200 miles on 10 bikes, an essentially pointless self-challenge

[Bill Lindsay]

I get a six week sabbatical from work from late August to early October.  I had a bike tour plan, but it was going to be solo, so my family nixed that.  My wife and kids are all quite busy, and I'm trying to really savor where I live and the blessings I have, so I'm doing a six week stay-cation.  The two main activities will be riding a bunch and handyman projects.  I'm a numbers guy and I like measurable goals.  I'm also really happy with my fleet and how every bike in my fleet is dialed.  One of the reasons I keep the entire fleet dialed is for 'wear-leveling'.  I use them all so each of them lasts a REALLY long time.  So, the measurable goal I've set for myself is to ride 200 miles on each of 10 different bikes during the 92 days of August+September+October 2017.  I started out with my oldest bike: my late-father's 1973 Windsor Carrera Sport, which I restored shortly after his passing.  

Riv content:  Albatross bars, Wald Basket, Sackville Shopsack Medium, Saddle triangle, Sneaker pedals, Sugino XD2 crankset, Newbaums tape, Atus Rear Der, Twin Hollow rims, Nitto bag protector, Hammer bell, hub shiners.  On this bike I'm doing simple bike/Bart commuting to my office, but I take 'the long way'.  Instead of 2-3 mile legs between home-Bart or office-Bart, I'm taking 6-7 mile legs, which gets you up to 25-30 miles per day on a work day.  I'm about 80 miles into my 200 mile goal for bike #1.  

Today I did my first 'long ride' on Bike #2, my most contemporary bike, which I call my Niner-Seven-Fiver. 

 

Riv content:  hoo-boy, not much....Newbaums tape, Edelux Lamp, reflective triangle, King cages, Water Bottles designed for Lucky Duck Bike Cafe by Sean Hipkin, Dutch taillight.  That ride featured some solid underbiking to get around this road closure on local trails.  The ride is ~40 miles with ~3000ft of climbing through the East Bay Hills.  

The challenge will feature four Rivendells:  R05C0 8U883 road, Rosco Medium Mountain Mixte, Sam Hillborne, and HubbuHubbuH.  The plan only includes one REALLY long ride, and that's the San Francisco Randonneurs Marin Mountains 200k in the middle of October.  Only if I'm on-schedule or ahead of it will I be ready for a 130 mile ride, 25% off road, with 13,000 feet of climbing.  

I will post progress from time to time.  I'm posting photos on Instagram just about every day, so the kids on my mountain bike team can keep up.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, Ca

[Deacon Patrick]

Like self-deprication, self-challenge is never pointless. I challenge myself to improve my self-deprication because I'm a boy among men there. Grin. Enjoy!

With abandon,

Patrick

[islaysteve]

My challenge for today: 5 miles on each roadworthy bike in my stable. In other words, my Bleriot. MET!

[John G.]

This is so excellent. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your stable. That Niner is DOOOOOPE.

[Dave]

Fantastic challenge, and looking forward to the occasional report.

[Garth]

Enjoy the ride Bill , allways ☺

[Geeter]

What an awesome idea.  A way to make a separate adventure through each of your bikes.  Also love the Niner.  Color scheme is awesome.  Keep reporting!

[Kiley DeMond]

Aw, geez, Patrick. Self-deprication is completely pointless. Self-challenge is self-deprication's light and a worthwhile endeavor as long as one deals with oneself with compassion. 

[Patrick Moore]

Interesting self challenge; I'll be interested to hear how different bikes feel under different rides -- efforts, speeds, comfort after certain distances, etc. 

Thats the equivalent of a bit more than 21 miles a day for 92 days -- not a huge daily average, but maintaining the effort will be the challenge. At least, it would be for me.

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[RichS]

This sounds like a creative, rewarding and fun alternative to your original solo tour plan. 

APPROVE!

Regards,

Richard

[Esteban]

Following!

[Kiley DeMond]

What a wonderful thing to do on a sabbatical! I remember marveling at getting up, going to Home Depot, coming back to work on my condo (paint, tile, paneling) and still getting paid! The second one, I used in conjunction with maternity leave, so that one just flew by. Ah, Silicon Valley.... I thought sabbaticals had all but disappeared (except of course in academia). And now that you have a number of people following your adventures, perhaps a bit vicariously, your commitment has passengers. Enjoy! 

[Bill Lindsay]

I won't be doing any super-technical ride reporting as it pertains to bike performance. I simply don't have the vernacular for it.  I have no idea what 'tunr-in' is.  I don't know what 'staid', 'tame', 'reluctant', 'nervous', 'willing', mean in any objective sense.  I feel like descriptions like that tell me a lot more about the person writing them than the machine they are on.  If I'm going to talk about me, I'll do it directly.  :-)

Anyway, here is Bike #3.

