Author: Bike Hermit®

Categories
Front Racks Handlebar Bag Touring Bike Accessories

Gille Berthoud Decaleur Brackets, Custom Replacements

Gilles Berthoud makes bicycle products with apparent disregard for costs. The materials and methods and designs are always uncompromising. That is why it is surprising to me that the Gilles Berthoud decaleurs (a bracket made to attach to the bicycle stem and secure a front bag) don’t really work with the Gilles Berthoud rando bags.
Gille Berthoud H-121 decaleur
The large bolt replaces the stem bolt and threads into the hole in the short piece of tubing which replaces the stem nut. The arms are bolted on to the short piece of tubing which is threaded at both ends. Then the arms can be rotated to the desired position to line up with the pieces attached to the leather trim piece along the top of the bag so all the pieces can be skewered together. The only problem is, the shape and the length of the arms allow for only a very narrow range of positions; if the arms are parallel to the ground, the bag is pushed too far forward….if the arms are rotated down so the bag can sit closer to the bars the connection point is low, potentially below the point where the pieces need to be attached to the bag. Another problem is that the arms of the decaleur interfere with closing the top flap.

The GB Decaleur arms keep the flap from completely closing, resulting in a permanent curl in the top flap.
This is the shorter version of the decaleur. For a bag topping out at close to handlebar height it pushes the bag too far away from the bar.
For a bag topping out below the handlebars this decaleur, the GB H-91, works fine. The back side of the bag is still close to the handlebar.

I know someone with access to a machine shop who likes to tinker with bike parts so we imagined a part that would work to replace the stock arms. He did a rough sketch and gave it to his c.a.d. guy who put it into language a machine could understand and out came these:

One of these pieces will bolt to either side of the short piece of tubing bolted to the stem and replace the bent arms of the original decaleur. The holes allow for adjustability plus they make it look rad. The U-shape will bring the outer arm up in under the top flap of the bag without interference.


Here’s a comparison of the original bracket arms bolted side by side with the new ones:

New U-shaped brackets provide more adjustability and clearance for the bag lid.

Here are the new brackets in use with a GB25 bag on Sky King’s Bleriot:

And here are the new brackets on Chief with a GB28 bag:

The original arms are a little bit wider than the new brackets at the bag attachment point, so some spacers take up the slack. Here, we see the upgraded leather spacers in use.

 

Here are the two bags with the new brackets. The bags top out at roughly handlebar height and they sit close to the bar, minimizing any adverse influence on the steering.

 

Notice how neatly the brackets tuck under the top cover flap of the bag.
Categories
Idaho

Taking it slow in the Hagerman Valley

As the Bike Hermit is deep into his remodeling project, Sky King jumped at the chance to do some great slow pedaling with the ladies.  This turned out to be a perfect way to enjoy spring weather, work in bird watching and be reminded that life is about the journey, not the destination.

Pelicans In Flight

Lisa, Julie and I spent hours exploring the Snake river along State Highway 30 just south of Hagerman, Idaho and then more hours at Bruneau Sand Dunes. Our only goals were to have fun and enjoy the abundance of waterfowl. Spinning along we never passed up the opportunity to stop, grab the binoculars and take in the views. We took advantage of soaking in the pool at Miracle Hot Springs – even admired the alligator.

Waking up to the sound of Thousand Spring’s waterfalls made for a delightful start to our ride.

Thousand Springs
Fashionably dressed bird watchers

Being open to meandering lead to sweet surprises. One of my favorites was observing the Heron’s working on the nests in the rookery. There were at least two dozen birds nesting in a compact group of trees. Would be fun to come back and watch “hatchling” flying lessons.

Heron Rookery

Riding anywhere in Southern Idaho in early spring, means laughing at the yellow bellied marmots and their insatiable curiosity.

soaking up some sun
checking us out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally no birdwatching trip would be complete without the harrier hawk in the sky, a few ducks in the pond and the beautiful wax wings.

Marsh Hawk at Bruneau Sand Dunes
Hold still so we can take a picture

Categories
Tours and Rides

TransAmerican Trike Adventure

Five Wheels, Four Legs, No Fear

Okay, I must confess that when Kurt stopped in the Cave in January to fill us in on the planned adventure we both thought he was nuts.  Of course some people think we are nuts as well so that is fair.  Kurt and his 9 year old daughter are traveling cross country riding a Recumbent Trike and a recumbent tag-a-long.   Check in with them on their blog.  Send them best wishes and encouragement as the weather gods have been blessing them with quite a bit of rain 🙁

If it looks like they will be passing through your neighborhood, consider offering them a place to stay or good ideas on things to see.

Categories
Cockpit Handlebars and Stems Touring Bike Components

New Cockpit- Shiny Bits, Plus Leather

I recently changed handlebars on my A. Homer Hilsen. Going from the 48cm Dirt Drop bars to the same model in the 52cm width will hopefully provide a more natural position for my arms and give better stability for the loaded bike. The clamp bolt on one of the brake levers was somehow stripped or cross-threaded and seized in the clamp, necessitating the use of the handy Dremel tool to cut off the clamp.

cut clamp on brake lever
Busted

old brake lever and new
The old, broken lever is on the left. In the foreground is the clamp which slips over the handlebar and is held in place with the bolt through the lever shown on the right

I decided to replace both brake levers with Tektro’s new TRP levers. Aesthetically, these might not be everybody’s cup of tea, especially this drilled out version. The levers themselves have a somewhat tortured looking shape and the hoods have the almost obscene protrusion of STI style brake hoods. But using these levers, it quickly becomes clear that this is a case of form following function. The long, flat hoods provide a comfortable platform for the hands and the shape of the levers fits the fingers naturally. Somehow the design even manages to provide more mechanical advantage – my side-pull brakes seem smoother, more responsive and more powerful. The flared out lower part of the levers are easy to grab either from the hoods or the drops.

