Free advice on how to fix your bicycle

One carless year!

2012-01-17T18:35:00.000-05:00

One of our readers has decided on one big challenge for herself this year, to go without a car for an entire year. Most would say, "so what's the big deal?". Well Lyndsay lives in Washington State and will not only have to carry herself, but also her 20 month old toddler where ever she goes.

Lyndsay is not an avid over the top cyclist. She even describes herself as a couch potato. She did the smart thing and researched her bike well. She needs not only a bike that can carry her and her stuff but she needs to carry all that with her kid safely every where.

She settled down on a Yuba Mundo. A serious cargo machine with a good child seat and a sturdy kickstand. I think she planned her adventure well and she should be able to pull it off.

Let's give her some morale support. You can follow her blog here: You ain't got Jack.

Go for it Girl, you can do it.

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

2011 HTFB wrap up

2011-12-31T12:43:00.002-05:00

Well I figured I should wrap up the year with a post that would both cover this past season and give you a glimpse of what may and might happen for 2012.

2011 was a wonderful year for me as I rediscovered the joys of riding my City. The heart attack 2 years ago had put a damper on things and I realize now that it took me a while to be comfortable in the saddle again. Not that it was physically hard, but the soul just wasn't in it for whatever reason.

This is where old and new friends come into play to get you motivated even if they don't know they're actually doing it. One ride in the spring with some old friends got me going again and hooked me up with new dynamic people living the bike dream every day. It's great to be young and if you're not, hang out just a bit with them and you will be again.

The biggest thrill for me was riding and hanging out with the Red Dress and Starley Rover Society bike clubs. These emerging Montreal bike clubs have brought the fun back into biking in groups. Riding for the sake of riding is what it is and what it should be. Sure advocacy is good but at some point you should stop and smell the roses because that's what you're advocating. These guys and gals do smell those roses...hard! They are also responsible for helping me out in the ultimate event of my life 2011(Second to becoming a Grandfather), the Beat the Main race. They were supportive before and during that crazy ride. I'm still debating about doing it again in 2012... I probably will.

As for 2012, I have a few things lined up. My friend Vlad is planning a trip to Africa by bike and I hope to help him out with the blog and keep you entertained in the process. I have a bike build planned to have a decent ride this summer in order to help me in my new found passion, photography. So keep posted.

Lastly I want to thank all of you for supporting this blog the way you do. We passed the 2 million views mark this year and for me that's pretty impressive. I hope to bring you even more in the coming years, inspiring more people to ride and get their hands dirty.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Happy New Year, all the best to you and your family.

Gerry :)

Merry Christmas to all of you.

2011-12-24T17:49:00.001-05:00

To all of you and your families I wish you a peaceful and merry Christmas. Many thanks for supporting this blog and I hope that like me, you will have a wonderful Holiday Season.

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

What to give to a cyclist for Christmas

2011-12-10T09:54:00.001-05:00

With the coming Holidays many of you are asking themselves what to give a cyclist for Christmas. Well here is my suggestion: TOOLS!

Here's a good selection of bike specific tools.

You can be very well intentioned and get him or her a seat, tires, bags or a myriad of bike accessories available out there. Unless that significant other has spelled out word for word exactly what they want, if you go out and get something only armed with good intentions, your setting yourself up for disappointment.

Nothing sucks more than getting a doodad for your bike that you don't need or really don't like and then get stuck using it in order not to displease the person who gave it to you. Let's face it, you have to be quite the douche to tell someone that got you something, they think, is nice, that you don't like it or can't for the life of you figure out how you can possibly find something useful to do with that pink thingamajig.

One easy way to avoid the trappings of misguided cycling gift giving is to get them bike specific tools. Any semi-avid cyclist will appreciate receiving a tool that will save them money and worry. This could also propel said person to develop new skills. Should this happen, your gift would be exponentially bigger for no extra cash.

So which tool to get? First of all aim for quality, not quantity. A good tool will last a lifetime and that person will think of you every time they use it. The best place to shop for them is at your local bike shop. Forget the box stores, they sell crap and the chances of you getting somebody who knows what they are talking about to help you out, are slim.

If the person in question has no tools, the first one to get is a good chaintool. After that I would go for quality tire levers, the quikstick comes to mind, a crank puller is next to remove cranks from the bottom bracket, a set of hex keys, spoke wrench, etc.

On the left, a quality Park chaintool. On the right, a crappy cheap one.

Keep in mind size, if your target doesn't do regular bike fixing at the house but does worry about failures while riding, buy a tool that will be small enough to carry. Talk with the rep at the bike shop, most of them ride as well. If you don't feel like they are interested to help you, go to another shop or see if someone else in the store is actually passionate about what they do (I feel that this quality is getting so rare, it should be labeled as a superpower.).

If you are unsure about what to get as far as tools go, my only recommendation is to get a good quality multi-tool. They are great for emergencies and at least you have something to fix almost everything. Don't forget, something is better than nothing.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Calling out to all readers

2011-11-29T20:36:00.001-05:00

Hello everybody, I feel a bit odd asking for this but I'm in need of some equipment and cash is hard to come by these days. My trustee Nikon is on its last leg after taking over 6 000 pictures, being dropped a few times, getting dust in the lens and sprayed with water (Happened while waiting for my first Grandson to join this world in the hospital...don't ask.).