This is my 1985 Schwinn Tempo, converted to 650B and Rinko.  I call it "Tinko".  I want to get the 200 in on this bike early, so I can get it out to Ed Litton for some frame mods.  The 200 miles will confirm my final decision that I want to make the mods.  Of all my bikes, this one looks the most like a classic road bike and fits like a classic road bike.

Bill 148/2000 Lindsay
El Cerrito, CA

On Friday, August 4, 2017 at 12:46:26 PM UTC-7, Bill Lindsay wrote:

I get a six week sabbatical from work from late August to early October.  I had a bike tour plan, but it was going to be solo, so my family nixed that.  My wife and kids are all quite busy, and I'm trying to really savor where I live and the blessings I have, so I'm doing a six week stay-cation.  The two main activities will be riding a bunch and handyman projects.  I'm a numbers guy and I like measurable goals.  I'm also really happy with my fleet and how every bike in my fleet is dialed.  One of the reasons I keep the entire fleet dialed is for 'wear-leveling'.  I use them all so each of them lasts a REALLY long time.  So, the measurable goal I've set for myself is to ride 200 miles on each of 10 different bikes during the 92 days of August+September+October 2017. 

[Patrick Moore]

This is a much reported quality on this list, whatever the name used: it's the signature Rivendell feel of a bike that is stable on the straights, but transitions to a turn without the least hint of hesitation or overeagerness -- perfect balance in the transition. It's nothing really esoteric to experience or describe. It's this quality that I've noticed all all 5 Rivendell bikes I've owned and that I think Grant ought to patent -- I'd love to see a video of his interaction with the patent office!

At any rate, enough people on this list recognize it and report it that it can fairly be considered "in the thing" and not merely "in the head."

On Sun, Aug 6, 2017 at 1:26 PM, Bill Lindsay <tape...@gmail.com> wrote:

...  I have no idea what 'tunr-in' is.  I don't know what 'staid', 'tame', 'reluctant', 'nervous', 'willing', mean in any objective sense.  I feel like descriptions like that tell me a lot more about the person writing them than the machine they are on.  

[Steve Palincsar]

On 08/06/2017 03:26 PM, Bill Lindsay wrote:

I won't be doing any super-technical ride reporting as it pertains to bike performance. I simply don't have the vernacular for it.  I have no idea what 'tunr-in' is. 

You mean, besides a typo?   "Turn-in" would make sense; car reviews talk about it all the time.  

I don't know what 'staid', 'tame', 'reluctant', 'nervous', 'willing', mean in any objective sense.  I feel like descriptions like that tell me a lot more about the person writing them than the machine they are on.  If I'm going to talk about me, I'll do it directly.  :-)

Perhaps that's why you never see those words in a BQ review...

[Bill Lindsay]

My son needed a few REI items to prepare for a two-week sleepaway camp, so we rolled down to REI on Bike #4

Our size Small HubbuHubbuH tandem carried the 340 pounds of us with aplomb down and back up the East Bay Hills, and looked quite smart parked outside Picante taqueria while we had brunch.  One of the REI bike shop employees was smitten with our ride, and chatted us up for quite some time.

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Philip Williamson]

Me too.

[WETH]

Go Bill, go! I am enjoying following your progress!
Erl

[Allingham II, Thomas J. (Retired Partner)]

Fantastic idea, Bill. You go!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 7, 2017, at 8:45 AM, WETH <erlho...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Go Bill, go! I am enjoying following your progress!
> Erl
>

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[Mark in Beacon]

Remember, technically you'll need 400 on the hubblybubbly...

[Bill Lindsay]

Introducing Bike #5, another very dear old friend, my Samuel Hillborne.  This was my first Rivendell, and it marked a significant inflection point in my cycling career.  I bought it in December 2009, and my cycling life could easily be separated into BH (Before Hillborne) and AH (After Hillborne).  Before Hillborne, I was a TTLZ, a Top Tube Length Zealot.  I would look at one number on a geo-chart, the effective top tube length.  If it was 56.5cm, it fit me.  If it was not 56.5cm, it did not fit me.  That's what I thought.  After Hillborne, I realized that you can't say anything about fit from top tube length alone and in isolation.  The biggest thing for Rivendells, in my opinion is seat tube angle.  Before Hillborne, I slammed the saddle all the way back, on every bike, all the time, because every other bike had a steep seat tube angle.  I believe that in December 2009 there was no other production 'road bike' on earth with a 71.5 degree seat tube angle.  There might still be no other non-Rivendell production bikes on Earth with a 71.5 degree seat tube angle.  Because the seat tube angle is slack, you'll run the saddle 1-2cm further forward, right in the middle of the rails, which looks great and fits.  Voila! You're top tube is 2cm shorter that you thought when you were a TTLZ.  Anyway, here's Sam, on my morning 40 mile commute through the East Bay Hills, with Fog-gust in full effect. 

