Here she is!!!!

Dec. 1 – A great big box just arrived to my home and she is gorgeous.  I brought her in out of the cold and sat her on the love seat where I snapped her first pictures since she has been mine.  We watched a little Thursday Evening TV and I wrapped her wheel stay in a soft neoprene chain guard.  I plan on taking this build slow and enjoying every minute of it.  By finishing in mid Jan 2012 I will be able have her coming out party at the Polar Bear Metric.  I will be documenting each stage of the build here so check back often and let me know what you think.

Dec.2 – 1st glitch in the build.  I had a set of really nice Continental tires (or tyres for you funny speaking types) for the project but when I put them on they did not fit.  They were “Town and Country” 2.1 inches wide and they did fit on my V2 frame so I thought it would be an easy fit.  Not so.  They need another 3/4″ to fit so for now I put my Primo Comet 1.5″ tires on and they do not look as cool but they do fit.  This is just a temp fix and I have already ordered a new set of tires and will let you all know when they arrive.

What a beauty.

It seems Rans wants to clean out the back room and their loss is definitely my gain.  I have a few really nice components sitting around and this is just the winter project they have been waiting for.  She should arrive late this week or early next so keep a watch here for details of the build.  I chose the steel frame over the aluminum in the hope that it would have a bit more give to it as opposed to the road bump vibrations I have experienced from my past aluminum frames.  If my V2 is any indication, I am in for a treat.

The day began as a beautiful fall day and just climbed upward from there.  I had a load of stuff to make happen and with the support and help of friends it all went even better than we had hoped.

I determined early on this year that I would ride this year so I planned to jump into the 34 mile route with our warriors.  R Cantwell would brief the 15 mile crowd and ride along with them so all was going well.

I am familiar with the route and ride it often so I knew where I wanted to get video so I took my trusty FlipHD and off I rode.  The pace was slow so I had plenty of time to chat and get to know everyone and I really have to say once again these guys are some of the finest I have ever met.  They each have their own challenges but seem to take them on with not a sign of complaining, or weakening in their determination to be a positive force in life.  They were a blast to hang out with and I am looking forward to riding with them again.

We will soon be planning with the Warrior Ride folks for the upcoming year and I hope we can connect for more great rides.  Here is the finished video, hope you like it!!

Can I clean this chain?

How much rust is too much??

My dad once said that everyone has an opinion.  He then proceeded to tell me exactly what most of those opinions are worth.  This topic is sorta like that.  Few things get more traction or generate more divergent opinions than when someone asks the simple question, “How do you take care of your chain?”  Simple enough on it’s surface but oh what a divisive subject.  Couples have divorced over far less than the differences found on chain maintenance.

For some it is a simple, lubricate it and ride.  For others it is a religion complete with all the trappings that come from the most intricate of ceremonies.

“On the morning of the autumnal equinox, accompanied by a virgin, arise before the sun.  Address the morning by facing the East and bowing to the primal forces of nature.  As the sun climbs into the ……..”   and so it goes.

I tend to fall somewhere in the middle.  I lube regularly as I am certain it makes shifting cleaner and more efficient.  My selection of lubricants has changed over the years and I expect I still have many new lubes to try (“There’s always time for lube”).  Currently I use a teflon based dry lube and it seems to work well.  I apply it usually every couple hundred miles just prior to a ride and then wipe the chain down both before and after the ride.  My trusty 3in1 oil can comes in handy for the brake pivots and idler wheels but I never use a spray on anything.  Not because they are ineffective but because if I am just a bit sloppy the overspray makes for some exciting moments trying to stop.

As far as cleaning goes, I remove my chain in the spring and again in the fall and drop it into a big plastic bottle of mineral spirits, shake, soak overnight, shake again and dump.  If it is extremely grungy I may change the spirits and shake once more.  Dry and reinstall.  I definitely subscribe to the KISS principle of chain maintenance.

Current method for my chain line lube. Pedal and drip.

A clean cassette is a happy cassette!

Like I said, over the years my choice of lube has changed.  I have used 30w motor oil,  wax based lubes, teflon/dry lubes, and once even chain saw oil.  At times these changes were related to my income level as much as personal preference.  My reality is, some were easier to use, some left me with more gunk build-up, but all lubed with equal efficiency when used as directed.

