Update: Preparing to Tour + It's been a while...

So first of all, sorry.

Things got pretty crazy with my TA position at the university, exams, and Christmas. Once all that wound down I couldn't find my groove to get back into blogging. I think I found it again.

I bought my Surly Long Haul Trucker back in October and had to wait for a replacement for a faulty Deore XT rear derailleur which I received christmas eve. As of yet I haven't ridden the bike. It's been sitting in my closet right next to my desk... staring at me.

"I'm sorry girl, but we live in Newfoundland and there is just too much salt on the road to take you out."

I've been playing catch up with money for what feels like forever. Last pay period I thought I was out when I had to buy a crap load of groceries. new sneakers, and owed my parents some "chipping in" money for January. Near broke again, haha. But that is the life of a grad student I suppose.

I also have a $5000 student credit line that is up pretty high that I have to start paying off soon.

I promise this is all leading somewhere!

So the plan right now is too 100% prepare my and my bike and my girlfriend for touring/camping this summer. If I do have to move when I finish my M.Sc. in December one of the few things I will be taking with me is my Surly most likely. So the more prepared we are the better.



Every paycheck coming up for the next 4 or 5 months is pretty much wrote off to touring/camping gear. For christmas Alanna was kind enough to buy my a rear Surly Nice Rack. Next up?
-Front Surly Nice Rack
-Arkel GT-54 Touring Panniers
-MSR Dragonfly Camp Stove
plus a bunch of other stuff that is not necessary to link such as a sleeping bag, compression sack, double leg kickstand, thermarest + light weight seat, small frame pump, not to mention some more light weight quick drying camp/cycling clothes.
ooo, actually should link this 2 Person camp cookware set, as it is pretty neat.



Anyways long story short I have a lot of stuff to buy. A lot of people (including Alanna) are finding it hard to understand how I want to spend almost $400 on rear panniers. Which I guess is understandable.

I'm really considering doing some serious travel eventually though, and if I have to buy some of this stuff anyway, I might as well buy the right stuff once, rather than the wrong stuff twice (or more).

Going the opposite direction I have been slowly chipping away at a lot of the junk that I own throwing it out, giving it away or selling it. This is somewhat counter intuitive to all this buying I am doing but I think it is a little different. After reading Jeromes latest blog on minimalism it's got me wanting to do even more of this.
-The jar of pens and sharpies on my desk that I never use, the boxes of books I have no intention of reading, and clothes I haven't worn in years. I have reduced quite a bit but I believe I can get it down to the bare essentials (plus my comic book collection maybe :)

If I have a computer and a bike and my girl at my side I don't think I need a whole lot else. I'm really looking forward to finishing my M.Sc. and taking some time for travel possibly.

So...what's new?

So I haven't posted much in the past month. It is that time of the semester when the things you have been putting off absolutely have to get done. To top it off my teaching assistant lab slots had two weeks in a row recently so I'm buried in correcting and have a very large project to do for next week. Say, you don't happen to know anything on Multiple Light Scattering in Liquid Crystals do you? Thought not...

In bike news, Arone and Dave at Bikeworks NYC have been very apologetic and very willing to help me with the few missing pieces on my Surly LHT, as well as my bad derailleur. So I shipped out the derailleur 2 weeks ago, and hopefully it will get there today or the next day. Hopefully they look close enough at when it is mounted to see that the alignment is off in some gears while not others.

As for winter (or just cold weather) riding I haven't been doing much lately do to late and early hours, lack of sleep, having to carry lab books around, and icy roads. I have not gotten studded tires for my winter beater yet. I am hesitant to buy big knobby tires and I do not plan to do much recreational winter riding and simply plan to commute. Huge tires would increase my rolling resistance by crazy amounts, and tires that are not as knobby don't seem to usually have enough studs... So I need to find a nice in-between. Any suggestions?

-Hughie

Happy New Bike Day!

Today I was able to pick up my anticipated package from Bikeworks NYC, my 58 cm, olive green, Surly Long Haul Trucker. I immediately headed out to Harold's shop to complete assembly on the winter beater as well as set up the LHT.

