Greetings from the land of ravaged Citi Bikes:
Musta been utilizing these hookless rims.
One look on the entrance web page of your newspaper of selection will verify that there’s heaps and many essential stuff taking place right here in America and around the globe. However I don’t care about any of that crap. All I care about is my new Roaduno:
By the best way, it seems to be like the whole Roadunos are at present offered out…BUT they nonetheless have scuffed ones obtainable, and at a reduction. In reality mine is a scuffed one, although you possibly can hardly discover:
In the event you’re utilizing the bike proper it must be no less than that scuffed after your first journey… Plus if you happen to’re as incompetent as I’m you’ll handle to scratch any new bike up fairly good throughout meeting earlier than you even get it out the door. And if you happen to don’t like scuffs or another person selecting your components for you, you too can get the Roaduno as only a body.
Anyway, if it actually begins to hassle me I’ll simply apply some touch-up paint:
I spent a number of time with the Roaduno over the weekend, not solely using it but additionally making the same old changes and tweaks. For instance, the very first thing it wanted was some tape on the handlebar bends:
That is the place you seize the bar while you’re climbing out of the saddle, and because it’s a singlespeed you need some additional grip because you’re cranking on it fairly a bit more durable than you’ll on a geared bike. Please observe I stay deeply Newbaum’s-challenged and the taped portion on the left is longer than the one on the best, which makes no sensible distinction however psychologically is basically annoying when you discover it. Additionally, I used electrical tape as an alternative of twine, which is in direct contravenance to the Rivendell fashion handbook. Nonetheless, I anticipate I’ll be experimenting with the bike fairly a bit within the coming months (swapping cockpits and so forth) so fussing over the bar tape at this early stage appears particularly pointless.
I’ve additionally modified the tires. The bike comes with Panaracer Gravel Kings, that are a fantastic match:
Nonetheless, on my first actual journey I might really feel a bit hop within the rear wheel. It clearly wasn’t a problem with rim trueness or roundness, so I eliminated the tire and checked the rim strip and tube; all that was superb too. Then I remounted the tire, figuring perhaps it hadn’t been seated correctly, however nonetheless the hop remained. Because it occurred, I had a pair of Bruce Gordon Rock n’ Highway tires within the tire pile, which had been nonetheless in good condition and had been shut in each dimension and spirit to the Gravel Kings. So I put these on, and whaddya know, the hop was gone:
Did I get a faulty Gravel King? I suppose it’s doable, although it’s additionally doable I simply didn’t spend sufficient time attempting to the tire. (In my expertise Panaracers may be fussy that approach…and sure, I do know the Rock n’ Roads are additionally Panaracers.) Both approach, the Rock n’ Roads additionally go well with the bike completely–a bit heavier than the Gravel Kings, but additionally a bit fatter–so for now I’ll simply hold them on and maintain the Gravel Kings in reserve:
Talking of fatter tires, the lengthy attain calipers afford the bike loads of clearance, although I observed the opposite day that one or two folks commented negatively on their look and recommended the bike can be higher served with cantilevers, V-brakes, and even discs:
In fact all of that is extremely subjective, and if somebody doesn’t like the best way one thing seems to be or prefers a distinct system I’d by no means presume to vary their minds, even when I do suppose they’re CRAZY AND WRONG.
On the similar time, we’re all bike dorks before everything, so let’s take a second to discover the topic and nerd out on brakes. First, let’s take into account the looks of the brake:
[How the hell did only the pedal wind up in focus? I continue to amaze myself.]