This faithful camera has brought you the great pictures I've been taking throughout the summer of 2011 and I need to replace it. I'm looking at a rugged built Canon G12 since it does just about everything but launch a rocket to Mars and doesn't require to lug around a bunch of gear like a DSLR would. As bike riders I'm sure you can appreciate that.

If you've been thinking about contributing to this blog, now is your chance. Making a donation, of any amount, will permit me to mesmerize you even more in the coming summers to come. Your eyes will be riveted by tools doing their thing on a bike, blinded by shiny chrome brought back from the death grip of rust, water at the sight of lusty lugged framed beauty and gawking at grease oozing from freshly cleaned bearings...

Sorry I had to go change! Many thanks to those of you who have already donated, you guys and gals are troopers. If you, yeah you, have been thinking about it before? Dude now is the time and you would help me out like you wouldn't believe.

Thanks again and I'll let you guys know as soon as I get my hands on it.

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

The Bike Song

2011-11-20T15:18:00.001-05:00

An awesome feel good song and a very well shot video. It's got that late 60's innocence feel to it.

The Best Bicycle Video ever, Danny MacAskill

2011-10-19T22:50:00.001-04:00

Every now and then I need to escape, dream, be in awe of all the amazing things that surround us. This video brings me to that magic place every time and I can't believe that I've never shared it here before.

I've watched it so many times and I still can't believe how it comes and gets me right in my soul. I get goose bumps and my heart pounds every single time I watch it.

Danny MacAskill is an amazing rider and the film maker who made this of him shot a Masterpiece. 27 million views and counting can't be wrong. Watch it, be in awe, enjoy, shed a tear of joy, cheer and celebrate life.

Gerry :)

Old School Bicycle Multi-Tool

2011-10-16T12:26:00.001-04:00

One thing that I love to find when going around flea markets and garage sales are old flat bicycle multi tools.

They are often overlooked by the seller because they don't know what they are and they can be had on the cheap. In general between $0.25 and $1 each.

I love these old tools because they look real cool, their quality is in general superior to whatever is being made now and most of the time they can still be used.

Most of them are flat so storage is not an issue and if you ride an old bike, chances are they can actually fit most nuts and bolts and more on your bike.

The examples pictured in this post can handle bottom bracket assemblies, pedals and most nuts on older bikes. They can not only be used on the road but in the shop as well.

So keep your eyes open, you just never know what you might find. I like nothing better than collecting old things that can still be used. I figure I get more value for my money than just getting a pretty looking paper weight.

Until next time ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Of Bikes and Photography

2011-10-09T19:06:00.001-04:00

As a graphic artist since my younger days I've always tried to bring interesting images to this blog beyond the mere fact of just showing something.

With the advent of digital photography things have been a lot more affordable and experimenting as become practical to the point of helping me become better at it.

A recent interest into film photography has spurred my thirst for knowledge even more and now I've decided to do the same with that quest as I have with the cycling one, blog about it.

In the same spirit as bicycle repair, I'm a frugal guy who doesn't believe in throwing money I don't have at a problem. In many cases the person behind the camera makes the biggest difference, not the camera. I'll be sharing my tips and tricks on how to make better pictures.

This should be interesting since I am not even the shadow of an expert in the field of picture taking but I still invite you to share my new quest for knowledge and maybe learn something with me along the way.

The best I can guaranty you is educated guesswork but it should be fun. There are already a few posts and more to come so drop by at takingpictures101.blogspot.com when you have a chance.

Until next time ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

The Quick Stik tire lever

2011-10-03T21:15:00.003-04:00

The Quik Stik

I have a few favorite tools that I've been hauling and working with throughout the years and this one is the junior of the bunch, the Quik Stik tire lever.

I've used all kinds of things to get tires off from steel levers, plastic ones and yes even a flat head screwdriver. The plastic levers break all the time, the steel ones pinch the tube and the screwdriver well...I was all out of levers, let's leave it at that.

While looking at tools at my local MEC I came upon this little wonder 2 years ago. The Quik Stik is just that, a stick. It's made of plastic so you can't pinch or puncture the tube. It is very beefy so it won't break and trust me I've tried. The other great feature is that you only need one to do the job.

Shove it in with the notch on the tire bead and pull the tire off.

You simply shoved the thing between tire and rim with the notch facing up, pop the tire off the rim, twist the stick so the notch now sits on the rim and push. The tire comes right off just like that. It is also very sturdy when prying tires back on when necessary.

Turn the stick so that the notch sits on the rim.

An inexpensive piece of kit that will save you time, tubes and money from the swear jar.

Push it along the rim and the tire will come right off.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Ride Out Technologies long term saddle review, an update

2011-09-27T19:30:00.001-04:00

I received a saddle from Ride Out Technologies back in July for review and installed it on my Raleigh Sports for a test ride that turned out to be a test Summer.