The winter beater went together nicely. I reassembled all the old parts as well as added a chromoly fork, a new back wheel, a new set of Deore linear pull brakes in the front, a set of lock on grips, and my new shifters and levers previously mentioned. The derailleur hanger was bent bad, but after fixing that the thing shifted like a charm. I added a bar-end mirror and the tiresparx valve cover lights once I got home. All she needs now is some derailleur adjusting and studded tires and she is ready for the winter!

The LHT on the other hand did not go so smoothly. The package was missing the star-nut and cap that holds the bar down onto the fork, and bar tape.

There were some small nicks (not through the paint though) on the seat tube, above the top tube, and one of the brake pads was badly bent.

All of that is not such a big deal, but a pain none the less. However this last thing is the kicker. We began doing the rear derailleur adjustment, setting the bottom stop and the top stop, then began the cable adjustment to make shifting smooth. After we were okay in the bottom gears we moved up and began adjusting again. But after a few rounds of this we noticed a problem. When the cable was adjusted properly in the higher gears, it was skipping in the lower gears, and when it was adjusted properly in the lower gears it was skipping in the higher ones! Harold then started thinking about possible problems. We checked the distance between the two axle mounts and it was perfect. We then checked the derailleur hanger to see if it was bent with the proper adjustment tools, which was off a little bit, but not enough to be causing the problem and that was corrected. Putting the derailleur back on and trying the adjustment again proved to have the problem repeat. Our only ideas then were the Shimano bar-end shifters, or the Deore XT derailleur were faulty. We grabed a brand new cheap-o Shimano LX derailleur, put it on and after a quick adjustment the bike was shifting perfectly even with high in the front and low in the rear. So, however unlikely, I got a bike with a bad Shimano Deore XT derailleur which is rare for this level of quality. Unfortunately by this time Harold was getting ready to head home for the day, so the plan is to go back with the bike later this week and try the Deore XT derailleur AGAIN just to triple check. Once we are 150% positive it is the derailleur I will get in contact with Bikeworks NYC and see if they will send me out a replacement derailleur and as well what they say about my missing parts and minor damage.

Despite the hurdles, it was an exciting and long day of assembling bikes new and old. I learned a lot about how to deal with taking off and putting on all the parts of the bike. I intend on leaving a good bit of space on the top end of the fork to put a second stem for an accessory bar for my handlebar bag. That way I still have room up top for a light and horn and computer. Due to the crappy weather here in St. Johns (with road salt already out) and as well and a bunk derailleur it will be a while before I get to ride my new steed. For now it will just stare at me from 3 feet away in my closet.
Hopefully, after I have my derailleur situation sorted out and have my fork cut to proper length, we will have a nice dry day before the snow really kicks in and I will get to ride her a couple of times. Until then, she waits for the adventures ahead of her next summer.

Here is a pic of my new additions. I can finally say I have a fleet! (Giant FCR 2 not pictured)

Happy New Bike Day everyone!

-Hughie

The Morning Commute

Two days of back and forth from school, 18km each way by bike. Newfoundland, especially the east coast, is known for being very hilly. Ups and downs, certainly good for a work out but not so great for commuting or utilitarian cyclying with the likes of trailers and xtracycles. However, this route is probably one of the fairest routes for its length I've ridden! While there is still some significant grade, its a slow long incline with a few flat spots and its no trouble to keep your average speed up. This morning I had an average speed of 25 km/hour! That is pretty good for me. The way back is a little more uphill at the beginning and at the end, but the middle is a long slow down slope.
It is truly and enjoyable ride. I am having trouble finding a proper layering solution for these 2-10 degree Celsius temperatures, but other than that the mornings have been great. I am looking forward to our first bit of snow and nice to try out my not-yet-existing winter beater and see if all winter commuting is going to be something I am actually capable of.

Click here to check out the google map of the commute!

Winter Beater Project + The New Long Commute

So I sandblasted, sanded, primed and painted the old Raleigh aluminum mtb frame from Canadian Tire. I picked a nice bright color that would be easily distinguishable from snow.