Every time I contemplate on a Rivendell Custom, I invariably end up defining a bike that is almost identical to my 56cm, single top tube, cantilever Hillborne.  For me in 2017, it is just about my perfect all-road bike.  38mm tires + fenders is ample for a sensible road bike.  After Hillborne, that's my attitude.  A road bike that only takes 32mm tires with fenders is most definitely a "racing bike" in my AH categories.  

News flash for everyone.  This was my first 40 mile ride on Compass 38mm knobbies, the Steilacoom, and they are freaking fast on the road.  I could hear a faint hum, but since I'm using strava for everything, I can say these tires are not significantly slower than 650x42B Babyshoe Pass Extralights, set up tubeless, on my Niner Seven Fiver.  These Compass knobbies are kind of a secret weapon, to me.  They have great dirt and mud behavior, and you sacrifice essentially nothing on the road.  It's kind of like cheating.  I suspect they will also be much better for flat resistance and cuts, because there is a thick chunk of tread between you and the stuff on the ground.  Unlike thick treaded tires, knobbies can still be supple, because the casing between the knobs can flex.  The knobs themselves are wide and stout, so they don't squirm in hard cornering on pavement.  There is less rubber in contact with the ground, so I assume the limits of max adhesion might be less, but on this foggy morning, I didn't push it.  

[R Shannon]

Bill, thanks for your informative and enjoyable postings about your six week long "adventure ride". Couldn't agree with you more about the Hillborne. It would be a nearly impossible decision if I ever had to part with the Sam or my Atlantis. Envious that you have the canti Sam!

Best wishes for fantastic rides!

Richard

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[Surlyprof]

Glad to see the Hillborne is still an important part of your collection, Bill. I remember that you were considering selling it last year. I have the same model and size and your builds have informed and inspired my own. Now I better understand why I liked the Hillborne so much better than my previous road bikes. Thanks for that explanation and thanks for the Steilacoom review. I've been wondering about those. I've been riding Smart Sams on mine and get a little timid on road descents (compared to when I'm riding on the Barlow Pass ELS you recommended). Jan's description of the Steilacoom sounded ideal. Would love to hear more of your insights as you get more mileage on them.

Good luck with the remainder of your stay-cation.

John

[Jeremy Till]

Patrick Moore wrote:

 It's this quality that I've noticed all all 5 Rivendell bikes I've owned and that I think Grant ought to patent -- I'd love to see a video of his interaction with the patent office!

I think I found that video, actually: 

https://youtu.be/pnq96W9jtuw

"It's people like you, what causes unrest...."

[Bill Lindsay]

Just for fun, here's a photo I took today of Sam in front of a urban mural in Oakland.  I've driven past this spot numerous times, thinking it was a cool spot for a bike portrait.  I was on my way down to Lucky Duck Bike Cafe in Downtown Oakland.  Ely Rodriguez of Ruthworks posted on Instagram that he would be down there showing some of his work, and working the repair stand.  I had a nice breakfast, and an even nicer visit with Ely.  I ordered a seat bag.  I'm 350 miles into the 2000 mile challenge.  I should be able to wrap up 200 miles on bike #1 this week.  Have a nice weekend.

[Steve Palincsar]

So are you having fun?  I get the sense that you are, and that this self-challenge so far has been anything but pointless.

[Bill Lindsay]

Yes, Steve, I am having a great deal of fun.  It is only pointless to the extent that this particular structure of 200 miles on each of 10 bikes is totally arbitrary.  The fact that this arbitrary structure leads me to get on my bike more more often is not pointless.  This morning, I finished making my daughter breakfast, and I knew I wanted to get 25 to 30 miles in, and I said to myself "I need more coffee, and Ely is having a show at Lucky Duck".  I jumped on my bike and essentially ran an errand and paid a social visit and rode my bike 26 miles in civilian dress.  Without the arbitrary structure of a pointless challenge, I might have driven to get coffee and very likely would have skipped going to downtown Oakland. 

BL in EC

[Patrick Moore]

I think that my briefly- (18 months?) owned Sam was, like yours, a stt with cantis, and a 59 cm tt. I wish I'd played around more with the stem length and the bar position before selling it -- though there were other reasons why I sold it, too, besides my gripe with the tt. But if I'd thought more hard about sta icw ttl (figger it out), and if I had kept it long enough for the Snoqualimie Passes to appear --- why, I might just have had me a very wonderful allroad bike!

Not that I regret giving mine up for, eventually, the Matthews, since the Matthews takes the fatter tires -- 50 mm + -- with fenders, that I really do like for our bosque sand. But still, a Sam with Snoqalmie Pass tires might be even better than an All Rounder with Rat Trap Passes.

