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It was so warm on the bike I barely wore anything and had to hop into the woods mid ride to remove the light tights I had put on under my knickers. I continued on until I came to a spot that reminded me a lot of home, so I decided to stop and take a few pics.
But the family who I had just taken a picture with their camera of them for, decided to walk in front of my already setup bike/tripod. I was shooting into the sun anyway so I turned it around.
As you can see I was far from cold. A great day and a great ride.
Shortly before coming to the junction to turn further south and continue on my knee started to pain a little and it also started pecking rain a little. I didn't want to get caught and it was calling for light rain in the evening so I decided to cut it a little short and head home. Turned right instead of left and continued along the loop. This stretch was much flatter than the coastal road, however neither was as hilly as my usual rides in Newfoundland. The wind is also much nicer for cycling.
Thursday night (March 17th),a little more chilly but still nice, I headed out on the Surly LHT with my trailer in tow. I'm not real fond of the hitch mechanism. It requires clamping onto the seat stay and chain stay, and with the trailer being a little old the plastic covered metal plates are not completely plastic covered anymore. Not wanting to scratch up my frame I improvised a little.
Mounting to the rack isn't a permanent solution, but it will do. I have to see if I can rig up some sort of new hitch down the road. Anyway, I dropped the wheels belonging to the Colnago Sport down to MEC for a truing. They do it for $13 a wheel and I actually got a 20% discount because of a service promotion they have on! I spoke to Andrew at the MEC here in Halifax. A really nice guy who helped me on my night of love/hate with the Colnago. Turns out they were not terribly out of true but the spoke tension was WAY off. So I left them in their capable hands and headed out. Dropped by Propeller Brewery to get my favorite root-beer, and then onto the grocery store. When loading my groceries into my trailer there was a customers dog tied to the bike rack with customer no where to be seen. I'm cautious with strange dogs as you aren't familiar with their demeanor or whether or not the owner approves of people playing with them. So I just talked to him in a calm nice voice while packing up my groceries. He seemed a bit nervous of all the passers by, so I let him be. I turned to continue packing up my groceries and then I feel something furry plop down beside me. I think he wanted some company and was a little less scared lying next to me! Nicest Golden Retriever ever. I gave him a few rubs and pat downs and kept him company while loading up. A bunch of cyclists rode up and some went into the liquor store. I talked to them for a bit and they directed me to a local community shop where I could volunteer mechanic time or just bring my own bikes to work on! This would have come in handy 2 weeks ago! Anyway, I headed home.
I attempted a ride yesterday after work but had to call it short due to it being freezing and my knee giving me grief. I have to get it checked out...
Anyway, Colnago Project Update!
Today I picked up a Brooks Champion Standard B17 Standard. I had a thread going on BikeForums.net about whether or not the Swift was right for me (the saddle I originally pictured in this blog). After much debate, and thought, I decided I would stick with what works. I know the B17 is the right width for me already, why mess up a good thing? My riding position on Ernie will be a little more aggressive but I'm still a pretty laid back rider, and I can adjust the saddle tilt to help with adjustment. And besides, a brand new barely used B17 will sell pretty easily, or should be able to trade + cash pretty easy for another Brooks as well. The $220 price tag on the swift at Cycle Smith helped make the decision, twice the price of the B17.
I'm not sure if I made the right choice with "Antique Brown." My B17 on the Surly is black, and the other standard color they offer is "Honey," but I'm not real gone on that one for some reason... I think the saddle looks real sharp, and definitely adds character to the bike. We'll see if the feeling holds up. Just need a nice small vintage styled saddle bag for it now.
I've been lusting after a bell for some time now. Now that there are bike lanes, and multi-use trails at my disposal I felt I needed one. This is the tiny, but very loud Incredibell Brass Duet. There is a larger one, but this is the one that was available at Cycle Smith. It's made of real brass! You can get in a chrome plated version as well, but I prefer the polished brass look I think.
I also picked up my wheels from MEC today. I was in no rush to get them so I didn't mind waiting a few days. While there I picked up a SunRace 7-spd Freewheel, 13-28T, for $15. There was a Shimano one there of the same range but it was $20 and the 28T cog was black with gawdy "Shimano The Original Bike Component" or some crap written on it in white. I thought that it would make the Colnago look like it came from K-Mart so I opted for the cheaper and cleaner looking SunRace. It might not be as good quality, I don't know, but it will certainly do the job. I also picked up a Sram PC-870 8-spd chain for $30.
