Author: Bike Hermit®

Rivet Saddles

My personal quest for a comfortable bicycle saddle which I can sit on for consecutive hours in relative comfort came to an end (uh,huh,huh) when I tried the Gilles Berthoud Aspin saddle. But that solution didn’t work out for my wife and riding/touring partner. The shape wasn’t quite right. For her the Rivet Pearl saddle provides the best platform.

Rivet Cycle Works is a relatively new player…the saddles were introduced at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Sacramento this year (2012). The founder, Deb Banks is an ultra long distance rider. Like Paris-Brest-Paris long distance. She wanted to take the good things from all the currently available leather saddles and incorporate them into a dependable, comfortable product.

Rivet offers two models- the Pearl and the Diablo. The Diablo at 155mm wide and 280mm long is narrower than the Pearl, which measures 170mm wide and 280mm long. The Diablo is a little bit lighter as well. Both models feature a longitudinal cut-out in the top. Leather tabs on either side of the skirt extend underneath where they meet and are held together with a riveted metal plate. The attention to detail is apparent when one notices the Rivet logo on the metal plate visible through the cut-out. Rivet calls these “suspension” saddles. The extra thick, laminated leather tops are “firm but forgiving”. And the skirt tabs do not allow the saddle to flare out when the leather starts to soften with use. After several hundred miles the leather on Sky King’s saddle is noticeably softer and has some spring or give but the saddle is not developing a “hammock” shape.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Rivet Pearl saddles in natural and burgundy. Black and white also available.

The straight portion of the rails, the part that clamps to the seat tube, is about a two centimeters longer than the rails on a Brooks B17 so the fore and aft position is more adjustable. Both models come in steel rail and ti rail versions.

Rivet claims that the leather they use is waterproofed during the tanning process so that no further leather treatment is required. And the leather is thick….thicker than any other saddle we have seen. There is actually a second layer of leather laminated (finished side out) to the underside of each saddle, apparently to add structure to the leather and mitigate stretching but I would assume it helps with the weatherproofing too.

Rivet Pearl touring bike saddle — A layer of leather is laminated to the bottom. The rails are relatively long for a leather saddle….so you can dial in the position.

Some might hesitate to buy the first generation of a new product, but from what we’ve seen and used, I say go ahead…take a chance.. be a pioneer. Your friends and neighbors will be impressed. $150.00 for the steel rail versions and $250.00 for titanium rails.

Tags leather saddles, Touring Bike Saddle

Touring Bike Accessories

Surly Bill Trailer

We recently ordered and built a Surly Bikes cargo trailer for a customer. This one is the so called Bill trailer. The shorter Surly trailer is the Ted. In typical Surly fashion these trailers are way better than they need to be. The beds and the hitch are made mainly of TIG welded 4130 ChroMoly steel. 304 stainless steel hardware is used where appropriate.

Surly cargo trailer — There are two sealed cartridge bearings on each wheel.

The trailers and the hitch are sold separately. The hitch will work with almost any bike by simply replacing the stock quick release skewer or thread on nuts with Surly’s proprietary parts. Surly’s own Ogre and Troll bike frames have a threaded hole in the rear dropout made to accept a 10×1 threaded bolt and the Surly hitch mount nuts. The hitch and yoke assembly retails for $299.00. The Bill trailer retails for $750.00 and the Ted goes for $650.00

The Surly crew cultivates an impression of being a bunch of beer swilling louts and rad bro’s, but their engineers are top notch and these guys obviously ride bikes…a lot. And they actually use what they sell. It’s surprising to me and it bugs me when some manufacturers bring bikes or parts to market and the bike or part does not work as expected or advertised because of a minor, or not so minor, design flaw which could have been flagged and worked out if the the item had been ridden and used before being marketed. Here’s what makes me think these trailers were used in the real world before being sold:

You see the bent piece of flat steel bolted to the frame and to the end of the wheel guard mount? I couldn’t figure out what that was for. It obviously is not structural. Then I took the trailer for a spin and when I was rolling it back in through the front door the piece of flat steel hit the door jamb and neatly kept the wheel from smacking into it which would have resulted in a jolt. I’m guessing that actually happened the first time someone took one of these out.

