Category Archives: bicycle

New Old Bridgestone…

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I’m visiting my folks in Hilo this weekend and back in July of 2010 I purchased an old Raleigh. I rode it every time I was out here during 2010 and 2011. I had some great rides on it, including a few up to the Panaewa Zoo.

Last time I was here I had a bit of trouble with the rear wheel which was, um, quite used. I actually bought another used wheel (too bad about that) which was in somewhat better condition but blew out my last tube when I put it on the bike. Sigh.

Well yesterday I was back at All Kine Bicycles to visit Bill and pick up a new tube when I saw a Bridgestone RB-? sitting there for sale. It was more or less my size (my size really being larger than most production frames – I ride a 66cm Quickbeam). Well Bill says they sell recycled bikes and often he sells bikes he’s sold before (Hilo have a lot of students who buy bikes from him and then sell them back when they graduate or otherwise move on). So…

I ran home, got the Raleigh which, to be honest, really needs a new paint job and new (could be new used) components and made a deal with Bill.

Basically I traded in the Raleigh, parted with a few bucks (ouch, but not too bad, Bill is fair), and picked up a new used Bridgestone RB-? today, after which I went riding.

The reason I say RB-? is because I’m not sure it’s an RB-1. It could be an RB-2 I supposed. The original owner strategically placed a sticker over the part of the frame that would let me know. I’m not that concerned, though of course I’d rather have an RB-1 than a 2. Here’s an image…can you tell what it is? Let me know.

Bridgestone Bicycle

For that it’s worth it would appear my bike is a 1994, late 1994, the last year Bridgestone sold bikes in the US I believe. I get this from Cyclofiend’s B-Stone FAQ. My serial number begins with H4, the H indicating it wasn’t made from January to July (letters A-H) and the 4 being the year.

The component group is Shimano 600 (later becoming the Ultegra group I believe). It’s an 8-speed cluster on the back with two chainrings. I haven’t counted the teeth. The seatpost is Campy – the only Campy part I think I’ve ever owned, though my dad was fixated on Campagnolo back in the 70′s and early 80′s.

The bike had brifters but I wanted to swap the Nitto Dirtdrop stem I used on the Raleigh. Since I was working a trade I needed to leave them with a working bike so instead of taking everything apart they simply switched everything from the Raleigh over to the Bridgestone. So know I don’t have the original handlebars or shifters, but I’m going to end up with moustache bars on it anyway so…no big deal. It’s bike to ride, not one for the museum. Besides I really didn’t want brifters and this way I get to keep the ancient Suntour bar-ends which work great with the Shimano 600′s.

I also dumped the saddle which was nice for a go-fast type for the Brook B-17 I had on the Raleigh. And finally I had them switch tires from really hard road tires to my squishier Pasella 28′s. I think I might be able to get 32′s on the bike, but the 28′s, even at my weight, are really pretty comfortable (I ride 35′s on my Quickbeam which is more comfortable).

So it’s sort of a Frankenbike now and I don’t regret parting with some of the original bits.

And yes, I’ve forgotten one more thing. Clearly the previous owner likes his pedals because the bike came without ‘em. No problem. I simply put the Grip Kings on from the Raleigh. Actually I did that before I made the deal because I needed something to try the bike with.

Today picked it all up and did a sweet 10+ mile ride. This bike rides very well and the components are much smoother than what I had on the older Raleigh.

I’m a happy camper.

Here’s the set of images I made with my phone on the ride today. I didn’t bring a decent camera with me on this trip (I also forgot deodorant but I was willing to buy that) so it’ll have to wait till I come back in a month or two.

Pumpkin Orange…???

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Pumpkin Orange Powder Coat SampleMy Fujiyama is crying out for a different color. I can’t explain exactly how I know this, but ’tis true. I’ve been in the process of fixing her up with new cranksets and whatnot.

Well the next step seems to be painting the frame. I’m just not a rattle-can kinda guy so I figure powder coating is the next best way of dealing with things. But what color?

Well I was struck, not literally, by an old frame I saw a couple of years back that had been painted orange and had a black and silver build up. Since I’ve already got black and silver bits, I’m thinking orange is a good way to go. I don’t want fluorescent day-glo orange though, so a nice sedate pumpkin seems the way to go.

That means I’ve got to spend today breaking down my bike though as I need to get it to the Kickstand, a great little cycle shop in Kaimuki. They’ll take care of removing the bottom bracket and the headset, something I don’t really have the tools for, but I’ve got to get the rest.

