So I finally got out for a ride after cutting my handlebar down from 685mm to 660mm. It felt good. 685 always felt just a bit too wide to me. I'm going to leave it at 660 for a while. I need to get several rides under my chamois in varying terrain to form a thorough impression. So far, so good. I did graze one tree trunk on a tight, technical section, I should note.
I'm always tweaking my bike setup. Along with the debut of my 660mm handlebar, my ride featured my first-ever singletrack experience on Crank Brothers Egg Beaters pedals. I've been using these pedals on my road/commuter bike for a few years now, but never on mtb. I found them slightly more difficult to clip into than my SPDs. Once clipped in, they felt no more or less solid than SPDs. One thing I didn't like was that when I went to clip in and missed, sometimes my foot would just roll forward right off of the pedal. Even when I "miss" on my SPDs, my entire foot never rolls forward off of the pedal platform. But, maybe this is just a matter of getting used to clipping in to the Egg Beaters on the trail.
I also tried out some new grips on this ride. Ergon GA1's. They're described as all-mountain grips, but I've heard good things about them from cross-country oriented riders like myself. They felt fine, but maybe just a little on the large side. That said, I bought the large size. They also come in small, but I haven't yet wrapped my hands around a pair of smalls. I bought the large size because, at 5' 9", (ahem) my hands and feet are a little on the large size. They don't have the ergonomic "wings" that is the signature of the Ergon lineup, but they are shaped to fit the hand, not just a straight cylinder. The lack of wings meant that I did not unintentionally rotate the grip on the handlebar while applying the death grip on technical sections. The wings provide additional leverage that often caused me to turn the grips on the bar - not good. Even when properly torqued, I still ended up rotating the grips unintentionally in the heat of the moment.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Cutting carbon handlebars
I've been trying out different handlebar widths on my mountain bike lately. I rode a flat, 580mm wide bar for about a decade or so before trying out a 635mm wide low-rise handlebar earlier this year. It was love at first ride. I built up a second mountain bike for myself this past spring. The trend has been toward ever-wide bars. My LBS encouraged me to check out a 685mm wide bar. So I did. The results? Eh, not so good. For the tight, twisty, cross-country riding I like, 685mm felt just too wide. I actually grazed the end of the bar on a passing tree at high speed a while back. I didn't crash, but I decided 685 was not for me.
That said, the beauty of a wider bar is that you can always cut it shorter. I finally cut mine down the other night. Here are some photos and notes...
First time posting photos in my blog. My apologies if I screw this up:
That said, the beauty of a wider bar is that you can always cut it shorter. I finally cut mine down the other night. Here are some photos and notes...
First time posting photos in my blog. My apologies if I screw this up:
My carbon bar, clamped and partway through cutting
So, first things first: when cutting carbon, you always want to wrap the area to be cut with electrical tape. This reduces the chances of splinters when cutting and results in a cleaner cut. Hard to tell from my photo, because it's black on black, but I taped the bar before cutting. I used my Park SG-6 saw guide to get a nice, square cut. It's intended for cutting fork steerer tubes, but works equally well on handlebars.
After cutting both ends, I measured the cutoff pieces to see how evenly I had trimmed the bar:
 |
| cutoff #1 |
 |
| cutoff #2 I started out at 685mm, and the goal was to end up at 660mm. I can always cut more off later if I decide 660mm is still too wide, but why not try it? So, I had to cut 12.5mm off of each end. As you can see from the photos, the cutoffs are a little short of 12.5mm, but what you don't see is the material removed equal to the thickness of the saw blade. I'm right in the ballpark. A little sanding and reassembly, and I'm ready to ride! I'll let you know what I think about 660mm in a future post. Happy trails! |
Sunday, August 14, 2011
A reminder on the importance of bike maintenance
I am relatively new to disc brakes on mountain bikes, having only started using them about two years ago. Unlike rim brakes, where it is easy to see the pads and tell how much life they have left in them, disc brake pads are hidden within the caliper. I'm running Magura Marta disc brakes on one of my bikes. These brakes came with what Magura calls a "transport device." Poor choice of a name, in my opinion. For not only is this little yellow piece of plastic used to insert between the pads when the front wheel is removed from the fork for transport, it has other uses as well. Unless you're a true bike geek or a mechanic, you're not likely to read the owner's manual front to back and pick up on the additional functions of the transport device. (Sounds like something from Star Trek, doesn't it?)
There is a half-round channel integrated into the device for holding hydraulic hose to aid in cutting and insertion of the barbed brass insert. This only comes into play if you need to shorten the hose or replace it. Much more likely to be used is the finger of plastic that projects out of the tail end of the device. It is used to check for pad wear. You insert the finger between the "ears" of the pads and squeeze the brake lever. If the finger does not fit between the ears (I'm not making this up!), your pads need replacing. I'd consider this the quick check for pad life. If the pads don't pass the finger/ear test, I would remove the pads and measure them with calipers. Magura states a minimum acceptable pad thickness of 2.5 mm. Make sure the measure at the thinnest point in the pad/backing plate. A pad is only as good as its thinnest point. When I measure my rear pads, they were 2.1 mm and 2.3 mm - both well below the 2.5 minimum. In fact, the pad that measured 2.1 mm was very close to wearing completely through the pad material. If that had happened, I would probably be looking at replacing the rotor as well as the pad, not to mention the possibility of a crash that could cause additional damage to bike and body.
Long story short: I replaced the worn pads immediately. Also of note: When I checked mine, the pad wear was uneven, indicating that the caliper was not in perfect alignment to the rotor. When I replaced the pads, I realigned the caliper as well. It will be interesting to see what the pad wear pattern looks like after I put some miles on them. Of course, this precautionary tale only applies to Magura Marta (and possibly other Magura model) brakes. Mine happen to be the 2009 model year. Always follow the brake manufacturer's recommendations for proper maintenance. This will vary from brand to brand.
There is a half-round channel integrated into the device for holding hydraulic hose to aid in cutting and insertion of the barbed brass insert. This only comes into play if you need to shorten the hose or replace it. Much more likely to be used is the finger of plastic that projects out of the tail end of the device. It is used to check for pad wear. You insert the finger between the "ears" of the pads and squeeze the brake lever. If the finger does not fit between the ears (I'm not making this up!), your pads need replacing. I'd consider this the quick check for pad life. If the pads don't pass the finger/ear test, I would remove the pads and measure them with calipers. Magura states a minimum acceptable pad thickness of 2.5 mm. Make sure the measure at the thinnest point in the pad/backing plate. A pad is only as good as its thinnest point. When I measure my rear pads, they were 2.1 mm and 2.3 mm - both well below the 2.5 minimum. In fact, the pad that measured 2.1 mm was very close to wearing completely through the pad material. If that had happened, I would probably be looking at replacing the rotor as well as the pad, not to mention the possibility of a crash that could cause additional damage to bike and body.
Long story short: I replaced the worn pads immediately. Also of note: When I checked mine, the pad wear was uneven, indicating that the caliper was not in perfect alignment to the rotor. When I replaced the pads, I realigned the caliper as well. It will be interesting to see what the pad wear pattern looks like after I put some miles on them. Of course, this precautionary tale only applies to Magura Marta (and possibly other Magura model) brakes. Mine happen to be the 2009 model year. Always follow the brake manufacturer's recommendations for proper maintenance. This will vary from brand to brand.
Friday, August 12, 2011
An introduction
My name is Craig, and I am the sole proprietor of Table Mountain Bike Works. So, how did I get to this point? Well, I had a pretty normal childhood. I was raised in Southern Illinois in a traditional family. I went to college at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Industrial Design in 1990. I worked as an industrial designer for a manufacturer in Illinois (yes, you read that right - manufacturing in America!) after college. Two trips out West in the early 90's convinced me that I belonged in the American West. I moved to Colorado on Memorial Day, 1994. I've been here ever since. It is home to me.
I have had a lifelong love affair with bicycles. Unlike most of my peers, I didn't stop riding bikes as soon as I got my driver's license. You might have me pegged as a racer type, but you'd be wrong. In fact, I've never raced, with the exception of one forgettable performance in a "citizens' race" in Illinois in the early 90's. I just love the feeling of rolling along on two wheels. After moving to Colorado, I really got into mountain biking. I have ridden some of the finest trails all over the state, and I have sampled the riding in adjoining states as well. I still road ride, but mostly in the form of commuting. I really enjoyed riding my bike to work. That is, until I quit my job recently to start my own home-based business. I guess I could ride the 20 yards to the barn. :)
So, what qualifications do I have to open a bike repair business? Well, for many years, I pretty much just rode my bikes, and rode 'em hard. But at some point a few years ago, I decided that I wanted to take a more active, independent role in maintaining my bicycles. To that end, I enrolled in some maintenance courses at a local bike shop in the evenings. The shop is Wheat Ridge Cyclery, a very well-known shop in the industry. I completed an intermediate mtb maintenance course there in 2010, and earlier this year I returned for their suspension maintenance course. Both courses taught by their service manager, Doug Bittle. Doug's a really nice guy, and he knows bikes. Thanks, Doug!
About the same time, I thought assembling a bike from parts that I selected would be a really great way to learn more about bikes and what makes them tick. With support from my wife, I plunged in. I decided to build myself a dedicated commuter bike. I wanted a versatile frame that would accept fenders, racks, wide tires, etc. Eventually, I discovered the Surly brand, and more specifically, their Cross-check frame. Billed as a cyclocross frame, it also makes for a nice commuter. Slowly but surely, I built the frame up into a complete bike. I even decided to take the plunge and build my own wheels. I bought a Park TS-2 truing stand to do the job right. It seemed like a huge investment at the time. Long story short, I built the bike up and, lo and behold, it held together quite nicely. It even shifted and braked well. It was a very empowering, encouraging experience.
I have since built up two mountain bikes in a similar fashion, wheels and all. And they too have held up very well. It takes a certain confidence to ride on Colorado's backcountry trails on a bike you've built up yourself. Especially when you're riding solo. At this point, I figured I was ready to build and maintain bikes for other people. But to really legitimize my qualifications, after I quit my job in May of this year I decided to go to "bike school," as my wife and I took to calling it. I got on the waiting list for both United Bicycle Institute and Barnett Bicycle Institute. Barnett called with an opening in their two-week Bicycle Repair and Overhaul class starting the last week of June. I jumped at the opportunity. Barnett does an incredible job. The class reinforced what I had already learned and much, much more. It was a rigorous course. And well worth the money I shelled out for it. In addition to what I learned, I took with me John Barnett's nearly 3,000 page DX manual of bike repair and maintenance. This is truly the Bible of bike repair. I've learned things in there about parts I personally own and ride that I didn't even learn from the manufacturer's owner's manual. This is truly John's life work. It is an amazing document.
Most recently, I have been busy building up my shop with professional quality tools. I'll talk about that in a future post. And I'll include photos, I promise.
I have had a lifelong love affair with bicycles. Unlike most of my peers, I didn't stop riding bikes as soon as I got my driver's license. You might have me pegged as a racer type, but you'd be wrong. In fact, I've never raced, with the exception of one forgettable performance in a "citizens' race" in Illinois in the early 90's. I just love the feeling of rolling along on two wheels. After moving to Colorado, I really got into mountain biking. I have ridden some of the finest trails all over the state, and I have sampled the riding in adjoining states as well. I still road ride, but mostly in the form of commuting. I really enjoyed riding my bike to work. That is, until I quit my job recently to start my own home-based business. I guess I could ride the 20 yards to the barn. :)
So, what qualifications do I have to open a bike repair business? Well, for many years, I pretty much just rode my bikes, and rode 'em hard. But at some point a few years ago, I decided that I wanted to take a more active, independent role in maintaining my bicycles. To that end, I enrolled in some maintenance courses at a local bike shop in the evenings. The shop is Wheat Ridge Cyclery, a very well-known shop in the industry. I completed an intermediate mtb maintenance course there in 2010, and earlier this year I returned for their suspension maintenance course. Both courses taught by their service manager, Doug Bittle. Doug's a really nice guy, and he knows bikes. Thanks, Doug!
