bysykling

My inner bike geek likes looking at bikes wherever I go. All kind of well used bikes attracts my eye. Most of them tells a story, but most of the time I'm left to guess how the story goes. Sometimes I'm lucky, though. That's what happened when I catched a glimpse of a Yeti ARC on our local campsite the other day - with the rider on the bike. 

The Ekeberg Camping is the most central campsite in Oslo, only a couple of kilometres up the hill from the Central Station downtown. I see a lot of nice touring bikes there, as I live right up the street.

But I've never ever seen a Yeti ARC there, sporting a rear rack! This is a legendary cross country racing frame, built with love in Golden, Colorado, rooted deep down in the history of the mountain bike sport. I've never even contemplated the possibility of seeing this bike with a rack!

I had to make a snapshot and a quick chat with the owner, Claus Tews from Germany - before I had to hurry on.

(Yes, that's a German super high quality Tubus Disco rack, folks...)

I forgot to ask if he really was out there touring Norway on a Yeti ARC with no fenders and knobby tires - or if he actually had a car, with the bike on the roof...

Luckily, I got his email adress, so I could get the whole story in my inbox later. Turns out it goes like this, big thanks to Claus for taking time to share the details:

Our youngest daughter had her first day in kindergarten yesterday. As they sleep outside in strollers for their lunch nap, I had to bring an old one to keep there. The Winther Dolphin trailer had no problems with the rather bulky load! Felt kinda cool having two devices for transporting kids in tow, while transporting the actual kid on the top tube!

(In case you wonder: The suspension seat post is gone, because it was stolen the day before... Better get one of those Pitlock bolts, I guess...)

This spring I got myself a German-built Bulldog child seat - mounted on the top tube. It's such a super nice setup: My 18 months old daughter can't get enough of bike riding these days.

After ten years of transporting our kids in bike trailers, this is the first time I have a child seat on the bike itself.

Wish I found this one before.

It's just *so* nice having her almost on my lap like this, being able to touch her and talk to her while riding. This can of course not replace a trailer - which is the number one choice for taking small kids out - but for short and easy cruising around the neighbourhood, it's a winner.

Of course, it requires a bit more of a John Wayne-ish stance of my knees to clear the seat while pedalling - but I adapted to that one in a matter of minutes.

I bought this of a friend who imported a few, but don't know where to find the manufacturer online, if they are online at all.

Anyway, the German store Stilrad seems to have this in stock. 

Check the SmugMug gallery for more pictures

This is the rear wheel of my 2008 Trek 69er mountain bike. I bought that brake rotor new two weeks ago. I bought the rims and spokes new five years ago.

And I bought the hub new fourteen years ago, back in 1997. It's still going strong.

At the time, I was a student, had just broken two Shimano rear hubs and was left grumbling about the repair and replacement costs. So I decided to ignore my budget life and find a hub that would last me for life. I ended up with an insanely expensive Chris King rear hub - bought by mail order from a store in California.

This hub has been a trusty companion through several different bikes and wheels over the years. The internals has been cleaned and lubed by a mechanic a few times. That's all.

I don't remember the original price tag from way back when, but lots of people would buy a complete bike for the same amount of money. On the other hand; I knew I would be riding a mountain bike for the rest of my life - and assumed that the Chris King would last me longer than any other hub on the market. My theory: It would probably end up as a sweet deal in the long run.

I'm now 14 years into the long run. It seems I was right.

I made this phone snapshot this morning while taking the wheel downtown to the mechanic for a hub checkup. If anything should wear out inside, I know that every single spare part is still readily available - because the main design hasn't been changed since 1997.

This is the most expensive bike part I've ever bought - and the best deal I've ever made.

Last year I got myself a new everyday bike. It's much heavier than the previous bike I had, and it makes me so much happier.

Uh, wait... Something sounds wrong here, right? Maybe. But everything is just right: Adding weight to your bike might be the best thing you ever did – as long as you add something really useful. My previous bike was a light and sporty hybrid, with an aluminium frame, a rigid fork, lightweight rim brakes and… well, not much more, actually. It was really light, and really fast.

