New handlebars give my neck a “break”

Old-style handlebars give my neck the relief I have been searching for.

After a couple months seeking a cure for my sore neck, I’m making progress. It will never be that same as it was before my 1981 accident, but I’m finding ways to cope.

The x-rays showed nothing all that bad for a senior citizen. In a word, it’s osteoarthritis. That’s a catch phrase, which includes misaligned vertebrae and bone spurs.

I already had eight weeks of massage therapy, which helped loosen tight muscles, but it could not undo the pain of arthritis, most notably when I turn my neck to the right.

More consultation with a physical therapist has given me some excellent stretching exercises that will loosen tight muscles, and that will improve neck mobility.

But I needed something more before I could ride comfortably.

It came in the form of an upright position in the saddle, and I mean upright.

I purchased Sunlite Northroad alloy handlebars. They have the shape found on 3-speeds of days gone by.

I couldn’t think of a handlebar that would help me sit more straight. These have a sweep back of 7.5 inches from the stem.

Now my neck doesn’t bother me. I switched to a saddle with more padding for my upright position.

The handlebars have a fair amount of give in them, which helps absorb road shock.

Now I’m the only rider on the planet with these handlebars and Campagnolo Super Record cranks.

I added some Shimano EF41 3/7-speed brake/shift levers.

In addition to all these helpful changes, I installed my waxed chain. What a difference.

I pedaled over to Dale Saso’s to show him my Frankenbike. More on that later.

I’ll still ride my Ritchey with the drop bars in the hills.

 

 

Bay Area Bike Rides Deck now in digital format

Kindle map sample shown on my smart phone.

And now a word from our sponsor. Bay Area Bike Rides Deck, for the first time, is available in digital format, on Kindle.

The print deck and Kindle went on sale this week.

I had a look and I’m delighted with how the Kindle version turned out. Each map and text page is faithfully reproduced.

As a bonus, you can magnify the maps to see the terrain in stunning detail. I spent hours noodling over the roads in magnified mode when I made them. I didn’t just guess where the roads went.

By double-tapping on a page, you can quickly scroll through thumbnails. It’s an elegantly simple design. It appeals to the minimalist in me.

As a reminder, all of the routes are available for download into a bike computer on Ride with GPS.

Close-up view of a map on Kindle.

 

 

 

Shimano’s Ultegra levers somewhat fragile

Shimano Ultegra 6700 front shifter fail at cable head.

 

 

UPDATE: After mulling over the failure, it might be that two hard crashes on the left shifter caused the spring failure. The shifter has many fragile parts, including the post where the spring clipped in. I haven’t seen any complaints similar to mine, so that makes me think the crashes caused the failure, not normal wear and tear.

Once you’ve been riding as long as I have, you too can trace the arc of bike component design evolution. I hope your results turn out better than what I’m seeing.

Inspired by my recent YouTube immersion watching people fix things, I dived into a complete overhaul of my Ritchey Break Away with Shimano Ultegra 6700 components. I figured this will be the last time I embark on such an odious task.

And now for the results. The brake calipers, bottom bracket, front and rear derailleur work flawlessly after 50,000 miles. The chainwheels have seen better days and need replacement. However, I stripped the allen bolts holding the chainwheels together. I could probably fix them, but it’s not worth the trouble.

The open-bearing hubs are working fine, but I find them difficult to adjust. The Mavic Open Pro rims I built are true.

That leaves the shift levers. Here’s where I think the bike industry is doing consumers a disservice. They’re way too complicated, with lots of little bits that break over time.

The front shifter “failed” when I took out the old cable. The tiny part that holds the cable head in place [more likely the spring clip] has disintegrated. Realistically, they’re not serviceable, and they cost $400 a set.

I didn’t realize that the Ultegra levers have electronic components (ribbon cable, circuit board) inside them, despite not having electronic shifting in mine.

New Shimano 105 front lever where cable head seats.

