Stuff I like: Wheels

Wheels fascinate me.  All wheels, but most especially bicycle wheels.

The wheel goes back so far in humanity’s past that we have no idea who “invented” or discovered it.  The first wheels were these massive things made out of rough-hewn wood.  They were basically big disks of lumber.  This wasn’t extremely efficient, but it did allow draft animals to pull much bigger loads than they could carry.

We had those early disk wheels for a long time.  Then several geniuses invented two brilliant refinements; tires and spokes.

The first tires where iron bands, heated so that they expanded, and then allowed to cool and clinch around the wooden disk.  These made the wheels last longer, and roll over stuff better.

The idea of spokes was true genius.  If most of the material in that original wooden disk is removed, simply by cutting away pie-wedge sections, the wheel is both lighter and stronger.  (The idea of a rim, with individual, round, lathe-turned spokes came later.)  Those original spoked wheels bore the load in a totally different fashion than our bicycle wheels do.  In this kind of wheel, each spoke carries the load in compression.  That is it holds the weight up as it rotates through the bottom of the wheel.  To do this, spokes had to be massive columns that could withstand the crushing weight of the vehicle.

There is another way!  Some unsung genius turned the whole idea of spoked wheels around.  The revelation was simple.  “Spokes can be used in tension.”  In this arrangement the weight of the vehicle is applied to the hub of the wheel, but the hub hangs from the spokes above it.  The spoke is being pulled from below, not pushed from above.  The load is then distributed around the rim from the top down.  The other spokes, also tensioned, hold the rim in place so that it doesn’t collapse.

When spokes are “tension loaded” they can be much thinner and lighter, and the wheel is, pound for pound, terrifically stronger.  Early examples of this type of wheel were used on horse drawn racing carts.  The system has been used in automotive wheels, and is still in use on most motorcycle wheels.  It’s also, by far, the most common method of building a bicycle wheel.

Other refinements followed.  Replace the steel “tires” with rubber ones.  Then Dunlop figured that solid rubber was too rough, and started building pneumatic ones, the kind we have today.  Spoke lacing patterns help to do the job too.  Different kinds of lacing provide different strengths and weaknesses.  As a general rule, lighter is not necessarily stronger.  (There are exceptions to this, but they usually involve some pretty exotic engineering and materials.)

In short, we who ride bikes are the beneficiaries of centuries of wheel development.  Each wheel is a complex system of carefully match components, assembled with care and attention to detail.  Wheel building is a mixture of science, technology, and art.  But our wheels are a key ingredient in the “single most efficient transportation machine ever invented.”

The Day advances with Changes, most for the good…

It’s a time of year for this kind of thing.  I’m busy re-editing this year’s Spin Class program.  (That’s an annual task, made necessary by the yearly shifting of the calendar.)

If you’ve been into Bicycles Unlimited lately, you’ve noticed some changes in the layout.  These are good, but they do prompt questions about things like Spin Class.  Not to worry.  We have a plan in place, and we’re on top of it.  Classes will take place, and the space will adapt quite nicely for it.

Local to this blog:  I’m doing a lot of background work.  It’s my fond hope that I’ll be able to roll this out soon.  This blog sort of grew organically.  That isn’t the most logical, or orderly, way to put these things together.  It’s time to take some of that in hand.

Basically, there’s a lot information on these posts.  I’ve been putting them up for over three years.  A lot of that information is extremely useful, but it can be hard to find and access.  That’s what I’m working on.  I want to get things done so that anyone can tap the work that’s buried here, and find what is useful.

Please, while we’re under renovation, excuse the dust and occasional noise.  The result should be a lot better on the other end.

Now go ride your bike.

Friday Follies ~~ The Repurposed Bike (Redux)

As promised last week, here’s a bit more on the “Repurposed Bike” project.  I’m presenting this particular post on this day, the one reserved for “Follies” and foolishment, because this just might be a grand folly.  It could be a great success too. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between the two, one man’s Folly often being another man’s glorious march into self-delusion.

If you’ve been following this at all, you know that I’m intent on building up a dedicated commuter.  Once I get this done, I can de-commuterize my Giant Defy 1.  The Defy has been a good sport about being used as a commuter/trainer/explorer/fast recreational/light tourist type bike.  It’s such a versatile machine that it can fill all of these functions, but hauling a trailer with this bike is a bit like pulling a pop-up camper with a Mercedes S Class.  It can be done, but why?