The saddle is claimed as being the most comfortable bike seat in the world. Some of you have commented on the contrary about that and some of you have agreed. I'll give you my honest opinion about the seat that stayed on my Raleigh bike for the entire Summer by answering a few obvious questions and share my riding experience.

First off, is it comfortable?

In my experience, yes with a few side notes. You have to adjust the seat in relation to your butt and riding style. It may take a few tries to find that sweet spot. I had to adjust at least 3 times before getting there. Also, I found that coasting on long rides would make my left butt cheek go numb. That's because my bike has a coaster hub and that somehow makes me coast with my left leg down all the time. Something that is also of great importance, and the seat outperforms anything else I've tried in that department, no numb genitals ever! That's a good thing. Make that a great thing.

Does it absorb road bumps?

Incredibly, yes it does and very well I might add. I must admit that I was very doubtful when I got my hands on this that it could even come close to absorbing the hits that my fat spring saddle takes, but it does.

Does it ride well?

One of the things that freaks me out about this seat is that as soon as you pedal, it vanishes. The more you pedal, the more "invisible " it gets. A recent all out 29 minutes time trial I did on bumpy City streets confirmed it even more. My brain was being fried by pain signals from my legs and lungs but my butt wasn't even a tiny blip on the radar. It usually is. The swivel effect when you pedal goes unnoticed until you get on another seat, this is just marvelous.

Is it durable?

No signs of wear on the seat whatsoever. I didn't bother being careful. I even dumped the bike like yesterday's laundry on concrete after crossing the line on that time trial run and there's not even a scuff on the Kevlar where it hit hard.

No marks from a hard fall on concrete

Is it worth the bucks?

No it's not a $20 seat from your regular chain store. The quality in the build and material is there. Just the fact that they took the trouble of putting Kevlar on the sides for protection and the decent 375 gram weight speaks well about the attention to detail. Volume is also a consideration, they don't make millions of these but the price might come down if they sell more. I've sat on a brand name $300 leather seat that was only good at trying very hard to go check my prostate! I say it's good value for the money.

Lastly, I have to mention something unique to this seat. After any long ride, my posterior would ache for a while from the ride. Not the case with this seat even when I get a numb butt cheek from coasting.

It is impossible to please every one in the bike seat department but I think that Ride Out Technologies as come close to perfection. Would I buy one? Yes, they are coming out with an all black model that really looks good and there is no way I'll ever ride a road bike on anything else, unless someone comes out with something better.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Red Bull Minidrome Montreal 2011

2011-09-23T17:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to Red Bull's local stop of the Minidrome World Tour here in Montreal. I was expecting madness on wheels and I got served well. This tiny velodrome made of plywood is so small that there is barely enough track on the straightaway to get momentum...let me correct that there is none! The straight is about the length of a bike.

Riders had three tries to manage to at least stay up on the track before even attempting a qualifying run. The run was 10 laps to show that you could actually do it and then 6 laps to establish a benchmark time. I saw very good riders not even able to get up and run 1 lap. Those that I did see pull it off were getting dizzy on the microscopic oval after their run.

All the fixie and other bike clubs of Montreal were well represented, SRS, Red Dress Bike League, IBike, among them. All the riders present, guys and gals wearing everything from spandex to flannel, had serious guts just trying out this thing. I saw one rider get is front wheel caught off the track and doing a serious face plant in the plywood. Thankfully Red Bull was well organized for sort this of thing with paramedics on stand by at the event.

Now you're not going to get results and who did what beyond the last paragraph. Not only was I getting dizzy from watching this fast mini go round but I was not looking forward to more of the mayhem. I know many of the riders and seriously I just couldn't watch any of them get hurt, even less taking pictures of it. So I left early. The event is Red Bull all the way as it goes to extreme in a big fashion and that's fine. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

To those who showed up on that track, you have my utmost respect and admiration even if all you did was stepped in to give it a go. To whoever won it, you are a biking demi-god!

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Bike recalls for Walmart and Specialized

2011-09-22T23:25:00.000-04:00

I don't think that people who read this blog are much into carbon fiber forks but The Next Hybrid Bike problems might be interesting to know.

Gerry :)

Biking Bis - Bicycle Touring and More :: Two bike recalls -- 14,200 from Specialized and 91,000 from Wal-Mart distributor

29 minutes and 57 seconds, Beat the Main.

2011-09-19T23:18:00.000-04:00

Once and a while an event comes to your attention and fascinates you to the point of luring you in, you just have to do it. Beat the Main was such an event for me.

Beat the Main is a yearly time trial held in Montreal that starts at the south end of St-Laurent Boulevard (The "Main") on de La Commune and stops at the very north end of the Island passed Gouin. This street is mostly a 2 lane one way commercial street that opens up in the North end and becomes both way traffic. The total distance is 11.5 km. This time trial is run on a Sunday afternoon...in traffic.

Yes you read it right, in traffic, with the potholes, traffic lights and the world famous insane drivers of Montreal. See this time trial isn't organized by a big racing body, it came to be when a few courriers decided to challenge each other at who would cross the island shore to shore the fastest. Since then it has been run 7 times. This year was the 8th and I got the chance to find out about it 6 days before the chosen date.

