Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Money, Keys, Comb, Wallet, Lighter, Hanky, Pen, Smokes, Rubber and Change. -- George Carlin

A George Carlin bit talks about people's stuff and the need to carry less stuff when traveling very light.  "Only the stuff you know you're gonna need ... Money, Keys, Comb, Wallet, Lighter, Hanky, Pen, Smokes, Rubber and Change."

Design of this bike centered around low maintenance and durability so it could reliably serve as car replacement, but it will take more than that to replace the utility of my car.  It needs the ability to haul stuff ... besides my keister.  Lunch, a gym bag and some roadside tools will be frequent hitchhikers on my commute and other errands, perhaps all at the same time,

With a car I occasionally stop at the store to pick up a few essentials on my way home from work, often without advanced notice, and will also want that ability once on two wheels.  I won't be doing the weekly grocery runs on a bike but the ability to stuff a couple filled plastic grocery bags in with whatever I'm already carrying would be a plus.

In short, the bag or bags I ultimately choose will need to meet all my hauling needs, like this ...



As mentioned previously, it doesn't rain often where I live but it does rain and I won't have the luxury of leaving the bike in the garage on those few wet days.  I have to prepare for the worst case scenario,  so at least one waterproof bag or one with a waterproof cover will be a requirement.

I'm leaning toward Vaude's Discover Pro front panniers (to mount on the rear rack) for commuting and errand running, and a smaller bag to carry my wallet, cell phone, glasses and a few roadside tools during recreational rides.  At 34L per pair the waterproof Vaude bags meet both the dryness and capacity needs of my commutes/errands, but trend a bit pricey despite BikeBagShop.com's current 30% off sale.



I prefer to use my rear rack to haul stuff as its purposed to do, but a seat bag or handlebar bag would meet the recreational ride storage needs as well.   I'll have to think more on that secondary smaller bag, but need to decide on the panniers before the sale ends.


Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Riding At Night

Went for an out and back ride at dusk last night to try out the B&M Luxos headlight, and by the turn-around point night had fully fallen.  It was completely dark along the path by the river and the Luxos supplied all the light available to me, and capably provided all I needed.

Firstly, the light starts shining immediately.  I'm talking as soon as you push off, it comes on brightly. Even moving the bike slightly getting ready to push off starts the light.  It uses whatever is left in the standlight capacitor for this initial light, as one foot of movement could not possibly generate that much power from the dynamo.  I know this because when I first unboxed the light and turned it on, the light came on briefly, with the dynamo still in Germany.

Light extended far enough forward to allow me to ride at normal speed for the most part.  Also, the path has some dangerous edges including  several sharp drop-offs, so the light needed to illuminate more than just the path itself.    Its light angled out wide enough to either side of the path, so I could see those dangerous areas, as well as see far enough around gentle curves in the path to maintain speed.

A few situations did require a slower than normal speed, but only a few times did I wonder which direction the path led.  On sharp corners (say, greater than 45 degrees) the path ahead could not be lit adequately until the bike started making the turn, The sharper the turn the slower the speed required, unless you just YOLO it and hope the path goes where you think it goes.  The other situation occurred going over small knoll type hills.  The light would shine up into the air near the top, leaving an unlit black hole on the downhill side of the knoll.

Overall, the light does everything it claims, making my early morning commutes a breeze, and besides the few exceptions, at  normal daytime speed. That's fairly impressive for a little bike light.  The light also has a high beam mode that provides even more light. I suspect it too uses energy from the standlight.  Although these aren't my pictures, they closely represent my experience.  First pic is with light in normal mode and the second on high beam, as I call it.



Monday, April 27, 2015

Consequences of My Decisions

A hindsight review of some of the build choices I made ...

Wippermann Chain - Too early to judge the chain itself but that connex master link is my new best friend.  Slid the pins into the chain ends, then while trying to figure out how it hooks together, the link just snapped into place, almost by itself.  I had to take it apart and reconnect to learn what had happened.  So easy, even a Mahogany head, like me, can do it.

Pinned pedals - Two scratches the first day ... one on each lower leg ... some blood ... no stitches.   After learning that lesson, I've come to like the pins, as they provide a very secure footing that pinless platform pedals can't.  When taking off, the pins provide security even with the foot partially on the pedal.

32 mm Tires - Mixed review.  Some of the bike lanes and streets in my town have a very grainy surface that vibrates through the tires all the way to my teeth.  Fortunately, I don't use those lanes/streets often or for only short stretches.  On smoother surfaces, probably 80% of where I ride, the slender (not skinny) 32 mm tires feel as quick and nimble as hoped.  If I needed new tires today, I'd probably go with the 35 mm size just to hedge my bets, but I'm generally happy with the 32's.

Ergon Grips - Perfect.  Nothing else needs saying.

Orange/Black Coloring - Absolutely love the way the bike looks, even more than anticipated.  I've picked out a few places in my area to hold a quick photo shoot but haven't had a camera with me.  Will post some whole bike pics soon.

Soma Wolverine frame - Not regretting the choice one bit, and no disrespect to eccentric bottom brackets, but sliding drop outs rule the IGH universe, or at least my IGH universe.

Shimano disk brakes - I pull the lever, the bike stops ... any speed, any grade, any moisture (yup, rained in the desert the day I completed the build).  With my only previous experience being cantilever brakes, these disk brakes are worlds better ... many worlds better ... entire galaxies better.

