Hmm, ’tis almost impossible to see in each of these shots, but here’s how I do mine. Where I use gears, I use bar-end shifters tho’, not ‘STI’ … which I suspect, might be harder to get feeling quite right (but I don’t think they feel ‘quite right’ on conventional drops either …)

Ah, a true classic there … back in the day I always wanted one, but having just bought a house I wasn’t allowed to spend *that* much on a bike so I bought a more basic Fire Mountain, and gradually sneaked decent parts on it. It’s my most ridden bike to this day – although unlike yours, I ditched my threaded forks a long time ago.

There was a factory white coloured Explosif at some point – early 1990’s maybe?

Are you sticking to relevant era parts full retro-stylee or updating stuff as required?

Not blue, unless you convince yourself that it’s very very, very dark blue, but I’ve found the Surly hubs to be rather good …

I’m with tinribz ^ there, (but for me it’s my Peregrine).
No choice required.

:D

If all the bits are in … building a new bike.

At worst, people will only think that you are too poor to get kitted out ‘properly’ and/or ill-informed (perhaps even stupidly so) about the way things should be done.

It’s an anxiety thing, upsetting the established order, going against the grain, all that kinda thing.

Ideally, you’ll come to be regarded as a harmless old eccentric (which is how I think my LBS see me).

Don’t forget to wear baggy shorts over decent, road branded bib-shorts too. This is both comfortable (because of the decent bib-shorts) and useful as you’ll have pockets (for your camera, small change, food).

It’s the same on the bike as it is off it, so if I’m thinking at all, (rather than being of no-mind) my thoughts are about nothing / everything / anything …

It’s genuinely interesting to read that people do actually think about specific, and/or relevant things whilst riding.

Ok, these’ll be of no use whatsoever, but for amusement if nothing else:
(I know the bar-tape is badly taped on, it’s one of my specialities).

Err, just brakes on the SS …(beard not shown)

and elsewhere – brakes then bar-con mounted Dura-Ace bar-end shifters.

Everything else is on drops, geared versions are Dura-Ace bar-end shifters, Cane Creek Drop V levers, then Cane Creek cross-top levers, SS is the same (apart from not having shifters of course :? ).

stumpyjon:
Probably the most practical thing most of us can do short of donating directly to the disaster appeal (i.e. http://www.shelterbox.org/ ) is carry on buying Japanese components and support their economy.

Summed up perfectly.

I’ve just realised that I’ve not ridden my geared MTB since July last year :|
My forthcoming 29er is going to be SS too (and I can’t wait to ride in sandals again :P ).

I’m just about to start on a 29er SS, and mine will be 34:18 (initially at least).

That Kona there ^ is 34:20, and that’s fine in hilly Devonshire, (even when loaded with most of a weeks shopping, but I couldn’t winch it up that lane tho’ :roll: )

Once in the last 12 months.
~30 ish mile ’round trip to Haldon.
Might actually be doing the same thing again this coming weekend …

It’s a DMR STS tensioner.
It sits on the skewer, and yeah, it bolts onto the hanger. The angle of the photo maybe makes it look a bit more exotic that it is … :?

There were (maybe still are) lots of negative reviews around, as the bolt (for the hanger threads) was (and maybe still is) made of comedy metal, and rather than just taking account of this and doing it up appropriately / sensibly, there seems to have been a number of ham-fisted monkeys DIY mechanics that have assumed that because it’s a big bolt, you need that bit of scaffolding pipe on the end of the spanner to get it done up, which perhaps unsurprisingly … wasn’t supported by the outcome (which is to say there were a lot of rounded off hex-sockets in the bolt heads).

Mine went on ages ago and has only been tweaked once, and even then, I don’t think it’d moved, it was one of those … “I wonder if this need’s tightening?” moments when I was at that end of the bike with the right sized allen-key in my hand.

(For completeness, the rest of it is: XT (non-disc) hub, 20t Surly cog on the freehub body, spaced out by Velosolo spacers, and a 3/32 gusset half-link chain (which might actually be fitted the wrong-way ’round – Clearly I’ve not died as a consequence tho’ as I assume it must be ok like that :wink: )).

Ok, I’m in. :wink:

Or … What about getting an old Kona frame from somewhere and getting track ends welded on, or just fit it with a tensioner?.

I’ve got a SS’d 92 Kona with a rear HS33 and long P2’s, and I ride it more than anything else I own. The tensioner idea needn’t be duff – mine works fantastically – I’ve nipped it up once maybe, since it was fitted (which was years ago).

In the interests of fairness, I should mention that I have a beard, and often ride in sandals … and not only that, but I’m just about to build a fully rigid 29er SS too.

Looks good.
*sigh* … roll on June … :roll:

Adding nothing much here, :? (but assuming it’s a 9sp mech) it’ll be fine.
Just worth a quick check of the hi/low screws on the mech tho’ to save over shifting – it might have been set up expecting a very slightly differently spaced cassette.

I’m using an 8sp cassette, 9sp Dura-Ace bar-end shifters (on friction) with a Saint reach mech, and set up for the cassette – it works flawlessly.

