Mild Winter Means Great Riding

Portland has been having an extremely mild winter - no extreme cold and, even, not a lot of rain! We have had some moody foggy mornings which is kind of cool, I like the imagery of fog - is that weird? The morning commutes are, like last year, providing more solitude which is nice for mellowing the mind before thrusting myself into the hecticness of the workday.

Each day is a different day including the scenery that surrounds me. Even during my second year of bike commuting, there are times I just have to stop to take a picture and enjoy the light, shadows, calmness. Occassionally I will wonder if those passing think I am a rookie commuter, snapping pictures of, to them, just another day. See, that's why I need this, to distract my constantly fleeting thoughts.

One would think project SUB (MB-5) is no longer a project ... well, not quite. I decided to use it for test lab as I plan out another MB-1 project (Project MB-1.2). Here I am testing a variation on the drop bar, On One Midge bar and playing with a set of balloon tires, Schwalbe Big Apples (26" x 2.15" = 55-559).

Riding around on this set up is actually enjoyable and fun. The Midge bars are much better than the Moustache bars, since they have actual straight tops and the brake levers are not completely horizontal, and there is some drop to them. The balloon tires are quite different and not as slow as one might think. The last time I rode around on tires that took such low pressure (currently running 30psi) was way back in my childhood days on the Schwinn single speed!

Okay, so when I build up MB-1.2, I'll use the Midge bars and Schwalbe Big Apples. Having two MB-1s will be fun and they will be fairly different for different riding purposes, but both will be fun riding bikes. SUB will be re-converted to the errand bike, the one I can use panniers on.

There seems to have been quite a few Bridgestones for sale in and around the Portland area recently. Given that, you would think I would see more Bridgestones on the road, but that does not seem to be the case. So, the other day, I stopped at City Bikes on my way home to check their used parts bins for some brake parts. While paying, someone came in and asked, "Who owns the MB-1?" I said, "It's mine." He said, "Nice bike."

When I left and as I unlocked my bike, I realized why he asked. There locked to the next over rack was a Bridgestone MB-0.

The MB-0 is on the right. Cool, a first for me!

A White Christmas - Project MB-1 Assembly & Fabrication

Well, this being Portland, OR, it was a white bicycle xmas. That's right, Project MB-1 is now road ready! I was able to get all the parts on and fitted in time for a xmas eve ride with a  couple of ride buddies for a tough, hill climbing 32 mile inaugural ride. The picture above is from our high point at Bald Peak Park.

Last week Gene from Rad Finishes called to say the bike would be ready and we arranged to pick up the frame on Thursday, 12/22.

As soon as I saw it I was, "Wow!" While the factory color is Pearl Tusk, which is a stronger ivory white, this is more white-white with the orange pearl on top. Then, when we took it back into the paint booth for some pictures, it just glowed.

The cool thing about picking the frame up on Thursday, was my vacation starts the following Friday, so I can start assembly immediately. Having collected parts and visualized how I wanted to fabricate the various pieces over the last two months would be a huge jump start. First up was the fit up the wheels to ensure paint clearance at the drop outs and to being fitting up of the SKS Alley Cat fenders. I was liking these with their matt black finish rather than the standard shiny black. These would help to keep the focus on the frame rather than distract the eye away from it.

I started with the front fender and already knew I wanted to minimize external attachment points and paint marring. My plan was to fabricate an insert to fit inside the steerer tube that the fender mount would attach to. Since a hole existed on front and back, I used the front hole as the allen wrench access to the allen head screw on the inside. The insert is a piece of aluminum that I shaped into a round shape, drilled the mounting holes, then cleaned up the edges.

I used an acorn nut on the outside for a cleaner look. (I may see about reversing the fastener set up for an even cleaner look. All fasteners are stainless steel. Once the mount was finished up, it was just a matter of adjusting the stays for an even fit around the tire.

Next, it was on to the rear fender. Again, with the goal to create simple, aesthetically pleasing fabrications I utilized the chain stay bridge threaded insert and the newly installed threaded insert in the seat stay bridge. The lower mount uses a button head M5 allen screw, a couple of aluminum spacers and a washer to protect the paint. This provided the base tire to fender gap.

Once the lower mount was done, I moved on to the upper mount. Again, a piece of the aluminum strip was just the answer. I fit the aluminum bracket to the fender mount first, allowing for some up and down adjustment. Then I measure for the seat stay mounting hole. The finished bracket is actually a little narrower than in the picture below and I moved the fender mount bracket to attach to the lower side (the side you see in the picture). This provides a nice clean look from the other side. Now all that was left was to adjust the fender stays for an even spacing around the tire.

Seat post, seat, handlebar/stem, crankset, derailleurs and chain came next. I had to shorten the 9 speed chain some but the new bottom bracket and crankset lined up nicely with the Ultegra 9 speed cassette. Of course, I suspected no problems since the 107mm bottom bracket and Sugino XD600 are the same set up as is on the MB-5. Project MB-1 was beginning to look like a whole bike, again.

I set up the handlebar in as close to actual as possible so I could begin brake and cables installation. Brake installation was straightforward since I was using the originals, just like I used the original derailleurs. The Jagwire ripcord cables and housings were a breeze to install and I actually like the black teflon coating, subdues their noticeability against the bike frame a little bit more. For the shifters, I first tried a set of Shimano 9 speed index shifters. The indexing did not line up well with the Suntour XC Pro rear derailleur, so I figured if I was going to go with friction only, I would use my Silver set. Well, their feel is great, but on my long ride, they kept auto-shifting, especially when the derailleurs were at their extended points (lowest gear in rear or large ring up front). I would then switch it back to friction mode for the Shimano Dura-Ace shifters, which  have a bit more friction.

I wanted to keep the frame lines clean, including the chain stay, so I thought about how to protect this area. The clear, thin film you can buy did not appeal to me as it did not necessarily protect against chain impact and was ugly after a while of being hit and all. What I am currently using is a piece of thin wall, vinyl tubing from the hardware store.

I kind of like it. It allows for the color and decal to show through and is thick enough to provide good chain stay protection. It is cheap and does not require adhesive, either. Well, with all the cables routed and adjusted, it was simply now just fine tune the handlebar position, which only took a few up and down the street trips, then it was time to wrap 'em up.

And then, it was like, "cooooooollllll!" MY bike, for sure. Since I knew I was going to ride it on the xmas eve ride, I took it out for a short test ride to make sure I did not miss anything significant and make sure everything was seated well. The ride was sweet, felt good, felt like an old, trusted steed, not a newly built from scratch, new-old frame bike.

The bike felt just right and quite familiar - I suppose some of that is the handlebar and seat are from the SUB (MB-5). It was more than those, though, as the comfort and feel of the bike were great.

It could be just me, but the bike seems very photogenic, too.

The xmas eve ride was physically tough, since I have not ridden any terrain like we did for the distance (2500' elevation gain, 32 miles; high point 1600 some feet). The weather, though, could not have been better - sunny, amazing views and great company. Hopefully my riding partners did not feel too held back.

The bike, save for one overshift which caused the chain to jump off the 46T big chainring, performed flawlessly. Okay, the Silver shifters could not hold against the max extension of the derailleurs, but that was relatively minor. We rode on pavement and hardpack dirt/gravel. I think I hit somewhere near 45 mph coming down from Bald Peak Park. The bike was very stable. I was very, very happy with how uber SUB has turned out.

And, here are my two riding buddies, Tom (left) and Mark on Mountain Top Rd., not quite our high point, yet. I am grateful they are great riding buddies and did not complain about having to wait for me at the tops of the climbs.

Project MB-1 Progressing; SUB Back to Drop Bars

I will start in reverse order of this blog's title. After a couple of days I had to swap out the moustache bars and put drop bars back on the SUB. My wrists were not happy with the limited positions and I really missed the tops for cruisin' and climbin'. I guess I am just a drop bar girl.

Next week our Team NWEA tshirts should be ready for pick up so I can finish up my team captain duties. In some ways, I feel a void as far as bike commuting support, since we are basically back to "normal" bike commuting. As the weather has changed I have noticed fewer bikes at work, but that's cool.

I continue to be loving the fall colors and the cooler temps, I guess I was ready to  have a change in the color of the scenery, and riding without totally sweating out on the ride in. With fewer folks out in the mornings I can relax and sort of meditate on the way in to work.

Project MB-1 (uber SUB)

I am looking forward to starting the assembly part of my project. The frame is off at Rad Finishes (Portland, OR) and work will be starting on Monday with stripping. I am having a brand new wheelset built, also in Portland, by Sugar Wheel Works. So, I have unbusy hands right now, well only if you exclude all the internet researching, so I am mentally picturing different ideas, products, and such. Also, building up the list of odds and ends to not lose track of. Some of my new parts will come from swapping with the SUB, which will save some dollars and, yet, not totally make the SUB unrideable.

See, this is what it looks like inside my imagination ... "I could do this, and if I do this, then I could do that ..."

Key highlights will be:

• Drop bars - the good ones from the SUB (which I have already taken off and put the other Cinelli ones on the SUB).
• New Tektro brake levers in silver (SUB still has her black ones).
• Down tube shifter bosses w/friction only shift levers.
• This allows me to see if I can get 8 or 9 cogs on the back with the original derailleur.
• Oh, paint wise, I am going with a reproduction of the original pearl tusk (slightly off white base with a red pearl overcoat).
• The new wheelset will consist of Velo Orange hubs, Velocity Synergy rims and wearing Continental SportContact 32-559 (26x1.3") tires - yep, it will have locking skewers, too.

This is will be a fun project, really looking forward to that first ride. A bonus has been to get to know the local folks, who know other local folks in terms of bike builders, painters, wheelbuilders. I am glad I made the choice to buy local for the service work.

Fall, Project MB-1 Heading to Paint

More and more the fall colors are coming to Portland. With the fairly dry weather, so far, it has been pleasant riding, seeing the leaves on the ground to break up the otherwise boring grey of concrete. The color variety is nice, especially knowing that bare trees and an overall grey landscape is not far off.

While most of my neighbors mow and rake, I think the yard is quite lovely to look at with the mix of leaves from the neighbor's birch. Plus it helps the hide the brown-grey of my hibernated grass from our hot, recent summer heat.

Riding is changing as well. A tad fewer cyclists, definitely fewer others out jogging or walking or wandering along the Eastbank Esplanade, most definitely fewer in the mornings. On the days I ride with Evan until his school (only a bit over a mile away) the bike commuting crowd traffic is heavier, I guess because it is also at rush hour, 8ish. I do also have to admit to playing some Cat. 6 games, but, hey, commuting should be fun after all.

Project MB-1
The bike has been in disassembly for a while and I have been researching, getting estimates, researching, bidding on some "vintage" parts, mentally designing and redesigning to create a new old bike that is me.

I'll likely swap some parts with the SUB, since I purchased some good, quality items and put the MB-1 parts on the SUB, which are still good. For sure the MB-1 (still working on a new name, but maybe it will be the new SUB, or SUB par deux), will have drop bars, the 170mm crankset. I think as I start putting it back together I'll figure out the smaller details - cable housing colors and that sort of thing.

I went ahead and ordered up a new wheelset, having them hand-built in Portland by Sugar Wheels. I won't go into details until they are done and I'll accompany the description with pictures. They will be nice, for sure.

The other big time consumer, and a few dollars more, will be the re-painting. I decided to stick with the original color and design (pearl tusk) and the decals will be embedded under clear coats for better durability. I thought about a color, but that seemed to "blend" too much with all the other bikes out there. I thought about a purer white like the SUB, but, then, I already have a bike with that color, huh.

