A little routine oiling of a Brooks B-17 saddle (a gift from Peter) found me disassembling the tension mechanism for a thorough cleaning.
Apart from the leather, all parts for the Brooks B-17 saddle may purchased as spares or replacements.
The regular steel, black enameled frame is available for US$20; the titanium version retails at US$260. Titanium is one of the few metals that is biocompatible; this means that if you get into a wreck and the saddle frame gets embedded into your ass, surgeons won't have to remove it. Buy it.
The replacement nose (titanium) is available for US$24; 'U' shaped tension shackle (titanium) for US$16; 60 mm zinc-plated steel bolt, with nut for US$14. (Image from Wallingford Bicycle Parts, New Orleans. All parts may be ordered from them.)
The Brooks B-17 Champion Special Titanium model uses a 60 mm zinc-plated bolt with a tapered collar nut (the importance of which will be apparent later).
Once I started putting it together again, that's when the fun really began:
Replacing the tension bolt on a Brooks saddle? - What's the trick?
I have a Brooks saddle and the tension bolt sheered in half. So I got my hands on a new one, but my problem is actually trying to squeeze the thing into place. The saddle has been without tension for many months. Is there some trick for actually getting this damn thing into it "seated" into both circular holes? It seems like there is no 'safe' way to spread the rail assembly away from the front brass notch-piece.
An excerpt of an email from Bill Laine of Wallingford Bicycle Parts to Roger Sacilotto, 7 July, 2007:
The most frustrating part . . . might be re-assembling the saddle. Unless your saddle is really stretched it will be hard to get the end of the tension bolt into its cup in the nose piece. At the factory they have a hydraulic saddle stretcher. If you don't have one of those then it could be a real wrestling match trying to pry the nose out far enough to let the bolt drop in.
NIC [2:26 PM]: Tension's kinda high. Straaange. Might wanna reduce the tension a slight bit for storage BEN [2:28 PM]: Must be gravity well of Dom nearby. BEN [2:32 PM]: Okay, no tension now. Pete insane. Mad tension. NIC [2:33 PM]: LOL
[much, much later...]
BEN [5:19 PM]: Fuck. Never back out the tension bolt of Brooks Ti saddles all the way. NIC [5:20 PM]: Now its floppy? LOL BEN [5:20 PM]: Between the hours of 2:32 PM and 5:15 PM, I struggled to put it back. 'Just succeeded. You need to get the collar of the nut and the head of the bolt JUST RIGHT to have both seated. Oh, ya, add the natural springiness of Ti to fuck things up. Wheeee. NIC [5:22 PM]: Helps if you put it on the ground and press it in with your body weight. BEN [5:24 PM]: Us, starvies don't have no body weight :-P NIC [5:24 PM]: LOL BEN [5:27 PM]: Ya, so that's how you do it. NIC [5:27 PM]: Body weight? BEN [5:28 PM]: I used finesse. Heh! Not by choice, mind you. After 2 hours of wrestling with Ti and a piece of dead cow, I was exhausted. NIC (5:31 PM): Ahaha!
The procedure that finally worked for me:
Apply a thin coating of anti-seize (or grease) on: the tapered end of the tension bolt nut; the edge of the hole on the tension shackle; around the head of the tension bolt.
Place tension shackle ('U' shaped piece) over the nose end of the saddle rails.
Thread the tension bolt nut until 2 threads are visible from the head of the tension bolt.
Insert tension bolt into tension shackle.
Press tension assembly down.
Push head of tension bolt toward the nose of saddle until it seats in the recess of the nose piece.
Move tension bolt nut toward tension shackle by either rotating tension bolt nut or turning the head of the tension bolt using an allen key — gently.
At some point, resistance will be felt. Stop.
Alternately reduce or increase tension while pressing and pulling on the tension assembly (on a vertical plane. I.e. 90 degrees to the tension mechanism assembly). Keep each rotation of the bolt or nut small.
The tension bolt nut has a tapered collar (stained brown/bronze by the anti-seize in the picture) which aids in it slipping into the hole of the tension shackle. The aim of this procedure is to leverage what little play there is to get the lip of the tension bolt nut collar to slip into the hole of the tension shackle with a minimum of force and galling — you're talking millimeters here.
