Category: cycling

Wahoo Cycling Speed/Candence Sensor for Salsa Vaya

Published January 8, 2014

The Salsa Vaya (and hopefully the forthcoming Motorless City bike) has the rear disc brake cable run along the top of the chain stay, which means the Garmin GSC-10 (Speed/Cadence Bike Sensor) cannot cleanly fit on the bike (photo). To work around this I picked up the Wahoo Cycling Speed/Cadence Sensor (a compatible ANT+ device) and thus far it seems like it’ll work just fine. I had no problems hanging both sensors below the chainstay, and my Garmin Edge 510 quickly picked up the sensor and was able to get both wheel rotation and cadence data from it.

This setup isn’t as attractive as Garmin’s single unit, and the need to double the cable back on itself looks a bit sloppy, but it does offer more flexibility and overall it should work out fine. I was also a bit disappointed that it doesn’t feature a Garmin unit-like test button/LED which makes setup super easy. It’s a bit higher priced than the Garmin sensor, so it’d be nice if it was at least identical feature-wise. It’s also a bit awkward how the entire sensor body needs to be pivoted in towards the spokes instead of a small/discrete arm, but I do think it’ll work out fine.

Since this was a test mounting I was a bit careless with the cable ties and didn’t peel the adhesive pads off of the cadence sensor, making for sloppy work. I intend to leave this (with its ugly, temporary fittings) in place for a month or so, and then hopefully after that it’ll be in place on the Motorless City bike.

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New Trail Map of Bald Mountain Recreation Area – North Unit

Published January 5, 2014

This morning I’d originally planned on going for a ride in the currently-active snowstorm, but I started working on a project that I’d wanted to complete for a while, and this evening I completed it: a CRAMBA-IMBA map of Bald Mountain Recreation Area – North Unit. Home to some gently rolling, old-style trails built with cross country skiing in mind it’s not very challenging, but this is one of my favorite mountain bike trails in the area.

Over the last few slow speed wintertime rides there I’d collected the GPS data I was lacking, put it into OpenStreetMap today, cleaned up the existing data, and followed my mapping workflow to create this map. It has a fair bit more detail than the official park map, showing some of the unofficial but well used connector trails, colloquial names for some areas, and a bit more context. It’s what I personally would want for a mountain bike centric map of the trail.

So, what to map next… I’d like to do a CRAMBA-IMBA map of Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, but I’ll need to spend more time riding and exploring there before that’s feasible. I’m familiar with the trails, but not familiar enough with the park to do a proper map. I also want to update the Bloomer Park map to get something that better matches the style of the other maps. But, for now, I’m glad that this got done. I feel like I’ve accomplished something.

One can see this map overlaid on Google Maps, along everything else in the MMBA Trail Guide here: link.

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Brake Lever Insulation for Winter

Published January 4, 2014

Riding a bicycle in winter is made easier by insulating one’s body from the metal frame, which acts as a heatsink pulling away warmth. Bicycle grips, saddle, and boots do this fairly well, but metal brake levers can quickly chill one’s fingers even with gloves on. I’d looked into some carbon fiber brakes such as the Tektro MT5.0 on the Mukluk, but $50+ seemed like a lot to spent for just a bit of extra insulation.

Earlier today I came across this post on MTBR in a thread about insulated brake levers which suggested using some heatshrink tubing to insulate the blade itself, so I’ve decided to give that a go. This was pretty easy to do, and while there are a couple slightly visible high spots and subtle wrinkles the curved part where my finger goes is smooth, and it seems to feel good.

I’ll give this a go tomorrow and see how it works out, but just basic experimentation in the basement is showing it to be warmer than the bare metal lever. Now if I could only find something to do about the metal clamp at the end of the Ergon grips…

UPDATE: After a 2+ hour ride in the snow at Bald Mountain I’m going to declare this a success. The brake lever never once felt cold, I had to consciously try to feel for a differing texture, and things just worked.

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RAL K7 Colour Fan Deck

Published December 26, 2013

So that I may have proper samples for choosing a color for the forthcoming Motorless Bicycle Company frame, Rodney loaned me his RAL K7 Colour Fan Deck, 2012 edition, that contains samples of colors as used by many powder coaters. These are tremendously useful, as they allow one to see the actual color instead of a prone-to-misinterpretation (not to mention emissive vs. reflective) representation.

