Bygone Bicyclist

This is a long time coming (is 6 days really a long time? I guess it probably is.). An explanation!

From Seattle I had approximately three days until the border, and I was out of new replacement spokes. 1,000 miles traveled and I’d used well over 20 spokes – probably closer to 30. After having narrowed down the reason behind the breaking, assessing the solution was next in line. The reason was a coupled problem. Kennedy cycles are fantastic city rides. I still love the bike very much, and am so glad to have it. Throw on another 40-50 pounds and it starts to have a small issue. That small issue stems from a design flaw (oversight, ignorance – whatever you wish to call it). Center drilled holes (in the rim) make it hard for the spokes to have a nice straight line from the hub to the nipple. A slight bend sometimes occurs, and this eventually becomes the weak point in that single spoke. As well, the bicycle only has 52 spokes, when most ordinary cycles had somewhere between 70 and 100 spokes. This alleviates the spoke-line issue a small bit, and also adds multiplicative strength to the wheel.

Why is this such an issue then, considering I just said it wasn’t a big deal? Well. Breaking spokes on the road is a complete mind game. Breaks aren’t a huge deal. You get off. Replace it. Check trueness. Continue riding. All in all it takes me about 3 minutes to replace both a spoke and nipple as well as thread, jive, weave and maze the new spoke into the lacing pattern. When you break a spoke, it’s like both of your tires going flat at the same time (on a bicycle with pneumatic tires, that is!). It’s kind of a bummer. When the second spoke of the day breaks though, it’s like getting 95 flats at the same time (even though it only takes a few minutes to fix!). It’s just a mental deterrent. Spokes rarely if ever break while in the city without bags. Get on some 4-8% grades with 40-50 pounds of gear and the stress level overdoes it.

So where’s that put the Bygone Bicyclist? Well, he has a few plans up his sleeve that hopefully prove to be fruitful. In short, I’m on a small break, pausing until I get my issues solved. Have I quit? Far from. Do I plan to finish this SF to AK journey? 100%, of course. Do I still plan to do it by penny farthing? Is that a serious question? That’s the only way I can fathom traveling. Having completed 1,000 miles on my Kennedy up the Pacific Coast states, it’s clearly proven that I can complete this journey. It’s a matter of mechanics at this point. As soon as the problem is solved, you can bet you rear I will be back pedaling towards The Last Frontier. I honestly cannot wait to get more miles done. Since Seattle, I’ve taken a train home (to Phoenix), where I am planning out my return to the road with a stronger Wheel. Don’t write me off. I’m far from finished.

So Garrett was assisting me in getting some more “meat” on my hub spindle. In doing so, the torch welder fried the grease and shield of my fork bearing. I rode to a bearing shop to get it replaced, but had the problem of getting my cotter back into the crank arm. Hammering does little good, and it would just make the problem worse, and back to point one. Earlier in the week I met Matt from http://divideby1.com, a passerby that needed to see the penny farthing up close. We chatted a bit, and he offered his help if I needed it while I was in town. I gave him a call at this point, unsure what else I could do. To Springfield, OR the cycle went, and he and his buddy Ike started fabricating a tool to press the cotters in and out. At the end of the night, I had a fantastic tool, incredibly well made by two very skilled metalworkers/mechanics, and a full belly from Ike’s wife/girlfriend’s amazing dinner. Times like this reminds me that humanity does indeed have a chance – there ARE good people out there.

Tuesday I received my package from Mr. Tom Nostrant at Click-Stand. We had conversed over many emails, and finally believed to have come to a conclusion on a product that would work for my upcoming trip! He first contacted me wanting me to try out his product with my loaded ordinary, and I was happy to oblige. After finally having some time to play with the stand itself and loading up my bike, I can safely say that this will be a fantastic addition to my tool arsenal this spring & summer.

I had very often questioned an easy way to go about making a stand for the penny, but things have been so busy I never had the chance. This is better than the best solution. This happened at the *perfect* time, and there couldn’t be a better product. Not only does a Click-Stand weigh next to nothing, folds up into a tiny, self contained area, but it also conforms to what you tell it. A conventional kick stand works in one fashion. A Click-Stand allows you to move it around, get it situated and change its position depending on the load of your bike. An unloaded bike has a much different center of gravity than that of a fully loaded bike (especially a high wheel!).

Today I loaded up my panniers and put them on Pene and played around with the Click-Stand. One I locked up the crank (to the fork blade with a Velcro cinch strap), the stand worked like a joy. I’m pleased to say that Tom is a joy to work with, and his product is a *must have* for any touring cyclist – penny farthing, safety cycle or even unicycle! It’s pretty safe to say that he will take the time to get you the right product and make sure it works for you. This is what businesses used to be built around; a stellar product and outstanding customer service. Hats off to people like Mr. Nostrant from Click-Stand who still tote great ethics (and products!) I highly recommend this product and company.

