Good News, Bad News, Good News

Man, this is a never ending process ...

The Good News ...
I got the Arundel stainless steel water bottle cages on the bike and they look pretty sharp if I do say so myself!

Carbon cages were not even an option on this bike!

The Bad News ...
While I was building up the bike, I went on a quest to replace the stem hardware, standard steel bolts, with non-corrosive alternatives.  I looked briefly at titanium but didn't really like the look so I settled on stainless steel.

In my naiveté, I scoured the websites and forums for information and finally ordered some tapered socket cap M6 and M5 bolts from ProBolt USA for My Orange Bike.

Well, in my enthusiasm I overtightened one of the bolts and rounded the inside of the bolt head.  Not the stem or the threads but the bolt head itself!  Not good!  I did use my trusty Sear Craftsman beam torque wrench so It wasn't like I was really hauling away at it.  I was very surprised that I was able to round the inside of these bolts with ~10nm of torque.

The first thing I did was visit my local Ace Hardware and pickup a couple of socket cap stainless steel bolts and replace the tapered bolts

The Ritchey Logic Pro stem that is on the bike has a faceplate where the bolts sit in a bit of a well.  This means that some of the standard methods of removal don't work very well like cutting a slot in the head and using a big ass screwdriver to remove the bolt.

I bought a backout kit and tried drilling a pilot hole to see if I could remove the bolt but the backout broke!  I must have been off-center just a bit.  Next up was J-B Weld and a sacrificial 4mm allen wrench.  Cleaned the wound as best I could, mixed the steel reinforced epoxy, glued the allen wrench in the bolt, wait 24 hours, no cigar!

The only thing left to do is slightly destructive; cut through the bolt in the gap where the faceplate meets the body of the stem.  This leaves me with an unusable stem.

The Good News ...
Guess I'll have to buy a new stem!

Mayor McOrange!

My sister-in-law has some wonderful and thoughtful pets.  No doubt a consequence of the quality upbringing.  Props to Mr. Ricky and Gwen!  Anyway, my favorite is Mayor McCheese.  The Mayor obviously likes me and knows what I like and need.

I got this iTunes song from out of the blue from Mayor McCheese.  The Mayor told Gwen that I needed to have it and the Mayor was right.  I was having a bad day and this just cheered me right up.

An now I've received the most awesomest gift that combines my favorite color (if you don't know this by now, then you obviously haven't been paying attention.) and my favorite activity cycling!  I present to you the latest from Mayor McCheese:

Tumbler and highball glass

Close up of the tumbler

Close up of the highball glass

I can drink in style with these new additions.  My first act is to toast the Mayor and bestow upon him the honorary sobriquet of Mayor McOrange!

Cheers!

Props to Bell

The maiden voyage of My Orange Bike was last Sunday.  I noticed that my headset was a little loose so I had Sebastian at Spokes, Etc. check it out after the ride.  Turns out that the top cap was binding on the stem and not applying enough pressure to preload the bearing.  He added a black spacer and was able to get the bearing preloaded properly.

I still have a little bit of adjustment to do on the rear derailleur but that's really about all.  Everything else wen without a hitch.  Yea me (and Sebastian)!

While waiting for the headset to get squared away, I was having coffee and some bread when my hand slipped and hit the restraint system on my Bell Volt helmet.  Broke that sucker in two places!  I guess it was cold enough that the plastic was brittle enough to snap with little force.

As you can see from the photos, the system was easily removed from the helmet.   I figured that Bell might have a replacement piece so I gave them a call on Monday and lo and behold the nice lady at Bell said she'd send me a free replacement piece.  She told me that it should arrive in 7 to 10 business days.

That's a long time not to be riding.  Almost 2 weeks!  So I started searching around for a 2nd helmet.  Being me, I spent entirely too much time looking for another helmet.  I went to Performance to look at what they had and called a bunch of local shops to see what was in their inventory.  I didn't want to spend too much but I do have my standards you know!  Nothing local appealed to me.

The search then moved to online stores worldwide, mostly in Europe where I had good luck before.  I figure that CEN safety certification, the EU safety standard, is just as good as Snell or CPSC.  Plus there are some stylish lids to be had over there.

I bought my Catlike Whisper from a UK shop before they got certified here in the US.  I was in luck!  I'd liked the Met Stradivarius since I saw it a number of years ago.  It tuns out that a site in the UK was selling this helmet for $110US + $13 shipping.  I couldn't pass it up!

This helmet except in Glossy Black

Well, wouldn't you know it.  I was working at home today and Mailman Mike left me a package during his normal rounds.  It was the replacement restraint system from Bell.  I will now have 2 nice helmets from which to choose for my ride.

Props to Bell for getting the part to me within the week.

My Orange Bike - Repainted

The rebuild is finally done!  I don't have a white garage door, heck I don't even have a garage, so an off-white wall will have to do.

Blue accents of the bar tape and the Cane Creek 110 headset are perfect complements for the Orange frame.

