Strumey Archer Hub. At Last.

Needless to say I have had the hub in place for quite some time. For those who remain interested, here are my thoughts.

It is a two-speed, kickback hub. It looks like a single-speed but isn't.  You need either horizontal drops, or a chain tensioner. I am fortunate that the Pake has drops that work as I do not prefer the look of a tensioner.

The Pake allows flexibility for either geared or single-speed. Great frame - I think I need to get one of these for my daughter. It's a lot like a Surly Crosscheck but for about half the price.

You can see the chain drooping a little in this picture. I'll be removing a link and resetting the wheel accordingly. Means I need to realign the brakes as well but that's the "price" I pay for having a fixed hub.

 

 

 

 

Commuting.
This is my overall primary function as a cyclist.  My commute is 17km each way, year round. There are no hills between my home and office, and I prefer a simple, if not minimalist look to my bicycle.  Therefore this hub really fits the bill.
I appreciate that there are no cogs to deep-clean on those oft messy days (especially in the winter).
The gear ratio is perfect for my purposes, although when there is less overall environmental resistance in the summer months (less wind, no slush) I do wish I had a higher gear to use. Note too that I replaced the cog it came with for a smaller one (32 tooth chainring and a 20 tooth cog).
The fixie look is pretty hot right now so I can fit into that crowd if I want to (even though I am cheating with two speeds)!
I have found "chain stretch" to be a new issue (for me).  I sometimes drop my chain and its not always a quick fix without a derailleur.

There are other posts and videos that mention the sound of the hub, that is, you can hear what gear you are in.  While this is true, I have found that when commuting I wouldn't count on being able to hear anything over the wind in your ears of the traffic.  It's worth mentioning because when you are heading down a slight slope with some speed it's difficult to determine whether you in in your higher or lower gear. More on that in a bit.

Racing.
I actually took this through the Paris-to-Ancaster race in late April.  The hub is not designed for off-road, gravel-grinding but I felt it actually performed well.
Again, I received lots of "wow, he's doing the race single-speed," which is nice, but we're all whizzing by too fast to try and correct the bystander who is trying to compliment my effort!
The hub dealt well with mud and other kinds of junk that sunk my wheels well past it. 
Given that there were lots of hills in the race, I found that the ratio (same as mentioned above) was just about perfect.
I don't think I did any damage to the hub but I guess time will tell. It's possible that all kinds of things got in there and since I don't have the expertise to open it and clean it I guess I'll take a wait and see attitude. I figure if something in there is grinding away at the mechanism it'll make itself known. Otherwise, so far so good three months later.

Hills & Shifting.
You shift from one gear to the other by giving a slight backpeddle.  It works predictably about 60% of the time, depending upon a few things.  If you are peddling under load (read: hills) then be cautious. The least thing you'd need to worry about is losing momentum on a hill if it won't shift, but the worst thing would be to actually fall over while climbing. Note that I do climb some very steep and long hills almost every weekend as a part of my weekly countryside tour - but I really appreciate the workout the two gears give me (don't expect to keep up with friends though).
Going down a hill has its own consequences too.  If you cannot shift higher as your speed increases be ready for some mighty fine spinning!
Even if you are not peddling under load don't always trust the timing of the internal mechanism (could this actually be damage from my off-road racing?).  It may not shift "just when you want it to." That makes it awfully awkward at stop lights and in traffic or when there is another cyclist right behind you.  Needing to backpeddle several times to get the gear isn't always convenient but will eventually work.
Finally, yes, it does ghost shift.  It is ironic that sometimes it won't shift when you want and it does shift when you don't want it to.  Sometimes (actually often during my commute) it is a very, very subtle backpeddle that changes the gear. When I come to a stop I can almost always be assured that once I start peddling again it will be in the "other" gear.  This could be a big issue for some, but it really isn't for me because I've learned to anticipate this, and as I have said, my commute is pretty flat (so I'm not usually in any danger because of the wrong start-up gear).

If you are in my category - long commute, all season, not hilly, minimalist, utilitarian -  then this hub is a great pick. It's no heavier than a regular, geared set-up in the end, and looks really clean and slick.

You'll learn to deal with its quirks and you'll have equipment that not likely anyone else in your crowd has.

Hope to post again before several months pass. Please leave your comments and questions.

For the Beauty of Winona*

In among the pear tree's today. Too often I won't take the time to stop, enjoy and perhaps snap a photo. Today I did.