Busch and Muller lights - They work, but I haven't ridden after dark yet so I don't know how well.  Maybe tonight, who knows?

Gearing choice -  The bike's fairly low 17.9 to 94.1 gear inch range, seems to do as designed.  My goal was to use gears eight through 14 most of the time and only drop to the lower seven gears to tackle hills.  The 38t chainring and 16t rear sprocket have done the trick.  Gear nine serves as my take-off gear (gear eight on a hill).  Gear 11 has become my go-to run flat gear, and I've only cranked up to high gear once (just cuz).  I doubt I will ever yearn for gearing above that.

Rohloff - I've already learned to let off the pedals when shifting.  The hesitation only needs to be blink-of-the-eye quick, except between gears seven and eight, which takes maybe two blinks.  Shifting while stopped and the ability to shift several gears at once is the cat's ass.  You derailleur guys can suck it!




Rohloff Twist Shifter Install

The video below shows exactly how to install a twist shifter onto a Rohloff external mesh shifter box.  Though the video demonstrates a Co-Motion drop bar shifter, the process is exactly the same for the stock Rohloff supplied shifter.



The video, easily the best how-to video I used during the build, shows and explains every step of the process, except how to cut the cable housing to the right length.  In the video they state they cut the housing, but don't show how to measure the length.

So, here's what I did ... At the hub end of things, the external mesh attaches to the hub and there are two barrel adjusters that get inserted into that external mesh box.  If you take the cover off the box, slide the box onto the hub and insert the adjusters, you can see where the housings need to end.  The housings need to be inserted all the way into the adjuster, so measure and cut them at that point.

The other thing the video does not emphasize is the need to use a sharp cable cutting tool purposed for bike cables, not electrical pliers, tin snips, or side cutters, as those tools will crush the cable as it cuts and fray the end.  The holes in the mesh box's cam are only a few tenths of  a mm larger than the cable and won't cooperate with frayed cables.  I learned the hard way.  Anybody want to buy a nearly new side cutter?  Its great for cutting bike cables snipping zip ties.


Saturday, April 25, 2015

Bonehead Awards

Up until Thursday evening, this build had gone far smoother than expected and I hadn't struggled with any component.  Up until Thursday evening.  That's when my occasional bonehead mechanic capabilities decided to kick in and I got a whole build's worth in one night.

Bonehead award candidate number one:  After installing the front wheel it was time to adjust and finalize the front brake install.  Nailed the adjustment, first time.  The rotor would spin without any rubbing against the pads at all.  Later that evening, heard a faint rub while test riding.  Another test ride specifically to determine which wheel rubbed, and nothing. The rub was gone.  It turns out I had taken one of the caliper bolts out to bring to Lowes to match when buying rear caliper bolts.  The front wheel would rub off an on because I had one of the caliper bolts still in my pocket.

Bonehead award candidate number two:  Installing the rear wheel of a Rohloff can be a bit tricky.  The rotor has to slide between the pads, the axle plate has to slide into the brake adapter's notch, and the hub has to slide into the dropouts ... all at the same time.  After a half dozen swear-filled attempts, I realized something was amiss.  I'm quick like that.  Let's just say that the Monkeybone brake adapter can be bolted on several ways, but only one way is correct.   Did I mention I watched a video and made note of the adapter's position just 2 minutes before screwing it up?  Monkeybonehead.

BTW, it takes about 4 seconds to mount a Rohloff wheel with the brake adapter facing the right way.

Bonehead award candidate number three:  Bought and installed some bar tape, but it proved to be just too thick, as all I wanted to do is hide and secure the wires along a few inches of handlebar.  Pulled the bar tape off, drove to sporting goods store and bought baseball bat tape ... much thinner ... should work better ... if I had bought the right color.  I swear it looked black in the package.  Well, it looks damned grey on the bike.  Third times the charm ... right?

Bonehead award candidate number four:  Bike is complete ... ready for the first real ride.  Took off down the street doing 85mph!  At least that's what my brand new O-Synce Macro High X rc computer said.  It may have been a tad off so I stopped to ensure the right wheel size had been specified.  It had.  Went back in the house and Googled typical tire sizes and manually entered the tire circumference ... 2174 mm.  I then pushed the bike out of the garage at 30+ mph.  Ugh.  Went for the first ride with the speedo and odometer totally screwed up.  Ya know, those Garmin magnetless speed sensors tend to go haywire when placed next to magnets and electrical current ... like maybe a dynamo hub!  Moved the sensor to the rear hub and my performance dropped to a mere mortal level.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Fasten Your Chin Straps

One of those boxes from Europe contained a Limar 535 helmet not mentioned in the previous posts.  Why Limar?  It was offered at a reduced price, reviewed well, is very light weight, fits, has a comfortable lining, and has more holes than Victoria Secret lingerie.  Perfect.



So why mention it now?  Because it's finally time to jam it atop my noggin, strap it under my chin and ride this bike!

Took an inaugural ride of about ten miles.

First impression wasn't as favorable as hoped.  The steering seemed touchy, as in almost hard to control at lower speeds.  That impression proved to be short lived, as I quickly adapted.  Guess I was used to relatively wide and heavy tires that took more effort to turn.  Now,  the responsiveness plays a huge part in making the bike fun to ride.

