Bicycle
The bicycle is a convival tool. It's transparent, efficient, modular, adaptable, and repairable. It is a truly human scale vehicle that allows a person to move themselves long distances with only the energy stored in their bodies. The bicycle at its best is the ultimate vision for mankind; humble tools that empower us to do more than we were born capable of, but not beyond the limits of our environment.
Gear Ratios
Nothing here yet.
/bicycle Stream
November 17, 2023
/stream /repair /bicycle /fixie
The intention for the /fixie was always that it would be deeply refurbished and modifed over the winter. After a few months of riding it around and getting a feel for it, it was finally time to take the first step of a full disassembly, followed by a cleaning and a paint job.
When I bought the bike, it already had a pretty poorly applied two-tone spray-paint job, so I had always intended to sand it down and repaint it properly. I removed everything except the headset and bottom bracket, masked those off, and painted the bike a "British Racing Green" using
Since it's already mid-November here in Vermont, I was racing against the clock to get the bike painted before the temperature got too cold for the paint to be effective. I wish I had taken a bit more time to be more detailed in my sanding work and take the painting process slowly, but it was looking like I only had one last chance for the weather to cooperate the day I painted. Overall, it came out nicely, with only a few minor patches where previous paint/rust spots had not been fully smoothed out.
September 25, 2023
/stream /bicycle /repair /rad-runner
Last night I went to install a front rack on the /RadRunner Plus and had to reroute my front brake cable. By taking it out, it loosened a frayed part of the cable which then got jammed inside the cable housing, rendering the brake useless. I had never replaced a brake cable before, but a quick search told me it should be pretty straightforward. Today I was able to get a replacement cable from a local bike shop for $3 and swap it out in about 5 minutes.
The special notes were that brake cables are pretty standardized but are different than shifting cables, and that you have to match the "head" of the new brake cable with the one used in the brake lever. I was able to remove (and replace) my cable from the brake lever without tools by just aligning the slots in the barrel adjusters and pulling the cable through. I reused the existing rigid cable housing, and threaded the new cable through it. I was also able to re-use the cable-end cap from the old brake cable by sliding it off with needle-nose pliers, and then crimping it back onto the new cable. Finally, I used those same pliers to cut the new cable to length.
August 23, 2023
/stream /repair /bicycle /fixie
After riding around town on my new /fixie for the last week, I got tired of the seized rear brake and was itching to try and repair it. From what I could tell, it seemed to be a Bridgestone "Self Centering" side pull rim-brake, or at least something that was attempting to look like one. I removed the brake and disassembled it, cleaning all of the parts with soapy water and then soaking everything in distilled white vinegar over night. Afterwards, I brushed the rust off with a toothbrush, reasssembled, lubricated the pivots, and everything was working well.
August 12, 2023
/stream /bicycle /fixie
Today I bought a new (to me) /bicycle. A few weeks ago I tried riding a friend of a friend's beater fixie, and immediately fell in love. Since then, I've been on the hunt for a small, beat-up old bike that I could turn into my own nimble little /fixie, and today I found it.
It's a franken-bike with a seized rear brake, two different tires on two different wheels, and a spray paint job that looks like it was done by a teenager about 10 years ago. Most importantly, it's ridable and has a flip-flop rear hub with a single-speed freewheel and the fixed cog I was looking for. It needs a lot of work, but I'm excited to dive in.
July 15, 2023
/stream /bicycle /repair /rad-runner
Performed some light maintenance and repairs on my /RadRunner Plus. I have never done much bike maintenance, but I've been slowly adjusting the brake tension as the pads wore down over the last 18 months. Recently however, my small tweaks stopped making an impact and braking power has reduced, and I needed to actually learn what I was doing. Turns out there is an adjustment screw on the brake calipers that nudges the brake pads in or out, and I needed to nudge the pads closer to the disc a bit as it wore out. I removed and cleaned both calipers with a damp rag (avoiding the pads), made adjustments, and reattached them with the correct alignment by squeezing the brake cable while tightening. Braking power is back to 100%, and the slight rub and squeak I occasionally got is gone now too.