be a fun bike for almost any outing, outside of serious mtn biking, or really hilly touring. Again, if we went with say, a surly pacer frame, the price would become much more reasonable. $2300. It wouldnt suck, it just wouldnt be as rad. We could still use the 650B tires, with rivendell’s ultra long reach dual pivot caliper. I think if cory takes issue with anything it will be the square taper bb, the saddle, and maybe the 650b ness of it. Thats just a guess though. Whaddya say cory?

so, i just sent a letter to rob, which he will get in a few days.  see, i do this thing.  where normal people day dream about new kitchen floors, dream vacations, hot dudes or girls, piles of money, ect, i day dream about building rad bikes for people i know.  i take into account everything i know about that person, ie daniel hates maintenance, so his bikes have to be overbuilt, with sealed bearings, and tough wheels, ect.  mark rides with finesse and likes very simple parts, like sugino cranks and 90s diacompe cantis.  john needs tandem quality stuff, he keeps knackering rear wheels, so i would say john’s ideal custom bike would have 145mm rear spacing and a tandem 40 hole hub, laced up with a mavic touring rim and xl 14 spokes.  obviously all of this is beyond anyone i know’s financial reach.  its just for fun.  sometimes i write it down.  i have done so on this blog, even.  it’s probally boring to most people.  but i am facinated by not only the beauty and quality of the possible materials, but also by how inexpensive the perfect bike generally is, in comparison, to say, a high end look frame with dura ace parts, and carbon wheels.  the obvious difference being that my build outs are theoretically meant to last for years, while the 8000 dollar Look is built for a season.

Anyway, as I said, I actually do this for my friends, or people I know, more than I do it for myself.  I have designed lots of bikes for starmer, a few for mark, 1 for john, ect.  The person I have been designing the longest for is starmer, and in fact, he comes closest to actually having built some of my designs.  (his cove, a chunky canadian freeridish bike is still going strong, despite the fact that my build ideas were less than fantastic at the time) his current ghetto white trek hybrid to crappy touring bike conversion works fine, although he wasnt into the moustache bars.  Here is my latest starmer dream bike.  its not his dream, its mine, but with him in mind, ie tough no nonsense parts, standardized everything, so that replacements are easy.  comfortable riding position with plenty of low gears, strong brakes that are easy to adjust, integrated lighting, and versatility.

here it is, my first ‘link bike’ list, so you can see what all the nah nah is about.

Frame:  Waterford lugged.  Fast turnaround, simple lines, fully customizable geometry.  I would say:  72/72 angles, 80mm bb drop, long ass chain stays, 3 water bottle cages, mounted low, clearance for 37mm tires and fenders, canti posts, eyelets for racks and fenders, 47mm fork rake.  lightish tubing, but touring solid.  $2200 ish depending on details, like paint.  Paint recommendation:  black with cream panels.

Headset:  King.  No nonsense, I know he likes them, environmentally friendly, last forever.   $125

Stem:  Nitto technomic delux.  Same as above.  Light, strong, not bad looking, japanese precision.  $44

Nitto Noodle, 46cm.  Has ‘em already, they are plenty stong and good looking.  $60

Levers:  This is a hard one.  I dont really know what he thinks of his tektro campy knockoff.  I personally like the feel of 80s levers, and also their ease of maintance: non aero levers are easy to replace cables on.  I would recommend some diacompe gran compe levers.  They are classy, drilled, and have built in barrel adjusters.  Couldnt find a direct picture, but these suntour levers, if they, uh, had hoods, round drill holes, and barrel adjusters, plus a nicer finish, would be dead ringers.   $40ish

Bar Tape.  This is easy.  Brooks leather.  Dont even ask why. cause you knows why. $80

While we are up front:

Front Rack.  He doesnt have one now, but everyone needs one, really.  Also a good place to mount a light or 3.  Nitto’s are light, elegant, and strong.  I’ll pick the Nitto m-12 because it is even lighter than the others, and has a fender mounting spot.  $60

Need a light or two for that, eh?  The german schmitt e-6 light goes nicely with a generator hub.  Need a switched version, no big deal.  $109

Why not have a back up light, or a light to turn on when you really dont want the marginal extra drag of the hub.  The B and M Ixon is bright enough to climb with, and fairly light.  It can mount on the other side of the rack.  $130

Need a bag for that rack.  I find my Ostrich bag a bit bulky and too large.  Then again, Bertound bags are way expensive.  How about a Rivendell Lil’ Loafer. Downside: you can’t stick a map in it too well.   $80

Bells are bling  $16

Seat post: I think starmer needs setback.  A nitto s 83 should do nicely.  $65

Saddle.  he likes his b-17 champion.  Just needs anouther, for this project.  $100

Saddle Bag: his carradice is nice, but not super classy.  Why not go the full potato with a nigel smyth country bag. (thats it on the back, sorry best photo i could get) More room for sundries, more bling for the ladies.  $170