I'm glad I went with the 54cm frame size as the top tube feels somewhat high.  While the official stand over height gets measured at the center of the top tube, the actual stand over height is a bit further forward. Though 5'10", I have a shorter than normal inseam, and standing over this bike puts certain body parts as close to the top tube as those parts need to get.  The 56cm might have been too close for comfort ... literally.

The other sizing choices have worked out too.  I didn't even have to adjust the saddle height, though I admit measuring when the height was initially set.  The reach feels good, though I might experiment with different stem angles tomorrow, and the bar width works well too.

The Brooks saddle is hard, bone ass hard, but surprisingly comfortable right out of the box.  If this thing gets more comfortable as it breaks in, it will have a long happy relationship with my bottom.




Semi-Final Assembly

As expected the front wheel arrived yesterday morning and it got mounted complete with rim strip, tube, tire and rotor during my lunch hour ... okay ... lunch hour and a half ... shhhhh.  Unexpectedly, Radsport Erdmann included a lollipop in the box.  Nice touch.

Also took a quick peek at the rear "Monkeybone" brake adapter, which surprisingly came with Rohloff labeling (not Cycle Monkey).  Looks like Cycle Monkey and Rohloff have partnered (or there's some patent infringement going on).   I had to remove a couple rear rack bolts to gain access to the brake mount bolt holes.  Got the adapter installed using bolts supplied with the caliper,  as it didn't come with bolts of its own, leaving me two bolts short.  Lowes had 'em ... saw them while looking for a headlight mount bolt the other day.

After Lowes, I swung by a LBS for some bar tape.

last night's efforts essentially finished the bike, including brake pad burn in.  A couple small items remain but aren't required to start riding.  The final installs weren't without struggles and subsequent cuss words, but a lot got done last night which I'll post in pieces over the next few days.

What's not done:

Headlight wire:  On its way from Peter White Cycles
Bar Tape:  Installed, removed.  Will look for something less bulky. Fenders: TBD
Kickstand: TBD
Lollipop:  Claimed by daughter, yet to be eaten

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Crank - Installed

Installing the Middleburn x-type cranks could not have been easier ... er ... maybe a tiny bit easier.  The spindle/left crank arm assembly slides through the bottom bracket and the right crank arm bolts on with a bolt integrated into the arm.  The whole thing then gets tightened with a threaded tension collar.  A pinch bolt secures the collar.  Done,



The only hiccup came when the plastic dust ring that covers the bottom bracket bearing got dislodged as I bumped (slammed) the spindle through with my palm.  After withdrawing the spindle the ring got tapped back in with a hammer.  A bit of grease and a gentler approach got the spindle through.  It turns out I was fortunate, as learned later, that ring is quite brittle and breaks easily ... and cannot be purchased separately.   I was just one mis-tap away from buying a new bottom bracket.

Pedals followed with the ease expected of a single bolt component.  Just remember the lefthand threads on the left pedal.  I used a small crescent wrench which worked without any knuckle damage, albeit a bit slower than a pedal wrench would have been.  Lastly, a no frills pic of my no frills all-black pin pedal.




Wednesday, April 22, 2015

What's Left On The To-Do List?

One day after the wheel #2 completed its long journey to my house, the crankset made it onto a delivery truck this morning and wheel #1 positioned itself to get delivered tomorrow.  With those final components (except for a set of dynamo wires), the bike can be all but completed.  The to-do list:

1.  Mount the rim strip, tube, tire and brake rotor onto the front wheel ... pretty much the same drill as yesterday's rear wheel.

2.  Install the rear brake adapter, then the caliper onto it it.

3.  Attach both wheels to the bike.  Now, where did I put those skewers?

4.  Finalize the brake installations by adjusting the calipers to center the rotors between the pads

5.  Install the shifter and cables

6.  Install the crankset, pedals and chain.  At this point the bike would be ride ready.

7.  Attach the speed and cadence sensors.  The speed sensor wraps around the front hub and the cadence sensor attaches to a crank arm.  Both lack magnets and sense the rotation itself.

8.  Wrap handlebar with bar tape to secure (and hide) wires for the light and computer remote buttons.  Note to self:  Buy bar tape ... or bat tape ... or hockey stick tape ... something.

9.  Run the wire (when it arrives) from the front hub to the headlight.  The tail light wire already runs along the brake hose from the head tube to the brake caliper, then follows a vertical tube on the rack to the light.  I completed it the other day using the front wire supplied with the headlight and multiple zip ties.  Those tiny blade connectors are a bugger, by the way, at least with aging eyes and fat fingers.

10.  Burn in the brakes.   I need to google this more.  A ubiquitous consensus agrees disc brakes should be burned in, but methods vary wildly.   I won't be doing the suggested method calling for ten passes at 25 mph for each brake ... at least not without an oxygen tank, defibrillator and iced six pack close by.

11.  Recheck torque on every fastener, test ride and adjust ergonomics.

12.  Decide on the fenders and kickstand at some point.

Barring some show-stopping issue, that's an evening of work, so I could be done tomorrow night.  Hmmm, I might have to take Friday off from work . . .

