Source: http://fixedgeargirltaiwan.blogspot.com/2011/03/yooko-in-taipei.html
Heather B. Widmer Brandy R. Fowlkes Fred J. Meyer Allan M. Gardner
Friday, 1 April 2011
North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) 2011: Part 8
Just as in years past, steel was the predominant material at this year's NAHBS thanks to its wide range of available sizes, shapes, alloys and gauges, the ease with which it can be manipulated, and the multiple ways in which it can be joined. Stainless alloys continue to grow in popularity, too, with Reynolds and Columbus increasing their inventory of sizes for their respective 953 and XCr alloys but also a newcomer to the scene, KVA.
According to KVA, a special heat treatment process lends greater ductility to the weld area (stainless tubes are usually seam-welded) than competitors' products, suggesting more flexibility in terms of bending and forming and better long-term durability, especially for TIG-welded frames. Builders we spoke to at NAHBS who were already using KVA tubing also cited the greater availability of bike-specific sizes and shapes.
Newcomers Bronto MTB Co hit the floor
Bronto are relatively new builders out of central Oregon specializing in steel hardtails. Included in the four-model range is the Bon 26in do-all cross-country rig, the Reverend geared 29er, the Willy singlespeed 29er, and finally the harder-hitting Paycheck designed around a longer-travel 140mm fork and with room for up to 26x2.5in tires.
All of Bronto's bikes share several key features, including True Temper OX Platinum tubing ? with the exception of the forward section of the curved down tube ? a 44mm-diameter head tube for use with straight or tapered steerer tubes, optional geared/singlespeed Paragon slider dropouts, and curved seat tubes on the 29ers that allow for shorter chainstays.
Bronto are also offering a slick-looking rigid fork called the Udo for 26in or 29in wheels, both with sleeve-reinforced upper legs, a segmented crown a la Fat Chance's old Big 1", straight-bladed chromoly legs, and stout hooded dropouts.
Don Walker does steel with a modern twist
With all that goes into planning something like NAHBS, it's a wonder that show director Don Walker had time to build much of anything, let alone pack his booth with finished rigs as he did yet again for this year's event.
One of the highlights for us was a bare road frameset that used some of the latest tech features: a true BB30-compatible bottom bracket shell, a semi-integrated seatmast and a 44mm-diameter head tube fitted with Chris King's latest mixed InSet and a full-carbon Columbus tapered fork. Finishing things off was a neat two-sided red, blue and black paintjob.
Sitting at the other end of the spectrum was Walker's decidedly traditional-looking keirin racer. Not only was it styled like the real thing, but Walker says every aspect of the build complies with official NJS technical guidelines, with many of the parts imported especially for the project such as the top tube protector, Soyo Gold Star tubulars with silk casings, and even the helmet that was hung over the bars.
Walker's area was expectedly filled with various track bikes ? seeing as how that's his specialty ? but one other project also occupied a healthy chunk of his time before the show: a steel road tandem. Built for a friend who lost his sight last year, Walker says he had just a single week to get the massive structure done.
Further complicating matters was the chosen fillet-brazed construction. Nevertheless, Walker got it done and, with the help of industry friends at Co-Motion, Rolf Prima, Fi'zi:k, Continental, FSA, Ritchey and SRAM, the bike was even fully built in time.
An assortment of quirky machines from Minnesota's Peacock Groove
Peacock Groove's Eric Noren made yet another return visit to NAHBS with an impressive collection of bikes, each with its own little quirks that set it apart from most other machines.
One glossy blue-and-white 26in hardtail was normal looking enough, what with its TIG-welded joints, standard double-diamond configuration and unicrown steel fork. The dice theme in the paint carried over to real dice that were threaded into brazed-on fittings at both the fork tips and signature Peacock Groove rear dropouts. Blinking LED lights inside the dice perhaps added to the gimmick factor a bit but they did their job ? passers-by stopped and took a closer look.