I had planned to run it in 2009 but got stricken by a heart attack and last year I found out about it after the fact. Even though my chances of beating the standing record of 16 minutes and 10 seconds are the same as getting a date with Angelina Jolie, I had to do it and find out what I was made of. My first goal was to take it easy and actually finish.

I chose the only bike in my fleet that could come close to completing such a task, my 1958 Raleigh Sports. It weighs in at 29 pounds, runs the original steel cotter pin cranks (I love those cranes on the chainring) and apart from some fresh grease, the original bottom bracket bearings, cones and cups. I had changed the wheels to new 26 inch rims with 26 X 1.5 slick tires. The gear ratio is 48 to 18 on a single speed coaster hub and the chain is slack. Nowhere near an ideal ride but the best I have at hand.

My preparation before showing up at the starting line was checking tire pressure that same morning, making sure that the wheels were turning freely and true (Heeding my own advice) and finally packed enough tools and parts to keep Murphy at bay. Since I'm a mechanic, I can guaranty you that I'll get a flat if I don't have everything I need to fix one. No I didn't bother to train, well yeah I took a long walk the day before.

At the starting line it was a gorgeous day with the wind blowing North, perfect. Everybody was in a great mood and it seems that we had a great run ahead of us. We were assigned starting positions for our timed start, one every minute. I was going to be the 32nd one off out of 50. While I was strapping my helmet and checking my bike one last time, I remembered the words from my friend Jeff: "Don't go all out on the first hill, you have a way to go, save your energy." Sarah behind me wished me luck and a safe ride. I wished her the same and started my stop watch 5 seconds before the start. I guess I could do it between 30 and 40 minutes.

"...5..."

Man there's a lot of people out today. How are you going to negotiate that?

"...4..."

Check for oncoming traffic, plan ahead for the start.

"...3..."

The first intersection is a no right turn, guess I'll hug the curb.

"...2..."

Breathe.

"...1..."

Great clear intersection.

"GO!"

I get up on the pedals and hit the first hill right off the start. I'm not exploding off the line, I'm getting a feel for my legs and the bike. Surprisingly the British High Tensile Steel beast climbs easily and my legs are quite responsive. At that moment I decide that I'm going for 30 minutes. Up the hill over the hump and down the bowl to go across Chinatown. A red light with lots of traffic at the very bottom of that hill kills my momentum.

Off the line and up Chinatown, my legs start to go and I'm concentrating so hard to keep going that I don't even see the surrounding beauty of the place(As of this writing I still can't remember the Chinatown leg!?!). I manage to get up to speed again and blast through Ste-Catherine heading for the worst hill of the course, Ontario to Sherbrooke.

My legs totally give out halfway up. I jump off the bike and start walking up at a fast pace, I don't want my heart rate to go down. Back on the bike at Sherbrooke I go for the long climb that stretches out to St-Viateur. You have to realize that Montreal is a hump and the top is at about St-Viateur, it's mostly all downhill from there. While climbing through the Plateau I realize that I'm getting very tight tunnel vision. I'm concentrating too much on the pain in my legs and not enough on what's coming ahead of me. I force myself to widen my field of view and watch for car doors like a hawk. Luckily, none will open during the trip. I clear all the lights in that stretch and now I'm over the hump.

I blast under the train tracks not even feeling the small climb back up on level ground, I'm entering little Italy. I look at my watch and I see that I'm 17 minutes in this thing. I decide right there that I can beat 30 minutes, the speed demon as a hold of me. The Café's, terraces and sports bars are all a blur to me. I slalom through cars at a high rate of speed. A car decides to turn into the left lane and an SUV wants to go into the right lane at the same place. I fly through this instant funnel bringing my arms in to clear the mirrors of both vehicles. I see the gates marking the end of the well known neighborhood and pray for a green light at the upcoming major intersection, Jean-Talon. I get my wish with a twist. It's green all right but I happen to blast right in front of a cop car coming out of a gas station and he's going North. Sure enough the next light is red and he's behind me, gotta stop. $?*&% !!!

I blast off the line and give it everything I got. The pain in my legs and my burning lungs are down the list of priorities of my senses. I gotta clear the next big intersection, 2 sets of lights that cross under the main highway. I'm far away and I see them green. I can't get caught there, if I do I lose too much time. I find energy I didn't know I had and push the Raleigh into another Universe, one that the people at Nottingham never planned for. The bike feels like it's shaking itself apart and I pedal so fast that the slack chain is pulled off the chainring teeth by the centrifugal force! I slack off the RPMs after I barely clear the second set of lights and it settles down.

Now I'm entering the commercial and residential sector of the Main. The streets are wider and clueless drivers abound. My brain is like an AWACS aircraft and all the crew is working overtime. My eyes are everywhere to clear intersections and momentum is making me run out of bike. Yelling and screaming myself to a frenzy, I'm pedaling faster than the wheel can keep up with and the chain still wants to come off if I don't watch it, she has no more to give. I'm clearing the second to last intersection and the time sits at 27 minutes, I'm going to make it...