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

One Wheel Down, One Wheel To Go


I had hoped the first wheel to arrive would be the rear wheel, allowing installation of the shifter and rear brake adapter as well as the tire, tube and rotor.  It never occurred to me that some of those components might be boxed with the other wheel.  Turns out neither the shifter nor the adapter were included in the rear wheel's box.  I did manage to get some things done.

The Schwalbe rim strips looked and felt like hard unforgiving plastic, but did have enough elasticity to barely squeeze over the rim's edge.  I had ordered 22 mm wide strips because that's what matched the Rigida 210 rims, but finding the correct size on the web took some patience.  Mavic has rim strip sizes posted on its website for each of their rims.  Ryde (Rigida) does not.

The tire and tube went on without tools, reaffirming the decision to go with Schwalbe's Marathon Supremes.  I read where the Marathon Plus model can be a bear to get mounted.  Reviews raved about the Supreme's grippy-ness and I can see why, as the rubber feels quite soft ... surprising it rates as durable as it does.  The 32 mm width is  a bit skinnier than I had envisioned, but will definitely do, and the reflective strip on the tire adds visibility.



The picture above shows the wheel complete with tire and rotor.  Although the wheel came with the OEM2 axle plate attached, it needed to be removed to get the rotor on, but the rotor slipped over the gear mesh avoiding the need to remove it.  Four bolts, not six, secure the Rohloff compatible rotor, though you may need to double click the picture to get a better view.




Wheel #2 Wins Race - Arrives First

I've been tracking the two wheel packages,unimaginatively labeled wheel #1 and wheel #2 for a couple weeks not knowing which package contains which wheel nor which box would arrive first.  I received wheel #2 today, which turns out to be the rear wheel ... mystery solved.  It looks like the crankset will come in second as status updates show it arriving in my state early this morning.



So, why did I go through the hassle of having wheels built in Germany?

1.  Price - For the price of a shipped Rohloff hub alone (from the US), I got not only the hub but also the entire wheel build, plus a Schmidt dynamo hub laced into a wheel from Germany (shipped).  The dynamo hub and wheel builds would have added hundreds of dollars on top of the hub price if ordered stateside ... $400+ for parts, plus the cost to build the wheels, plus shipping from the wheel builder.  Hallo Deutschland.

2.  Built to Rohloff spec - German wheel builders know Rohloff, with SpeedHubs being much more prevalent in Germany.  The hub, because of its large diameter, causes sharp spoke angles consequently Rohloff recommends specific rims, spokes, nipples and lace patterns.  Radsport Erdmann builds their Rohloff wheels according to this spec by default.  For anyone considering a Rohloff on 26" wheels, the spoke angle is even more extreme.  Ryde (formerly Rigida) Andra 30 rims have angled spoke holes explicitly designed for Rohloff hubs.

3.  Inclusiveness - Radsport Erdmann not only sent two expertly built wheels, they included a Rohloff OEM2 axle plate and a MonkeyBone rear brake adapter, two parts necessary to mount the wheel. Rohloff hubs generate torque that needs to be secured so the whole thing doesn't try to spin.  The Monkeybone brake adapter, unlike the Shimano version, has a Rohloff-specific tab on it.  The axle plate, which attaches to the outer hub, has a notch that straddles this tab, directing the hub's torque onto the Monkeybone, hence onto the frame.  Radsport Erdmann includes both the axle plate and adapter with the wheel.  Monkeybone adapters are a product of Cycle Monkey here in the states, so this adapter has been well traveled.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Four Bolts And A Wire

Shimano doesn't include an ISO to post mount adapter with their brake sets for two reasons: 1) Not all frames need an adapter  2)  The adapters are rotor size specific.  Even if they decided to include an adapter, they would need to include at least three different sizes.

Two M5 bolts, complete with pre-applied thread lock secure the adapter to the frame.  Shimano also supplies a thin wire to help keep the bolts from loosening.  The wire gets wound counterclockwise around each of the two bolt heads.  Should one bolt try to loosen, the taut wire would pull the other bolt, essentially trying to tighten it.  I'm not really sure why the friction against the wire is better than the friction against the adapter itself, but Shimano seems to think the wire helps.


Perhaps difficult to see in the picture, but the bolts where the caliper attaches to the adapter, remain loose.  They will get tightened once a rotor slides between the brake pads as part of the final brake adjustment.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

WTF

The delivery statuses of the three packages inbound from Europe had not changed in quite some time.

Wheel #1 - Had processed through Germany, and was waiting to be put on a plane (for 6 days)
Wheel #2 - Was still at the vendor waiting to be handed over to DHL (for 8 days)
Cranks - Without a tracking number, who knows where it is?  (for 20 days)

Wednesday (three days ago), I started getting concerned about Wheel #2, as it was still not in DHL's hands eight days after receiving a tracking number.  Something was wrong, so I emailed the vendor, Radsport-Erdmann.

By Thursday (two days ago), three WTF questions came to mind ...

When The F will wheel #1 be put on a plane?
What The F is going on with wheel #2?
Where The F are my cranks?

Yesterday, the crankset suddenly surfaced.  It had been shipped by an entirely different method and an email from AirCityPost (whoever they are) mandated I pay the US mandated duty tax before the package could go through customs, which I paid after some extensive fraud Google searches.  They are a legit international shipping company and have an A rating at the BBB.  The email also included a tracking number (yay).  Turns out the cranks have landed stateside ... welcome to Jamaica New York, Middleburn RS8 crankset.