[Bill Lindsay]

Bike #6 is most certainly my least Rivish one.  It's a Niner Air9 Carbon hardtail mountain bike, currently set up with a rigid carbon fork. 

Riv content:  VERY little.  King Cage. Two bandannas.  Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires?  I threw down a baseline Strava time for the section that all the East Bay racers use to compare themselves.  The segment is called BHS Time Trial.  It's a very rocky very steep climb that's a little over a mile.  The best racers at El Cerrito High do it in <8 minutes.  I did a 12:24, 8 seconds off my personal best.  I don't know for sure whether the rigid fork slowed me down, but it was really hard to pick a line without the benefit of just rolling up and over things with a shock.  I'll do that segment several more times during my 10x200 challenge, to see if I can see measurable benefits in speed.  I'd love to take a full minute off my personal best, and then think about getting under 10 minutes.  Only one rider in my 45-54 age group has ever gone <10min on Strava. 

Bill Lindsay
El Cerrito, CA

[Bill Lindsay]

Update on my self-imposed goal to ride 200 miles on each of 10 bikes.  15 days in, Bike #1 has completed his tour of duty.  My late father's Windsor Carrera Sport served me well on my long-way bike+BART commute between El Cerrito and Union City California.  I took a parting shot on the UC Berkeley campus, and I'll post that when I get the chance.  I'm about 450 miles into the cumulative 2000 mile goal, so everything is going fine.  The toughest challenge will be to find enough willing stokers to get 200 miles in on my tandem.  My son Henry is the most willing, but he's really too tall for the back of my size Small HubbuHubbuH.  He should be riding captain and taking a friend on a picnic, which doesn't help my goal.  

Among the fun things I discovered in putting 200 miles in on the Windsor were:  

1.  I like Albatross bars, but they can make my hands get tingly numb at times, which is something I "never" experience with normal drop bars.  If I was going to do actual long days on an Albatross bike, I'd have to experiment to get around that.  

2.  The 2x5 drivetrain was ample for my needs.  My chainrings are 48/32 in front, and I have a 14-32 5sp freewheel in back.  98% of the time I was on one of four gears:  48x21 or 48x26 on flats 32x21 or 32x26 on steep climbs.  On my fast morning descent I'd drop to the 48x14, but coasting would have been fine.  

3.  Centerpull brakes have 'personality'.  I read in a Jan - blog post that his $400 centerpull brakes are self-toeing.  Let them squeal for a few rides and they will get quiet as they wear somehow.  My Dia-Compe centerpulls were a lot more random with respect to squealing.  On some days they were silent.  On others, I could get them to squeal under hard braking.  In some weather conditions they seemed more willing to squeal.  I did not touch them mechanically, I didn't clean anything or adjust anything.  I wanted to just observe, and my observation is that my centerpull brakes are moody and enigmatic.  

Now my daily commuter will be my 1985 Schwinn Tempo, which has the utter extravagance of a 2x6 drivetrain (6!).  It's a LOT lighter weight, which makes BART steps a lot more effortless.  The Tempo has 650x38B tires vs 700x28c on the Windsor, so that also is a luxury.  After I finish my 200 miles on the Tempo I'm planning to take it to Ed Litton for cantilever brake posts and cable housing stops, which will finish up the last details of making it fully Rinko capable.  I might get it powder coated pink, and will definitely use a set of Resurrectio stickers when I do.

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

On Friday, August 4, 2017 at 12:46:26 PM UTC-7, Bill Lindsay wrote:

[Bill Lindsay]

Trusty Steed

[Mark in Beacon]

While I think the mileage challenge is great, and I am following with interest your exploits, I am in complete awe that you have that many bicycles in hop on and ride condition. While I suspect I have at least as many rides, I think the total that were completely unequivocally rideable at any same given moment would be around six, maybe. Once. For a day or two. Of course, partly in my defense, that was when I had a garage. Harder to do in a third floor walkup, where I am lucky to have 3 or 4 good to roll. Mad props for maintaining such a handsome fleet in such tip top shape. Chapeau!

Regarding centerpull squeal, my various Weinmanns and Dia Compes are right now my favorite brakes. But, not counting new pad day, squealing does occasionally come and go. If it lasts, and I get tired of their moodiness, I will usually rough up the pad with a file and clean the rims with alcohol. Which you probably do, or some variation. Maybe a mannequin or a blow up doll for the tandem's 200? It would also clarify any possible DQ in the judging, ie, whether a tandem should go 200 or 400 miles.

[Patrick Moore]

I'd like to see photos of the Tempo. I had one, also from the 80s, and the frameset was heavy and had clearance only for skinny tires (I made a 700C X26 fit under the rear brake bridge by adjusting the last with a hammer), but it handled nicely. This was my first fixed gear bike, circa 1996. 

[Bill Lindsay]

Patrick Moore,

You responded to the post where I showed a photo of my 1985 Schwinn Tempo, converted to 650x38B.

What did your frame weigh? I'll compare it to mine when I strip it down for Litton. My whole bike weighs a hair under 22 pounds.

BL in EC

[Patrick Moore]

I thought that was the Windsor -- Albatross bars? Oh well, must look again.

Mine probably didn't weigh much more than 22 lb, but it had a single fixed gear and one brake.

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[Bill Lindsay]

Here are a couple of photos of my 1985 Schwinn Tempo.  I worked at a Schwinn shop in the mid 1980s and remember this model fondly.  It was the nicest Schwinn road bike at the time that still had fender eyelets.  When I found one stock and almost NOS I jumped on it, and did a 650B conversion along with some other updates.  I like it a lot.  

BL in EC

[Mark in Beacon]

Bill, are those tires 38mm? And what is the bb height in mm, if you get a chance. Thank you.

[Patrick Moore]

Full profile view, please!

I won't say I wish I still had mine, but I'd like to ride one again to confirm or correct my memory that it handled nicely -- quicker than my Ram, for instance, but stable in a straight line and turned in nicely. Or perhaps 20 years intervening has turned memory into myth.

Odd: mine could not handle a 26 (labeled; may well have been narrower) tire in back without "modification."

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[Bill Lindsay]

Mark in Beacon asked if those tires that I called 650x38B were in fact 38mm.  He also asked my BB height. 

The tires are Soma New Express and measure a true 37mm on Pacenti PL23 rims.  

The BB height by my reckoning is 262mm

BL in EC

[Bill Lindsay]

I posted a full profile picture of my 1985 Schwinn Tempo.  In that post I said that I don't know what "turn-in" is.  Patrick Moore responded to that post, informing me that 'turn-in' is common knowledge.  Patrick Moore later asked for photos of my 1985 Schwinn Tempo, so I posted two alternative views.  Patrick Moore requested a full profile picture.  

Bringing it full-circle, here is the full profile picture of my 1985 Schwinn Tempo, that anybody who views this list on a web browser can see, but you email users apparently can't find.  

BL in EC

On Friday, August 18, 2017 at 8:36:11 AM UTC-7, Patrick Moore wrote:

Full profile view, please!

I won't say I wish I still had mine, but I'd like to ride one again to confirm or correct my memory that it handled nicely -- quicker than my Ram, for instance, but stable in a straight line and turned in nicely. Or perhaps 20 years intervening has turned memory into myth.

Odd: mine could not handle a 26 (labeled; may well have been narrower) tire in back without "modification."

On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 6:16 PM, Bill Lindsay <tape...@gmail.com> wrote:

Here are a couple of photos of my 1985 Schwinn Tempo.  I worked at a Schwinn shop in the mid 1980s and remember this model fondly.  It was the nicest Schwinn road bike at the time that still had fender eyelets.  When I found one stock and almost NOS I jumped on it, and did a 650B conversion along with some other updates.  I like it a lot.  

BL in EC

On Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at 6:02:27 PM UTC-7, Patrick Moore wrote:

I thought that was the Windsor -- Albatross bars? Oh well, must look again.

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[Bill Lindsay]

2 down, 8 to go.  I finished up my 200 miles quota on my 56cm Single Top Tube, Cantilever, Rivendell Samuel Hillborne (first of four Rivendells).  Those 200 miles went too fast and leave me wanting more.  If I stay ahead of schedule and 3000 miles appears to be in play, bank on it that a lot of the extra credit miles will come back on Sam.  It's a truly splendid bike.  With nice light wheels and tires, a svelte but capable 2x9 drivetrain, and not a lot of extraneous stuff strapped to it, it's a terrific little road bike, and up to the task for some spirited underbiking:

With front and rear lowriders, it'll be a great loaded touring bike, as well.  With these 38mm Compass Steilacooms, it's practically a cross-racer. 

I'm about 550 miles into my 2000 goal.  I have one more week of work, and then the real miles can start going down when I'm on sabbatical (or, with no work to go to, perhaps I'll sleep in all day?).  

BL in EC

 

On Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at 11:43:59 AM UTC-7, Bill Lindsay wrote:

[Mark in Beacon]

Okay, thanks. I did not see the other post about the Tempo, so I missed the tire size. Going back to find it, I think pink is the move.

[lum gim fong]

Fantastic thread, Bill!!
Really fun. Enjoying it immensely.
Makes me hungry to ride more.
A couple questions about the bikes:

Schwinn:
1. What kinda tubing is the frame?

Orange Sam:
2. You said you have lightweight wheels on it. What are they? Interested to know.

