One legend admires another. Jobst Brandt checks out Faber’s (closed) back in July 1983.
Sadly, the historic Faber’s Bike Shop caught fire Thursday in downtown San Jose and will most likely be torn down. The building dates back to 1884 and had been used as a bike shop for 100 years.
Many San Jose residents have fond memories of the shop, which has seen its ups and downs over the years. It’s a part of San Jose’s history, no doubt. To get a real feel for the kind of place it was, watch this beautiful video photo montage by Bernardo Grijalva on Vimeo. His black and white treatment captures the rough-hewn wood-frame interior like nothing else I’ve seen.
Faber’s, located at 702 S. First Street, shared its historic roots with yet another bike shop nearby, Desimone’s Bicycle Store on 83 S. Second Street. It was owned by Joseph Anthony Desimone, who died in 1945. I don’t know when that shop shut its doors, but there’s an interesting article about one of the shop’s senior mechanics, Ed Barnes, in a past issue of Bicycle Journal.
Jobst Brandt and Peter Johnson inspect the bike wrecking yard at Faber’s.
Old saddles on new seatposts can rub and cause squeaking.
Here’s how it used to look. Campagnolo seatposts offered plenty of clearance.
When will it end? How many more squeaks and creaks do I have to live through?
I blame it on the transition from old, reliable technology to new, reliable technology. I have to learn all over the ins and outs of today’s bike parts and what makes them tick, and squeak.
This time it’s a case of old parts not meshing with new parts.
I purchased a new old stock Avocet Racing II saddle and slapped it onto my new technology seatpost. It’s one of those generic posts with the standard seat clamp I see on most run-of-the-mill posts.
It turns out that the clamp is wider than the Campagnolo Super Record seatpost that used to hold my Avocet saddles, so the inside of the saddle rubs against the clamp. If not lubricated, it squeaks like hell.
Who knew? Today’s saddles don’t have the long sides that characterized the seats of yore. When you think about it, you don’t need the long sides. It was probably a fashion decision to cover the seatpost. Modern saddles have gone the opposite direction.
Starting in May you can buy a high-tech Volvo that promises to save the lives of cyclists and pedestrians, even when you can’t.
It would happen in one of those emergency situations where electronics in the form of radar, cameras and electronic control modules outdo human reactions. It’s new technology, so I wouldn’t ride in front of one of these Volvos to see how it works. Gizmag coverage
Welcome to the future. Google has cars that drive themselves using even more elaborate technology. They’re driving thousands of miles in the Bay Area and working quite well, but it took more than a decade to get to this level.
Misguided video
When you watch Volvo’s promotional video, you’ll roll your eyes at the cyclist’s idiotic maneuver that puts him in the car’s path. I’d rather see a more likely scenario – texting distracted driver drifts into a cyclist from behind.
This technology will take a while to find its way into less expensive cars. In the meantime, what about 18-wheelers? They need this technology more than cars. An add-on would be nice.
These advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are rapidly making their way into the mainstream. Some systems are being mandated by government, especially in Europe. Others are finding industry advocates, such as insurance companies, for reduced insurance costs.
Radar for cyclists
While the technology that goes into these systems is way over my head, I met a cyclist and technologist who has designed an affordable tracking system for detecting cyclists.
Ron Moore, who lives in Santa Rosa, calls his technology Roadar and it’s based on ultra-wide band (UWB) radio signals. Roadar on Facebook
UWB, which has been around for a long time, almost made it into the mainstream before Intel pulled out in 2009. Shortly thereafter the organization driving its acceptance in IEEE folded, slowing UWB’s adoption for commercial use.
UWB has a lot going for it, such as low power, extreme accuracy and lack of signal interference, so it may yet find an application. The U.S. military has done some research on UWB for radar with some success.
The only catch with Roadar is that both the car and the cyclist/pedestrian need hardware, although the system could be implemented in a smartphone using software as long as it had UWB. The car needs a receiver and the cyclist needs a transmitter.
While people online are taking potshots at the Volvo technology — cyclists and non-cyclists alike — we’re seeing the start of a much safer future with Volvo’s technology. It will just take some time for systems to mature and for society to adapt.
Plenty of water on the Mt. Hamilton ride. At the summit there’s a spigot at the dining hall.
Looking for some variety on the Mt. Hamilton loop, I set out this morning from home (115 miles, 8,500 feet climbing) and decided to check out Hwy 84 from Livermore heading back to Calaveras Road.
