Wanna talk about commuting by bike?

[killa Cali Kid]

close up of da bell, pleeeez.

what u carrying in that pannier (sp?). bet you can fit a midget in dat thing. also how u gonna get your coffee mug during ride. suggest you get this and go for high octane up front.



cool ride you got there - wish my commute could accomodate a bike

[Pain Freak]

Were you going shopping? Or to the laudrymat? That is a big pannier.

[dstepper]

We got a few bikes here in Laguna that look like that. We even have one with a trailer...the guy hauls his dog around in it.

[gurp13]

The panniers are not that big, actually. Here's a back view of the bike.



The panniers are really more of a trunk with side pockets that fold down. The sides are just big enough to hold my change of clothes and grading. The mug of coffee is actually to drink when I get to work. I don't even bother trying to drink on the way. I sip from my camelback if I get thirsty. (How Fred is that?)

As to the bell, it's rather plain, actually. It's a black, round bell. It makes the ring-a-ring as opposed to the ping sound. You can see it on the right side of the handlebars, such as it is. (Of course, the new bell on my Stumpjumper is better looking, a Jellibell.)

[gurp13]

I got a couple of upgrades which I think will make a pretty big difference. First, I just received my WTB Speed V Sport saddle to replace that gel POS that I had on it originally. Very nice. Then, I had a pair of Shimano clipless that came on my Stumpjumper. Thing is, I thought I had busted them up on Switzer on the rocks and bought a replacement pair. I was thinking as I was riding home today that I could put them on my commuter since one pedal worked fine and the other was good on one side, at least. So, I picked up the broken one. I remembered that it clacked when I pedaled because the springs inside were no longer holding the plate that holds the front of the cleat. I thought I should remove the broken parts so at least it wouldn't make noise.

Well, when I did that, I realized it wasn't really broken, actually. At least, not beyond repair. So, patiently, I aligned the springs, the little adjustment screw and slid the bolt through it all. It was tough at the end the get the bolt in finally because of all the tension from the springs, but a little negotiation by the vise grips did the trick. Voila! I'm a bike mechanic all of sudden and I had a perfectly usable pair of clipless pedals for my commuter! I went and bought myself a Park pedal wrench. Off came the old pedals and on went the "new" clipless ones. Schaaweeet.

So, there you go. Upgrades on the saddle and pedals should go along way to making my commute a little bit more fun and easier.

[Pain Freak]

As soon as I come back from Mammoth I'll bring my bike/s over for a tune up.

[gurp13]

Yeah, you do that. I can practice by trueing your wheels. Plus, I've been wanting to learn about bottom brackets.

[offtheedge]

Originally Posted by gurp13

The panniers are not that big, actually. Here's a back view of the bike.



The panniers are really more of a trunk with side pockets that fold down. The sides are just big enough to hold my change of clothes and grading. The mug of coffee is actually to drink when I get to work. I don't even bother trying to drink on the way. I sip from my camelback if I get thirsty. (How Fred is that?)

As to the bell, it's rather plain, actually. It's a black, round bell. It makes the ring-a-ring as opposed to the ping sound. You can see it on the right side of the handlebars, such as it is. (Of course, the new bell on my Stumpjumper is better looking, a Jellibell.)

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...00/40_0877.jpg

man, that stand is screaming "NO MORE"

[gurp13]

Originally Posted by offtheedge

man, that stand is screaming "NO MORE"

Er, no, it's just angled that way. It's the PCS-9, I think. Dude, it's full-on like 2" steel tubes. It is totally not overburdened by my bike, even with full gear on (the trunk and panniers were empty in that picture). I think that stand could hold 100lbs easy and my bike weighs probably 35-40 fully loaded.

The last couple days have been downright beautiful for a mid-day bike ride home. Today was especially nice as I got to try out the new saddle and (not-so-new) pedals. Man, it's good to have a real saddle. I don't have any problems with my Spec'd Rival saddle but if I was going to buy a new one, I'd get another WTB. Good stuff, that. And, my pedals were wonderful to ride, compared to the platforms. I was going a couple mph faster the way there and at least a mph or more on the way home. You sure can generate more power with clipless pedals. Plus, there wasn't the constant readjusting of my foot position on the pedal. I'm happy I fixed that pedal.

On another note, my brakes have been squealing and chattering. I thought it was the rims but I cleaned the rims. Then, I read the Park Tool site and saw where pads should be toe-in to prevent squealing. Plus, I saw in my Bicycling bike maintenance book that the pads get glazed and have to be resurfaced. So, I removed the pads, sanding them with fine grit sandpaper and re-installed them toe-in. Took the bike for a test ride and they stopped pretty smoothly. I think the wheels are still not true but that's more difficult and time consuming. But, the pads are vastly improved. Good stuff!