Re-De-Constructing the Re-Purposed Bike

The object of this project is to return my Giant Escape 1 to it's original configuration.  This is possibble because I saved and stored all the original bits and pieces.

In Monday's post, you saw the bike on the service stand, wheels off, and ready for the heavy work.  I described the work that was to be done on the wheels.  If you look back at the picture of the bike in that stae, you will see the following

• A Shimano Deore 8-speed rear derailler
• An Origin8 seatpost, supporting a Brooks B-17 saddle
• A replacement stem (which fits the clamp diameter of the bars
• A set of road "drop" bars
• A Shimano 8-speed cassette (to match the heavy loads involved in my commuting)
• Various other accessories

In the picture below, you will see that some work has been done.

Work has begun...

The conversion seatpost, stem, bars, shifters, brake levers, cables, pedals, and accessories have been removed.  Then, without all the stuff attached, the frame was detail cleaned.  Additionally, the chain has been removed for deep cleaning and lubrication.

The Shimano rear derailler has been replaced with the original SRAM X4 unit.  The headset was cleaned and re-lubricated.  The original pedals, seatpost and stem have been installed.

Coming back up...

Here you see the original pedals, saddle, handlebars, and controls installed.  The bike is ready for a complete re-string.  Once that has been done, the wheels will be installed, and the bike will be tuned.

Ready to ride!

Presto!  A clean, shiney bike in the form that Giant originally intended.  Most of the parts have little, or no wear on them.

By now, some may be wondering what my intention is for this bike.  Simple.  I plan to sell it.  I've finished with my need for an "interim commuter," and had all the fun that this project could afford me.  This is a fun bike, in just this form, and this project has demonstrated just how versatile and capable this machine can be.

Praise for the Bike

This past Sunday was the first of this year’s Audax Tune Ups.  Yesterday I posted a report on the ride.  Here’s a bit of an addendum.

Chris was along on that ride.  She is a committed endurance rider.  At the end of the ride, Chris presented us with a bit of magic.  I’ll get to that in just a bit.

I’d like to spend a few minutes talking about the bike Chris was riding.  It’s a Giant TCR 2.  Chris purchased the bike a bit over five years ago.  That was an act of faith.  At the time she had never owned a road bike, and did not consider herself a cyclist.

She learned.  The bike taught her.  She rode it.  Lots.

In the years since that purchase, Chris has used her bright red TCR on centuries.  She’s commuted on it.  She’s ridden it as a light touring bike, and completed some (more than a few!) extremely tough brevets on it.  She’s climbed and descended some of the more significant routes in the Great Smoky Mountains on that bike.  She’s ridden it in rain, and blistering heat.  She’s thrashed her way down many umpaved roads.  She’s been up in the small hours of the morning, and saddled up in bitter cold to go ride numerous Dawn Patrols.

If I’m not mistaken, Chris’s beloved TCR has been ridden in four states.  It has carried her along on fast rides, training excursions, long slow rambles, grocery trips, path rides, and group rides.

The bike’s driveline has been completely rebuilt twice, and has used several chains and cassettes.  She has taken immaculate care of this great bike.  Yes, it has a few scars and scratches, but it still stand proud in the sun.

At the very end of Sunday’s ride a bit of magic happened with Chris’s TCR.  As we pulled into the parking lot, and stopped, the figure on her computer clicked over to a new number.  Exactly as Chris finished that ride, the overall milage on her beloved TCR hit the following figure, exactly...

BRAVO!  ENCORE BRAVO!!!

Audax Ride Preparations: Bike Choices

Each year, as this particular activity looms onto the horizon, I do my level best to supply helpful information.  What is rendered below is hardly to be considered the ultimate in wisdom, but it the sum total of what I have learned, by research, observation, and personal experience.

It is my fond hope that riders new to distance/endurance/touring type riding will find this helpful.  I rather think there may just be a tidbit of some worth for the more experienced rider too.

This is about what works best for this particular kind of ride. 

What Does Not work:

I’ve found this to be a necessary warning.  While I don’t try to discourage folks from doing what they think works for them, long (and sometimes bitter) experience has shown that the following do not do well on this ride, or on the preparation “Audax Tune Ups.”