Bicycle Fixation Wool Knickers

While some likely enjoy the attention of spandex, lycra, cut-offs or tight jeans, the usefulness of them in real day life is embarrassing. There’s something about each one that I’ve never liked that much. Using a bicycle as transportation needn’t draw attention to you (again, some likely wish for this). My search has ended though, I am happy to say. I don’t have to walk the isles of the grocery in spandex. No longer must I be a walking billboard (worse yet, on my torso!). I don’t feel like cycling in tight jeans, as cool as I may look. And those cut-offs in the bottom drawer? Send them back to 1991, please!

I must say, this was a long time coming, finding *these*. I even toyed with making my own wool knickers, but we never seemed to have the time. I found and decided to tempt fates, and boy am I happy I did so. I’ve always hated spandex, and cycling bibs, while they have their place, make me feel like I never grew out of that diaper age. I may be a rare kind, but I dislike padded cycling breeks. Summer ‘09 was around 5,000 miles in unpadded spandex, jeans and everyday shorts. There’s something to be said for a good leather saddle though, right?

So on to the product at hand:

They look great. They’re almost dressy with their satin leg-panel. The gabardine wool is superior quality, looking gear, wearing incredibly while being warm, cool and wicking. In winter, they were warm. Since spring sprung (with temps above 80), they are still cool enough to wear. Wool is such a miracle material. I wore them in a torrential downpour one day, while cycling a few miles to a local shop with temps in the 50s – I was warm, despite being wet. The first day I cycled in them, I was *shocked* at the comfort riding in them. I tend to cycle in tight-ish jeans, to avoid any loose ends in chains, drive-trains or the like. It was like going from a coffin to a yacht. My clothing kept to itself, yet I still felt “open and free”, not constrained like usual.

I must say, the quality is stellar. The materials seem to be top shelf quality. Satin lining on the leg-bottoms and leg-panels with top quality gabardine – how can you beat it? Because I plan to be putting all my ACT2010 gear to a real test, I decided I’d put these knickers to the test before-hand. The way I saw it, if they failed the inner-city every day test, they would certainly fail an every day test in the wild. That said, nearly two months of almost exclusive wear, they still look new and fantastic. I’ve been hand washing them, although they hide their dirtiness something scary. They never smell, and they don’t look dirty, but the water comes out something foul! That’s a good thing considering days of cycling on the open road, while camping, can lead to some lack of cleanliness. These trousers mask all that fantastically. On top of that, they wear incredibly well. All this time, and they show no wear.

At first I was not fond of the elastic waistband, but it has grown on me. I might still prefer a fitted waist, but it does its job well. The leg adjustments are very nice, although you would need tiny legs to use the 3rd setting, so it serves little purpose (but adds to the aesthetics nicely). The first few days the satin lining at the bottom of the legs was a bit rough on my knees, but has broken in and is nice now. I wear mine with a combination of clothing accessories, and they all seem to work well. I do have a pair of the Bicycle Fixation “Over the Knee” Socks that I wear with them sometimes. The only socks they offer in the “Over the Knee” were size 5-9, and I wear 11 US, but figured they were worth a shot. Very nice socks, but only come to the bottom of my knee. I’d like a 10-12 sized sock to see if it could indeed reach over my knee, but these work fine (and do not show any skin while using the bottoms). I’ve also worn the pantaloons with ankle socks and Ibex Woolies Bottoms and nothing seems to impede the strides. You could easily wear padded cycling shorts or bibs under these and no one would know, either.

I highly recommend these knickers to anyone looking for a nicer pair of cycling bottoms. Short of having your own tailored, I feel I am hard pressed to find anything as nicely made or high quality as the Bicycle Fixation Wool Breeks. All that said, I have been wearing them daily around town, even when not cycling, and I don’t look like a slob, which you couldn’t say about many cycling clothing. I’m incredibly pleased with my purchase, and the family owned company delivering this product.

Weeks ago I wrote of baggage possibilities (and lack thereof). Finally, as the trip nears, I’ve the solution in hand. Creation is often less about the sheer creating of an item, but more the conjuring the thought of how to make an item. Putting materials and tools to the test is simple. The steps to get to the point of allowing you to fabricate that though, that takes skill, time (and/) or whatever you can come up with. Thinking outside the norm helps a great deal, but sometimes you just can’t solve the equation and make things work.

Then it finally clicks. Out of nowhere, the idea happens. You don’t even know why, how or when. It’s as if at random you can see the greater picture, and everything is simplified. My baggage mounts are created, and they seem to work flawlessly. I’m not 100% sold on the placement just yet, but that’s just small tweaks and changes. The Ortlieb Rear Roller panniers are 2-6 inches wider than I’d like them, but they’re as close to perfect as I could easily get. Waterproof, economical, in the “right” size range and a very solid attachment system. A few more small adjustments and I should be quick pleased with them – tomorrow’s “loaded” test ride should be an eye opener for me.

The new spokes should be in tomorrow or Friday. Late this, or early next, week should mark the rebuilding of the wheels at Tempe Bicycle, thanks to Mr. Bud Morrison (local Wheelman). The last of my purchases are coming in, and then I’m very close to ‘ready’, whatever that word may *actually* mean.