A bike manufacturer needs to reintroduce downtube shifters. Not that those are any better when it comes to maintenance. They also have a lot of tiny parts that break or wear out, but cost a lot less.

The new brake levers would keep the ergonomic shape of modern brakes. The Campagnolo Nuovo Record levers were small and not so comfortable, at least in old age.

I decided to buy Shimano 105, levers and crankset. I bought a new BB just because I’ve got everything apart and it doesn’t make sense to keep it when a new one is $24.

Shimano 105 costs half as much as Ultegra and will be fine for my needs.

The frame has no dents or cracks. It will outlive me, for sure.

 

Follow up: The front shifter has broken bits inside that caused the springs to stop working. That makes sense because I noticed more difficult shifting, but just figured it was old age. I need another lever to see which parts are broken.

 

“Bike Column Memories” brings the 1980s to life

Available now on Amazon.

Back in the 1980s I wrote a column for the San Francisco Chronicle (1985-1988). I repackaged the articles and posted them in print and ebook. Available on Amazon.

Print

Kindle ebook

There’s more…I’m packaging this blog into a single ebook, with photos.

And even more soon…but it’s a secret. Stay tuned.

Cameras capture memories to last a lifetime

Sony’s RX100 pocket camera takes great pics with plenty of megapixels.

In the age of digital everything, progress doesn’t stand still and that applies to pocket cameras. For the past seven years I’ve been using a Sony RX100. In camera years, that’s about a century.

The camera works flawlessly and at 20 megapixels it’s all I need for resolution. What came before the Sony is a series of cameras dating back to December 1980. Here’s the history.

Previous to the Sony, I used a Canon PowerShot SD850 starting in 2007, which at the time offered everything I could ask for. At 8 megapixels it could take photos large enough for my needs. However, it suffered in low light.

Canon SD850is, my go-to camera before the Sony RX100

It was small, durable, had a viewfinder, panorama mode, and took great photos. It was a sophisticated camera with a lot of adjustability in its day. That’s good and bad.

When you’re out on a bike ride you typically don’t want to fuss with settings. I shoot in manual mode on occasion, but I find myself using the Auto setting most of the time.

This camera also had excellent 640×480 video. However, don’t forget that wind noise will ruin the audio, and there’s plenty of wind while riding.

Days of Film
I’m going to turn back the time machine to the days of film. Remember film? I started taking photos on bike rides in December 1980 when I bought an Olympus XA pocket camera. By no means was it the first pocket camera, but it was one of the first mass-produced, affordable, lightweight pocket cameras on the market. It took great photos.

Olympus XA2 was a fantastic value and one of the best film pocket cameras ever made.

No discussion of pocket cameras would be complete without mentioning the Rollei 35. Introduced in 1966, the German-made (later Singapore) camera was revolutionary in its day. It took superb photos, however it was dogged by a light meter needle that broke. Later versions went to LED light meters, but they had their own problems.

I use a long neck strap and put the camera in my jersey pocket, protected in a sandwich bag to keep out the sweat. These pocket cameras are so easy to handle I can take photos while riding no-hands.

In the days before digital, I shot mostly Kodak 64 color transparencies. We had a Kodak lab in Palo Alto that could give a quick turn-around at a good price. I’ve scanned many of my slides using a Konica Minolta Dimage Scanner, no longer made.

Contax T disappoints
In 1985 I decided to upgrade, so I spent a whopping $400 on a ContaxT. It was supposed to be the best pocket camera in the universe. By any measure, it was a finely crafted pocket camera, but I can’t say it was worth the price. I got comparable results with the Olympus. Photos of my Europe trips were taken with the Contax T.

Contax T promised the world in film but didn’t deliver. A fine camera, but prone to breaking.

What was worse, my dream camera broke, not once but twice. I returned it and paid $135 each time for a repair, neither which lasted long. I would get back clear slides. The shutter must have been sticking.