• Mountain bikes.  (More, it does not matter if a mountain bike has had the tires replaced with thinner slicks.  It’s still a mountain bike.  It’s still not efficient.  It’s still a bad idea.)
• Comfort bikes
• Cruiser
• Hybrids
• Flat bar road bikes (sometimes called “Fitness Bikes”)

In short, just about any kind of bike with a flat or straight handlebar.  I’ve seen it tried a lot of times.  It doesn’t work.  Period.  Use the right tool for the job.  Or more bluntly,  “Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.”

What Does work:

Almost any kind of drop handlebar road bike will do, IF you are comfortable on it for longer periods of time.  That means it pretty much has to fit you well, and the saddle has to work well for you.  If you are not sure about your fit, have it done.  Get a good sound professional bike fit done.  If you are not sure about your saddle, come out and do the Audax Tune Ups.  After riding 45 miles (or 65 miles) you will know whether you have saddle “issues” or not.  (If so, come see me at Bicycles Unlimited, and we’ll discuss options.)

Why? 

The purpose of this little discussion is to recommend the best choice for this kind of endurance/light touring riding.  Read this if:

You have a bike and don’t plan to replace it, or to get another bike:

You don’t have a bike:

You are considering the purchase of a(nother) bike:

Here’s my recommendation:

You can do this kind of ride on almost any road bike.  It’s not really so long as to require a dedicated touring type bike.  I would recommend bikes with more relaxed geometry, as opposed to all out racing machines. 

We have had folks do this on time trail bikes, and they’ve done okay, but unless you are deep into training for IronMan type events, I’d suggest avoiding this choice.

A “light tourist” is not a bad choice.

It most certainly can be done on a cyclocross bike, but I’d go for slightly narrower (and smoother) tires.

Tourists are a bit heavy for this particular kind of riding, but will work.  They tend to have more relaxed geometry, and their carry-capacity is hard to beat.

The Commuter Bike Project: Ride Report

Last week, as regular readers know, I finished up the Repurposed Bike.  I now have a heavy commuter in the stable.  I also have enough time on it to form some good solid impressions.

I took the beast out for an (unloaded) test-ride of a bit over 20 miles.  Then I followed that up with a round trip commute.  So far so good!  So on Saturday, I rode the new bike in to work, used it to lead the regular Saturday morning recreational ride, and then rode it home.  The commuting trips were pretty well loaded too.

First impressions:  This bike is not as light as I had envisioned, but it is a bit lighter than my tourist.  So it qualifies for the “light-weight” part of the intention.  It’s fun to ride, and that’s all to the good.  The dropVee levers, coupled with the Shimano V-Brakes are amazing!  The gearing is good.  (Good and low!)  The fenders still need a bit of tweaking.  I’m less than thrilled with the wheel bearings, but I’ll rebuild those and set that right.

The high volume Giant 700 X 28 tires are nice and cushy.  They roll quite nicely, and take the rough stuff in stride.  That helps to smooth out the jolt from hitting the rough stuff with a heavily loaded bike.  The ancient Brooks Professional saddle is going to take some breaking in, but so far, I like it.

One interesting impression:  It takes a bit to get this rig going, especially when loaded up for a Fall/Winter commute, but once moving, it has a sort of “steam-roller effect.”  It rolls right along, and feels like it will keep doing so forever.  Hills are a bit of a challenge, but the gearing is right for pushing a big load over them.  It’s work, but not unpleasant work.

With fenders, rain cap, and such, I can hardly wait for the right conditions.  I know it sounds ludicrous, but I’m looking forward to riding this rig in on a chilly, rainy morning.

The Repurposed Bicycle

I don’t know exactly when the word “repurposed” came into the English language.  The first time I encountered it, I understood it at once.  I’ve been doing that with stuff, particularly bicycles, almost all my life.

My first real bicycle, beloved Schwinn of memory, was a sort of Pee Wee Herman special.  It had a big gas tank kind of affair that housed batteries and a horn.  It had a headlight, a bell, fenders, a tail light, a chainguard, and a large basket.  That basket was the first thing to go.  Later, I removed almost everything except the basic bicycle, and used it to invent mountain biking.  Still later I remounted the basket, added a pair of pannier baskets, and entered the world of commerce, throwing newspapers.

One of my treasures is a necklace that my daughter made.  She took the jockey pulley out of worn out antique Campagnolo derailler, used hemp to macramé it to a leather thong, and made it into a necklace.  She wore that thing for several years.  Now it’s mine, and more precious than gold.