Further, I don’t want to put racks on the Defy, but that means I carry a big bag on my back…  a lot.  That’s okay every once in a while, but one shouldn’t make a habit of it.  The bicycle should be the “beast of burden.”  The load should be on the bike and not on the rider.  After all the rider has to provide the power to move it, and should not be supplying the energy to support it too!

So I picked a bike to build up to my particular parameters.  That meant some fairly heavy modification.  Below is a picture of the stuff that is coming off of the donor bike.

The "Old" parts (removed from the bike)

In the picture above you are seeing the flat handlebar, and the attached grips, SRAM X.4 shifters, and brake levers.  Also included are the stock stem, pedals, saddle, tires, and tubes.  All that stuff is being removed.  Likely it will be sold, or traded, or will find it’s way into other projects.

Now in the next picture are the parts that are going back onto the bike to complete this transformation.

The "New" parts (ready to be installed on the bike)

Pictured are the following:  A Giant Connect SL handlebar and the compatible Giant Connect SL Stem, Cane Creek Drop V brake levers (mounted on the bar), Shimano 8 speed bar end shifters, an old Brooks Professional saddle, Giant FlatGuard Sport Tires (700 X 28), Velox rim strips, Shimano M235 dual use pedals, Shimano Deore rear derailler, Minoura accessory mount, Cateye Mity cyclocomputer, Bike Ribbon gel pads, Profile bar tape, inner tubes, SKS thermoplastic fenders, and a Tubus Cargo rack.

Most of this stuff was lying around in parts bins, fallout from previous projects and trades.  The items I bought specifically for this project are the fenders, tires, tubes, and rim strips.

There is one more small set of things that I still have to get, a one gallon plastic milk jug and stainless steel 8 nuts, 8 washers, 4 screws.  Keep watching.  It’s going to be fun seeing how this all goes together.

More Progress

Here she is.  This is the “new build.”  It’s a Surly Traveler’s Check.  That’s their Cross Check frame, with the S&S couplers.  The frame couplers make it possible for this bike to perform a pretty neat trick.  (More on that soon.)

Here she is, in current trim.

Another, and slightly more flattering, view.

For now, this is a neat bike.  It’s a single speed, or it’s a fixie.  The magic is in the rear hub.  That’s a SRAM Torpedo.  The special thing about the hub is that it can be a fixed gear, or a freewheeling single speed, with the flick of a common screwdriver.

I’ve now put about 25 miles on the bike, and so far, I’m completely delighted with it.  This is a versatile frame.  There's a lot of clearance, for larger tires, fenders, mud, or whatever.  The bike's handling is sure, but delightfully responsive.  Rare, for me (with my huge feet) I don't have to worry about toe strike when cornering sharply!

In the very near future, I’ll be showing off, letting you see the bike’s big trick.

Like most projects, this one evolved and changed as I was working on it.  It is both more, and less than I envisioned.  Will this one be one of the "great favorites"?  Or will this become just another passing fancy.  Time will tell.

Next Project:  Now I have to build up the old frame, from years past, for this year’s Spin Class Season.  I have to get that done quick.  There’s some down time coming, but I’ll be instructing as soon as I get back.

Updates all over the place:

Maybe you haven’t encountered this anyplace else.  Southside Cycling Club will be holding its annual All Members General Meeting, tomorrow, at Maguire’s Irish Pub, in Senoia, Georgia.  This is an important meeting.  New officer and board elections will be held.  We’ll have a speaker.  The club is providing “horsey doovers, tea, and soft drinks.  Meeting will start at 7:00 P.M.  If you are a member, you need to be there.  Not a member?  Come anyway and join!

The Bicycles Unlimited Novice Road Ride is no longer going out on Thursday nights.  Sorry, but it’s done for the season.  However, there will be a Novice Road Ride on the second Sunday of each month, starting in November. 

• When:  Ride will be at 2:00 P.M.  14 November, 12 December, 9 January, 13 February, and 13 March.
• Where:  Start/Finish at Bicycles Unlimited.
• Distance:  23.5 miles.
• Pace:  This is a No Drop ride.  (Ride leader will stay at the back.)
• Conditions:  Ride goes rain or shine, at any temp above 20 degrees F.  (Dress appropriately for the conditions.
• Requirements:  You, your bike, and helmets must be worn.

Bicycles Unlimited Spin Classes Start:  The shop’s annual spin classes will begin on Tuesday, 2 November.  Here’s the basic rundown.