My next camera was a Pentax IQ Zoom. It was bulky but it had a powerful zoom. I didn’t use this camera long before I switched to digital. I also shot a lot of print film with it, for some odd reason.

Enter the digital world
Around 2004 I switched to digital, starting with a Fuji Finepix a303. At 3 megapixels it was fine for the Web. The camera was easy to use and took great photos.

Fuji Finepix was my first digital camera. A great workhorse that delivered fine pics.

Longing for something with more pixels, I purchased a Pentax Optio S60. Pentax has long been my favorite camera maker, but I discovered a drawback. I had to compose the photo without a viewfinder. The LCD screen was large, but in bright light I couldn’t see what I was shooting.

Pentax OptioS60 was good, but not great as a digital camera.

Still, it was a fine camera and I used its special panorama setting often. Software that came with the camera could stitch together three photos.

It’s amazing to see all the excellent pocket cameras on the market. No matter which brand you choose, you can’t go wrong. These magic boxes preserve memories and that’s about as close as we’ll ever get to being young and strong again.

Today’s best cameras
I recommend two cameras: the Sony RX100 Model III and the Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II. I think Sony overreached with its latest RX100 Model VI. It sacrifices low-light performance for zoom. Canon’s G9 Mark II is easily the best value. Both cameras are the smallest on the market.

Finally, a word on smartphone cameras. They’re great, but I sometimes like to preserve an image in RAW format. RAW has huge advantages over jpeg for preserving image quality. Some phones will capture in RAW, so check it out if you don’t want a dedicated camera.

GPS vs. Avocet 35: Which is more accurate?

Avocet 35 cyclometer compares favorably against the Garmin 500 for miles ridden.

Don’t expect me to give you an answer to this burning question. The Avocet 35 was one of the most accurate cyclometers on the market, and still is today, long after it bit the dust.

I calibrated my Avocet cyclometer before the ride, and measured it against a known distance to confirm. The tire pressure may have been off a few pounds.

The result on a recent ride with some rocky trail was 46.55 miles for Avocet, 46.47 to the Garmin Edge 500.

I looked up the accuracy of GPS and came across Sheldon Brown’s description (speaking to us from the grave) of GPS, which has interesting details explaining why GPS can have some variations. A must read.

On a ride back in 2008, I compared the VDO with the ancient Specialized Pro. My Hecker Pass route totaled exactly the same distance of 95.72 miles!

Two of my favorite cyclometers matched perfectly on a 95 mile ride. Uncanny.

Making a case for an ancient side-pull brake

Aging Campagnolo rear brake caliper finds new life on my road bike, solving several problems.

I’ve always been a fan of Campagnolo Nuovo/Super Record brakes because they were built to last and looked nice.

But with age comes weaker hands and I have difficulty squeezing the front brakes hard enough to stop quickly. It’s an issue with those old Campagnolo brakes because they had a 1-1 cable pull ratio.

I can’t begin to explain how brakes work, but suffice it to say they use cables and fulcrums to create mechanical advantage. The bottom line is that the higher the mechanical advantage, the easier it is to exert force. Today’s brakes mostly use a 3:1 mechanical advantage.

But it comes at a cost. As Jobst Brandt so often pointed out in the biketech forum, Campagnolo brakes of yore had the advantage of working even with a wobbly wheel, say after breaking a spoke. As brake pads wore, you didn’t have to adjust your brakes so often. Finally, Campagnolo brakes could accommodate fat tires with ease due to a quick-release that opened the brake calipers plenty wide.

All that said, I decided to try Campagnolo brakes on my modern brake levers. The result was not good. I found the front brake hard to use. I had to pull especially hard to stop. The Campagnolo brake arms work better with their original levers, but they’re still harder to use than Shimano Ultegra or other modern brakes.

After giving it some thought, I tried using the Campagnolo brake caliper in the rear only. That worked well. It’s still not quite as easy to use the rear brake, but 90 percent of your stopping power comes from the front brake. No big deal.

