Rainy days mean winter bike projects

Between a flurry of work winding down to the end of the year, a few other projects and the rain lately I've managed to squeak-in a few hours on some back burner projects. In the last few years it seems like it's been very difficult to find good vintage steel bike frames ripe for rebuilding, they can be overpriced, garage sale/thrift store turn-overs, and/or not worth the trouble. On ones that you might come across, that appear less than optimal, well if you have lemons, make lemonade!

Take French Peugeot bikes for example. Although Peugeot is an established name in France, unfortunately most of what they imported to the US during the bike boom in the 70s onward, with a few exceptions was pretty much standard production fair. Many with steel cottered cranks and other run-of-the-mill components with the possible exception of MAFAC racer center-pulls. The now obsolete French threading on these bikes makes them more of a challenge. But despite their quirks, old French production bikes are still usable.

One of the reasons why better vintage steel bikes and frames are harder to find these days is partly due the popularity of single speed and fixed gear track style bikes ridden on the street.

For roadies who happen to like more than one gear, this can be frustrating. Granted, older heavier steel frames being what they are, a single-speed or fixed gear conversion, if your riding mostly on flat terrain can make sense. I commute regularly by bike and CalTrain and single speed and fixed gear bikes are very popular. They're relatively light, simple, require less maintenance and look cool. They're like a lightweight streetfighter, when you just want to get to where your going on flat terrain with no frills,

Previously while working in SOMA SF for a small boutique design firm (translation: sweat shop), I commuted by bike and CalTrain on a metallic blue Fuji I'd rebuilt as a single speed. Needing to get to CalTrain in a somewhat timely manner, I geared it 50x16. Not great for starting out (knee torque) but this old steel bike would fly once you got going. I sold it to a guy in Portland. That was one sweet bike.

Back to the common French bike, with these bikes, you can get French cups for current sealed Bottom brackets and there are a few repro french headsets around. You can always change the fork so you can use a more current diameter quill stem—French stems are a few millimeters smaller, similar to older Schwinn or BMX.

So if you can find something in the way of French bikes for a good price. Go forth and make use of it! —© 2010 VeloTouriste

Totally wired.

Yesterday spent a few hours mounting a dynamo generator and lighting on my vintage commute bike. I mounted a Sanyo bottom bracket dynamo that mounts to the chainstays infront of the the rear fender. I mounted a front Lumotec halogen 2.4w headlight to a bracket that attaches to the fork crown/brake assembly. For the rear I mounted a Soubitez .4w light to a stainless tab that attaches to the rear fender. The rear light is now situated behind the rear rack. The Sanyo has less drag than sidewall dynamos. The halogen light isn't great but will do until I upgrade to an LED light. Having a generator lighting set-up on the bike makes it completely functional anytime which is great, without having to worry about batteries for lights.

© 2010 Velotouriste

Under the wire bead.

I recently removed the tires on a vintage 650B wheelset from a vintage 1950s Pelissier randonneur bike I've been working on. The tires were "Dunlop Balon Leger" with sidewalls completely toast. The tires were difficult to remove, I ended up cutting the beads with a pair of brake cable cutters. Much to my surprise, tire beads had multi-strand wires, each about the size of one mondern wire bead. The rims had cloth rim strips woven in a tubular style. The rims also have a very interesting profile, but with non-hook bead rim edges making them only suitable for lower pressures.

© 2010 Velotouriste

Fall Sonoma rides

This weekend, did two leisurely rides with my girlfriend in Sonoma County. Although my gf has done a few triathlons, she doesn't ride as much as myself, so when we do rides I try to find a reasonable route. My solution: I ride a vintage touring bike with pannier bags. It's a good compromise. We enjoy the day and I get my fill as far as riding with my handicapped loaded touring bike. I set her up with a very nice vintage Bridgestone RB-1 with a Nitto riser stem that's easier on her back as far as riding position.

