I am getting ready for a quick overnight tour this weekend, and got an itch that I might as well try out a new / old headset that has been sitting on my bench for a while now. Having bounced around the globe, and up and down the west coast, I had the green light from the previous owner that it was mine (thank you). Combining that with the
Paul Comp Funky Monkey sitting around for months now too, it was time...the starting point
and the inspiration for change..
Having the proper tools for the job only makes things better.
You may have noticed the faced head tube surface, and Yes the
Ramblers will be like that in the box, it is the right way to do things. Everything went together smooth as butter
Why change it all yo might be wondering? After all it was working just fine, love the silky smooth King headset. The NOS Stronglight headset has roller bearings that reputedly will have a beneficial effect on any shimmy that could occur with Low Trail bikes. So far everything has been really good on mine as well as other Ramblers. Shimmy has net been an issue unless pushing the limits of low tire pressure, loose headsets or floppy loads, all things you should be avoiding anyway. Since I do get questions on the issue, it was time to try out a roller bearing headset on a Rambler for myself. I have used them on other bikes, and honestly if things are all in balance, shimmy has not been an issue for me regardless of the headset type. The second reason was to confirm the clearance of the Funky Monkey cable stop with the biggest headset I could find, not a problem at all, room to spare. Having tried most cable stops currently available, this one is hands down the nicest.
Now to get all the work for the day done so I can head up into the back country tomorrow afternoon with some friends. Happy Friday, and get out there and ride this weekend!
It almost sounds like an oxymoron, but today's post office / hardware store ride had a few distractions wrapped in. that is aside from being a perfect day for a quick escape
This afternoon
Jay Nelson is going to be showing off some of his stuff behind the Patagonia store. I was stoked to get an early look. I have been watching Jay's work for a long time, ever since photos of his Honda civic camper made the rounds on the web I have had a dream of chopping up my Golf for a similar project.
I am looking forward to dropping in later and seeing what else he has for the showing.
Coffee Ride June 05 2013, 0 Comments
With growing interest in the Wednesday morning coffee outside I am starting to get more friends going along for the ride. Having friends there definitely adds to the fun, but cuts down on the number of photos. We all headed south along the coast to Channel Islands Harbor so Aaron could be closest to his job. Mike grabbed a good shot of us on the Ramblers.
Setting up on the north side of the harbor offered plenty of flat spots for the stoves. Scenery was great, sun hitting the islands out beyond the fog, boats heading out, sea lions and great company. This is a spot that will be added to the routine for sure.
Really a great way to start the day, done by 7:30.
What did you do on your way into work?
It is easy to fall in and out of routines. Far to often we end up on the path of least resistance even when we know it may not be the best for us. When I started the Ocean Air Cycles blog, it was about documenting my getting outside by bike every day. Things have grown and changed a bit since then. While I still get out pretty often a pattern started to set in back around Daylight Saving time this year. The schedule took an abrupt nocturnal shift and morning rides went by the wayside. The coffee outside kept me going at least one day a week, but even that took a vacation with out little girl's birthday last week. Shopping for new pair of shorts was the clincher. Time to get back on the bike, every day, for more than a trip up the street to the PO. This morning was the first of what will be many out and back trips on the coast.
June Gloom has set in, and that makes it even harder to motivate. Once out there though it is all worth it. Foggy is way better than wet or cold.
Saturday morning everything came together for a photo shoot I have had in my mind for a while. The flower moon would be setting over the ocean just before sunrise. The tide was a minus 1.2 ft low, and the weather was holding clear with no fog. I headed out to the remains of our towns WWII gun turrets that have been crumbling into the ocean for over 70 years now to brew up my morning coffee.
The turrets are a relic from a time that there was a real need to maintain the security of our beaches. The world has changed since then in many ways. Crumbling monuments like these serve as a reminder of those who have come before and gave their lives to preserve our freedoms. Take time this weekend to remember why we call it Memorial Day, many have given everything they could give so that we would have the freedom to do things like brew up coffee on the foundations of their old guard posts, enjoy the outdoors and play outside.
Thank You.
After the trip through the Seattle Public Library it was a quick haul back south to invade Portland with the Ramblers. It was a Wednesday, and naturally we started the morning with some coffee brewed outside under the St Johns bridge.
There was a bit of blue sky here and there, and at least it was dry. I know I will be visiting and passing through the northwest often in the coming years, but will admit I am a sun lover and will be hard pressed to give up California as home.
We were there for 2 or 3 non stop days and nights, and honestly it is all blending together at this point. I was able to get a feel for the bike culture there in town, meet a bunch of great people, drink way too much coffee and enjoy a ton of great food.
We spent a lot of time at
Velo Cult. It is taking a bit of time, but Sky has built what I believe will become the hub of bicycle culture in the town. It is more than a shop or a bar, it is a community space, enveloped on all sides by bikes.
The main event for us was getting the back end of the shop for one night to show off a row of complete Ramblers. We had some friends come by, met some friends of friends, some of the guys on the floor at Zen that will be making the Ramblers and a ton of new folks as well.
It started slow, and I was able to grab a shot. We were sharing the space that night with a beer event as well as an irish punk band. Things get busy for us, the camera went away and it was all show time for the next 5 hours. In theory I was going to be moved into the basement as the night went on. We were pulling enough people from last minute promotional efforts and the band was cool with us being there, so Sky worked out an alternate plan.
Rambler promotion by candle light and flashlight was on. I am pretty sure it went well. I know Sky was stoked with how well the bikes were received and how many people came out to see them. I will be bringing Ramblers into Portland through Velo Cult. If you have been thinking about building one up this summer Sky and the rest of the guys over there will be the ones to talk to. Be sure to drop by soon and let them know, and yes you can sit and have a pint while you are at it.
