Amsterdam again

So I'm in Amsterdam again. On day five, I saw my first fixed gear bike. It wasn't like I was missing them or looking for them. I just find it interesting, one in five days. Meanwhile there are now hundreds of bakfietsen. In some ways, symbolically, a new bakfiets here is kind of like an overpriced double-wide strollers in Brooklyn. Practical, expensive, and yuppie. My brother has one. It cost over €1,000. But these bikes are not at all obnoxious. They're well built. And they hold two kids. I am pro-bakfiets.

And yes, biking here is generally as good as they say.

NYC bike

In a comment, Carlos DJ writes:

Hey Astoria Bike, I'm sure you get emails like this all the time. I just moved to astoria (close to astoria park) and wanted to get back into biking. I haven't biked since the early 90's when i was in high school so I'm quite outdated. Do you have any tips for buying a bike fit for nyc? I plan on doing mostly weekend daytrips to central park, brooklyn, and that sort of exploring fun stuff. ... Great blog, it's been fun reading it.

A lot of email? Maybe you mistake this blog for something people actually read!

I was at a wedding last night, and somebody asked me the same question you did. My first answer always is: not a mountain bike. That usually gets a strange look and a quizzical, "Why?" Because you just know they were eying some high-tech full suspension aluminum frame thing is the bike store. Why? Because we have no mountains!

If you go bike in mountains, get a mountain bike. That's what they're designed for. If you bike in cities, get a city bike.

But what is a city bike? Here's my answer. Something comfortable, fast, and able to carry.

Ask yourself which of those three things is most important to you and go from there. Fast? Get a nice road bike? Able to carry? Get any bike with eyelets for a rack installation and buy some gigantic saddle bags online from Holland or somewhere. Comfortable? Well, all bikes should be comfortable. But think of the seat and the handlebars you like most. But that's hard to know without riding.

I will say this, the most comfortable position for you hands on a bike is when they're in the hand-shaking position. What you don't want is the flat straight handlebars of a mountain bike. Drop handlebars and old-fashioned shaped (bending back) handlebars are the best. In general, until you know better, get a super high stem for your handlebars so you can sit upright. But keep in mind there's nothing naturally uncomfortable about drop handlebars at about seat height.

And whatever you get, make sure you can carry something, even if it's just a bike bag. And make sure you have fenders. And don't get knobby tires (see my no mountain bike rule) unless you plan to biking off road... which you simply won't do in NYC.

I'm very partial to steel frames because 1) they give a much softer ride, 2) they're safer, and 3) they look better. Aluminum frames are popular because they're easier for machines to weld.

I'm against suspension, but don't want to preach against it, because it can be kind of cool. Maybe it's right for some people. But if people didn't ride aluminum frames and hold on to those dumb flat mountain-bike handlebars, there probably would be no need for suspension on bikes. Ride steel. Don't grip your handlebars tightly. And ride around potholes. Plus, without suspension, you can hop over things.

To answer your question, the ideal bike for a city is a city bike. The best city bikes are out of Holland and France. But you should avoid French bikes because they have non-standard sizes for everything (well, I'm sure they're standard for them). But you'd be hard pressed to run across a French City bike here anyway.

If you ever come across a used Batavus Barcelona, grab it. I also think the Bluebird (featured on this bike), is a pretty damn good city bike.

On money, the more you spend, the less trouble you'll probably have. Newer bikes have fewer parts. That means less to brake. Spend money on tires, because they won't get flats. Think about what you want in a bike, and then start hunting. Astoria, by the way, is not a bad place for finding and buying old bikes. There are some nice Schwinns in these parts.

Ring, damnit. Ring!

I’ve been fine tuning my Egyptian spoke bell for a while. The positioning is kind of finicky. It’s got to be just the right distance from the spokes. And the pull’s got to be right so you don’t have don’t worry about doing it wrong. And truth be told, I don’t really need a bell here in Astoria.

But then I biked to Flushing. Coming from a side street to Main St., a sold mass of people, all in my way, all crossing against the light. I had the green. They didn’t. And I knew things weren’t going to get any better if I waiting for the light to change.

