I hope the environment appreciates how much a pain building this bike was... [Archive]

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Cataboo

02-16-2009, 02:09 PM

I've been looking for a bike to use to ride to work, get groceries, and to go downtown with, without worrying too much about leaving it out in the rain or what not. (I don't have anywhere to bring the bikes in at work and I know bikes are meant to be ridden outside, but I don't want to leave my road bikes out in the rain/sun/whatever.)

This mostly consisted of watching craigslist and going, they want how much for that old of a bike???

I saw surly pacer had posted her 43 cm surly pacer frame for sale on here just before Christmas, and I totally rationalized it as being good for me and the environment, and a Christmas present to us both to buy it. I've also been pretty curious about steel bikes, because of the steel is real crowd... I had a complete set of 8 speed xtr shifters, derailleurs & cassette that I'd upgraded off an old mountain bike and decided I'd use those, because it'd be cheaper than buying stuff... I had a spare set of wheels that always felt too slow for the road bike - I'd been letting my bf use 'em as trainer wheels, but I took them back.

After much drama. The bike is rideable :)

Of course, through various incompatibilities and the rest of that, I ended up buying stuff and my cheap commuter wasn't quite so cheap anymore. Tiagra brakes via ebay, I splurged on red panaracer t-serv 700x28 tires (but only one came, the other was a 700x25, so I'm waiting for my replacement... ) I got origin 8 tiki handlebars 'cause I really wanted mustache ones, but the xtr shifters wouldn't fit on them, so now I've got a specialized flat bar with zertz inserts on it and I'm debating buying the soma sparrows... I got some cheap truvativ cranks off ebay because after thinking about it, I decided I didn't want to put my spare pair of carbon fiber cranks on a commuter... None of the spare front derailleurs I had would play nice with the setup, so I had to buy a 9 speed shimano 105 front derailleur... I pouted for days about the origin 8 handlebars.

My universal bike rack appeared to be universal except if you put it on a 43 cm frame... So we had to file down the bottoms, and then jury rig the connection by hooking it up in between the seatpost collar, by filing down the seatpost collar and cutting an elbow shaped bracket... and lots of cursing. And my cannondale rear bike bag won't fit underneath my seat, so I think I'll be relying on panniers. I've got some trader joe's colorful bags that I'm gonna sew up to make panniers out of, but I ordered some cheap ones off amazon to use for now:
http://www.amazon.com/M-Wave-Double-Tripper-Bicycle-Pannier/dp/B001NGD4UI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1234825763&sr=8-2

But... I put flame stickers on it. Now I will go fast on it.

The bike is either named Surly or Flame. It was a little bit surly to build...

So it needs grips, I want the soma sparrow handlebars, and the new red tire ain't here yet...

And it sorta feels like riding a tank... I haven't decided whether that's the feel of the 700x28 wheel or the steel. But fun either way. And while it's been a pain to get everything working together, it's been fun in that it's a bike that I can have fun with, and buy stuff purely based on, oh hey, that's gonna look cute... which I don't do on my other bikes.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SZkapfXYaJI/AAAAAAAAEUY/Oudo4mYp1r0/s720/IMGP7691.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SZkavan8vHI/AAAAAAAAEUg/L4ToortCVdo/s800/IMGP7693.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SZka0j7R0gI/AAAAAAAAEUo/xa-ouchYD-s/s512/IMGP7694.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SZkbIWUJ19I/AAAAAAAAEU4/HkXb1Fod9W4/s576/IMGP7696.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SZkbOW2fFRI/AAAAAAAAEVA/mlb1R5R-AuA/s800/IMGP7697.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SZkbXFIUQgI/AAAAAAAAEVI/qbeocK0KRvE/s800/IMGP7699.jpg

Tri Girl

02-16-2009, 02:29 PM

Wow- that turned out GREAT!!!! I really like the look- sleek, fast (thanks to the flames) and rugged as all get out. I'd be worried about leaving it outside because it's so nice now. :p
Congrats on getting your bike built up. The environment is surely appreciative of all your efforts.

derailed

02-16-2009, 03:09 PM

Fantastic! That's a real investment of time and thought, and I hope you get many happy miles on her.