This was sitting on my doorstep waiting for me! The auction wasn't very detailed but due to my keen eye and comparing to component listings on Velobase I determined that this was indeed a Shimano Ultegra 600 tricolor simply with the tricolor sticker rubbed off. FD-6401 stamped on the back to confirm! Will match my RD-6401 rear derailleur when it eventually gets here.
Here she is again! All I need now is my read derailleur and my downtube shifters, which are both on the way, and some derailleur cables and a small piece of housing for the rear. Everything is greased up with Phil Wood bicycle grease (except the headset and BB are done with white grease, will probably replace the BB with a cartridge down the road, and regrease the headset with PW when need be). This includes the Headset, BB, hubs all cleaned and repacked, and the threads for the freewheel are also greased. Tires are in good shape and are ready to roll. I might replace them with red/black tires and keep the current ones as spares. But we'll see.
-Bike $150
-Shimano 105 dual pivot brakes: $43
-Shimano 600 RD-6401 Derailleur: $23
-Shimano 600 FD-6401 Derailleur: $16
-Shimano SL-A400 DT Shifters (Indexed): $30
-Bartape: $18
-Brake cables/housing: $7
-Brooks B17: $125
-Bell: $16
-Wheel Truing: $24
-SunRace 7-spd Freewheel: $17
-Sram PC-870 Chain: $35
= $504 !!! Holy crap that number surprised me... I have to remind myself however that over 20% of that is a Brooks saddle which will probably outlast me. Not to mention
-SOLD: Gipiemme Shifters: -$25
-SOLD: Modolo Brakes/Levers: -$15
-Pending: Regina Oro Freewheel: -$5 or -$10
-Pending: Gipiemme FD: -$25 or -$30
That brings it down to approximately $424
I would still like to sell my Suntour Rear Derailleur, and my Tektro Oryx Cantilever Brakes. I also have the Vetta Saddle that came off the Colnago I might try to get a few bucks for. I think I'm doing okay.
I'm also considering buying these for both the surly as well as the Colnago, or maybe just the Surly...
I don't want to be restricted by bike shoes all the time anymore. Especially like when the other day I had to ride my bike to a work meeting! Had to frantically put the platforms from the Colnago on the Surly and head out. These would avoid that situation.
But the family who I had just taken a picture with their camera of them for, decided to walk in front of my already setup bike/tripod. I was shooting into the sun anyway so I turned it around.
As you can see I was far from cold. A great day and a great ride.
Shortly before coming to the junction to turn further south and continue on my knee started to pain a little and it also started pecking rain a little. I didn't want to get caught and it was calling for light rain in the evening so I decided to cut it a little short and head home. Turned right instead of left and continued along the loop. This stretch was much flatter than the coastal road, however neither was as hilly as my usual rides in Newfoundland. The wind is also much nicer for cycling.
Thursday night (March 17th),a little more chilly but still nice, I headed out on the Surly LHT with my trailer in tow. I'm not real fond of the hitch mechanism. It requires clamping onto the seat stay and chain stay, and with the trailer being a little old the plastic covered metal plates are not completely plastic covered anymore. Not wanting to scratch up my frame I improvised a little.
Mounting to the rack isn't a permanent solution, but it will do. I have to see if I can rig up some sort of new hitch down the road. Anyway, I dropped the wheels belonging to the Colnago Sport down to MEC for a truing. They do it for $13 a wheel and I actually got a 20% discount because of a service promotion they have on! I spoke to Andrew at the MEC here in Halifax. A really nice guy who helped me on my night of love/hate with the Colnago. Turns out they were not terribly out of true but the spoke tension was WAY off. So I left them in their capable hands and headed out. Dropped by Propeller Brewery to get my favorite root-beer, and then onto the grocery store. When loading my groceries into my trailer there was a customers dog tied to the bike rack with customer no where to be seen. I'm cautious with strange dogs as you aren't familiar with their demeanor or whether or not the owner approves of people playing with them. So I just talked to him in a calm nice voice while packing up my groceries. He seemed a bit nervous of all the passers by, so I let him be. I turned to continue packing up my groceries and then I feel something furry plop down beside me. I think he wanted some company and was a little less scared lying next to me! Nicest Golden Retriever ever. I gave him a few rubs and pat downs and kept him company while loading up. A bunch of cyclists rode up and some went into the liquor store. I talked to them for a bit and they directed me to a local community shop where I could volunteer mechanic time or just bring my own bikes to work on! This would have come in handy 2 weeks ago! Anyway, I headed home.