The best rides are those you discover

I've had a few exceptional rides this year I hadn't done before, that when I did were a discovery. They were rides that I'd thought about, checked the general route and the terrain, but didn't really know what it would be like. On rides like this, I've been the most motivated. Although, I come prepared on these rides I often start and say to myself, "can I do this?", "will the weather be ok?". When you do the ride and it all works out, it is an awesome experience.

Get out of your environment and take rides you wouldn't normally do, the rewards and experience are great.

The right tool for the right job…

If you've ever changed a chainring on a crankset yourself, you'll know this can be an awkward task. You have to use an allen wrench plus a separate wrench for the slotted bolt on the opposite side. For tightening, while you can position the back wrench so it holds against one of the crank arms, it can be tricky since there's nothing to hold the back wrench in place against the slotted bolt. If you're not careful when tightening, you can easily cut yourself, especially if you try to tighten the allen key towards the chainring teeth. VAR in France used to make a tool for this that makes installing or removing chainrings easier…and with less bleeding, the VAR #352.



I recently acquired a vintage version of one of these. Though the way it's made may be slightly crude by today's standards, the VAR 352 is a cleverly designed tool, complete with a spring loaded arm that holds the built-in allen key in place.

Merci VAR

Bike commuting by CalTrain: Part 1

Since 2007 I have commuted to work by bicycle and/or a local SF Bay peninsula train known as CalTrain. In 2007 I rode a fantastic vintage Fuji S-12-S I rebuilt as a single speed and commuted to SOMA SF. Subsequently I've commuted to the southbay as well. Lately I've been doing this more and since the beginning of August, haven't driven to work.

Commuting by bike and train forces you to get your routine down, getting everything together, but the more you commute by bike, the easier it is. With bike commuting, I love the freedom of not having to deal with traffic or waiting forever at stoplights (well, you can wait, but if it's clear, it's an option). Having to get to the train involves a certain lower end form of riding similar to amateur stop-sign-interval training.

There are lots of kinds of people who ride CalTrain. There are usually one or sometimes two train cars that are designated specifically for bicycles. Since people are going different places it's often useful to tag your bike with your destination so other riders can know where you're going and can stack their bike next to a bike that is going either to the same stop or further down the line.

A few common bike commuting CalTrain annoyances:

Bikes with no desitination tag
Adding something to a bike to let others know where you're going is a simple thing to do. However some bike commuters are lazy or don't care.

Riders bringing unreasonably large bikes onboard.
It's often funny to watch bike commuters wrestle with large cruisers or heavy duty mountain bikes. These bikes take up more room and on a crowded train, this can matter. In this case, I appreciate single speed/fixie bikes.

Riders stacking bikes all pointed in the same direction.
It works better if you alternate bikes so they're stacked pointing in the opposite direction since they tend to fit better. CalTrain signs state this but are unreadable, if only they could be more graphic.

Passengers without bikes sitting in the bike car
Some passengers jump on the first car even though they don't have a bike even though there are 500 other seats on a train.

Cel phone talkers
Passengers who blather on and on while riding CalTrain should have their phones confiscated.

Otherwise biking and taking Caltrain is great and definitely better than driving.

Vintage MAFAC brake lever hack

Lately I've been working on (for some unexplainable reason) an ancient, precambrian Peugeot bike, a 70s "Record du Monde". Despite the name, this was a fairly low end production bike commonly sold in the US. These bikes are the antithesis of a lightweight race bike, what record they hold, besides weight, I'm not sure. They could be more aptly named "Record du Stovepipe". One redeeming feature on these however are the venerable MAFAC Racer centerpull brakes and original MAFAC levers. The levers have an older style demi rubber hood that just covers the top portion of where you rest your hand. Similar to this lever below.

The original hoods for these are now collectors items and either difficult to find and/or very expensive if you find them. The ones on this bike were complete toast from weathering, but the cable adjuster inserts, a nice feature still today—especially for centerpull or cantilever brakes—were good. I was able to fit a more modern conventional brake hood on the lever. To take up the gap around the adjuster, I took a wine cork, drilled it out, cut it lengthwise into two pieces and then sanded one end of each piece into a conical shape. I then used these as insert supports around the cable adjusters, filling in the space under the top of the hood. A good workaround if you can't find the original hoods for these MAFAC levers.

