well done, loosenutscycles

nice work...you truly build a beautiful bike!

truing a wheel

this is something i've wanted to learn about for some time. and, one wednesday, the opportunity presented itself. this wheel was taco-ed. the kid said he hit a curb. but honestly, i don't know how you hit a curb with such force and no go head-over-heels-over-head.

people who do this well--experts in wheel building--would probably look at the pics, chuckle to themselves, and figure they could have it operational in ten minutes. but it took me some time. a couple of key learnings emerged.

1. never try to true anything while drinking beers. it sounds like a good idea, and just like in pool or darts, you do get a bit better at it by the second beer. but by beer number 3, you're all kinds of sideways again. best to just put it away and face it again tomorrow.

2. it's counter-intuitive. because the spokes are screwed in from the outside of the rim, and in truing, you're working from the inside of the rim, i believe the adjustments are backwards...righty loosy; leftie tightie. maybe not, maybe i just got lucky. but it took me quite a while of putting this things even further out of whack before i finally figured out what i was doing.

3. behavior change happens in small amounts. even though it appears that you need to make a sea-change of movement, very little gets accomplished by more than 1.5 turns. it's always best to shave a little here, add a little there, and re-calibrate. wash. rinse. repeat. these things take time.

4. give then get. it's easier to loosen then tighten. tighten then loosening provides no real traction. so, if you're moving the rim from left to right, loosen the left side, then pull it right by tightening the right. taking first and then giving does nothing.

5. focus everything by optimizing your time. i could have saved so much time by simply doing what i did after i was almost done.  the spoke wrench has 3 settings. only one fits. and when you're focused on the wheel, the wrench sometimes shifts. by eliminating the other possibilities, i could have spent so much more quality time on the rim.

maybe these tips will help you. maybe they'll just convince you to go to a professional. either way...

happy riding,

OMB

"You never have the wind with you -- either it is against you or you're having a good day." ~ Daniel Behrman

a wheel out of whack can end your ride

tonight's bike repair? a wheel severely out of whack. i don't true wheels. it's too much work. fixing a little problem is fine...i'll do that. but, fixing a wheel that's this far out of whack? not my bag. well, not my bag until tonight.

so, i'm going to true my first wheel. well, not my first. but my first "unaided" truing. the last time i trued a wheel, i had a good friend (with lots of experience) helping me make minor adjustments. this is an overhaul.

ok, i lied. my friend quickly tired of my tire truing triage, and trued it on 'tis own time. he does that all the time. that's why i like to learn bike repair from him. each lesson lasts legitimately ten minutes before he takes over. two words: beer thirty.

this thing was off...and not in the cute way--that people one day reflect on as essentric. clearly, it's in need of repair. i've never trued a wheel. i once tried to true a girlfriend, though. that didn't end well.

so, here i sit, reading post after post on how to true a wheel. my internet is out. so i'm taking notes at the local coffee shop, only to go home and not recall any of them. i'm sure there's a metaphor in there somewhere for my dating experiences, but frankly, i have a wheel to true.

i'm thinking about starting this weekend. if you've got good links, send 'em my way. this looks difficult, yo.

btw: i reached into my pocket tonight to pay for dinner and pulled out a set of allen wrenches. that's just plain cool.


happy riding...it's been raining down here in the ATL,

OMB

"The best rides are the ones where you bite off much more than you can chew—and live through it." ~ Doug Bradbury

the ride was worth the wait

back to the 75 raleigh.

the part came in, and after careful consideration, i decided i'd rebuild the wheel around the new hub. after hours of google web searches, i thought i was ready...or was so confused that i just didn't know any better. regardless, i had two days ahead of me to get this thing rebuilt, and it was on.

upon doing one last read, i decided i'd do both wheels. the first, i'd pay for to have done professionally. the second, i'd do on my own. i got to performance bike in alpharetta about 15 minutes prior to opening...just me, two wheels, an empty parking lot, and a dream.

the mechanic got in around 10:15. he took my order. then he put the rear wheel up on a truing stand. *spins*

"bro, i could do this for you, but i think you're making a big mistake. this is a 40 year old wheel and it's still perfectly true with original equipment...you don't see this anymore. why do you want new spokes again?"