Fenders:  Honjo extra long, smooth.  Hammered just seems to bling for starmer, and I dont mean that in a bad way.  $80

Wheels:  I love freewheel hubs, but I bet starmer just wants no nonsense good hubs that are easily serviced.  I’d say White Industries Racer X rear hub, which comes apart easily, and can take upgraded enduro max bearings, to last forever $150.  Shimano Ultegra level dynamo hub up front $90.  Rims:  something burly, like a mavic 36 hole touring rim, say the mavic open sport $65.  Spokes are always XL14s, unless its a race bike.  then maybe sapim cx-rays.  $80

Tires:  He’s riding 35mm Paselas now.  Lets just upgrade to Gran Bois Cypres tires, 700/30mm.  Lighter, potentially faster.  $120

Cassette: 7spd Shimano joint.  Last forever.  heavy though.  13/34 mega range.  Ugly but brutally effective.  $30

Chain.  Sram PC 68.  Nicest 8spd chain outside of the rohloff.  $34

Rear Mech:  Vintage 1990s XTR long cage.  Not bad looking, bomb proof, kinda affordable.  $60ish

Ft Mech:  Shimano double ultegra.  No nonsense, works on a wide range double.  $50

Cranks:  White Industries Road cranks.  46/26 gearing is highly versatile and still leaves you with a low Q.  $220

BB:  Phil, I guess.  Maybe an SKS, but the Phil I have works great, although it costs more than 4 shimano XT bbs put together.  $130

Rear Rack:  Park Silver Hupe (30), to support the country bag.

Sundries:  Blackburn frame pump (30), King Cages(30).

Grand total:  4510.  I always go overbudge, ie underestimate.  I bet incidentals would run anouther 50-100, plus shipping would be from 100-200.  Obviously, going with say, a Rivendell Saluki, or a Gunnar frame, would save almost 1000 dollars, with little compromise.  But this is a dream build, without regard to cost, and look how cheap it came out.  I mean, a look 585, with a fairly basic ultegra kit, costs over 5200 dollars.  The 585 isnt even look’s highest end frame.  Its not even its second highest end frame.  You dont get a pump, lights, bags, racks or fenders for that price.

Wow, that was a huge pain in the ass to compile.  Starmer, this is in no way supposed to be a pressure move for you to go out and drop a shit load of cash.  I just do this for fun, and I thought i’d share.  That’s it yo!

Here’s my scoot, a semi-ridiculous ride of a fixie…
So I got this frame from John, who got it from me, who got it from Mark, who got it from Brandon…and who knows where it came from before that. I added some parts from a 80’s lugged Giant road bike and some parts from Mark and Casey. I had the rear wheel and the tires and the super comfy seat and brake levers/pads. Check it out… it rides really nice, no matter how kooky it looks.

I’m running a 80’s BMX lever through some cable that Wienmann made for Dia-Compe in 86′ and into a 70’s Dura Ace caliper with brake pads that Kool Stop made for Skyway in 87′. The seat is circa 1984. It’s fine for about 20 miles or so…and then it sucks.
I’m told I get lots of shit for having only a rear brake on a fixie…but it’s functional.
I enjoy this bike immensely and ride it all over the place now.
Including 50 mile rides that Casey comes up with.
With a Brooks saddle though.
Q

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Ride Update!  Jan 26, 10 am, at the Sugarloaf/Foot o’ the mtn stonghold parking lot place.  I’ve made a revised and more accurate map, that still shows the mileage to be sub 50, and the climbing to be negligible.  I have added what appear to be more dirt roads, more roads without real names, and more instructions like turn at the pond with island and the big tree.  it’ll be like a scavenger hunt, with the prize being ‘getting home before its dark’.  we’ll have lunch somewhere, so pack one, and toe warmers, and noggin protectors, and all that, if its going to be cold.  it appears the ferry charge is MAX 4 dollars.  I bet its less, for bikers.

Car pool people, if’ns ya can.

ok, we havnt had a really long ride in over 2 months. obviously, we are all even more out of shape than we were before we ate that kilo of fudge, 2.1 gallons of nog, and 36 new years toasts.

i have a ride proposal for either next weekend or two weekends after that. a ride from sugar loaf into VA and back, 50 miles, less than 2300 ft of climbing. thats nothing. thats like walking to the mail box. thats like playing cards with your grandmother. thats like chef bouyarde’s tomato sauce.

here’s the link: look at that ride profile. its like the current housing market. its like pat boone singing tutti fruiti. its like vanilla pudding with a plastic spoon.

ok, so how about it? it’ll be fun. you get to ride a boat. you get to go to VA. you get to ride on dirt roads. ditch the kids! ditch the husband! ditch your coke habit so you can pay for the gas!