Cataboo

02-16-2009, 03:21 PM

Yeah, someone might steal my flame stickers if I leave her outside! And I might have to switch to a torn up terry butterfly saddle I have instead of the specialized ariel I have on there now... but I'm hoping the bike'll also be a nice ride on something like the C&O canal or gravel paths (things I would never take my road bike on, but my mountain bike seems like over kill for)... A road triple with an 8 speed mountain bike rear should provide enough gearing that I don't think hills will be a problem and it's more than enough for my flat ride to work... I was debating just making it a fixed gear, but I decided buying all those parts was probably more than just using what I had.

I did learn a fair amount building her up and I proved my bf wrong on a lot of things "you can't use mtb shifters with a road front"... (Proving him wrong at least once a day is sort of a goal of mine since he's always convinced he's right)

One of the comical moments was the set of spare wheels I had, which I'd continually complained that they were slow... The bf absolutely didn't believe me and thought it was all in my head (this is a very common occurrence if I complain about something on my bicycle)... so I'd been letting him use them on his trainer, and at some point he decided... something's not right about this rear wheel, so he took apart the hub and it was full of crud... To which I got to exclaim "What? My slow wheels are full of crud... do you think that mighta been why they felt slow?" But apparently, despite that, it would have been impossible for me to feel a difference in the wheels according to him. I'm slow enough that the slightest thing that makes me slower, I feel.

So anyways, he puts the wheels back together and gives them to me... and I'm adjusting the gearing on the bike and the wheel's wobbling on the trainer... and I'm going... Erm, you didn't put that hub back together right. He's going, no, you didn't put that tire on right. No, the tire's fine... So he looks at it, the hub has worked its way loose, and a bearing has made a run for it... Which is followed by 3-4 comical hours of watching him try to get all the bearings lined up, one falling into the hub and getting lost in some groove in there... rescuing it, knocking some more down in there... And... Me just going... "I wanna ride my bike, hurry up and find the bearings"

Poor guy did finally fix them for me though.

tulip

02-16-2009, 03:44 PM

That is one hot bike!

Zen

02-16-2009, 04:45 PM

I love it.
I love the flames, the red pedals and the tires.
But...
you might want some fenders for rain or muddy towpath.

Too bad this decal (http://www.rivbike.com/search/run?query=decal&commit=Search#product=31-453) doesn't come in red.

7rider

02-16-2009, 05:02 PM

This mostly consisted of watching craigslist and going, they want how much for that old of a bike???

Yup. That's the DC CL for you. :rolleyes:

After much drama. The bike is rideable :)

Yay!! Sweeet!!!

But... I put flame stickers on it. Now I will go fast on it.

Absolutely! It's a sure thing now.

And it sorta feels like riding a tank... I haven't decided whether that's the feel of the 700x28 wheel or the steel. But fun either way.

Actually, I think that's a Surly thing.

Congrats on the slick project bike. It'll be great on the towpath. Happy riding!

twin

02-16-2009, 05:42 PM

I am a Surly fan and I think your bike is hot.

Cataboo

02-16-2009, 06:23 PM

Thanks everyone :)

Zen - I'm still debating what to do about the fenders. I'll probably stick a piece of wood underneath the backrack for now... Then I have a plastic rear one that's supposed to clamp onto a back seatpost... But I've never had a seatpost that was up high enough to use it. So I may end up cutting that up and improvising something to hold it.

The bf's been building me a kayak, so he's got long thin scrap pieces of marine grade plywood and spare fiberglass.... So I may take some of that, cut out some fenders & see if I can glass them in a curve & make them red... If the bike looked a bit more classic (erm, wasn't covered in flame stickers & red), I'd love to have the natural wood look... Maybe I can stain it sort of a dark mahogany or cherry color?