I've ordered some blue leather bar tape with Orange stitching from HandleBra.  I first saw this at the 2010 NAHBS in Richmond, VA

I'll post picks when I get the tape.

I had the decals added to the seat tube because I thought the decals on the down tube were going to be consumed by the flames.  I didn't think the folks at Joe's Bicycle Painting were going to add both.  Looks pretty good.

The saddle is broken in pretty good now.  You can see where my ass is asymmetrical from the indentations in the saddle.  Lol!

The decision to go back to the alloy Record gruppo for this build was the right one.  It looks so much better to me than carbon fibre.

I'm looking for some stainless steel bottle cages to replace the side-loader I've got now.

I decided at the last minute to have to fork painted to match the frame.  Right call!  They even added Decals down the front it identify Dario Pegoretti as the frame maker.

Awesome!

I built these wheels up last year.  Ambrosio Nemesis rims laced 3x to Campy Record hubs with Vittoria Corsa CX tires.  They work well with the alloy gruppo.

Nice!

The one flaw in the ointment; the missing head badge!  8^(

The folks at Joe's claim that the head badge was not on the frame when they got it.  I call BS on this.  Unfortunately, the head badge is still missing.  I'm working with Cycle by Kyle where I bought the frame on getting a replacement head badge.

As you can see, the saddle is just a bit too dark and doesn't quite match the blue accents on the other components.  It not real important but if I run across something I may just pick it up.  Color coordination isn't everything (did I just say that?!?).

Close up shot of the flames

Another close up shot of the flames

And now for the whole enchilada:

Mandarin or Blue

I have a bit of a dilemma with regards to my bar tape.  Right now I have a nice San Marco Lorica (synthetic leather) blue finished off with some orange electrical tape I found at Home Depot.  The effect is quite nice if I do say so myself.

From the last picture, you can see the bar tape is showing signs of wear.

I'm partial to leather (don't ask) so I looked up Brooks bar tape.  Very interesting.  Brooks has a nice Royal Blue but they also have a color called Mandarin:

I just don't know if the Mandarin will be orange enough or if I should just stick with Royal Blue.  What do you think?  Please see my previous posts for color comparisons.

Repainted Frame In-Transit

My Orange Bike is on its way back to me after the repaint.  The good folks at Joes Bicycle Painting sent a handful of awesome pictures of the frame and fork.  Fantastic pint job!  Can't wait to get the frame in my grubby mitts!

Flames!

Nice detail!

HT, TT, DT Junction

Matching Fork!

Thanks to Ed Yoon, my friend and the guy who got me into cycling in a bigger way, for the recommending Joe's Bicycle Painting!

I've been cleaning parts, replacing worn items, and finishing up gluing some tubulars (I bought some Challenge tubular tires but the tread delaminated on me so no more; Vittoria's all the way).  Here's some of the parts going back on My Orange Bike:

Record Alloy Crankset
w/new Record BB

Record Titanium bits

New Cane Creek 110 Headset
and matching spacers

Tubies with new
Vittorio rubber

Ambrosio Nemesis rims

2006 Campy hubs

Thomson Seatpost & Brooks
(is there anything else?)

Let the drooling begin!

Maintenance

Since I had the Orange Wonder out for a respray, it was time to clean up and repair or replace any worn parts.

The first thing I noticed was that the headset was starting to get pitted.  The crown race was pitted in various places around its surface.  Unfortunately, I did not look closely at the bits that were pressed into the frame.  I'm guessing that if the races are showing signs of pitting, then other parts that interface with the same bearings are probably showing wear as well.

I have few options for a new headset.

The advantage here is that the aesthetic of the bike won't change any more than it already is.  The finish looks nice and it would match the understated elegance that is Campagnolo Record Alloy!

Chris King quality!  What more can be said.  The blue is darker and doesn't seem to be the right shade.  Only comes in Sotto Voce so it's quite subdued.

Top-of-the-Line Cane Creek offering.  The color is almost a perfect match for the decals!  110 year warranty and it's not as garish as the King headset.  Plus, I like the lizard.







I think I'll go with the Cane Creek.

I've been scrubbing away at the alloy parts that will be going back on My Orange Bike and it sur edo look purdy!  There are a few scratches on the parts but that's to be expected from the use I've gotten out of the bike.

I had installed some side-load bottle cages but, after pitching a couple of nice water bottles, I'll be going back to something a bit more standard like these King cages:

I had a pair of Tacx Tao cages but the little tab broke off the bottom.  They look nice however:

Cosmetic Surgery

I've been talking about it for a while now but I'm finally getting something done.  The orange bike has arrived at Joe's Bicycle Painting for a new paint job!  Joe's was recommended by a good friend who had his LeMond Tete de Course done by Joe in a tinted clear coat that matched my friend's M3 exactly!