Tour de France - Coors Classic Flashback

Watching France 2's coverage of the 2010 Tour the France recently — on a much better level than what's been available from Eurosport and Versus here in the states — made me think of a moment I had in San Francisco during the 1986 Coors Classic.

At the time, I was racing as an amateur category 4 and doing club rides with the Berkeley Bicycle Club. I was also riding a 1964 BMW R60/2 motorcycle then. The day of the '86 Coors prologue that ran to Coit Tower in SF, I'd ridden my BMW over to watch and maybe make a few photos.

Riding around the Northbeach area before the race start, I recognized a BBC rider who I'd ridden with, riding a current K BMW and helping as an official motorcycle with the event. I said hello and asked if they needed any help. I mentioned "I'm insured!" He got an ok and I was allowed to participate in this race as a follow motorcycle.

During the event, I distinctly remember following Andy Hampsten and few other riders on the prologue up to Coit tower. A racers's team member rode on the back passenger seat of my BMW carrying a spare bike. The R60 BMW, with it's great handling and powerful low-end torque, rode perfectly up the hill even at slower speeds towards the top. With literally a front row seat, I'll never forget the experience of following these racers as support on my vintage BMW, the same motorcycle used by press and gendarmerie for many editions of the Tour de France.

The dynamic moto-cam and other excellent video footage of the TDF on France 2 made me think of this experience again. I regret that I never made any photos that day at the Coors Prologue, but being able to participate in a bicycle race like this was a rare experience that still resonates.

Under Pressure

From VeloTouriste

I took it easy this last 4th of July weekend, the pressure to get out town, be somewhere with just about everyone else on the road simply wasn't that appealing. Instead I took a couple of local 25 mile rides. It has warmed up more, but it was still breezy monday and...local roads weren't all that crowded. I usually tend to inflate my tires up past the recommended pressure. I don't know what it is, maybe that competitive urge that seems to get beat into our heads everytime you pick-up a bicycle magazine that covers racing.

This weekend I rode with my tires at around 100psi instead. I'm running Panaracer Pasela TG tires with gum walls, meant for touring, but they are especially good for sometimes rough pavement in the hills and out to the coast. Something about running these tires at slightly lower pressure seemed to make the bike a little more responsive — just that little bit of give, making the bike ride better and overall more comfortable. I would not want to run tires much lower on paved roads, but I will definitely try this more in the future, even with no cobblestones in sight.

Redwood Road/Canyon Ride

Today I did 30 mile ride with an old riding buddy on roads that used to be some of my regular rides when I lived in Oakland. Redwood Road extends along Anthony Chabot Regional Park and Chabot Lake in Castro Valley to the Oakland hills with a few roads that are springboards to Moraga and Contra Costa county. Not much has changed since I last rode here, the pavement is a little better and aside from a few weekend motorcyclists going too fast (who really should be riding at the track), not much traffic. The road meets with Pinehurst Canyon road that winds its way through cool shaded Redwood forested areas. This is spectacular ride with great terrain. I felt completely dialed in on these roads.


View Larger Map

On this ride it was very hot on a few sections and with a few pretty good climbs. Once reaching Skyline boulevard (the other Skyline blvd) we took a fast descent down Redwood Road, the road well paved and winding through the forest and retracing are steps after passing Pinehurst. The ride brought back many good memories of riding in this area. One thing I hadn't experienced though before, is that on this day there were thousands of lady bugs out, which was fine, becasue at first it seemed like they might be BEES! I only wish I could have taken a few home for my tomato plants.

Serious Riders

I ride fairly regularly and while on a recent camping/bike trip in the Sierras I did a couple of rides with my girlfriend where we encountered some typical racer type riders on current/new racing bikes. Racing bikes are an amazing example of what today's technology can produce for cycling. But, with few exceptions, most of these kinds of bikes are built for racing. I ride traditional chrome-moly steel lugged frame bikes some road, some touring. On this ride I took a Randonneur bike with fenders, a front rack and a handlebar bag. It's funny how riders on racing bikes respond, they are either very positive, or dismiss you and won't say anything.

