Failure

I feel defeated.  Maybe frustrated is a better word, however, defeated keeps coming to mind.  Part of it was due to an unexpected flat the other part is due to my failure to prepare.  This resulted in me having to call home for a ride.  I failed to ride 20 miles on the first really nice day of the year.

Yesterday, I was riding home from work and I noticed that my rear tire was feeling a little squirrelly.  I am trying to get as many miles in before a century this weekend so I was taking the long way home.  I don't know what caused it to leak in the first place, no punctures or debri stickng out of it.   I put this together a month or so ago and it is been holding air, so I am not sure what caused it to start leaking air.  I guess it resulted in the seal breaking along the bead.

I stopped by a gas station and was happy that I put a presta to schrader adapter in my bag.  I dropped a quarter in the slot (no free air these days) and added a bunch of air but found that the bead was not sealing.  I found myself on the extreme opposite side of town examining my wonderful tubeless tire watching sealant bubble around the rim.  I sat for a few and watched sealant bubble in numerous spots on the tire/rim.  I contemplated just breaking the bead, putting in a tube and riding home.  I checked my stuff and realized that I didn't have a tube so I figured I would tough it out.  I headed back to the bike path and checked it again, I was loosing air.

So I called home, sat in the shade and waited for a ride.  I played with it last night, got up this morning and there is still little bubbles.  There is only a finite amount of time in life. Subtract sick time and work (in this case I can count years that I have lived behind wire and concrete....not prison) the amount of time that a person can get out an enjoy life is pretty limited.  I like to maximize my free time and enjoy it as much as possible.  While the eternal optimist may find something great about sitting on the road by a casino......I could not.

Even today I am really frustrated.  I spent a lot of time and effort getting those tires to seal, so I could sit next to a casino and watch bus loads of old people arrive so they can blow their social security checks.  I will always carry a tube from now on and I will probably just revert back to the good old inner tube for that wheel.  Man...I feel defeated.      

The Surly Ogre: On the Trail

I finally got around to putting disc brakes on my Surly Ogre so I can run 29er mountain bike wheels/tires in addition to my 700c wheels.  The original set up was geared for commuting and I ran 700x45c tires which fit great and had plenty of clearance with the front derailleur.  This would also be true for single speed setup if you are into that kind of thing (I have decided I am not). 

I have been wanting to take the Olive Drab Roller for a spin in the woods so I borrowed the Avid BB7 disk brakes and Salsa Semi 29er wheels from the El Mar.  Adding these wheels with the larger tires required me to install Surly Monkey Nuts (included with the the frame) to get the additional spacing required for the tire to clear the front derailleur.  This meant that I had to get a new chain; I should have set it up with the Monkey Nuts in the first place as it would have made no real difference in performance and saved me $25 last week.  I am also considering dumping the 48 tooth chain ring if it gets in the way.

Live and learn I suppose.


Winston and I took it for ride and I was extremely pleased.  Again, it is based on the Karate Monkey and it is a tried and true frame design which I had considered buying when I was ultimately seduced by the beautiful El Mariachi.  I am not a professional bike review guy so I am not going to use fancy words "spry" or "nimble" or "fast" to describe how it handled, mainly because I am not so therefore the bike will never be.   I will say that I love the feel of a rigid steel bike and with the Jeff Jones Loop Bar, it made short order of climbs and technical spots on the trail.

I have some Maxxis 2.10 CrossMark tires on it now, but I am going to test the Surly "Fatties Fit Fine" with some out of production WTB Weirwolf tires that measure in at 2.55 (I don't know if that is actual or exaggerated as tires often are).  I love those tires, the came on the El Mar but there wasn't a lot of clearance in muddy situations.  I can run them with tubes at 20 psi and not flat.

I am pleased with the purchase, it served me well riding 500 miles across the state of Iowa with 700x32c Continental GatorSkins and it will serve me well on the trails.  As for reducing my bike fleet by one, I think I have a new plan for the El Mariachi to keep it fresh and relevant.  More on that later.