Over the couple of years that I've had the frame, it's taken a beating from chain slap and an errant nail that just so happened to go completely through my tire sidewall and ended up scraping the insides of both chain stays and normal wear and tear.

There were a couple of times when the chain got jammed between the crank and the chain stays.  That left a nasty scratch!  I don't believe there was a clear coat applied to the frame nor did I put any sort of clear paint guards on.

I was able to snag a bike box from Spokes, Etc.  Fortunately, the Marcelo has really beefy chain stays and awesome hand-cut stainless steel rear dropouts!  Unfortunately, this combination means that the frame is wider than the box I got.  Surgery was in order!

1. Sharp blade -- Check!
2. Fiber tape -- Check!
3. Dense foam -- Check!
4. Two-part poxy -- Check!

  <snip, snip, tape, tape, cut, cut, glue, glue>

Voila!

Custom bike box.

My Orange Frame nestled

snugly inside

Now to send this to on to Joe Vasquez!  My first stop is my local post office.  The box is light, 10lbs, but large and USPS says "$108 to ship", John says "No thanks.  I'll try FedEx."  It still costs me $76 to ship it but I saved over $32.

I want to have some fun with the frame so here is what I've asked Joe to do:

The down tube decals will be in the same color as the original except they will move to the seat tube and will read "DARIO" on one side and "PEGORETTI" on the other.  The font will be the same.

So, what do you think?  I still have time to change my mind but I must decide soon if any changes will be made!

I'm Too Fat For This Sport! - part 2

It wasn't all climbing and skiing for me!  When I got back my cycling schedule picked right back up ...

I had committed to do Strawberry Fields Forever on May 19th in Watsonville, CA with a bunch of TOSRV friends and The Wife's cousin from San Francisco, Alexander.  We signed up for the 65 mile route and I figured I could do that with no problems!  Riiight.

Our plan was to meet in SF airport, rent a big van for all of our bikes and gear, and head over to Watsonville, CA for some good eats and a bicycle assembly party.  Mark rented a tandem that he rode with his son Gabe, Vivek brought his bike and we had our two bike boxes plus all of our gear.

Getting to the starting point of this big adventure was the biggest problem.  The wife and I were flying Virgin America from D.C. directly to S.F. and scheduled to land late AM.  Our flight was going along nicely and we were just north of Denver, CO. when an inconsiderate passenger had the nerve to get seriously ill!  The pilots hooked a left and landed in Denver where the sick passenger deplaned (we heard some lame excuse about congestive heart failure).

This is where the fun begins.  The flight was full and I guess the plane needed to be re-inspected prior to take-off.  First off, Virgin America does not have a presence at Denver International Airport so we had to wait for Northwest to clear a gate.  Second, no other airline that does have a presence there flys the same aircraft as Virgin America.  The re-inspection had to be coordinated between Northwest ground crews and Virgin America remotely.

Suffice it to say that we were significantly delayed getting out of Denver.

While we were delayed, Mark & crew picked up van and drove to the bicycle shop to pick up their tandem.  They also loaded up Vivek and his ride.  After retrieving us from the airport we drove directly to Watsonville, CA.

The ride was very nice and well organized.  I especially like to detour to a rest stop where Craig Calfee runs his shop.  My other bike is a Luna Pro.  Beautiful views of the Pacific ocean!

My least favorite part was the last ascent before the long descent back into Watsonville.  It was brutal to my East Coast training regimen where short and steep is all we have.  Oh, the pain!  The descent however was worth it!

Back at home, I started preparing for Bike MS: Beyond the Beltway, a charity ride which supports multiple sclerosis research.  The ride is listed as moderate, but 100 miles of rolling hills is difficult especially when followed by 50 miles the next day.

The scenery however is wonderful!

 The roads go ...

on forever.

I wonder where this leads?

At a beautiful rest stop!

It is horse country.

During the Summer, I decided to build a PowerTap wheel and start training to improve my cycling.  The idea of doing the Wintergreen Ascent TT came up at this time as a sort of carrot to work towards.  So with that in mind Kirk at Velo Works drew up a training plan based on power.

I worked on intervals and continued to ride on the weekend shop rides out of Spokes, Etc. on Quaker Lane in Alexandria.  My fitness level was improving to the point where my resting heart rate was ~46bpm.  Every time I went to donate blood I had to get a waiver due to my low heart rate.  This is good!

Anyways, this regimen carried me through to Fall and Winter.  During this time period, the casual riders tend to fall off unless we get a rare nice warm weekend.  Mostly, it's the hardmen of Belgian descent, riders so conditioned to the fierce conditions of the lowlands that our relatively mild Winters here are nothing more than an irritation.  Were talking about people like Gordon and Toren.  I bow before them!

By spring my waist was shrinking and my shirt size had gone down from XL to merely L.

So, I finally stepped onto the scale in Dr. Johnson's office I just about passed out when the nurse read the results ...

192 lbs

That's like 87 Kg, 13.7 stones!

Entirely too fat for this sport!