But a few complaints soon developed:

- The outboard drivetrain wears fast during daily, all year, all weather riding

- The rim brake pads grind down the rim walls fast in wet or mucky conditions

- The gears and the brakes need frequent cleaning, lubing and adjustments

- The bike has no racks, leaving my backpack as the only cargo room

- The bike had short, low-quality fenders that kept breaking, causing me to ride without

The bike needed regular love to keep going, and I had no time for that.

I wanted a new, simple bike that could do it all and still cause me no worries. 

That's why I got a Civia Hyland with internal gears, disc brakes, long aluminium fenders, racks in both ends and even a basket - and of course a dynamo hub for the lights. Pannier bags and a suspension seat post added even more feelgood points. Even if I noticed it being a quite different ride, more stable and relaxed - I never really pondered about the weight issue. All that mattered was utility.

Until the other day, when I was geeking over the concept of a perfect urban utility bike, in a discussion with a few weight conscious buddies. I thought about the features that I love on my own bike, and started looking at the numbers - just for fun.

Whoa... Compared to my previous commuter in it's basic incarnation, I have attached a whopping 6350 extra grams of metal to my new bike!

In my other cycling universe of die hard mountain biking, I would never fathom how anyone could do such a cruel thing to a high quality bicycle. So I guess it's time to explain myself: Why did I do this? OK, here goes...

(NOTE: The weights listed are approximately right, let me know if I'm way off) 

WHY: No more drivetrain maintenance. This is a no-brainer, really. An internal gear hub tucks the moving parts inside the hub shell - leaving only the chain and a sprocket exposed to the elements. During the last 9 months of daily riding, my drivetrain has worked flawlessly. I have cleaned and lubed the chain once - that's all. No more gears out of adjustment, no more suffering chain noise. Lovely. 

The dynamo front hub:

500 grams added compared to my old Shimano 105 front hub

Shimano Alfine

WHY: Because it makes life easier and safer. I have always had a battery-driven, powerful light on the handlebar. It worked fine, but I had to bring it with me inside everytime - and make sure the batteries were ok. With a dynamo hub and a permanently mounted light, I never have to think about this. I switch on the front light and roll away - with full power to the Busch & Müller IQ Cyo light every time. 

The disc brakes:

Around 500 grams added compared to standard rim brakes, v-type

Magura Julie (old version)

WHY: Because they are more powerful than rim brakes, because they work perfectly well no matter the weather, don't cause rim wear at all - and require so much less care and maintenance than rim brakes. Need more arguments? Switching to hydraulic disc brakes for my everyday bike has really been such a relief. Besides, the Maguras looks cheap and ugly, which is just perfect downtown. 

The front and rear racks:

900 grams added

Tubus Vega (rear) and Racktime Topit (front)

WHY: Would you buy a car for your daily transportation without any luggage capasity whatsoever? Of course not. Your bike is able to carry way more stuff than you think. Put on some racks, a basket and a couple of bags. You'll be surprised by how much you'll bring home by pure muscle power! An urban bike with no racks seems more like a toy - while I like to think of my bike as a tool.  

The basket:

300 grams added

Wald 137

WHY: Because it's incredibly useful. My little basket has carried groceries, a tent, a football, a camera bag, my jacket when I get too warm on the climbs, my helmet when I stop for a rest - not to mention a decent stack of firewood for a campfire in the woods. Once you got one, you'll find lots of uses for it. Riding with a load on the front wheel took me a few rides to get used to. Now it's no issue at all. 

The suspension seat post:

500 grams added compared to my rigid seat post

SR Suntour SP8-NCX

WHY: Because it feels so much better. Two steel coil springs inside the seat post driven by a parallellogram on top takes the egdes away from all those cobblestones, tram lines, curbs, potholes, stutter bumps and all kind of messy road surfaces I encounter on my daily rides. If you ride with a heavy backpack, you will really appreciate how a high quality suspension post like this one softens your ride.    