Having ridden both mountain and road bikes I'm often reminded how different the vibe is on the trail on a mountain bike vs. riding on the road. Riders are generally more friendly off-road. I'm not quite sure why, but there generally seems to be a friendlier vibe with mountain bikers than road riders. Most road riders, always seem more serious. Like mountain bikers, many are ready to lend a hand if you're stopped or seem like you have a problem. "You ok? or "Have everything you need?" which is always cool, but otherwise many road cyclists seem less friendly I think because of the more competitive aspects of road cycling. The macho road racer thing. It's silly when you think about it. There are lots of riders out there and most of us are out there to have a good ride, train or get better at the kind of particular riding that we might do. Whenever I occasionally encounter road riders that seem arrogant, it bugs me, because it gives cyclists a bad name. Some club riders I've encountered can be this way, particularly when riding in large groups. Not all but enough to make me write this. When I encounter riders who are like this, I don't say anything and just keep riding.

Not everyone aspires to being Mark Cavendish, Levi Leipheimer, Lance or many of other of the great racers out there. Although I admire these racers, I'm am not one of these riders. With few exceptions, the bicycle industry seems to continue to perpetuate the myth that the only kind of cycling worth doing is racing and being like Lance Armstrong or other top riders, as showcased in manufacturer ads. This may contribute to the negative macho racer attitude factor seen on the road.

One of the best encounters I had last year while on the road, is when after a long ride, having overextended myself early in the season and ending up on Skyline boulevard completely bonked, a mountain biker just getting ready to ride getting out of his car, saw me stopped, said hello and after I mentioned my situation, generously offered me some water and energy bars. He said "hey, we're all cyclists and need to look after each other".

I was really surprised and thoroughly grateful when this happened. On rides, I now take extra energy bars and water to possibly pass the favor along to another rider in the future.

Cyclists who really love the sport, aren't trying to prove themselves by being rude or arrogant to other riders while on the road.

Vintage Schwinn touring bike

Ahh... the 1980s, this was a heyday for sport/touring road bikes. A time when the mountain bike, suspension forks, fat tires on 26" wheels and aluminum frames were mostly just a cloud on the trail. I stepped back into this time recently upon finding a vintage steel Schwinn road bike frame abandoned in a dumpster. This week I finished building it up and here it is:



Most of us, when we think of Schwinn, think of their classic fillet brazed road bikes from the 70s, or one of their cruiser style bikes. These were solid bikes, I remember my dad buying a Schwinn Varsity for himself in the 70s, for my mom, they bought a lightweight French step-through framed Jeunet. After they bought these, I remember my mom saying about the Jeunet "it has MAFAC brakes... these are really good". Vraiment ;^)

As a teenager and not having a car for a period, I started to bike more, during this time I rode my dad's heavy metal, safety lemon yellow Schwinn Varsity to work and, on my own, ventured for the first time on Shepherd Canyon road in the Oakland hills a regular route for cyclists heading out canyon towards Orinda Moraga and Mount Diablo. Once, on the way back climbing up the steep section back to Skyline blvd, I talked to a guy on a lugged bike and I remember him saying why lugs were better and how some frames were lighter and better made than others, it got me interested. A year or so later, my first road bike of my own was one I built-up from a frame a friend had sold me. I didn't know the brand, probably a Nishiki. But I learned about the parts and how to do the work on bikes as I went.

This Schwinn frame I found was not one of the traditional fillet-brazed Schwinn frames, but lugged with forged wheel drop-outs, better than the stamped steel kind on cheap bikes. So I took it home. It was a Voyageur SP from about 1982 made in Japan. It had a stuck seatpost, that was way deep. I soaked it and soaked in penetrating oil. no luck. I finally managed to have most of the post ground out by a shop. The fork was missing but I found another new one and built it up recently with a new headset and BB bearings and some used parts I had. It is now a very solid riding bike and the frame seems fairly lightweight for a 4130 double butted steel frame. In looking for more info on this bike, I learned, much to my surprise, that it was originally a touring-specific bike. It's not like the original, now, but functional. I'm trying to find a more original fork.