I gained the advantages of using Campagnolo calipers, and that is a big deal on the rear wheel where most flats occur and spokes break much more often. I especially dislike Shimano brakes when it comes to removing a wheel with a 28 mm wide tire. That’s no longer a problem with the Campagnolo rear brake.

Doing the research made me realize that brake ratios are not something taken lightly by the bike industry. Bike companies are constantly fiddling with brakes by changing ratios and designs that try to fix problems. However, like so many well-meaning engineering efforts, the lack of understanding about how things work has delivered us some less-than-satisfactory solutions over the years.

More reading here:
Arts Cyclery; Park Tool; Bike Forums; Cycling UK

Wool jacket fits active lifestyles

I purchased the Sheep Dip jacket. Other garments are available.

I haven’t owned a wool clothing item in eons, so when Dave McLaughlin offered a jacket on Kickstarter, I figured I could use one for those wet cold days, like the one today.

A Kickstarter purchase is never a sure thing, so when it arrived on time I was already ahead of the game. I’ve had all good luck with Kickstarter, purchasing a bike bell made in San Francisco, a board game, a book, and a cycling video camera.

Quality has generally been excellent with only one minor disappointment. The video camera broke, but it was replaced free of charge.

I’ve been wearing the jacket more often with colder weather, so I can now give my review. I’m pleased with the purchase, with two exceptions. The sleeves are a little tight at the wrist when putting on the jacket. The sleeves are just right once on.

It’s itchy. However, with wear that is becoming less noticeable and I expect it will disappear with time. The fabric reminds me of felt, a blend of wool and polyester. It’s washable in cold water.

What I like about the jacket first and foremost: it’s fashionable. It fits perfectly on my slim frame. I like the full-length zipper and the abundant, large pockets, a big plus on cold days when you want to keep your hands warm. My size is medium.

It’s not a cycling jacket, but you can wear it for short bike rides around town with no problem. Dave designed his jacket for post-exercise activities, like going to a restaurant or visiting friends, and so on.

Another plus is that the jacket keeps me warm. No complaints in that department. Wool is a great fabric for warmth even when wet.

The price was a real deal on Kickstarter and it’s still competitive with other similar jackets on the market. If you’re interested in buying a jacket and supporting a veteran Northern California cyclist with your purchase, check it out on the DMAC website or on Facebook.

2017 Bay Area Bike Rides Calendar

2107 calendar cover. Available now.

I create a Bay Area Bike Rides calendar every year, mostly for fun and to remember my rides for the year. Enjoy.

Ultegra Cassette lasts 25,000 miles

Cassettes wear out eventually. Small cogs go first.

Inquiring minds want to know: How long will my freewheel cassette last? How about 25,000 miles?

That’s what I got from my Ultegra 6700. Here are some caveats:

1. Cleaned the chain regularly, like every 500 miles.

2. Rode mostly on pavement, only about 2 percent off-road.

3. Replaced the chains between 0.5 and 0.75 on the Park chain-wear measurement tool.

So how do you know when your cassette sprockets are worn? The chain skips or catches sometimes; you feel the occasional slip when starting up. Note that when a chain is worn, front chainwheel shifting degrades.

Track your miles. I can’t imagine a cassette lasting more miles than what I got from mine.

Once again, I got about 6,500 miles [WRONG. I SWITCH CHAINS. I GOT ABOUT 3,500 MILES] from Ultegra 6600/6701 chains. I could not detect any difference between the models in terms of longevity or shifting.

Unless you break a sprocket, I wouldn’t bother trying to save money by swapping out the smaller or worn cogs. I replaced only the sprockets, not the body. It’s running smoothly.

Finally, my Ultegra brake pads lasted about 25,000 miles as well. I moved the back to the front to extend life. I still have the originals on the back, so more than 25,000 miles with careful management. Of course, I ride where there are a lot of hills, so these pads could last longer.