Decent stainless bolts and grease for me, plus a quick check every so often.

MSP – Member
Girls jack off over cheap grot mags too?

Hell yeah!
Getting them drunk on cheap bum-wine, or exploiting them with cheap emotional blackmail usually works for me … :P

(Only joking of course … :roll: )

Generally – I ride with my arms covered: I find it cooler and it’s safer (safer from the UV, and less worry about fading / ‘bluing’ my tattoo’s before their time).

If I go out nice and early, way before the heat of the sun starts to make your skin go tight, or if I’m deep in the woods, than it’ll probably be short-sleeves tho’. Useful things those thin, light-weight summer weight arm … err, ‘warmers’.

Isn’t the thing with dogs to reward good behaviour, rather than ‘punish’ (note small ‘p’) bad [behaviour] – on the basis that the dog won’t necessarily make the link between it’s action and a negative outcome, but it will much more reliably associate it’s action and a positive outcome (being social/pack animals and needing the security of it’s position in the pack hierarchy).

That might well be complete and utter rubbish tho’ (either because I’ve not remembered it correctly, or because it just *is* [rubbish]). Perhaps I should also declare and interest in cats at this point, potentially rendering all dog related comments thus invalid.

Edit: Beaten to it by 69er!
Looks like it might be true after all as well!

Terrible vehicles!

Most of it has been covered: Slow, noisy, cold, leaky, odd driving position, not a huge amount of space in the back, tiring on a ‘run’, not very well suited to main roads … the 110 has a pretty huge turning circle for the size of vehicle, they rot out … not especially good MPG. Can be expensive to fix (err, tho’ that’s equally true of anything if it breaks something expensive of course :wink:). Comedy engineering solutions, based on something that first went into production 100 years ago and which has never been changed …

… but that of course is to miss the point. If those things sound like they’ll ‘worry’ you, a Defender is not for you. Really, you’ll hate it.

I drive a lot of modern [hire] cars and honestly, I can’t tell them apart, they are all equally capable, and all equally dull. They do the job with no fuss, no bother, you arrive comfortable / warm / dry, but zzzz. I can’t wait to get back in my 110 with all of it’s weirdness and charm.

I’ve had it getting on for 6 years now, and the actual running costs are … ok.
My insurance is cheap (but I’m old, and live nicely out of the way), the ‘commercial’ versions are the same price as any other commercial vehicel (or should be) – vehicle excise duty (on the pre 2001’s) is the same as any other 2.5 vehicle. My reliability has been at least as good, if not better than anything else I’ve owned (but then mine gets whatever it needs as soon as it needs it).

Can be heavy and damaging off road if used irresponsibly tho’, (and 4×4 damage to lovely little byways makes me very cross indeed – especially as there are alternatives to mangling ancient lanes :evil:)

The Td5/TDCi versions feel less agricultural than the 200/300’s, but come at a price.

Going into it level headedly and teasing aside – they do require commitment; they are as tough as they come, but they also need care too – avoid an abused example, unless that is, you are prepared to put the hours into nursing it back to health; everything can be fixed tho’ (and that really is everything).

I’d like another one (in addition to, not instead of). Ideally, I’d like a lifted Td5 hi-cap pickup (preferably with a drop-sided conversion) for moving wood about, but that’s for another day … :roll:

Not sure that’ll talk you out of it tho’ … :D

The Peregrine is a great bike.
I can see how it’d not be for everyone, but I love mine.

Might be worth a look to see if Cane Creek are doing something suitable [yet].

Cane Creek is all I fit these days, they just seem to go on for ever – and if they do fail, spares are available. Not sure about the tapered stuff tho’, that bit of design hasn’t filtered down to road bikes just yet. :wink:

Only echoing really here, but I’d try fine tuning fit / posture first – I’m always amazed at how small a change can impact on how comfortable a bike is (or otherwise).

You’ll never again have a bicycle that is ‘on trend’ tho’ … :wink:
You’ll almost certainly end up with all sorts of odd sizes / lengths of things.

Bars with a bit of sweep might be worth a go?
I’m a big fan of H-bars, but they are not for everyone.

4 cubic meters of firewood, 2 x Fenix LD20’s and …

(plus other stuff, not seen in that picture).
Next up, gloves, and another back light.

Still in ‘beta’ – just needs a little bit of fine tuning to finish it off (yes, including trimming the steerer :wink: ).

Now on 28’s for more confidence on wet / slippery roads.

Riding The Spine?

This is my most used SS (actually, it’s my most used bicycle :D)

Moving a few cakes of hay in a feedsack here, and looking like a tramps bicycle as a consequence (err, appropriately enough perhaps).

Now back on rigid forks (and much better for it).

magowen100 – Member

SamB,
I’d jump at the X if the disc caliper was on the chainstay and the frame had rack mounts. I haven’t been able to find anything out there that ticks all the boxes yet, if you’re after the same have you got any suggestions?

Seatstay mounted disc, but [otherwise] what about a Singular Peregrine ?