Regular readers will be aware of some of my other projects.  There have been numerous fixed gear conversions…

Last year's contest Grand Prize

And of course my FrankenFixed…

The FrankenFixed

These are bikes that started out as one thing, and ended up as something quite different.

I’m currently engaged in another kind of repurposing of a bicycle.  This time I’m starting with a brand new bike, and converting into something the manufacturers never envisioned.  I’m working toward a vision of mine, aiming at fulfilling a purpose and solving a specific problem.  In other words, I’m having fun.

The Problem:  I need/want a more commuter specific bicycle.  Specific to my kind of commuting.  I want to stop beating up my road bike.  It won’t carry fenders.  Currently, if I’m commuting I have two choices for carrying stuff.  One, ride the tourist (heavy!), or two, pack all my stuff on my back.  Here are the criteria:

• Handle a ride of between 11 and 25 miles one way, over varied terrain, and road surfaces (including dirt)
• Be reasonably light
• Capable of mounting a rear rack and panniers
• Capable of mounting fenders
• Comfortable road bike feel
• Fairly simple and economical to maintain.
• Reasonably inexpensive

This just may be the stuff of many future “Friday Follies”!

The Old “Fire Engine Horse”

I pulled the old and decrepit road bike out of the corner of the home shop.  I assembled a hodge-podge collection of parts, and built the thing up as a “trainer bike.”

It doesn’t have brakes.  It’s equipped with bar end, friction shifters.  It will never see the road again.  The “rig” has only one purpose, to keep me up and let me exercise on a trainer.  I wouldn’t even trust it on a set of rollers.  But it will serve for this coming Winter season.

But you know what?  It feels good to mount the old friend.  This frame has well over 100,000 miles on it.  It’s climbed mountains, ridden deserts, been rained on, frozen, and completed something like 30 brevets.  It has hauled me around as a commuter, and taken me touring.  It has even been raced a few times.

Some how, I can not let the old girl die.  So we’re together again, on a trainer, for a Fall and Winter of indoor training.  I expect I’ll put her “out to pasture” sometime soon.  But not yet.  We both have work to do.  It is good.

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.

Thursday Thoughts ~~ The Everyday Anytime Bike

Remember what it was like as a kid?  You could just go get your bike out of the shed and ride it.  Maybe, you had to pump the tires up.  No other special preparations were required.

I spend a fair amount of time thinking about that.  What kind of bike is ready all the time, at any time?  What stops us from getting on the bike and going for a quick ride?  Why not just jump on the bike to go to the store for that small item?  Why not grab the bike to run over to Billy Bob’s or Linda Sue’s to watch the chop suey western?  What stops us from this?

Sometimes capitol C Cyclists seem to get so caught up in the gear.  We know that clipless pedals are a terrific boost to efficiency.  We know that the correct shorts improve comfort.  But are we so fashion conscious that we are afraid to simply get on a bike without a lot of folderol?

Is it, maybe the bike?  What does an “everyday anytime bike” look like?  Is it a cruiser?  Maybe an older and somewhat battered hybrid?  Suddenly the bike manufacturers are bringing out a bunch of new, entry level type bikes.  They seem to have the thought that “less is more.”  These things have fewer bells and whistles, less suspension, less complexity.  They look like they would be more serviceable, more capable of being instantly ride-ready.

I wonder if we don’t let ourselves get caught up in all the “stuff,” and miss the ride.  As I write this, I am thinking about putting together such a ride ready bike.  Of course I am.  And that’s the problem.  I have a stable of bikes.  Surely at least one of them is ready to go at a moment’s notice, and with no real preparation?

Can it be that the act of cycling is interfering with riding?  This will take more thought.

Promise Kept

Regular readers will remember that I put on a contest a while ago. (feb 25, 2010) The grand prize was to be a “new built” conversion singles-speed/fixed gear bike.  Well, that bike is finished now, and here she is.

This is the completed "Lady Grand Prize"

And here she is from another angle

Below is a shot of Lady Grand Prize with her new owner, Teresa.  I’m happy to say that Teresa was super pumped about the bike.  It’s been a fun project, and Teresa is good people.  I like it when things work out that way.

The Grand Prize Winner and her winnings

Congratulations Teresa.  Have much fun.  Tell lots of folks about it.  Keep us posted on your adventures.

(Lisa!  You’re next.)

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.