I also heard back from Radsport-Erdmann apologizing for an incorrect tracking number on wheel #2.  The correct number showed wheel #2 in the same place as wheel #1, waiting to be put on a plane (that's the good news).  The bad news is that it's been in that same status for thirteen days!  Still concerned, specifically that perhaps it had been held for duty tax as well.

Today, emails went out to DHL and USPS (have tracking numbers for both) asking what needed to happen to get the two wheel packages moving again.  Whether coincidence or a rapid result of my emails, I received a USPS status update text message just two hours later.  Wheel #2 had not only departed Germany, not only landed in the US, but had entered then exited customs, been put on a truck and driven hundreds of miles.  The package is in my state and should be on my doorstep Monday.  Wow.

Now if wheel #1 would just pop up out of nowhere, like the other two packages.


Friday, April 17, 2015

Politics, Religion and Kickstands

Within the cycling community, discussions regarding kickstands seem to raise emotions similar to politics and religion.  Racing bikes don't need kickstands ... I get that.  They don't stop often, so rarely does the need to stand up a bike come about.  Even then, the side of a building or a tree works just fine.  Then there's the whole weight taboo.

A car replacement slash recreational slash commuter slash touring bike like I'm building, however, stops often and parks often, where a kickstand can come in really handy.  Besides, I live in the desert.  Once out of town, there aren't any trees, buildings or wooden fences to use as a prop.  If I stop, the bike gets laid down in the rocks, sage brush, cactus and fine desert sand.  I'd rather not do that.  The Pletscher kickstand I bought has a center mount and sports two legs to reduce tip-overs.


I'm considering not installing it.   The folks at Surly bikes strongly recommend against using kickstands on their Long Haul Trucker models and offer some compelling reasons.  Read here.  The phrase "crushed chainstays"  makes me cringe.  Like the LHT, Soma Wolverine frames are light weight (for steel), strong where they need to be, but aren't explicitly reinforced in the chainstay area to accommodate a kickstand.  Adding one may work just fine, but there's a reason the frame doesn't include a center plate.   Surly does say that if employing a kickstand, use the two-legged type, and specifically mentions Pletscher, but the risk has made me shy away.


Should I install a Pletscher double-legged kickstand?

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Parts Are Parts

Several posts online warned about little parts delaying a bike build, and I have found myself scrambling to find a few small parts late in the process.  Fortunately, with the wheels and cranks still making their way across the pond, those little parts aren't delaying much ... yet.  Recent small parts issues:

     Dual cable stop - Ordered the wrong size - Reordered - Received and installed.

     Front brake adapter - Ordered - Totally forgot the adapter doesn't come with the brakeset.

     Light wires - Ordered - Looked locally but 2.8 mm connectors are hard to come by in my town.

     Bar Tape - I'll buy locally.  Even my local LBS should have bar tape.

With the (hopefully) last small parts ordered, only a few components have yet to arrive, but they are major pieces. As expected, the European sourced wheels and cranks have become the long poles in the tent.  Just about everything left to do hinges on their arrival.




Wednesday, April 15, 2015

See the Light

A Busch and Muller Luxos light found its way onto the bike today.  A couple things about this light; First its rather heavy, at least more so than anticipated.  I initially thought the lens might be glass as the light is front heavy, but its plastic.  Secondly, a fair number of parts came with the light, including an attached bracket, a couple of odd plastic pieces, a button to operate the light from the handlebar, USB dongle that allows charging devices using the dyanmo's power, a plug to cover the connector when the dongle is detached, a rubber zip tie like thing to keep me from losing that cover, a couple of rubber bands to mount the button, and seven feet of double strand wire about 24 gauge.



B&M also provides some fairly extensive documentation, in a multitude of languages, describing all the lights features and operation, but absolutely zero installation instructions.  The reason became very apparent when I realized the absolutely zero installation hardware.  No bolt, no nut, no washers, no nothing.

The plastic baggie that came with the fenders had a longish bolt intended to mount the front fender to the top of the fork, right where I plan to install the light.  Luck did not shine down this time.  The bolt, while just long enough to mount the thin fender bracket, lacked a 1/4 inch or more to mount the thicker light bracket.

Off to the hardware store I go, to find a black anodized M5 allen head bolt of the right length.  After 20 minutes of searching way too many bins and drawers, found it.  Actually found a silver M5 bolt with a hex head, but what the hell, close enough.

The light washers I bought made installation difficult, so I managed to find a thick washer the exact size needed, sitting in the bottom of a tool box in my garage.  It turns out lady luck does love me.  If you install a B&M light, get yourself a nice thick washer (see picture below) and save yourself some cuss words.


The odd plastic parts snap together around the bracket to create a cleaner look and the long wire goes from the dynamo hub to the light (no tail light wire included).  Peter White Cycles, located in Hillsborough New Hampshire, sells high quality coaxial dynamo light wires.  By the way, B&M lights now use tiny little 2.8 mm blade connectors and the SON 28 dynamo hub uses the larger 4.8 mm blade connectors.  Peter White Cycles can hook you up with the right length of wire with the right connector combination.  Note to self:  email Peter White.

Finally, a shot of the tail light, just cuz.



Mudguards. Do I Wanna Curana?

