Category: bicycling

I don’t own a fancy bike—no carbon, no aero wheels, no high price tag. What I own is a basic workhorse commuter/touring bike. And I love it.

I am finally nearing “completion” on my Novara Randonee. Novara is an REI brand, which basically means the bike is mass produced in one of those factories that pump out bikes for just about everyone. So it’s not that expensive or particularly desirable, but it is good, and just right for me. I purchased the bike in 1995, that’s sixteen years ago! Time flies. The Randonee model is designed for touring. I bought it for commuting with the hopes that I would do some touring with it eventually, which I have not yet done. I wrote about taping the handlebars a while ago. Now I finally have the Brooks saddle in place, plus a few other improvements.

Here’s the bike today:

• A Spanninga dyno lighting system that I got from Velo Orange.
• Schwalbe Marathon tires (700Cx32) that I got from a new little local shop called Arriving by Bike.
• A Zefal frame pump, also from Arriving by Bike.
• Rainy Day mud flaps that I picked up at REI
• D+D Oberlauda Ultra Light Bike Mirror, also from Arriving by Bike

Each of these improvements I am loving. The tires are much better for my kind of riding than my old skinny tires. They roll well and are very stable. As I carry a heavy load sometimes they also give me more confidence that the bike will track properly and not put undue stress on the wheels. The lighting system took a little while to get installed (maybe because I tend to get fussy about those things), but it is light weight and works. I am still figuring out were I want the mirror, but so far it’s great. And I love the Brooks saddle. I can see why they are popular. I used to have one years ago, but I did not appreciate what it was, then that bike was stolen. Maybe the gods decided someone else needed that bike, someone who cold appreciate it better. Or maybe it was just another crackhead on campus.

Other items: I have a tagalong hitch on the seat post for when I tow one of the kids. I use blinking safety front and rear lights when it’s dusk and I don’t need the generator lights. I love the front/rear bike racks. The low rider front rack is the the way to go for panniers. I use a bike bell for the river trail. All in all it’s a great bike.

In 1995 I purchased a Novara Randonee bicycle from REI. At that time I needed a decent bike for commuting that did not cost too much. I also wanted a bike that could be used for some touring in the future. That bike fit the bill nicely (though I never did do any touring). Over the years, however, the bike got a bit long in the tooth and the shifters ceased to function. The old Shimano RSX7 shifters do not lend themselves to easy overhauls, and my rear cog is a seven speed (which are not made anymore). I was looking at a $300 to $400 investment to get my bike working (new shifters, new back wheel, labor, etc). That was two years ago. In the mean time I found a guy that specializes in repairing Shimano RSX7 shifters for a very reasonable price. So I shipped them off, got them repaired, and re-installed them. They work great so far.

As I drank the wine I enjoyed visions of how great my bike was going to be once I taped the bars. Then I gathered my materials.

Then I taped. I have to say I did not do a great job of keeping out wrinkles. At least I will know it is hand wrapped!

The tape I chose was the super classic Velox cotton tape. It is a French tape that, I imagine, goes well with the vin ordinaire of my earlier imbibage. Then I pounded in the cork. Note: It is best to use a two-pronged style opener to get the cork out of the bottle in order to not mangle the cork.

Then I did the twine wrap. If you think this looks more like string than twine, you are correct. I bought twine but it is a sisal kind that had too many stray strands. I opted for the cleaner looking string, which is not exactly traditional, but hey.

Then I shellacked it. I used the classic Bulls Eye brand. Without really thinking it through I purchased the amber tinted kind, which turned my yellow tape to a kind of brown with a hint of orange. My goal was to have a rich yellow color, but the amber shellac made it much darker and brown.

At first I did not like the color, but then I realized that it looked a little like a honey colored leather, and similar in color to the Brooks saddle I want to purchase. The shellacked corked turned out beautiful.

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I have to say I really like this video. There’s a great sense of the nature of the event, including the time of year, the set up, and the competition itself.

>Here are a couple of videos I found showing bicycling in the snow. The first shows how one European city keeps their bike lanes clear of snow. The second makes me want to go buy some Miller High Life. I am posting them because, deep down, I want it to snow here.

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