• WHEN:  Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:00 PM through March 10^th
• WHERE:  Bicycles Unlimited training room
• REQUIREMENTS:  Bring your bike and your stationary trainer
• SUGGESTED: (For maximum results) You should wear summer weight cycling clothing, bring a towel and plenty of water, have completed a recent Anaerobic Threshold Test, and wear your Heart Rate Monitor!
• COST:  $100 for the entire season, $30 per month, or $10 per session
• SIGN UP: Is currently going on.  Come in to the shop and get signed!
•  ***This is strenuous exercise.  You should always consult your doctor before starting any rigorous exercise program.

Don’t forget!  The mid-Fall Celebration Night Ride is coming up.  It will be on Monday, 25 October.  More details soon.

AND FINALLY:  Last week I went public with a schedule for the completion of my latest project bike.  I’m happy to report that I am on target.  The tricky wheel build is complete.  Now on to the driveline!

Fixie Update: The new build

Into every life must come a certain amount of confusion, and a bit of irritation, garnished with some frustration.  That’s not to say we dwell in those places.  But it happens.  Some time ago I featured the latest project, a Surly Traveler’s Check.  If you follow this blog, you might have noticed that, after that announcement, we were strangely silent about the whole thing.  There were reasons for that.

A lot of stuff happened.  This stuff took up a lot of time.  At the same time, I ran into what Robert Pirsig refers to as a “gumption trap.”

Those of you who have not read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance will need a bit of prompting.  (Please note, I strongly recommend this book!)

First off, what is “gumption”?

-noun Informal

1.  initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness

2.  courage; spunk; guts

So “gumption” could be seen as the inner fortitude and resourcefulness to see a task through to successful completion.

How many of you have had a scenario like this?  You begin a job or task.  You know what you wish to accomplish.  Things are going fairly well.  And then it happens.  Some glitch, or unforeseen problem arises.  Possibly you solve the problem, but another one arises.  You find a fix for that.  Then another glitch occurs.  At this point you are getting tired, and you realize that the solution to this latest problem is to back up, undo a lot of work, and re-do it.  The temptation is to quit and go away.

That is a gumption trap.  It’s a situation that robs you of your gumption, drains away your stick-to-it-iveness.

That is pretty much what happened to me.  In order to get the Surly up and running, I needed to build a rear wheel around the magic SRAM Torpedo ™ hub.  I ordered a rim, calculated the spoke lengths needed, got spokes, and went to work.  I prepped the spokes and laced the wheel up.  So far so good.  But when it came to tensioning and truing the thing…  Well, that was when I discovered that I’d miscalculated the spoke lengths.  They were all about three millimeters too long.

And there was all this other stuff happening in my life.  That’s a perfect recipe for a gumption trap.

Yes, I make mistakes.  The problem of spoke length is a nontrivial one.  More, I work with this stuff all day long, so I have a bit less inclination to do so on my own time.  That’s when I want to ride a bike!

Of course, I’m a lot slower on my own projects.  The time I spend working on my bikes is very limited, and it competes with so many other demands.  Nothing unusual there.  We all have many demands on our time.  It’s a constant juggling act.

So, I let the project sit.  Don’t tell me none of you have ever done anything similar.  We all fall into this from time to time.

So now I’m on a schedule. 

This week:  Get that wheel built!

Next week:  Driveline

Week after:  Final assembly and test

Watch this space for more news soon.

Progress…

This is “Lady Grand Prize” as she stands right now.  The frame is vintage Schwinn, with a lot of cleanup, and a bit of touch up painting.

There’s not much left to do here.  She’s waiting for a brake lever, and brake hookup.  This it will be time to dress the bars, install pedals, and set up the chain.  She should be ready to meet her new owner by the end of the week.

And this…

is my new project.  That’s a Surly Travelers Check frame.  The rear wheel is not completely built, but is shown here, undressed, to give a feel for the bike.  Obviously she needs a saddle, and some other touches, but they are coming.  I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to complete this rascal yet.  Still, very much a work in progress.  I’m hoping to have this one done in the next couple of weeks.

Of course this is a tremendously busy time, so I only manage to squeak in an hour or two a week on my personal pets.

Orphan:

Interesting and amazing things can happen in the bike shop.

Below are a few pictures of the “Orphan.”

This is a Schwinn cruiser.  I’m not sure how old it is.  It goes at least back into the mid 50s.  The current owner brought it to me.  He doesn’t intend to fix it, but he knows that this is a piece of history.  He’d like me to find it a home, and maybe get him some cash for it.  He isn’t expecting much.

