Happy New Year, Project MB-1 Continues

Happy new year, everyone!

Our January 1, 2012 began with some great, for winter, weather. Some clouds, but also some sun shining through. Because we  had some afternoon family activities planned, I decided to do a solo, new year day ride. I should note the wind was blowing pretty good from the east (17 mph), which is not unusual for our area. National Weather Service showed gusts up to 24 mph.

Rather than head toward Portland (west) because of the wind, and the fact I ride toward Portland every work day, I planned out an eastward journey. This would also give me one more shake down ride of the MB-1 before it begins its daily commuting duties. This would also be the first test of the the Shimano Dura-Ace shifters which replaced the Silver ones. The Dura-Ace ones  have more friction which should prevent the auto-shifting I experienced on the xmas eve epic ride.

At the junction of the I-205 bike path and the Springwater Corridor trail, seeing the graffiti was a little saddening. I mean, really, not even creative nor artistic nor anything. Just plain ugly. The last time I was east of this junction was the Sunday Parkways way back when.

I stopped at a crossing of Johnson Creek to see some of the restoration work going on. While there, I saw the only other cyclists I would see on my route, 3. I guess most were waiting for the in-town rides. I enjoyed my new, recreation ride - even with all the wind. Part of my route included taking a tour through my old, old neighborhood where I grew up (ages 1 to 16). Structurally everything looked mostly the same. I rode by the house and could see some of the very original structures my Dad had built - side concrete for extending the off-street parking, the back patio roof. Ah, some cool memories.

After that, I enjoyed a helpful push home from the east wind. Ah, yes, a good way to bring in the new year with that first day, sunny, fun ride.

Project MB-1 : Headlight Wiring
As with most projects, at least for me, Project MB-1 is an on-going exercise in my pursuit of perfection and aesthetics. One of the goals was to minimize excessive cable and wiring, to maintain a focus of attention on the frame rather than a lot of the "accessories."

One challenge for me is how to connect the headlight lithium battery pack to the headlight without the wiring being in the way or looking overly "just stuck on." I solved the rear light issue by buying the DiNotte 300R with the battery pack built-in. Since I wanted a smaller profile headlight, that also meant a separate battery pack.

With the battery pack mounted under the seat stay, the wiring would run along the top tube and rear brake cable. Now the trick is how to keep the wiring from flopping around?

Well, after some sitting and staring at the wiring, I figured I needed something that would allow me to use the brake cable to securely attach the wiring. Whatever I used, I also needed to make sure the braking was not affected. As you can see in the picture above, the wiring is routed above the brake cable and there are 3 white, spiral cable wraps. Now the wiring will stay in place and there is no negative affect on braking.

Of course, after I made my own spiral wrap I found a place on-line that has just what I need. I did place an order for some black, spiral wrap (1/8" inside diameter).

I started with a piece of tubing taken from my old refrigerator thermostat sensor (see, there is a value to keeping things around for a little while). To make the spiral, I began snipping at an angle and just kept snipping for a while.

Once I had enough length, a purely, scientific guestimate approach, I test installed a piece to figure out what length I needed for each attachment point. I ended up with approximately 2 wraps on the wiring on either side of a long wrap around the wiring and brake cable.

I guess it is true, necessity is the mother of invention. Now my wiring will stay in place and maintains a fairly clean line along the top tube. Just in time for daily commuting.

(Oh, the on-line store that has a wide range of spiral cable wrap is, Cable Ties And More).