DIY Bike Art

I wear things out: clothes, shoes, tools, bike parts. I usually fix or replace these things before they fail completely, but this was not the case for my VO saddle. The lower rail broke right at the clamp, which simply made the whole thing even springier than before and lilting to one side. It wasn't dramatic or dangerous and VO is already shipping me a replacement. (Fastest customer service ever.)

Meanwhile, I rummaged through my parts bin and pieced together my own attempt at Pablo Picasso's "Bull's Head" from 1942. It's a work-in-progress, but I'm happy with it so far.

Buckets-O-Fun

We've had our Madsen "bucket bike" for 10 days. We've put 20-30 miles on it, usually in less than three-mile increments and always while hauling 20-100 pounds of children. We have ridden it every day since it arrived. Here are some initial thoughts:

-The bucket works great for hauling small children - lots of them! Unlike in the trailer, they sit up a bit higher and can see everything. They want to ride in it and have a blast, even big kids.

-The kickstand works well. Apparently the height is adjustable, but I haven't needed to adjust it. The kids know that rocking or bumping the bike too hard could knock it over, but it would take quite an intentional shove to do it.

-The frame is rock solid. Even while hauling my 6'3", 185 pound buddy around the block for our first adult-in-the-bucket test ride, I didn't notice the frame wiggle at all. This is substantially different than the amount of lateral wiggle that I feel with my Xtracycle when it's laden with even 80 pounds of groceries. I feel that the 600 pound limit on the bike is realistic for the frame, but wonder how some of the other components would hold-up under such a strain.

-The welds are ugly, but the paint is sweet. And few bikes come with paint-matched fenders that look this sharp. Get the blue one, you know you want to.

-The stock saddle and handlebars work fine, but I'm replacing both with a VO Model 8 and a VO Tourist Bar. This bike is not going to be ridden fast and I like sitting upright at slower speeds. The adjustable stem is handy since the frame is one-size-fits-most.

-The tires are 1.75" wide, which seems narrow compaired to the 2.3" Schwalbe Big Apple tires on my Xtracycle. Fender clearance is the limiting factor, but I'm thinking I'll switch to Schwalbe Marathon tires front and rear, or maybe a 2.0" Big Apple in the front. I would like more air volume and do not want to change many flats with a loaded bucket.

-The Promax mechanical disk brake in the front feels much weaker than the Avid BB7 that I use on my Xtracycle, although it could be that the load on the Promax brake is generally much heavier due to the additional curb weight of the bike and passengers. I've really only tested the BB7s with speed, comfortably stopping from 60 mph, but I would not trust the Promax brake to do that same task.

-The gearing is OK for flat places, but not realistic for running loaded in Tacoma. I frequently find myself in the lowest gear when hauling even two kids, just to navigate my neighborhood. Before I venture further, I would like to swap the 48T chainring for a 36T, which also requires a new right-hand crank.

-Every bike should come with a chain guard. I like that this one is long enough to cover most of the chain.

-The bike didn't come with any sort of owners manual. It would be nice to have a few words from the manufacturer on some of the unique bits of the bike, like the bucket and the kickstand and the screws on the sides of the top and down tubes (which are apparently for some sort of front rack that is to-be developed.) Even a detailed FAQ that I could download from their website would do.


Overall: This bike can work hard, looks good, and is an excellent value.

I feel like the bike is helping to bring me and my family closer to our community by letting us experience it together in a healthy and fun way. That is worth more than a few car payments in my book. (Plus, I'll spend less on saddle, bars, and crank than I saved on shipping and the scratched-frame discount, so I'm still coming out way ahead.) Tacoma doesn't see many cargo bikes and I've already been stopped twice by folks who want to get an Xtracycle, but just don't know how well it would work here. Remember that test rides are always free down at the ranch.

I'll go in to more detail as we put in more miles. So far, Sarah has taken our youngest to the doctor and the fruit stand. I've taken toddlers to the farmer's market. We frequently ride along with Sarah on her way to work in the evening; the kids facing rearward so they can chat with mom face-to-face while she rides behind. I still haven't done a big grocery trip because a certain little boy wanted to take the Xtracycle that day instead. Go figure.

Madsen kg271: Day 2 and 3

Yesterday started out cold, wet and dreary, so I took the kids out to the garage and transformed the Madsen bike box into a playhouse. It's not my best cardboard palace, but it is grand.

Once the skies brightened a bit, we took the kids out for another ride around the neighborhood, this time to see how well our 15-month old daughter could handle herself in the bucket. She couldn't find her helmet fast enough when we asked her if she'd like to go for a bike ride.

Once on the road, she squealed and giggled with delight, just like the big kids. The kids wave at everyone and everyone waves back. We even stopped once to talk it up with a neighbor who happened to be heading out by bicycle as well.

Today I took the kids for a 5-mile ride around the neighborhood so that I could test my 100 pound payload on a few hills. I used all of the gears and would have used one or two more if they were there. I'll have to do the math, but I think a 44T or 42T ring may be a better option for Tacoma than the stock 48T (remember, 20" wheel in the back). Another thing I noticed is that I need to bend the chain guard a bit towards the back as the large sprocket causes the chain to rub on the guard.