I seem to keep stumbling across vintage touring bikes, so I had to write about this one.

Pelissier Randonneur (mieux vaut tard que jamais)

I got the Pelissier frame back today from having the headtube refaced and NOS Stronglight P3 headset installed, special thanks to Tom at VeloTech Cycles in Palo Alto for dealing with my ancien French velo headset despite their mainly, more modern offerings (i.e.: a 15lb. Pinarello Dogma).

Last week I got the Philippe handlebar stem back from the Valley Plating in Santa Clara who rechromed this and did a great job. The stem is steel but lightweight with brazed joints. I realize now Nitto and Ritchey clearly made their own brazed steel stems for mountain bikes modeled on French ones like the Philippe on this bike.

Still a ways way to go with some drive train details and the 650b wheel rebuild, but here are a few more photos with the original wheelset and Dunlop "Balon Leger" 650b tires (~35mm wide). Tire gumwalls are deteriorated, but they still hold air.

Pescadero ride, TOC Stage 3, projects

It’s been a while since I’ve last posted but I’ve had a few great rides and have some updates on some bikes I’ve been working on.

We’ve had some unusually wet weather here in California due to El Niño conditions so far this year, but there were a few nice breaks in the weather in April. For a long time I’ve wanted to ride to Pescadero and back from where I live. To ride to the coast, I usually have ridden to San Gregorio, the first 15 miles rolling hills plus a good climb up to Skyline boulevard. Once over the top, mostly downhill on Highway 84 to San Gregorio, then a short climb up to Hwy 1 on the upper part of Stage road after about a mile or so on Hwy 1 a nine mile climb back via Tunitas creek road and over Kings Mountain through Woodside. About 57 miles total.

Going to Pescadero involves another climb on Pescadero road over Hayes Hill past Sam McDonald park, then mostly downhill, flat to Pescadero. Once in Pescadero you take Stage road through a beautiful valley and then climb some rolling hills to San Gregorio and then back up the amazing Tunitas redwood forest climb. I rode this April 18 on a perfect clear day. About 70 miles total, more than I’ve ridden before and well worth it. Going on longer rides definitely puts you in a different mind set, the experience of riding this far and with some climbing involved, has made me feel more confident to be able to pace myself and go farther now on rides.

Miyata commute bike
I’ve been now regularly commuting to work by bike and CalTrain. Sprinting by bike to Caltrain is great training and I’ve been commuting on an excellent vintage Miyata 310 I set-up with with tt bullhorn handlebars and lightweight components, including retrofitting current dual pivot brakes, this is an awesome commute bike.


Fuji Del Rey

A while back I rebuilt a mid 80s Fuji Del Rey frame, originally a sport touring bike, that I set up in the French randonneur style. It’s a production frame, but fairly lightweight and I recently added some aluminum fenders in hammertone finish. May 18, I took a day off and rode this bike to watch part of the Tour of California Stage 3 race (SF to Santa Cruz). I rode to the top of Pescadero road just past the 3rd "King of the Mountain" marker (a points classification). I rode along the course on Highway 84, on the way up to Skyline boulevard there was rain and in some places very heavy fog/mist. With fenders this was no problem. On the way up, some roadside fans with cowbells gave me a ring while I rode up 84 to Skyline that was cool. I had a bell too, so was able to ding them back.

Once I got over the crest of Hwy 84 at Skyline boulevard where packs of fans waited in the rain and mist, I didn’t see any riders or even fans for a number of miles until I got to La Honda. As I descended 84 the rain had cleared, now my goal was to try to reach the 3rd KOM before the racers did. I descended through La Honda, where local town folk came out for the race, then I proceeded a few miles down the road to where you make a left on Pescadero road. A few fans were there as the road climbed going towards Sam McDonald park. I was surprised to see so few riders, it seemed like most people who came to see the race only wanted to go as far as Skyline, perhaps having second thoughts because of the rain and mist.