7 rider - The DC craigslist provides much amusement value at least.

Zen

02-16-2009, 06:32 PM

The bf's been building me a kayak,...

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
Wow! He's a keeper (if it floats;))
Does he have a similarly talented unattached brother?

solobiker

02-16-2009, 06:45 PM

Cataboo

02-16-2009, 06:51 PM

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
Wow! He's a keeper (if it floats;))
Does he have a similarly talented unattached brother?

He's got an unattached brother, but I think his talents lie elsewhere. I could be convinced to share this one, since he does have that annoying habit of always thinking he's right.

This is about the point the boat has stalled at, we're debating whether the top is going to be cedar stripped or... And it was it's maiden voyage to see how it balanced - it does balance and it is fast... (and it's covered in fiberglass dust and has the un-glassed areas duct taped with plastic, but you get the idea.. it's a boat)

http://lh5.ggpht.com/EyeofCatriona/SCMKOBf9WDI/AAAAAAAALQ0/CRM3wJmSgYk/s400/IMG_0266.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/EyeofCatriona/SCMKPRf9WEI/AAAAAAAALQ8/ox0N93J7N5M/s400/IMG_0267.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/EyeofCatriona/SCMKRRf9WFI/AAAAAAAALRE/rpFYTsckx20/s400/IMG_0268.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/EyeofCatriona/SCMKRxf9WGI/AAAAAAAALRM/-IWsGASxtwU/s400/IMG_0271.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/EyeofCatriona/SCMKTRf9WII/AAAAAAAALRg/_sjMP4g6IGE/s400/IMG_0336.JPG

solobiker

02-16-2009, 06:52 PM

here is a pic of the canoe he built. I would love to see a pic of his kayak that he is building you once it is done

http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/rr57/solobiker27/DSCN1881.jpg

Cataboo

02-16-2009, 06:54 PM

Wow... the canoe's beautiful.

I'm working on convincing him that the top needs to be stripped like that... it's just more work :)

Cataboo

02-16-2009, 06:57 PM

Mine's a modified version of the point bennet, the plans of which are posted online. Adapted to my size.

http://rollordrown.com/kayak/index.html

I would also settle for it to be red ultimately.

Crankin

02-17-2009, 04:15 AM

Catriona, I know exactly what you mean when you say your Surly feels like a tank. I feel the same way about my Jamis errand bike. But, I love her anyway! I will never go fast on this bike, but I am always smiling when I ride her.
When I am on my Kuota, I feel the need to prove that I can go fast enough to justify me owning such a light bike. Not that it works...

tulip

02-17-2009, 04:18 AM

Those are some nice boats! I live fairly close to the Chesapeake Bay and there are several boat building outfits that offer summer boat building camp (for adults). I'm awfully tempted, but I know I have to pay down this kitchen first...so NEXT year will be Tulip's Year of the Kayak.

Gorgeous!

Cataboo

02-17-2009, 07:14 AM

Oooh.... Soma eurotrip fenders are pretty - pretty.
http://www.somafab.com/eurotripfenders.html

Red fenders might be too much though. (let's see how many days I can resist ordering these)

7rider

02-17-2009, 07:28 AM

I thought you were thinking more along the lines of these (http://www.woodysfenders.com/store/index.php?main_page=page&id=4).
I know you could find something to set off the red nicely here.

BTW...Great wooden boat. Reminds me a bit of my friend's wherry (http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z85/7rider/Weekend%20activities/?albumview=grid&fullsize=IMG_0116.jpg) - which for her, is a seatless work-in-progress.

Zen

02-17-2009, 07:36 AM

(let's see how many days I can resist ordering these)

Oh my.
I wonder what those pink ones would look like on the FX....I don't see prices though.

I can't afford a dollar meal hamburger right now. I was in the shop yesterday when the PI rep was there and saw an irresistible wool jacket:o

Cataboo

02-17-2009, 07:44 AM

I am, however, the red's fast & easy and just requires me typing in a credit card number. I could have instant gratification. The wood requires effort and will probably take a while before I halt my busy forum posting schedule to figure out what I'm going to do and do it.