I've got this beast by the tail and all that stands between me and the finish line is one last traffic light. It's 2 blocks away and it's red. After that it's a free run to the end. I calculate that by the time I get there, it will change. I calculated wrong. I'm coming in at full speed when I finally see what the other side of the light is, one and a half car length away from the stop line. It's not even yellow, it's green with a ton of oncoming traffic! For the first time during the entire run, I lock up both wheels and stop right at the line without going over the bars.

Sure enough, a second later it changes and I explode off into a sprint with every ounce left of energy that I got and some that I don't. The only thing that makes it to my brain is the cheers of my friends and family waiting for me to cross. I somehow found a way to show off at the end and lock up the rear wheel into a skid at the finish, dump the bike, walk off and fall on my ass. I made it.

Official time, 29 minutes and 57 seconds. 49th out of 50 and under 30 minutes for an untrained, 46 year old, better than average recreational cyclist, I consider that I did beat the Main.

I wish to extend my thanks to all my cycling friends who made this fantastic life experience even more enjoyable. You are all a great bunch of people and it's always a great pleasure to ride with you. Thanks as well to my friends and family who showed up to cheer me on despite some morale objection to my endeavor. Will I do this again? I'll be thinking about it for the next year but even if I do, it will never be as exhilarating as this one was.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Pre-Ride bike check, why you should do it.

2011-09-15T23:15:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I went on a critical mass ride that took me up and down some hills. Well more up than down or maybe I can only remember the pain of going up...whatever.

Anyhoo, I was riding along and compared to the week before I felt that I was sluggish. As much as the bike had felt very peppy the last time I took it out, this time I was under the impression that I was not getting as much out of it.

My first reaction was that my body had gone south after a week back to work riding a desk. I was just not getting everything I expected out of my legs. Then I got a revelation that my legs had nothing to do with it. I was heading down Berri hill, which is legendary around here because it is steep and long, and I could barely hit 45 km/h coasting down! The week before I had to hold back the bike because I was afraid to pass the 55 km/h mark on this freshly assembled Frankenstein bolt on monster and 55 km/h it did easily.

I was thinking that tire pressure could be the culprit but it couldn't be that bad after only one week of being parked. So I waited until I got back home, hours and many kilometers later, to check everything out.

Turns out I was right and then some. Tire pressure had gone down by 10 pounds over the course of one week. The problem was that I had filled them during a heat wave and the temperature had gone down steeply since, affecting tire pressure seriously. While I was at it I decided to check if the wheels were turning freely.

I spun the front wheel and it came to an abrupt halt at the end of its course. Not good. Did the same thing with the rear wheel and wouldn't you know it, it stopped dead as well. Turns out I was running on low pressure tires and rim rubbing brake pads. No wonder the ride felt like crap! I guess I did some work on the wheels and forgot to check brake pad clearance.

So the lesson here is check your tire pressure on a regular basis and make sure your wheels are turning freely. The few minutes you take doing this before a big ride will save you a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering down the road...or is it up.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Commemorating a tragedy the best way I can

2011-09-11T12:54:00.001-04:00

9-11 touched me deeply. Not only do I find the taking of innocent lives for an idea totally sacrilege but the loss of those who went in to save them just floored me. See a lifetime ago, I was a firefighter.

It takes a special kind of human being to run into a place that everyone is trying to leave as fast as they can. This is not something that can be taught, you have it or you don't. It's not a super power, some people are just made that way. That crazy ability to run willingly into unknown danger makes us all Brothers and Sisters where ever we are.

When I saw those towers collapse, I knew right there that many were making the ultimate sacrifice right before my eyes and it just broke my heart. Mind you all of us know this can happen, just not at that scale. Nothing can prepare you for that.

I wept that day and I still catch myself shedding a tear once and a while when there is mention of it. I vowed I would honor all the victims of that tragedy by living my life as fully as I could and try my best to leave this world a little better before my time is done here.

Today is the 10th anniversary, just a number really but a chance to reflect. On such a beautiful day with the sunshine blazing I did the only thing that I thought could commemorate that tragedy, enjoy my freedom and the ultimate freedom for me is riding my bike.

Enjoying freedom is giving the finger to those who would kill me because they wouldn't want me to have it. Enjoying my freedom supports those who don't have it but wish they did by not wasting it. Enjoying freedom honors those who put their lives on the line every day so I can have it.

So if you have it, I urge you to enjoy your freedom however you feel is best for you, give thanks for it and think of those who don't have the privilege.

Never Forget.

Gerry

Car Bait 2, the Chopper bicycle

2011-08-24T20:23:00.000-04:00

I'm permitting myself to blow my own horn this week. I've taken the time over the last week to paint this last bicycle chopper project of mine,. Sanded, sprayed with a coat of primer black and finally sprayed it semi-gloss black. Touch ups are a breeze. I also added the stick shifter from Jenna Saykwa that graciously donated it for this project. The shifter rest on a tank plate that I cut from the backing plate of an old 1950's fridge. I kept the original finish on the plate. The bike now carries the name "Car Bait 2" in honor of a previous perfect ride that snapped a frame tube after being ridden too hard for over 5 500 km.

I also took the time to redo the face plate of the speedometer. A simple scan of the original that was used as a basis for the new one that I made using Gimp. I took the time to convert it to metric as well since everything is "faster" in metric. :) I printed the new one on card stock and glued it behind the original plate before screwing it back into place. I like how it came out.