Now I occur to suppose that the single-bolt caliper brake is essentially the most elegant of all velocipedal retardation methods, and that’s no matter size. Actually if you happen to really feel in a different way that’s completely legitimate, however I’d implore you to no less than take into account the chance that you simply’ve been brainwashed. Highway bicycle brakes have been the sufferer of an insidious type of shrink-flation since just like the Eighties, when just about all street bikes no matter meant use began coming with short-reach brakes, a dimension that had beforehand been reserved for racers. So pervasive was this shift that the splendidly versatile medium-reach brake began to turn into referred to as a lengthy-reach brake:
[A medium-reach brake]
As for precise brakes with lengthy attain, these had been quickly thought-about so gargantuan that they didn’t even hassle inventing a brand new identify for them. Take into account that Specialised likes to auto-fellate itself for inventing the snug street bike with the Roubaix (HA!), and but even that bike got here with short-reach brakes:
As a substitute it had a “Zertz damping system:”
One way or the other this factor was thought-about aesthetically preferable to a barely longer brake. Then once they had been completed mind-fucking us they mentioned, “Oh, you need clearance? Now you want a motorbike with discs!”
My level is that by progressively memory-holing sensibly-sized brake calipers, the bike business created the present state of affairs, which is {that a} sensibly-sized brake now appears comically large to folks. It’s like we’ve all been practising foot-binding for the previous 40 years and so we now level and snicker at normal-sized footwear.
As for cantilevers and V-brakes, as a rim brake apologist I naturally recognize each methods. Nonetheless, let’s take into account why these methods exist within the first place, and it’s primarily to accommodate bigger tires and to ship extra braking energy. However bear in mind, it is a Highwayuno, not a Mountainuno, and it doesn’t have to accommodate mountain bike-sized tires. Moreover, I can attest that the stopping energy on the inventory barbecue tongs is greater than satisfactory, and also you’re in all probability not going to load a motorbike like this very closely. So why design the bike for cantis or v-brakes, which require extra materials on the body? Along with bosses, cantilever brakes additionally require stuff like cable hangers, and they are often difficult to arrange. (“Have you ever tried toeing them in?” is mostly the very last thing folks say to pissed off canti customers earlier than they get punched within the nostril.) In the meantime, v-brakes could not want hangers and are usually extra simple mechanically, however once more, it’s a Highwayuno, and if you wish to use drop bars (I’ll virtually actually put drop bars on this factor sooner or later) you’re restricted to particular levers or kludgy adapters or mini-vs that require you to set the pad like 1mm from the rim. However a street brake is idiot-proof (take it from me, a bona-fide fool) and requires nothing greater than a pair holes within the body, and thus appears to me to be the best brake for this sort of bike. Additionally, if we’re going to make extremely subjective aesthetic observations, road-ish bikes with v-brakes scream “hybrid,” sorry:
By the best way, this simplicity extends to the 120mm spacing:
I admit that at the beginning even I used to be like, “Huh, why not simply go 130mm or 135mm? Looks like you’d have extra choices.” Then I spotted that the business is shifting away from non-thru-axle non-disc 130mm and 135mm hubs usually (to say nothing of singlespeed-specific hubs). Nonetheless, for the reason that fixie craze of the early aughts 120mm hubs have been each low-cost and ubiquitous, and naturally you could have your deluxe choices too. Positive, it’s possible you’ll not be capable of throw some spacers on the freehub of your previous street wheel to single it up and apply it to the Roaduno, however so what? Additionally, since monitor bikes don’t use brakes, you received’t run out of hub choices attributable to business disc-ification, and since extremely folks proceed to journey fixies you’ll in all probability be capable of get 120mm hubs till the top of time. After I began this weblog in 2007 largely to ridicule hipsters on fixies, who knew I’d wind up owing all the pieces to them and so they’d find yourself saving us? Thanks brakeless fixie hipsters!
As for discs, with out stepping into a complete “disc vs. rim” factor, suffice it to say that all the business has now moved to discs, and people of us who love rim brake bikes are deeply grateful to Rivendell for his or her ongoing dedication to them. We weirdos get our rim brakes, and the individuals who need discs can select from a couple of zillion different bikes, from boutiquey metal Crusts and Velo Oranges to the most recent plastic blob from Pon. Everyone wins! Particularly me, as a result of thus far I really like this factor:
Sorry about all of the brake discuss, however simply wait till I get began on gearing…
