Tag: bicycle

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

Frame Bag No. 01 Details

I can not belive I waited this long to make one of these. It has exceeded my expectations and taught me what I would do to make some minor tweaks for a final product.

Bag Specifications: Frame bag with No.8 Canvas duck side panels, Jr Ballistic perimeter strip for abrasion resistance, multi point reinforced hook and loop connections, waterproof zipper with double pull and storm flap.  Port for rear tail light battery wire.

Dimensions: 22″ long x 6″ high x 2″ wide (56cm x 15cm x 5cm)

Volume: 264 in³ (4.333 L)

The inspiration for this bag came from a synergy of the designs used on Swiss Army bikes, the designs coming out of the ultralight bikepacking work, and the traditional designs of the french touring bags.  While the volume is not particularly large, the design and placement make use of the previously empty space to carry things that might not fit as easily in traditional bags, e.g. hydration bladders, tripod or tent poles. 

On this weekend’s mixed terrain ride I carried a 2L Platypus water bag, Gorillapod mini tripod for the camera, wind breaker, knee warmers and a spare hat with room left over in the bag.  The centralization of the load had little detrimental affect on handling.  Both steep climbs and descents were not different from when riding with similar loads in larger bags at the front and rear, if any thing this was an improvement.  The largest gain was in the increased capacity and ability to better arrange gear for access during the ride.  The multiple attachment points kept the bag stable with no sway of the bag.  The bulk of the load is supported by the canvas reinforced 2″ hook and loop closure at the top tube:

The overall carrying capacity has even shocked me, as the water bag measured out at 7″ wide and 3″ thick when full, but was easily swallowed and zipped into the bag

Detail of the wiring port for my tail light battery pack. 

Details like this can be customized to suit different lighting arrangements, ports for hydration hoses, etc.  Likewise location and number of zippers or internal pockets and dividers could also be added.

I see these bags filling a niche for the self supported distance road rider, light weight touring, and transportational cyclists looking for that extra bit of space without having to resort to resort to full rack and panniers. 

It is my intent to offer frame bags of a similar design for sale by custom order in the near future.  If interested please contact me through the Contact page with the “Custom Frame Bag” in the subject line.

SoCal Rivendell Santa Monica Dirt Ride

Time for my third ride with the guys for the Southern California Rivendell Appreciation society, this time in the hills above Santa Monica, Ca.  Once again I packed my Rivendell Roadeo, a “Road Bike”, for this adventure.  Yes, it is possible to get a 63cm road bike into a VW Golf with only removing the front wheel, but that is another post.

The weather was absolutely perfect with partly cloudy skies, 70 degree temps, low humidity and a steady breeze.  Once again, a hard day to leave the mountains near home behind.

About 10 of us gathered at the Pete’s on 14th and Montana to talk bike, meet faces previously only known through the web or catch up with old friends. 

Around 10:30AM we headed across town to the west, up Westridge Road to the Fire roads along Wesridge, Temescal Canyon and then back along the top of Topanga Canyon down to the ocean and back along PCH to Santa Monica.  Here is a map of the approximate route:

The climb up Westridge is pretty challenging, almost 2000 feet of gain in the first 8 miles, this spread the group out quite a bit. 

There was a pitch at the end where I decided it was time to walk.  At some point on the ride when you can walk faster than pedal you just have to take a break, still moving forward and up, but a break none the less.  Regrouping at the trailhead, we all were able to take a much-needed breather.  Once the group was back together we headed off onto the fire roads, while still climbing the grade was much more manageable.  The views were incredible, Starting with classic Southern California canyons,

and then the ridgeline above the San Fernando Valley,

Even with the early season rains we have been having, the trails were in prime condition.  Hardpack with a little loose gravel and rock.  There were a few erosion rutted sections and washboard, but nothing you could not manage on a road bike.

This ride had plenty of breaks for rest and to let the stragglers catch up.  As always on our group rides no one is left behind.  This time it was Jon who had a knee going out, thought he could pull it off, but I think he had the longest day out of all of us.  Next time I will make sure to have some vitamin I in the kit for the time it is needed more than a spare tube. 

The transition from Mulholland to Temascal was a great time for the group shot under the NO STOPPING sign in the middle of wilderness

Now heading south back to the ocean it felt like the home stretch but there was still a fair amount of climbing left.  Again, it was hard to believe the weather and the trail conditions for the beginning of December,

Temescal Canyon gave way to the east ridgeline above Topanga Canyon as we now had views of Santa Monica and the Ocean back in our sights. 

At this point the day was running long, and there was one more hard climb still ahead.  Almost half of the group took a bailout route down Topanga Canyon Rd to PCH and home.  While narrow and loaded with cars it was paves and downhill the whole way.  From our vantage a little further down the trail we were able to catch Esteban and John holding up their fair share of traffic.  You can just make them out in the turn behind the while pickup truck.

The last climb was a bear and I decided to hike it again.  The break right before this was a long one, and all the sitting did me no good right before a 15% grade.  On the way up we kept crossing paths with a couple of future recruits on full squish mtn bikes.  As most we ran across on the trails, they were shocked to see road bike in what they considered the trails.  The final drop back down to the coast was incredible.

And then the dive back into the reality, multiple lanes of traffic, doors and all that goes with it after hours out in the hills,

Another fantastic ride in the bag with great company.  My legs were fried.  I split off from the remains of the group who were heading to Bay Cities Deli to get home.  The drive down the coast was a treat unto itself, the display of color during and after the sunset.  The range of color and level of contrast was one of the best I have ever seen,

Frame Bag No. 01 DONE

I finished it, the one in the middle, tonight in time for tomorrow’s Dirt Mullholand ride, lets hope it holds together 😉 just kidding

More detailed report and description to follow, but a big thank you to Ron at Acorn for pointers here and there, the guys at bikepacking,net and backpackinglight.com MYOG forums.

In Short for those who have never seen a bag like this, it is my take on the what the ultra light bikepacking guys are doing with a twist of Rivendell and Acorn.  It just happens to match the front and rear Acorn bags near perfectly.