I added some cargo capacity by bolting on a pair of lunch boxes on the sides. I have my tools and spare parts in one box and the other is empty to carry different items.

The last dilemma that I had was the fenders. I need fenders because i just can't stand riding with my back sprayed wet. But, on this bike, they would have looked ugly. So I took an inspiration from British sports car builder Vanwall who went around the same problem by making fenders out of old tires, thus "camouflaging" their existence. I did the same thing using old rusted fenders and brackets that I cut down to shape using tin snips. I then put the scissors to a pair of old tires I had lying around, a large one in back and a skinny one up front. The tires are simply bolted on the supporting old fenders using the existing attachment points for the frame and brackets. I really like how it came out, a good compromise.

This bike is now my main ride. I've put over 110 km on it in the last week and I have had no problems to report. This bike is just a dream to ride. There will be more things happening to it in the future and I will keep you all posted on the results.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Fix It Up Montreal event photos

2011-08-21T10:17:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday on August 13th I was at the Fix it up event on Ste-Catherine street in downtown Montreal. The street was closed for some events like Under Pressure, a skateboarding competition and a presentation by the Bikurious bike shop, the Montreal Bicycle Film Festival of this event. I was present at the skidding competition which was well represented by the guys and gals from the Starley Rover Society. The winner, Christopher on the orange carbon bike, won the event by skidding beyond the marked course!

I had a great time hanging out with old friends and making new ones. So without any further delay, on with the images captured during the event.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Home Made Stretch Bike

2011-08-16T20:49:00.001-04:00

I guess I love long bikes but this one is special. I've always wanted my cake and to eat it too. Comfort, performance and good looks. I think I pulled it off.

Back in June my buddy Vince showed me his custom made 26 inch lowrider he extended with the back of a mixte frame. It gave me an idea, going longer than Vince and making a kinda semi-recumbent cruiser. As it happened I had the cruiser frame and the mixte frame just lying around the house. Lucky me.

I hacked the frames and left some extra metal since I wasn't too sure on how I was going to pull this off. I don't have a welder or any idea on how to use one.

I bolted the pedal axle from the mixte frame to the cruiser frame at the chainstays. I then married and bolted the seat stays from both frames together using graded bolts. I have no flex in the frame but as soon as I find a good welder, I'm having all this welded proper.

I put on a set of 26X1.95 in the back with barely 2mm of clearance on both sides of the frame. In front I put 26X1.50 slicks. The shifter you see is a temporary set up but the foot rear brake will remain.

So far the home made stretch bike rides like a dream. A 20 mile shake down cruise proved to be without any problems. The only thing I would have made differently would have been to use a jig. Doing it by eyeball is good but not perfect. It's a bit crooked but it doesn't show while riding.

Next on the list, paint job!

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

FIX IT UP BBQ and Bike Jam

2011-08-12T18:30:00.000-04:00

More of a local announcement. On Saturday Ste-Catherine street will be closed to traffic for the FIX IT UP Bike Jam event between Ste-Elizabeth and Sanguinet. A great way to meet local bike riders. I will be there Saturday afternoon.

Gerry :)

2 Cyclists die in Montreal this week

2011-08-11T18:58:00.000-04:00

I started my day today by learning that a 17 year old cyclist involved in a collision yesterday didn’t survive the night. He was the second cyclist to die in Montreal this week. The first one was a 56 year old man who got crushed by a cement truck turning right while he was trying to go straight on his green light. The case of the young teen is a debate on who went through a red light. Whatever the reasons or the blame to lay, 2 people are needlessly dead.

Now this prompted a big debate over the local media about cyclists being chronic scofflaws or drivers being homicidal maniacs. The numbers are in about this. Of the 800 incidents involving bike collisions last year, the Montreal Police reports that responsibility is split 50/50 between cyclists and drivers. I admit that I see bikes blowing red lights and stop signs. What we need for that is more regular enforcement. Cops on bicycles should do regular operations to enforce traffic laws for cyclist as their counterparts in cars do with motorists. The occasional spot checks don’t work. Cyclists here know that getting a traffic ticket while biking are in the same range of odds as winning something at the lottery.

The biggest concern in my opinion however, are the riders who go out there and ride unaware. Unaware of the risks and dangers. Unaware of the consequences of ignoring basic safety issues. Unaware of the fact that they are invisible to most drivers and since a lot of drivers are also out there unaware, collisions are bound to happen. Riding a bike with your brain switched off is suicide.

Here are some tips that will keep you safe and hopefully alive out there:

Be aware

Make sure all your senses are available for the task. No ear plugs, both hands on the handlebars and your eyes open for traffic next to you, behind you, in front of you and beyond. Anticipate so you don’t get caught reacting at the last moment.

Assume nothing

Prepare for the worst scenario every time. Don’t assume that the door won’t open, that the car driver is going to go straight, or stop or go or turn or see you or anything else for that matter. Hoping for good things to happen instead might get you killed. I did that mistake only once and ended up flying in the air launched from a car windshield. I assumed that the driver saw me while I was crossing the street on foot, on a green light and he was about to turn right in my path. Luckily I survived unharmed, you might not.