Thus far I’m not sure what color I want the frame to be, but I’m thinking that RAL 2004 (Pure orange) or RAL 2008 (Bright red orange) may do nicely if I’m sticking with my original desire for orange. If not that, I may consider a brilliant pink, maybe like RAL 4010 (Telemagenta) or RAL 4003 (Heather violet). I could see one of those oranges looking great with a bit of flake/sparkle to it as well.

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Not-Quite-Clean Hydration Pack Zippers

Published December 26, 2013

I periodically wash my Deuter Race Air Lite hydration pack because riding causes heavy sweat buildup on the straps and zippers, eventually getting to the point where the zippers are hard to actuate. I washed it a few days ago by soaking it in a sink of hot water and sodium percarbonate (powdered OxiClean) by periodically agitating it and letting it sit overnight. This works very well, but I forgot one important step: actuating the zippers. The result is that after drying there are still some sweat deposits where the zippers had been, as seen above.

As a result the zippers are still difficult to move in these positions, so I’ll have to soak it again another day this week. Oh well, at least its winter time and I’m not using the bag on a near daily basis as I had been during the summer.

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34×20 for Ray’s MTB

Published December 25, 2013

After our trip down to Ray’s MTB in Cleveland on Monday, Rodney loaned me a 20T Niner cog for the El Mariachi. For the riding down there I’d left my typical 34×19 setup on the bike, but a couple of the climbs were a little tough, particularly when I got stuck behind slower riders. Thankfully this was a rare occurrence, as the park was quite empty that day.

Since it didn’t require removing any links from the chain I figured I’d give this 20T a go and see if it works out better on the planned trip this coming Friday; particularly as I suspect there’ll be more people there that day and more chances to get caught in traffic.

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For Sale: Titus Racer X 29er

Published December 20, 2013

After a lot of consideration I’ve decided to sell my full suspension 29er, the US-made Titus Racer X 29er, in size medium. This is an incredibly nice bike, but I’ve only ridden it three times since last October (2012) when I replaced the headset. Two of these rides were to reassure myself that I still liked it (and I do — it’s a great bike) but I find myself riding my other bikes more often these days. I’ve got enough bikes that this one is now redundant, so I’d like to find it a good home. This is a bad time of the year to list a bike for sale, but I had some time to clean it up so I figured I’d do so anyway.

Photos are available by clicking here or on the image above.

This bike was built out and maintained to be comfortable, rugged, and yet perform extremely well, and did exactly what was intended. It’s also in been well cared for, maintained properly, and is in very good shape, with the only notable mar on the frame being some small scratches on the drive side of the down tube near the letter T, some small scratches acquired when riding at Highland last year and falling over in an uphill rock garden. There’s no cable rub, no chainsuck, and no dents. The fork and rear shock stanchions are free of bushing wear, the frame is really in great shape, and there isn’t even any cable rub due to all the potential rub locations being protected with UHMW polyethylene tape.

When doing a final cleaning for sale I fitted a new chain because the old one was getting near worn; something that nicely matches the super-clean drivetrain. The fork on the bike (a Rock Shox Reba Team) was professionally rebuilt by Rochester Bike Shop a bit over a year ago, and works great. The rear shock, a Fox RP23 had its seals replaced last summer, not long before I stopped riding the bike.

Part of me doesn’t want to get rid of it, but I think it’s time. Along with the bike I’m including the maintenance items that I’d stocked for it, including replacement suspension bushings, WickWerks 32t (middle) chainrings, derailleur hangers, and fork parts. I’ll also toss in a stainless steel bottle cage and swap the Ergon grips for something else matching (Specialized BG Contour, ODI Ruffian, or Salsa Backcountry) if desired.

Please email me at c0nsumer@nuxx.net if you are interested in purchasing this.

Asking price is ~~US$1500~~ SOLD, and the build is as follows:

Frame: Titus Racer X 29er, Black Anodized, Medium (Geometry), FSR Suspension Licensed from Specialized
Suspension Fork: Rock Shox Reba Team (100mm)
Rear Shock: Fox Racing Shox RP23 w/ High Volume Air Canister (80mm)
Wheels: Velocity Blunt SL Rims and SRAM X9 Hubs
Crankset: FSA V-Drive and WickWerks Chainrings (22T / 32T / 44T)
Front Derailleur: Shimano LX
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X9
Shifters: SRAM X9
Cassette: SRAM PG-990 (Red)
Chain: SRAM PC-991 (Brand New)
Brakes: Avid Elixir CR
Brake Rotors: Avid Clean Sweep G3 (160mm Front and Rear)
Cables: Gore Ride-On
Headset: Cane Creek 40 (Nearly New — Only three rides.)
Handlebar: Ragley Carnegie’s Bar
Stem: Ritchey (100mm)
Grips: Ergon GP1 BioKork (Large)
Tires: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25″ (Front), Kenda Small Block Eight 2.1″ (Rear)
Tubeless Setup: Stan’s NoTubes Valves, Tape, and Sealant
Saddle: Specialized Targa
Seatpost: Maxm AM 39 (Two Bolt, Thomson-like)
Seatpost Collar: DKG
Maintenance Parts: 2x WickWerks 32T 104BCD chainrings, 2x replacement derailleur hangers, 3x sets igus suspension bushings, fork decals, fork travel spacer.

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Forthcoming Motorless City Bicycle Equipment Thoughts

Published December 14, 2013

Chris from Motorless City Bicycle Company and I have been emailing back and forth about the specifics of the frame that he’s building for me; the unexpected prize from the drawing just before the Detroit Invitational Cyclocross race. This is likely going to end up as a basic 2×10 gravel road bike, and thus I need to start thinking about component selections. While I’ve got some fairly shiny, well-equipped bikes, I tend to prefer equipment that falls on the side of robust and cost effective.

Here’s my working list of how I’ll kit out the bike. Italics are have/already purchased/will be provided:

Frame/Fork: Motorless City Bicycle Company custom frame, for obvious reasons. RAL 2004 / Pure Orange. SM-CS50 adapters on downtube shifter bosses.

Headset: Cane Creek 40, or maybe a 100 if I pull it off of the Vaya.

Crankset: SRAM Rival, 172.5mm, 50/34, QBP CK4435

Bottom Bracket: SRAM Rival (comes with crankset)

Wheels: XT or Formula hubs, Velocity A23, DT Swiss Competition 2.0-1.8-2.0 butted spokes, 32 spoke, 3-cross, all black, brass or alloy nipples (or DT Swiss X370 / X470 wheelset originally from the Titus Racer X 29er).

Tires: Bruce Gordon Rock ‘n Road 700 x 43c (Alternate: Clement X’Plor USH since I already have them.)

Handlebar: Salsa Cowbell 2, 42cm

Stem: Custom Motorless City Stem, Matte Black (RAL 9005 / Jet Black). Measurements TBD. (Alternate: Thomson, 110mm, rise based on head tube and stylistic desires. 0 Degree X4 matches Vaya TT angle. Black.)

Seatpost: Thomson, non-setback, based on bike fit/frame requirements. Likely 27.2mm x 330mm or maybe 250mm. (Alternate: Salsa Pro Moto 2?) Black.

Seatpost Collar: Salsa? Thomson? DKG? Dimension? Something plain? Chris says he’ll provide something. 30.0mm. Black.

Saddle: Specialized Avatar Comp Gel (143mm)

Bar Tape: Generic black gel cork, whatever I find/have. Lizard Skins recommended by Ryan, maybe Specialized Roubaix?

Shifters/Brake Levers: SRAM Rival (Carbon Levers)

Front Derailleur: SRAM Rival, 31.8 clamp, to be shimmed w/ Wheels Manufacturing Delrin Front Derailleur Shim.

Rear Derailleur: SRAM Rival, Short Cage

Cassette: SRAM PG-1050, 12-28

Chain: SRAM PC-1051

Pedals: Crank Brothers Candy 3 (Black)

Brakes: TRP HY/RD, 160mm front, 160mm or 140mm rear. (Likely 160mm.)

Bottle Cages: King Cage Kargo Cage and Stainless Steel Cage (from Vaya)

Other Accessories: Planet Bike Superflash Stealth, UHMW Tape for Cable Rub, Scotch 2228 for Chain Slap, Timbuk2 Bike Seat Pack, Topeak Road Master Blaster Frame Pump, Niner YAWYD, Garmin Edge 510 w/ GSC-10.

(Updated 2014-Jan-08.)

(Notes from Apto fit: “Ended up moving the saddle forward about 5mm and seatpost up about 5mm. It was suggested that I consider moving my left cleat back a few mm to compensate for a slightly longer leg. I’ll probably go to a 2cm narrower bar, and got some great pointers for positioning the controls. I’ll likely go to a 172.5 crank, and I got numbers for it all that I can use on the custom bike.”)