Surly cargo trailer yoke and hitch — The articulating arm and adjustable sleeve at the trailer attachment make it possible to get the trailer level on any bike.

Surly cargo trailer hitch/yoke connection — A compound knuckle joint connects the hitch to the yoke.

Surly cargo trailer hitch attachment — The fingers on the ends of the hitch are troughed to cradle the sealed bearing which is part of the attachment nut secured to the bike. The needle thumb screw holds it in place.

These trailers obviously are not suitable for bike touring and that is not the intention. But on the days when we miss the UPS driver and my Bob Yak is overloaded with boxes to ship I think one of these would be nice. The customer who bought this trailer is a carpenter. It would be fantastic to see him going down the road with an air compressor and a dozen two-by-fours strapped onto the the deck. Made for people who are serious about Using (with a capital U) their bicycles, these trailers are designed and made to last for a very long time.

Tags trailer, utility

Living Vicariously Podcasts

Preparations For A European Bike Tour

Post author By Bike Hermit®
Post date August 24, 2012
2 Comments on Preparations For A European Bike Tour

One of the great things about being involved with Bike Touring News is the opportunity to live vicariously through the people we meet. Soon (next month), Asa will fly to Europe with his bike for a year long “literary pilgrimage”. We got a chance to talk to him first about his planning and preparations.

Find out how the Schengen Agreement gave shape to the tour itinerary. How does a person get their bike and gear across an ocean? A trip of this duration might require a different solution than a trip of a few weeks. What about phone service? I’m getting stressed out….we should just listen to the podcast.

I hope we will get updates on how the trip is going and some good stories we can share here with the focus on the logistics of pulling off a trip like this. Maybe we can Skype it up when Asa is on the road and do podcasts off those if we can figure out how to record them. If you have pointers and tips for Asa and others who might be interested, add them in the comments.

Tags adventure touring, europe, Planning

Advocacy/Awareness

The Rights and Duties of Cyclists

Post author By Bike Hermit®
Post date August 12, 2012
6 Comments on The Rights and Duties of Cyclists

90 percent of the Bike Hermit’s trips around town are made by bicycle. He doesn’t care if you ride your bike or not. He is not out to change the world or to save the environment. He just enjoys riding his bike and he truly thinks it’s just as quick and infinitely more convenient than driving an automobile. He doesn’t think there should be a “cycling community” any more than there should be a “motoring community”. Sometimes we are cyclists and sometimes we are motorists. The Bike Hermit thinks words can be divisive.

## END RANT ##

Notwithstanding the aforesaid, this post is about how to ride a bike. Not how to improve strength or stamina or speed, but how to safely ride a bike to work, to school, to the pub or to the grocery store. I know that the main barrier to people who might consider using a bicycle for some of their short trips is the fear of riding on the same road with cars and trucks and buses. Here are a couple of educational resources to check out:

The League of American Bicyclists has been in existence for well over one hundred years and their mission is;
To promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America..
Recently, while touring the forums over at bikeforums.net I rolled across this video which shows how a couple of League certified instructors navigate some of the challenges one can expect when using a bicycle in a designed for autos world.

In fact, according to the Boise Street Smart Cycling website;
–those who ride in a predictable and safe way will dramatically reduce their chances of ever experiencing a significant accident!

And while most people are concerned about a collision with a motor vehicle, that doesn’t happen very often – in fact, only 18% of cyclist falls have anything to do with a motor vehicle.
Boise Street Smart Cycling and the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance provide education and work to raise awareness about the benefits of riding bicycles. In past years we have invited the TVCA to present their Street Smart Cycling course and the response was good. We are considering sponsoring another course in Boise. It will be in the evening of a to be determined date and will last two to three hours. The L.A.B. certified instructors at TVCA do a great job with these classes and even if you have been riding for decades, I almost guarantee you will learn something you can use. We would like to set this up soon and would like to get an idea of the amount of interest. If you have an interest in attending one of these courses, let us know in the comments.