Fenders weren't something included in the planning of this bike.  I don't need them.  Okay, I don't "need" the bike for that matter, but I live where it rarely rains so I have very little utilitarian use for fenders.  Should I start touring often, then maybe they would come in handy.  Aesthetically, fenders (or mudguards as the Brits say) would fit right in given my penchant for a more European-style bike..

When it came time to order the main components, I still hadn't settled the fender decision nor given it much attention.  Bike24 offered the Curana C-Lite fenders I would get (if I decided to get any) for about $30 with no additional shipping, so I added them to the order just in case.  Stock pic from the Curana website:



Now that I have them, do I install them?

With the headlight sitting in a box, tail light wire to run, and wheels & crankset on the way, mudguards will continue to suck hind teat when it comes to priority. For now, they will go on the shelf.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

More Stuff Arrived

The second package from Bike24,com had been lagging behind the first box by about three days.  Well, it caught up.  While the first package was "out for delivery" on Saturday, the second package's status showed it arriving in San Francisco, entering customs, exiting customs, then departing on a truck all withing a 2 1/2 hour period.  The first box took almost two days to depart after arriving stateside.  That second package arrived at my door yesterday, just one delivery day after the first.

The box contained a Tubus Logo EVO rear rack, a B&M Luxos U headlight, a B&M Toplight Plus tail light, a set of Curana C-Lite fenders, a pair of Shimano skewers and a few miscellaneous non-component items like hub oil and a brake bleed kit.

The rack went on fairly easily ... four bolts, four washers and a couple of pieces to secure the front rods.  Those rods, which attach to the seatstays, were too long so I had to attack with a hacksaw.  Tubus provided two little rubbery plastic caps to clean up the cut ends.



The tail light also got  installed last night. The light has two integrated threaded posts that fit through the mount holes in the rack.  The light comes in both 50mm and 80 mm mount widths,  Wanting to order the right one, I had to research what the rack would accommodate, which I found in the .pdf manual on the Tubus website (50mm).  Two nuts and washers completed the install, though a wire still needs to be routed to the headlight.

A trip to the hardware store yielded a 1/2 inch hose clamp (pictured), M5 bolt and lock nut to mount the horn.


Call me weird, but I really like this horn and its loud enough for me to be a bike path bully.


Even the skewers took some scrutiny during the planning period, as Rohloff advised warned  against using cheap or light weight skewers, including titanium.  The Speed Hub creates considerable torque on the hub, so they mandated quality steel skewers.  I liked the internal cam style and Shimano, like so many of their products, offered the right quality-to-price ratio ... and no Las Vegas strip marquee-style branding.  They'll go in a bin with the tires, tubes and rotors, awaiting the wheels.



Um, I also flipped the stem over after noticing it upside down in a previous post.  Oops.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Fretting Over the Handlebar Layout

I managed to over-think just about everything on this bike long before buying anything.  This may seem over the top, but I'm glad I did, heeding to warnings by many a forum poster that its wayyyy easy to buy parts that don't fit, no matter how much they look like they should. Those posters were 100% right.   It seems every single component comes in numerous configurations, sizes and materials, and each has morphed over time as standards changed in the bike industry.  Just Google bottom brackets and see the many, many, many different types and sizes.  Its easy to get the wrong part and it would have happened more than it did if I hadn't over-thought things.

Below is me over-thinking the handlebar layout.  This picture came after deciding from the many handlebar types available and settling on the length, shape, material and stem clamp diameter.  The picture changed over time as different components got selected and deselected but was finalized prior to ordering anything.



                                                                                                                                



     Handlebar

     Grips - Ergon grips (Right grip is 3 cm shorter by design)

     Computer remote button

     Brake levers

     Headlight remote button (B & M Luxos U)

     Rohloff twist shifter clamp

     Rohloff twist shifter 3 cm grip section

     Stem clamp


Sunday, April 12, 2015

No Squinting (or Beer) Required



This thing finally resembles a bike without the aid of alcohol or other visual impairment  The mind still needs to pencil in the crankset and wheels, however.

I used this video to help install the brakes and my install went as quick and easy as in the video.  I don't have a bench vice though, so I used a pair of vice grips, which worked well.  I also don't have either brake adapter to properly attach the calipers, so they're zip tied to the IS brake mount for the time being.

While Soma provides C-Clips with the Wolverine frame set, they only include five clips for the seven braze-ons.  Luckily I had bought a package of four stick-on C-Clip mounts, but will only use two for the headlight dynamo wire.  Here's a pic of the installed brake levers.  The gap between the back brake lever and the grip will hold the Rohloff shifter, which has a small section of grip as part of its grip-shift mechanism, that butts up against the Ergon grip.


The saddle, computer and no-frills bottle cages also got installed.  The saddle didn't come with any instructions and none where needed.  The O-Synce computer comes ready to mount with a two-legged bracket that attaches directly to the handlebar with one leg on each side of the stem.  I used the optional stem mount attachment, requiring the back plate be replaced with a stem mount back plate.  This computer has no buttons on the main unit.  Instead, a wired remote attaches to the handlebar (I have it adjacent to the left grip) where it can be manipulated with your thumb while riding.  It has three buttons, two to scroll through display options/settings and one to select.  Very easy and convenient.  I plan to hide the wire under some bar tape, which will also cover the bold Syntace branding, grrr.  (Notice the Syntace lettering is bigger and of higher contrast than the Wolverine lettering).  Finally, the Garmin sensors (in box) have been wedged between the cages because I paired them with the computer and when they aren't close by, the computer searches for them.