This bike could be made into a working bike for a very small investment.  On the other hand, a true restoration, while possible, would be quite expensive.

So the thing is, this bike can go to a good home, one that intends to do something good with it, for $50.00.  Don’t contact me if you just want to trash the thing.  But if you intend to either get it ride-worthy, or do a restoration, and will treat it with respect, please do drop me a note, at The.Road.Dragon@gmail.com

Restoration Discussed:

First off, let me stress a couple things.  Restoring a bicycle absolutely must be a labor of love.  It takes a lot of money, and time to do this right.  There is research and a lot of correspondence.  Finding correct replacements for some of the parts is incredibly time consuming.

Restoring a bike is not a profitable activity.  When it’s done, it’s a thing of beauty, but it isn’t worth anywhere near what must be spent.

There’s more.  Your local bike shop is not going to do a restoration for you.  Or, if they do, it will cost you a ton.  You’ll have to pay for the research time, the disassembly, the shipping of parts (both ways), the cost of the new parts, and the reassembly.  It will take a lot of time.  It can easily cost several thousand dollars to bring one back to full life, and there is no earthly way the bike can be sold for that amount of money.

Okay.  I’ve done my due diligence.  If you want to make this bike live again, as a repaired rider, or as a re-painted and re-shod one, or even as a full project, drop me a line. The cost of admission is $50.00.  I really hope someone takes this one on.

Friday Follies ~~ The Long Rig

It’s no secret that I’m a cycling nut.  That last word has a lot of different dimesnions to it.  One of those dimensions is an attraction to odd, and sometimes downright weird bicycles.

I’ve had my flirtation with recumbents.  I own a tandem.  I’ve ridden off-road tandems.  (That’s a “two-up” mountain bike!)  I’ve ridden, and will someday own, a reproduction high wheeler.  Regular readers will know that I do touring, from credit card to full loaded, and that I have a small collection of singlespeed and fixed gear bicycles.  I once had a serious cargo bike, and commuted on it, and hauled ridiculous loads with it.  I’ve experimented with various utility trailers, and have even supported century rides from the bike, while hauling the trailer.

That last hits on this topic.  I also am committed to using a bicycle instead of an automobile, wherever possible.  I don’t like the idea of a bike as a toy, that has to be loaded on a car to be hauled to someplace to be used.

A few years back, I got the idea that I’d like to be able to take my mountain bike to the trailhead, without using a car.

Now mountain bikes don’t do well on the road.  Riding to the trail is great, if the trail is fairly close by.  But if it’s any real distance away, going there on the off-road bike is likely to leave one too tired and beat up to have any fun on the trail.

A road bike is such a worthy beast, on the road.  So I had the inspiration.  I would try to rig up a means of carrying my mountain bike to the trail, with my roadbike.

My first idea was to attempt to copy the idea of an automotive towbar.  I could just hook the second bike up to the first and tow it along.  This idea might just be workable, but the assembly I came up with certainly wasn’t.  Hours of planning, and then more hours of fab work in my shop, produced an odd hardware set.  It took me over an hour to install the thing the first time I tried it.  I didn’t make it out of the driveway on the test ride.

Oh well.  Back to the drawing board.  Then I had the idea of using the trailer.  The immediate problem was that the mountain bike wouldn’t fit on the trailer.  I started looking at fabricating a mount to accomplish that end.  It didn’t take me too long to realize that the load was going to be too topheavy, and unstable to be workable.  But I’d had another minor epiphany as I worked.

I fabricated a fork mount for the little one-wheel trailer.  This would accept the fork of the mountain bike.  It was child’s play to arrange a wheel holder that would go along side the fork mount.

Try to visualize this.  First there is a roadbike, a good, sturdy, light tourist of a bike.  Connected behind the roadbike is a single wheel trailer, with its own pivot to allow it to follow the bike.  Mounted to the trailer is the front of the mountain bike, and it has a pivot of its own, the fork steerer bearings.  So this assemblage has four wheels on the ground, two on the towing bike, on the trailer, and one on the towed bike.  It is well over ten feet long.  It took me a while to figure out how to hook all this up by myself, without dropping anything.  I had to find, and then follow a definite order of assembly.

Now consider the weights.  The light tourist was, by no means a light bike, weighing in at 27 pounds.  The trailer was a svelte 22 pounds.  The mountain bike, a relative lightweight of a full suspension job, tipped the scales at just under 30 pounds.  So the whole rig, along with necessary water, tools, and spares, totaled out to near 100 pounds.