The wherry looks great - how long is it? my boat's been chopped down a bit because I complained the deck was going to be too high, and while it's got great 2ndary stability and you can basically lean it to an inch of the top - I haven't wanted to take it out unfinished because of water splashing in. I typically paddle the blue boat in the pictures - which is maybe 15.5 feet long, and isn't the greatest boat for going fast & straight in, however it turns at the drop of a hat... (It is an excellent boat for going out in waves though)... The wood boat's 17 foot long and should have a lot more carrying space and be faster.

Having the 2 plastic boats means that the wood boat isn't progressing as fast as it would if I didn't have an alternative...

Cataboo

02-17-2009, 07:45 AM

Oh my.
I wonder what those pink ones would look like on the FX....I don't see prices though.

I can't afford a dollar meal hamburger right now. I was in the shop yesterday when the PI rep was there and saw an irresistible wool jacket:o

They seem to be about $43

http://www.harborcountrybike.com/New_Years_2009_Sale_take_another_10_off_s/85.htm

has the hybrid sized ones for that, with free shipping & a 10% off coupon. But they don't have the road bike size. :(

7rider

02-17-2009, 09:19 AM

[QUOTE=Catriona;403760]I
The wherry looks great - how long is it? QUOTE]

It's about 14-15'. It was a high school shop class project that we picked up for her at the end of the school year. They talk about adding a deck (and seat :rolleyes:) and other things...but so far, it's pretty bare bones. I haven't paddled it, but she finds it surprisingly light and nimble and enjoys it. It sees only flat water (like Jug Bay, where that picture was taken....a trip TE DC will need to make again this year!).

solobiker

02-17-2009, 02:50 PM

Those are all nice looking boats. We want to make a smaller canoe, I think DH said about 7' long and fairly light. He would like to hike in with it to remote lakes. We will see, we have been busy with lots of other projects. His canoe that he built is very steady and tracks striaght, but can be a challenge in windy conditions.

Cataboo

02-20-2009, 10:49 AM

I forced myself to do my taxes, which convinced me that I shouldn't buy fenders or new handlebars yet. There's nothing like reality & fiscal responsibility to ruin my fun.

The replacement 700x28 tire came today... I'd originally ordered 2 700x28, he sent me a 700x28 & a 700x25... They didn't have another 700x28, so had to order the new model of 700x28 which has protech sidewalls or whatever.

So I've just put that tire on... and it's smaller than the old model 700x28. Sizably. The old model 700x25 might have been bigger than it.

*grump*

I guess it's not a huge deal having 2 different sized tires, but I'm irked.

madscot13

02-21-2009, 06:25 PM

I know for a while I had a smaller tire on the back of my bike. It drove me crazy. eventually I switched it out. Maybe you can put the smaller tire on the front and pretend you are racing?

Umm how hard is it to build a canoe? sounds interesting.

Cataboo

02-27-2009, 10:14 PM

I'm guessing that was a spammer, but since I got a reminder for this thread, this is what the bike's at now... I just put simple grips on & the different sized front tire on it. I'll deal with fenders & different handlebars later. I'm debating between the hammered honjo fenders on velo orange or the soma ones... Or making wood ones eventually. I could get the VO milan or tourist bars to share shipping if I got the honjos, or the soma whatevers to share shipping if I get the soma fenders.

But I'll just ride the bike for now ;)

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SZ8v8UjIHjI/AAAAAAAAEXM/KXSffqfZG4A/s800/IMGP2790.JPG

sgtiger

02-27-2009, 10:37 PM

Very cool! It looks great.:cool:

madscot13

03-03-2009, 08:02 PM

where was that boat building class? was it on the potomac? I'm inept but interested

tulip

03-04-2009, 04:55 AM

where was that boat building class? was it on the potomac? I'm inept but interested

Every summer there's a weeklong boat building "camp" in Deltaville, Virginia, which is on the end of the Middle Peninsula on the Chesapeake Bay (western shore). I've been tempted to sign up or two years now, but my attentions have been drawn elsewhere. Maybe next year...

madscot13

03-24-2009, 05:17 AM

thanks, that looks like fun but I don't think I will be around for it- I am heading out to medical school!