Respect traffic laws

Riding on sidewalks with pedestrians present is dangerous, get off your bike and walk. Pedestrians should get the respect that you expect from drivers on the road. Stop and wait at red lights. I know that it’s a bummer when there is no traffic but leaving on a red while cars are waiting only perpetuates the myth that all cyclists are bums. If we want respect from drivers, we need to share at least a little of their time wasting frustrations like this one. Slow down at stop signs at the very least, proceed through only if there is no traffic present whatsoever. Don’t ride against traffic. The reasoning that it’s less dangerous to have traffic in front of you being safer is absolutely stupid. Drivers get confused when they see you and this could actually cause you harm. If you are paranoid about cars behind you, get a mirror or two. They are cheap and available everywhere in all sizes.

Be visible at night

Forget riding in the dark with only reflectors, they are unidirectional and a driver might see you only when it is too late. Less than $10 will get you a blinker for the front and back of your bike with enough power to last an entire season. Want to stand out big time? Get one of those lime yellow reflective vest, you will never go unnoticed.

Wear a helmet

I’ll mention this sticker I saw on a courier’s helmet: “I wear a helmet because of the way you drive.”. You just never know when your head will smack the pavement. It is proven that helmets reduce the risk of major head trauma by 70 to 80 percent. Use your brain and put a lid on it.

Physics, it’s the law!

And it’s always right. That should be your prime concern when riding. A 3000 pound car will always win against your flesh and bones. This law prevails over any traffic law when riding. Yeah you may have had the right of way according to the traffic code but if you are 6 feet under pushing daisies you won’t really care about the slap on the wrist that driver gets.

After reading all this you might wonder if I ride like a paranoid maniac all the time. No I don’t. Becoming aware is like anything else, you get used to it and it becomes second nature after a while.

If you wish to keep your head in the sand and still ride with an attitude that it won’t happen to you, here’s another story that happened this week as well: A man turned himself in yesterday 5 years after hitting and killing a cyclist. He hit a 43 year old Father of 2. The driver took the time to unjam the bike from under is truck one kilometre away from the collision and tossed it in a field before he drove off. He didn’t bother calling 911 to get help to his victim which he left to die by the side of the road. I’m not saying that every driver is out to kill you but if you ride as if they are, you’ll have an edge and have a much better chance of avoiding a collision.

Hopefully this post motivated by this sad tragedy might prevent someone, somewhere from getting hurt bad or dead.

To both families, my heart and sympathies go out to you.

Ride safe and ride free.

Gerry

How to remove old rusted crank arms

2011-08-10T20:05:00.000-04:00

Every once and a while you'll come across this mess. A rusted crank arm that needs to be removed on a bike that's been sitting out in the elements for years. The odds of an easy job are 50/50 but with a little preparation, that goes up 95/5.

Hope of an easy job is for amateurs. Taking these simple steps will save yourself time, frustration, stress, bloody knuckles and some money out of the swear jar. Another benefit will be a longer life for your tools, read on.

The first step is removing that crappy little plastic cover that hides/protect/prevent access to the 14mm lock nut on the axle. Use a big coin in the slot and unscrew it. This will give you better torque control and the larger surface will distribute the energy more evenly (I'm sure there's a special tool for that but you probably, like me, already have this freely available in your pocket.).

Did it work? It came off no problem? If the answer is yes, buy a lottery ticket. These damn things usually explode in pieces because they get brittle over time. You didn't win the jackpot then? No worries, just jam a very small flat head screwdriver between the plastic and the locknut. Then slowly pry the remains of the cover off.

Second, using a 14mm socket wrench, remove the axle locknut.

Third, prepare! Before going any further you need to do a few things. Get yourself an old toothbrush, again free, and clean the thread inside the crank arm nut housing. Next use a lubricant (NOT WD40) and lube those threads. You would be surprised on how one grain of sand can ruin your day here. As far as lube goes, anything but the aforementioned fish oil stuff will do. I use Duralube engine treatment, 1 quart goes a long way on everything and it's like liquid bearings.

We're still not done. Apply oil on all the threads of your puller and on the end of the shaft that will push off on the axle. While using your puller, the friction creates a lot of heat and that's what can damage your investment in the long run. Be cool, lube your tool.

Click on image for full size

Now you can go ahead and use the puller and the crank arm should fall right out as it did in this case. Hope you found this useful.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Fixie Bike fix Montreal

2011-08-04T16:34:00.002-04:00

I don't think that the majority of my readers are into this but I cannot go and not mention the fixie bike in this blog. A recent bike ride organized by the Starley Rover Society here in Montreal provide me with the oppotunity to capture on camera some fine examples of the breed.

The fixie bike is the purest form of the bicycle. The bike is about the same as a track bike. Fixed rear hub, so the pedals always turn if the bike moves, no accessories and no brakes. Braking is done by the rider shifting his/her weight on the front of the bike and locking the legs on the frame. This puts the bike into a skid. You need to be a very good rider to mix with traffic here in Montreal where things that can kill you can pop up at any given time.