There’s the very tempting Soma Double Cross DC too, but I couldn’t get one in at a sensible price back along …

Too much frost to rake the lawn, it’ll damage the grass.

:wink:

I’m on A719’s – I like the braking surface profile (tho’ I don’t use it for braking on) – I use EX721’s on the 26ers for the same reason.

My 92 Fire Mountain had 100mm Manitou’s for a bit and it felt great.
It’s now got rigid PII’s on, but the 29er versions at ~465mm, and it feels like a barge. :P

(It’s like riding my old GS1000 again).

I’m trying to remember if I rode SS, had *this* beard, or had my nipple piercings first. Beard first I’d guess, as I’ve had *a* beard since I was able to grow a beard (apart from one day at the end of October 2007, when I shaved it all off to start again), tho’ I probably rode a SS as a small boy too, so maybe that came first …

I’m not going to use the chicken and egg cliche, as it’s obviously egg, given the now almost universal agreement that birds are reptiles.

@ MTG – taking this OT a mo’, but what’s the story with the ‘vegan cycle’ clothing on your photostream please …

You probably won’t like it … but I love it. :P

’92 Fire Mountain with 29er length PII’s, Only the frame and seatpost remain from all they way back then, tho’ the Sugino cranks are not far off – probably from about 1995, and the rear HS33 is from the late 1990’s sometime. Everything else is much more recent.

It’s to do with knowing a secret, THE secret – any sense of confrontation is only born of a sense of frustration in ones own inability (as a SS rider), to help others so close to cycling nirvana, see that if they took just one more step, they too would ride into the light.

Try it, and you will understand everything.

Pinarello Dogma 60.1 (probably),

I get a fair bit of my firewood from the tip, but (driving a LR) generally have to have the commercial vehicle vs domestic vehicle conversation …

On my 135mm version I run an old Sugino triple MTB crank with the (42T) ring on the outside. Unhelpfully, I can’t remember the BB axle length, but I did end up using one of the very useful Velosolo BB spacers in there to set it properly (which could just have been avoided by using the right BB length to start with of course :roll: ).

It’s mated to a Surly flip-flop hub on the back and the chainline is fine.

… but that only really suggests that it can be done if you fiddle about, rather than being any more helpful by being specific.

Ha ha, I’d be the first to agree that it looks mis-matched, but I like to poke and prod at things and see what gives.

;-)

Unhelpfully, it’s hard to describe why it seems to work, other than to say that it just feels ‘right’ – I couldn’t get settled on mid or low risers, nor on Carnegies here, but these just seem to work. I’m a bit of a show-pony about riding ergonomics too – a properly set up bike is such a contrast to one that’s only nearly there.

The type of riding plays it’s part maybe – I’m not a very technical rider (ie, not very good) so I tend to ride through things, rather than try to pick the front up and go around too much, but that said, making sense of stuff like tractor ruts gouged in soft greenlanes never bothers it/me.

Some of that ride assurance might [only] be because it [now] feels *very* similar to the Kona, which is fitted with 29er forks, not the 26″ versions it was built for 100 years ago, and, because I’ve ridden about 100 million miles on that bike.

Dunno why it works, but it just seems to – maybe it’d be different if I rode different stuff …

They do need more time spent to set them up properly, but it’s well worth it – I can’t see I’d ever go back to conventional bars now. They do need longer cables and hoses than you’d expect tho’ – I couldn’t *just* swap the bars as you’d otherwise just get away with, I had to remake the hoses, and use new gear cables.

If I change anything on this bike, it’ll be the forks first, these are frankly best summed up as a bit odd: they have a fair bit of sag initially, seem to blow through their travel quickly, but I’ve never found the bottom – reliability is great but at the expense of being heavy and overbuilt – happily I can lock them out on climbs or they’d be ridiculous. Even saying all that, I still think they probably are the ‘right’ fork for me / this bike … (although it’d also work brilliantly well as a fully rigid, single speed bike).

Dunno that’ll help much tho’ it all seems a bit too random?

:roll:

I’ve got the ‘odd riser version’ on two of my bikes, and I really like them.
I tried, but wasn’t too keen on the position of the Carneigies (nor the Mary) – the riser Titec bar position has suite me much better.

One set are on my much used Kona, the other set are on my hardly used Genesis (and that’s only ‘hardly used’ because that Kona is just such a great ride – Hmm, maybe the Genesis needs to be single-speed and fully rigid too).

Both sets of bars have double layered Easton cork-tape wrapped on the flats (equally badly) and Specialized ‘small’ sized ergonomic grips for the err, grips.

Gratuitous photo opportunity beckons.

This was a bit more convoluted to set up initially, as the XT pods (it originally had), didn’t really work given the sweep of these bars. It’s set up with Dura-Ace bar-end shifters sat on SJS adaptor brackets. This works perfectly, and the shifting is much more precise than it ever was with the pods – although that said, I use them as friction shifters, (as I prefer it that way).

Only down to the end of the drive, around the estate and back in … :wink: