I'm Not Dead Yet

Despite not blogging anything for 2+ months now, I'm actually not quite dead yet.  Too much work, not enough fun time, and being family guy will put a crimp on things.  It's all a blur.  And lately not really a good blur.

Not happy to report that my bike commuting has been nil for the past two years or so.  For various reasons, I did not coach the junior high mountain bike team this season, nor been out mountain biking much.  The tide ebbs and flows over the years of being a life long cyclist.

It's not all bicycle Gloom 'N' Doom though.  I've been hitting the trails a bit on my trusty and now vintage Ibis Hakkalugi 'cross bike.  Since my commuting as fallen off the map, ripped the fenders and 25c road tires off 'Lugi, then levered on a pair of Kenda Small Block 8 'cross tires.  You could almost hear the old Ibis breath a sigh of relief - like swapping the sport coat and neck tie for some light, bouncy sneakers.  Yes please.

Riding familiar trails on the 'cross bike sheds a new light on the whole experience.  Compared to the mountain bike - I'm going half the speed in technical sections - but feels faster on smoother sections.  Along with all around Light 'N' Zippy feeling of goodness.  Even if my current fitness level is nowhere near Light 'N' Zippy.  More like Slow 'N' Plodding.

In any case, who cares about speed.  Being out on two wheels with dirt under the tires is what counts.  Doing it with drop 'bars just adds the additional fun twist to it all.  Highly recommended.

Project Hakkalugi Rolls Again

The mighty old school Ibis rides once again. Frame hanger straightened and rear spacing modified by experienced hands. Pile-O-Parts ordered and arrived from various locations around the U.S of A. Then lovingly assembled by yours truly. That be me.

I've been riding this bike for 14 years and in this day and age of disposable everything, that's saying something. With the recent overhaul, a few more years will be added to our shared history.

Let's take a Tour of the Overhaul, shall we?...

New old stock XT derailleur, killer deal for $30. SRAM 8 speed 12-30 cassette. My, what shiny teeth you have. SRAM 8 speed chain to direct my huge horsepower to the rear wheel (ha!). The SRAM Power Link master link - much smoother set up then those wacky break off Shimano pins. Derailleur, cassette and chain from various eBay sources.

New Tange BB and Sugino inner chainring from Rivendell. Outer Sinz chainring from eBay shop. Well worn Ritchey Logic crankset and Shimano 747 pedals remain for additional pounding. I went with 36x46 gearing with this rebuild, along with the 12-30 cassette to gear things down a little. I'm getting old and feeble. The Shimano 105 derailleur is from the original build in 1997.

New Tektro CR720 cantilevers provide stopping power, replacing the old low profile Shimano cantilevers - that worked okay - I wanted something with more power. I also dig the modern retro look to 'em, which matches the now vintage Ibis. Another eBay deal, $27 for the pair. The Chris King headset remains, hasn't been touched in 14 years and still smooth. Quality stuff.

Matching Tektro brake in the rear. Cheap Michelin hybrid tires provide dirt traction for 'cross use. The reflective sidewalls can blind competitors when aimed correctly. My secret weapon.

Along with parts already mentioned, new brake and derailleur cables courtesy of REI. Cool cable kits with everything you need - inner cables, housing, cable ends, etc - all in one bag. I've used these kits a few times, very recommended. The last new item was bar tape - Cinelli - to complete the new bike feel. Momma Mia.

Old items still grinding along include the wheelset, that's getting pretty tired. 1997 era XTR hubs still rolling after 25,000+ miles. The rear is getting a little rough, the cassette freehub a little sticky; cured with a few drops of chain lube. The rear rim is also concaved from wear, being the second rim laced to that original XTR hub. Plan is to pick up a pair of Neuvation wheels and real 'cross tires eventually.

The old school 8 speed Shimano STI levers still fire away as designed, especially after a cleaning with some degreaser. Other original items include the Syncros seatpost and Flite saddle that are still going strong.

A damn cool, old school Hakkalugi, no?

After the rebuild, a cruise around the neighborhood. Ah, yes - like meeting an old friend. It's been a few months since I've ridden the Hakkalugi. Slick new drivetrain and cables. Comfy new bar tape. The new brakes rock. This was a bargain, low dough rebuild; even so, the bike rides super sweet and looks great. Sure, a new bike would be lighter and more trick. There's still something super cool about older bikes like this however, that can't be replaced by new.

