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.

Ride for Refuge 2013

It's the same route every year, but a nice one.  The skies were a bit dull and it didn't rain, so that's a bonus, but I think it dulled some of the colour on the trees.

My work is one of the partners of the Ride and that means people can choose to raise money on our behalf.  In fact, we managed over 15k for the shelter where I work.

My daughter and wife turned right where I turned left - and they did a 25km route.  I did the 50km.  Considering I haven't been leisure riding much of late, this was a good distance. I kind of pushed it so I'd get a bit of a work out.

I'll have some better photo's later but for now I defer to the GoPro.

A midway rest area.  Lots of sugar available!

I always admire folks on the tandems and cargo's who do these things.  I don't like them to finish ahead of me (I know, its not technically a race), but they have my utmost respect. Also, noshing on a Sweet n' Salty I got at the rest stop.

Colour's? Meh. Give it a week.

It's me with some of the guests who use the shelter.  They were easily the best rest stop on the length of the Ride.

Back at the start/finish. Now for some homemade chilli!

Perfect weather! Enjoy your ride!

Sharbot Lake Triathlon: circa 1985

1985 is the only year these mugs identify but I'm pretty sure they run 1984-1986.

My parents are downsizing and moving. When I packed up my old bedroom I found these relics: three mugs that I received from participating in the Sharbot Lake triathlon.

I used to count the people I passed on the bike portion and it usually went over 100. I used to run a 38 minute 10k, even after the swim and bike. BUT I could literally only swim to save my life.  Many was the time in triathlon competition I thought I might drown. I'm surprised they even let me compete. I was a floating liability!

Ah! The good 'ol days.

Hilly Billy Roubaix - Post Mortem

Ok, I didn't finish. Let's just get that out there.
At just over the 50 mile mark my head was starting to swim and my breath was really shallow.  As I came down a hill I realized I had a rear puncture so by the time I got to the course marshal (now walking) at the corner she was shouting at me "Aren't you supposed to be on your bike?" She said it with a laugh so I know she meant well.  I sat at that corner for 20 minutes debating what to do and finally realized that sanity dictated I should resign for this year.

My nerves subsided by the time my daughter and I were prepping my aid-station drop-bags. Each bag had two bottles of water, a peanut butter sandwich and a spare tube.

It was a rolling start with a field of just over 300. 

That's me above, almost dead centre, in the orange.

I was one of the last in the start group. The plan was to pace myself, let others burn out, and eventually pass them.  However, I knew by mile 5 that this was no longer a race as far as I was concerned. This event had become simply a question of survival.

I did cramp a lot but managed to get through it every time.  I drank plenty of water and ate at every opportunity. My legs felt good, my conditioning felt good but the heat (oh, the heat) defeated me in the end.  I think I was very, very close to heatstroke.  In one of the post-race interviews a competitor said her Garmin read 104 degrees.

Although I'm smiling in this after photo my head didn't feel right until about half way through dinner.

I left it all on that course in West Virginia/Pennsylvania so I have no regrets. And I will be back. June 21, 2014.

Lots of fun. Great camaraderie and conversations abounded.  Interesting aid-stations, if not actually useful (M&M peanuts, pretzels, trail-mix, Famous Amos cookies) and I even got a mention on the local news coverage (well I was one of the three Canadians in the race).

A couple of additional observations:

• West Virginia back-roads use much larger diameter gravel that we do in Canada. Those chunks were basically golf ball sized.
• The smaller the home the larger the flag.
• Not Obama fans in those parts. I wouldn't normally wade into the political but they made their opinions very clear.
• 35c tires aren't quite wide enough for this ride. I am looking at some 42c Schwalbe's for next year.

Downtube Shifters On - Paké C'Mute Ready

Now that it's all assembled I can start training in earnest - with only 18 days to go before the Hilly Billy Roubaix (Morgantown, WV).

The Proud Father.

The Tektro brakes work really well. Lots of stopping power.

I always use a single ring up front so I only need one shifter.  Anyone wanna buy a downtube shifter for your chainring?

Never have invested in an expensive derailleur but they always work just fine.

Just missing the egg-beaters and eventually, the Brooks B-17.

I am so intimidated by what I've signed up for I almost want to back out.  I won't, but I am pretty nervous.  I can see the headline, "Local Bicycle Commuter Breaks Legs in Race He Had No Business Entering."

