Wordless Wednesday :: Schooldaze ~ Sixth Grade

Windswept Tree

Ceci N'est Pas une Bicyclette: a Peek at the Brooks Two Wheel Display

Has anyone else noticed that mystery bike Brooks of England uses to display their wares? You know the one - It's army green and you can see glimpses of it in their catalogues and advertisements, though never enough to identify what the bike is? Turns out, Harris Cyclery now has one of these up on display. Last time I was there, they were kind enough to get it down and even let me drag it outside for some photos - extracting a promise that I wouldn't attempt to ride it.






Because you see, it is not a bicycle. It is a two wheel display ("Warning: Do not ride!") What makes it unridable is mainly the lack of brakes, though I suppose there might be other issues. It felt very bike-like to roll.






Usually this bicycle is laden with panniers and stuff in the basket, so being able to examine it bare was quite a treat. It is an odd bike with no manufacturer markings I could find.Lugged steel frame with unicrown fork. Same colour of powdercoat as the Bella Ciao I used to have. Step-through frame, the top tube at a slightly shallower angle that the downtube. Fenders, rack and chaincase powdercoated to match. And of course Brooks saddle, grips and basket.






The Brooks advertising panel is painted on a thin sheet of metal and affixed between the top and down tubes.Notice that the clips holding the banner in place are part of the frame. The head lugs are unusually filigree-esque for a transport bike, but there is nothing fancy about the frame otherwise.






The rear rack resembles the rack on the Bobbin Birdie.






The chaincase looks identical to those used by Abici.






The wire and wood Hoxton basket affixes to the handlebars via a quick-release system.






The leather washers on the handle are a nice touch.






The obvious benefit of the Brooks "Two Wheel Display" is that it allows them to demonstrate their products on an actual bike, without associating themselves with any particular bicycle manufacturer. I do wish the bike was ridable though. In general, it would be neat if bikes with advertising panels came back into style: Local shops could use them for errands, advertising their business along the way. I still don't know what exactly the Brooks bike is, when it appeared, how many of them are out there, etc. - but it was fun to examine it up close.

Ice tool rotation?

1st genPetzl Nomic and a new Trango Raptor




"Here is a bit of rehashed info (from ) on the rotation issue some are having with the newest tools.



If you have bought a "new" tool that looks a lot like a Nomic something worth pondering if it isn't "working" quite right for you.A few people coming from a Nomic are finding an uncomfortable "bounce" in a few of the newer tools on ice and the tool being a little scary when pulling bulges. If you are new to this kind of tool likely you will have even more problems climbing pure ice and be blaming all sorts of things. Generally what is getting blamed is not going to be a "fix".



Climbers have little or no no institutional memory generally.

Yes even a couple of degrees one way or the other on pick angle will make a difference. But if it were only that obvious it would be an easy fix. Blaming the pick angle as "too steep" generally isn't the problem. I can think of two tools specifically that opening up the grip even just a little and gaining more rotation in the swing makes a big difference.



It is not a hand /glove size issue for length of grip. Much as one might first think between pick angle and grip size. I've foundthat it is neither of those particular issues.






more rotation





less rotation




Many of us asked for a spike on the Nomic. ThenBD gave it to us as the new Fusion. But if you have climbed very long you'll remember how we all choked the end of a shaft to get a better swing on short tools often almost negating/chopping the spike off all together for steep ice performance to eliminate bounce and help pulling bulges BD's Fusion spike you can remove. Take a close look at thenew DMM, the newest Grivel "Machine", Edelrid's, Camp's X Dreamoffering orTrango Raptor. Not all the grips are the same. Tight grips for the little pinky limit rotation as do spikes (most every one's) or additional blades (Petzl). Bigger is likely better when it comes to the size of the constriction for the little finger. Smaller is better on the spike. Simply because either in the wrong size(any size?) willlimit the rotation available from the tool. Limited rotation means a unfriendly tool in many ways on pure ice.






Brian pulling on 1st gen Nomics




For some the arc of swing on a new tools with a spike intact is limited to small side of 180 degrees without changing your grip. While the olderNomic and a smooth pommel (no blade) can go something like 210 degrees. Don't hold me to the exact numbers but realise one tool can swing a bigger arc than the other inside the palm of your hand. It is important for pulling bulges.











Nomic/Fusion over lay






Very cool to have a removable spike or no spike. Remove the spike for steep mixed and ice and you'll gain some but not all of the arc/rotation back. Most of the bounce will also disappear. With the use of a Dremel/grinder/hand file (or just some good rough emery paper) you can get an equal amount of swing arc on the new Fusion/Raptor by rounding the inside and end of the pommel more like the olderNomic grip. Might make a big difference for you if you are having small issues with any of the newertools with a tight bottom grip.Opening up the trigger slot on the bottom of the grip will gain rotation of the tool in your hand.



A simple, inexpensive mod, takes just a few minutes with power tools, that might make a big difference for you. Down side is you loose the umbilical attachment on the spike. But that's not a big deal on hard cragging anyway and most will use umbilicals and the spike on longer stuff no matter what small disadvantages on hard technical ground they both might create.



More rotationin the shaft will alsoallowa strongergrip with less effort. Much as you might like that super tight grip on your little finger. Some times bigger is better!"
