Tags advocacy, bike commuting, Lifestyle

Idaho

A Group Bike Tour Around Lake Cascade, Idaho

Post author By Bike Hermit®
Post date August 6, 2012
1 Comment on A Group Bike Tour Around Lake Cascade, Idaho

Asa thinks I’m an (expletive deleted) because I mock him for naming his bike Rocinante. But it’s just because the Bike Hermit is a rough, illiterate man. And because I’m jealous of him. He is leaving next month for a year long bike touring trip in Europe. He is twenty something. Actually I am not jealous, I simply hate him…..just kidding Asa.

There were three other bike touring novices on our trip around Lake Cascade this weekend. But every one of them represented!
A bout of dehydration resulting in nausea, headaches and chills for Paul prompted Scott to retrace the previous thirty miles in order to fetch a car for the rescue. Meanwhile we fed Paul ibuprofin and an electrolyte replacement drink…he actually recovered enough to put me in a spot of bother on the last day while trying to stay on his wheel. Scott met us at the second night’s camp and drove into town to buy beer and steaks! That’s what I call bike touring!

Exercise induced dehydration can actually be real problem when touring. According to Wikipedia- “Physiologically, dehydration, despite the name, does not simply mean loss of water, as water and solutes (mainly sodium) are usually lost in roughly equal quantities to how they exist in blood plasma” which means that simply drinking water can still result in dehydration if electrolytes are not also replaced. In fact, drinking too much water without replacing other nutrients can lead to hyponatremic dehydration, basically a low level of electrolytes, sodium in particular. Fruit juices, coconut water, sports drinks, milk, fruits and vegetables contain electrolytes. Fruit juices can contain a good deal of sugar which makes them more difficult for the body to digest and use. I prefer an electrolyte tablet that can be dropped into a water bottle because the tablets are small and easy to carry. Nuun brand tablets have no sugar and a little bit of effervescence, and they taste pretty good. Checking urine color can be an indicator of hydrated-ness, should be light, like lemonade, not dark, like apple juice.

The second night, we shared the full to overflowing campground with some very impressive RVs, pickup trucks and bass boats. At O Dark:30 in the morning a dozen diesel motors clattered to life and I extruded myself from my hammock to watch the start of the day’s bass tournament. After heating some water for coffee I wandered down to the boat ramp to watch the launch…all the boats were already in the water!…these guys have it down. The official’s boat was being circled by the school of bass boats as the lights on its mast changed from red to yellow to green. Then, in a display that would make any American (or OPEC member) proud, one by one the boats took off at 80 m.p.h. to their preferred fishin’ hole. They would fish and drive their boats really fast until 3 PM when the official weigh in took place. Almost wished I could’ve stayed.

It is well known that the Bike Hermit can be socially challenged. I enjoy being on my own and unknown in new to me places. But I’m finding that touring with other people can be rewarding. Something about it seems to bring out the best in a grumpy old man. I bear the discomfort and I realize that most of the others are committed to the well being of this little temporary micro-society we have formed. Feelings of sovereignty are put aside and group mindedness prevails…nobody wants to be the one who ruins the trip for the others. There is a tacit understanding that this is no place for competitive instincts.

Seeing how people solve the problem of carrying gear on the bike is instructive and entertaining too. From trailers to panniers to frame bags to wire baskets, there is no right or wrong way. This old hermit is looking forward to the next group tour!

Tags adventure touring, bike camping

Bottom Brackets and Crank Sets Drivetrain

Some Square Taper Bottom Brackets

Post author By Bike Hermit®
Post date August 1, 2012
2 Comments on Some Square Taper Bottom Brackets

Second in a series on bottom brackets. Numero uno is here.

The newest (2012) Long Haul Trucker complete bikes come with the Shimano UN55 square taper bottom bracket which is an improvement over the UN-P.O.S. used in earlier years, but when asked what I might upgrade on a stock Long Haul Trucker I am likely to recommend a new bottom bracket. Don’t get me wrong, the bottom bracket that comes standard on the stock LHT is perfectly adequate. But there are bottom brackets that will last longer.

With bottom brackets, one gets what one pays for. In this case more money buys better bearing seals, higher quality bearings made to stricter tolerances, and better materials throughout.