I have used those really cute little machines to brush each link as it is passed through and even listened to fellows who hand brushed each link with the precision of an oral hygienist and soaked their chain in some sort of toxic, flammable liquid that made it shine like new.  My mineral spirits and plastic bottle works well and is easy to use so I will probably stay with it and be happy.  In a really dusty summers I might add an extra cleaning in there but usually 2x a year keeps me and my chainrings happy.

Even with the collected road grime the chain is still looking good.

All in all, I will sum this up with, Lube regularly with (insert choice here).  Clean regularly (insert frequently here).  That is all I have to say about that, besides, the autumnal equinox is fast approaching and I have a ceremony to prepare.

Down the road aways.

Reflecting pond on the 34 mile route

It is time for the 2nd annual Honor the Warriors Bicycle Ride.  This is a fantastic ride through the rolling hills of NC.  We drew 82 riders last year and hope for more this time.  The ride is set for the Saturday before Veteran’s Day to celebrate the sacrifice of veterans of all the military services.  We will begin with a sunrise concert from the youth choir of Hickory Grove Methodist Church culminating with presentation of the colors and opening remarks.

Midland NC.

Old homestead along 66 mile route

Our ride has 3 routes of varying distances, 66 miles, 34 miles and 15 miles.  The terrain is rolling hills with several long flat areas and just a couple short climbs on the 66 mile route.  All in all it is a gentle ride that would be good for any experience level of rider.

Couch in the tree landmark

The ride will be followed by a great BBQ catered by Hooters and a chance to swap stories/tall tales with veterans and supporters of the Military Family LifeStyle Charitable Foundation.

The ride requires a 45$ donation that can be made at www.mflcf.org All profits from the ride will go to the USO of NC and the MFLCF.

Fall foliage

Each rider will receive a goodie bag, a water bottle and a sports shirt with the Honor the Warriors Bicycle Ride logo emblazoned across the left breast, an American flag on the left sleeve and the MFLCF logo on the right sleeve.  These are top quality shirts that can be worn anywhere.

Down the hill

Following are links that will allow you to view the routes via “Ride with GPS”.  You may also download the routes directly to your GPS so that you are prepared ahead of time.  The maps are excellent and “Ride with GPS” has some very cool features that are easy to use and best of all, free.  A word on the downloadable cue sheets…  they are wrong.  There are places where they say “turn right” and you should be turning left.  There is at least one turn that is not correct and it is physically unmarked so you will get lost if you follow them.  I have corrected cue sheets for the day of the ride so you can pick them up then or e-mail me at;  morrisj@mflcf.org and I can mail them out to you.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/135308 15 mile route

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/194007 34 mile route

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/151542 66 mile route

I removed the original seat and then unscrewed the Radloc from the seat base.  Unfortunately the holes in the Euromesh did not line up with the mounting holes in the Radloc so let’s break out Mr Dewalt and a 8mm drill.

Radloc lined up on Euromesh support bracket

I lined up the Radloc and clamped it down, center punched the new hole positions and drilled away.

The braces matched up perfectly so all I had to do there was unbolt them from the original seat and bolt them onto the new one.  I had to learn the hard way that it is always best to use some sort of locking nut and or threadloc compound on anything you do not want to break free at an inopportune moment.

Ready to clamp on to V2

In that same spitit I used 3/4″ flat head screws on the seat bottom mount with nyloc nuts.  One other hard lesson was if the original engineer designed something for 4 screws, use 4 screws, even if it looks like 2 would do, use the 4. Someone went to engineering school for a reason.

Seat struts line up well.

Euromesh with pad ready to ride

The final product turned out pretty good and so far the 100+ miles I have put on it are very comfortable ones with an added bonus of a slight pick up in speed.  It did take a few miles to get used to the more reclined position but I may be ready to sell the original Rans seat.

Cades Cove Loop

I am a bit late on this post but here it is anyway.  During my TN trip this summer I asked around and found that I was really pretty close to a place I had heard about but never visited.  I decided I would make the 45 min drive out to the National Park and ride Cades Cove Loop.