And ring I did. I just brinnnnnnnnnnnged and kept going. Not too fast mind you. I don’t actually want to hit anybody or knock over an old person, even if they are in the wrong.

But I don’t mind making you jump out of the way when I have the green: “This is for all those sharp elbows in the Chinatown produce stand!” I didn’t actually say that. I didn’t need to. The crowd parted like the Red Sea. Alas, my wife, behind me, refused to tail me through the crosswalk. So then I had to wait for her for the whole damn light cycle anyway. But it was still a turning point in the glorious history of Sino-Astoria relations.

Yesterday, I had things to carry to I rode this bike into Manhattan. was testing the bell on the bridge, and it didn’t work. When you go to fast... and not that fast, the clapper doesn’t have time to hit the bell before the next spoke pushes it again. So instead of brinnnnnnnng, you get Clickclickclickclickthwackclick. The problem is that the bell is designed for people who bike slowly, with bread on their heads (even though our Egyptian friends on Steinway swear the bell is the bell of the milkman).

I adjusted and readjusted. I thought and thought. I though about moving the bell further out and attaching zip ties to every 4th spoke. I think I have the answer: I decided to drill a new hole and move the bell closer the clapper. We’ll see if it works, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t.

Top-of-the-line coaster brake hub?

Is there such a thing as a top-of-the-line one-speed coaster brake hub? I'm thinking of (gasp) turning my fixed-gear into a free-wheel one-speed. I want a light and fast one-speed for commuting. Ideally I'd get another bike, but I think maybe I have enough. And though I have loved my fixed-gear, the Screamin' Salmon, since 1999, and though it's great going up hill, every time I go down the Queensburo bridge, I wish I could coast. That's the best part of the ride!

Plus, this would give me an excuse to build a set 650B wheels. Not only are 650Bs cool (if I say that enough, maybe I'll believe it), but they'll allow full fenders and this frame has always been just a little big for me. So an extra 1/2 inch of clearance.

The coaster brake would have two advantages: one, rain, two, I can put on an Egyptian spoke bike bell and avoid the problem of having to fix three hand brake levers. It's such a shame I now have this great bell on a bike I rarely take into Manhattan. Crossing 3rd, Lex, Madison, and Park... that's where I want to ring!

Pimp My Bike

I just picked up one of my bikes from Astoria’s best bike store, Bicycle Repairman Corp. (Did I mention there’s a different new bike store in Queens Plaza right by the entrance to the bridge? It’s more sales than repairs, but you can’t beat the location. I’m sticking with Bike Repairman, but hopefully Astoria can support them all). I hadn’t seen master mechanic Andrés in a while. I’ve been busy and my bikes have been rolling just fine.

I brought in my “clunker” bike because I needed about 5 things done to it and was too lazy (taking off the rear wheel to replace the tube is such a pain in the ass because it’s so accessorized up with fender and rack and coaster break).

I also wanted the rear rack improved or replaced because I put a lot of weight on it and when the saddlebags are loaded, it’s been pushing the fender into the wheel for ages now. I don’t like that.

I like Andrés because while anybody can install something new, he finds solutions to problems. For the rack, his solution was to install a long screw with some spacers for the main rack support. The spacers keep some distance between the rack supports and the fender stays. So even when the rack moves side to side because it’s supporting a lot of weight (like, say, my wife—not that she weighs a lot, but anyway, like I was saying...) it won’t push the fender.

With my wife as his witness, he swears the screw will support the weight of her just fine. (Not that anybody recommends riding people on the bike of your bike, of course... even though it’s fun, romantic, convenient, and everybody in Amsterdam does it. And you should always do what everybody in Amsterdam does!)

And then I have these Egyptian bike bells. In Cairo, you often see men like this:riding bikes like this: One hand on bread, the other on bike. It’s great for your posture. While some may note the absurdity of men swerving through dirty traffic on bikes with huge trays of bread on their head... I thought, “hmmmm, I wonder how that bell sound is made?” I had never heard anything like it. Constant, like a rotating bell, but with a steady sound, clearly not thumb activated.

They only really have one free hand, so it’s either brake or bell. And their brakes suck (just poorly working Chinese hand-operated rod- or bar-and-lever-style brakes). But they have great bells. I imagine they drop their bread more often than they’d like. Or you want to think about while eating your falafel.

You can actually see the bell (barely) on the front wheel of the above pic, the one of the bike not being ridden. Bringringringringringringringring is the sound of wholesale bread being delivered to feed all the happy Cairenes! All 17 million of them.

As I wrote in an early post:

I was happy to discover a "spoke bell," AKA an "egyptian bell." This ingenous bell, used by men biking with big trays of bread on the head, is activated by a (brake-like) lever. It pulls the attached-to-a-spring clapper of a bell into the spoke of the turning front wheel. On the release, the clapper whacks against the bell, making a glorious sound as long as the bike keeps moving.

We tried like hell to find one in Cairo when we were there. We were sent from one bike store to another, from one side of town to the other. After dozens of attempts and bikes stores (hey, there are worse things to do in Cairo than explore every bike store), a man said, “Yes, I do carry them... but I’m out of stock. But they’re in a truck and, enshallah, may be here before you leave tomorrow.” Well, God wasn’t willing because they weren’t.

But our wonderful friends went back later, bought some, and mailed us five!

So I’ve been sitting on these precious bells for a while.

I went to pick up my bike and Andrés said, “We’ve been waiting for you. We can’t figure out how to install it!” I secretly pleased I had baffled the best, I tried to figure it out. The bell was wired and the lever was on and the bell was sort of mounted. But they couldn’t figure out how to get it to work. I wasn’t exactly sure either, but it least I had seen one before. As it turns out, the bell has to be installed more toward the rim (away from the hub) so that the spoke hits the clapper in the right direction. And then the clapper has to be positioned just so.

Handsome bell! Their final touch with putting the presta valva cap on the screw sticking out! Nice.


In the relaxed position, the spring pushes the clapper out away from the wheel: The clapper is on a flexible spring like thing, so as the spoke passes, the clapper springs back into the bell. Think of the little red arrow thing on the Price Is Right big wheel.

When you pull the break lever, the clapper moves into the spokes of the front wheel like this:Ingenious, clever, a great invention already almost lost to time. As long as the wheel turns... it’s very loud! It’s also the coolest bell ever.

I also had my Syrian hand-made beaded handlebar grips and cable housing snake put on. I’ve never figured a good way to put handlebar grips on tight and still be able to actually put them on. Anyway, they did it good and didn’t even seem to understand my problem when I asked them how they did it. I know you use electrical tape to keep them from sliding... but then how the hell do you slip the grips on?

I have the only Syrian beaded handlebar grips in America and a monopoly on the illegal Syrian import business. But for you, my friend, special price! My bike is officially pimped.

Just jump in front of me, pedestriancrossingagainstthelightmotherfucker [BRINGRINGRINGRINGRINGRINGRINGRING] I dare you!

I love Rivendell

It’s a little hard to describe the utter joy I feel when the Rivendell Bicycle Works catalogue or Rivendell Reader arrives in the mail. You could see this as a shameless plug, but it’s sincere. As sincere as I think Rivendell Bicycle Works is. Yes, they sell things. And yes, the sell things to make money. But they’re really not in it just to sell things. Maybe I’ve drunk their Kool Aid, but it sure tastes good.

Rivendell is so much more. If you want to learn about bikes and how to like your bike more, read Rivendell. They have a definite editorial position: old school. They love wool, fenders, high handlebars, friction shifters, steel frames, things that work, things that aren’t trendy, bike bags, riding bikes every day and not in spandex, lugs, and, most of all, bikes that people will ride. Did I mention they make bikes? I assume damn good ones. I’ve never ridden a Rivendell. Maybe one day I will.

If the whole world had their philosophy, the world would be better. It would have to be wealthy, because their bikes aren’t cheap. But they’re not overpriced. But having two-thousand dollars burning a whole in pocket is a good place to start if you want their bike. I don’t have that money, so I don’t have their bike. But I still love them.