I was now elated to be away from work and riding on this fantastic road and charged to get to the 3rd KOM marker, that the bike race was going to come by was just another perk. I made it past the KOM at the crest of Pescadero road with about 15 minutes to spare before the race passed by. The rain had cleared and I enjoyed a sandwich overlooking the beautiful valley westward before the racers arrived and disappeared in a flash. I made a few photos and shot some video and then made my way back along 84 and West Old La Honda along pristine green hills and amazing wildflowers. This is a ride I will not soon forget.

Original Pelissier Randonneur bike project
Last saturday I picked up the Pelissier frame that local machinist Peter Johnson finished making the bottom bracket caps for. These were missing and an odd thread. Peter did a superb job on these, using some hardened aircraft aluminum for the caps. It will now be set-up with cartridge bearings and a straight spindle Phil Wood bb stainless steel axle, he included a sleeve that I will glue with Loctite to the axle before assembling to prevent it from shifting laterally.

From VeloTouriste

Next up:
1. Rechroming the steel Phillippe stem and finding a top cap or having one made.
2. Getting the NOS Stronglight P3 headset installed (no ball bearings were included, this was the way they were supplied in the '50s)
3. Rebuilding the wheelset (the original Super Champion 23mm wide 650b rims are good just weathered, front has a flat spot probably fixable when relacing. rear hub axle is bent (have a vintage replacement). The original tires were Dunlop "Balon Leger" will buy some 650b tires closest to the size of the originals.
4. Refinishing the rare LeFol Lepaon (zeppelin style) fenders as they were very weathered and pitted, it's been some work hand refinishing these.

Lightweight decaleur

Using a front handlebar bag on a randonneur style bike, a front rack supports the bag ok, but unless the bag is secured somehow at the top, it will flop around quite a bit. A "decaleur" is a rack support made specifically for this. They are sometimes tricky to set up and then you're stuck with it when you're riding without a bag.

Looking through and old VAR tool "Petit Livre Jaune" I noticed an illustration of a VAR lightweight decaleur support that loops over the bars. Inspired by this design, I made my own by bending a section of 5/16" aluminum round. I started out with a piece of a wire coat hanger to get the basic bend shape figured out and then used a tubing bender for the final shaping with the aluminum round. I filed and sanded the hook ends that fit into the opening in the back of the leather reinforcement strip of my handlebar bag, a Berthoud 2286.









I used handlebar tape for padding where the decaleur hangs off the handlebars. This mini decaleur supports the bag fairly good, strapping down the front of the bag to the rack with a piece of nylon cord makes this set-up excellent. When not riding with a bag this decaleur is easy to remove and store in the bag until it's needed.

Simple Tools

My father worked as a machinist and made a number of tools for some of his other related hobbies. Here's a small mallet he made.



He took a standard bolt and machined the handle out of a piece of aluminum, turning the cross-check pattern (knurling) on the main handle that screws onto the original bolt thread. The other end of the bolt he tapped and made the hammer end out of a piece of brass round that screws onto this. I've always admired how my dad adapted an everyday object and made it into a simple tool like this.

Maxi CAR wheelset project

A while back I bought some rare NOS vintage hubs made by Maxi CAR, the renowned French hubmaker that operated from the mid 1930s to 1999. The name Maxi-CAR comes from a consolidation of hubshell designs from Maxi with hubs using annular bearings designed by Charles-Albert Ripet (C.A.R.) of Lyon. These are beautifully made and durable hubs that were standard on many early high-end Randonneur and tandem bicycles.



Today, I tried to build up a rear bike wheel the normal way with the Maxi CAR high-low flange rear hub that has buttonhole eyelets on one side. The buttonholes allow removal and replacement of spokes with the wheel on the bike. Trying to build the wheel up the normal way, all the buttonhole spokes fell out. Next time will build-up the left, the non-button hole side first.

Why Cyclists Love Super Bowl Sunday

Most cyclists love Super Bowl Sunday. Why? Because it means there is almost no traffic on local roads that they usually ride.