The pannier bags:
950 grams each (I sometimes use two)

Ortlieb Backroller Civia Edition

WHY: Because  it feels much more comfortable riding with nothing on your back - so cool air can flow beneath your shirt when you break a sweat. I resisted for years and always rode with backpacks, because those pannier bags looked so incredibly dull to my mountain biking eyes. Actually, they still do. But they carry more stuff than my backpack, and makes me feel better when riding.  

The big lock:

1600 grams added

Abus Bordo Granit X-Plus

WHY: Because I don't want my bike to disappear, but hate having to carry a lock around my waist or in a bag. It seems outrageous to bolt an anchor like this on a high end frame. But high end bikes need high end locks, high end locks are super heavy - and mounting it on the frame means it's always there, ready to fold around a pole or a rack in seconds. Ugly, heavy and unfortunately necessary.  

The fenders:

600 grams added

Civia Market aluminium fenders

WHY: Because I don't want the weather to decide if I should take the bike or the bus. I keep seeing people riding without fenders. They probably feel sporty, even if it must be a pain having that wet stripe of muck going up along the back of your pants and jacket. These Civia fenders have the longest front fender I've ever seen. Meaning: My pants and shoes stay dry, even if the road is flooded.

There is something missing from this list, I know. I haven’t bought myself the swiss-made, two-legged Pletcher center kickstand I know I would love – being able to park everywhere, being able to load the bike with groceries without struggling to keep it upright and the front wheel from flopping.

I know where they stock those.

I know I can afford one.

But come on… a kickstand on a high end bike? And hey, it’s another 542 grams!

Grant Petersen is the man behind a bike company named Rivendell Bicycle Works, based in Walnut Creek - 30 miles east of San Fransisco.

They sell their own practical, beautiful steel bicycles, classic leather saddles, tartan cotton shirts designed by a 90 year old man in Pennsylvania and all you need to go bike camping, among a lot of other things.

Grant Petersen is since long a legendary designer in the bike industry, well known for his honest, down-to-earth and absolutely un-racing approach to bicycling. 

37signals.com just posted this entertaining interview with Grant Petersen

Anyone interested in how to run a bicycle business should read this article.

Two quotes:

"99 percent of the bike market — designers, buiders, distributers, retailers, buyers, and riders — are selling the wrong bikes to the wrong people for the wrong reasons".

"Do something that matters enough to you that you can honestly tell yourself that if business is bad, if nobody’s buying, it’s because they’re misinformed, backwards, or just dumb".

Don't forget the comments section, where Grant himself shows up, answering a lot of questions from readers.

(If you'd like to know Grant Petersen better, also consider this conversation between the late Sheldon Brown and his friend Grant Petersen - available as an audio podcast as well).

GO CAMPING: The Rivendell Atlantis is Rivendell's most popular model. This lovely photo sums up a lot of reasons why it is made just the way it is.

Photo by Cosmiccountry/Flickr on a Creative Commons licence 

February 17, 2011: Over the last year I have purchased two new items for my two main modes of transportation: My car and my bicycle. They both got a cargo basket.

When I installed the huge Yakima Megawarrior basket on the roof of my boring Toyota minivan, a few friends chuckled in amusement, wondering if I didn't feel manly enough in this dull family car, and was trying to fool myself into some kind of super tough Paris-Dakar adventure rally image. In short: They found the basket too macho.

When I installed the small Wald 137 wire basket over the front wheel of my newly aquired Civia Hyland - a high end commuter bike, a few die hard mountain biking friends also chuckled in amusement, wondering why on earth I had to ruin the cool bike with such a grandma-like accessory. In short: They found the basket too feminine.

Interesting.

All I know is that both baskets are super useful, and that they will stay on. I also realize that both is kinda ugly, but at least they are utility ugly, which in turn makes them cool, sort of. But obviously, I don't care. I just like being able to carry stuff. And when it comes to carrying stuff; baskets rule.

February 10, 2011: There is a steep hill on my way home from work that I can hardly pedal while sitting down. It's granny gear-steep, and the first times I couldn't believe how I would ever be able to pedal all the way up. Now it's a benchmarking habit; I simply have to nail that hill. If I can't, something isn't right. Yesterday something wasn't right. Thankfully this wasn't about me.

Hard work, though.