The Rivendell Reader is one of the great sources of bike knowledge, both arcane and practical. If you like food, imagine Cooks Illustrated without the annoying pitch from Christopher Kimball every month about the Lake Fucking Wobegon ideals of life in (car driving) rural Vermont.

The catalogue is great because it’s so much more than a sales pitch. They have articles. Read it and learn. The latest (#19) talks about: picking a handlebar, how to care for leather seats, thoughts on socks, a short history of the power ratchet (and thoughts on friction shifting in general), crank design and gearing, tips for happy riding, an ode to brake clearance, and safety on bicycles. Some of the stuff you may care about, the rest you find you may learn about after reading what they have to say. Everything is accessible. Everything is knowledgeable. Everything is specifically not for bike geeks (even though it’s hard to imagine somebody who isn’t a bike geek curling up in bed with their latest catalogue).

As I’ve said, I’ve never bought a Rivendell bike, but I do buy stuff from their catalogue. Along with 650B tires, mostly little stuff: velcro wheel reflectors ($5), hemp twine, wool beany caps (the best for biking. And it’s they only thing I’ve ever worn that inspired my sister-in-law to say, surprised, given my general wardrobe... “that actually looks cool!”). They also sell beeswax and pine tar soap. I believe them when they say they don’t really make money on a lot of this stuff. They sell this stuff because they like this stuff. And somehow, all put together, I guess they make enough to live on. Good on ’em, I say.

As the years go buy (I’ve been reading Rivendell for probably 10 years now), I find I disagree with them more and more on the details, but still love their philosophy. And I’ve only come to disagree after learning from them and trying out what they preach.

Most people’s handlebars should be higher (at least as high as the seat). But I’m that 1 in 100 that actually lowered my handlebars again, at least on my main bike. It’s comfortable for me, so I’m sure they don’t object.

They don’t like skinny tires. I think they’re the best, at least on bikes meant to go fast. And I ride in potholed NYC and weigh 220 pounds. 700X23 Continentals, baby. I love ’em.

I love bike shoes. They don’t. What can I say?

I wish they were more urban, but they’re not.

But I can disagree with some of what they believe, and they’ll still like me. They’re right for most people, and I want more people to ride bikes, because my bike ride would be safer. If bike stores pushed sensible clothes along with bikes with bags, fenders, wide tires, and simple sifting mechanisms, the world would be better.

Go buy a membership today, I’m sure you’ll thank me later.

Nice bike

I saw this bike on the bike rack at my work today. "What a nice bike," I thought.

1) The frame has beautiful curves to it. I'm a big fan of the smooth curve on the top of the frame. The little wiggle by the front tire is classy. It's some Austrian frame I've never heard of and can't remember.

2) It's got fenders. OK, they don't make the bike beautiful, it's just hard to respect a bike that doesn't have fenders.

3) There's a little basket under the seat. See #2. It's actually a white plastic "weave" basket that is meant to go on the front of a kids bike. Very simple. Very practical.

4) It's clearly not "off the rack."

5) It's got a bell.

6) It's got a Sturmer Archer 3-speed hub and is single track.

I don't like two things.

1) It's locked by the rear wheel. Know I know it's inside at my school and is probably fine where it is. But I worry about anybody who would lock their bike this way. One day it will get stolen. sniff.

2) The handlebar stem is a modern clamp job. It's standard now. But I still think they're ugly as hell and hope to never have one on my bike.

3) The Sturmer Archer 3-speed hub. I've come to the conclusion that they suck. The risk that it's misadjusted and the peddles don't catch is too high. Eventually it happens and I don't want to be riding it when it does. But that's just my opinion. It's still cool. They're good hubs and I love the clicking sound.

It's a great city bike. It's well loved. I assume a women rides it, just because of the basket. A sexy, urban, very attractive women. Just lock it, please.



Speaking of stealing, last week somebody ripped the rear light off my cruiser bike when it was locked by the Steinway St subway stop. They actually ripped the light off and broke the clamp rather than just taking the light off, which was perfectly removable. Bastards. Oh well.

An ode to a workhorse

Speaking of buying things for you bike, I've often heard: “I’m not getting that. That’s more than I paid for my bike!” Well, so what? Cheap bikes are great. But that doesn’t mean you can’t buy anything for that bike that costs more than you paid.

