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Been away from the blog for a bit longer than intended. Busy with work, home projects, bike projects, impulse bidding on eBay. You know how it goes. We had a big storm blow through yesterday. School was called off, so I spent the day at home. From the looks of the newscasts, no form of transportation fared especially well. I biked in this AM. Due to the icy conditions, the Vanilla Pig was called into service. With it's studded tires the pig handles it all in stride. I do wish I would have worn my ice cleats as putting a foot down could result in a demonstration of how I'm not really capable of doing the splits. It would have also been a fine demonstration of my low tolerance for pain.
Speaking of pain, it would appear that I pulled a muscle in my chest. I believe I did it shortly after building the Surly Single Speed. In an amazing feat of brute strength, I forced my way up a fairly steep hill. Trouble is that the hill is the first thing I face on my ride in. Warming up? Stretching? I'll hear nothing of that. Short story is that this is like a sprained ankle. It's going to take some time to heal. It hurts enough that I'm fearful of sneezing. Actually I'm not fearful of sneezing. It's the accompanying shot of pain that I fear. Waaaah...
So.
I've put some more substantial time in on the Surly Single Speed (SSS). Verdict so far is that I like! I like very much. The handling is middle of the road...which is a good thing. Neither too quick or too slow to respond. Same with the comfort of the ride. Not so stiff that it beats you to death and not so compliant that you worry on long downhill runs. I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Oh, and it's not afraid to go off the street and down a trail or two. Sure, it's not what you'd want for technical off-road. For anything short of that the bike manages just fine.
I am liking the gearing so far. I believe I'm set up with a 42x16. So far, a decent all round gearing for my present level of fitness. The drivetrain is silent. I seem to concentrate on the fundamentals since my small brain need not be bogged down by the gear selection decision making tree. Going too slow? PEDAL FASTER! It's all so simple.
Enough of that. I do want to get some pictures out on the new handlebar setup on the SSS. I bought the bars from NYC Bikeworks, www.bikecult.com. Purely a style decision. But... a style decision that's working out well. Let's take a look.
This first shot gives you a saddles eye view. You get the general idea of the swept back profile. I've mounted the brake levers about midway on the bars, where my hands spend most of their time.
Ordinary mountain bikey levers, not road levers, fit this bar. The plan is to cover the whole handlebar with the same grip material I've used on the bar-ends. Big comfort? No doubt.
A front view. Just because.
My $5 eBay saddle. I think I spent more on shipping than the saddle itself.
It's a no-name saddle, but it does the job. The leather is worn very nicely. The pictures don't do it justice. Burnished is the word.
I'm imagining my audience, if one exists, is going into a mental fog about now. That's my signal to shut up and let you move onto something else.
Enjoy the ride!
Been away from the blog for a bit longer than intended. Busy with work, home projects, bike projects, impulse bidding on eBay. You know how it goes. We had a big storm blow through yesterday. School was called off, so I spent the day at home. From the looks of the newscasts, no form of transportation fared especially well. I biked in this AM. Due to the icy conditions, the Vanilla Pig was called into service. With it's studded tires the pig handles it all in stride. I do wish I would have worn my ice cleats as putting a foot down could result in a demonstration of how I'm not really capable of doing the splits. It would have also been a fine demonstration of my low tolerance for pain.
Speaking of pain, it would appear that I pulled a muscle in my chest. I believe I did it shortly after building the Surly Single Speed. In an amazing feat of brute strength, I forced my way up a fairly steep hill. Trouble is that the hill is the first thing I face on my ride in. Warming up? Stretching? I'll hear nothing of that. Short story is that this is like a sprained ankle. It's going to take some time to heal. It hurts enough that I'm fearful of sneezing. Actually I'm not fearful of sneezing. It's the accompanying shot of pain that I fear. Waaaah...
So.
I've put some more substantial time in on the Surly Single Speed (SSS). Verdict so far is that I like! I like very much. The handling is middle of the road...which is a good thing. Neither too quick or too slow to respond. Same with the comfort of the ride. Not so stiff that it beats you to death and not so compliant that you worry on long downhill runs. I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Oh, and it's not afraid to go off the street and down a trail or two. Sure, it's not what you'd want for technical off-road. For anything short of that the bike manages just fine.
I am liking the gearing so far. I believe I'm set up with a 42x16. So far, a decent all round gearing for my present level of fitness. The drivetrain is silent. I seem to concentrate on the fundamentals since my small brain need not be bogged down by the gear selection decision making tree. Going too slow? PEDAL FASTER! It's all so simple.
Enough of that. I do want to get some pictures out on the new handlebar setup on the SSS. I bought the bars from NYC Bikeworks, www.bikecult.com. Purely a style decision. But... a style decision that's working out well. Let's take a look.
This first shot gives you a saddles eye view. You get the general idea of the swept back profile. I've mounted the brake levers about midway on the bars, where my hands spend most of their time.
Ordinary mountain bikey levers, not road levers, fit this bar. The plan is to cover the whole handlebar with the same grip material I've used on the bar-ends. Big comfort? No doubt.
A front view. Just because.
My $5 eBay saddle. I think I spent more on shipping than the saddle itself.
It's a no-name saddle, but it does the job. The leather is worn very nicely. The pictures don't do it justice. Burnished is the word.
I'm imagining my audience, if one exists, is going into a mental fog about now. That's my signal to shut up and let you move onto something else.
Enjoy the ride!
posted by Jim at Tuesday, March 14, 2006
2 Comments:
Jim The bars look great! I can't deny I'm a bit envious. I'd like to hear how they feel once you get a few miles in with them. How do they feel when you are pulling uphill out of the saddle? Bummer on the chest injury, I hope it doesn't linger too long.
Yet another benefit of fixed - instead of putting a foot down you just trackstand. ;)
Good luck on the recovery. I have the same issue on my usual route home - a pretty good hill right out of the parking lot. Haven't hurt myself yet, but I'm sure it's a matter of time.
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