As for your concerns about your use of descriptive terms:
I am really glad you haven't used terms like "vertically compliant", "laterally stiff", or "stoic", in your descriptions as they make me roll my eyes when used. Haha!

[Ryan Fleming]

Bill's Schwinn looks like it has Columbus tubing if I'm not mistaken

[Patrick Moore]

First: Bill: thanks for the profile shot of the Tempo; forgot to acknowledge.

Ryan: I can't speak for Bill's, but mine was made from Columbus Tenax tubing and was pretty heavy, though the bike rode quite well for one that couldn't take a 26mm labeled tire in the back. (And didn't I fix that problem! Ho!) I seem to recall that Tenax, at least mid-'80s Tenax, was straight gauge, seamed tubing.

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Auditis an me ludit amabilis insania?

[Bill Lindsay]

The artist formerly known as Michael and then Lungimsam and now Lum Gim Fong, asked of which tubing my 1985 Schwinn Tempo is comprised.  

The short answer is "I don't know for sure".  

The longer answer is longer.  There are Columbus Tenax stickers on the frame, and when I worked at a Schwinn shop in 1985, the Schwinn Tempos also had those Columbus Tenax stickers.  The fork blades on my bike also have a Columbus sticker.  

What's Columbus Tenax?  It's mid-range, seamed, heavier tubing than SL or even SP.  Depending on who you ask, though, things get weird beyond that point.  Some people will tell you that Tenax tubing was not available in the Fall of 1984.  It didn't exist yet, but the frames that became the Tempo, and the Voyager, and a couple other models were manufactured in the Fall of 1984, in Japan.  There is a rumor going around, and I'm perpetuating this rumor by sharing it.  The rumor is that Columbus had a pile of cosmetic blem SP and SL tubing that Schwinn bought up on the cheap.  Schwinn wanted to claim Columbus, but Columbus did not want them to claim Columbus SL or SP, so they gave them these Tenax stickers, which was a planned tubeset that did not yet exist.  So, these 1985 Schwinns have the reputation for being sneaky-nice bikes.  

I don't know if that rumor is true.  What I do know it that my Schwinn Tempo has a 28.6mm seat tube and takes a 26.4mm seatpost, meaning my seat tube has a massive 1.1mm wall thickness and therefore is almost certainly plain-gauge (not butted at all).  The 28,6mm downtube does NOT have that sonorous "ring" of thin-walled tubing.  The 25.4mm top tube also does not sound to my untrained ear as thinwall tubing.  I also know that the fork steer tube has TANGE stamped in it.   

Michael/Lungimsam/Lum Gim Fong also asked what my light Hillborne wheels are.  They are HED Belgium C2 Plus rims, 32 hole, Dura Ace 7700 hubs (with the rear spaced to 135 with an XT axle).  DT Competition spokes 2x in front, 2x on the left rear and 3x on the right rear.  Brass nipples.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Bill Lindsay]

A couple weeks back I posted a photo of my Hillborne at the top of Grizzly Peak in the Berkeley Hills, overlooking the East Bay, but you can't see anything because the fog had covered everything.  Yesterday, it was so foggy that it was raining HARD under every tree, there was so much water in the air.  Today, the fog was on it's way to burning off.  You still can't see the East Bay below, but you can see that the sky is blue:

As you can see I have my front detachable lowriders attached along with a pair of Ostrich Panniers.  There are still very few carbon forks that can take a pannier rack, and that's one of the reasons I bought this Niner.  Today I brought the panniers because I need to clean out my locker and take a few other things home with me, since this is my last day of work ahead of a six week sabbatical.  I intend to do the full 40 mile ride back home tonight.  This will get me up to ~800 miles total.  With some determination, I can spend the last few days of August rounding out my first 1000 mile calendar month maybe ever.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Bill M.]

Bill,

How does the Niner handle with a small load in the rando bag?  

Bill

Stockton, CA

[Bill Lindsay]

Bill M asked how my Niner handles with a front load.

The Niner handles great with a front load, in my opinion. I wouldn't hesitate to use it as a rando bike or even a touring or bikepacking bike

BL in EC

[William R.]

Bill,

I've been following this thread and enjoying your bikes and stories. 1000 miles in a month is pretty impressive. I know there are segments of the cycling populace where that's not that big of a deal. But in this segment, where a lot of us are (ageing, speaking of myself only!) working stiffs with families, I know that is no small feat. Looking back through my Cyclemeter meter app shows 699 as my highest monthly mileage. And that was a May a couple years back that was unusually dry for the north east and I rode every day with not too many miles in my legs from the preceding months. And I remember really "feeling" it! Good on you! Looking forward to the rest of your bikes and your sabbatical.

Bill in Westchester, NY

[Justin, Oakland]

Bill left out the best part:
A visit to my porch, pregnant wife and barking beagle to retrieve some purchased handlebars and grips!