I found my one-speed bike stumbling home from The Abbey Lounge in Inman Square about 10 years ago (back when it was still just a neighborhood bar, before it became a cool dive). It was a rainy night and I was thinking about where I could buy a basic Amsterdam-style one speed, and there it was! Lying there. Abandoned with a broken fork. I took it and added fenders and a front brake and some BMX-style handlebars to sit upright. But basically it was a free bike. And the first thing I did was buy a $60 lock to keep it (and later a bike chain to lock the seat). Why? Because I need this bike.


That’s the Bluebird on the left. I’m talking about the bike on the right.

For quick errands, you want a bike locked outside for convenience (and to take up stairs, this bike weighs a ton). Day, night, rain, and snow, this bike has been locked outside for 10 years (with just a few minor incidents… like the mysterious handle-bar loosener of 34th St.). The big rear bags I got from Amsterdam probably cost more than the bike and lock put together. (Luckily, bike thieves in this country are too stupid to recognize true value.)

I probably couldn’t get more than $25 for it on Craigslist. But I keep it in good condition. He doesn’t have a name, it’s not a pretty bike, and certainly not sexy (if it were, he would be a she). And if something happened to this bike, I would happily assemble a better one that served the same function (or bring a nice old Batavus Barcelona over from Amsterdam).

But get this, if I could really only keep one bike, and as painful as that choice would be, thousand-dollar bikes be damned: I would keep this bike! If you don’t have a car, the bike first and foremost needs to be functional. And that means it has to carry. And carry a lot: groceries, books, furniture, whole lambs. This bike has carried it all.

Happy Valentine's Day

Talk about a niche market

The SST 26T micro drive chain retention system ... was developed to provide high strength impact capability for demanding street riders who frequently and intentionally smash into immovable objects.

http://www.e13components.com/product_sst.html

Bikes in Europe

The French have great city bikes. Not too many of them here. And I’ve read they use lot’s of uniquely sized parts and are therefore hard to work on in the US. A shame. Here’s a typical beautiful mixte.


I’ve never seen a three speed with a derailleur. It’s great, because three speeds is really all you need.


Lyon has a great system of free bikes. You need a credit card to put a 150 euro deposit on. Then it’s free for the first 30 minutes and then something like 50 cents for each half hour after that. Stands are everywhere. And amazingly, I’d say about half the bikes on the road are these bike. So I guess the system works. Alas, we couldn’t use them, to our great disappointment, because the system won’t accept American credit cards.


The bikes are well designed for “free” use. It’s uses a nexus hub for gearing, breaks, and dynamo (the lights are always on). There are no cables to be easily vandalized. And the seat can’t be removed, but can be easily raised and lowered.


The hub.


The directions.


Bike fixer.


Here’s an old exercise bike at our hotel. Amazingly, despite the fact it was there just for decore and not maintained, it worked really well.


The tension adjuster.


Here’s the free wheel that gives resistance and a smooth cycling motion. This bike gave a much more realistic feeling of peddling than any other exercise bike I've been on.


The seat.


A nifty handlebar raiser in Amsterdam.

The Hot Karl

I’m pretty pleased with the Hot Karl. Total cost, around $550. That’s within pennies of Katie’s Del Ray. But with the internal hub, I think the Hot Karl is a nicer bike. It's light, rides great, makes a nice old-school clicking sound as you peddle, and has some flourishes from the Mexican-run bike store (purple chainring bolts and silver handlebar grips).

And my first experience painting a bike. Spray paint is fun... and cheap. I felt a wicked thrill buying it as the man at the hardware store unlocked the case. But despite my outlaw feeling, I don’t think too many taggers buy primer and masking tape with their spray paint.

The only problem with the bike is the damn hub itself. There are two related problems:
1) the shifting mechanism sticks out the side, just waiting to get smashed. There is a metal guard, but I don’t know how long one can go with breaking the damn thing. We’ll see.
2) the front of the external shifting mechanism is teeny bit too close to the pedal. If you’re not careful, the back of the right foot hits it on the backswing. Whether this is a fatal flaw or something that correct pedaling position can cure, I figure we’ll figure out in about a week.