holla back if your interested and shit and shit. i vote for the last weekend in jan. pick a date. we’ll have lunch. we’ll have dinner. we’ll have flats, broken frames, and cold fingers! we’ll have a half century of rolling hills. we’ll smell cow shit. we’ll look like dip shits. we’ll ford a stream. maybe. i cant really remember where that stream crossing is.

shit i gotta go: i’m on reserve battery power, yo!

you can reduce the likelihood of an aneurysm by skipping ahead to moment # 1:55. the overly dramatic and poorly chosen music makes my face hurt, maybe it will hurt yours too.

here it is in all its glory. one per customer.

spoke card for the ride spoken of below.

you will be there.

nick, get your ticket. or hide in cory’s baggage.

or the dscwdibmssitilmslahcibbjf78hddr, for short.

NEWS FLASH:  the ride will be dec 2, a sunday, start around 1pm, and end up back at cory’s un-shanty for grill, booze, fire and a small black and white cat.  exact meeting location to be disclosed.

as pictures from last years ride of death, aka the hardest ride ever, will attest, these rides are hard. nick died 3 times, only to be revived by alternately waving spoke cards in front of his eyes and cow crap under his nose. gary almost died, but ran off into the woods instead. cory didn’t die at all, but secretly blew a gasket. i died over 3,000 times, or everytime there was 1 foot of elevation gain. luckily there was about the same about of elevation loss, so in the end i went home mostly alive.

here are pictures, for attesting purposes: (scroll way down for semi interesting details on the upcoming ride)

gary never walks. gary is walking. nick likes to walk. he brought his walking pants.

gary has black socks. nick has black socks. gary has a water bottle stolen from a kids bike.

nick is tying his shoe while throwing up. gary looks away in disgust.

nick searches for a way out: perhaps a rock to beam cory with. i pretend like i am climbing, but really i am about to fall of my bike.

remember kids, safety in numbers.

as you can see, there was some walking. there was some crying. there was spritual enlightenment in the form of miller high life and a flask. was there? i cant remember. there was ice cream, and a ‘zoo smell’.

all of this is to mainly drum of excitement, terror and a decent period of time to make excuses as to why you wont be able to make it to the dscwdibmssitilmslahcibbjf78hddr.

i have already made commemorative dscwdibmssitilmslahcibbjf78hddr t shirts, stickers, beer steins, beer mugs, pint glasses, pilsner glasses, imperial pint glasses, snifters, flasks, patches, key fobs, a limited edition subaru outback sport ls, hoody, coaster, condom, embroidered boxers, briefs and thongs, dscwdibmssitilmslahcibbjf78hddr awareness pins, hats, thumb warmers, and coffee mugs, dscwdibmssitilmslahcibbjf78hddr blend coffee, tea, chai, dscwdibmssitilmslahcibbjf78hddr bottled water, and i have signed, limited edition ridelugged approved cory portraits, which are hand drawn on dirty white selle italia flite saddle covers. these will go fast, and at a premium, so get your bidding in now.

as for time, date and recommended stuff to brung/brang, well, i reckon, thats kinda up to cory. hell, he doesnt even know i planned this shit yet. we might even have to do it without him.

its gunna be sometime betwixt nov 30 and dec 2. i dont know when yet. sorry. fuck you. i said i was sorry. asshole. i hate iphones.

sub 30 miles, loads and loads of painful climbing, lots of dirt, dirty dirt, start in meyersville to make the environmentalists pissed off. i’m going to try to have rob go predrive it, to make sure it all makes sense. rob, sunday drive? if not, thats ok. ride profile at routeslip under why did i bring my single speed, under user name ride lugged.

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this highly scientific venture should only be undertaken if you dont have a job, dont value time, effort or results, and you have lots of files, sanders, and strips of oak lying around. also: need at least 4 beers, preferably really hoppy so the flavor cuts the taste of sawdust in the air. also: an NPR station that only plays classical helps, as does a penchant for getting excited about things that barely work, and need endless fiddling to make function.

read on fair reader!

i started with two pieces of oak, that i sandwiched together using woodglue. let that dry for about 2 beers.

then i glued my stencil to the board, just sanding it off later. i made my stencil shorter than the suntour shifter, which i later realized was a bad move.

i then cut out the bulk of the negative space with a hack saw.

using 6 files, a random orbital sander, and my teeth, i was able to get the shape down pretty fast.

i did a bit of hand sanding as well, as the shape started to get finalized.

almost done. needs some more sanding and filing. and shellacing.

ok there it is! it actually works fine. as good as the other one at least. i had to continually tighten the shifter onto the DT boss and shift it, to grind out room for a steel washer in the back. it worked, and looks nice even. under that suntour plate there is a small brass washer. i think i’d like to make a set on the cnc out of some cooler wood. this mission oak kinda looks like something a crappy furniture maker would make.