I go to the Big Island frequently to visit my folks and since I’ve started biking again I’ve wanted to go biking. But, as nice as my Bike Friday is, it’s a little to expensive to haul it back and forth just for weekend rides. Taking to the mainland isn’t a problem, but for such shorts stays and the number of times I go the baggage fees would add up quickly.
The answer? A used bike of course. I was on the Big Island a couple of weeks ago (for a family reunion) and bought a used Raleigh. This trip I was able to have it built up a bit, new cables, new pedals, new bar tape, and to top it off a Brooks B-17. It needs a bit of work yet, but for a real 10 speed it’s a sweet ride. Here’s some images of the whole deal:
Since purchasing, or more correctly half-purchasing, a new-used bicycle over in Hilo from All Kine Bicycles I’ve been mulling over what I’m going to need to get the bike running right and looking good.
But first a word about All Kine Bicycles. It’s a gem. Located in the basement of an old storefront in Hilo, which when I was there was being used by liquidation retailers, it’s chock full of bike parts, used bikes, repair space and…gosh, who knows what else. The operator is a heck of a guy too. You can see him the image from my last post on this topic…part of him at least.
Anyway what I figure I need a bunch of stuff, some because it was suggested, some because it’s obvious, and some because…well just because…
Tires – I’d prefer wider ones, but I’ve got some Panaracers Pasela TG’s on the way in 28mm. More on tires and wheels in a bit.
Saddle – I’ve got a black B-17 ready to go. It’s off of my Bike Friday so it’s broken in already. What about my Friday you ask? Ah yes, I put a green B-17 special on that bike so the black saddle isn’t doing anything at the moment.
Pedals – Grip Kings on hand…I’d ordered a spare set a while ago because they were a bargain. Now I’m glad I did. I still have to repack ‘em before I go to Hilo though.
Stem – I’ve just ordered a longer Nitto Dirt Drop so I can raise those bars up a bit.
Cable – I don’t recall if the cable needed changing, but I’m sending along a set of cables by Jagwire in red. I’d have gone for yellow but that wasn’t on sale.
Bar Tape – I love my yellow bar tape, but I’m not going the cloth tape with shellac route at the moment. I may do that in the future, but for now it’s that plasticy-cork stuff. It is, of course, bright yellow.
That’ll take care of my immediate needs, but the future is probably going to look a bit different. I’m thinking of converting the bike into a 650B model so I can get really plush tires. I’d also like to replace the brakes, but until I’ve measured everything out I don’t know if I can do the conversion or what reach brakes I’ll need. That’s going to be a project for sometime down the road. I’m headed back to Hilo in Novermber so if I’ve got my finances together by then I may just pop for some new wheels and new brakes.
I’ll be putting some fenders on as well, but I’d rather only do it once so I’m going to wait to see what wheels I end up with first.
I’m also going to need some sort of rack to carry stuff around. I don’t expect this bike is going to turn into a carry-all, but right now it’s definitely not a bike for shopping.
In any case, I think I can at least ride it when I go back to Hilo next month and that will be a great step up as far as enjoying the Big Island goes; not, mind you, that I don’t already enjoy it.
Actually it’s a pretty simple equation. I go to the Big Island several times a year and I haven’t been able to ride a bicycle there. When it’s just a day or two, as it was this past weekend, it’s not a big deal. But when I stay for multiple days, it’s a problem.
I’ve thought about taking my Bike Friday with me and have come to the conclusion that it’s really too expensive just for a day or two on a neighbor island. The problem isn’t really the $17 fee ($34 round trip) I’d have to pay for the suitcase, it’s the $30 ($60 round trip) I’d have to pay for the cab to the airport.
I don’t own a car and I generally don’t have time to bike the airport and pack up the bike before a flight. If I were going on an extended trip I’d make the time, but to dash to the Big Island on a whim, not likely.
The simple solution was to buy a used bike and leave it there. That saves me the $100 round trip cost added to my airfare every time I go. I’m just going to have to keep stash of spare tubes and such at hand there…not a big deal.
So what did I get? I’ve been told it’s an old Raleigh, though frankly it’s hard to tell. It’s a “go fast” bike without a lot of braze-ons so I’ll have to deal figuring out racks and such later, but I’m going to keep this one lean. I won’t be commuting when I’m there in the strict sense of commuting, so I should be fine with just a tiny rack and some point.
It needs a lot of TLC, but hey, that’s what bikes are for!
Eric H. Brown, a British engineer who developed aircraft during World War II and afterward taught at Imperial College London, candidly described the predicament. In a 1967 book, he called structural engineering “the art of molding materials we do not really understand into shapes we cannot really analyze, so as to withstand forces we cannot really assess, in such a way that the public does not really suspect.”Among other things, Dr. Brown taught failure analysis.