Zen

03-24-2009, 06:31 AM

What, GU not good enough for you?

madscot13

03-24-2009, 02:58 PM

haha no.

Zen

03-24-2009, 03:21 PM

Too bad for you. You could have had me as one of your experimental patients :D

madscot13

03-24-2009, 03:51 PM

no no, good for you. plus this is good because I get to see another city.

Zen

03-24-2009, 04:07 PM

But... I put flame stickers on it. Now I will go fast on it.

I guess you went a little too fast, huh?
Better take those decals off ;)

Cataboo

03-24-2009, 04:14 PM

I guess you went a little too fast, huh?
Better take those decals off ;)

I went down and had the bike on top of me before I even knew what happened.

The BF said "You weren't clipped in, why didn't you just put your foot down and not fall?"

Apparently, the answer is because of the flames, the bike falls too fast.

withm

03-24-2009, 04:46 PM

Apparently, the answer is because of the flames, the bike falls too fast.

!!!!! L O L !!!!!

Thanks! I NEEDED that. Too funny!

Beane

04-06-2009, 02:41 PM

Cataboo

04-06-2009, 03:42 PM

They are panaracer t-servs - the front one is the new style 700x28 which I think is a little thinner from the old style t-serv 700x28 that's on the back.

I do like the tires - but I can't say that I've really tested them out in a huge variety of conditions - they've been on dirt and over potholes without any difficulties. They are comfortable, and other than mountain bikes, they're the only thing I've used other than 700x23 tires on my road bikes, so I'm not the most experienced person with tires to give you an opinion.

They do have fairly good reviews which is why I bought them.

Cataboo

05-07-2009, 06:05 PM

*growl*

So a month or two ago, I fell on the surly and bent in the rear rim, requiring buying it burly wheels... So I got some 36 spoke rims laced onto shimano XT hubs...

And yesterday, it was bright and sunny when I was biking home to get lunch... and since the weather's been raining non stop lately and was supposed to start raining again in the afternoon, I decided I was going to ride the perimeter trail around base.. 'cause I'd heard there was a paved fitness path around and had never actually tried it...

So I bike along, scare the hell out of some poor women walking (I came up beside them on the grass ... I'd shifted gears coming up so I'm not sure how they didn't hear me, but one woman screamed and jumped to the other side of the path,hugging her friend.... and seriously, I was like 3 feet from her)

And I have a nice ride on the path, and at some point the path ends and I'm riding along the road... a car is coming up behind me and there's a grate in the road in front of me, so I decide to just ride over the grate & not swerve out to avoid it because of the car...

What I don't realize or didn't catch was that the stupid grate had it's rails perpendicular to the road, not horizontal and the spacing between the grating was bigger than my tires...

So I ride over it and the bike drops down, there's a massive kerchunk and my wrists were not happy with the impact they're absorbing... but I get over the grate, don't fall, and it takes me a second to realize what happened...

So I keep biking and I start feeling a rhythmic feel when I use the rear brake, much like it did when I dented the last rim inwards....

And I'm thinking there is no way that I've wrecked another stupid wheel... It must just be out of true.

But I looked at it more closely today, at one spot in the rim, it bows out on both sides.

I'm hoping I can maybe put a clamp on the rim and get it flat... maybe sand it a bit if I have to and get it true afterwards...

I'm not sure the surly, rear wheels, and I get along.

Zen

05-07-2009, 06:29 PM

I'm beginning to wonder about you...I do hope your wrists are ok, though.

Cataboo

05-07-2009, 06:36 PM

It's the flames I tell you!

