Category: Gear

Categories
Gear

Basil Gets a Grip (or two)

Basil is a 2012 M6R Brompton; his original grips were the improved ones — improved, that is, over the previous version.  I hadn’t loved the grips I used when I test-rode an older Brompton, but the foam grips that were part of Basil’s original equipment were much better.  Fatter toward the end of the handlebar, and leaner toward the middle, they were quite comfortable.

On the longest rides, though, I found myself wanting to vary my hand position more than I could, easily, using these original grips.  Specifically, I wished that I had a comfortable place to rest the heel of my hand.

A conversation with a Brompton owner in New York — and the ability to see an alternative in person, on a Brompton — convinced me to try a pair of Ergon GP1-S grips.

I was very nervous about altering Basil’s set-up; I like retaining original equipment. But, to some extent, even the marvelous machine that is a Brompton is somewhat a work in progress. If something can add to comfort and utility, then there is probably no good reason not to try it.  Or so I told myself as I made that first terrifying cut beneath Basil’s old grips.

Worst case scenario, I could put another OEM pair back on, right?

The old grips separated pretty easily; I was able to pull them off with little trouble.The Ergons were 13 cm long, but the space available on Basil’s handlebar — up to where the brakes attach beneath — was only 10 cm. So I assembled the tool kit below (along with a ruler — I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without a ruler) and got to work.

That’s a pipe-cutter on the left. You can’t cut an Ergon grip with a pipe-cutter, but you can draw (or lightly cut, if you prefer that description) a neat line around the grip, which can then be followed by either the box cutter or the kitchen knife. (Mr. Diarist may or may not know about my penchant for multi-purposing kitchen tools.)

I measured each grip twice, then marked the surface 3 cm from the end.  By carefully retaining the rounded shape of the grip, I was able to score the rubber (vinyl?) more deeply that I had thought possible, which was a help when moving to the next step.

Then I used the box cutter to deepen the cut.  Someone more dexterous than I could probably make clean work of this with a box-cutter alone, but I finished up with the kitchen knife, which was easier for me to use at the end.

Next time, I’ll probably be able to make a cleaner edge, but this wasn’t a bad result for a first time try.  Sliding the Ergons onto the handlebar took some work; the grips are held in place by a metal band at the end, which is screwed tight.  (But  not too tight — if you have a torque wrench, you can set it to the proper newton degree.  Care is advised when tightening; some reviewers have popped the screw heads off, but that’s probably avoidable.)  I tossed a 4 mm allen wrench into Basil’s saddle bag; it should be no problem if I need to make future adjustments.

Re-installing my Mirrcycle mirror was simpe, and that was all there was to it.

So far, I’ve only done a short experimental run with these — just enough to check that they are secure, and to test the initial angle setting.  I like the feel, and I think they will do exactly what I hoped they would in terms of providing greater options for positioning my hands.

It’s been storming here, so my opportunities to ride have been few; I’m hoping to give these a good trial run before too long, if the weather, and life, cooperate.

Categories
Gear My Brompton

Cupholder Repair

Maybe my Bar-Ista bicycle cupholder is meant only for coffee-drinking hipsters who are cycling for just three civilized miles at a time.  Mine lost one of the screws that holds the ring to the support stem . . . it obviously vibrated out.  There are two, which may explain why I didn’t notice as it went flying. (Good thing it didn’t end up in a tire!  I found it in the house, later, but put it in a “safe place”, so obviously I’ll never see it again.)

Basil and I went to the hardware store to find a replacement screw — one with a locking nut.  I took his picture outside, as the process inside took quite a while.  A terrific employee helped put the ring back together (my allen wrench was no use for the new screw). (Thanks, Santiago!)  I would have replaced the second screw, too, but it won’t take a locking nut, because of the way the support bar is constructed.  Santiago suggested plumber’s tape to keep it in place; that’s what I’ll do.

We picked up only a few things at the market:  Pepto Bismol, because Mr. Diarist really shouldn’t have eaten all those homicide chicken wings; Risler Square cheese (raclette for dinner!); and a vanilla soda that I like to drink, ice cold, occasionally. I won’t drink sugared sodas, since no one needs that stuff coursing through a body, but do like this soda, which is sweetened with stevia.  I’m not convinced that stevia is particularly good for people either, but figure it won’t hurt, once in a while.  (I always add extra vanilla extract to the soda, along with ice cubes; a really good quality vanilla extract heightens the flavor and cuts the not-entirely-nice hint of stevia.)

I put the bottles into a neoprene case to cushion them.  I thought this bag was meant for beer, but it can’t be zipped with the long-necked bottles inside.  That didn’t matter, because I bought them off the shelf.  But I don’t think I’ll mention to Mr. Diarist that beer apparently can come in cans.  I’m sure he would be shocked, I tell you, shocked.

Categories
Gear Tips

Ice: Stronger Than Steel

In anticipation of a bout of long, hot, cycling, I cleverly popped two of my stainless steel water bottles into the freezer the night before.

Naturally, I filled them only part way — about three-quarters full.  They were frosty-wonderful when I popped them into Basil’s new bottle cages.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I stopped to swap bottles, and discovered only a chunk of ice at the bottom of one bottle.

The frozen water had stressed the stainless bottle beyond endurance, causing an explosion.  This was painful to see. Also, this result rendered my “frozen bottle” approach considerably less clever than I had originally thought.

Had I filled a plastic container with apricot preserves, and left only a half inch at the top, all would have been well. Obviously, my calculations for actual ice were off; Mr. Diarist suggests, additionally, that the narrowing of the Sigg bottle toward the top may have played a part, depending on how the freezing actually progressed.

The second bottle escaped with stress marks (stretch marks?) along the side. Also, the bottom is now slightly convex, which causes it to rock a bit when set on a flat surface.

In future, I’ll fill the replacement bottle, and the other two, only half way up the lower portion of the bottle.  Just before leaving, I’ll add cold water to top up.  This won’t keep my libations as refreshing as would solid ice melting, but will keep down the water bottle replacement expenses.

Categories
Gear Water Bottle Sagas

Dual Water Bottle Cage for a Brompton Bicycle

Just before a recent event — 34 hilly miles (54.7 km) in summer heat — I impulsively bought a double water bottle cage and had it installed on Basil’s saddle rails.

This is a Profile Design system; one of its selling points is that having the bottles in back is supposed to be aero-dynamic. This is not a consideration for the pace at which I normally ride; however, having three water bottles on hand for long rides is excellent.

(Also, another cyclist told me that my metal water bottles look like rockets when they’re riding in these cages. That may be justification enough.)

I don’t notice the cages or the water bottles while riding, and the bottles remained well-seated on the test run, which covered 34 miles of hilly terrain and speeds of up to 31.2 mph/50.2 kmph (gulp).  An elastic “wire” around each holder grips the bottles so that they are unlikely to pop out while the bike vibrates down the road.

I can’t vouch for how easy (or difficult) it is to remove and replace the bottles while actually cycling; I’ve just barely mastered drinking from the bottle in front of me. I swapped empty bottles for full ones at rest stops, and drank from my front cage while on the fly.

The cages extend Basil’s length a bit, but not enough to be an issue most of the time.  The angle is adjustable, so the bottles can be set whatever way is most convenient. Mine are quite upright, but the bottles could be tipped in toward the rider, if that makes the bottles easier to grab from the front.

The mount and bracket are metal and look well-designed. I expect them to prove quite durable.

The cages are completely out of the way when my Brompton is folded; they aren’t wide enough to rest on the supporting surface when Basil is folded and lying on his side, so there’s no obvious vulnerability there.  Because the mount is attached to the saddle rails, there’s no interference with the Brompton fold, either.

For easier access, I dropped Basil’s saddle bag a bit.  Although it’s not quite as easy to use the bag as it was before the installation,  it’s still no problem to get to the gear inside; I got used to the change quickly.

For travel to or in a place like New York City — anywhere space may be at a premium, and the need to carry so much water less essential — I will disconnect the cages, and leave them home.  Removing the double bolts (you can see the heads in profile, above) leaves just the nose of the mount, which curves above the saddle bag, and is surprisingly unobtrusive.

This was a terrific set-up for my first real summer weather ride; I’m eager to see how well it serves as the season continues.

Update 4 August 2013:  I installed this cage on the original Brompton saddle, which has narrow  rails; a commenter has noted that the version he purchased does not fit on his Brooks B17 saddle.  If considering this bottle cage, it might be worth contacting Profile Design to see if  the model you are buying will work with your saddle rails.

Categories
Gear

A Poor Apparel Purchase

When I started cycling not long ago, I was riding a six-speed, bright red, tricycle with wide rear wheels and a large basket.  (Balance problems, since overcome.)  I generally wore high visibility clothing, but I didn’t think about being seen quite as much as I do now.  Everybody, it appears, loves a red tricycle, and we were a spectacle. Rather than run me off the road, people tended to grin and wave when they saw me.

Riding a bicycle is a different matter entirely.  I bought this Cannondale jacket during my trike year.  It’s very clever; the sleeves and the yoke joining them to the jacket body are held to the vest with magnets, so it’s super easy to toss the sleeves on or off without any effort.  That’s a fantastic feature.

But most of the back of the jacket is white. When the sleeves are removed, the mesh under the yoke isn’t high vis, it’s white.  White that just seems to disappear when view from any distance at all.  There is minimal “high vis” to this high vis jacket, especially when the sleeves are removed.  That means its use, in my world, is pretty much limited to trails. Also:  White? Seriously?  For sports clothes? This isn’t tennis, fellas!

This jacket is also too short —  not only in front, but the drop tail in back is hardly more than a faint gesture toward the idea that  one might prefer one’s rear to be covered.  If it’s short  on me, on a taller woman, this jacket must hit the midriff area.  Worse, after very limited use, the zipper coils have begun to separate from the metal tab at the end, making it difficult to join the two sides of the jacket and zip them up.

I’m sorry I own it now; it’s slated to be replaced in the next month or two. With more cycling experience, I’ve got a better idea of what I need and want in terms of gear, and a different set of parameters to consider.

Mr. Diarist owns the men’s version.  The accents on his are black; a notable improvement.  There’s a lot more screaming yellow on his jacket/vest, and his is appropriately long.  His was a good buy; mine was not.

Can I mention how annoyed I am that there seems to be way too much women’s cycling gear that is a pale imitation of more functional, better-designed, men’s gear?  I’d wear that stuff, but I drown even in the smaller men’s sizes, and, needless to say, the men’s gear isn’t exactly form-fitting on most women’s bodies.

Categories
Books Gear Tips

Feed Zone Portables

While feeding our horde of special needs cats one evening — a laborious process — Mr. Diarist read about this book in one of the cycling magazines I’d left lying around.  The central conceit is that it’s easy to make, and consume, energy foods produced in your own kitchen, instead of the often artifically-enhanced stuff sold to athletes.

(As a side note, Feed Zone Portables is a beautifully produced book, with a lovely cloth-bound spine. It’s a pleasure to hold and read!)

We both occasionally partake of commercial bars when on the run, and I always have a couple in Basil’s saddle bag, but we like the idea of eating real food instead.  I got a hold of a copy of the book, and, one day when I was out running errands, Mr. Diarist whipped up three of Thomas’s and Lim’s recipes.

These are potato-leek fritattas, made with eggs, too.  The flavor is stupendous right from the oven; they are tasty, but not spectacular, when eaten cold.  At 40 kcal apiece, and with some structural integrity, they can be fairly easily scarfed all along a ride, providing a bit of protein and a few carbs along the way.

The chocolate-almond rice cakes have a delicious, unusual flavor, but, at least in this iteration, were a bit sticky to handle easily.  Coconut adds flavor and fiber, but sticks in my teeth, so this isn’t the best choice for me while far from dental floss.  Mr. Diarist thought he’d made them too moist with a bit too much honey; using less next time might make these small bars less gooey.

The almond-date rice cakes sounded dull to me, but I was wrong!  These are tasty and flavorful, and a bit less messy to handle than the chocolate treats above.  I found them quite filling, too.

The authors suggest wrapping the snacks in parchment-lined tin-foil, which makes for cute, festive, packets, but they are also quite bulky, and disinclined to stay closed without tape (which we didn’t have on hand immediately).  I’m not sure why the parchment lining is considered a good idea; I’d prefer simple, recyclable, aluminium foil.  I’m assuming that we’d never eat enough of these to be affected by the food coming in direct contact with the aluminium. (You can see, when reviewing the cover photo, that I don’t wrap nearly as neatly as the authors do.)

The snacks are meant to be stored in the fridge; we packed ours into an air-tight container first.  Next time, I’ll be wrapping these in waxed paper, and checking out how that works. I think it will be easier to manage, both in the wrapping and in the using. Ultimately, that’s probably kinder to the environment, too.

Nutrition data is included for all the recipes (a huge plus!).  Mr. Diarist wrote the names of these particular snacks, and their calorie counts, on the card slipped in front.  We’re both wary of falling into the “I exercised so much, now I can eat a whole pie” trap, so we keep at least a casual eye on how much we consume during, and post, exercise.

I take seriously the injunction to never try new fuel on a long ride, so, naturally, I sampled each of these nutrition-packed goodies at home first.  As promised (one author is a chef), they are quite tasty.  We’ll see how difficult it is to use them on actual rides; the gooey factor is one to consider, and also how well the nutrition stacks up to their commercial cousins.

I do miss my perfect cycling food, though: Human kibble.  Clif’s Shot Roks were little, 30-calorie bites that didn’t melt, and could be popped into one’s gullet every five miles without stopping the bike.  They’re gone now, though, replaced by messy gel cubes, most of which also have caffeine added, rendering them useless for the likes of me.  Mr. Diarist and I will continue to explore Feed Zone Portables; human kibble is quite practical, but something similar made from actual food would be even better . . . we’ll see what develops.

Categories
Gear

Keen Sandals Update

I first wrote about these cycling sandals here; now I’ve been actually using them.

They’re a hit!  They’ve fulfilled their promise, and more — they’re a joy to wear, and now a permanent part of my warm weather cycling kit!

Categories
Gear My Brompton Water Bottle Sagas

An Unexpected Cupholder Limitation

I didn’t see it when I first used my mesh cupholder with Basil’s Brompton “basket”

but Basil can’t be folded with the basket in place if the cupholder is folded down for use.  The angles are wrong, and the basket frame hits the cupholder, so that the hook that holds a folded Brompton together can’t engage.

The difficulty is easily solved by simply removing the basket, but, when shopping, that solution’s not ideal. Of course, the other option is to simply put the water bottle into the basket, and flip the ring and mesh upward — or, in  my situation, forego the water bottle altogether on these basket-enhanced trips, since I shop close to home, and can easily get water at the market.

It’s little details like this that make one appreciate how carefully a Brompton is engineered, and how neatly all the bits fit together.  I, myself, hadn’t considered all of the ramifications of my water bottle/cupholder fix . . . not that the stakes were high, but it’s well to remember these little missed calculations, in order to avoid them in the future.

Categories
Gear

Swipe-On Dry Sunscreen

Like everyone else, I’m constantly reminded how important it is to protect skin from the sun.  In Real Life, as they say, actually doing something about it is complicated.  Lotions are messy, tubes and bottles are large and inconvenient, and, anyway, how does one apply sunscreen when wearing cycling gloves and stainable synthetics?

I found this stuff in the samples bin.  I’m hoping I can continue to find it (or something similar) all summer long.  It lives in Basil’s saddlebag, unobtrusive, but easily located, and, with just a few swipes, I’m sunscreened for a couple of hours.  Wipe-on sunscreen in a user-friendly format — it’s the right tool in the right season!

Categories
Gear

Seasonal Change

Summer is coming, and, ironically, it’s time to retire the watermelon

in favor of the lemon.

The Nutcase watermelon is my favorite, and it is perfect in winter, when I want a little more warmth. However, in summer’s higher temperatures it’s just too warm, and there isn’t enough air flow.

Nobody beats Nutcase’s superior strap clasp, though.  It’s magnetic, and if you happen to start off having forgotten to cinch your helmet under your chin, it’s possible to do so with one hand. Once you’ve got the trick down, undoing the buckle is just as fast and easy.

The Bell helmet is far more comfortable than my previous summer helmet, and I much prefer the black visor over the old white one.  There’s also a nifty strap in the back where a light can be mounted.  I won’t use that in summer, but it’s good to know it’s there if I need it.