Jobst Brandt used to lead us that way until I and others decided it was a bit dicey riding up Pigeon Pass (875 feet) on a narrow two-lane road with no shoulder. Around 1983 we started taking Vineyard Avenue for a time until housing development made it less desirable. Then Jobst switched to Stanley Boulevard.
A two-mile stretch of Hwy 84, or Vallecitos Road, was widened at a cost of $32 million, completed in October 2008. This stretch of Hwy 84 was built in 1931.
On the hottest day of the year so far (90 degrees in Livermore), I started the climb at around 500 feet. I remembered it as being a grind and it still is, about 6-7 percent. It’s just long enough to be annoying.
The good news is that there’s a massive shoulder, with a rumble strip on the side, but even with that there’s plenty of room. The other good news is that the descent is wide open at 34 mph. Lots of traffic though.
There’s only one narrow section of 0.14 miles just before the 680 junction. You need to take the Sunol underpass exit to put yourself on Calaveras Road. I saw a couple on tandem heading the other way.
Even with coffee and chocolate coffee beans to stave off cramps, I started feeling twitches around 58 miles, so I downed a couple of Advil and that took care of the muscles. No doubt heat was a factor.
Mt. Hamilton overlook four miles up. Click here for full size.
San Tomas Aquino Creek recreation path will be closed at the new stadium starting April 15. A detour will be in effect for a year.
Today was the last day for a year that you could ride past the new San Francisco 49ers stadium (will it have a corporate name?) as the parking lot at Great America gets a makeover.
I rode past today for a final look at the stadium, is moving along. City of Santa Clara posted a map of the detour. It’s too complicated to explain here.
I continued north, taking the usual route around Moffett Field to reach Shoreline Park. It’s such a nice way to go, even with the wind. The blue-billed ruddy ducks bobbing in the ponds made my day.
If you’re looking for a quick way to ride through Palo Alto after taking the bike/ped bridge over 101 at Oregon Expressway, nothing beats Greer Road, Channing Avenue, Guinda.
Jackson Ranch belongs to Santa Clara County Parks, since 2006.
With unsettled weather in the forecast I decided to head south and hope for the best. Turns out the weather cooperated, especially the wind. There wasn’t any wind to speak of in the morning on the Coyote Creek Trail. On the return the wind came from the south a bit as a weak cold front moved through, which I counted on.
There’s nothing new to report about Coyote Creek Trail, except that the efforts to remove the homeless from along the creek seem futile. I saw plenty of encampments. It’s a difficult situation and one that will not go away anytime soon.
Early morning is the best time to ride the trail because by mid-morning you’ll see dog walkers, hikers, and all sorts of folks out for some casual exercise.
The model airplane club must get a late start. I didn’t see any planes taking off as I rode by.
The climb to Henry Coe Park begs comparison to Mt. Hamilton. They have some basic similarities. Both climb a mountain, they’re narrow, winding, and have ups and downs. E. Dunne Avenue is much steeper in places, but it only rises to about 2,800 feet. It’s not as long and it wasn’t built at a steady grade like Mt. Hamilton. Both roads aren’t what I’d call smooth. Upper E. Dunne is downright bumpy.
I stopped at the Jackson Ranch to snap a photo. Its 36 acres was purchased by the county for $1 million.
On the way back I took the secret dirt road off the paved trail where a bridge crosses Coyote Creek near Anderson Reservoir. This trail takes you to Burnett Avenue where you can blithely ride over Hwy 101 sans on and off ramps. It’s the only crossing of its kind for miles. I made my way back to McKean Road via Hale Avenue and home, slicing three miles off the 45-mile ride to Henry Coe.
Looking for a more mellow ride today under sunny skies and summer-like temperatures, I headed up Hwy 9 and then north on Skyline.
I checked out the trail entrance across from Horseshoe Lake (MB06), but I could tell that goes into a ravine and I was in no mood for climbing back out. It’s also closed for seasonal mud.
So I rode on Page Mill Road and decided to try the entrance across from Alpine Road (MB04). I stayed along the upper ridge, which was nice enough single-track and not steep. It took me over to the parking lot for Monte Bello and Stevens Canyon, which MROSD calls Canyon Trail.
The 0.3-mile single-track down to Stevens Canyon Road is gnarly enough for a mountain bike. I stopped to admire the sag pond, a unique geological feature of the San Andreas Fault. It’s hard to believe that one of the most dangerous fault lines resides right here.