After riding along with Sarah on her commute with our two kids later in the evening, I was starting to feel the effects of the narrow saddle that came stock with the bike. I'm likely going to replace it with a VO Model 7, which is very similar to the VO Model 8 that I use on my Xtracycle. The handlebar will also likely be swapped for something like a VO Tourist, which is what I use on my Cross Check city bike. This bike begs to be ridden with an upright position when loaded for low-speed hill climbs and better visibility of the road.

Yeah, she bikes, too...

First off, I'd like to ring my bell at my wife for biking to work in February, four consecutive nights in a row so far. And she likes it. Yesterday she emphatically quipped, "I love how exhilarated I feel after that little bit of exercise before work." Exactly.

Back story:
Last summer, I was talking to my wife about parting with a few of my less-ridden but more sentimentally kept bicycles, in order to raise cash to buy her a new rig. She said to hold off, that her New Belgium Cruiser was getting her to work just fine. (So humble...) Days later, I won the grand prize at a Courage Classic fund-raiser raffle, held by the Harmon Bike Club: a credit toward a new Cannondale from Old Town Bicycle, my local-est bike shop. I'm lucky like that.

I went ahead and picked out the bike for her and towed it home with the Xtracycle. A Road Warrior Feminine 4, which I have since equipped with a white Wald front basket, Pletscher two-leg kickstand, and aluminum Velo Orange fenders. It's a fast, comfortable and practical bike that looks sweet, too. I borrow it often to tow the bike trailer.

We're planning to ride the Courage Classic together this year. Cheers to those braving the chill and keeping the pedals moving in the winter...spring is just around the corner...

Upright Cross Checking: Initial Thoughts

I took the Cross Check out for a few miles this evening, quickly zipping through the neighborhood to my favorite look-out spot. The conditions were not unlike those of many other short jaunts, but the ride was far more fun and enjoyable. Why?

1. Responsiveness. It's easier to start and stop with the upright position, the long-pull mtb levers give more stopping power to my cantis than the Tiagra aero levers, and the down tube shifters eliminated two loops of cable housing that were keeping my front wheel virtually locked straight making the bike feel more nimble.

2. Stability. Riding with no hands is much more stable. Up hill, down hill, slow, or fast, the bike tracks much better. This may be related to the lack of derailleur cable housing in the front, or that the weight of the bars has shifted towards the rear of the stearer tube. Either way, I like it. On a few hills, I easily stood out of the saddle and rocked the bars back and forth, which took me back to my BMX days. I wrapped part of the bend of the bar so that I could lean forward on climbs and stay in the saddle, a trick that works wonders with my Albatross bar on my Xtracycle.

3. Visibility. I am now constantly looking up and rarely looking down. The grip area is slightly below level, but the bar could stand to be tilted down a bit more to increase hand comfort.

Down tube shifting isn't as awkward as I had anticipated, though I did find that I track better when I use my right hand to shift both the left and right levers. (I'm left hand dominant.) It's not built for top speed, but will be a great bike for errands and day rides where the added cargo capacity of the Xtracycle is unwarranted. I've left the clipless pedals on for now so I still look somewhat legit to The Pros. (You know who you are...)

Next test: Trailering.

Evolution of a Bicycle

I really got into bikes in 2005. After training for the STP on a Marin Rocky Ridge , and ultimately borrowing a svelte steel road bike for the ride itself, I decided that I wanted a good road bike of my own to use as a commuter.

My commute was a bit of a bear, about 14 miles of RR tracks and gritty shoulders. I settled on a 2005 Surly Cross Check Complete Bike.

From Cross Check

The bike served me well. I picked it because it would give me some flexibility with setups and would allow me to tinker. Clearance for wide tires with fenders, semi-horizontal dropouts for single-speed/fixed, lots of braze ons, and a reasonable price tag.

After nearly a year with the stock setup, a switched to a Brooks B17 saddle, On One Midge bars, and added a set of Reelights.

From Cross Check

This was a more comfortable, yet aggressive setup that worked well for time-trialing the route home, as well as some fire road hill climbs in the northern Cascades. After tiring of the super-wide Midge, I switched to a Nitto Randoneur bar and added a Nashbar front rack, so I could have a good place to strap the battery of my Blackburn X3 light. I also added a 26T granny ring and a Salsa Chain Guard instead of the 48t big ring. I tend to spin and like to climb hills, so why not only have those gears?

From Cross Check

I figured that this would be the last time that I would mess with the setup for a while. However, when I left my job in October to be a stay-at-home dad, my time in the saddle went from 2 hours/day to 30 minutes/week. I had just replaced the rear rim (because rims wear out in the Pacific Northwest if you ride year-round) and wanted to use it. The few group rides I've done in the last few months have left me tired and sore, yearning for the upright position of my Xtracycle, despite it's 20 pound weight penalty over the Cross Check.

A Velo Orange Tourist bar and some Avid FR-5 levers were an inexpensive and effective fix. The shifters were moved to the downtube to clean up the cabling mess on top of the front rack, and are still indexed. The bike is lighter, feels faster, provides better visibility of me and for me, and has reinvigorated my desire to ride this bike.

From Cross Check

The only change I can foresee is a switch to Paul Thumbies instead of the downtube shifters, but time will tell. I can't wait for the next group ride...