I attempted a ride yesterday after work but had to call it short due to it being freezing and my knee giving me grief. I have to get it checked out...
Anyway, Colnago Project Update!
Today I picked up a Brooks Champion Standard B17 Standard. I had a thread going on BikeForums.net about whether or not the Swift was right for me (the saddle I originally pictured in this blog). After much debate, and thought, I decided I would stick with what works. I know the B17 is the right width for me already, why mess up a good thing? My riding position on Ernie will be a little more aggressive but I'm still a pretty laid back rider, and I can adjust the saddle tilt to help with adjustment. And besides, a brand new barely used B17 will sell pretty easily, or should be able to trade + cash pretty easy for another Brooks as well. The $220 price tag on the swift at Cycle Smith helped make the decision, twice the price of the B17.
I'm not sure if I made the right choice with "Antique Brown." My B17 on the Surly is black, and the other standard color they offer is "Honey," but I'm not real gone on that one for some reason... I think the saddle looks real sharp, and definitely adds character to the bike. We'll see if the feeling holds up. Just need a nice small vintage styled saddle bag for it now.
I've been lusting after a bell for some time now. Now that there are bike lanes, and multi-use trails at my disposal I felt I needed one. This is the tiny, but very loud Incredibell Brass Duet. There is a larger one, but this is the one that was available at Cycle Smith. It's made of real brass! You can get in a chrome plated version as well, but I prefer the polished brass look I think.
I also picked up my wheels from MEC today. I was in no rush to get them so I didn't mind waiting a few days. While there I picked up a SunRace 7-spd Freewheel, 13-28T, for $15. There was a Shimano one there of the same range but it was $20 and the 28T cog was black with gawdy "Shimano The Original Bike Component" or some crap written on it in white. I thought that it would make the Colnago look like it came from K-Mart so I opted for the cheaper and cleaner looking SunRace. It might not be as good quality, I don't know, but it will certainly do the job. I also picked up a Sram PC-870 8-spd chain for $30.
This was sitting on my doorstep waiting for me! The auction wasn't very detailed but due to my keen eye and comparing to component listings on Velobase I determined that this was indeed a Shimano Ultegra 600 tricolor simply with the tricolor sticker rubbed off. FD-6401 stamped on the back to confirm! Will match my RD-6401 rear derailleur when it eventually gets here.
Here she is again! All I need now is my read derailleur and my downtube shifters, which are both on the way, and some derailleur cables and a small piece of housing for the rear. Everything is greased up with Phil Wood bicycle grease (except the headset and BB are done with white grease, will probably replace the BB with a cartridge down the road, and regrease the headset with PW when need be). This includes the Headset, BB, hubs all cleaned and repacked, and the threads for the freewheel are also greased. Tires are in good shape and are ready to roll. I might replace them with red/black tires and keep the current ones as spares. But we'll see.
-Bike $150
-Shimano 105 dual pivot brakes: $43
-Shimano 600 RD-6401 Derailleur: $23
-Shimano 600 FD-6401 Derailleur: $16
-Shimano SL-A400 DT Shifters (Indexed): $30
-Bartape: $18
-Brake cables/housing: $7
-Brooks B17: $125
-Bell: $16
-Wheel Truing: $24
-SunRace 7-spd Freewheel: $17
-Sram PC-870 Chain: $35
= $504 !!! Holy crap that number surprised me... I have to remind myself however that over 20% of that is a Brooks saddle which will probably outlast me. Not to mention
-SOLD: Gipiemme Shifters: -$25
-SOLD: Modolo Brakes/Levers: -$15
-Pending: Regina Oro Freewheel: -$5 or -$10
-Pending: Gipiemme FD: -$25 or -$30
That brings it down to approximately $424
I would still like to sell my Suntour Rear Derailleur, and my Tektro Oryx Cantilever Brakes. I also have the Vetta Saddle that came off the Colnago I might try to get a few bucks for. I think I'm doing okay.
I'm also considering buying these for both the surly as well as the Colnago, or maybe just the Surly...
I don't want to be restricted by bike shoes all the time anymore. Especially like when the other day I had to ride my bike to a work meeting! Had to frantically put the platforms from the Colnago on the Surly and head out. These would avoid that situation.
That Colnago is looking real good....Great to see that you have been getting out and doing some riding..
ReplyDelete-Trevor