My wife said he was very nice.

-Justin

[Bill Lindsay]

That trip to Justin's porch doesn't count because I was not on a bike.  I drove to pick up handlebars.  Maybe that's why your beagle was barking with such righteous disapproval.

I beat the heat today by riding at both dawn and dusk but not in between.  The dusk ride wrapped up 200 miles for bike 3 of 10.  My Schwinn Tempo has now served it's tour of duty.  It will get completely stripped down very soon, so I can take it to Ed Litton for several frame mods.  It was a lovely "Indian Summer" evening at UCBerkeley:

Bike #4, my Niner Seven Fiver, could hit 200 tomorrow, if I can get a 100k in on my first day of sabbatical. 

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Bill Lindsay]

Yesterday I said:

"Bike #4, my Niner Seven Fiver, could hit 200 tomorrow, if I can get a 100k in on my first day of sabbatical.  "

I managed to get a 100k in on a meandering journey through the East Bay Hills, this time tending towards the North.  The scenic highlight was a quick out and back across the Carquinez Bridge bike path, which connects Crockett to Vallejo. 

That wraps up bike number 4 out of 10.  My Niner Seven Fiver is now in the books, although this bike won't likely stay on the hook, as I'm probably going to use this bike for the Marin Mountains 200k in October.  If I can manage to acquire a secret weapon, then I'll absolutely use this bike for that 1/4 dirt, 130 mile ride.  911 miles is the running total, with three more days in August. 

[Kieran J]

Keep the updates coming, Bill. Us desk jockey chumps are awaiting them with baited breath :-)

KJ

[Bill Lindsay]

I'm pretty sure this should be bike #7 of 10.  This is my Gunnar (by Waterford) custom singlespeed that I have set up as a two-speed.  I got the 'doublespeed' started with a 20 mile spin on the Bay Trail.  This is the pedestrian bridge over I-80 at Berkeley.  The original owner of this bike had it custom built to match the geometry of a Samuel Hillborne, so I feel right at home on it. 

I'm 40 miles shy of 1000 for August with one day to go.  Tomorrow is supposed to be scorching hot, so I'm going to endeavor to get it done early. 

Bill Lindsay
El Cerrito, CA

[Bill Lindsay]

"I'm 40 miles shy of 1000 for August with one day to go.  Tomorrow is supposed to be scorching hot, so I'm going to endeavor to get it done early.  "

Today I tried to stay ahead of the heat, with only marginal success.  I got a normal road ride in of 47 miles with 4700 feet of climbing in the East Bay.  That breaks the seal on bike #8, my 'road bike'.  It's a Black Mountain Road. 

That caps off my first thousand mile month in my life, and that feels pretty good.  September will probably have more off days, but more long days as well.  We'll see how the totals work out.  Since it's supposed to be 105 throughout the Bay Area tomorrow, we'll probably start off September with a rest and recovery day.

[Ryan Fleming]

that is very impressive , Bill; 250 miles a week is not too shabby

However...maybe after next June ...when I retire I can crank up my mileage . Certainly more opportunities for longer rides and I can ride my Rivendells more often because I won't be commuting any longer to the mean streets of Winnipeg

[Bill Lindsay]

September heat has contributed to some off days, and my wife and kids have all my weekends booked, but I have continued to make progress on my 10x200 challenge.  I've primarily been riding my main "road bike", my kind of Roadeo like Black Mountain Cycles Road.  I took BART to Embarcadero Station and rode ~72 miles through San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge and through Marin County, stopping briefly in Fairfax at the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame:

I continued out Sir Francis Drake Blvd out to Highway 1, and skirted Tomales Bay all the way out to Dillon Beach, where we spent the weekend with friends:

Tomorrow I'll do a short ride to round out 200 miles for this bike, which will put 5 of the 10 in the books.  I'm feeling consistently good on the bike.  After >70 miles and ~4000 feet of climbing I was left wanting more, which makes me optimistic about my preparation progress towards an epic 200k brevet with San Francisco Randonneurs in October.  I also think I may want to pull a stem spacer to drop my bars by another centimeter.  With some improved flexibility, it's easier to get low, and I can really feel the aerodynamic and power benefit from getting low.  Equipment-wise, this was my first time out with a high-capacity roll-top style seat bag from Ruthworks.  I carried a change of clothes in there on the chance I would arrive at the Air BnB before my family arrived with my bag (which I did). 

I'm spending the majority of this upcoming week away from my stable of 10, visiting with my mom out of town.  When I return, there will be catching up to do. 

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Jay Connolly]

Great report on your impressive challenge. I have a BMC Monster Cross and almost bought the road bike when I was in Mike's shop a year ago. Probably not as flexible as you, though, so maybe that was a good thing. Keep up the great work. Looking forward to #6.