After a few final tweaks, late on a Saturday night - hit our new practice barriers a few times - in the dark. Everything felt ready to go. Go where?

First race of the MFG series the following Sunday morning. Yes indeed, that will test the old Ibis. And me too...

Personal Rides - Ibis Hakkalugi

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Elliott Bay Bicycles - Project Hakkalugi

Took a little lunch time walk to pick up my freshly repaired Hakkalugi from Elliot Bay Bicycles. Their in-house frame shop, Davidson Bicycles, straightened out the severely bent derailleur hanger, along with changing the rear dropout spacing from 135 mm to 132.5 mm.

Now I can run a rear mountain or road hub, allowing the use of the current XTR hub I've been running, and a road hub later down the road. Pretty handy, eh?

Elliott Bay is a smaller shop, but always has some interesting bikes to gawk at while visiting. There's some modern production bikes on the floor from Bianchi, Orbea and a few others. The really fun stuff comes from Davidson, or the older bikes - restored and original - sprinkled throughout the shop. A few examples...

Vintage restored Eddy Merckx and Colnago share a rack. Very nice bikes.

The Colnago sports this amazing blue paint. Looks even better in person, the pic doesn't do it justice. If I ever went for a custom frame, this would be the color choice.

Another classic, the restored vintage Masi. My bike shop days were in the early '80s, so these classic bikes look great to me.

There's usually a few used steel frames in stock to ponder and consider building up.

A new titanium Davidson competes with the classics for floor space. Super nice indeed.

Another Davidson, this one in the Randonneur style - 650B wheels and front bag included.

Vintage Cinelli anyone? Yes, please.

Elliott Bay Bicycles is a great shop to visit. For old school me, it's a "real" bike shop. How many shops still have a frame building operation in the back? Not many. If you're the old school roadie, a fun place to check out and talk with the folks running the show.

If I was in the market for a custom frame, I'd go for a Davidson. Steel frame and fork, plain lugs or maybe TIG welded. Race geometry, but room for fatter tires. Oh yeah, in that Colnago blue. Ultegra or Chorus build. Tell me that wouldn't be sweet.

Bill Davidson himself worked on my twisted Ibis frame, explaining what he did while I paid the tab. Modern off-shore production bikes are better then ever. Still, there's something to be said having a local frame builder - with decades of experience - repair and realign your steel frame.

The straightened Ibis Hakkalugi hanger glows with anticipation. Either that, or the camera autofocus can't get over its fascination with the carpet pattern. You be the judge.

Hakkalugi Tear Down and Misc Bike Rambling

Spring appears to have finally arrived, was 60+ degrees for the commute home on Friday, complete with actual sun. Can't complain about that. I can complain about getting out of work late and the nice headwind all the way home, but I won't. In the grand scheme of things, all is good.

I have officially broken my commuting slump with at least five 100+ mile commute weeks now. Plus mountain biking on weekends. I'm back in the groove. The Commute Challenge is over and my corporate team, Team Jerckx, did okay. Not as good as previous years, but I really don't care. As long as people had a good time bike commuting - that's what counts.



On the ride home Friday, was caught for a few minutes while the University Bridge opened for boat traffic below. This would make a nice ramp, no? Good luck sticking that jump.

I am just a shadow of my former self.

Even while stuck on a bridge, Seattle scenery rocks.

The warm weather continued today with temps in the 80s. Positively summer like. Yes please. Errand running gig most the day. Complete with nice family lunch at my favorite Mexican place.

My supply of bike shorts has dwindled down to my favorite pair being worn thin enough to display my ass to anyone close enough to draft; to other shorts in the collection that are also barely usable for various reasons. So, thought I'd hit a few local places for replacements.

First stop, REI in Remond - no bib shorts at all. Once you go bibs, there's no turning back. Stop two was Sammamish Valley Cycle - just a few pairs to choose from. Nada for me. Ran into a co-worker there picking up a brand new Cervelo. Sweet. Stop three was Perfomance - nada again for me. The search continues - and probably online.

Took time this afternoon to strip down the Hakkalugi, it being in dire need of replacement parts and totally disabled after ripping the derailleur off a few weeks ago. I plan to have Davidson in Seattle straighten out the mangled derailleur hanger and possibly spread the rear spacing to 130 or 132.5 mm. It's currently spaced at 135 mm, requiring a mountain bike rear hub. 130 would allow road wheels, 132.5 would allow road and/or mountain bike hubs to be used.

After the frame repair, the beloved 'Lugi will require new chainrings, BB, chain, cassette, and rear derailleur. The left STI shifter is also flaky as is the cassette hub. Add in new cables and bar tape. Plus, I moved the tires and pedals over to Ian's 'cross bike a few weeks ago. It almost makes more sense to buy a new 'cross bike and sell the Hakkalugi frame on eBay after the repair. I doubt I'll do that though. It's a super cool frame and I've been riding it since 1997.

I'll need to figure something out, since the old Ibis serves as the rain bike. Plenty of room for fat tires and fenders. Something my other bikes lack and really needed for Northwest commuting.

After the tear down, a bucket of Hakkalugi parts remain. Wheels and fenders not shown.

One reason I've always dug Ibis, is 'cause they're a little twisted. Not in this manner though. Man, that's one warped hanger. Should be repairable. Steel is real....bendable. I hope.

The old Ibis stripped down and clean enough for living room rug. Well, at least when the wife isn't looking...

The Hakkalugi will roll once again. Just takes some time and dough. Ouch.

Ibis Mojo SL-R

Welcome to Bike Lust 101, well, my version anyway. Behold the newly released Ibis Mojo SL-R in all its carbon fiber glory. I've wanted a Mojo since being released from the reincarnated Ibis a few years ago. The SL-R is the latest edition, now the frame weight is under 5 pounds - for 5.5 inches of travel. Sweet. Oh yes it is.

Frame alone is $2499. Out of my ball park for at least - oh - the next 10 years or so. Factory build kits range from SLX for $4099, to full blown XTR for a mere $6599, to SRAM XX for only $6674. Chump change for Donald Trump, laughably unaffordable to all around family guy like me. Bikes have gotten loopy expensive, like pretty much everything else in life.

If any Secret Santas are out there, I'll take the XTR version. Just saying Mojo SL-R with XTR is almost worth the price of admission. Size large if you're keeping track. Easter is just around the corner, maybe the Easter Bunny can bring me one. I'll even skip the chocolate eggs and jelly beans to compensate.

Please?

Pearl Pass Tour 1980

Ibis, one of my favorite bike companies of all time, is celebrating 30 years in business. As part of the celebration, they've been posting company history on their website - killer website, by the way - with a 30/30/30 feature. As in 30 years, 30 days, 30 stories.

Scot Nicol, founder of Ibis, was there at the birth of mountain biking, along with the other famous folk who kicked this whole knobby tire shindig off. Ibis the company, has also been there from the beginning, and chronicles the history of the sport itself.

Ibis featured this video as part of their 30/30/30 feature and I couldn't help but to repost it. Being an old school mountain biker myself (since '84), I get a huge kick out of the bikes and vibe of this look back. Crested Butte to Aspen via Pearl Pass would be considered an epic ride even today, never mind on the equipment featured here.

With that introduction, sit back and enjoy. Watching that old school wheelie in the beginning of the video, made my whole day. Guy juggling on his bike, right after wheelie dude flies by, is Scot Nicol himself...

Mount second reel for Part II...

In a lot ways, mountain biking hasn't changed much since 1980. Sure - some of the innocence has been lost, the bikes are light years nicer, there's less tube socks and beards involved - but when you're out with a bunch of friends bombing through the woods - it's exactly the same. The camaraderie, the thrills 'N' spills, being outside, exerting yourself on climbs, grinning like an idiot on the descents.

Doesn't matter if it's 1980 or 2011. And that is still freaking cool, no matter what the era.

The Ibis Gets Wings

The spiffy carbon Ibis flies once again. It's been a heartwarming tale of snapping derailleur hangers, twisted derailleurs, and toasted chains. Finally, the full story can be told. I'm expecting a call from Paramount Pictures any minute now. Look for the blockbuster to hit theaters next summer. Kevin Bacon and Pee Wee Herman are both in the running to play me. I couldn't be more proud.

Goodies await installation. Chainrings and cassette from three different retailers via the online wonder of eBay. All also have brick and mortar locations - actual bike shops. Chain arrived via personal visit to REI, even though they also sell online. It's a confusing world we live in. No matter the location, Shimano goodies are on the expensive side. No problem though, they make great stuff. All Ultegra level on the ladder of Shimano goodness.

My, what shiny teeth you have. Never again to be this clean.

Big ring keep on turnin', may the quads keep on burnin', and we're rolling, rolling, rolling on the Ibis.

The Ibis Remains Grounded

To continue my ultra exciting series on the dead Ibis, I present yet another chapter. Crank up the DVR, this may soon be a mini series on the Fox network. To refresh your memory, Chapter 1 starts with the rear derailleur mysteriously exploding off the spiffy carbon Ibis, during a commute home - many weeks ago. Quite strange.

Chapter 2 included replacing the derailleur hanger, only to discover the derailleur itself completely tweaked - so replaced as well. However, shifting was still off and no time to further diagnose. With my annual winter slump starting a bit early (burp), 'cross races, recent snow, the old school steel Ibis still functioning, and mountain biking on (most) weekends - the carbon Ibis remained hanging in the garage. Today I took some time to look at it once again, so I now present Chapter 3 of this saga. Time to pop some popcorn and break out the hankies...

After I threw the bike on the workstand, didn't take long see what's up. Please note the chain about to separate, masterlink pin poking out from the side plate. Yikes. That could have been ugly, if snapped during a sprint or powering up a hill while standing. The chain is also twisted a bit as well. I don't know if this occurred while the hanger busted, or somehow caused the whole mess, or even during test riding after installing the new derailleur and hanger. Weird chain of events - pun intended. In any case, the chain is toast.

Here's where it gets fun - and expensive. The entire drivetrain has almost 10,000 miles on it - so, the cassette, chainrings and chain have all worn together. Installing a new chain to the worn cassette and rings is just asking for shifting woes, skipping chain, and other festivities of doom. There's two schools of thought for drivetrain maintenance. One is to replace the chain regularly, before it wears, increasing the life of the cassette and chainrings. The second is to wear everything out at the same time, then replace all at once.

I subscribe to the second theory - kill and replace all at once. I think the cost breaks out evenly, since replacing the chain every 1000 miles or so, at a cost of $30 - $40 a whack, means I would have worn out $300 worth of chains already. Even if the chain was replaced every 2000 miles, we're still talking $150 and the time spent measuring and replacing chains. I'll probably spend $200 to replace the Ultegra cassette, chain and chainrings. Get the picture?

I already had a new Ultegra chain on the workbench. Let's see how far the worn chain "stretched" in 9500 miles, compared to a new chain. How does a chain stretch? As the many pins and rollers wear, they develop more play, increasing the length of the chain. Here you can see the pins of both chains look fairly even at this point.

By the end of the chain - not so cool, eh? The worn (dirty) chain on the bottom is few millimeters longer. As you can see, the pins no longer line up. The cassette and chainrings have also worn to match the chain. A new chain added to the mix is a recipe for headaches.

Please note: The new chain has yet to be cut to the correct length - that's why it's a few links longer. I hope you enjoyed this little Bike Repair 101 course. Yes, this will be on the final exam.

The Ibis will remain without a chain until I dig up everything needed to make it fly once again.

With that, I hereby end this tale of woe for now. With the old school steel Ibis requiring a drivetrain replacement as well - though still rideable - and Christmas looming around the corner, this Ibis may remain grounded for a bit longer then expected.

The Ibis Flies Again - Almost

A few weeks ago, the spiffy carbon Ibis mysteriously sheared off the derailleur hanger while commuting home from work. Damn strange. A replacement hanger arrived pronto after ordering off the Ibis site. I replaced the hanger only to find the Ultegra derailleur completely tweaked. Ouch. It caught the spokes for sure to get that wasted.

My theory is the hanger was letting loose, hence the creaking noise for a few pedal strokes, then Blam-O, into the spokes. It remains a mystery. In any case, I ordered up a new derailleur from Excel Sports and finally got around to installing it today...

Depending on your political take - this derailleur is leaning to the left, pointing to the right, or moderately bent. Pick one. Like the current political picture, none of them appear to be great options.

Dead specimen removed, now a nice paper weight.

Newer style Ultegra bolted up, all angular and racy like. Yup, should knock a few minutes off my commute time and I'll be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

After the swap and little tweaking, bike was shifting perfect in the workstand. Test ride however, not quite so. A little more tweaking, still not perfect. No time to finish however, since family Halloween festivities were waiting. Busted derailleur projects can't hold up trick or treat time.

Will need to attempt at a later date. Hopefully, the Halloween curse on the Ibis will be lifted by then...

New Ibis Site

I like a fair amount of different bikes and bike related companies - for various reasons - however, I'm only an actual fan of a select few companies. To say you're a fan of a company may sound weird - then again maybe not. There's a few criteria that seems to permeate my list of favorites - make cool stuff, be run by people that "get it", and have sense of humor about it all.

One company on my list would be Ibis. Ibis was founded by Scot Nicol, back in the early days of mountain biking. Later, during the '90s, some would argue their "heyday", they came out with an incredible collection of bikes - mountain, trials, road, tandem, full suspension designs - really well done, ultra cool stuff, with a whacked sense of humor.

I don't have the dates off the top of head - and the intent of this post isn't to document Ibis history - but around 2000 or so, Ibis was sold to people looking to get into the bike industry. They failed big time and sank Ibis, much to the dismay of fans like me. With the end of Ibis, it joined Fat City and Bridgestone, creating a trio of dead companies that I really dug and thought contributed great stuff to the bike world.

Lucky for Ibis fans, a few years later Nicol resurrected Ibis with a few other smart folks. They've since gone all carbon and use the designed in USA and manufactured off shore business model. To be honest, at first that turned me off a bit to the new Ibis. However, after reading up and seeing the bikes in the flesh, uh carbon, I've since changed my mind. Welcome to the new world. To really prove the point, I bought a Ibis Silk Carbon road bike and it rides incredibly well. It compliments my old school '97 Ibis Hakkalugi, the most ridden bike out of my garage. I also owned a '88 (or so) Ibis Trials Comp that I recently sold off.

If I could afford it, a new Ibis Mojo would be in my garage, with maybe the new carbon Hakkalugi as well. That may be awhile off. A boy can dream though, can't he?

Over the years, Scot Nicol has become a bike industry icon, in a hip indie way, which is right up my alley. I had a chance to hit Interbike in 1995 and met Scot and John Castellano at the show. At the time, they were using Castellano's rear suspension design for the Ibis Bow Ti - a wild titanium bike with 6" of rear travel - with no pivots. Having 'em show me how the design worked was the highlight of the trip.

With all that, if you're not familiar with Ibis, check out the site and bikes. If you already know the Ibis deal, check out the redesigned site for the super cool illustrations. It's the not the usual bike site.

Then again, Ibis is not the usual bike company. I hope Ibis Phase II sticks around for many more years.

Hakkalugi Romp

Local trails ala cx from Andy Wardman on Vimeo.

I pulled this off the Ibis site. Nicely done video of some dude in Scotland cruising singletrack on his Hakkalugi. Cool trails, great bike and stylin' rider.

If this doesn't make you wanna take the 'cross bike out for a romp - nothing will.

Bike to Work Day

Like the sign says - Today is F5 Bike to Work Day. F5 is a secret code word for Rainy. Today is Rainy Bike to Work Day. Not quite. Not really rainy, just Seattle wet. No secret codes either, F5 is a local IT related company that's big behind bike commuting. Can't argue with that.

I saw only a slight increase in riders today, probably due to the weather. Still, any increase is a good increase - we'll take it. The more the merrier, even on wet pavement.

Two examples of various stations set up around the Seattle area. Free snacks, maps, water bottles, Cologno frames and bags full of small unmarked bills. I lied about two items, see if you can figure it out.

Water bottles as far as the eye can see.

Fellow Ibis Guy, Mark, hides his Hakkalugi in the bushes while he collects free water bottles.

My Hakkalugi rests comfortably in the wet grass, while I collect free Clif Bars.

On the ride into work, it was a like deja vu all over again, catching up with fellow Ibis Guy Mark and his family riding together. Mark pulling trailer with young son warmly inside, his wife and daughter on a Burley tandem. They were dropping the kids off at school, then riding on to work. How cool is that?

For the ride home, shared the way with Burke-Gilman pal Gordon. Semi-fast cruise and conversation made the commute fly. Not a bad way to get home, eh?

Bike to Work Day is part of Bike to Work Month and that means Commute Challenge. At the moment, my team is officially kicking ass. Out 1600+ teams signed up, we're currently in 13th place overall for mileage. And that my friends, ain't too shabby.

Another week or so left to roll for the month. Most drop out of the bike commute scene after May ends. Some will stick with it. Others, like me, are addicted for life.

Roll on.