I just did something dangerous.
It was even more risky than riding my old Bontrager Race Lite with a Rock Shox Judy down the steps of Montmartre. Or rappelling from a rock face over white waters to a rocky shore.
Those stunts could have left me maimed. But of course I didn't believe that was going to happen to me; otherwise, I never would have done them. Truth be told, I knew that neither of them would last any longer than "the pause that refreshes", if you know what I mean.
But what I did could have taken away hours that I will never get back. You see, in the middle of reading those stacks of papers that seem to multiply no matter how much time I spend reading, I needed a diversion. I was going to go for a bike ride, but I might not have come back--or at least gotten back to the task at hand.
So, instead of a bike trip, I took a side trip on Google.
Hmm..So that's what Max does when I'm not home.
And he's famous. How did I not know?
And he dismounts even more gracefully than I do!
Please, don't tell me that Max and Marlee crashed the tandem:
I don't have a tandem. But I don't want them to crash anything?
When I fix stuff, Marlee feels the need to inspect:
She says she can't help because--get this--"I don't have opposable thumbs!"
Do all cats use that excuse?
Sometimes I think that if dogs try to please humans, cats try to be as much like humans as possible without actually being human. I am especially conscious of that when I'm leaving for work on a cold, wet, raw day and see Max and Marlee curled up on the couch.
Now tell me: Which is the more intelligent species?
Many, many years ago, I took chemistry. Let's just say it wasn't my best subject. I think I realized as much when I had to memorize the ninety-nine thousand elements of the periodic table. ( All right, I was exaggerating just a bit.) I think I remembered about five or six. Then we had an exam in which some of the questions consisted of a single word, which we had to spell with the elements from the table. One of those words was a synonym for excrement, which of course, is spelled with Sulfur, Hydrogen, Iodine and Titanium. Oh, right, Titanium is Ti.
It's also not the only element ending in '-ium": lithium, sodium and potassium are among the best-known. One thing I learned from working in bike shops, though, is that you shouldn't get all of your education, even in the sciences, from school. Indeed, in those velocipedic variora, I found out there were other elements besides molybdenum and titanium. Like "can't-affordium", that mythical material used to make bikes for those who spend more dollars than miles (or even kilometers) on their machines. And then there was that material that developed holes whenever it was made into bicycle parts. I am referring, of course, to drillium.
Now, some drillium bits were stylish and, on occasion, even made sense. Drilling brake levers often improved their grippability: That, I think, is one reason why Campagnolo and other companies actually made lever blades with holes or slots built into them. Interestingly, the slotted Campy Record brake levers actually weighed a few grams more than the plain ones. Someone from Campagnolo explained that the material was actually slightly thicker so that strength wouldn't be compromised.
While drilling didn't serve any purpose, other than minute weight reduction, on chainrings, I think those are the components that looked best when touched by drill bits. Some derailleurs also looked good with it, though on some components--like the Huret Jubilee--drilling was impossible and, really, pointless because they were so light.
Believe it or not, there were also drillium saddles. I was reminded of them when I came across this photo:
I wonder whether Monsieur Herse punched the holes in that seat. Or was it made that way? Back in the '80s, Tioga--the maker of some of the best parts and accessories found on early mountain bikes--offered a seat for BMX that wasn't what most of us would think of as "drillium", but was in the spirit of it. The "Spyder" seat was very popular on the BMX circuit--and, interestingly, is still made today:
From what I've heard, some cyclists--time trialists, mainly--even took took off the covers and padding of Cinelli Unicanitor seats and drilled out the plastic base. Of course, most people never saw their handiwork, at least if the padding and leather cover were glued back on. But a few such cyclists took the plain plastic-shell model (without the padding and cover) and drilled that out. Hmm...I wonder what it was like to sit on such a thing with unpadded shorts!
I imagine that not even those Unicanitors survived the treatment for very long, which may be the reason why we don't see very many "drillium" or "spyder" seats today!
Is the symbol for "drillium" "Dr"? Or just "D"? As I said earlier, it's been a while since I took chemistry!
So...back to my estate-sale find.
A few days ago, I started to mention what I might do about the wheels. The front wheel that came with the bike was a "goner". That made me want to build another rear because the wheels that came with it have 27 inch rims and tires. I haven't used that size in years and no longer have it in any of my spare parts. I really would like not to buy any new ones.
But the rear wheel is laced to a Phil Wood hub, which I would love to use. The problem is, it has 48 spokes. I don't have any rims in that pattern, though I'm sure I could get one--at least in a 700C size, which I probably will use. However, I think it might be more difficult to find in the 650B size, which I am also considering.
I think I will end up building 700C wheels for a few reasons. One is that I have some 700C rims drilled for 36 spokes. They include Mavic Open Pros and Sun CR-18s. I would probably use the latter, as I want to use 32C (or possibly even wider) tires and the CR-18 would look more "right" with the other equipment, I think. Plus, I like to keep the Open Pros (which I bought on sales) as spares for my Mercians.
Another reason why I'm leaning toward 700C is that if I go to 650B, I will definitely need new brakes. I know I could probably get a good buy on those long-arm Tektros or something else, so my reluctance to spend money is only somewhat of a factor. More important, from the measurements I've made and charts I've looked at, even those long Tektros might not have enough reach for 650B. Remember, the bike was made for 27 inch rims, which are even larger in diameter than 700s, let alone 650s.
Whichever way I go, though, I think I know which hubs I'll use.
Turns out, this rear Sansin Gyromaster is the sealed-bearing model. From what I understand, it's the one Specialized rebranded for those great touring bikes they made in the early and mid-'80's. It's also the one SunTour rebranded for one of its groupsets--the Cyclone, I think.
So I know it's a good hub, and appropriate for the bike. Best of all, the locknut-to-locknut width is 126mm (actually, 127mm according to my calipers): the width of the dropouts on the bike. It has 36 holes, just like my rims. And it just so happens I opened it up not too long ago and put in some fresh grease.
I'll do the same for this Suzue sealed bearing front hub, which also has 36 holes. I recall that this hub came as original equipment on some of those nice touring bikes Miyata, Panasonic and other companies were making around the time my Trek was built. If I'm not mistaken, it also came on some Treks--but not mine.
So, if I use those hubs--which I probably will--I eventually will have to decide what to do with the rear wheel that came with the bike. I suppose I could keep it, though I don't know when I'll use it, as I'll probably never build a tandem or a fully-loaded touring bike with 27 inch wheels. I suppose I could try to sell it, though the market for a 27 inch wheel of that kind might be kind of limited. (If someone out there has an old Schwinn Paramount tandem...) Or I could take the wheel apart and try to sell the hub...and, if anyone wants a vintage Super Champion 58 rim in 27 inch with 48 holes, that, too.
So, in brief, 700 would be the practical choice and 650B would be an experiment.
Ah, choices...
