Not many bikes on my vacation- saw a cool pedal powered pontoon thingee, but didn't have my camera in the canoe to document it- sorry! Have also been hosting houseguests, and preparing for more houseguests (including semi- babyproofing things for my 2 YO nephew) so haven't had much to post.
It's funny how sometimes after a couple of days off my legs are full of stored energy, and sometimes I feel completely out of shape. Today unfortunately was one of the latter, and coupled with the headwind and cool mist trying to become rain, it wasn't much fun riding. And unfortunately my commute was one of the better parts of the day.
On a happier note, my generator hub is in, and I hope to go pick it up and start thinking about a new wheel for Minerva.
Steve A, since you're being nosy about money :) the hub was $85, and I'm going to get a consult about re-using the rim, and I expect spokes to be about $30...... I'm going to build a truing stand out of Robert's old fork, and need to buy a spoke wrench....
Before I get too far on that, I need to give Gilbert a bit of love and a tune up before the winter really sets in!
I'm going to edit it this to add:
1) Steve, you know I'm only teasing, and it's a SA hub- only combo generator/ hub on the market AFAIK.
2) The mist had made up its mind by the time I left work, and was really coming down. I discovered that a normal plastic grocery bag makes a pretty darn good pannier cover for my leather pannier bag.
3) I saw another person doing "pass me once" coming down Cambridge street. It was coming down pretty good, and we were both taking the whole right lane (of 2 going downhill). He was waiting patiently 2 cars ahead of me in a queue at a light, and a girl in a red mini was honking at him and yelling at him. There was of course no one in the left lane. As soon as the light changed, she zoomed around him, and immediately had to stop at the next light. The other car between us turned right, and I pulled up next to him and we discussed whether the Massholes come out more in the rain, or if it just drives more of the normal people inside, and therefore skews the sample.
4) While my jeans got pretty soaked the rest of me was fine, and walking around the grocery store, I was not the wettest person there.
Nosey is an uglier word than "benchmarking." I got a nice Avenir set of spoke wrenches for $10 off Amazon. They also had a Park wrench at about the same price for one.
ReplyDeleteShimano hub?
Yes, autumn sure is sneaking up on us. This feels like such a long summer, I'm not complaining! Funny about whether the rain skews the sample of a-holes. I need a fun term to call Chicagoans, but can't think of any cute rhyme like "masshole." :)
ReplyDeleteThe rain has been pretty bad for the past few days; we were in NH and VT yesterday and it was the same there - depressing. I have not been cycling much - but we did get some bike projects done at home. Good luck with yours!
ReplyDeleteI love the fall mist, that gathers on your clothes and cools you off and makes people curious about how you got that "pattern". Almost as much as I like walking in the pouring rain. Ah, fall.
ReplyDeleteThere is something truly unique about the driving Masshole. We are part-time MA residents so I feel ok saying that :)
ReplyDeleteA brake generator hub. Now that's a combo I hadn't considered. It's amazing what you see on the Internet...
ReplyDeleteOh, "Fall" as in "Autumn." I first thought this was a story of an an accident. Glad you are safe, albeit wet.
ReplyDeleteI'm very interested in comments you might have about the Sturmey-Archer X-FDD Dynohub with drum brake, as I'm contemplating using one on an upcoming project. Information about them is a little thin. I had the opportunity to test-ride a new bike with a Shimano hub dynamo. The resistance was imperceptible when the light was off and barely perceptible when the light was on. I've read many places that the Shimano and Sturmey dynamos share components, and I'd love to know what you think about the resistance. BTW, I think the Shimano dynamo hub (model DH-2R30-E) is compatible a roller brake. The Shimano's not as pretty though, and wouldn't be as appropriate on your bike, IMO.
ReplyDeleteAnon-
ReplyDeleteI have a Shimano dynohub on Gilbert, running an Edeluxe on "senso" and I honestly cannot tell the difference between when the light is on and off.
It may be that the light's drag gets lost in the overall weight and the chaincase/ rear hub issues that I continue to fight, but I've been very pleased with it, esp. compared to the wheel driven generator I had before (B&M Dynotech).
I'd be interested in experience on reliability for the dynamo/drum brake (yours or other posters). It looks like a useful combination; so far I haven't seen enough reliable comments on the internet to make me want to rebuild my wheels but it is an attactive combination.
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