I took a lot of ibuprofen... managed to get out for a ride today & took my carbon road bike which is my most wrist friendly. The right one's angry at me, but not too badly.

I think I just gotta start treating the surly like the rest of my road bikes, where I'm too chicken to ride them over anything.

The bf told me I need to get some bike handling skills. Apparently, I should have hopped over the grate.

Or been smart enough to realize that it was a parallel grate (I've never seen a grate parallel to the road, so I didn't even think...)

It I can't get it flat, I guess I'll just buy a new rim and learn how to change a rim. I should lay in a little stockpile at this rate.

7rider

05-08-2009, 06:51 AM

Ouch.
You're lucky you didn't crash. Parallel grates can be beyond hazardous to a cyclist.
I totalled a rim on the rear wheel of my old Seven on a parallel grate. It pinched the rim in on the tube (and popped two before I realized it! :rolleyes:). I had to replace the rim and get new spokes (I think). A big P.I.A., but fortunately, I didn't crash.
STAY AWAY from those danged things. Take the lane if you must.
Glad you are unhurt.

Cataboo

05-08-2009, 07:05 AM

Ah well... now I know to look out for those things. I very sensibly swerved to avoid the one that was about 100 feet after the first.

In retrospect I'm surprised I managed to bike over it at all... And I'm glad it was on the surly 'cause I woulda cried if I did it on my other bikes, I'd expect they'd not have done as well.

I'm going to call the base provost and find out who to complain to about those 2 grates... Because that is pretty retarded and if that's their fitness circuit they should really make it non-hazardous to cyclists.

the spokes looked fine - the rim's kinda bowed out on either side probably in an area that's less than a finger across.. I'm hoping that if I cut a piece of wood to fit in the rim, and then put a flat piece of wood or aluminum across either side of it, I can put a clamp across it and bend them inwards & flat.

I'm not thrilled at the idea of buying another new rim for it now, but I probably will eventually end up doing that. either way, it sounds like I got off lighter than you did with your seven - I hope you weren't hurt.

Cataboo

05-09-2009, 10:34 PM

There were 2 areas on the rim where the wheel was dented in some and the rim was bent out on either side. We managed to flatten out the rim, the wheel's true... it's not quite round, but I'll ride it for a while to see how it does.

I don't see anyone selling the rim I have - it's a 622x19 rim that's pretty burly, seems to be a european company. I emailed the place on ebay that I bought the wheel from on ebay to see if they had any extra rims.

The bf thought I'd've snapped any other rim in half.

Cataboo

08-06-2010, 09:40 AM

At the beach this weekend, I found sunglasses to go with my surly. I'm set now.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_SemWMoaWfp4/TFw0x0muxnI/AAAAAAAANPU/nEc1ZDWlByw/s640/IMGP8383.JPG

Biciclista

08-06-2010, 09:57 AM

i missed this whole thread! your bike looks nice... you like it enough now?

Cataboo

08-06-2010, 11:22 AM

i missed this whole thread! your bike looks nice... you like it enough now?

I do. It hasn't thrown me off in a while. It's got soma sparrow handlebars on it now. I love the bike, I just wish the top tube was about 20 cms longer.

Zen

08-06-2010, 11:23 AM

At the beach this weekend, I found sunglasses to go with my surly.

They are perfect. It's a sign, a portent, an omen. You can never get rid of the Flaming Surly.

Cataboo

08-06-2010, 12:08 PM

They are perfect. It's a sign, a portent, an omen. You can never get rid of the Flaming Surly.

I told you that about your mariposa, then your fickle heart chose Miss Plum.

Ocassionally, I think about selling the surly - but it's a bit too fun still. I may have to get a custom black frame to replace the surly frame someday :) With the right size top tube.

But I'll update the thread with the surly as it is now and I'll have to get pics of me riding the bike with the sunglasses.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_fkR1_xTH524/TFxrIyalY3I/AAAAAAAACsk/uOb3jmouWv8/s720/IMGP3922.JPG