Roller Blade Wheels Upgrade for the Brompton

(Check out Pt. 2 of this upgrade by reading here: http://utilitycyclist.blogspot.com/2010/02/brompton-rolling-wheels-upgrade-pt-2.html)

I had been reading at the Bikeforums about replacing the stock roller wheels with either the Easy Wheels (expensive) or roller blade wheels. The stock Brompton wheels are not that useful for rolling the bikes and have the negative benefit of getting caught in your shoes when pedalling. I’ve developed an inside out stroke to compensate for this so my shoes don’t get caught anymore. If your shoes get caught it could be dangerous if you happen to be in the middle of the street or you could take a sideways tumble if you’re stationary with your foot caught.

It took me a while to do this upgrade because I didn’t want to spend too much for roller blade wheels. Thrift shops carry donated roller blade skates, but they don’t want to sell individual blade shoes (a roller blade skate has 4 wheels and I only need 2). I finally came across some new wheels that cost me $3. Also, make sure your roller wheels come with bearings.

The upgrade was straightforward and pretty simple. I used the screws from the Brompton roller wheels. The wheels protrude sideways the same length as the old Brompton wheels, but they do make a difference in getting your shoes caught. Or rather NOT getting your foot caught.

There was no benefit of being able to roll the bike on the new wheels, though. I thought you could roll the bike like luggage at a 45 degree angle by pulling the saddle as a handle. It’s just not possible. The suspension “nipple” protrudes and you periodically get snagged while rolling it. Maybe a larger diameter wheel can solve this (I used a 72mm wheel). I don’t know, though.

Here’s my bottom line for this upgrade:
Pros:
1) No more shoes caught on the wheels (!)
2) Very low cost

Negatives:
1) Can’t roll the bike at an angle

This is a definite “must do” upgrade for your M3L because it’s so inexpensive.

Winter's Grip.

I haven’t posted in so long, I should be flogged. I have been commuting, though. On very cold days, I usually wear thermal underwear. That helps. I’m ready for the winter to be over.

It has been unusually cold, but not a lot of snow. Just yesterday, the DC area got about 6-8 inches. That’s on top of 2 inches we got early in the winter. It’ll probably give us about 10 inches for this winter. Not a lot of snow. However, temperature wise it has been cold, though. Below average cold. The pix is of my Yeah bike, that is ensconced in the white stuff. Poor baby. Don’t worry. Three little ladies to the rescue: April, May and June, ha-ha.

Wanton Vandalism.

As I mentioned, I leave my Fuji Kyoto outside when I park at the subway station. Well, some idiot took a liking to my front hub generator light and tried to rip it off. Turns out it’s bolted on pretty firmly. He couldn’t get it off. Nonethless, he ripped the cover off and ripped the wires that connect the hub to the rear tail light. Now, my lights don’t work.

I’m pretty sure I can re-attach the wires somehow and glue the light cover back on. I’ll probably uglify it with some duct tape to (hopefully) deter other would be vandals.

Still, I can’t understand the mentality of someone who would try to steal someone’s light then seeing that he can’t have it, destroy it so that the owner can’t have further use of it. It’s like the line in the movie when the bad guy says, “If I can’t have it, nobody can!”

Dedicated commuter: Review of the Fuji Kyoto 2.0

As I blogged about previously, I have been commuting on my Schwinn GSD (review). I called it my “go to” guy and it is a very good commuter. However, my recent experience with my Brompton has introduced me to Internally Geared Hubs (IGH). I had heard that IGHs were good for city/urban commutes, but personal experience with the Brompton has shown me that they are outstanding. I encounter frequent stops on my commute which is where IGHs shine. Being able to shift at a stop is a great benefit for urban commuters. You can shift down to an easy gear then up shift to the higher gear when you get rolling.

Because of this, I began to explore full sized bikes with IGHs. Bikes with IGHs are not readily available at local bike shops (LBSs). Many times you have to special order a bike with an IGH. I’ve seen some very nice built up from scratch bikes with IGHs on the bike forums site. These are beautiful machines with fancy accessories like leather wrapped handlebars, leather saddles, beveled fenders etc. Unfortunately, these can run up to a $1000+ dollars. Nice, but if you just want a reliable ride to get you back and forth to work, these kinds of bikes may be overkill. Even more, I’d be worried if someone would steal a bike like this and I’d be out all that money.

Luckily, I found an LBS that carried 2 bike models that have an IGH. One was a Giant TranSend EX and the Kyoto 2.0. The TranSend EX was similar to the Kyoto except it had a more advanced IGH Shimano Alfine 8 (one more gear) and it had disc brakes. The Alfine hub and the disc brakes cause the price of the Giant bike to be about $200 more than the Kyoto. Price was the primary reason I went with the Kyoto BTW.

I’ve been riding this bike for just over 70 miles and here are my impressions:

THE GOOD:

IGH: (As I mentioned above) Being able to shift at a stop. This is a necessity when encountering the number of stops most urban riders encounter. Believe me, your knees will thank you for it when taking off in a low gear.

Dynamo powered lights: This bike comes stock with a front headlight and a rear red tail light that is powered by a dynamo front hub. No batteries required! Both lights turn on when you start moving. And, there is no (or at least minimal) drag from the front hub that slows you down. In addition, the wires running to both lights are out of the way and unobtrusive. The wires to the rear light run through the fenders. Ingenious! My only worry about these nice lights is that some idiot will come by and rip them off thinking he can install them on his bike or sell them. Or, he can decide to smash them after unsuccessfully attempting to take them off. After all, I do park my bike out in the open. A slight negative, the rear light is a constant red, not a blinky red type light. And, after a long ride the red light remains on for 2-3 minutes then dies. The front light turns off when you finish pedaling regardless. Finally, the light given off by the front light is not that strong so it won’t illuminate you 1 block down. However, it is meant for cars to see YOU primarily.