Saturday, April 11, 2015

So, What Did You Get for Christmas?

Santa arrived today in a powder blue uniform driving a USPS jeep.  He, actually she, brought me some goodies.

Brooks B17 Saddle - Throughout the entire planning process a WTB Pure V saddle had been earmarked for this build, but Bike24 lists a Brooks saddle for 74.90 euros (including VAT).  Since the 19% VAT doesn't apply to shipments outside Europe, the actual price comes to 62.94 euros or $67.98 USD, $71.38 USD  after the US imposed 5% import tax on bike parts.  Even after considering its portion of the $23 shipping (for the whole box of stuff), we're talking about $75 for a Brooks B17, roughly that of the WTB.  Even if I end up hating the Brooks, I'm sure I can sell it for what I've got in it.



Brake Sets - Shimano's relatively simple one-way bleeding procedure made them a brand of choice for hydraulic brakes.  The XT and SLX lines also got very good reviews on their ease of adjustment and stopping power.  The SLX seemed to be the price performer I sought, but Shimano makes a trekking version of the SLX (BR-T675 instead of BR-M675) that sports longer levers, but only seem to be available in Europe.  I went with the LX trekking version.



Rotors - Shimano rotors would make sense given my choice of Shimano brakes, but I went with Avid Cleansweep G2 rotors.  Rohloff Speed Hubs have a non-standard 4-bolt pattern for the rotors and Shimano doesn't seem to make a rotor with that pattern.  I wanted rotors that matched, or at least looked fairly similar.  Avid makes both 6 and 4 bolt pattern versions of their Cleansweep rotors.  Sold.


Tires and Tubes - I have to admit, I swallowed the Schwalbe hype pill early on in the planning process and have been a homer ever since.  I didn't find anybody online who had anything to say against this brand. The only choices were the model and size and I wavered on both a number of times.   The Marathon Plus model looks almost bullet proof against thorns and road debris, but are quite heavy.  For touring, this would be my no-doubt choice.  For commuting/transportation the Marathon Supreme provides very good puncture protection, great grip, and has a more all-around purpose.  Once choosing the lighter Supreme I continued down that path with the lighter, more nimble, 32c width, bucking the wide-tire trend of most Wolverine builds.  Side Note: I'm no weight weenie (duh, Rohloff build), but I'm not building a tank either.  When lighter makes sense, lighter makes sense.


Chain - Cycle Monkey recommends Wipperman chains for Rohloff  bikes and has this to say about them: "High-quality, long lasting German-made chains. Recommended for use with the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14; will fit through Rohloff chain tensioner. 8sX model is the longest lasting chain on the market."  and also had this to say about the 8sX chain I chose: "- Stainless steel inner links and nickel-plated outer links - Good corrosion resistance - Best wear life - Includes Connex Link".  Cycle Monkey is the go-to Rohloff authority in the US, so how can I, who knows darn little, justify going against their recommendation?  Never looked at another chain.  The Connex master links are cool too.



Pedals - I probably spent more time looking at pedals than any other component and never found that model that shines above the others for me.  Dual sided pedals appealed to me at first but finally realized pedals are easy to swap out, so I could always switch to clipless later on.   Once shying away from dual-sided I decided to go with a pinned pedal, then went looking for an all black pinned pedal with sealed bearings with low-contrast branding.  That's how I arrived at the NSBikes Industrie brand/model.


Computer and Sensors - Ever hear of O-Synce bike computers?  Me either until looking overseas for parts where O-Synce has a solid reputation.  I wanted a simple wireless computer for one primary reason (odometer) and several secondary reasons (mainly current speed and current cadence), and no battery-draining GPS.  I had my eye on the usual Cateye and Sigma models until learning about Garmin's Ant+ magnetless sensors, which were A) cleaner looking than the typical sensors, B)  lacked the hated high-contrast branding, and C) did not use a proprietary wireless interface.  All I needed to do is find a desirable ANT+ enabled non-GPS cadence computer.  O-Synce found.


The model I ordered (Macro High X rc) has more features than sought or needed, including things like elevation and grade.  It also has a handlebar mounted control so I can flip through the various functions with my hands still on the grips.  Oh, and its orange and black like my bike.  <Sarcasm> What a plus. </Sarcasm>

Miscellaneous -  A brake bleed kit, a spare tube, a spare set of brake pads, a spare chain, a spare master link, some Rohloff chain oil, a Rohloff hub oil change kit, and two Schwalbe rim strips rounded out the order.  Its been a good April Xmas.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Perhaps If You Squint

The spacers arrived and the headset area has been completed.  No troubles. The saw guide made cutting the steering tube easy peasy.  It was also much easier to keep the star nut tool straight while driving in the star nut, than I had envisioned.  With the steering tube ready, just a bit of grease on the crown race, stack the spacers, torque the tension bolt, tighten the stem and install the handlebar.  Done.  The grips and seat post were installed loosely for a more complete picture.

If you drink a few beers (like I did), step back a few steps and squint really hard, it almost looks like a bike.  Really, take a look.



 So far this build has been pain free (knock on wood).  Usually anything mechanical bubbles cuss words to my lips, even with the slightest struggles, but I've been choir-boy quiet.  Fingers crossed for that to continue.