Phil Wood Company designs, manufactures and assembles precision bike parts in San Jose, CA. USA. Their bottom bracket uses two adjustable cups to hold the bearings and spindle in place which makes it possible to achieve the perfect chain line, since the bottom bracket can be positioned within a 5 mm band of “normal” centered position. The cartridge bearings are plainly visible when the unit is installed, which might make one wonder about the durability when used in extreme conditions, but Phil Wood Co. uses “seals which are as good or better than those found in the highest quality submersible motor and pump bearings”. I have only seen one Phil Wood bottom bracket that needed servicing though, and even that was straightforward….the unit can be sent back to the company for new bearings at a reasonable cost.

phil wood bottom bracket — Phil Wood cartridge bottom bracket

bottom bracket cups for phil wood — The left and right cups use an interference fit with the bottom bracket and require the use of the Phil Wood bottom bracket tool

SKF is a German company (Correction: Thomas K. correctly points out that SKF headquarters are in Gothenburg, Sweden) which has been a leader in bearing technology since 1907 and today is the largest bearing company in the world. Their approach to bottom bracket design strives to incorporate the best of old and modern technology. Rather than using cartridge bearings pressed onto the spindle and into the bottom bracket cartridge they use bearings which are received by races which are part of the spindle and the shell. Custom seals are used to keep contaminants away from the assembly. This way they can use roller bearings on the drive side and over-sized bearings on the non-drive side increasing durability and strength. This design has some appeal to the retro-grouchy Bike Hermit, and SKF is proud of it too….they offer a 10 year or 65,000 mile warranty (just be sure to keep track of your miles) 😉

SKF BAS-600 bottom bracket — SKF bottom bracket. The little bit of bling afforded by the red cup is not undesirable.

Bottom Brackets and Crank Sets Drivetrain Touring Bicycles

Bottom Brackets

At the risk of talking down to some readers and over the head of others I feel the need to explain the term “bottom bracket”. According to Sheldon Brown’s Bicycle Glossary a bottom bracket is:
The part of the frame around which the pedal cranks revolve, also the bearings and axle assembly that runs through the bottom bracket shell of the frame.

SKF Bottom Bracket — This is an SKF brand bottom bracket. The red cup slips off to allow the unit to be threaded into the bottom bracket shell.

Looking at the late Mr. Brown’s page I realized I am opening a bona fide can of worms. There are several bottom bracket “standards”, and bottom bracket/crankset interfaces. We won’t even get into “outboard bearing” and “BB30” and other new standards which are mostly calculated to keep the buying public buying, while claiming to add some performance advantage…not performance related to the durability or function of the piece… but of the rider/bike.

“Square taper” bottom brackets are made to work with “square taper” cranksets and cranksets with suitable chain ring sizes for touring generally are of the square taper variety. Clink this link for a discussion of gears and gearing. So this series of pieces will be about square taper bottom brackets.There are still compatibility issues to think about though. The taper on Italian (Campagnolo) cranks and bottom brackets are different from the taper on cranks and bottom brackets made anyplace else in the known Universe, which actually is typical of Campy parts. And bottom brackets come with different spindle lengths. The correct spindle length for a given bicycle will be a function of the width of the bottom bracket shell, the shape of the chain stays and of the shape of the crank. For example: with a Sugino XD500 (XD2) triple crank set on a Surly Long Haul Trucker, a 107mm to 110mm spindle length works well.

Before the widespread use of cartridge bearings, bottom brackets were designed with loose balls or caged balls running on races inside the cups and races shaped into the spindle. Mechanical seals or o-rings were used to keep out water and dirt. Nowadays the spindle is held inside a case by means of sealed cartridge bearings pressed onto the spindle. The only seals being those on the bearings themselves. A less than ideal state of affairs for the part of the bicycle in a location that will be sprayed from time to time with a slurry of water, grease, oil, de-icer, sand and grit.

So, what’s the dyed-in-the-wool bike tourist to do? In the following posts we will explore some of the available options for touring bike bottom brackets. If the idea of reading about that titillates you, you should think about getting a life.

