Messages

46

Gear Talk / Question about Scansium 7000

« on: June 05, 2007, 01:54:36 pm »

Glad I was able to help.  He may not be well known outside of the elite racers in southern California, but a Russ Denny race bike is a special thing.  I'm not sure how he is with touring bikes, but he certainly knows how to make a bike that wants to go fast.  If you look closely through the socal peloton, you will see many of his bikes, especially under the faster racers and not always with his decals.

Sean

47

Gear Talk / Question about Scansium 7000

« on: May 18, 2007, 04:50:41 pm »

Scandium is a type of aluminum alloy produced by Easton.  To make "Scandium", they add a little (fractions of a percent) elemental scandium to a more common aluminum mix, in this case I believe it is bsed on a 7000-series aluminum.  Scandium makes the alloy a little stronger, so the tubes can be drawn thinner, resulting in a lighter bike with the same strength.  The difference is very small but ti is heavily marketed.  Some people cal it "Scamdium" since Scandium bikes are often sold for my times the price of nearly identical 7005 aluminum bikes.

Labor Power is a very strong southern California masters racing team.  I think it is sponsored by a group that represents many labor unions, and a lawyer who specializes in mesothelioma (lung cancer).  Thebike was most likely custom-made for "John-E" ( I'm not sure who that actually is, maybe John Wike) by either an Asian custom shop outsourced by Easton, or local custom builder Russ Denny.  I would lean slightly toward Russ Denny as the builder.

Sounds like a fun bike.

Sean

48

Gear Talk / smooth bends or ergonomic drop bars?

« on: May 18, 2007, 04:57:25 pm »

Just like saddles, bars are a personal choice and what works for me may not work for you.  I like very roomy traditional bends.  When I'm in the drops, my forearms are basically parallel to the ground and I'm looking for something vertical to grab.  Ergonomicbarsdon't give me that unless I rotate them skyward.  If my bars were lower and I was reaching down to them, an ergonomic bar might fit better.  My favorites are Deda deep (Belgian), Cinelli 66 (Campione del Mundo, I think), and Nitto Dream and Noodle.

Sean

49

Gear Talk / Best touring bike under $1,000

« on: March 08, 2007, 04:05:57 pm »

For a touring bike, even a light-duty touring bike, I don't think bike weight should be a large consideration.  Without question, light bikes are fun to ride and more enjoyable than over-built bikes, but I think that the difference between a very light touring bike and an average touring bike is not very significant.  For example, take a sport touring bike or a reliable racing bike and assume it weighs a generous 18 pounds.  An average touring bike may weigh up to 25 pounds, giving a difference of 7 pounds.  Certainly you will notice it when riding unloaded, but once you add your gear to it it becomes less obvious.  Add your weight and that 7 pounds becomes a small fraction of the overall system weight.  The only time it will negatively affect your riding is while climbing, and then only by the difference in the total weights.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that light weight is a good trait, but don't pursue it to the detriment of other attributes such as handling and reliability.  Use it as a tie breaker if you want, but don't buy the lightest bike simply because it is the lightest.

Sean

50

Gear Talk / Building an expedition touring bike

« on: February 23, 2007, 12:59:06 pm »

For extended off-road touring, a basic mountain bike is a good choice.  It will also work well for road tours with a new set of tires and possibly a set of bar-ends.  Go with no shocks rather than inexpensive shocks.  Aluminum bikes will work just as well as steel.  As long as you trust the brakes and wheels, it should work fine.  For components, I think Deore or Deore LX are  as high as you should go.  Lower components will also work but may require more attention from time to time.

What bikes are you considering that cost $2000?

Sean

51

Gear Talk / Building an expedition touring bike

« on: February 21, 2007, 01:56:23 pm »

In general, building a bike up is more expensive by 25%-50% than buying a similar stock bike.  Building a bike can be cost effective if you expect to replace half the components on a stock bike to get it the way you want, but it usually isn't the cheapest way to go.  The best option based on price, assuming that you do not currently have a suitable bike, is to buy a used bike.  If you do have a bike but wonder if it is up to the task, it probably is with only minor modifications.  About the only bikes that I would avoid for touring (on- or off-road) are super-light road racing bikes.