Jay

[Bill Lindsay]

A while back we talked about the front end of my Niner RLT9.  I've settled on that bike being the bike I will use for the Marin Mountains 200k brevet on October 14th.  It's going to be ~130 miles with ~35 miles off-road and ~13000ft of climbing.  I'm pretty intimidated by those numbers, and a couple things fell into place that I took a pretty major pre-emptive strike on the equipment front.  Here's some background:

Pretty much everyone agrees on the following:
1.  rim-brakes are perfectly fine for >90% of the stuff we do with bikes
2.  disc brakes cover the other 10%
3.  hydraulic disc brakes are more powerful than mechanicals
4.  hydraulic discs are powerful enough to shift a QR wheel, so through axles are becoming dominant

Our little niche holds the opinions that

5.  a compliant flexy front fork is preferable for comfort and helps with traction as well
6.  hydraulic disc brakes require builders to use beefier construction than a flexy compliant fork would employ

I find that:

7. the carbon rigid fork on my Niner RLT9 is great that it takes racks and fenders, but it's STIFF. 

There are several bikes out there that try to give you a fork that soaks up the bumps but can handle the forces of disc braking.  There are many who have concluded you simply can't have both.  It's either strong enough for discs and it's stiff, or it's flexy and you use rim brakes.  What I wanted was a through axle fork that softened up the front end like a compliant frenchy fork, but still allows me to use my hydraulic disc brakes.  I was able to jump through a couple hoops and obtained for myself the nicest Icelandic bike part I've ever seen, a Lauf Grit fork for my Niner RLT9:

It's a full carbon 30mm travel suspension fork with no moving parts.  It's suspended with a dozen flat carbon leaf springs.  (lauf means leaf in celandic).  I haven't gotten the bike out on a meaningful ride, but I got the work finished up tonight.  I'm counting on this fork to take the edge off the off-road sections so I can persevere through the Marin Mountains 200k.  I'll have to go without a handlebar bag, and I can't run a front fender with this fork. 

The event still promises to involve some dusk-to-night riding, so I was not willing to lose my dynamo lighting.  Two major Riv-Content items are this post.  The first is this:  Using part of my Berthoud Decaleur, a Sheldon Nut, and some Nitto Parts I pieced together a front dynamo lamp holder. 

 

The second Riv-content item is that this Icelandic/German/Taiwan carbon suspension fork has a slogan printed on it on the leading edge of the fork crown.  That slogan is:  Just Ride.  You can see it if you zoom in. 

I'm going to go on a couple explorational pre-rides on the Marin Mountains 200 route to try things out. 

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Mark in Beacon]

Wow.  If I were trying to conjure the most UnRiv fork imaginable, I wouldn't even get here! I admire your quest to find the do-it-all disc fork. Also envious of your sabbatical and your 10/200 challenge. It should put you in good stead for the Marin Mountains 200. (I thought a while back you claimed to be more of a mechanic than a rider?! Perhaps I mis-remember.)

 I will say that I recently did a ride with similar challenges, the D2R2. For various reasons, I elected to do the 115k, not the full monty180k. However, the shorter version still featured almost 8,000 feet of climbing, and 90% on dirt roads, about 7% singletrack.

After considering doing it on my Trekendell (poor man's Atlantis?) I tackled it on my 1970s mongrel Takara, which I suppose could be considered a poor man's AHH (same tire clearances, OLD [after spreading a la Sheldon's 2x4 method], chainstay length, relaxed geo). Actual Riv content includes Baggins bag, Newbaum's, water bottles (not shown). Of course I did have my magic Merrell sandals. I can say for me, this bike and its 70s-era technology was more that enough--comfortable, great handling on the sometimes hairy decents, as fast as I could wish.

Best with your 200 challenge and your 200 brevet.

[Paul Clifton]

That's a freaking cool fork/bike Bill.

I couldn't begin to imagine how it worked, so I looked up this video, if anyone else is curious:
https://youtu.be/3QeCFgVuy8E

It's hard to imagine that the wheel/brakes are just attached to the fork by those 12 bars of bent carbon fiber. Amazing!

Paul

On Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 10:56:07 PM UTC-4, Bill Lindsay wrote:

[Bill Lindsay]

"Wow.  If I were trying to conjure the most UnRiv fork imaginable, I wouldn't even get here!"

Yes, the ONLY reason I posted photos of it here was because I found it hysterical that it says "Just Ride" on it.  I'm imagining the venn diagram, with a Just Ride sliver as the only intersection. 

[Bill Lindsay]

"Tomorrow I'll do a short ride to round out 200 miles for this bike, which will put 5 of the 10 in the books."

Bike number five is now in the books.  The next one to finish it's tour of duty will likely be my mountain bike, but there are a couple dark horse contenders. 

BL in EC