Before



After

The Paint job turned out a lot better than I expected. 2 coats of tremclad primer plus touch ups, as well as 4 coats of orange gloss tremclad. On Wednesday the temperature is supposed to go back up to 9 degrees again, so that will be warm enough to paint. I have to give it a light rub with some high grade sand paper and then I am applying a clear/reflective coating to the entire frame! With my 3 rear flashers, front flasher, tire valve flashers, reflective stripes on panniers and jacket as well as an entire reflective frame, I'm sure I'll get noticed. HA.

Also have the components for it. Just have to wait for the final coat of paint, and to get paid to buy the new fork and rear wheel.
My mtb clipless shoes are in the mail as well.

I still have to get

-Studded Tires
-Pair of waterproof winter shell pants
-Shoe covers

...and probably other things I am forgetting right now and will bankrupt me.

In other news, this weekend I moved back home with my parents to a town just outside of St. Johns called Paradise. There were several reasons, but some relevant ones were due to the fact that I wanted to get all this bike stuff and had no money, I have to pay off a line of credit, and try to save money to eventually get an apartment with my lovely lady Alanna. Bit of a good news bad news scenario, I now have a ~18 km commute ahead of me to the university every morning, and then back again in the evening, Monday to Friday, that is both the good and bad news! Did it for the first time this morning (4 degrees out) and it was a really great ride. Only took 47 mins ride time. I'm having trouble with sweaty hands making wet gloves, and am thinking of sending my MEC Nanu gloves back after only one use as they are a small fit and are almost impossible to get back on if I take them off once I sweat a little. Not to worry, should the weather be bad (or I just don't feel up to it) my dear sister (who is an undergraduate student at the university too) will drive me in with herself.

Anyways, will update on the Winter Beater as it gets put back together, once I get the rest of my winter commuting stuff, and as well when IT arrives.

Surly LHT left the international USPS depot in NJ on Thursday morning. Feels like I'm going to have an early Christmas!

Pre-Midterm Updates

So instead of studying for my upcoming midterms in Soft Mater Physics 6013 and Condensed Matter Physics 6000, this week I did a couple of things.

I spent over $300 at MEC to try to get ready for winter cycling.
Whoosh Cycling Jacket
Mirror
Cycling Winter Gloves
A Balaclava
A midweight Fleece
And TireSparx!

I also installed my new AirZound 3 Air Horn and tested it out on some inattentive drivers. Hehehe boy that thing is loud. Also tested out my rain covers and MEC Shark 1 watt front light. Both work like a charm.

I got my Shimano M-520 clipless pedals in the mail. They are still sitting in the box as I have no clipless shoes!

I bought clipless shoes off ebay! Shimano MTB shoes with laces (no straps unfortunately).
Not sure what model.

Today I went up to my LBS guy, Harold. I had forgotten my crappy splash pants and cheap thermals up there the other day, due to me buying a proper set of Sub Zero Tights from Sugoi (which are amazing by the way, pretty much haven't taken them off since Thursday). I also purchased a long sleeve wicking layer for winter riding. While I was there I got him to measure my inseam and look at a sizing chart to see what size Long Haul Trucker I should get (eventually). Turns out I should get a 58cm frame set. The sizing spreadsheat from the Google Group "Surly Long Haul Trucker and Cross Check Owners Group" agrees (I'm ~6').

Then I came home and ordered a Long Haul Trucker.

Then.... wait what?

That's right ladies. It is done. After Harold finally getting in contact with the distributor their MSRP is around $1550, which seemed a little high. I found a place in Nova Scotia that was selling them at a close out price of $1299 before shipping and taxes but everywhere else I looked in Canada people were asking $1500 for them this year. So I turned to our friends south of the border and called most of the Surly dealers listed in the north-eastern states. A place in Maine (Bath, Bike & Ski) was asking onlu $975 +$90 for shipping in USD, but didn't have any in stock and wouldn't until mid December. They were also a little vague about color and sizing choices etc. Being the impatient being I am I continued my search until coming across Bike Works in NYC. Spoke to Dave on the phone and got a price of $1200 USD including shipping. Now all I have to do is wait two weeks or so for my 58cm Olive Green Surly Long Haul Trucker to arrive and hope I don't get dinged too much with border and customs fees.