What a fateful decision that turned out to be.  I had a direct route from my

U Man Bike Shop

daughter’s house to Townsend, TN and from there it was just a quick trip up the road to the loop.  But wait, there is more……  in Townsend I ran into a shop that rents recumbent trikes.  It is owned by Bill a regular on RRI (Recumbent Riders International), and although he was not around his lovely wife Kiela was.  This was not just a shop but Bill manufactures Edge Recumbents.  They are really

U Man, KMX rental stable

great modifications on the old Burley line and really are a good deal.  Quality manufacturing and a great product.  They rent trikes to be used in and around Townsend and their 11+ miles of trails.  Looks like a great idea to me and I wish them luck.

Traffic anyone??

After a quick chat I headed out and the park was fantastic.  Kiela had warned me that traffic would be bad on the loop but I was going anyway, traffic be damned.  She was correct, the traffic was very often bumper to my front tire, especially when one of the local inhabitants dropped by for a bit of lunch.  There were quite a few deer and they were not hesitant about munching away very near the road.  The “Loop” is a newish one way blacktop road that snakes around a rather large bowl scraped out

Around the corner there was a deer 10 feet from the road just looking around and enjoying this view.

of the Smokey Mountain Range by some geologic forces that are fully explained by the rangers but I was more interested in riding than listening.  There are some hills and some flats, some wooded and some open but it is all beautiful.  Pics were taken ohhs and ahhs were exchanged and traffic ground to a halt quite often.  It was still a great 11 mile ride and I will make a point of coming back when I can ride either a Wednesday or Saturday morning when the road is closed to motor traffic from 0800-1000.  I am looking forward to it.  I will post a few pics so you can also enjoy the beauty of this lovely ride.

Sunlight through the trees.

Time to slow down??

Water Tower in Lenoir City, TN

Taking a break from NC and the heat and visiting family in the TN heat. Of course a bike came with me despite the daunting prospect of pulling my fat butt up and over these hills in SE TN. I brought the Tango because I am trying to put more miles on it to decide if I want to convert it to a highracer and an open cockpit. If I do I will post the progress on this site with pics and results of the changes.
Back to the rides and although brief, I have been able to keep an 11+mph avg on the big terrain. I think I really helped my technique on these hills just because I have to spin as opposed to the mashing I can do when tired.

Grandbaby Keely Jane on her bike ride with "Bagdi"

Met with Jon D from Recumbent Riders International and had a great little ride along the greenway.  There is a ton of construction going on but it is still a great ride.  The old World Fair site was very nice and hopefully when the greenways are all cleared up I can ride it again this fall.

Knoxvill, TN World Fair Site.

Jerry

First task was to move the sensor from the front wheel to the main tube on my V2 so I could catch readings on my crank arm.  Some will place the sensor on the derailleur post but I prefer the left side of the main tube so that I had no interference with the chain and the distance between the sensor and magnet are minimized.

I took the magnet from the wheel and zipped it to the crank and then began the tweaking of the new installation.  First I had to reset the odometer to a wheel size of 1667 and the output reading to km.  If you have lost your instructions as I had you can look up almost anything on the internet so go ahead and do that and save it on your computer for future reference.  Your readings will be in kph so when it reads 7.3km your cadence is 73.  I took all of the extra wire I had added and wound it in a bundle and zipped it to the frame.  I did not want to cut the addition I had made “just in case.”

By using the wheel magnet I also had the advantage of the adjustment incorporated into the original design to fine tune the installation.  Even with this adjustment I was not able to make the sensor pick up the magnet because of the distance.  I then remembered I had picked up some very small rare earth magnets for a different project and broke them out.  I just let one adhere to the existing magnet and I became the proud owner of a cadence meter.

Note the small RE magnet on the original.  I used a drop of threadloc on the original magnet just to make sure it stayed in place.  If I need to I will add a drop of hot glue to hold the RE magnet in place, but so far it has not moved.

So far I have 5 rides (127) miles on it and all has gone well.  I get immediate readings on my cadence and an average at the end if I remember to reset the meter to zero at the beginning of my ride.

Old seat cover. Notice the arrow pointing to the hole.

