The weather has been so strange this year. February was warmer than April (or so it seemed), and after a spell of summer-like heat and sun in the middle of last month, skies turned gray and the air as chilly as that of early spring. Now we are experiencing a heat wave: For the third day in a row, the temperature topped 90F (32C).
So I packed a mini-picnic lunch and rode to the most logical place: the water--to the ocean, to be more exact. I took a familiar route down to Rockaway Beach and along the south shore of Queens and Brooklyn to Coney Island, and along the Verrazano Narrows and East River back to my place. In all, I did about 85 kilometers of riding.
And I took my winter-project Trek for the ride. I've made a couple of changes on it, both of which turned out for the better.
For one thing, I converted the double chainring setup to a triple. Actually, the crank is made for triples, but I had originally used "Gran Fondo" 46/30 gearing on it, with a 46 in the middle position and a BBG bashguard/chainguard replacing the outer chainring.
After a couple of rides, I remember why we used to ride half-step gearing. If you ride, say, a 12-25 or even a 12-27 nine-speed cassette, the differences between the gears aren't nearly as great as they are on almost any five-speed freewheel, except for the "corncob" (a.k.a. "straight block) ratio--which, at my age and given the fact that I'm long past racing, I will never use.
As it happens, I've been riding a 12-25 nine-speed on Arielle, my Mercian Audax. On the other hand, the Trek now has a 13-26 five-speed freewheel, with between-gear gaps nearly twice as wide as those on the nine-speed cassette. So, the 46 tooth chainring gives a 3.54 ratio (or, a 95.5 gear), while the next cog--15 tooth--provides a ratio of 3.06 (82.8). I find ratios in the 3.2 to 3.4 range very useful--at least, that's what I often ride on Arielle (48 tooth chainring with 15- or 14-tooth cog).
Now, I know the Trek is inherently a heavier bike with somewhat more relaxed geometery, and that I've added racks and fenders to it. Still, I missed having gears in the 3.2 to 3.4 range. So, I added a third chainring to the front: a 42 tooth in the middle, with the 46 tooth in the outer position.
Now it will just be a matter of re-acclimating myself to more frequent front shifts than I've become accustomed to making. On Arielle, and even on Vera, my Mercian mixte (which has a 46-30 setup), I almost always ride the larger chainring.
The other change I've made to the Trek is the brakes. The Weinmann 605s, especially with the Mathauser Kool-Stop pads, were fine. But I got a good buy on a lightly-used set of Weinmann Carreras. I noticed the difference (also with Mathauser Kool-Stop pads) immediately: The Carreras have a firmer, more positive, feel. I think it's mainly a result of their beefier arms. Next to the 605s, they're a bit clunky. But the Carreras have a nice finish, which looks especially good next to the hammered fenders, I think.
I may make one more change to this Trek. I like the way they look with the Velo Orange Porteur bars, but I get the feeling the bike is really made for dropped bars. And, now that Helene is gone, I've thought about returning the Porteur bars to Vera. While Vera's been fine--not surprisingly, a bit more aggressive--with dropped bars, I liked her ride with the Porteurs. And I liked the way she looked with them, too!
Then I have to name the Trek.
So I packed a mini-picnic lunch and rode to the most logical place: the water--to the ocean, to be more exact. I took a familiar route down to Rockaway Beach and along the south shore of Queens and Brooklyn to Coney Island, and along the Verrazano Narrows and East River back to my place. In all, I did about 85 kilometers of riding.
And I took my winter-project Trek for the ride. I've made a couple of changes on it, both of which turned out for the better.
For one thing, I converted the double chainring setup to a triple. Actually, the crank is made for triples, but I had originally used "Gran Fondo" 46/30 gearing on it, with a 46 in the middle position and a BBG bashguard/chainguard replacing the outer chainring.
After a couple of rides, I remember why we used to ride half-step gearing. If you ride, say, a 12-25 or even a 12-27 nine-speed cassette, the differences between the gears aren't nearly as great as they are on almost any five-speed freewheel, except for the "corncob" (a.k.a. "straight block) ratio--which, at my age and given the fact that I'm long past racing, I will never use.
As it happens, I've been riding a 12-25 nine-speed on Arielle, my Mercian Audax. On the other hand, the Trek now has a 13-26 five-speed freewheel, with between-gear gaps nearly twice as wide as those on the nine-speed cassette. So, the 46 tooth chainring gives a 3.54 ratio (or, a 95.5 gear), while the next cog--15 tooth--provides a ratio of 3.06 (82.8). I find ratios in the 3.2 to 3.4 range very useful--at least, that's what I often ride on Arielle (48 tooth chainring with 15- or 14-tooth cog).
Now, I know the Trek is inherently a heavier bike with somewhat more relaxed geometery, and that I've added racks and fenders to it. Still, I missed having gears in the 3.2 to 3.4 range. So, I added a third chainring to the front: a 42 tooth in the middle, with the 46 tooth in the outer position.
Now it will just be a matter of re-acclimating myself to more frequent front shifts than I've become accustomed to making. On Arielle, and even on Vera, my Mercian mixte (which has a 46-30 setup), I almost always ride the larger chainring.
The other change I've made to the Trek is the brakes. The Weinmann 605s, especially with the Mathauser Kool-Stop pads, were fine. But I got a good buy on a lightly-used set of Weinmann Carreras. I noticed the difference (also with Mathauser Kool-Stop pads) immediately: The Carreras have a firmer, more positive, feel. I think it's mainly a result of their beefier arms. Next to the 605s, they're a bit clunky. But the Carreras have a nice finish, which looks especially good next to the hammered fenders, I think.
I may make one more change to this Trek. I like the way they look with the Velo Orange Porteur bars, but I get the feeling the bike is really made for dropped bars. And, now that Helene is gone, I've thought about returning the Porteur bars to Vera. While Vera's been fine--not surprisingly, a bit more aggressive--with dropped bars, I liked her ride with the Porteurs. And I liked the way she looked with them, too!
Then I have to name the Trek.