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Troubleshooting a Salsa Skewer

Published December 12, 2013

I really, really like riding my Salsa Mukluk, but ever since receiving it I’ve had a problem with the rear skewer loosening while riding. After 1-2 hours of hard riding on semi-rough trails I’ll hear some unexpected rotor rub from the rear, occasionally things will feel sloppy, and upon stopping I’ll find the rear skewer has become loose and sometimes I can manually wobble the wheel in the dropouts. This is a more pronounced version of the problem I’d had with the Salsa skewer on the El Mariachi Ti, and partially due to the lack of 170mm skewers I’ve decided to try solving myself.

Based on suggestions from some engineering-oriented cycling friends I first cleaned the skewer’s cam mechanism and lubricated it with Tri-Flow (a nice PTFE lube), thinking that maybe the problem is a rough action keeping me from being able to appropriately tighten it down. In case it continues to loosen I’ve also marked the quick release skewer nut’s position to determine just how much it is rotating. Before riding I’ll probably also mark the lever. While I believe it’s the nut that is rotating (I hadn’t noticed the lever changing position), I want to rule out both sides of the bike.

If this cleaning and lubrication effort doesn’t eliminate the loosening I’ll probably end up trying a set of Hope skewers and giving them a go as they are the only other well-regarded option for 135mm / 170mm bike hubs. I really wish that Shimano made their high-quality internal cam skewers in these widths, but as they don’t I’m stuck trying to find other solutions…

Update on February 23, 2014: After ~2 months of winter riding, including some rough surfaces, the skewers are now holding tight. It seems like lubing the cams to allow them to be further tightened is what did it.

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On-One Floater: Traction for Days

Published December 9, 2013

This evening I left work a little early to squeeze in a ride at River Bends before it got dark, and this ended up being a great evening. Because of a freshly fallen quarter inch of snow and a few days of below-freezing temperatures the ground was a beautiful white, and clearly visible and ridable half an hour after the sun had set. Riding comfortable along the ridge, sun just below the horizon, looking down at the oxbow lakes (ponds, really) along the Clinton River looking at the leafless grey-brown trees and mottled white forest floor was incredibly beautiful. I would love to have what I saw captured in a photo, but it’d be so difficult that I didn’t bother to try.

Besides just getting out for a ride, one other intention for today is to try out the On-One Floater tires (package photo) that arrived last week. I purchased these hoping for something with a similar knobbiness as a Surly Nate, but a bit cheaper. Last year I’d picked up a Big Fat Larry for the front, moving the original Larry to the rear, and while this was a decent setup it left me wanting for more traction in snow. While the Nate would have been my tire of choice for this, at $128.74 (shipped) for a pair of Floaters they are (per tire) less than half the MSRP of a comparable 120 TPI Nate. Roger picked up a pair of the Floaters earlier this year and was happy with being happy for general trail riding, so I figured I’d give them a go.

Last night I set them up with 20 PSI to seat and stretch the tires to shape, then today I rode them at 11 PSI (rear) and 9 PSI, and I’m really happy with them. At 1460g and 1462g each they added a total of 172g (0.38 pounds) to the bike, which is nothing to be concerned with given the radical increase in traction. The center / transition knobs are about 5.1mm tall on the Floater, versus ~3.15mm – 3.5mm on the Larry / Big Fat Larry, and they have a very square-ish shape as opposed to the Larry’s ramped triangle shape. Width came in at ~3.85″, which is a bit shy of the 4.0″ printed on the sidewall, but still a very acceptable width. On the Mukluk’s 82mm Surly Rolling Darryl rims the furthest-out side knobs are parallel with the sidewall, giving the whole setup a great profile and feeling. Here’s two photos showing tread detail: 1 – 2.

Normally with the Larry family tires I’d get a controlled, comfortable bit of slide/drift in corners; something which was very predictable and worked nicely. When on frozen surfaces it’d get a bit weird, and would at times wash out if I pushed a bit too hard. I wasn’t able to make the Floaters behave in the same way, and coupled with the deeper tread I think these will meet my desire for a snow fatbike tire.

Oh, and that monster truck feeling when one first gets a fatbike and rides through rough surfaces with impunity, holding lines that would have been considerably harder on a skinner tire bike? Tonight I had that feeling again while riding the frost heaved Swamp Loop at River Bends. It was rough, bumpy, crunchy, icy, and oh-so-much-fun.

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