As I made my way on the 4.3-mile road, it brought back some memories of past rides back in the day when we rode sew-ups on the rocky stuff. Despite the tires, we had few problems. I also remembered the two nasty steep climbs prior to the big descent that always take you by surprise.
Given all the bike traffic this road sees, it’s in fine shape. I enjoyed the wide, flat sections and gentle descents, of which there are quite a few. About two miles down I came across a dead oak tree on the trail. It looked like it had fallen recently. You just don’t want to be under it when it happens. That’s a more likely occurrence than meeting a mountain lion.
I did see a giant wild turkey though. It looked to be twice the size of all the wild turkeys I had ever seen.
When I got to the last single-track where the road disappears I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to ride. The single-track enters an opening where Stevens Creek runs through a flat, sandy spot. When I reached the creek I was reminded of Keith’s Folly. This time there was plenty of water flowing and I could see how it might present an obstacle on a road bike as the tires sink into the soft bottom.
It’s good to see this ride can still be done, and on a nice spring day it had just the right mellow.
Stevens Creek, the scene of Keith’s Folly, with plenty of water.
Here’s a chain measurement. At 12 inches (13 shown here because I started at 1 inch) a worn chain will be 1/16 inch beyond center to center. This one is about 1/32 inch so it has more wear.
When I shifted to Shimano Ultegra, minor matters, like the cost of a chain, suddenly took on new meaning. $40-$90 for a chain?
I purchased a Park CC-3.2 chain wear-indicator tool and started cleaning my chain with Simple Green more often. I also purchased a second chain so I’d be more inclined to clean my chain, some KMC master chain links and Park MLP-1 master pliers. I read up on the best way to clean a chain as described by Sheldon Brown. I especially like putting the chain in a container with Simple Green and shaking well.
I’m pleased to report that the chain is wearing longer than I expected. Worn chains will more rapidly wear freewheel sprockets, adding to the cost of maintenance.
The Shimano CN-6600 has about 4,000 miles, but it won’t last much longer. Park has two settings, .5(%) and .75(%). It’s at .5 but being the cheapskate that I am, I’ll let it go to .75, which is about 1/16 inch and the recommended wear point for chain replacement according to the experts.
While Pardo and others mention that most chain-wear indicator tools push the rollers apart and are therefore “inaccurate” it’s easy enough to measure your chain when the chain-wear tool indicates it’s worn, just to confirm. Of course, measuring with a ruler is subject to error as well.
Park no doubt accounted for the roller spread when making the tool and from what I can tell it’s spot-on accurate. Now back to your regularly scheduled bike riding.
Follow Up (April 30, 2013)
About 550 miles later the chain wore down to the 0.75 setting. Your mileage may vary.
Park chain wear tool makes it easy to judge chain wear. When the tool easily fits into the .75 setting it’s time for a new chain.
Nice day on Gazos Creek Road. Once upon a time I rode here when it was dirt.
With weather like today, my plan naturally turned to a Pacific Coast ride to Santa Cruz. Clear skies and mild temperatures added to the usual tailwind common this time of year.
What more could you ask for? As I took Cloverdale Road along comes Lindsay Crawford a retired airline pilot and ex-racer from the 1960s-70s. Lindsay must have enough frequent flier miles to fund his trips to Europe for another 50 years. He likes to do L’Etape du Tour in France — part race, part tour following routes of the Tour de France. Hard-core would be the best way to describe it.
No sooner does Lindsay pass by when along comes a Team Radio Shack triathlete, probably a professional judging by his fitness. He asked me about routes home from Santa Cruz. He liked the idea of hammering up Hwy 9, as opposed to his past rides up Zayante Road.
I drafted for about a mile before he rode away, leaving me to a more civilized pace of 20 mph with the tailwind, and a 44 mph downhill.
Well, so far the most expensive coffee I’ve had is $2.25, at Arro’s restaurant in Davenport. They have a nice selection.
Santa Cruz surfers looked to be enjoying the decent waves and a competition. The nearby seals basking on a rock outcropping barked their approval.
Santa Cruz Lighthouse serves as a surfer museum.Click here for larger size.
It’s the small things in life that can make your day. Creekside Drive in Palo Alto has a path crossing Adobe Creek. It must have taken an act of God, but the extremely annoying chicane at both entrances has been removed. Now it’s smooth sailing.