The overall geometry still needs adjustment.  The Paké feels a little road-bike-ish and not too responsive.  I will need to improve that for gravel grinding.

Tektro RL520 Have Arrived

It seemed less expensive and fidgety to purchase the Tektro RL520's than it would have been to convert to cantilever brakes on the Paké.

At one time I would not have dreamt of using my newer Paké C'Mute build for a gravel race, but I have changed my mind.  In fact, I think I can build it into an all around ride - including my daily commute.

I had changed my position on the C'Mute to a more upright one because I thought it would make the daily grind more comfortable.  Strangely, it does not.  For some reason my back, neck and arms do better over a long haul when I am slightly hunched into a "racing" position.

That means I am willing to try drop bars again, and I needed brakes to go with.

I had to order these from Vancouver because it was the only place in Canada I could find that stocked them.  It's taken two months of shipping-by-Greyhound-mixups but they finally arrived.  I don't get home from work until about 10:00 tonight which means they won't be going on this evening.  But I cannot wait!  The reviews I found are basically all stellar - so now I get all the stopping power of V-brakes with hoods on! An unusual combination to be sure.

I didn't know what colour hoods I'd be getting but black was my first choice!

There are two or three more components to add and I will be bike-ready for the Hilly-Billy Roubaix on June 22.

Burnstown Gravel Ride

This was an inspiring ride.  I wish I had bothered to take more pictures but when I get in the moment I don't want to interrupt things.

This was my route.  Google says 61.9km and 3 hours 39 minutes.  But after a few wrong turns I ended up with a cool 80.5km ride in 3 hours 31 minutes.

It's backwoods all the way.  Beautiful riding & just what I was looking for.  There are no sustained gravel stretches like this where I live (the Burnstown route is a 5 hour drive north). Below is my folks cottage - ready for liftoff.

These are the kinds of roads I have been looking for.  This is an example of one in good condition.  Most were impassible for cars because of the large ruts but were perfect for my purposes.  In fact, I believe I counted 6 cars on this route, and that's not a whole lot.

I got a lot of looks.  Helmets are an unusual sight around these parts - never mind spandex.
Let's just say "this was good training for the Hilly Billy" and leave it there.

 

Accidental close-up or giant mosquito?  Don't stop for long or you may end up with West-Nile Virus.

Burnstown may be nothing more than a whistle-stop but Neat is a great place for a reward.

I could say so much more but lets keep this simple.  Here's my summary:

• A route so fun that I am considering turning it into a race/tour.
• I will learn to take more photos.
• Seeing as this was half the distance of the Hilly Billy, I must learn about proper nutrition quickly. Otherwise I won't survive the Hilly Billy.
• Most dogs that chase you are just out for a good time. Some aren't though.
• Just because you're the only person on miles of road doesn't mean the locals will give you a wide berth as they pass.
• My wife is awesome.
• Good geometry is worth the time to figure out and a good saddle is worth the money.
• I'll be doing that again.

A Peaceful Trail

Not a lot of people out today.

This route returns me to the scene of last week's endo.  The scene of the crime.

This time I navigated the downhill with experience and without mishap.

It's a short loop that took me down to the waterfront and then back home.

The blossom on the cherry trees were at their best about two days ago.  This orchard is about 300 feet from my house.

As it stands by bike is not in proper shape to tackle the Hilly Billy Roubaix (but then again, either am I).  The cranks keep loosening every 5k and I need to stop and tighten them, I need some padding on the bars if my wrists have any hope of survival, my gear ratio is completely wrong for the hills I anticipate, once again I will need to figure out a workable solution for pedals and there's a lot I don't know about the proper nutrition necessary for a 100k race. Sigh.

Paris to Ancaster 2013 - wrap up

I looked at the hit-counter for this blog and it was crazy!  The first thing I thought was 'what could I possibly have to offer that is that interesting?!' and then I realized its because people are searching "Paris to Ancaster" just like I am.

If you are stumbling across me that way I welcome you to stick around.  Whoever you are, you have given me a nice boost and I thank you!

There are many, many photographers along the length of the course and a few of them are entrepreneurs who sell photos to the participants (just like when you get off a big roller-coaster!).  Last year I purchased the only shot of me that I could find and I knew I'd do that again this year because I seldom get a chance to have an action picture of me.