They have another great option, a Mechanic’s Club. For a fee they’ll let you use their tools and give you the benefit of their expertise while you do one job or another.

I’m thinking of using them to build myself some wheels. I’m thinking the Sturmey-Archer 2 Speed kickback hub for the back wheel and an inexpensive dyno-hub for the front. I’m still researching that bit, but the powder coating is a definite go.

That’s it for now…got to get to work.

*** UPDATE ***

The deal is done. I spent an our stripping my Fujiyama down and now she’s been given over to the able hands of Cyrus and Nicky at the Kickstand. They are charming folks who run the shop in the evenings and on Sundays. I think they moonlight as educators during normal business hours. Really nice guys. I’m looking forward to doing even more business with ‘em.

Last two words for the day… PUMPKIN ORANGE!

Aloha!

New crankset on my Fujiyama…

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Let’s see…my old Fujiyama had been sitting for several months while I’ve been concentrating on my Riv and my Bike Friday. It’s really too bad because it’s a nifty little knockabout bike. I’d gotten started with this little project a long, long time ago when I bought the bike, rode it for a bit, then stored it until late 2009. That’s when I started playing, documented right here. You can find more with a search for Fujiyama if you are really interested, including this bit on Mr. Fujiyama. As it turns out, he’s still around the shop from time to time.

So, back in the present, Rivendell had a sale recently (actually it’s still on at the moment). It’s was their first ever sale and while they weren’t happy to have to have one, it turned into fairly good fortune for me.

The upshot is that one of the things I bought was an FSA Vero crankset which I figured I could use on my Fujiyama.

It arrived several days ago but I didn’t have time to put it on till this afternoon after work. It turned out to be a pain to get the old cranks off. They were original to the bike with the original welded-on chainrings. I got it off eventually with a little elbow grease (and some of the other kind as well).

The new FSA set went right on and I used the MKS Touring Pedals I had laying around, having removed them from my Quickbeam eons ago.

The only hitch was because my new chainring is a few teeth bigger my chain was now too short. I’m using a 1/8th inch chain on this beast (which helps with the chainline a bit having a bit more play) but that meant I had no links around as I do from the various 3/32′s I have around. Luckily a trip back to McCully Bicycle fixed that.

Ben, the (one of?) son of the original owner always seems happy to see this old beater, given that his dad used to import them as a house brand (name after his buddy, Mr. Fujiyama). Another fellow who’s worked there darn near forever looked at my bike again, laughed, and said I should donate the bike to the Bishop Museum.

In any case Ben put a new link in my chain saving me the trouble of buying a new one. All is well again.

Here’s a photo of the whole bike with its new drivetrain and one of the drivetrain a bit closer up. What next, 2 speed kickshift? Hmm….

Fujiyama with FSA Vero Cranks

A bit of glare but…

Fujiyama with FSA

Aloha!

Erich departs…

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Last Saturday my friend Erich departed Hawaii but not before we got in one last longish, but flat ride. We’d talked about a quick trip out to Sand Island for the photo op standing in front of downtown Honolulu across the harbor but ended up biking out to Waipahu and back on the Pearl Harbor bike path.

And, given the flatness of the route, we actually had time to get in the Sand Island leg before I had to run off to A Prairie Home Companion’s New Year’s show here in town.

Here’s Erich at the harbor…

Erich at the Harbor

I haven’t done nearly as much riding since Erich left – I ran up about 200 miles last week all told. This week I’ve only managed about 25 so far, but I’ve made sure to include some hills as I’m more or less (mostly less this month) beginning to train for Oregon. It’s back to increasing miles per week – though with 200 as my starting point I think I’d be hard pressed to go for more.

In other notes, Rivendell is having a sale, their first ever (sadly noted according to Grant), and I managed to spend too much money on things I definitely don’t need. Still it might all be fun.

One thing I did pick up was an inexpensive crankset for my Fujiyama. It’s been neglected for most of the year and I’ve been thinking about the possibilities. With the new crankset aboard I’ll probably work on new wheels next. They’re pretty trashed but still get me by. What I think I really want to do is build up a 3-speed hub drive for my rear wheel and run really puffy tires. Good fun – sort of a semi-cruiser commuter bike. We’ll see.

That’s it for now!

Erich in Hawaii

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My friend Erich decided to do a couple of cool things to close out 2011. For one he decided to visit his sister, Linda, here in Hawaii. That in itself is great, as, so it turns out, is his sister. For most people that would be a fitting close to the year, but not Erich.

Nope, he managed to purchase himself a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket Pro.