Accessories: The bike also comes with custom-fit fenders (a commuting necessity) and a custom fit chainguard. Manufacturer provided fenders fit a bike like a glove and this bike is no exception. I commute in “regular” clothes so the chainguard is a requirement for me.

Rim Brakes: In my previous review of the Schwinn GSD I raved about the disc brakes. Disc brakes work great in wet weather and they don’t wear out your rims. I was prepared to be less enthusiastic with this Kyoto because of the rim brakes, but I’m not. I am pleasantly surprised. These brakes are quiet, stop on a dime and don’t wobble and hit one side of the rim over another. They are perfectly centered.

Bolt-on wheels: IGHs are usually secured with bolt-on wheels rather than Quick Release hubs. Bolt-on wheels are better theft deterrents. I can use a simple cable lock to secure this bike to a tree or lamppost via the frame triangle. This would be good in a pinch, but I will use a U lock when I leave my bike locked up outside just to be safe.

THE BAD:

Weight: This bike is heavy. It weighs about 32 lbs. This is heavier than the Schwinn GSD. I don’t understand why these IGH equipped bikes are so heavy. This bike does have a front fork, which contributes to the weight. And, the IGH adds a pound or two. Maybe they use heavy aluminum and strong sturdy parts on these bikes because they are supposed to last forever and be indestructible. Here, the option of building your own IGH bike looks attractive. Get a lightweight frame , IGH it, go bare bones and you can have a 25lb or lower weight bike. Even though the bike is heavy, riding it feels really light. Maybe it’s the tires (Continental) that have little surface contact with the ground, but it feels very agile. It is only when you lift the bike that you notice the heftiness.

One last improvement: I've rigged a bottle holder on the rack so I can hang my workbag. See pix below:

There here! Rental bikes for locals.

I did an entry earlier about this rent-a-bike scheme coming to my area (http://utilitycyclist.blogspot.com/2007/10/arlington-va-to-join-ranks-of-berlin.html). Well, they’ve arrived. I saw my first Smart Bike DC location when I was downtown earlier this week and snapped some cell camera pix. In a nutshell, you pay $40 a year which gives you unlimited rides (up to 3 hours) throughout the year. If you don’t return the bike, you get tagged with a hefty charge ($500, I believe). There are 10 designated return areas/kiosks throughout the city.

As one can see, the bikes are rather utilitarian. Internal 3 speeds, chainguards with fenders and an upright riding style. The bike style offered means that anyone from a young rider to an old lady can ride them. Also, no mention about wearing a helmet anywhere near this kiosk I saw.

This is exciting. $40 is really cheap for what this gives you. It’s like an all you can eat buffet of bike riding for one year. If you want to keep your bike more than a 3 hour period, just return the bike to a kiosk. Then, re-rent another one for another 3 hour period. I hope this program is a big success so that other U.S. cities can copy these efforts.

See https://www.smartbikedc.com/ for more information.

Airbomb Not Da Bomb.

Review of Airbomb.com online retailer.

I frequently look for bike parts mostly online because they tend to be cheaper than going to an LBS. I try to get the part online and either install the part myself or have the LBS install it for me. Even when you include shipping, items tend to be cheaper online believe it or not. I have bought stuff before from places like Pricepoint or Performance and they have provided fast top notch service. I compare prices using Google shopping comparison site (used to be called Froggle). A site that kept coming up with low prices was Airbomb.com. I decided to give them a try and ordered a rear cog. What a mistake.

Here’s the chronology:
8/15/08 placed order
8/16/08 received order email acknowledgement
8/20/08 received a “confirmed and in process” email
8/27/08 received a “short order delay” email
9/2/08 received an “extended backorder notification” email

After the last email, I called them and cancelled the order. I spoke to someone named “Caroline” and said that was no problem. Later, they shipped the order that day!

Eighteen days to fill an order! That’s not too good. They drag the customer along and, if he/she cancels, they fulfill the order. Nice business model. Bottom line: Avoid Airbomb.com.

Review of Mirrycle Mirror: Best Mirror I've Found.

I have this Mirrycle handle bar mirror that I can’t recommend more highly. I tried other mirrors and they just can’t compare with this Mirrycle. There was one I tried that you had to stick into the handlebar and had some sort of expanding rubber to hold it in place. I think it was called the Cateye handlebar MTB mirror. It wobbled too much as you rode. You had to constantly readjust it so you could have the appropriate line of sight. Not with this Mirrycle. It has an expanding cylinder (with two handlebar width sizes) that will hold this mirror firmly in place. The kit comes with a L-shaped hex key to adjust. In addition, you can adjust it once and forget it. It pretty much stays the way you left it. I wouldn’t tighten it too much because if you bike falls over or you hit a parking meter or something you may break it. Better that it be slightly loose so it can “give” in case you rub it against something.

I’m also not a fan of those stick on mirrors that you put on your glasses or on your helmet. I’ve only got one pair of glasses and I’m pretty rough with them. I toss them when I take them off and I don’t think a protruding mirror would last too long with the way I treat my glasses. Same thing with the helmet mirror. These usually stick on to the outside of the helmet. I toss my helmet in a small shelf in the garage when I remove it. Again, my rough treatment could cause these small mirrors to come off.

If you’re a regular commuter you should make a rearview mirror as one of your top 3 accessories to outfit your bike with. Using my mirror, I’m always looking behind me to see traffic approaching. Generally, I try to take the lane as much as possible to 1) avoid being “doored” from cars on the right and 2) to more be more visible to traffic. When I spot a car coming up behind me, I move slightly to the right to allow them to pass me. Although I’ve never been hit from behind, I think a rear mirror would also allow me to jump off or leave the bike if a car does strike me.