Since I started doing my own bike repairs back around 1996, I’ve always wanted a bike stand. But I’ve never had the money or space for a real one. I had been using this little thing that was basically a workhorse. You took off the front wheel and locked in the quick release and rested…
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After 7 years and many (4?) attempts, I finally found comfortable handlebars for the Screamin’ Salmon, my fixed gear. It finally involved: 1) buying handlebars in Amsterdam2) sawing off the end of those handlebarsand 3) buying a new extended high handlebar stem with minimum reach The handlebars are right at seat height. Maybe an inch…
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The SST 26T micro drive chain retention system … was developed to provide high strength impact capability for demanding street riders who frequently and intentionally smash into immovable objects. http://www.e13components.com/product_sst.html
There are problems with the shifting in the Hot Karl. I should have bought a Shimano hub. I’m not quite certain what the problems are (beyond slipping), but I have no real desire to figure it out. It’s not my bike. But maybe Karl will buy a Shimano Nexus and I’ll build him a new…
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The French have great city bikes. Not too many of them here. They use lot’s of uniquely (well, not for them) sized parts and are a bitch to work on here in the U.S. A shame. Here’s a typically beautiful mixte. I’ve never seen a three speed with a derailleur. It’s great, because three speeds…
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Wooooh! Check out the fork on this bike! The drop-outs were welded on. We found this on a block of Astoria we’ve never walked before. A day later I saw a guy riding it.
A new way to carry a lot. And you can even get it with neon hover lights. Xtracycle. It’s rear extension for your bike. So crazy… it just might work.
I rode the five-boro bike ride yesterday. 40-some miles and tens of thousands of bikes. This is the ride that the close off the streets for. That’s why I wanted to do it. You get to bike on the FDR and BQE (freeways), the upper level of the Queensboro Bridge, and over the Verrazano Bridge.…
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I’m selling the fixed-gear wheel that came with the frame that is now the Hot Karl. It’s a nice wheel. A 26″ fixed-gear wheel is kind of a niche market, to say the least. If it were a 700 wheel, I’d save it as backup for my fixed gear. But I’ve really got no need…
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I’m pretty pleased with the Hot Karl. Total cost, around $550. That’s within pennies of Katie’s Del Ray. But with the internal hub, I think the Hot Karl is a nicer bike. It’s light, rides great, makes a nice old-school clicking sound as you peddle, and has some flourishes from the Mexican-run bike store (purple…
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