January 29, 2009
Cheap entertainment
I thought this was entertaining. Weird and somewhat drug induced? Probably.
Still...
| By mechanically | 2:55 PM | Comments (0)
January 24, 2009
New Ride
So, I decided that I lived too close to the office not to ride a bike as much as I can. In addition, my best friend and neighbor has been commuting to work 5 days a week all year long for years. It was high time I tried to keep up!
However, I decided that no ordinary bike would do. I wanted something a little special. So, I wandered into Suck Creek Cycle, my alma matter, and asked Mike if he had any old frames lying around. Lo and behold, this was hanging in the back corner:
It was dusty, and missing lots of stuff, but it was a beginning. I decided that I wanted to stick with the internal-gear hub, but give myself a little more than the 3 speeds the bike originally had. Sturmey-Archer was certainly the manufacturer with the most cachet in this regard, and moreover, they made a nifty 5-speed with a built-in drum brake. This was nice since the bike was missing one brake and I didn't want to go through the hassle of trying to find an old pair of Weinmann brakes on Ebay. I had the good folk at United Bicycle Supply (who have not gone out of business, whew!) swap the high-tech dual trigger shifter for the retro-grouch thumbie. MUCH more appropriate for the overall goal!
So, if I was going to put a drum brake on the rear wheel, why not the front? And if I'm getting a classy front hub, why not make sure it has a dynamo to power a light set as well. Sturmey makes just such a hub!
Completing the wheels were good ol' DT Swiss spokes, and some Sun CR-18 rims in the 590 ERD. The original Schwinn rims were 597's, the Suns were more than close enough, and a lot lighter!
The lighting is courtesy Peter White Cycles, and is a Lumotec Retro. Looks great on the bike! It's wired to the taillight as well, so I'm completely battery-free!
I stuck with the original grips, and the fenders were still nice and shiny after a little polishing. I'm also glad the original chain guard is still in place. It looks sweet, and it does its job admirably.
After a little wrestling with the axle alignment on the rear wheel, and trying not to electrocute myself with the dynamo (ask me about that sometime...), I was ready to rock! I put on a period-correct Wald rear rack and folding basket, and took it for a spin!
I may put another basket on the other side if I end up liking this one, and the lure of a Brooks Saddle may be more than I can resist, even though the original Schwinn saddle is in great shape...
Stay tuned for a full review!
| By mechanically | 5:32 PM | Comments (1)
January 11, 2008
this ain't yo mama's chainsaw juggling...
i thought this was impressive.
| By mechanically | 1:15 PM
December 19, 2007
bicycle lift
what are the odds that chattanooga could be so forward thinking as to install these? the city of trondheim, norway has had this prototype running since 1992! hey, can we have them as a sister city too?
think of the potential if these were installed wherever cyclists in town might want to go up a hill! we could put them on forest avenue, 1st street, MLK blvd. these are just the streets i ride on a lot as i'm a north chatt type, i'm sure there are more places these would come in handy. the potential is endless.
think of how green this concept is. while there are lots of people in chattanooga who would be all in for riding their bike, i constantly hear, 'i would get so sweaty by the time i get to work.' here's the solution! coast down the hills and let the lift get you up them!
so, is this viable? or are we chattanoogans still wooed by the V-8?
| By mechanically | 9:40 AM
December 11, 2007
fun with running
so, i have always preferred cycling to running.
enter, the treadmill bike!
this thing is a riot. be sure to watch the video, but more importantly, click the "sweet jumps" link next to the video screen. good stuff, the editing cuts were really well done!
finally, notice, the runner huffing and puffing away seems to be moving more slowly than they would if they were simply running on any given surface.
doesn't mean i still don't want to at least try one...
hey, they're canadian, fo shizzle.
| By mechanically | 10:13 AM