Tags bottom bracket, crankset

Surly Bikes Touring Bicycles

Surly Disc Trucker

Nate was here to pick out a Long Haul Trucker this weekend. He rides a mountain bike with hydraulic disc brakes, and so he was a little bit unsure about what type of brakes would work best on a touring bike. According to what he had heard and his experiences, disc brakes:
-are finicky and difficult to adjust
-are prone to failure
-have better stopping power and control than rim brakes
-interfere with the installation of fenders and/or racks
I imagine the same questions might come up when other people are considering the new Disc Trucker vs. the standard rim brake equipped Long Haul Trucker. (An earlier post discussed some different types of rim brake calipers.)

As a primer, there are two types of disc brakes: Hydraulic brakes and mechanical or “cable actuated” brakes. Actually there are 4 types: crummy hydraulic disc brakes, good hydraulic disc brakes, crummy mechanical disc brakes and good mechanical disc brakes. Good hydraulic disc brakes are not difficult to adjust, have incredible stopping power and are very smooth with great “modulation” or control. The downside is that if something does go wrong with the closed hydraulic system, the brakes will need a sometimes costly and time consuming repair. Good hydraulic dis brakes are also not inexpensive. Crummy hydraulic disc brakes may work ok for awhile but when there is a problem it might be better to replace them.

hydraulic disc brake lever — Hydraulic disc brakes have a fluid reservoir, typically integrated with the lever.

hydraulic brake caliper — Disc brakes require mounts on the frame and fork and the wheels need to have hubs made to mount disc rotors.

Mechanical disc brakes are more user friendly. Partly because they are actuated by a cable, just like sidepull or cantilever brakes, and partly because the individual pistons, and hence the individual brake pads, are adjustable. On a crummy mechanical disc brake only one piston can be adjusted. But on a decent mechanical disc brake such as the Avid BB7 which comes stock on the Disc Trucker, both pistons/pads are adjustable making setup and maintenance adjustments relatively easy.

I don’t consider availability of replacement parts to be a factor when comparing the suitability of mechanical disc brakes vs. rim brakes for a touring bike. Spare cables are cheap and small (and the same cable works in either type of brake) as are pads. In fact, replacing pads and adjusting them with BB7 brakes may be easier than replacing and adjusting cantilever or v-brake pads. In some cases the disc rotor may need to be replaced but these too are light and cheap and don’t take up much room in the bike panniers.

Avid BB7 brake caliper — A cable actuated or mechanical disc brake caliper. The red knobs adjust the pad postion.

More about disc brakes:
If a wheel spoke snaps, rim brakes will likely rub on the now out of true rim, whereas a disc brake will still work. Disc brakes may also maintain their stopping power better in wet conditions, but once the rotors and pads are contaminated with dirt and grease they may squeal. I appreciate the arguably cleaner look the bike has with disc brakes.

So, after all, Nate decided to get the Disc Trucker and is happy with the added stopping power. For those considering a Disc Trucker over a rim brake Long Haul Trucker, maintenance and service concerns should be low on the list.

Front Racks Touring Bike Accessories

Salsa and Axiom Low Rider Racks

Post author By Bike Hermit®
Post date July 7, 2012
3 Comments on Salsa and Axiom Low Rider Racks

So called “low rider” racks are popular for carrying panniers on the front of the bike. We have already gone over the Nitto Campee rack and the Nitto M-12-2 rack.
Axiom makes the Journey DLX Lowrider and Salsa sells the Down Under rack. Both are made of tubular aluminum.

The Salsa rack is similar to the Tubus Duo in that the top rails sandwich the fork blade and bolt on both sides of it. The only down side is that not all fork blades have a threaded boss on both sides. (The Surly Long Haul Trucker does)

The Down Under rack attaches to the fork dropout eyelets with a welded tab. There are no moving parts and the rack is all one piece which should make it fairly reliable. My only gripe is that there are no “pannier stops” on the top rail and so the panniers have a tendency to slide back and forth but I think some simple after market mods would solve that.

There is a barrel boss welded to the leading edge of both top rails though, ostensibly for the attachment of Salsa’s Minimalist front top rack, but I think they would make ideal light mounts.