It turns out I had a few to choose from.  One was clearly within the first 3-4 kilometers because there is neither mud on my bike nor my body.  Plus I have this huge, stupid grin that I guarantee did not last past 10k.  Passed on that one.

There's a series of me from another company who captured my finish.  It could not contrast better with the first shot.  I look like I've just returned from 'Nam.  Those shots were ok, but I always had my mouth open like a bass hitting for a fly.  Passed on those.

I settled on the one above even though I'm not looking at the camera (probably for the best).  It's not likely too far into things either but it's a good in-between photo nonetheless.

I guess I already posted that I came in just over three hours.  I think I have the Beast figured out and I am hoping for a sub three hour showing next year.

40k ride that felt longer

I'm entered into a fantastic looking gravel-grind for June so instead of just commuting I am compelled to do a little extra. The event is called the Hilly Billy Roubaix and it was my wonderful wife that suggested it in the first place!

When it comes to training for this kind of thing my friend, JD, is the go to fellow.  I mean, anyone who competes at the Tour Divide can certainly show me a thing or two about singletrack and handling on soft ground.

After climbing the Niagara Escarpment we headed west across the DOFASCO Trail.  It's a pleasant ride with crushed limestone double-track all the way. After a pause at the Punchbowl Market  we headed back down the escarpment.  One would think going downhill on a bicycle is the fun part, but it was also the most difficult part. In fact I got stuck going way fast between a runnell and soft gravel and it took me down.

White coffee & a Cliff Bar.  Now that's a winning combination!

"He's OK!"

After quickly reassuring myself I could move my legs and that nothing seemed broken I started to chuckle.  Maybe it was shock, maybe it was thankfulness. Not to say that I wasn't in pain, because it hurt. A lot.  But I did survive it.

The picture above looks posed but nope, that's right where I lay until I got my wits about me.

From there we turned west and went across the base of the escarpment, and then back up.  I was pleased with my climbing but I am certain I need more gear options for the Roubaix. I'll have to see what Pinkbike has to offer.

In the end we covered just over 40km. Not a long distance if you ask me, just don't ask my body because it thinks it went much further than that!

Paris to Ancaster - First Report

I arrived at the staging ground for the race in good time, but I still didn't expect to be the second vehicle in the parking lot.  Nevertheless, it turned out to be the right place and because I was there even before the organizers I ended up parked in the area they eventually roped off for VIP's.

I went to take an "unloading" photo and my camera batteries decided they had done enough.  I was pretty bummed that I couldn't take any photos at all. It speaks to my philosophy that a good BLOG entry has pictures.

I will pull some generic pictures from the local newspaper so that you can get a sense of things.  Additionally, I took some pictures of my bicycle once I got home.  As I did last year, I will be purchasing an action shot from a course photographer in about a week.  I so seldom get this kind of picture of myself so its worth the $30.

I certainly have many comments to make about the race.  Lets see what comes out as I write ...

This is a common sight.  I carried my bicycle way more than last year and my overall time benefitted by this strategy.   That's NOT me in the picture BTW.

Defeated. Another common site.  All I can say is that I'm grateful I never had one of these moments.

There is a steep climb to the finish that's sort of legendary.  This lady is helping out a rider.  I didn't need any help because I was walking up this hill!

I hosed my bike off right after I took this next series of pictures.  It serendipitously resulted in my also washing the car so I had a happy wife!

I bought SPD pedals specifically for this race.  They were crap.  I was whining about it to a guy as we climbed a hill side-by-side and he told me that they are intended for on-road, not off.  

Can you guess the component?

I am not sure how long the course was.  It was supposed to be 70 kilometres but because of the heavy rains we'd had over the last two weeks they had to close and re-route some sections.  While it certainly ended up less than 70k there is still some debate about the precise distance.  They are publishing 57km but all the racers with cycle-computers I spoke with had it at roughly 63k. The point is I did ok.  Last year it was 60k and that took me 3 hours and 40 minutes.  This year I completed the race in 3 hours 5 minutes. Some encouraging improvement for me to be proud of.

Spooked

In a few short days I will be suffering through the annual Paris-to-Ancaster race for the second time.  Competition is a funny thing that way - it's both exhilarating and painful.  At kilometer 50 I will be asking myself (aloud, I'm sure) why I do this, but 20 minutes after its over I will be jonesin' for the next time!

As a bicycle commuter I usually feel quite out-of-place among the spandex set, but once the horn sounds we are all equals in our suffering. Besides, I'll be wearing spandex too! (stupid, sexy Flanders!)