To make it unique, I'll be building it with, are you ready, down tube shifters! So, while it is stripped of paint, I am having the cable stops removed and shifter bosses brazed on. For starters, I'll use friction shifters to manage the 7 cogs in back, unless I find an amazingly great deal on a good set of 8 or 9, but I'll be running a crankset designed for a 7 speed chain,. Down the road, mayhaps.

I am looking forward to getting all the bits and parts together and the fun of watching it all come together. I am especially looking forward to the first ride! WooHoo!

Project MB-1 Begins, Mild Change to SUB

The "new" MB-1 arrived home this past Thursday. Excitedly, I opened up the shipping box to see what lay inside. Overall condition is good, the previous owner(s) seemed to have put miles on it. Many worn areas on the frame, scratches here and there on the components, replaced front hub and brake levers. Well, I did know it would be a project bike, haha.

After taking some baseline pictures it was time to tear it down, get an upclose look at things. Oh my, seems like a lot of internal coating of rust - was this dunked at one time? Headset bearings look good, looks like they were recently regreased, but wet, brown grease coated the stem and seat post. Hmm, what's a good paint job these days. And if I paint, do I keep it original or make it mine, all mine?

Gee, so many options and choices - wheels, handlebars, colors.

With the bike completely disassembled, the first thing I did was to remove any external rust spots, then totally WD-40 inside the frame, I mean I drenched it. No dents in the frame, though, that's good, just lot's of paint chips, no paint in big sections along the chain stay and bottom near the rear axle.

Well, while I decide on paint, and I have a few requests for quotes out in email, I figure I can clean up some things to get a better look at 'em. Let's start with the derailleurs. Suntour XC Pro - good stuff based on some internet research. That's cool, saves me some money.

Okay, front derailleur, pretty dirty, not a lot of maintenance done - at least relative to my OCD maintenace - lol. Pass 1, spray down with WD-40 (sorry, don't mean to plug a specific product). Let soak, wipe, wipe, wipe. Next, disassemble and clean up pivot points, in the nooks and crannies (yep, those are official terms, okay, my official terms) and more wipe, wipe, wipe. Cotton swabs work pretty good for the tight spaces.

Except for a few surface rust spots on the cage itself, they scrape off easily, the derailleur is in pretty good shape. Polish up the aluminum sections with rubbing compound, grease up the pivot points and reassemble. It's a keeper.

On to the rear derailleur. Some scratches, probably lay down scratches versus crash scratches. Same plan, spray and disassemble. Cool, roller bearing jockey wheels, hopefully they are still in good condition, though I noticed you can still find replacement bearings. Probably first time this has been super serviced.

Separate cage from main body, clean and waterproof grease it, clean, clean, clean everything. Mild polish, grease and reassemble. Good to go. Put both into plastic baggies, just waiting to be reunited with the frame.

Here's my Flikr set for Project MB-1. So far, only the pics of the bike as I received it. As I progress, I update the changes.

One crazy(?) idea I had was should I go from the MB-1's flat bars to a moustache bar. There seems to be only 2 schools, love 'em and hate 'em. Well, to see, I have put one on the SUB. I'm really a drop-bar girl, so the nice drop bars will go on the MB-1. The SUB, I figure, will be the short errand bike so the moustache bars should be fine there.

Well, there's the bar. The nice thing is most people have to convert their shifters to bar-ends. Since I  have my custom stem mount for them, I just had to install the brake levers. Cool. Oh, I did swap levers between the left and right lever mounts. The Tektro levers are assymetric and the curve did not feel right, so I switched them. Now the curved section is at the bottom and is a more comfortable, natural feel when using the brakes. Weird, since it was not a problem when the levers were in the standard vertical position.

I did a test ride today, maybe 3ish miles. I miss the "tops" of my drop bars. I would not want to do long rides with these, but for errands, I think they'll be fine. I can also probably survive commuting, just not as much fun and definitely not as many different  hand positions. We will see tomorrow, heh?