The days were filled with meetings and other business stuff. One whole afternoon was at Zen working out the details for the next run of Ramblers. What started as a quick meeting turned into a 3 hour tour. After that was all settled we headed out to explore the town a bit. With full bellies we headed over to check out the new Snow Peak flagship store.
SnowPeak makes and import some really nice camping gear. Some of it dovetails pretty well into what we are doing here at OAC, and we are hoping to bring in their product and possibly partner on a few things in the future. If you are in town it is definitely worth a stop.
The last major stop for business in town was closing one of the major gaps in our ability to deliver built up Ramblers to customers. I can build wheels, but much like my sewing, I am so slow that the family would starve waiting to get a profitable amount done. Enter
Sugar Wheel Works.
Jude and Jason are awesome. Jude has set up an efficient wheel building shop, with very high quality hand built wheels. The real beauty of what she has going on is her ability to show others how to build wheels as well, from community
classes to training employees with a model that is scalable.
Over the summer we will be adding some stock wheels to our offerings as well as the ability to facilitate custom builds at competitive pricing. If you are in Portland and looking for wheels you should drop by. If you are here in the Ventura area and looking for a custom set of wheels drop us a line. I know exactly how hard it can be to find a good set of hand built touring or commuting wheels and this will be the first step in filling that gap.
The last-minute breakfast on the way out of town was one that I will never forget. We met up with another early adopter and generally great guy for breakfast at the Grain and Gristle. It was my one and only wet ride in Portland on this trip. The food was great, and the company even better. While I have more than one favorite part about the whole OAC venture, meeting the people who love bikes and really live a life that the Rambler style of bike helps to fill out is just fantastic and rewarding.
Thank you Portland, I will be back soon!
Just because the days are getting longer does not mean that you are all that less likely to be caught riding in the dark. Riding at the margins of the day is honestly one of my favorite times. Last night was no exception.
Being visible as well as being able to see are both critical to safety in the dark. I have been getting by still with my old battery powered lights. Even though the
Ramblers are purpose built for integrated lighting, I have been so busy I have not been getting out in the dark. That though is a problem in and of itself, I have been riding less in general, and that is not a good thing. Then comes the new
Luxos from Busch and Muller.
As are many men, I am susceptible to gadget acquisition syndrome. These new lights are the gold standard in hub dyno powered lighting. Not that the previous lights like the B&M Cyo or EDelux are in any way inadequate. But the Luxos throws some serious light at a 70 LUX rating. I have been reading reviews and getting a bit excited to set up one on my Rambler. The Luxos U includes a USB charger to help keep the other gadgets running as well. I ordered a few extra to have some up on the storefront. Now all I need is my wheel that is in progress at
Sugar Wheel Works and it will be time to start riding a bit earlier each day.
Coffee Time May 22 2013, 0 Comments
Things were moving a bit slow and discoordinated this morning. I am not really sure how people do it in the places of perpetual fog, but with multiple days of clear mornings, today's overcast caused a minor malfunction of the internal alarm clock. This is where having a buddy asking if you left yet, 45 minutes ago, helps to get you going. The tide was high so it was off to find a bench.
Getting started I had decided to revert to cowboy coffee today
Doing my best to patiently wait for the morning's jump start
Then Mike showed up, built his wood fire, and in the distraction I had a boil over, and a really slow filter trying to recover the brew
In the end it all worked out, the coffee did what it should, had some fun hanging out, and a pretty great way to start the day.
From time to time I get asked about Brooks Select saddles and how they wear in. Mike has been loving his for over a year now, as well as the bike. There is some near perfect beausage going on there, signs of a bike with a good life.
This may or may not be what you were thinking. The Luxos from B&M is the hot new light on the market this summer, and for good reason. Higher output, wider beam, and remote switching and USB charger on the Luxos U what is not to like? There have been
plenty of posts and videos on other sites comparing the beam shots of these as well as others. The one thing everybody mentions is that the Luxos is significantly larger than the B&M Cyo. While I was shooting some product photos today it crossed my mind that I had both lights in the workshop, and should makes some comparison shots.
All that extra light comes with a slight price, and I am not talking about the $$ alone. The form factor and heat sink to cool the LED are significantly larger than the Cyo. The luxos is obviously a bigger light, and hits the scales with an extra 50g. That said, I am excited to get my
Rambler wired up with one. The extra light on the road, both to the front and sides will be welcome.
Dimensional Differences for mounting considerations:
I have a couple extra of the Luxos B and U in stock and will be adding them to the
storefront later this week.
and the inspiration for change..
Having the proper tools for the job only makes things better.
You may have noticed the faced head tube surface, and Yes the Ramblers will be like that in the box, it is the right way to do things. Everything went together smooth as butter
Why change it all yo might be wondering? After all it was working just fine, love the silky smooth King headset. The NOS Stronglight headset has roller bearings that reputedly will have a beneficial effect on any shimmy that could occur with Low Trail bikes. So far everything has been really good on mine as well as other Ramblers. Shimmy has net been an issue unless pushing the limits of low tire pressure, loose headsets or floppy loads, all things you should be avoiding anyway. Since I do get questions on the issue, it was time to try out a roller bearing headset on a Rambler for myself. I have used them on other bikes, and honestly if things are all in balance, shimmy has not been an issue for me regardless of the headset type. The second reason was to confirm the clearance of the Funky Monkey cable stop with the biggest headset I could find, not a problem at all, room to spare. Having tried most cable stops currently available, this one is hands down the nicest.
Now to get all the work for the day done so I can head up into the back country tomorrow afternoon with some friends. Happy Friday, and get out there and ride this weekend!