DMM Switch










Edelrid's












Trango Raptor







Camp X Dream





That is the modern stuff. The idea of the tool having enough rotation in the hand to be useful is not new. I didn't come up wiht this stuff by myself. Just been around long enough to see how it has changed climbing and always made it easier if the reasoning is better understood.



Here are the ferrule and spike from the classic Chouinard Bamboo Piolet (top) and the secondmore technical tool, the Chouinard Bamboo Zero (bottom). The Zero has been taped for a better grip.















The Ferrule on each tool is the same size. The spike on the Zero is almost exactly a 1/2 size replica of the original Piolets. 6cm cut down to 3cm. One reason....and that was to allow better rotation in the hand. Which resulted in easier sticks and less effort.



Some even went to the extremeand prefered nospikefor their own water falltools.

The Ultimate question isn't it?

Good interview here as well:



http://www.tetongravity.com/blogs/Interview-Tempting-Fear-With-Andreas-Fransson-And-Mike-Douglas-6378877.htm



and more here on another huge line....



http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews1.lasso?l=2&keyid=40154#

Grand Canyon :: Sunset at Hopi Point

On our last night at the Canyon (April 17th) we decided to take in another sunset. This time on the southwest side of the Canyon, at Hopi Point.

A close-up view showing a bit of the ruggedness of the Canyon.

The late afternoon sun emphasizes the “hills and valleys” of the Canyon.

The waning rays of the sun also bring out a little of the color in the Canyon.

Quite a few people view the sunsets at Hopi Point. There were three buses and more in the queue to take everyone back to Grand Canyon Village.

The setting sun, split in two by a layer of clouds. It was a fitting end to a very nice day and a great way to end our time at the Grand Canyon.

Coaster Roadster!

Behold my beloved Raleigh DL-1 Lady Tourist! Lovely as usual, is she not?

Ah, but some things about her are not at all "as usual". Can you tell that the lady has had major surgery? Probably not, and that's the beauty of it; her classic roadster features have been left intact.

But oh, what's this here? Why yes, it's a Sturmey-Archer S3C coaster brake hub! And with it, the bicycle has been magically transformed to an unmatched state of fabulousity.

For those unfamiliar with the saga: The Raleigh DL-1 is basically the holy grail of vintage "Roadsters," particularly the lady's loop frame. These bicycles are elegant, comfortable and surprisingly fast. There is only one tragic drawback: They were made with rod brakes, which is a braking system that is not the greatest even in dry weather, and completely ineffective in the rain. I got my DL-1 last summer and it has been my preferred bicycle ever since, despite the poor braking power. Still, I hoped that someday a conversion to a more effective braking system would make it perfect. Imagine my elation that this day has come!

If you are wondering how we did this, I will first say that it is definitely a "don't try this at home" project unless you are mechanically inclined, or have a spouse who is. But to summarise: You will need to get a 3-speed coaster brake hub and to have a new wheel built around it. You cannot put the coaster brake hub in the old wheel, because these hubs were designed for a different number of spokes. If you are planning to keep the original rod brakes (which you have to, unless you want to replace the handlebars), the new wheel needs to have a 28" rod-brake rim. These are distinct from regular rims, in that they have a special notch for the rod brake pads to grip. Yellow Jersey sells these rims, and they can also build you the wheel if you send them the coaster brake hub.

And that is what we did: I got the hub from an acquaintance who happened to have one (and who sent this monogrammed reaction arm clamp to go with it!), and had the wheel built by Yellow Jersey. Upon receiving the new wheel in the mail, we stayed up half the night attaching it to the bike. There are various little nuances that made it, shall we say, challenging - but it is doable. I will post a more detailed account on Boston Retro Wheelmen soon; for now I still have PTSD from the process. But let's be frank: A mild case of PTSD is a small sacrifice for the miracle of a secret coaster brake on a classic rod-brake roadster!

After the coaster-brake wheel installation, I spent the following day riding the bike everywhere; it was difficult to get me off of it! I tried hills, high-traffic routes, bridges - all kinds of situation where the brakes would be put to the test. I even got stuck in the pouring rain on my way home from downtown Boston - which was not intentional, but perfectly timed for testing the brakes in wet weather. If you've been reading this blog, you know I like coaster brakes, and this one performs fantastically. Upon back-pedaling, it comes to a soft (non-jolting) but reliable stop, making hand braking completely unnecessary, other than for preventing the bicycle from rolling when stopped at a traffic light. One funny thing about this hub, is that it is very-very loud: a steady ticking noise when pedaling, amplified tenfold when coasting. Well, at least they can hear me approach!

It did not take me long to get used to the DL-1 having a coaster brake and to adapt my braking patterns accordingly. With the rod brakes, I used to plan my stops in advance and I feared rain. Now I am free from worrying about such things and can fully enjoy this wonderful bicycle. There are other ways of installing effective brakes on the DL-1, like attaching the rods to a rollerbrake hub or replacing the whole rod system with standard brakes and conventional handlebars. But I chose the coaster brake, both because I like the system in itself, and because it allowed me to preserve everything about this bicycle exactly as it was - making it my very own Coaster Roadster.