 

Never Ending Tinkering

The Ogre (aka Olive Drab Roller; ODR)



I have a bunch of bikes.  I use them a lot.  I use them hard.  I have mentioned all of this before with my hopes of someone sponsoring a serious commuter and enthusiast to help offset the costs.  At this point I am an unofficial spokesperson for QBP, the folks who own Surly and Salsa (combined I have four).  The best I have received from them is a stem and a handlebar which were awarded for my literary talents and desire to get a tin sign of their logo half way around the world with out it being destroyed.  I have been riding the Muk to work a lot.  My boss calls it the Panzer, I think it is fitting.  The other day, I was trying to get out of the office so I could assist with taking one of the strap hangers to the dentist.  I literally couldn't get past people with the Panzer.  They blocked my way and asked questions, people are fascinated with the size of the tires on the Mukluk.

If you are considering ordering or purchasing a fat bike I will warn you right now; people will inquire, stare, make comments in passing, and ask you what it is for......the questions are endless.  I haul this thing up a flight of stairs and keep it behind my desk (when it is not nasty out) and I will have someone come to speak with me and the whole time we are talking the person is looking over my shoulder at my bike.  One of the people I supervise is completely distracted by it.  He stares and than mid-work related statement says "I am sorry, I can't help it, those are the biggest tires I have ever seen."  They speak to others and their relatives, it is amazing.  Great PR for the Quality Bike Parts.

Today for no great reason I cannibalized my El Mariachi for some wheels and brakes.  I suppose will not ride it again this year.  I have wanted to do some off road on the Ogre but wanted some decent stopping power.  I have it geared towards commuting with a 48 tooth chain ring, but this will allow quick wheel change outs to some wider rims and big rubber.  I have been wanting to do some single track on it, now I can!  I missed a great deal on some disc brake calipers, two sets for $50.  This would have been amazing because I now need (want) Avid BB7 brakes on two bikes.

I also did a night ride last weekend in the freezing cold.  Just before, I switched handle bars on my Giant Anthem X 29er for a Salsa Low Rise bar with 17 degree sweep.  I won that bar and if felt great on the ride, I am fond of a bar with some sweep and with just a little more tweaking on lever position life is good!

On a final note I do not like to post random stuff from bike part companies and their product announcements, but this is special because it takes me back to my 1994 with my GT.

Prince Would Be Proud

 

There was a time when I was riding in purple anodized bliss.  Anything I could get in purple was on that bike.  You name it:  chain ring bolts, bar ends, caps, binders, skewers.  At one point I took the rear derailleur apart to replace the mounting bolt with a purple break away variety.  By the way, that can be a nightmare if you disassemble wrong, tension springs can be a pain.  In fact a friend of mine was doing the same thing and he called me to tell me not to remove X piece.  I thanked him for the advice as I crawled on all fours looking at springs.  Thanks again Dan.  But it was worth the hours of reassembly for that one more accent of  Purple. 

Then it seems Purple died off, but not my love of it.  Great times.  If I had the coin this would be the time to get the hubs and headset.  I wonder if it would look good on the ODR?

The Ogre

The Surly Ogre has become one of my favorites based on comfort and utility. 

I would like to quote a hero of mine, Han Solo, who said "She'll make point five beyond the speed of light. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid."  Well except for the point five stuff but that is probably more my fault than the bike. 

The Ogre Crossing the Hennepin Canal

Here are the top three reasons I like this bike:

1.  As the Surly web page says, it is very versatile.  I will not go into all the details since Surly did a great job.  I was considering reducing the fleet by getting rid of my El Mariachi due to the infuriating Bushnell Eccentric Bottom Bracket.  The Ogre fit the bill nicely since I had once considered getting a Karate Monkey which is what the Ogre is based on.  The nice thing about it is the thought Surly put into it, allowing me to do just about anything I want.  I can easily mount racks and fenders.  I can use the wheels from my Las Cruces (which are rim brakes) or I can put disc brakes on.  29er MTB tires or 700c road/touring tires.  If I come across $1500 I can purchase a Rolhoff Speed Hub.  Basically the bike can change as my needs change.

Heavy Rear End:  trailers, fenders, racks, Rolhoff mounting plate on non-drive side.  This baby can do it all.

2.  Very reasonably priced.  I bought the frame from a LBS in Rock Island, IL and I paid under $500 so I was pleased.  Even though I bought the frame and built it up, the complete version is very reasonable but geared more toward the MTB side. 