Shimano hubs, of course, don’t have any of these problems. They managed to get everything inside the hub. Those clever Japanese. But I couldn’t buy an internal 5-speed shimano hub on a new, built wheel for the bargain price of $150 dollars. Whether this hub out of be a good buy or wasted money on a flawed design remains to be seen. The frame and wheels cost another $270. Everything else (seat, chain, peddles, brake) cost about $150. The bike still needs fenders. They’ve been ordered on-line. In the end, the total cost will be closer to $600 for parts. Labor is free. And a rack and bags would also be nice. That would be another $50-$100. And the words: “Hot Karl” still need to be painted on the frame in a very bright red.

Putting the bike together right took about 1 1/2 days of labor and 2 trips to the bike store. The bike store is great. They actually made me a $1 coaster-brake strap from scrap. No charge.



The external shift mechanism with metal guard


Removing the external shift mechanism, you can see the shifter pin. This moves in or out to change gears.

purple chainring bolts

locking down the seat with a 3 links of chain

shifter

US flag bell… for the Canadian

blinky handle bar lights

front brakes

rear hub and rear drum brake cable

Introducing the Hot Karl

I went over to Jersey City today. N to the PATH train. It really is easy to get to. It’s kind of like what we say about Queens, I suppose.

And I picked up the bike that will become the Hot Karl. $270. It’s a perfectly sized frame. Light. Steel. Lugged. Two excellent wheels. Bottom bracket. Crank arms. Fork. Handlebars. And break levers. All top of the line. It’s a fixed gear. 26-inch (559, not 650B). My plan is to replace the rear wheel with an internal 5-speed hub that I bought on e-bay. And then sell the fixed gear wheel on e-bay. I don’t have any use for a 26-inch fixed gear wheel. And Karl is not an advanced biker. A fixed gear is not for him. The new wheel should be here any day. The wheels are standard mountain bike



I also got an extra very nice rear wheel (700cc). $70. It’s always good to have backup. It will fit my Bianchi and Katie’s Del Ray. It’s always good to have backup. And with that he gave me handlebars and stem. I don’t really *need* them. But they’re nice and it was quite a bargain.

It’s too bad that I haven’t used the same size wheels for all the bikes. The Bluebird is one size (650B). My bikes and the Del Ray are another (standard road 700). And now the Hot Karl will be a 3rd size (standard mountain bike 26 inch). But when you assemble, sometimes you have to take what you can get. And the standards 700mm size wheel is not the best size because it has no clearance. If only everything was 650B.

On the way home (FYI, you can get a bike through an “iron-maiden” style turnstile. But it takes a little effort), I stopped by the wonderful bike store (see above) near here and bought a chain and front brake and chain ring bolts. The Hot Karl will be sweet.


Once the new real wheel is on, the bike needs:
1) fenders
2) a rear brake cable
3) peddles
4) probably a new seat
5) cable to lock the seat
6) crank arm nuts
7) a proper lock
8) a paint job

What a sweetheart

Check out this post on Craigslist:

small womans road bike found on Grand street. actually... i bought it off of some homeless-esque dude for twenty bucks. I mostly did it to reunite it with its owner, but i do need a bike so in two weeks if no one claims it... it has a new home.

here's a "rendering" of it:


if you can identify it with sticker details or an image of you two together or whatever then ill gladly give it back...

I call that doing the right thing. Really.

If you know the bike, the original post is here.

I need (another) city bike

I'm getting bikes for two of my friends. I biked up a Bianchi Milano on Craig's List for about $250. That's a bargain. And lucky. But that still leaves my other friend. If anybody is trying to sell a good city bike for a guy around 5'10", let me know.

I bought a built 26" rear wheel with a sach/sram internal 5 speed hub on e-bay last night for $150. So I think the rest of the bike will be build around that.

This bike should have upright handlebars and a light steel frame.

Need a city bike and live in a city with big hills?