I am significantly more anxious this year than last. There are many reasons I feel like this.

First, I just finished building my bike for this.  Its the same one I used last year (my aluminum Diamondback), and it performed well.  However it's set up differently this year, I only rode it for the first time this morning, I installed a speed pedal system which I've never used before, and I'm not convinced my posture/geometry is going to be comfortable enough for 70km.  There's a brake issue too, but I'll tackle that in another post.

Another drawback is that I am not in good "cycling" fitness.  I have been runnning a lot (for a few 5km races I'm entering) but its absolutely not the same kind of fitness.  It's been a cold, cold spring here in Oh! Canada and that has chased me off my regular commute.  Admittedly, I have been a fair-weather commuter these past two months.

All this adds up to actual nervousness!  I am trying to get into the mindset that I'll just pace myself (vernacular for "I'll be going slow" without having to actually say that) and enjoy, but I know that once that start pistol goes my competative nature will fully engage.

Wish me luck!

Resurrecting the Diamondback.

I'm trying a SPD pedal for the first time.

I re-built this just in time for the race. I don't like front derailleurs so I'm fixed in the smallest ring for maximum off-road-ness!

I don't have enough gears to choose from for this race.  Oh well.

Race Preparation 2013 - P2A

This will be my second Paris-to-Ancaster race in as many years.  Other than perhaps trying my luck at a triathlon sometime again, it is the only bicycle race I will do.   It's not precisely a gravel-grinder but its the closest thing we have around here.

With exactly a month to go I find myself without a bicycle. And that brings me to my next rebuild.

I've never experienced the catastrophic failure of an aluminum frame.
Maybe this is the year.

I am taking my old Diamondback aluminum frame and cannibalizing parts from my Pake commuter  to make a machine that "may" survive the rigours imposed upon it.

The bottom bracket makes an occasional crunching noise but for the life of me I can't seem to get the caps off!  So, no new bearings this year.  How bad can it be, right?

The gear-ratio is not great for the amount of climbing I'll have to do.  The cassette is too limited in range but (21 in the back and 28 in the front) its the only one I can find that will work with my shifter set-up.

The handlebars are originally from my daughter's Peugeot.  They are small and obviously rounded at the front so I thought they would do well to miss trees and branches throughout the wooded areas of the course.  However, I can't figure out how to get road drops on v-brakes so I'll need to go back to a flat-bar.

I should have this bicycle on the road by the end of the week, so I'm not too worried about that.  It's my fitness level that's hurting.  In fact, they added an extra 10km to their traditional 60 km course. As memory serves, I had lost my legs at about 50km last year and struggled to finish with any dignity at all.  70km through mud is daunting.

I registered for the fifth (read: last) wave.  In theory I could arrange to be the final person out of 3000 to enter the course.  It's a thought.  If I did depart last there would be no expectations and every time I manage to pass someone I could view it as a small victory.  On the other hand, I think there is a "Lantern Rouge" in this race, so you never know.

Olympic encounter?

I am blessed to work in the industry that I do.  It puts me into conversations with a wide variety of people from all over the world.  Oftentimes my area of discipline attracts the attention of grad students looking for insights into the practicalities and realities of my field.

Last week I had one such request from a wonderful young woman named Annie Foreman-Mackey.  Through the interview I had noticed she looked particularly strong. Exceptional athlete kind of strong.

I was excited to learn that she cycles for Canada's national team and is attempting to make the leap to the Olympics.

I won't post any photos because she's not aware of this post, so I want to keep things to a minimum to be fair.  But feel free to check her out via Gooogle, or whatever.

You never know who you will serendipitously meet.

A Couple More "Century" Pics

Transporting a gaggle of bicycles!

"Glory Days" will pass you by...

In April I did the 60km Paris-Ancaster Race.  It was the first of its kind for me, sort of a gravel-grind, and I loved it!
Just the other day I thought I'd do a search on it to see if anyone had anything posted because sometimes it just takes a long time to get things on the web.
Then I found a picture of me!
This is so great - I never get the chance for a shot like this because I'm always the one with a camera in my hand.  So, I'm pumped for this action shot!

It's early in the race because I did an endo at about 10km and destroyed my front brake, plus I am waaayyy too clean to be far in.
I know that look though. As early on as this may be...I was already exhausted!