Across the field is the original E.D. Smith jam factory.  These days they mostly make their Garden Cocktail in this facility. Always smells really good when I pass by.

I look angry (or something) in this one, but I'm not used to how the GoPro takes pictures yet.

*Winona is the name of the village where I live.

Pranks make the routine more enjoyable

About half of the way into the office there is a fountain in Old Stoney Creek that I pass.

It doesn't run during the winter months, but is a lovely spot for a cold drink during the warmer days.  It's at that time when someone routinely puts soap suds in the thing, and I have been meaning to take a photo of it for months. As a big wad of foam drifted across my path today I decided to finally pull over. What's the rush, after all?

I chuckle almost every time I see this. By now I am a little surprised that they haven't hidden a camera and caught the perp - such is the frequency of this vandalism.

I also find it comical that the city dispatches entire work crews to deal with this. I have counted as many as six, but only one ever actually working to solve the situation.

I had to pause once I had added up the potential cost to taxpayers though.
Modestly:

3 city workers
$30 hour for 3 hours
1x week
8 weeks

= $2160.00

And that's being conservative. It might be as much as three times.

I don't know who's up to this mischief. I don't know whether to laugh or cry either.

My Commute Just Got a Lot Better (Highway #8 Improvements)

I have long said that Highway #8 is a treacherous piece of road for cars and bicycles alike.  And I have done my share of whining over the past 3 or 4 years but I  know how to give credit when it's due.  The city just completed resurfacing this stretch of my commute and I am very pleased with the result.

I still maintain that its the west end of the city (where all the $ is) that gets superior infrastructure but I guess they couldn't ignore us east-enders forever!

Ironically, I was just getting used to the unpaved shoulders (because of the gravel races I do) but I can always find more gravel.

You can see the single-lane for cars, the really wide shoulder and the
small gravel portion that are typical of this new stretch on Highway #8.

Another irony is that a cyclist fitting my description was hit by a car on this very spot about two days ago.  He was hurt badly and remains in the hospital.  I would have guessed that the new surface would somehow have equated to safer overall riding conditions but maybe there is no actual correlation.

Although I don't pretend to know anything about the road conditions or how the cyclist himself was behaving I will say that when I heard it was an 87 year-old person behind the wheel I kind of winced.  There has been a small epidemic of seniors-behind-the-wheel involved in accidents lately.

So, thumbs up to the City of Hamilton for attending to the worst road in Hamilton (sans bike lanes, but thats ok) and including a nice wide shoulder.  But thumbs down to inattentive driving by either auto drivers or cyclists.

Today around the city + a huge compliment

It's rare that I need to bicycle straight into Hamilton, but today I did.  The blurry photo reads 20.0km right on the button (not 200).

I saw a neat bike locked nearby. It had a wild twist in the tube but I guess its still rideable.

Some upcoming events...

And the benefit of living in the west-end where all the $ is.  In this case, separated, two-way bike lanes (I'm not bitter at all).

A beautiful day to be out, but the greatest thing that happened today was a comment I received on my way home.  A fellow passed me on a Bion-X electric bike, and then stopped about 300 yards ahead to wait for me.  He clearly wanted to say something to me.  And then he said it.

"Are you a bicycle courier?"

That's a compliment!

My Music @ Work

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
~ Berthold Auerbach

My everyday life is not so bad that I need to escape it, but I truly enjoy the places that music takes me so I engage it as often as I can. Music doesn't just help pass the time, it helps me reflect, brings memories back to life and can make most chores more enjoyable.

I have always wrestled with the tension between using headphones on my commute vs. the potential dangers it invites.  On the one hand I get my music while on the other it minimizes a critical commuting-sense.

Using one earbud instead of two isn't a bad option but I may have found an even better one.

I put my iPad in one of those thin nylon bags with the rope-y shoulder straps and turned it up as loud as possible.  The sound easily penetrated the thin fabric of the bag much better than it would have my normal commuting pack. On quiet streets this worked really well but on major roadways the music was easily drowned out.

It then occurred to me that I could get improved volume by putting my Jawbone Jambox into my bento-bag.  The Jambox speaker connects to the iPad via bluetooth, and I speculated that having the sound originate in front of me would result in better overall quality. 

While neither of these is a perfect solution to the earbud issue, I think I am on the right track. 

What about you?  Do you also like to ride with music?  How do you do it?
 

No. I will never learn.

Let's just say that fenders would have been a good idea today and leave it there.

Are these streets half clean or half dirty?