The silver button is a cable quick release.

This optional plastic shim rotates the top of the lever for a flatter hood position. (I used it)

TRP lever, front view

While I was at it, I decided to try to clean up the Brooks leather bar tape which had turned almost black from accrued hours of contact with my grubby mitts. I filled the sink with warm water and a little bit of dish detergent and lightly scrubbed the tape with a dish washing brush, rinsed it off and immediately installed it. Wrapping the bars with wet Brooks tape does a couple of things: it lets the tape stretch so that it wraps smoothly and when it dries out it conforms like a skin to the handlebars. A light coating of Brooks Proofide after the tape has dried completely adds back moisture and effulgence. This is the second or third time I have removed and re-applied this wrap, wetting it each time first, so, even though the Brooks leather tape is more expensive than other materials it is extremely durable.

This tape started life as "honey" colored. This is after washing the tape and re-applying it.

Washed and treated - Lustrous!

Categories
Crossroads Music

Bruce Springsteen at South By Southwest

Here’s something the Bike Hermit did not know: Bruce Springsteen is a right smart feller.
Bruce Springsteen’s SXSW 2012 Keynote Speech

Categories
Crossroads

Eccentric

A friend recently bought a “fixer” not too far from here. With carpentry and construction know how gained in a previous lifetime, helping with the remodel seemed like a good way to make some walk around money. Getting all the tools and materials to the site without the use of an automobile also seemed like an interesting exercise.




Is it eccentric to use a bike for most activities? Does a person follow a straight path to eccentricity? Or has the person always been eccentric, simply following an orbit out into the world…a life…and coming back to the same place?

Categories
Advocacy/Awareness

Intersection


This is a picture from Google Maps of an intersection I deal with on my bicycle almost daily . The two left lanes are left turn only and the next lane is for through traffic. The far right lane is right turn only.
Here’s another view coming up to the intersection in my car as I’m looking for stupid bicyclers to run over.

There is a sidewalk on the right with a “Push To Cross” button. The street we are crossing is one of the busiest in Idaho- 6 lanes.
So, how does one approach this intersection when on a bicycle and intending to continue straight across the 6 lane street? Most bicyclers I see will take to the sidewalk and push the button and wait for the light before crossing in the pedestrian walk. But click on the next picture in order to enlarge it and you can see the pick-up truck in the right lane beginning his right turn. That driver is not expecting, nor is he looking for, a person on a bicycle suddenly appearing in the crosswalk.

As I approach this intersection on the bike, I signal my intention and I ride on the right hand side of the through traffic lane, with the right turn lane to my right. If there are only two or three cars at the red light waiting to cross I will ride past them and stop in front of them (but still off to the right side of the lane) to wait for the light. The drivers see me and they know what I am going to do. I’m going to cross the street when the light turns green.

By being deliberate in my movements and signaling my intentions, using common sense and knowing my rights I usually feel pretty safe on the streets. And, in my experience a person on a loaded touring bike will generally get more respect and will be given more room by motorists. Probably because they think we are crazy and/or homeless and they feel sorry for us.

Categories
Podcasts Touring Bicycles

NAHBS 2012 Wrap-up

This is the final installment of our coverage of the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle Show, and we have two,count em, two, interviews. First up is Deb Banks talking about her new saddle making venture; Rivet Cycleworks

Mitch Pryor made the trip down from Portland, OR with bikes he makes under the moniker MAP Bicycles. I have long appreciated his attention to detail and the way he can make simple look easy.

Map touring bike

Categories
Touring Bicycles

Black Sheep Bicycles at NAHBS 2012

Black Sheep Bicycles is located in Fort Collins Colorado and they have some mad skills with titanium. They brought two fat-bikes to NAHBS 2012 and these had some quite unique and well thought out details.


S.S.T.T. - Super Sexy Titanium Tubing

The fittings right below the growler and right behind it (not super clear in this pic), and the fittings on the chainstays ->

-> accomplish 3 things; provides a way to tension the chain in a single speed or internally geared hub application,allows for taking the bike apart to pack in a small case, and provides a way to run a belt drive system.

The judges recognize chops when they see them.

Titanium Long-Tail Fat-Bike

Categories
Advocacy/Awareness Podcasts Touring Bicycles

Craig Calfee and Bamboosero at NAHBS

I caught up with Craig Calfee before the waste encountered the air handling device on the second morning of NAHBS 2012 in Sacramento. One of the pioneers of the use of bamboo for bicycle frames Mr. Calfee uses bamboo sourced in Africa and the tubes are joined by laying up sheets made of local tree bark with resin, similar to fiberglass or carbon fiber.

The Bamboosero bamboo touring bicycle.


A very clever integrated kick stand and enclosed chaincase.

This is the material used in the joint or lug construction process. It comes from African tree bark