New-to-me 54.5 MIT A. Homer Hilsen
REC (Roberta)
In June, I bought a 54.5 MIT A. Homer Hilsen from RBW
member Phil K. ( https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rbw-owners-bunch/bLEiFQYqK0c
) as a lighter alternative to my very beloved, much accessorized, and heavy-ish
Joe Appaloosa, which lives at my home in the city. The AHH is at my office for after work rides (replacing a 90's Specialized Crossroads),
and for travels where a lighter bike is better for lifting and maneuverability,
like in my car or on a train.
From Phil’s list:
- MIT AHH frameset
- Bottom bracket
- Headset
- Seatpost
- Shimano Ultegra bar end shifters
- Nitto Albatross heat- treated aluminum handlebars
- Nitto Tallux stem
- Shimano brake levers
- Paul Component funky monkey front brake hanger
- Nitto Reneherse rinko rear cable hanger
- Paul Component Racer centermount brakes (pair)
- Paul Component polished silver moon unit cable yokes (pair)
- Riv Silver crankset wide low 38/24 170mm arms
- B&M IQ- XS dyno front light
- B&M toplight line small tail light
- B&M bracket for saddle rail for tail light (allows taillight to be attached to saddle rails)
- Sheldon fender nuts (pair)
- Nitto lamp bracket right side
- XT Cassette 11- 32 9 speed
- XT rear derailleur 772 9 speed
- Shimano front derailleur
- SRAM chain
- Wheelset - Pacenti Brevet Rims 32h (front and rear), DT double butted spokes, front hub is SP dynamo hub, rear hub is White Industries T11
- Schwalbe lightweight tire tubes
- Panaracer Pasela folding bead (65bx42)
- Paul Component quick release skewers (pair)
- Jagwire & shimano cabling and housing
I raised the handlebars, so new cables and grip re-wrap, and added a few items. My goal was to keep it as light as possible so I could lift it, while keeping it practical for my needs. To make it more portable inside the car and to keep weight off, I didn’t add fenders. I did add:
- Selle Anatomica NSX1 saddle
- Touring pedals from Doug Peterson, fellow RBW member. His wife has the same pedals on her Atlantis and they are as good as he said they’d be. I might even change my Joe A. pedals with spikes to these. It was wonderful doing business with Doug.
- Dia Compe water bottle cages
- Blackburn rack
- Carradice Barley saddlebag
- Nittany Mountain Works Manything bag for my 32 oz. insulated water bottle.
- Defary removable kickstand
- Riv reflector mini triangle and Riv reflectors for wheels
- Chrome Crane bell
- German mirror
The Nittany Mountain bag https://nittanymountainworks.com/collections/bike-bags/products/anything- bag .
You choose your colors for the body (40 colors), skirt, and
webbing. There is a vertical strip of
webbing to attach it to the stem, though it’s hard to see in the picture. The first bag they sent was sewn slightly too
small for my 32 oz. water bottle. They sent me a replacement and told me to keep the first one for phone, wallet,
and whatnot. EXCELLENT customer service, raw materials as
organic and MUSA as they can source them, and all bike and climbing items are
made their PA solar powered manufacturing plant. Their parent company is www.organicclimbing.com
and have some interesting videos of their company and solar powered plant on
their site.
Defary removable kickstand https://www.amazon.com/Defary- Removable- Kickstand- Stainless- Material/dp/B074T8V8PH . I did not like having a bike without a kickstand. Lighter than a standard kickstand and it works well without sagging. It comes with an almost undetectable mounting clip co-mounted with the water bottle cage to place the stand when not in use. In my pic, it’s on the non- drive side seat post water bottle but it could also fold up and go in a bag.
How does the AHH ride? It feels different than my Appaloosa, wanting me to go faster (that’s a relative term) rather than just joyfully moseying along like I love to do on my Joe A. Yet, it’s so comfortable that I love being on it and when the sun goes down, I have Dyno lights! It’s a fun ride! The tires are awesome. I thought that having thinner tires (relative to Joe A’s), it would ride harsher, but they don’t; they are so plush. The more I ride it the more I like it.
The bar end real friction shifters are new to me and so smooth. So much better than the “it clicks, but is friction” shifters on my Joe A. Also new to me and I love it, is a 2 ring crankset. I just go up and down the big ring (I haven’t been on the small one yet). 9 speeds are more than enough for my usually flat rides. Joe A. has three rings, which is fine, with less speeds per ring. I hope this all makes sense, in that I’m not a “bike-y” person.
As far as sizing, my Joe A. is 51 and AHH is 54.5, both a perfect fit, but a bit more stand over with the Joe A. for my 83 cm pbh. So, for city riding, Joe A. is better with its wider tires, fenders, and additional stand over. The AHH feels more refined.
Phil was awesome to work with. He offered to meet me halfway so I could pick
up the bike and get home within a “reasonable” day. He put on the saddle and pedals I brought to
make the bike ridable right away. If it
weren’t for Phil being a bike “perfectionist” I wouldn’t have so nice a bike
that I have now.
The other thanks go out to everyone here who posts and to those I’ve exchanged emails. Your help and opinions, and my Rivendell bikes, have improved both my life and a bit of my biking knowledge. This is a fabulous community.
phil k
I also did not know Organic made bike bags, but that makes sense. I'll check it out!
Shoji Takahashi
Ian A
IanA