3.  Very durable, like Han said, she may not look like much but I didn't want some fancy finish to worry about.  While I don't go out of my way to beat things up, I am a big dumb animal.  I didn't want to stress about the kids banging on it or parking it at a crowded bike rack.

The Build:  I built it with two things in mind

1.  Heavy duty commuting bike.  The area I live in has concrete streets with big seams in them.  They are uneven and  when it gets hot the tar softens and you can loose a tire in them.  My cyclocross bike can handle the bumps but I wanted a larger tire (700x45c) and my frame would not accept them.  This bike will take any 29er tire.

2.  Gravel Grinding.  Yeah, I jumped on the Gravel Grinding bandwagon.  After all I am in Iowa and there are lots of gravel roads.  Embrace the local culture, that is what travelling the world is all about.  Even travel to exotic Iowa!

Ready To Pounce

I wanted the bike with a 48/36/26 crank set so I could get a little extra power on the flats and descents.  I would have gone bigger but the frame it requires a top pull front mech and 48 teeth was the limit of the top pull MTB front derailleurs.  It has been a pretty good compromise.  I haven't tried it in a single track scenario but chain ring clearance could be an issue.

Aside from the unique qualities that Surly has put into the Ogre there is really nothing fascinating about the bike, the parts are pretty standard SRAM X.9, Avid V-brakes.......except for the handle bar.  I decided on the Jeff Jones Loop Bar over other options to include the Salsa Wood Chipper.  The Loop Bar really makes the bike stand out and it provides a large assortment of hand positions which is nice.   I have found that the back sweep makes them extremely comfortable.  I look forward to trying them on the single track.  It works well with my Porcelain Rocket handlebar bag.  Well worth the money.    

This winter I am going to replace the headset with one that has sealed bearings.  That will be one less thing to maintain.  I really like the Loaded AmXc headset.  It looks sharp.I also plan to put disc brakes on it, then I can use either cyclocross for commuting or the Salsa Semi 29ers from the red headed stepchild so I can take it on the trails.  That will probably be the final step of making the El Mariachi obsolete (I had to have it just sit there, but I don't ride single speed very much).  Since I plan to replace the headset I am going to strip it down and give it a dose of Frame Saver.

Things I dislike:  Obviously I purchased the bike for many of the reasons listed above.  It is a great bike however, there are a couple of minor things that I dislike.  These reasons involve rust.  When I asked the folks at Surly about this they sent me a info paper on their bikes and rust.  Of course they recommend Frame Saver in the frame.  For the outside they state that unless you leave it out in the rain, the rust is not damaging. That said I hate rust.  I am not sure why, it is offensive I guess.  But the Surly full cable housing guides catch water, captures it, and allows for little pools of rust.

  Water Trap

As do the all of the little threaded holes for mounting stuff.

 Bill and Ted Trailer Mount bolt hole = rust

Fork Blade rack mounting hole = rust



The other thing is this.  I am not sure what this is called but there is a hole into the head tube which makes no sense to me.  



I am not a bike doctor and I certainly am not a rocket surgeon so I don't know what structural integrity this provides. I can tell you one thing, with out fenders water sprays directly from the tires into this contraption, collects and for some reason causes some serious rust that later runs down the frame like a little rusty river.  I am going to hit it with some frame saver this winter and see what happens.

Overall I love the bike and my dislikes are purely cosmetic.

Jones Loop Bars

The other day I noticed a crack in a rim on my Ogre. The wheel is six years old and has been ridden hard. I didn't have time to swap cassettes so I rode my Giant Anthem X 29er to work. It added a solid 15 minutes to the ride. I felt like I was riding in slow motion due to the Psycho Genius tires and the rear shock which does not completely lock out.


The interesting part was that a soft rear end (the bike's not mine) or inefficient tires were not the most noticable aspect of this ride. The most noticable difference was the handle bar. No different than any other handle bar I have ever had (except those annoying bull bars that game on the classic 90's GT bikes) it felt awkward.