EEEP excited. Hopefully I will get a couple of dry days to try it out before out real Newfoundland winter kicks in.

PS: The winter beater is sand blasted. Needs to be primed, painted (gloss orange), and coated with reflective clear coat paint, then reassembled. Will paint next weekend and post pics.

PPS: Talk the talk is delayed until classes and TA's are over and I have a semi-life again.

-Hughie

Winter Beater Project + LHT update

Since I started serious cycling I've slowly come to terms with the fact that I am a utilitarian commuter rider, who wants to also tour. That's my bike personality.

I don't care about my heart rate.
I don't care about bringing my average speed up 1 km/hr.
I don't care about how light my bike is.

I like riding back and forth to work, taking a Saturday and running some errands, or going for a ride out to Cape Spear the most easterly (and I'm convinced, hilly) point in North America. So naturally when Harold, my LBS guy, originally brought up winter riding to me I thought no way, no how. Especially in St. Johns, Newfoundland. But as October drew closer and closer, and I got more and more acquainted with my bike personality, I realized I wanted to attempt being a 365 day rider. Upon telling Harold I was thinking about riding in the winter, he replied "Of course you are!"

Enter Crappy Tire Bike. (They call Canadian Tire "Crappy Tire" in other parts of Canada right?)
This was a bike I bought when I first moved out 4 years ago to get me around. It served its purpose but it was not a great ride, hence why I am only now getting into cycling. I had broke an axle on it last year and it was just collecting dust in the crawl space. I decided to take it up to Harold. He's great in the way that he is letting me leave it there and go up and work on it when he is not busy, not many LBS guys would let you use their shop and tools. I have been dealing with him Since April/May and we have built up quite a rapport so he treats me pretty good.

Anyways, back to the bike.

Of course the bike was only $170 when I bought it new so it is not worth putting any money into. I bought a cheap set of Sunrace thumb shifters online, as well as a standard set of Tektro mountain bike levers. I picked thumb shifters because they are simple, hard to break, and if they do break they are easy to fix. Many people use these or bar-end shifters (very similar) for touring 3rd world countries for these reasons. The levers I got simply because my old ones were stripped. I will also be putting a chromoly rigid fork on it rather than the POS spring suspension that resides. It is a pet peeve of mine to watch people commuting on suspension bikes, all that momentum they are wasting going up and down! Maybe its the physicist in me... Last but not least simply cause the frame is chipped up and it is ugly anyway I will be sandblasting it and painting it orange with a little black to make it fairly visible. First step to painting, strip her!
Scandalous. So all I have to do now is blast/paint the frame and fork, reassemble and throw some studded tires on. Look out winter here I come.

For safety I also have 3 cheap walmart Bell flashing red lights to go on the back, a MEC Shark 1 Watt front white light, and a Air Zound air horn which should suffice to making people GTFO of my way.

So that's it. I will update the project as it happens, and hopefully I'll have the guts to keep riding and stay warm doing it!

SOON TO COME!
I will also soon be attempting to make Bucket Panniers for wet and winter riding!
Taken from Crazyguyonabike, these make excellent waterproof containers for carrying cargo!

ALSO Quick Long Haul Trucker update.
Harold, my LBS, called NRG, the Canadian distributor for Surly, to start moving the wheels on him ordering me in the bike. They said they would send him an email as well as a snail mail "Dealer Package" to him. This was 2.5 weeks ago. No email, no Dealer Package. WTF NRG I want my smooth sexy steel touring stallion!!! Anyway, Harold promised he re-contact them to try and get things in motion. Hopefully I will have an update that actually includes me ordering or receiving a bike in the future.

ALSO ALSO
Part II of "Talk the talk" is coming, just been really busy this week with my grad courses and my TA's.

Thanks for reading
-Hughie