Noren also showed off a few steel cyclo-cross bikes that looked fit for racing with plenty of tire clearance and suitable angles. One was thoroughly coated in metallic copper paint ? including the Campagnolo Record group and alloy clincher rims ? and fitted with front and rear disc brakes, while the other was a more sedate white affair with conventional cantilevers. Both included rack mounts front and rear for extra versatility, with the front ones being designed around randonneur-style mini-racks.
Finally there was the dual-purpose hardtail 29er/grocery getter ? as long as your groceries consisted of nothing more than a six-pack of beer to fit into the dedicated bespoke front rack. Rather than use a curved seat tube, Noren instead carved out the backside of the straight tube to lend more clearance for the big 29in tires.
Six-Eleven's Aaron Dykstra ? a new builder but with keen old-school style
Roanoke, Virginia-based builder Aaron Dykstra of Six-Eleven Bicycle Co has only been building for a couple of years but has studied under one of the greats of framebuilding: the legendary Koichi Yamaguchi of 3Rensho. Dykstra's bikes belie his relative lack of experience and have already earned him a "Best Track Bike" award at this year's NAHBS.
Dykstra won that award for a beautiful lugged steel machine built with KVA stainless tubing and vintage lugs and finished in a classic-looking black and red panel layout. Capping things off was a painted-to-match lugged steel stem.
More stainless steel was found in the polished lugs, fork crown and rear-entry horizontal dropouts of a two-tone green town bike built with Columbus SP steel tubing. S&S couplers make for easy breakdown for travel while the split seatstay allows the latest-generation Gates CenterTrack belt to pass through. The finishing touch was a one-piece steel bar and stem combination complete with extra struts to prevent excess flex.
YiPsan Bicycles ? artisan looks with an engineering backbone
Hong Kong native Renold Yip earned his bachelor's degree in engineering in the UK but now builds some of the most creative bikes of NAHBS in Fort Collins, Colorado. One of the crowd favorites was a black-and-copper town bike with twin top tubes that took a quick detour at the seat tube to form the seatstays.
Other features include front and rear disc brakes, internal routing all around, a full complement of polished aluminum bits (including a polished Greenfield kickstand!) and custom front and rear racks. The front one in particular reflects Yip's mechanical chops with its modular design. The top extensions can be removed for use with lowrider bags and a small racktop pack, or installed to provide a more cargo-friendly shelf with lots of surface area. The rear rack sported gracefully curved stays with a fixed wooden deck.
Also decorating the YiPsan booth was a yellow randonneur bike with color-contrast painted fenders and a matching lugged steel stem plus Yip's take on a go-anywhere mountain bike complete with a monstrous Surly snowbike front tire.
Countless other steel builders were on hand that we haven't yet mentioned and while we can't quite fit everyone into this article, feel free to enjoy the accompanying image gallery from our continuing coverage. Also, stay tuned for one final installment before we call this year's NAHBS a wrap.
 |  |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BikeRadar/Commuting/News/~3/qglngxBEZpM/story01.htm
Alfred C. Morris Gregory K. Beach Luigi P. Gill Kelly L. Brenner
Training Days
Flat Out Fit get the boys well, worried… (NB – You may want to play the theme tune to Rocky whilst reading this) This is it then… The count down to the Mega has begun for Team MBUK. Three men, two beards, one destiny! Ok, that’s probably slightly dramatic but on a more serious/grown-up note [...]
Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/03/11/training-days/
Jane B. Cruz Michael F. Nichols Alfred C. Morris Gregory K. Beach
Leisure riding position
As someone who has spent their life around bikes, seeing one set up in the manner shown above offends me greatly in the same way socks and sandals would offend a fashion expert.
Dropped handlebars on a road bike should never be higher than the saddle, unless the rider is either homeless or handicapped in some way. I would rather see this bike set up as a hybrid with flat handlebars than looking like this.
I can understand a person who rides a bike solely for exercise and recreation, does not need an extreme, horizontal back, racing position. However, there has to be a compromise between an all out racing position and the one pictured above.
It seems that most newcomers to cycling can only see one way to sit with their back at the desired angle, and that is to raise the handlebars higher and higher until the back angle is achieved. This can cause all kinds of other issues, in addition to offending exframebuilders like me.