About the same time, I thought assembling a bike from parts that I selected would be a really great way to learn more about bikes and what makes them tick. With support from my wife, I plunged in. I decided to build myself a dedicated commuter bike. I wanted a versatile frame that would accept fenders, racks, wide tires, etc. Eventually, I discovered the Surly brand, and more specifically, their Cross-check frame. Billed as a cyclocross frame, it also makes for a nice commuter. Slowly but surely, I built the frame up into a complete bike. I even decided to take the plunge and build my own wheels. I bought a Park TS-2 truing stand to do the job right. It seemed like a huge investment at the time. Long story short, I built the bike up and, lo and behold, it held together quite nicely. It even shifted and braked well. It was a very empowering, encouraging experience.
I have since built up two mountain bikes in a similar fashion, wheels and all. And they too have held up very well. It takes a certain confidence to ride on Colorado's backcountry trails on a bike you've built up yourself. Especially when you're riding solo. At this point, I figured I was ready to build and maintain bikes for other people. But to really legitimize my qualifications, after I quit my job in May of this year I decided to go to "bike school," as my wife and I took to calling it. I got on the waiting list for both United Bicycle Institute and Barnett Bicycle Institute. Barnett called with an opening in their two-week Bicycle Repair and Overhaul class starting the last week of June. I jumped at the opportunity. Barnett does an incredible job. The class reinforced what I had already learned and much, much more. It was a rigorous course. And well worth the money I shelled out for it. In addition to what I learned, I took with me John Barnett's nearly 3,000 page DX manual of bike repair and maintenance. This is truly the Bible of bike repair. I've learned things in there about parts I personally own and ride that I didn't even learn from the manufacturer's owner's manual. This is truly John's life work. It is an amazing document.
Most recently, I have been busy building up my shop with professional quality tools. I'll talk about that in a future post. And I'll include photos, I promise.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Welcome!
Hello, and thank you for visiting my blog. This being my first-ever blog post, I'm going to keep it short and simple.
I am starting this blog to create awareness of my fledgling business, Table Mountain Bike Works. After 20 years of working for others, usually some big, faceless organization, I have decided to start my own business. I have had a lifelong love affair with bicycles and riding, so a bike repair business was an easy choice for me. My wife and I bought a house in January 2011 that included a very nice, modern equestrian barn. We're not "horse people", so we have each claimed a 12' x 12' stable to pursue our passions. For my wife, that means silversmithing. And for me, working on bikes. We had concrete poured in the stable floors, and electricity installed. Photos will be forthcoming in a future post, no doubt.
Well, if I'm going to keep the promise I made at the beginning of this post, I'd better wrap it up! Thanks again for visiting. I am excited to share this new chapter in my life with you.
Sincerely,
Craig
I am starting this blog to create awareness of my fledgling business, Table Mountain Bike Works. After 20 years of working for others, usually some big, faceless organization, I have decided to start my own business. I have had a lifelong love affair with bicycles and riding, so a bike repair business was an easy choice for me. My wife and I bought a house in January 2011 that included a very nice, modern equestrian barn. We're not "horse people", so we have each claimed a 12' x 12' stable to pursue our passions. For my wife, that means silversmithing. And for me, working on bikes. We had concrete poured in the stable floors, and electricity installed. Photos will be forthcoming in a future post, no doubt.
Well, if I'm going to keep the promise I made at the beginning of this post, I'd better wrap it up! Thanks again for visiting. I am excited to share this new chapter in my life with you.
Sincerely,
Craig
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