The majority of my riding has been commuting on the Ogre with the Jeff Jones Loop H Bar and my body has become accustomed to the natural position these bars provide. Mr. Jones, I am sold. Though the bars cost more than I would prefer, the aluminum are within the price range and I would get them again. While most of my time with these bars has been spent on gravel and pavement, I can only imagine how comfortable they would be mountain biking.


Thank you to Mr. Jeff Jones!

Finally Complete

The plan was simple, purchase a part here and part there to complete the list of items I had.  If a box shows up from Amazon or Price Point from time to time it is less noticeable than saying, "hey, I need $300 or so to finish this up."  At least that is what I tell myself, there is no fooling Household 6, she know what I am up to and it all adds up to $300.  Because most of my creative brainpower is used for work, I ended up saying "hey, I need $300 or so to finish."  The end result is an affordable durable ride that is capable of just about anything.

I am not going to take pictures of every aspect and part because it really is quite plain.  

I wanted something that I could run on and off road and planned on putting a road crank so I wouldn't spin out on the flats.  It is top pull and since I could not find a top pull road derailleur I went with a Shimano SLX capable of running up to a 48 tooth chain ring.  That is a good compromise because I was looking at a 50 tooth.  I used a Shimano Deore crank with the hollow tech II to provide stiffness.  My only complaint is that spacers and small parts are plastic instead of aluminum.  I am not found of the headset, but it was the right price and it is what you get when you don't do research.

I would say that the highlight so far has been the Jeff Jones Loop Bar.  I love the variety of hand positions, it makes for a comfortable ride.  I did the first 20 miles on it yesterday to listen for creaks, moans, squeaks, or rubbing.  Everything went well and I know that I am going to get a ton of use out of this bike.  It is very versatile and there are plenty of options to upgrade in the future.

I have some multi-cam Porcelain Rocket products on order.

Specs:

Ogre 22" frame

Headset:  FSA Pig headset

Crank set and BB:  Shimano Deore 26/36/48 

Cassette:  Sram X.9 11-34

Front derailleur:  Shimano triple SLX

Rear derailleur:  Sram X.9

Shifters:  Sram X.9 trigger

Stem: Giant Connect 90mm

Handlebar:  Jeff Jones Loop bar

Brakes and levers:  Avid Single Digit 7 Linear Pull.

Wheels:  Shimano XT hubs with Salsa Delgado Cross rims

Seat Post:  Salsa Shaft

Almost Done

I am almost done assembling my new Surly Ogre.  This will be my gravel grinder and commuting bike.  It has a mixture of old and new parts.  Nothing fancy, my goal is quality and function.  My biggest challenge is the gearing.  I was going to go with a road crank for a large chain ring.  Turns out nobody makes a top pull road derailleur.  The result is a 48 tooth mountain crank, the Shimano LX front derailleur will handle it.       

I am excited to use the Jeff Jones Loop Bar.  I anticipate it will be comfortable with the swept back grips and multiple hand positions available.  I am going to ride it a little bit and ensure the position of the brake levers and shifters before wrapping the remainder with handlebar tape.  I think I may need a shorter stem.  Again I will ride then make the decision.

Here is my Multi-Cam Porcelain Rocket Mission Control handlebar bag. 

A Little Disapointment

I am a little disappointed. Not because I spent a birthday in Mississippi. Not because I spent two hours dealing with a flat tire in rural Mississippi. Not because I am sitting in a hotel watching Twins starring Danny Davito and Arnold Schwarzenegger (I am happy that Schwarzenegger is in the auto complete spelling).

No, I can deal with these issues. What is disappointing is that I have been waiting since December to order a Surly Ogre bike frame. I was told it would be available in December. Then February. Then March 6th. Then March 12th. But when I called to order it from my LBS I was informed that my size would not be available until mid June.

Household 6 authorized the use of hazardous duty pay to purchase the frame. I already have some parts. I even purchased a Jeff Jones Loop Bar and Porcelain Rocket handlebar bag to put on it.

This is disappointing to me because I planned on using it to ride the beautiful gravel farm roads of Iowa. I was strongly considering riding during RAGBRAI. Surly, consider the exposure you could have received with upwards of 15,000 riders a day!!!!

Fortunately for Surly, there are no alternatives from other companies and I will have to wait it out. In the mean time I will stare at my handle bars and bag.