I think you need to be an optimist if you choose to commute by bicycle.

After a few days of heavy snowfall I was finally able to safely get onto the streets of Hamilton by bicycle.  Here's what the bike lanes looked like.

They sort of disappear for a bit, then reappear a little further on.

Soma Clarence Bar

Since I really began bicycling again a few years ago, I have always "suffered" from tingling in my hands.  No matter how I adjusted the cockpit, time and distance always exposed this area of discomfort.
I do not have it completely solved, but I will suggest that the Clarence Bar, by SOMA Fabrications has significantly helped.

I got these online, on sale from a reputable US dealer. They arrived quickly and intact.
I have been using them now for two months and the bottom line is, I can recommend them.
Being a more upright bar, at first I was worried that they weren't "sexy."  A redonkulous notion on my part, but I'm pretty sure it counts for at least 10% of consideration for anything I purchase.

Perhaps a better shot to see the anodized red highlights of the Paké.

While they do put me in a more upright position, I have found that it is easily worth the decrease in hand pain, neck strain, and my back feels much better once I arrive at work.
I think there is still some adjusting to be done, and perhaps there is a new saddle in my future (there is! I will BLOG about it soon). But for now, I believe I have one part of the equation solved. I don't see the Clarence Bars being replaced anytime soon.

One caveat, or drawback, I used a grip shift mechanism. The shifter, brake and grip do not fit on the bar.  As a result I am trying a thumb shifter (from Chain Reaction Cycles in the UK). As well, it's really just a matter of time before I switch to the Sturmey-Archer S2 hub, which will negate the need for any shifter whatsoever.

I realize that by not posting as regularly I have risked losing some readership. The way I figure things, my BLOG is a bit of an escape and if I have not needed that escape in the lasts month that is likely a good thing.  Thanks for your patience everyone.

Car Blocking

I have been experiencing a phenomena that is new to me, but perhaps a reader has had this experience and can add to my understanding of it.
Three times in the last five months or so (so not that frequently) I have been blocked out at stop signs and red lights by cars and I think it is intentional.
This is how it happens (with high quality photo explanations below):
A. A car passes me.

In all the images we are moving toward the intersection at twelve o'clock. The silver Nintendo DS is the car and the blue poker chips represent my bicycle.

B. The same car arrives at a stop sign or red light just ahead of me.
C. Before I get an opportunity to come in along their right side, between them and the curb, they pull in very, very tight to the curb.

D. There is certainly no room to squeeze through.
E. In every case, the car was neither turning right nor left, but instead carried on straight through the intersection when appropriate.
F. When they do carry on, the very obviously pull away from the curb, and take a much more natural position within their lane.

So what is happening here?
Is the intent here antagonistic or altruistic?
I can imagine that the driver is attempting to spite me, the cyclist, in effect saying "I'm going to mess up your advantage by taking away your lane." But I have also imagined that the driver is thinking "I want the guy on the bicycle where I can see him, for his own safety."  Most accidents between cars and bicycles happen at intersections and by blocking me and keeping me behind him, he certainly eliminates a lot of right hook, and other negative, potential for me.
So have you experienced this same thing, reader friend?  To me, this is clearly intentional, so why do you think?

-Wilson

Extreme Fog

In my opinion, bicycling in heavy fog is a lot of fun.  It feels good on the face, and there's really no danger of being able to see far enough ahead.  It's not like traveling in a car, which is going fast enough that the fog becomes an issue of visibility.

Cool.  My paint job is apparently named "Bridge Overpass Green."

(I'm only on the sidewalk for the purposes of this photo.  Yes, that's a perfectly good bike lane to my left.)

However, it does become an issue when cars cannot detect you soon enough.  I had one close call on this ride and I'm pretty sure that the "guy" came up on me so fast that he had no idea I was there.

Things I Like - Comfortable Handlebars

Handlebars are a contentious issue for me because I have never had a comfortable set.  I am not even certain how to find the right ones.

My daughter's SWOBO bars were intended for my PAKE but they never made it.
She loves them, so that ship has sailed.

This Town Needs an Improved Method of Communitcation

I don't know how to re-post from another BLOG but the link I am referring to is here.

Apparently the Bike SNOB was in town.  In fact, it turns out that I have missed him by about 4 hours.

Shadows

The shadows seem to be getting longer, earlier.  It can only mean one thing.

"There's a shadow just behind me, shrouding every step I take."

So that's where that went...

I recently changed to a new commuting backpack so I needed to transfer everything over from the old.
After I finished with the standard and necessary items here's what was left.

A bandana
A disc-golf towel
20 cents
A blank/unburned CD
A letter that was never sent
2 bungee cords
An empty glasses case
A bicycle lock key
A receipt for a magazine
Instructions for a Sony HandyCam


What I really need in a pack is...
An extra couple of dollars
A bus ticket
My pump (sometimes)
A spare tube (sometimes)
A tire repair kit
Camera
Occasionally a rain coat
The remainder of space is for work items, iPad, and the day's clothing.

What are the things you need on your commute?

Enjoy the Beauty

Instead of feeling the need to catch up to the next cyclist all the time, I decided that perhaps I was missing something.

I went slower and took things in, without regret.

I should do this more often and get over my competitive nature.

Down by Lake Ontario.  I can't often come this way but today it worked out.

I cropped out the bird crap on the railing.  Makes a nicer picture, don't you think?

I Got "Chicked"

I consider myself to be a competitive commuter.  I think I invented the term, but certainly not the concept.

Part of the competition means that I don't like getting passed.  In fact, I tend to target the next rider I see and pass them (honestly, its just a goal and doesn't always factor into reality).

Nevertheless, when I passed a woman a couple of days ago I knew I was in for a fight.  She was clearly out for a "riding to lose weight" kind-of ride.  She was on a very busy (read: dangerous) road, wearing flip flops, no helmet, red as a beet and I could hear her breathing from 20 feet away.  I gave her a friendly wave...

In spite of it all, she had venom in her eyes when I passed.

About a mile later I was stopped behind 2 cars at a red.  As the light just began to turn she whizzed by me, missing me by about a foot.

I had already seen her go through one red light so I was in no mood to play her game.  Instead I slipped into her wake and leisurely drafted her for about two miles before she turned.

I think the drafting really annoyed her all the more.  I don't believe she knew what I was doing and was confused.  Maybe I was playing the game after all.

Update:  I passed her going in the other direction again this morning.  It was at a red light and she was on the other side of the intersection.  We clearly saw each other seeing each other, and I'm sure there was recognition.  Then she turned, pedalled and went through the red (!).

Commuter Pack

I have been searching for months, maybe years, for a suitable pack.
It needed to be ...
Waterproof.
Easy to access.
Comfortable.
Simple in design, yet pragmatic.

There have been very few competitors in this race.  The ones that looked good were typically $180 and up (which I would pay), and attainable only/primarily online (because of my location in Canada).  The latter is an issue because I would have to make the purchase with one major assumption: comfort.

I stumbled across the SealLine Urban Backpack. 

I am really impressed.

Mine is the small.  Apparently the larger version makes a shoulder check difficult.
It's bright (several colours to choose from), and has a couple of reflective strips.

There is some back cushioning and ventilation.  However, I have some serious sweat issues and I don't think any pack could be vented enough for me!

A basic strap system that is not cumbersome or cluttered.  There is a waist strap, which I also wanted so that load is stabilized.

Here are my three "unknowns" for the time being.  The material feels very stiff and solid but will it stay that way, and more importantly, will it resist ripping at the stitching under a full-load?

The snap or closing mechanism is unconvincing.  We'll have to see how this ultimately performs.

The rear zippered compartment doesn't appear too use-able.  I have put my wallet in there but anything bigger looks to threaten the glued seam.  I'll likely leave this compartment alone for the most.

Nothing fancy inside, but that's what I was after.

Decent capacity for a "small" bag.  I believe its 17 litres but it seems to hold a lot more than advertised.

This was the last one they had at Bushtukah and I did not get it right away.  I went home and researched it and checked the reviews.  Then I panicked because I found the pack to be very difficult to get - seems to be very little stock out there.

Suffice it to say that I was able to finally make the purchase.  I've only been using it for two weeks, so this does not portend to be a review.  I'm just saying that I believe I've found something that works well for me.

Cheers.

Lovely Riding Today

I pass this park every day heading to and from the office.  It's in memory of the war of 1812. Beautiful spot.
Amazing how a place where there was once such violence can now be so pristine.
 

That's my new pack in the picture.  Pretty excited about it so I'll share soon.

Easy Riding

This is when construction benefits me.

The city is repairing the sidewalk.  As a consequence there is about two miles of pylons right where I would usually ride.  HOWEVER, cars don't want to or cannot fit in this lane with the pylons so I get the whole thing to myself!  It'll be glorious while it lasts.