The spacers went on a bit differently than planned.  I definitely liked the look of the three orange spacers grouped closely, so two of the thin (2 mm) black spacers got moved down to either side of the horn mount.  Here's a close up:




Cut It Three Times and Its Still Too Short

The headset spacers have arrived, albeit just one day before the first box from Germany, despite being ordered on the same day. This all means I can now ... finally ... build up the headset/stem area, and plan to use over 5 cm of spacers, 53 mm to be exact. That's a lot of spacers compared to most builds I've seen. A few reasons for such tallness ...

 1) I was willing to accept either a 54cm or 56cm frame because Wolverine frames were hard to come by at the time, and I got a 54. To compensate for the shorter seat tube, I'll need to raise the saddle a couple centimeters higher for proper height, which means the saddle will be that much higher than the handlebars. Extra spacers and an adjustable stem will raise the handlebars accordingly.

 2) I didn't want to cut the steering tube too short, as I don't know what height will be most comfortable. Leaving it long allows me to cut it down later if desired. Its a tad difficult to cut it longer once its cut too short.

 3) I like the European-esque look of the longer stem. Call me weird.

Here's a graphical text representation of the planned spacer stack, subject to change during the actual installation.

                                                         
                                                         
                        5 mm black                       
                                                         
                                                         
                        2 mm orange                      
                        2 mm black                       
                        2 mm black                       
                        2 mm orange                      
                        2 mm black                       
                       2.5 mm black                      
                        2 mm orange                      
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                        20 mm black                      
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                    3.5 mm black horn mount              
                                                                    
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                         10 mm black                     
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         



Edit:  The post editor looks different than the published post.  Sorry for all the white lines in the spacer drawing.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Inbound Out of Customs

Shipping status updates ...

Five packages from three European vendors have been shipped; one from the UK with the crankset, two containing my wheel builds, and two from bike24.com containing major components.  Oh, and I'm still waiting for the headset spacers from Miami.

In the case of the two Bike24 packages and the two wheels, DHL handles the shipping duties through Germany, then hands them off to the US Postal Service.  The DHL tracking numbers can be tracked on the DHL website (.de version).  That DHL site also provides the domestic tracking number that can be tracked from the USPS website once the hand-off occurs.

Package #1 from Bike24.com:

The latest status on Bike24 package #1 read "Inbound Out of Customs".  What the hell does that even mean?  A governmental oxymoron for sure.  Luckily, status two days earlier read "Inbound Into Customs", so I'll assume this new message means it made it through customs.

Package #2 from Bike 24.com:

The last two status updates on the second package stated it had been processed through a facility in Franfurt Germany (Monday status), then "Origin preparing shipment" (Tuesday status).  I take it from Tuesday's status, the  package was waiting to be put on a plane.  The first  package showed this status a couple days before arriving in San Francisco, so this package is running about three days behind the first.

Headset Spacers:

Estimated delivery date: Tomorrow!  I'll believe it when I have them in my hand.  Sixteen days (and counting?) to get a four ounce package across the country,  Geesh.  In comparison, Pony Express riders could deliver a small package coast to coast in ten days.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express  Hats off to 1860 technology.

Wheels:  

I received an email about a week ago saying one wheel had shipped and the other was to be shipped the next day.  That was a lie.  I received another email today providing two tracking numbers.  Turns out the wheels have just now started their journey.  At least I now have tracking numbers,

Crankset:

Shipped (I hope).  The vendor doesn't supply tracking numbers so only those with a Magic 8 ball (1960 technology) know where it is.  The only status they would give estimated a delivery time from 14 to 42 days ... so pretty much anytime between now and whenever.



Another Piece to the Puzzle

This build feels like doing a jigsaw puzzle where only one piece can be added every couple days.  Today that piece was the weather vane atop the barn a Shimano SM-BB93 bottom bracket.

When I first considered building a bike, I found suggestions on a number of  websites, to have my LBS press in the headset, cut the steering tube and install the bottom bracket.  Those three activities, more so than any other component, carry the risk of ruining a frame or fork if something goes amiss.  Of course I didn't heed to this practical advice, deciding instead to roll  the dice.  With the headset pressed on a few days ago and now a bottom bracket successfully torqued, I'm two for two.  Now if those bleeping spacers would arrive, I could go for the trifecta, and cut the steering tube.

The bottom bracket went on easily and quickly, as the greased threads turned in smoothly (credit American Cycle for their frame prep work).  I used a Lezyne bottom bracket socket (pictured) and the TL-FC24 adapter (also pictured) included with the bottom bracket itself.  The adapter slid snugly into the socket, and worked as a single unit.  I'd seen reviews where people have stripped the adapter, and suspect they used a bb spanner and didn't torque to spec.  Choosing the socket and a torque wrench proved to be a good choice.  I even remembered the drive side had left-handed threads.


Lastly, I'd like to say Shimano seems to be losing its mind.  I understand SRAM, Shimano and other vendors developing proprietary bottom bracket standards, but Shimano can't manage to follow their own standard.  Take the SM-BB93, SM-BBR60 and SM-BB70 bottom brackets:  all Shimano, all 68/73mm, all English threads, all still being offered.  They also each have different sized cups and require different tools to install.  Ugh.