Erich's Pocket Rocket Pro

There is, of course, a wee bit of a story to go along with this.

Erich and I met at RAGBRAI 2011 this past summer. We were neighbors in tent city, and as he says, “Bob stuck his head out of the tent at the wrong moment.” Turns out we keep about the same schedule riding (he is a strong rider than I, but doesn’t mind my dogging it) and have pretty much the same goals on a ride: maximize fun, minimize pain, eat whenever pickings are good.

Thus was born our Christmas journey. Erich and his sister rented a place on the North Shore across from Shark’s Cove for the evening. She would take the bus and Erich and I would ride around the island. You can see our journey here…

It was quite a ride. The wind here has been rather brisk of late so the first part of our journey, into the wind was, well slow is a word that comes to mind. Still riding a bike is a blast pretty much anytime, so there you are. The toughest hill for Erich as the road up to Makapuu (for me the gulch at Castle junction seems more painful – we are entitled to our opinions). In any case he made it in fine form, ahead of me too boot:

Erich at Makapuu

It really was a great ride. I’ve ridden that way many time so I got to play tour guide and Erich, who has been to Hawaii several time but never ridden out this way, got to soak it all in. Luckily the wind was strong enough that he probably couldn’t hear my inane commentary along the way, but he did say he was grateful for my pointing out broken glass and potholes almost quickly enough for him to avoid them.

We finally pulled up at Shark’s Cove and sure enough, there was his sister waving and making sure we didn’t ride on by. We stayed in a converted home that’s now let out for vacationers.

Vacation Rental

It was a nice place, clean and well kept. We had a bit of a mix-up over a couple of things, but it worked out in the end. I’d stay there again, but I’d be sure communications were clear. I’m pretty sure Christmas stress gets to everyone. Enough. Go there, enjoy.

We had dinner at Shark’s Cove Grill which is a little place with a great view. It doesn’t seem like much more than a glorified lunch wagon but the boy is the food ono. I had steak and shrimp skewers dizzled with curry over brown rice and it was exactly what I needed after a long ride.

Early to bed with the order of the evening, after a trip to the very busy Pupukea Foodland for morning supplies.

The next day after puttering around a bit, getting coffee for myself, a paper for Linda, and a walk for Erich, we were off into a somewhat blustery morning. It was lovely and wet by turns as we made our way back the way we’d come the day before.

Now let’s be clear, it wasn’t a rainy day. It’s simply that every so often a rain cloud would be blown in from the ocean and let go with a shower. Then it would be over and things would be fine. Indeed it really wasn’t worth putting on a jacket as it was more refreshing than anything else. Once we pulled over to put the rain covers on some of our bags and naturally by the time we’d done that it’s had stopped raining. Go figure.

As we went past the Polynesian Cultural Center we stopped for a couple of photos we some friendly Tikis.

Erich with Tikis

We kept at it, mostly into the wind which had helped us the day before. At one point we actually had to shift down to an easier gear while going downhill. That’s some wind.

When we got to Kaaawa at Uncle Bobo’s. I just love the place. I try to get there pretty much anytime I’m cycling past. Sometimes I regret eating so much, but I never regret the flavors. Ono.

Uncle Bobo's Logo

Then it was off down the road again. Full. Very full.

We made it as far as the Hygenic Store in Kahaluu before I had to call it quits. If you ever meet Erich he’ll say he was done and wanted to quit, but in truth my legs were a little too tight to want to ride all the hills coming up. I’d ridden 36 miles on Sunday, 65 on Monday, and now another 30. That isn’t really so much, but I’ve only been commuting lately, not training for long rides. Discretion is the better part of valor or so I’m told, but hey, bike riding should be fun. And again kudos to the TheBus, all our buses on Oahu have bike racks and they work well. Yeah.

And the kicker? After a few hours ride, a big lunch, and a lot of dilly-dallying who should be on the bus but Linda – Erich’s sister. Go figure. The ride was a lot more fun with her along, though this wasn’t, in fact, the first time Erich and I had been on a bus together – think across Iowa.

We got of the bus downtown so I could show Erich our Chinatown and give him a tour of our waterfront. Weather on this side of the island was almost perfect – still too much wind. Naturally we had to get the classic bike and Diamond Head shot.

Erich and Diamond Head

And that, as they say, was that.

We’ve more things planned later in the week, but our big ride was a smashing success, even if I insisted we cut it just we bit short. Listen to nothing Erich says about calling it quits unless he agrees with me.

Aloha!