Salsa Down Under rack — The Salsa Down Under low rider rack

The Axiom Journey DLX Lowrider rack employs a two piece design and comes with a large u-bolt to attach to the fork leg. The two pieces are designed to pivot in order to achieve a fairly level attachment rail for the panniers when used on forks with varying rakes. The good thing about this rack is that mid fork eyelets are not required, in fact it appears that the u-bolt attachment actually is designed to stabilize the rack from twisting. When I bolted the rack to one mid fork eyelet on the Long Haul Trucker I was able to twist the rack with my hands- less than ideal for carrying bags next to the wheels! And even with the pivoting design I was unable to get the top rails completely level with the floor when mounted. On a bike with 26″ wheels and wide profile cantilever brakes, such as the Tektro CR-720, the top rail interferes with the brake caliper….not an issue obviously on a 700c wheel bike or even a 26″ one with disc brakes or narrow profile cantilevers.
Another good feature is the stops on top of the rails to keep the panniers from sliding. This is a serviceable entry level touring rack that will not break the bank.

Tags front racks, Racks- Bike Mounted

Crossroads Music

What’s Heavy Metal Got To Do With Bike Touring?

Post author By Bike Hermit®
Post date June 14, 2012
4 Comments on What’s Heavy Metal Got To Do With Bike Touring?

So, this old guy walks into a headbanger bar……

red fang poster — Photo from Red Fang website

Red Fang was in Boise this week and they have shows almost every night this month across the country. They play the Roseland Theater in Portland in September after touring Europe July and August.

I was front and center for the show at the Neurolux with my PBR’s and my earplugs. Have you ever heard something so loud that it feels like it is coming from inside you? So loud that the sound waves move your clothing? So loud that it feels like the organs in your body are being rearranged? So loud that it gives you vertigo? So loud that the sound waves enter through your eye sockets and sweep every thought out of your mind before exiting through the back of your skull?

I was still in high school when Black Sabbath released their eponymous first album, and in Montana it was probably years later that anybody heard about it. By the time Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield got together and started making albums I was getting married and having children. Heavy metal was for kids with big mullets and tight pants and high top Reeboks. I was not into it.

Recently I have added head banging to my musical repertoire, which is a little awkward at shows since most of my fellow fans are the ages of my children. I’m just a rookie headbanger and I don’t really know mosh pit etiquette. (Is it even called a mosh pit?) I know that it seems like most of my peers at metal concerts are over 6 feet tall though. Lots of really big guys. But I need to prepare for the Melvins show on September 8.
So far I’ve learned that one should:
-bang one’s forehead rhythmically on an imaginary table top just below the sternum
-wave one’s open beer around so that it sprays over the crowd
-hold one’s ground. If you let people move in front eventually you will find yourself moved to the back until you get spit out
(reminds me of the way I raced bikes)
-not punch the d-bag who keeps bumping into you as he flails around like a spastic

This tall skinny hipster came thrashing all akimbo into the group at the Red Fang show and pushed his way to the front. When he would veer into people they would just push him away. I thought he was annoying and that somebody would punch him out, but by the last song he had everybody in front of the stage doing the same thing. I, at that time, moved away from the action to watch without being elbowed in the face and it actually looked pretty fun… a great way to let out some aggression. About a show in Moscow, Russia the band said on their blog, they said; “I can tell you this about the show: It was terrifying. The fans in Moscow are the most Rabid fans on the planet. Not only were people going absolutely batshit on the floor, but they were making their way on to the stage, where they were spraying blood all over, getting their hair caught in Bryan’s tuning pegs, knocking over everything, stealing John’s sticks and Bryan’s tuning pedal, trying to hug David mid-song and taking the boys waters and beers, then chugging them on stage. It was mayhem. Totally awesome mayhem.”

My younger sister was here with her husband last weekend. They have a touring bike that carries them both. It is made by Harley-Davidson. She is still mad at me for saying I thought it was predictable of her to get a tattoo at a bike rally. But I sort of see the parallels between a bike rally and a metal concert- same cheap beer, same diaphoretic annoying people….just substitute loud guitars for loud motorcycles. Would it be predictable of me to get a tattoo? I’m thinking sleeves.
See you in Portland on September 5 and at the Neurolux on September 8!

Tags cheap beer, metal