Today with a break in the rain and super bowl fests occupying weekend drivers, I took the opportunity for a 35 mile ride including a favorite local climb. Page Mill Road climbs approx 2,200ft to Skyline boulevard and a springboard for a number of additional ride routes. You can cross directly over Skyline to Alpine Road down a valley past a fantastic grove of old growth redwood trees near La Honda and then to Pescadero or San Gregorio on Hwy 1 at the coast.

When I started out at 10:00am it was partly cloudy with some blue sky and on the way up and slightly warm in places. But towards the top it got colder with more wind. I was prepared and brought a lightweight GoreTex shell that cut the wind and kept me warm over two layers of wool I wore. I took it easy on the climb, considering going to the coast. Near the top at Monte Bello preserve I stopped to make a photo.



After I made the above photo I noticed I had a slow leak in my rear tire. A fencepost came in handy for hanging the bike while I replaced the tube.



I couldn't find anything in the tire and discovered later it was a leak at the base of the long valve stem. Most local bike shops seem to have an annoying preference for carrying long stem presta valve tubes (48mm) more suited for high profile aero rims for racing. These longer stems can wiggle around quite a bit when you're pumping them up if you have a normal profile rim like a Mavic Open Sport that has a slightly rounded profile where the presta washer comes in contact to the rim (note to self: only buy tubes with 36mm valves + make a washer filed out so the valve stem won't move around on longer stems).

I rode a 54cm Ebisu bike that I'd recently set-up with fenders as a lightweight Randonneur. Lately I've been favoring building-up bikes with double cranks, rather than a triple to save weight, paired with a very wide-range rear cassette. For this bike I have vintage Stronglight 49D crank arms with new TA Specialités Cyclotourist chainrings in 48/34 along with a 11-34 9-speed rear cassette. The bike with fenders and a front rack weighs just under 24 lbs. Not bad for a traditional lugged steel frame bike. The Stronglight/TA crankset combination is particularly lightweight and very responsive. Although I have a current rear Shimano 105 SIS index shift compatible rear derailleur, I prefer to use vintage Campagnolo Nuovo Record downtube friction shifters.



The combination of these shifters with the Shimano 105 rear derailleur provides perfect and **silent** shifting that you can adjust precisely unlike SIS systems. When you get the feel for shifting with friction levers, it's very satisfying to be able to shift almost effortlessly with no annoying clicks. To add to making the Ebisu more of a Randonnuer, I added lightweight Honjo aluminum fenders. These don't add much weight and are definitely worth it in winter and/or spring conditions. The Ebisu was extremely light for a steel bike before without the fenders, but even with them, it's totally worth it and it rides great.

Page Mill is a difficult climb in a few places, there's a few surprising drop interludes as you climb, making for a varied an interesting climb. I only used my lowest gear 34/34 a couple of times (bear with me, this is a traditional, lugged steel frame bike). When I got to Skyline boulevard the coast was looking very cold and gray and possibly rainy, so I proceeded north instead. About mile 16 I saw what looked like a dog on the side of the road running towards me. With reddish fur and a fluffy tail, I knew it was a fox and it quickly disappeared into the brush. On Skyline it's unique because in a few places you can see both west out to the coast and east to the Bay Area in places as you straddle the ridge road. I dropped down Old La Honda Road to avoid weekend traffic on hwy 84 further up. Once back in Portola valley the sun was out. Amazing the difference in climate just a few miles away. From there I took Mountain Home Road to Woodside then dropped back into suburbia via Redwood City/Menlo Park.

I'm looking forward to better weather and next time maybe riding out to the coast once again.

An old French bike revisited

Two years ago this month I was given a vintage French bicycle project that expanded my view of bicycles and the way that I ride. At the time I was working as a graphic designer, commuting by bike & Cal train to San Francisco on a vintage metallic blue Fuji S-12-S single speed (I since sold and is now somewhere in Portland). I was working for a small boutique graphic design firm in the SOMA district, that catered to high-end clients including a prestigious local Bay Area University and some smaller upscale wineries in the Napa Valley, all from a dingy, cramped and drafty garage-level basement of a custom designed live/work building.