"well, the shifting rod is snapped off inside the original. so i need to replace the hub anyway... and i wanted to go with flashier spokes," i said.

"alright, bro. $70 per wheel, $2 per spoke...how many is it? right... $142 to replace the hub. or, i could do this..." he said.

somehow, magically, he's removed the bad part off the existing hub and the good part off the new hub and transferred the two. wha-lah. done.

"ummm...how'd you do that? i've been digging through manuals for weeks," i said.  apparently, when you've worked on bikes for decades (i've only got a couple years), you pick up a few tricks here and there.

i got it home, replaced the tubes, and adjusted it for it's maiden ride. un-be-leive-ab-le, folks. i'm not saying this was the best ride, but to be sitting up, looking around, and seeing the sights versus canted down and looking straight ahead? i'll definitely be taking this baby out on the weekends.

it's not fast. it's not light. but man, it is a way to enjoy a slow saturday. kinda like brunch, i guess.

so, when's the last time you looked forward to a ride?

until next time, happy riding.

OMB

"I thought of that while riding my bike." ~ Albert Einstein

bicycle "lost"

one of the fun things about living in the hood is how quickly property changes hands... and the ways in which it does.

the first is the "one man's trash is another man's treasure" method. i can't tell you how often i've thrown out bad forks, bad frames, bad rims, etc., that kids pull out of the dumpster, piecemeal onto their "broken bikes" and then ask me to fix. sometimes it works. most times it doesn't.

and i know this because i've already gone through the 6-10 bikes (in parts) i have and made as many swap-outs as possible.

the other way is simply being lifted. ganked. stolen.

my downstairs neighbor borrowed a bike from my next door neighbor two nights ago to commute to work. good for him. one more biker is the rally cry, right?

well, last night he left it out on the porch. this morning, he knocked on my door asking if he could borrow a bike from me. knowing the first bike was missing, i asked him if he had a lock. and if he used it.

something tells me i made the right decision.

happy riding, my friends.

OMB


"At that age, it's one of the worse things in the world to wake up and not see your bike where you left it." ~ 50 Cent

the ebb and flow of the bike business

so, a crazy couple of days. i got my bike part, finally. woohoo!

now i need a hands on lesson in re-spoking a wheel. perhaps i'll call @loosenutscycles or @nobrakesbikes and see if i can come in and watch them go through the motions. it's not that i don't want to pay...i'll pay for one wheel, but i think this is a skill that's better taught than learned by experience.

i was also contacted by two people this week for bike recommendations. one of them may want my help in refurbishing, the other one just wanted me to find her a good bike for a triathalon. and this is where the story begins.

boys bikes are hard to find in good condition. and men's bikes are either expensive or beat down. but women's bikes...there are a lot out there. unless you're looking for a performance bike. women who ride bike... who really ride bikes... are a diamonds in the rough. and they rarely part with their bikes unless it's an "almost new" price.

i recommended to this woman that she just buy new. go high end. and if she decides she doesn't like tri's, she sells for (new price - $500). even though she could probably get a lot more depending on the time between purchase and sale.

kinda sucks that i'm not restoring another bike for her... but, at the same time, i believe this is a better spend of her money. any thoughts?

OMB


"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self—reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood." ~ Susan B. Anthony

another rider, another ride

so, a twitter friend of mine needs a bike. and i found three in his price range on craigslist. can't tell a lot from the pick. looks like the derailer is fubar. but, it'd be a great commuter bike.

i hope he chooses this one. english steel. brooks saddle (worth more than the bike) and solid mechanics. sure, he'll curse it on these warm atlanta summer days, but this is history, yo. it's like showing up to a party in a 57 chevy...people are just impressed that you own one. and that you made it there.

and finally, the peugeot. what biker doesn't want to own one of these? i know, it's french...but this baby is truly a good find. couple that with the fact that it was purchased as a set, and i'd be willing to bet that there are very few miles on it. a rare find.












looking forward to the next bike project, regardless.

until next time, safe/happy riding,

OMB


"Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things."  ~ William Golding (1911-93), British author. 

a home for the raliegh

so, a 1988-92 raleigh capri found it's way into my living room. yeah, i said it...but i feel like you needed to hear the truth.

capri.

dictionary-dot-com defines the capri as an article of clothing that women wear, too long for shorts; too short to be pants.

and some genius, probably on madison avenue back in the 80s, came up with the idea to name a bike after this poor choice in clothing. and put it on a men's bike.

well, the bike had almost never been ridden. it had been purchased/registered in dad county florida, probably one of those snooty little summer-home-bikes.

"oh, yeah, bro...i ride when i summer in dade county."

"totally awesome, dude. that's rad. we should hang."

again, one of those "one crash" bikes. checked and repacked the bearings. cleaned the dust off the chain. aired up the tires. replaced an inner-tube.

and now the capri needed a new home. enter leif.

leif's girlfriend (soon to be fiance, fingers crossed) loves to ride bikes. he wanted a starter bike. and, i had this one just sitting around. i told him about it a couple weeks ago. he forgot about it, and was quite surprised when i called him to tell him it was on its way.

two test rides, one re-adjustment, and a quick rundown of things to do and not to do on the bicycle later, and leif was cruising the apartment complex, loving a bike that hadn't seen love in years. this is how it should be, my friends. and, hopefully, he and his girlfriend will find yet another thing they can do together as they continue their journey.

so, what's next? well, i have one less bike. time to go find another one.

until then, happy riding my friends.

OMB


"Marriage is a wonderful invention: then again, so is a bicycle repair kit."  ~ Billy Connolly 

a 1975 raleigh sport

i bought two of them a couple months ago...his and hers raleigh sports. the "hers" i gave away after swapping all the good parts off the "his". because the "his" was going to get a paint job, some body work, etc.


yesterday, i tried in vane to fix the sturmey archer hub. for those not into 3 speeds, the sturmey archer hub was the cadillac of hubs back in the day. and the one on the "his" had a broken chain connecting to the shift cable.


i tried everything. and it looks like i just have to man up and buy a whole new chain attachment if this baby is gonna run the way he was meant to. so, i went to ebay and placed my first bid (ever) on used parts. 


nobody ever told me that ebay was like crack, ya'll. before i knew it, i also bid on 60s schwinn paramount, and two cruisers. this addiction needs to stop...but. i. just. can't. help. myself. 


someone, anyone, please take away my internet access...so many good quality bikes...and they all need riders.


my buddy JB has a saying, "the number of bikes one needs is the number of bikes one owns, plus one". i have six. someone stop me.


oh, and today's bike repair was limited to pumping up a leaky tire. all the kiddo's in the neighborhood seem to be riding fine.


take care, and happy riding,


OMB


"Bicycles are social catalysts that attract a superior category of people." 
- Chip Brown, "A Bike and a Prayer"

lift your bikes & open your wallets to a REAL bad ass

let me start off that i have few memories of Stefanie…she was the younger sister of a friend/daughter of a teacher in high school that used to hang around the concession stand i worked for student council. and had it not been for her sister’s updates on facebook over the last couple years, this blog entry would probably never have happened.

but, cancer has been top-of-mind lately. so, i figured i’d just write what’s on my mind.

echos. silence. nothing. umm, err....well

so, instead, I want to share a piece of herstory…a very uplifting story (from her sister, Tamara)

Many of you know that my sister, Stefanie, lost her battle to Colon Cancer last October. One month before she died, when she only had the energy to walk one block, she somehow summoned the strength to ride her bike 50 miles in Pelotonia 09.

Because she crossed the finish line, she referred to herself a bad a** for the remainder of her life. Riding with her last year was one of my most cherished memories.

Gary and I will be riding this year in her honor. If you can, please make a donation to our ride. All proceeds go directly to the James Cancer Hospital and they are tax deductible.

I believe your donation will make a real difference to those fighting this disease. Check out the website. Pelotonia.org and search my name or team StefStrong!

until next time, happy riding.

OMB


"It never gets easier, you just go faster." ~ Greg LeMond

random act unanswered. $75 more dollars in the pot.

it's been a week.

so, i was talking to my buddy J the other night about why V never reconnected. i mean, here i am, willing to put $75 bucks of my hard earned money (well, $15 + the $60 i was paid) to keep someone on a bike.

J said i should just forget about it. it's the thought that counts.

and i agree. but, because this thing is gonna cost more than just $75, i've now increased the pot to $135 ($60 + $75). that's like 22 inner tubes for one more bike. or 10 minutes of a lawyer's time. whichever comes first.

if you could convince a lawyer to file this paperwork for $135, would you? that'd be swell.

in other news,

OMB

"Riding faster than everyone else only guarantees you'll ride alone."

a random act of kindness awaits

[email from my friend]

You have any channels you could possibly pursue?

--FWD MSG--

hello to all

i am sending this email to absolutely anyone that may know of someone who has a woman's small road bike that they would either like to sell (cheap) or feel comfortable loaning to a good friend of mine. my buddy is in a financially vulnerable situation at present and has been managing her stress / panic attacks by daily riding on the silver comet after work. the bike she has been riding for the last year was loaned to her by a friend who now needs it back.

since you never know what is "out there" i figured i would give this a try and see what might turn up.

i hope all is well with everyone!  have a great weekend.

thanks

-h

[email to my friend]

if she can find something she likes for $75 or less on CL and it's in the city, i'll buy it, pick it up and tune it this weekend.

[email from my friend]

Hi H,

Maybe you should put her in contact with b (contact information below).

-J

Hey H:

J sent me this because i work on a lot of bikes.

i thought your note was interesting. i was out of work for about 8 months last year (doing side projects here and there). and about the only thing that kept me sane was getting out of the house and out on the rode. i put a lot of miles in. and i taught myself bike repair.

there are a number of good bikes on CL at $75 or less...they just need some love. so, if she sees something she likes (in atlanta) i'd be happy to pick it up and give it a once over this weekend.

my best,

-b 

hi b

you are so sweet!  thank you for the suggestions...your bikes are so wonderful and your story is touching...i am so glad that you found something to do that gives you so much pleasure.

yes, v, my buddy, is working at her parent's company that is about to fold, her husband lost his job over a year ago.  she has been struggling with stress and serious panic attacks...she says her salvation is riding...so,  a friend of hers loaned her a bike last year, but now wants it back.  poor v is holding on by a thread, so i figured if i sent her plea out to the universe, some how things would work out.

i will forward your info to her and let her get back to you.  i hope she does!

thank you soooo much, b and the best of luck to you!  by the way, my husband just bought me a bike for my 57th birthday and i am loving it...it is brand new, so i hope not in need of repair...but if we need help, we will email you :)

take care

have a great weekend

-h

b,

I am the friend of H’s that is looking for a bike.  Due to the economy and job situations for both me and my husband, I’ve been stressed and a friend loaned me a bike last summer to test. I have found it is the only thing that keeps me sane and my endorphins flowing. She has asked for her bike back. I am leaving town today (some friends gave us a condo for a week) but when I get back, I will look at this and would love to use your expertise to spice up a bike that might need some work so I can get on the road again.  Thank you so much!

V

V:

Have a great weekend. So, just pick out a bike off CL ($75 or under) and I'll get it and make sure it's sound/tuned up for you.

I know your position...and my bike did the same thing for me while I was out of work for 8 months. It'll get better. Things will come around.

My best,

-b

b-

Thanks. I know they will just taking longer than i like. I'll b in touch in a week when i get back.

-v