Category: Bicycles

Fenders On the Roadeo

There was a break in the weather we have been having on the coast, fog and mist, but rain is coming.  Yesterday I hit the LBS and they had 45m wide Planet Bike fenders that would fit my Roadeo, kind of a shocker that anybody sells fenders here in SoCal, let alone wide ones.  I wanted to get these to fit with my 33.333 wide Jack Brown tires, but that was not going to happen so I relented and swapped the 29mm Roughy Toughy tires onto the bike.

These went on super easy compared to both SKS and metal fenders I have put on in the past.  The only modification required was bending the mounting tab in the front to clear the headset and filing the slot for the brake bridge a little deeper to improve tire clearance.

The limiting factors for clearance on this bike are the brake selection and the placement of the rear brake bridge.  I went with the Shimano 57mm reach calipers for the improved stopping power of other brakes at this price point.  I would love to have a set of the new Paul Racer M brakes, but they are out of budget for this year.  That being said, I was still able to get a 45mm fender into the caliper with minimal fender squeeze.  There is plenty of room for the 29mm tires.  The shape of the brake caliper below the mounting bolt is where the space constraints start.  The Shimano caliper is very meaty in this area and eats up almost 4mm of space.  When this combines with the fixed arc of a plastic fender you lose tire clearance quick. 

End of the story, they work and I will be out in the weather next week.  Enjoying the sunshine for a day, and hoping it will last

Bikes in the Garage – Albert Eisentraut Model A

This bike was as close to a barn find as you could get. My Uncle-in-law, Marty, was the original owner and remembers ordering it custom when he and his family lived closer to the Bay area. He rode the bike often when they lived in Modesto (flat) but it sat idle once they moved to Atascadero (hills). I saw tha bike hanging in his shop for over a year, then he asked if I could help him sell it, although I do not think he really wanted to part with it. We talked about it a bit and I ended up buying it from him.

Albert Eisentraut paved the way for generations of custom bicycle builders in the US.  Many of todays top builders are now a second or even third generation product of the Classes Albert has tought over the years.  This bike was built around 1973 or 74. Like most of the Model A custom frames of the era it is a beautiful shade of dark blue with yellow decals. Marty, recalls asking for a “Crit” style bike to fit his tall lanky dimensions. By my measure the bike comes in around:

  • Seat Tube C -T: 64 cm
  • Top Tube C-C: 60 cm
  • ST angle 72 deg.
  • HT angle: 74 deg.
  • BB Drop: 67 mm
  • Fork offset; 55mm
  • Chain Stays: 425 mm

I put the bike back together mush the way it was originally built with the Phil/Avocet hubs and Suntour Cyclone era drive train, but updated the contact points with a berthoud saddle, Nitto stem and RM013 bars as well as some 27mm RoughyToughy tires.  A little has changed here and there with some of the build over the last year, but it is pretty much as shown in the pictures.  The bike is an absolute blast to ride, and is what led me down the path from my Surly CrossCheck to the Roadeo.  Once I knew what a good road bike should feel like, a new benchmark had been set. 

The Geometric trail calculates out around 41mm as built.  Trail figures in this range generally result in a bicycle that handles better with a front load of at least a few pounds or so.  This is interesting as the bike was not originally built with the intent of front loading.  I have set up the bike with a HoBo style handlebar bag to carry my camera and extra water for long rides and the leap from great to excellent in the handling was astounding.  This was my first taste of the low trail coolaide, and I like it. 

Enjoy the pictures, there are not many of these masterfully built frames still around or in pictures on the web:

Bikes in the Garage – Rawland dSogn

My Rawland dSogn has been one of the best value bikes I have ever put together.  I was able to pick up the frame and fork as a blem in the fall of 2009 and build it up almost completely from components I had in the garage, keeping the utility to out-of-pocket cost ratio very high.  These were designed to be run as 650b mountain bikes with a heavy nod to the bridgestone Bridgestone XO-1.  Many of the bikes designed and sold by bridgestone during the 90’s were intended to be as versatile as possible and not just a “mountain bike “or “road bike”.  The sogn’s design intent was to be everything from your dirt road touring to daily commuter.  While designed for 650b x 55mm tires, the disc brakes allowed me to easily build mine up as a 700c x 42mm and still have room for fenders when things get wet.  The rest of the build settled into the following after a few changes:

Handle bar: Nitto RM013 Riv Dirt Drop
Levers: Shimano Tigra
Shifters: Shimano Bar end / Suntour Barcon NOS
Cables/Housing: Jagwire Ripcord
Stem: Velo Orange
Tape: Soma Thick and Zesty
Bell: Crane Brass (mounted to drilled and tapped spacer)
Headset: Chris King Sotto Voce
Brakes: Avid BB7 Disc Road
Seatpost: Salsa Shaft  
Saddle: Brooks B-17  
Bottom Bracket: Shimano cartridge
Crankset: Shimano Shimano LX vintage 94bcd 
Pedals: Sakae Low Fats (I have wide Feet)
Tires: Jack Brown Green – Panaracer FireCross – Schwalbe Marathon Extreme
Rims: Velocity Dyad 40h
Hubs: Whit industries M16
Bags: Carradice Nelson longflap and Carradice Hobo bag (Rivendell Prototype)
Racks: Old Man Mountain Sherpa rear and Bruce Gordon front

I have used this bike as my weekend produce hauler, after work mountain bike, 200K ride, mixed terrain bomber, commuter and rain bike.  While the ride is not nearly as lively as the Roadeo, it is still far better than either the Surly Cross Check or the Haro Mary that this bike replaced.  The steel frame is comfortable for long days in the saddle, especially with loads, and does not leave me feeling beat up. 

While not my “One” bike, this one has come close, and there are only a few tweaks I would make if it were ever to be replaced.  I would not say it is perfect, but when cost is factored in, as well as level of expectation for an off the shelf production bike it is an excellet value. 

Bikes in the Garage – Rivendell Roadeo

My default gofast bike is my Rivendell Roadeo.  The frame and fork are from Rivendell Bicycle Works. 

Build:
Handle bar: Nitto RM013 Riv Dirt Drop
Levers: Tektro
Shifters: Suntour Barcon NOS
Cables/Housing: Jagwire Titanium Finish
Stem: Nitto Technomic Delux
Tape: Soma Thick and Zesty
Bell: Crane Brass (needs to go back on)
Headset: Stronglight A9
Brakes: Shimano Ultrega BR-B600 (KoolStop Shoes)
Seatpost: Vintage Shimano Dura Ace 
Saddle: Brooks B-17 / Berthoud Touring 
Bottom Bracket: Phil Wood 103
Crankset: Ritchey Logic Compact 
Pedals: Sakae Low Fats (I have wide Feet)
Tires: Jack Brown Green
Rims: Mavic A117
Hubs: Phil Wood Rivy Freewheel
Freewheel: IRD 6sp 13-28
Bags: Acorn Saddle and Handlebar bag

Parts were a mix of deal hunting, stuff I had and some new from Rivendell.  Some of you might even recognise stuff you sold me.  I ride this bike for near everything short of technical single track and loads of stuff greater than 15lbs.  After almost a year of riding I still love this bike.  It has more than served its purpose and there is little I would change. 

[flickr-gallery mode="photoset" photoset="72157622875811028"]