The last day I worked at the design studio, I met up with a friend who had said he had a bike project he thought I might be interested in. We met in SOMA and he took me to a storage place near the old Greyhound bus service facility. There, he gave me a bike frame that had been stripped of the paint and a box of parts.



It was a French bicycle with the head badge "Charles Pelissier". The frame was very light and the parts were weathered, but it seemed like an interesting project, so I couldn't refuse.

Doing some research, I found a photo of the complete bike plus a version of the original catalog. This was a randonneur bike made in the early 1950s. Charles Pelissier was a French racing cyclist, the younger brother of Henri and Francis Pelissier who also raced. His career wins included 2 national cyclocross titles and 16 stages of the Tour de France. In 1930 he set a record of 8 stage wins in one Tour de France, a record shared later with Eddy Merckx and Freddy Maertens.

I wasn't that famliar with French bikes of this era and in looking for more info on this bike, it was a revelation to learn more about the history and tradition of French Cyclo-touring bicycles. One great resource has been Jan Heine and Seattle based Bicycle Quarterly Magazine. Although this bike is no Rene Herse or Alex Singer, it's a very light weight and well made bicycle.

A few key components were missing, including the bottom bracket and most of the headset. The frame has a very unusual bottom bracket thread, larger diameter and with a finer thread pitch than standard French cups. It turns out the frame had been retrofitted with an Alex Singer bottom bracket. The Alex Singer shop in Paris, of whom Ernest Csuka recently passed, apparently had a while-you-wait retrofit where the bottom bracket shell was bored and retapped for the patented Singer bearing/cup set-up — a design that has inspired the Phil Wood bottom brackets still made today.

Over the last 2 years I've been acquiring some hard to find replacement parts, including a newer alloy square taper TA cyclotourist crank to replace the original cottered Sronglight 49A steel cranks, NOS Mafac cantilever brakes and an NOS Stronglight P3 headset. I also had the frame repainted. I recently found a machinist to make the bb cups and I'm hoping to have the Pelissier back on the road this spring. More on this follow....

Archival Clothing Musette

I got my musette from Archival Clothing in saturday's mail. A lot of thought went into the design of these and they're well constructed. Simple is good.

From velotouriste

It has a 1" web strap that is not adjustable, but is sewn to the bag at an angle, so when you have it over your shoulder, the bag rests horizontal when it's behind you. The main bag, 12-1/2" x 10-3/4", is made of waxed canvas. The wax reinforces the fabric and makes it more water and dirt resistant. The top and inside vertical seams of the bag are what is known as "taped" and have a length of fabric folded over the edges and stitched for reinforcement.

The waxed canvas on this bag brought back memories of my first jacket during my period as a motorcyclist, a Belstaff Trialmaster made of waxed cotton, very functional with big pockets with brass buttons and lightweight compared to a leather jacket–yet still looked like leather. Although waxed cotton Belstaff's are no longer made, this jacket has achieved it's place as a classic. Waxed cotton appears to be making a comeback now in the mainstream fashion realm with new jackets in this fabric being produced by J. Crew (under license with Belstaff) and new designs by Swobo.

In the age of plastic, nylon and carbon fiber, there's something about non synthetic materials that are definitely more appealing and it's nice to know independent manufacturer's like Archival Clothing are doing innovative new work using classic materials with their new musette bags.

Musette Bags

I've been looking for a good lightweight musette style bag for a while and just ordered one the new musettes from Archival Clothing in Springfield Oregon.

Previously I've managed to pick-up a few team issue musette bags used to give lunch to bike racers in competition events, (and often tossed by riders after the they go through a feed zone).


Race musettes are usually very lightweight cotton or nylon. They make a very handy extra bag if your traveling light on a road ride, easy for carrying extra food or a camera and/or stuff in a jersey pocket. I used one of these race musettes to carry a small digital camera and a few extra snacks on a climb up Monitor Pass previously that worked out well. I've been looking for something a little heavier (that will last) and Archival Clothing's musette looks good.