Sean

52

Gear Talk / trekking handlebars

« on: February 13, 2007, 11:06:38 pm »

I finally found the name of the bars I have: Scott AT-4 Pro.  They've been out of production for probably 10 years now so ebay is about your only chance to find a set.  A little bit of searching turned up this: http://joinomba.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5399  The closest thing I've seen to them are butterfly bars.  Another, if pricey, option is the Jones H-bar.

Sean

53

Gear Talk / trekking handlebars

« on: February 13, 2007, 05:16:45 pm »

I've got an old set of Scott wrap-around handlebars.  They are not quite what you are looking for but close.  It is nice to have the tons of positions they offer, including a mock aerobar.  I especially like the second flat bar position "way out there" when I want to stretch my back a little.  Placing a handlebar bag or map on the bars is basically impossible, and lights are only slightly easier to mount.

Sean

54

Gear Talk / SRAM Powerlink Connector

« on: January 31, 2007, 02:09:15 am »

Sounds like the Park Master Link Pliers.  Is this what you are looking for?
http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=164508574&d=single&c=Tools&sc=Chain&tc=Master-Link-Pliers&item_id=PA-MLP1

Sean

55

Gear Talk / Most durable Crankset

« on: January 28, 2007, 12:52:14 pm »

Any crank currently on the market should be more than sufficient.  It is not necessary to match your shifters to your crank, so go ahead and pick any crank you like.  The reported problems with the modern XTR were with the left crank arm attachment on model FC-M960 and it was improved for the latest model, FC-M970.  Given my choice, I would probably stick to a simple, square-taper crank rather than any of the various spline systems such as ISIS and Octalink, or any of the new integrated bottom bracket arrangements.  That said, they all still work and should be fine for your use.

Sean

56

Gear Talk / which panniers?

« on: January 25, 2007, 06:15:07 pm »

I tried one of Carradice's under-seat bags.  Can't say I was fond of the bag itself, but the material and quality seemed good as you already noted.

Sean

57

Gear Talk / which panniers?

« on: January 24, 2007, 10:49:56 pm »

Is that volume per pannier, or per pair?  If it is per pannier, I think that's more than enough, and probably bordering on too much -- at least for my loads.  If it is per pair, I think it is ample, but you may have to become a skilled packer in order to get everything inside.  I now prefer smaller panniers because it prevents me from loading up my bike with too much junk I don't need.

I've never felt the need for fully waterproof panniers such as Ortleib; I don't even use rain covers.  However, I do make sure to pack everything that I don't want to get wet in a dry bag or in a plastic bag.  If it's really dumping, I will put a garbage bag into my panniers first and then load as usual.  Works fine for me.

I'm not familiar with the other brands.  In general, I've found the weak point of any pannier to be its mounting system.  If that that looks adequate, then the pannier should be fine overall.  I would be very skeptical of any mounting system that has the bottom hook attached to the rest of the pannier by a simple spring.

Sean

58

Gear Talk / which racks?

« on: February 01, 2007, 04:50:46 pm »

The Blackburn Custom racks are a good choice for the Trek 520.  They work great with the fork and keep the weight nice and low.  Some larger panniers hang a little low on them and can scrape the road during tight turns.  I don't think this is a real issue, I've had it happen only a handful of times with my Trek 520, Blackburn Custom rack, and Jandd Mountain panniers over about 10,000 miles.

I've since transitioned to midmount front racks so that I can continue using large front panniers and so that I now have a new platform to lash stuff to.  I was never really fond of handlbar bags, and so the excuse to get rid of them and use the top of the front rack instead proved too tempting.  I've had good experience with both the Jandd Extreme and the Nitto/Rivendell front racks.

Sean

59

Gear Talk / which racks?

« on: January 23, 2007, 12:46:15 pm »

Oops, my mistake.  Thanks for correcting me.

Sean

60

Gear Talk / which racks?

« on: January 23, 2007, 02:13:50 am »

Between Bruce Gordon and Tubus, I would probably choose Bruce, assuming price isn't an issue.  The biggest factors in my choice are the larger platform on the Bruce Gordon, and the ability to mount the panniers further back.  Neither one has a solid top platform, which I would prefer, but Bruce's is closer.  Even though I doubt it makes any difference in the real world (except maybe to make the rack heavier), I like the steel construction of Gordon's racks over Tubus' aluminum.

Between Bruce Gordon and Robert Beckman?  Too close to call.

Seam