My friend Jim in San Francisco needs a new bike and doesn’t want to build one himself. Can you blame him? I can’t, especially because his old bike got stolen from outside his house... after I rode it last. And, I hope and assume, locked it with his bad cable lock. My only fear was that the 8-speed nexus hub wouldn't go low enough to handle to hills in San Francisco. Turns out there is no need to fear.

Here’s what I wrote:

Jim,

Even though it’s aluminum, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Milano. $630.

Celeste, by the way, is a sexy manly color. Don’t ever think otherwise.

The Sparta don’t look bad, either, if you want to stick with a derailleur and more traditional mountain bike design.

But the suspension may be theft encouraging. And unless suspension has gotten very cheap, the price seems too cheap for the rest of the bike to be any good.

I just did a little calculating about gears on Sheldon Brown’s website. Bottom line is there’s no reason not to go with the internal hub.

Measured in Gain Ratio (Sheldon’s invention. The numbers don’t really matter except in relation to each other. He says, “5.58 ... means is that for every inch... the pedal travels in its orbit around the bottom bracket, the bicycle will travel 5.58 inches.”).

Basically you plug in crank length, wheel size, and your chainrings (or internal hub) to get a number. Big gears have bigger numbers. So for San Francisco you would want to compare the small number, the granny gear.

On my Bianchi road bike (2 chain rings), the gain ratio goes from 7.8 for 14th speed to 3.1 for 1st gear.

My Bianchi road bike: 7.8 to 3.1
The Bluebird: 7.6 to 2.5
The Screamin’ Salmon (fixed gear): 5.8
The Sparta: 7.5 to 2.2
And the Milano: 7.2 to 2.3

That means the granny gear on the Milano is less than 10% harder than the granny gear on the Sparta (and about 1/3 easier than my Bianchi). You’ll max out of the Milano faster, but how often are trying to peddle to get top speed going down a steep hill?

The Bluebird has higher gears because it uses a 46 tooth front chainring (negated a bit by smaller wheels) while the Milano has 44 teeth. The rear cog on the Nexus 8 is also replaceable. So you add or take away a tooth or 2 there, if you really wanted to. But I’d bet you don’t.

The other weird but cool thing about the Milano is the blinking seat. It’s actually a very good light (unless covered by the tail of your jacket). But it does mark the bike as a bit of a yuppie bike. But fuck it, you’re a bit of a yuppie. But you’ll have to lock the seat to the frame (thus unmarking your bike a bit as a yuppie bike.) I like how the style is called a “cafe racer.” That seems perfect for me.

I rode a Milano in Chicago last year. A cute chick stopped me to ask where she could buy a blinking seat.

It’s an excellent city bike. Go buy one right off the rack. And the internal rear hand brake is great!

The Nexus 8—a mighty fine hub

Getting back to the original purpose of this blog. A man asks the following question in a comment below:

Hi,

I am from across the globe, Singapore. Came across your blog while searching for more information on Nexus 8 hub. Have a Nexus 8 sitting around. So how’s the ride the nexus?
By the way, really cool blog.

regards,
Poland

“I have a Nexus 8 sitting around”? How do you have a Nexus 8 just “sitting around”!? Use it, for God’s sake, man! Use it!

But seriously, it rides great. Shifting is easy and smooth. And the internal rear break is excellent. There is very little resistance while coasting. Noticeably less than the Nexus four-speed. And I assume less resistance than their 7 speed as well (I don’t have a 7 speed, but 4 and 7 speeds are the same older technology, I think.). The only downside is the price. But seeing how you’ve got one, “just sitting around,” that shouldn’t be an issue.

And there have been no maintenance issues with the hub at all. And the Bluebird bike sits outside, only two-thirds protected from the elements. I have not had to touch the hub since I installed it (I assumed I tightened the new cables at some point, but that’s just a few turns on a barrel adjuster).

The manual for the Nexus 8 is available online through Sheldon Brown.

Chocolate Croissant fan club

Wow! She’s beauty. The critic in me says (constructively, of course): 1) the cables housing need an inch or so trimmed--both front and rear for the rear brake, and the rear shifter too; 2) I personally don’t like front racks--I feel it affects the handling negatively; and 3) too bad there’s not a chain guard.