An interesting fact is that in a lot of jurisdictions, such has Montreal, it is illegal to ride without at least one working brake mechanism on the rear wheel. The offender faces a $37 fine here!

Fixies are also a fashion accessory for hipsters but I think they are on the way out since they are getting too mainstream. Courrier riders have been riding fixies for a very long time. Although very simple, some of these bikes can cost as much as my car. Check out the orange one made out of carbon fiber. I hear the rider/owner is sponsored. Others are old vintage road frames brought back to life, my favorite kind.

Here's proof that messengers have been riding fixie for a while. Pictures were found at Shorpy's.

I love looking at these bikes and I admire the people that are crazy enough to ride them but I will never ride one myself. I'm more than happy with my single speed coaster hub.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Off to New Brunswick!

2011-07-21T23:02:00.000-04:00

Just to let you all know that I will be off for a little while starting on Sunday. I'm off to New Brunswick. Our trip should take us to Fredericton, St-Jean, St-Martins and St-Andrews. We plan to go through Northern Maine for our return trip to Montreal. No idea of the time table since we go as we please.

For those of you who have been folllowing my tear drop trailer build, yes we will be pulling it behind our Highlander for the trip. So if you see a small red and white trailer pulled by a silver Toyota, don't be shy and say Hi!

I will try to get some riding done down there as I will be bringing my green Raleigh Sports with me. Hopefully I might get lucky and land a future project or two as well. :)

Since I'll be pretty much off the grid, I will be turning off comments on the blog starting Sunday before I leave. This is an attempt to keep away the spammers. I also won't be able to comment back.

However, I might be able to return emails, if not just be patient, I won't be gone too long. See you guys soon and enjoy Summer.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

The world's most comfortable bicycle seat

2011-07-14T20:21:00.001-04:00

So is the claim of Ride Out Technologies who recently got a link on the sidebar of my blog. If someone makes the bold claim of having the world's most comfortable bicycle seat, I have to check it out. The folks at Ride Out sent me a sample to test for your benefit.

Nothing is more subjective and personal than the comfort of a bike seat. The search for the relief of constant pain to your butt and an end to numb genitals (This affects women too btw) is the single most elusive cycling quest in my book. For me, apart from recumbents, the answer was the Brooks B66 leather saddle, a time tested design since the 19th century.

So I received this piece of 21st century technology via snail mail, well packaged, at my door and my first reaction when pulling it out of the box was: "This looks weird." but if it does the job, I don't really care how it looks. The next thing that hit me was how light it felt. My scale indicates 375 grams, well within the claimed 390 on the website. The overall finish is very good and I really appreciate the more rugged material used on the side of the saddle. That is some forward thinking since the side of the saddle is abused on a regular basis be it on a wall or on the ground. I feel that it is well worth the 84.95 asking price. However, I would have done away with the 90's lime fluo color accent and I love the idea of reflective material on the back of the seat but white is the wrong color. I'm sure that red reflective material could have been found.

Apart from those small details, the rest of the seat is wide enough to accommodate the sitting bones of both men and women (This was confirmed by my daughter.). It has a channel in the middle to allow circulation to the more intimate and delicate parts of our anatomy.

Let's bring our attention underneath the seat where everything sits on a piece of infused carbon that looks like a piece of leaf spring and sitting on that is the seat support rails. That piece of carbon is what gives the flex to the seat.

I installed the seat on my one speed road bike and saw right away that I had to bring the seat down by 1/2 an inch as per the company's instructions. Then I sat down and pushed the pedals forward.

My very first reaction when sitting on a new seat is either "Wow!" or "Crap!" and a bunch of degrees in between. Not with this one. I have no words to describe it more than this: "!?!"

When cycling my attention is not grabbed by how much energy I put into pedaling or how hard I have to push to get up a hill. No, it is the constant feeling of my sitting bones on the seat and the degree of pain at which it is, may it be low or high. All of a sudden I couldn't feel my sitting bones and I was sitting down pedaling!

It's hard to explain but you are sitting on the seat yet you are not. The combination of the cushion design, the side by side flex of the saddle while pedaling and the total absence of feel of the saddle nose makes it as if you were merely leaning on the seat instead of sitting down on it. Weird but in a good way.

I rode on some nasty bumps and I was impressed on how good it took it. Better than a lot of spring saddles that I own. I've installed the seat on a bike that has a hunched over riding position for now. I will also try it out on a cruiser with a more upright riding position to see how well it does in that configuration. So far I've taken only short rides around the block, so I don't know yet how well it will do on long rides.

I will update this post as I test along with the results. I have a good ride planned this evening, so I'll have a better idea.

UPDATE JULY 21ST 2011

I took the saddle out for a one hour ride the evening of that first post. I spent the first half hour trying to find the proper position on the seat by shifting my butt all over it. It was kinda like trying to get a feel for it and looking for that usual seating position. When I got off at my destination however, my butt was just not hurting. On the return trip ,while still shifting position, I found the sweet spot and the saddle just vanished from under me!

I guess that I haven't found the proper setting yet and I will have to work on that. I will reposition the seat for the next ride. I think I have to bring the nose up a bit and the height as well. Keep posted.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)