Well due to a premature release of a radloc on a fun ride my seat cover got eaten by my rear wheel.  This was purely asthetic and the base of the seat was not damaged but in preparation for an upcoming ride I really wanted a new seat cover.

I checked out the Rans site and found their original covers are only $44 plus shipping but I really wanted something more.  I have a background in sewing machine and fabric application so with that in mind I was off to the fabric store.  The fabric had to be stretchy in multiple directions and should wear well.  I found a heavy spandex in a ton of designs,  Everything from leopard to candy stripes and I could not control myself.  I bought 2 different patterns to experiment with.  My favorites were the star spangled banner print and the tie-dyed peace signs.

Making A Pattern

Remember, 28 inches.

The first step was to remove the old seat cover and make a pattern.  The cover just slips off over the top of the seat bottom.  It is held in place with an elastic cord that is tied at the back of the seat.  Untie the cord and pull it out of the sleeve it is in.  It’s length is 28 inches so remember this point or write it down if you must.

Gently, gently, cut it away.

The next step is to gently cut the non-flexible sleeve from the seat cover fabric.  You will make a few holes but just do not make too many.  The fabric will be wrinkled so to flatten it to make an accurate pattern get your wife’s iron, set it on med-high and apply heat to the fabric with extreme caution.

Cool iron, not too hot or it will all melt.

Use a sheet of paper between the iron and the fabric or you will end up with molten fabric dripping from the iron and no pattern.

Once it is fairly flat the middle of the fabric will be puckered up but as long as the edges are good you will be able to make an accurate pattern for the future.  You can use cardboard but I had a yoga mat that was not getting much use so with a sharp pair of scissors a pattern was born.

For Sale, used yoga mat. Odd hole in the middle but otherwise in great shape.

Hippy days are here again.....

Making The Seat Cover

Seal the ends of all nylon with a hot knife.

With pattern in hand, I cut a few pieces of my very cool fabric and now the real work began.  I am pretty familiar with my wife’s machine and it did not require any special set-up so it was a matter of gathering my materials and sewing away.  The casing I needed for the cord had to be non-stretchy so I found 1 1/2″ ribbon at WallyWorld and bought a roll of it for each fabric.  I cut it with a hot knife to a length of 65″.  This was based on the old one I had removed from the original.

I added a bit of fabric to the casing to allow for the stretch of the spandex.

Make sure you use a hot knife or something to seal the ends of any nylon you cut.

Begin at the back of the seat at the midline and work slowly around the cut fabric.  The stretchy fabric should be on top to keep the lower feet from pulling it and distorting the final product.  Here is a point where my wife and I differ.  I put the cord in the casing while I stitched it.  I have a really small presser foot so even though the cord is a pain and in the way, it works for me.  She prefers to stitch the project and then feed the cord through.  This takes time and if you stitch the casing a bit small you will have trouble passing the cord.

Great pattern for the upcoming Veterans Day ride.

Either way it works, but I think my way is easier with this fairly large cord.  When you get to the point where the casing meets its self make sure you overlap then 1/4 – 1/2″  This will ensure consistency when you tie the cord.  I further added a reinforcing piece of casing over the joined area but it is probably not required.

Fun fabric. A very cool seat for any occasion.

Next tie the cord in a square knot and then seal the knot with a few drops of super glue to keep it together.  Now work the fabric around the cord as evenly as possible and slip it on the seat pad.  You are now the proud owner of a freshly covered seat in very snazzy colors and patterns.  From a 1/2 yd of fabric you will get 3 covers easily.  Later on I found some ribbon for casing that complimented some of the fabrics very well so I see many more covers in my future.  The total cost of the cover is about $5 and most of that was the ribbon used for casing.  The elastic cord (3/16 – 1/4″)is available from a good fabric store for pennys.

The perfect seat for the Veterans Day ride

Overall it was an easy project with some very cool results.  I am not sure how long the printed designs will stay on the fabric but I have several hundred miles on it and no wear so far.  I will keep you posted if wear becomes an issue.

NOTE 2/2011: After several months and loads of miles the stars (silk screened on) are wearing off a bit but the over-all performance of the seat cover has been very nice.  I still get comments about the seat and may be looking towards a star tailsok for this summer’s project.