But that’s only the grumpy man in me. First of all: 1) my main bikes don’t have chain guards (shame on me), 2) I’ve heard that front racks are fine as long as things are tied down securely, and 3) it’s not like my cable lengths are perfect (thought they’re pretty tight, if I do say so myself). Overall it looks like a great bike!

Things I like: 1) the name, 2) a kickstand, 3) full fenders, 4) the old-school front brakes and down-tube shifters, and 5) of course, you built a hell of a bike!

I rode Zora’s Bluebird the other day because she’s out of town and I was hoping to get a new kickstand for it (I didn’t). The seat is a little low for me. I might have to put a quick release in there just so it’s easier to adjust the seat and better for me to ride.

Man, the Bluebird is a great bike. I wrote Zora, “Did I mention how nice your bike is? Not just because I built it. But riding it today, I couldn’t help but think, ‘damn, this bike is nice!’ It rides great. I want one.”

Maybe it really is the 650B. I was also thinking what a pain it is that if we go out together, my tube isn’t good for her bike. But then there are other problems with taking off her rear wheel (with shifting and internal brake cables). Or maybe I should just put 650B wheels on my bianchi (now there’s an idea...).

Despite spending all this time thinking about 650B wheels and building a bike with these wheels (and writing this blog), I still find it hard to believe my own hype. Is it really a better bike? Why don’t I just put them on my other bikes? Maybe I should. Part of the reason is that I do really like narrow tires. And whatever tires I put on the Bluebird is as narrow as I could could get for 650Bs. But I like my 23mm-wide tires. But then again, maybe I should practice what I preach and convert my bikes to 650B. Maybe it really is a better bike...

p.s. Zora loves Chocolate Croissants

Clever Fender

I put a new rear half-fender on my Bianchi. I thought it was pretty clever as there’s no clearence at the breaks to put on a proper fender. I have a half-assed fender there before, one of those that covers the top of the wheel. That is much better than nothing, as it stops water from going up on your back, but it’s not good enough, as it doesn’t stop water from hitting your legs and feet from the rear wheel.

The half-assed fender I had is kind of cleverly hooked-up to the drop-tube though:




I bought the new fender on a whim last time in Amsterdam. It turns out it doesn’t fit anything I have, despite my hopes. But I was able to saw and cut it to fit between the rear breaks and the bottom bracket. It attaches with zip-ties. It works very well. Together, the two half-fenders are as good as one real fender! Rain be damned!







bottom bracket:


top zip-tie:


You can see the very top of the new fender (right by my right ankle) and all of the old fender in the first picture below in the post below this one.

I want one

It does occur to me that the bike I'm building for Zora is, not surprisingly, really a bike I want for myself. Despite the three bikes I have in my home here (I also have the Screaming Salmon in Boston, a fixed gear and the only bike of mine that actually has a name, and a one-speed in Amsterdam, a wonderfully speedy Batavus Barcelona).

I could use the Bluebird. It's a great cross between my bianchi road bike and my one-speed hooptie. The Bluebird may be the best of both worlds: fast and light, yet with a rack and bags to carry groceries.

I’ve always been tempted to put more crap on my bianchi to make it more functional. Rear rack. Full fenders. Chainring guard. But as a road bike, it doesn’t come with any of these things or make it easy to add them. And I do love putting on my bike shoes and riding fast and free. That’s what the bianchi is for. That’s why I have spare normal shoes in my office at work. Of course, I also come home with shopping or supplies, and then I’ve got a heavy bike bag on my back. I want a fast and striped-down road bike.

And my one-speed has been very good to me. I actually found the bike in Inman Square just when I was looking for something like that. I had to replace the fork and pretty much added everything to the bike. But the frame and wheels and bottom bracket were in great shape. She’s a cruiser with BMX handlebars, fenders, front hand brakes, rear coaster brakes, and a rear rack with collapsible metal “baskets.” But almost 10 years and two cities later, a good bike it has been. Still, even though it rides well, it’s a heavy motherfucker. Great for around the neighborhood. But not exactly fast and fun to ride. She’s a tank.

It sure would be nice to have a Bluebird for, say going into the City or Brooklyn and carrying something.