With the handlebars this high the rider is sitting down hard on the saddle; a newcomer to the sport is going to have a sore butt until they become accustomed, this will only add to the problem. What follows is the owner going out to buy a saddle upholstered like a Lazy-Boy armchair.
Setting up a road bike is really about performance with an acceptible degree of comfort. If absolute comfort is your goal, forget the road bike and buy a Beach Cruiser.
With a road bike it is akin to buying a Formula 1 race car then trying to convert it to a family minivan. In the end you achieve niether comfort or performance.
The modern racing saddle is not designed to support your full weight; think of it more as a lectern to rest your butt against while riding. A rider’s weight needs to be distributed between the saddle, the pedals, and the handlebars.
To explain further what we are trying to achieve here, imagine sitting in a chair, (Not hard to do, you are probably sitting in one as you read this.)
Now imagine you are rowing a boat with your arms horizontal, and your hands level with your shoulders. Not an efficient rowing position; your arms and back are doing all the work, and your legs are doing nothing.
Backache is almost sure to happen. To row a boat you need your feet to be out in front of your seat thrusting horizontally in direct opposition to your arms. Even if the seat and foot rest are fixed the legs still act as a firm anchor for your arms and back to pull against.
Think of riding a bicycle as rowing a boat in reverse; it is your legs doing all the work. But what are your arms doing? Are they just resting idly on the handlebars, much in the way your legs were resting idly on the floor in my first scenario of rowing a boat in a chair position?
When you are making an effort on a bicycle you are thrusting down on the pedals with more than your body weight; the only thing holding you down are you hands grasping the handlebars. Your hands and arms need to be positioned to act as a firm anchor, just as your legs did while rowing a fixed seat boat.
Look at the picture above, this would be a good position for a leisure rider. He looks comfortable, even though he appears to be making a fair amount of effort. His back is at about 45 degrees; his arms are slightly bent at the elbow.
I would ask this rider, “How does your position feel?” If it felt good I would advise he leave it alone; based on the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
However, if he had problems like back ache, either lower back, or at the base of the neck between the shoulder blades; I would suggest buying a shorter handlebar stem and flipping it over so the bars are lower, but closer.
Also he might rotate the handlebars so the bottom part of the drops is tipped forward just a few degrees from horizontal. This would have the effect of lowering the brake lever hoods, and would bring the arms more into direct opposition the legs without changing the upper body position. (See above.)
You don’t need to keep raising the bars to achieve a comfortable back angle. You can achieve the same by leaving the handlebars low, but shortening the reach. Signs that your position is wrong are back ache as I have described, and constantly sliding forward on the saddle.
Sometimes a saddle is set too far back to achieve Knee Over Pedal (KOP) resulting to too much reach; then the handlebars are raised to compensate. KOP is less important than a good overall positition; no need to go to extremes measuring with plumb lines, etc; the important thing is, “Are your arms working in opposition to your legs?”
It is an easy matter to sit on your bike, lean against a wall for support, and have someone take your picture. Make sure your cranks are horizontal; then draw lines as I did from the hip joint to the pedal, and the shoulder joint to the hands. The lines will not be exactly parallel but if they fall within those shown in the above picture you will not be far away.
With your arms lower you place some of your upper body weight on them, relieving that which was previously all on the saddle. With your hands closer you are more likely to ride with your elbows bent, arms are relaxed and there is less strain on the shoulder muscles.
Remember, listen to your body, it will tell you if your position is right.
Addendum
By the comments that followed this post, many cannot see that on the bike pictured at the top with a shorter stem (Pointing slightly down instead of up.) the rider would have the exact same back angle, but with better weight distribution. Plus the bike would look 100% better. The arms and hands have simply rotated to a lower, but closer position. The shoulders and the rest of the upper body have remained in the same place.
Source: http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/blog/2011/3/28/leisure-riding-position.html
Alfred C. Morris Gregory K. Beach Luigi P. Gill Kelly L. Brenner
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)