That first ride was a bit of a revelation.  To say I was wobbly at the start would be an understatement.  Things moved, shifted, and wriggled around, until I got up some headway.  And then I had to make the turn at the end of the driveway!  I made it.  Barely.  And it took the whole road to do it.  That maiden voyage was confined to the immediate neighborhood.  I wasn’t committing to the road until I had some feel for this assemblage.

Did I say “feel”?  I’ve captained a tandem, with very heavy and inexperienced stokers.  That was nothing compared to this.  The rig was ungainly, and difficult to steer.  I had to anticipate stops and turns.  Basically, I had to phone ahead for reservations.  After an hour of test rides around the neighborhood, followed by tweaking things, left me feeling fairly confident that I could pull the trick off.

The following day, I took it out on the road.  This was to be a serious “proof of concept” ride.  I did have enough sense to pick a low traffic time of day, and to stick to lightly traveled roads.  For the first five miles or so, things went pretty well.  Then I hit a hill.  Not a little hill, but a real one.  I was, instantly, in my lowest gear, out of the saddle, cadence way down, and growling with effort.  As the speed fell off, so did any semblance of stability.  Worse, I was rocking the lead bike in my efforts to keep things moving.  I found I needed a half a lane to keep from running off the side of the road.  But I made it to the top.

“Okay.  I can do this,”  I said to myself as I topped the hill, and sat down, greateful for the chance to recover and steady.  But then things started to happen.

As the speed built up, the long rid steadied down.  But the speed built up fast!  All that weight, my 180 pounds, aboard a 100 pound train, got us moving down hill in a hurry!  Hey, this wasn’t so bad!  Wind in the face, and all that!

At 20 miles per hour, things were good.  At exactly 21.5 mph, the rig started to oscillate.  We are talking a speed wobble on steroids!  I was suddenly, all over the road, and applying the brakes made things worse!

I made it to the bottom of the hill, but I have no idea how.  I was a passenger for the last quarter mile of that descent.  And now I was on the wrong side of the hill.  I had to go back over it to get home!

Through experimentation, I found that I could control the thing.  The wobble was predictable.  It always set in at 21.5 mph.  Holding speed below that meant using brakes.  Lots of brakes.  I wore a set of pads out in a week of experimenting.  (A set of pads usually lasts me more than a year.)

Eventually, I dismantled the long rig.  It was too ungainly, too unsafe, and way too much effort.  I’m still convinced that this concept has merit, but not like that.

That we can do a thing, does not mean we should do it.

Contest Prizes, and Audax 200K Preparations

(See the post from 5/4/10 for Audax 200K details)

The Great and Weird Road Dragon Bike Contest

Here they are, the Grand Prize (still a work in progress) and the First Prize.

Pay Attention!  This is one possible "donor frame"

And here's another...

 These are some of the "goodies" that will make this a real ride

You will notice that the Grand Prize shows two different frames.  No, there are not going to be two bikes.  But rather, I will finish the frame that is appropriate to the winner.  That means the winner gets to pick which of these frames will be finished out as a fixie/singlespeed.  There is a lot of appeal either way this project goes.

As for the First Prize, that’s an Origin8 Black Ops Scout.  It’s a rigid 29er, with Avid disks.  The bike is suspension-ready, for those who just have to have a shock.

There’s still time (barely!) to enter (and win!) this contest…  But you are going to have to hurry!  Prizes will be announced on Bike to Work Day.

Want to know how to enter?  I’ve put this up enough times.  Start looking through the back posts on this blog.  You should be able to find everything you need.  Good luck and good hunting!

 Preparing for this weekend’s Audax 200K?  Mostly you should be resting.  Oh yeah!  And you should be contacting me, right now!!!!  It’s real, and it’s happening this coming Sunday.  That’s 16 May 2010.

What should you bring?

• At least two spare tubes
• A bit of cash for munchies at the stops
• Your favorite on bike foods
• Sunscreen
• Any spares that are unique to your rig
• Dress for the weather (Rain or Shine we’re going!)Your best smile!

Work Progresses

McTavish has reported that the boiler will hold up to 500 psi, and steam will be up shortly.

Yevgeniy and Wulf are testing the launcher, and report 90% ready for engagement.

The power crew is tearing out a wall, and stringing heavy cable, and the master command console is installed.

Looks like we're going live soon.

In the meantime, we'll be looking for you all in Spin Class, on the paths, and on the road.