The clunk! you hear when the tension bolt nut seats in, will be about the sweetest sound you'll hear all day.
Your mileage may vary for other models of the Brooks B17 as they do not have a hex head, but the procedure should be quite similar (albeit, slightly more difficult due to the inability to rotate the tension bolt).
Just remember, patience and finesse, not brute force. Save the last for the re-railing! :-P
Pain is a big fat creature riding on your back. The farther you pedal, the heavier he feels. The harder you push, the tighter he squeezes your chest. The steeper the climb, the deeper he digs his jagged, sharp claws into your muscles.
(Scott Martin)
I usually don't post stuff like this (let alone double post), but I love it when I begin a ride in high spirits.
Here's an internal soundtrack running through my head as I embark on yet another 109.44 km (68.4 miles) non-stop, solo ride around (most of) the island.
We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.
(Benjamin Franklin)
'Walked past some contractors after lunch. 'Saw a rather familiar looking tool sticking out of a pile of debris. 'Asked the contractor if he still wants it.
"Oh, it's broken. Bent. Not accurate anymore," he said.
Fine. I brought it home.
What is it?
A Sears Craftsman 1/2" drive, 0-150 lbs ft. lb. (0-203 Nm) torque wrench.
As opposed to a click-type, the beam-type can be easily re-calibrated by the end-user. I.e. one second spent bending the indicator arm back to zero... and, it's as good as new! That, and these things are guaranteed for life. (Yes, some of us do read the fine print.)
Well, it's mine now.
It makes a fine complement to my Park Tools TW-1 1/4" drive, 0-60 inch pounds (0-7 Nm) and TW-2 3/8" drive, 0-600 inch pounds (0-70 Nm) torque wrenches. I am still looking for the late Sheldon Brown's elusive Tork-Grip Ultimate Torque Wrench.
So, remember, kids! If you get a flat on your bike, the bike's useless. (The same goes for your car.) Give it to me and I will dispose of it for you!
When my non-weather-proof Cateye TL-LD270 rear light died from circuit board corrosion (after a one too many rainy rides), I switched to my back up Cateye light.
The Cateye SL-LD100 rear light, though weather-proof, was not very bright; I had cars come up real close before going around me. Definitely not a good choice for Friday and Saturday solo night rides on dark roads (unless you have next-of-kin or significant others waiting to cash in on your life policy).
When I tested out the Planet Bike / Smart 317R Superflash, I was surprised by its brightness and immediately procured one for myself.
Apart from a slight difference in the color of the plastic housing, the Planet Bike and Smart models are identical in function.
The Planet Bike Stealth Superflash is black, with clear transparent plastic; has 3 more syllables to its name (one more than its sibling); and sounds cooler — buy it.
ozphoto did a snappy review of the Superflash versus your standard 5-LED light. There are plenty of reviews of this light, so I won't belabor its brightness; the fact that it uses the cheaper and commonly available AAA cell instead of the N cell or CR 2032 button cell, et cetera.
What I am interested in is addressing 2 design weaknesses in the light.
The light has a belt clip that slides into a receiver bracket (that's attached to the bike). In the above image, the curved part is the belt clip. The straight part has a small tab on it, which prevents the light from sliding up and out. About as secure as the Whitley Road Detention Centre, this arrangement works most of the time, until you hit a bump...
Then, the Superflash sails off, and your bike becomes super light, sans light, stealth-like :-D
Not a few riders lost weight their lights this way.
On the predecessor of the Superflash — which employs the same mounting system — I used a small cable tie to ensure the light would never sail off like Mas Selamat bin Kastari.
That's one design flaw addressed without a S$2.9 million dollar salary.
On the Candle Power Forums, CDG08 noted:
The clear housing of the components. This half of the light is the the more heavier of the two, rendering it more likely to fall off due to road shock and bumps on the road / trail. . . . The half that is the lightest is also the half securely mounted the the bike. The heavy half that has the components, LEDs, batteries, is all on this other side.
Check out his pictures in the link and it will become clearer.
What this means in plain Ingrish: the light is made of 2 halves: the lighter part, and the heavier part. The lighter part has been secured to the bracket; the heavier part has not. Upon hitting a bump or pothole, the heavier part can still break away from the lighter part... leaving you with a lighter faster bike :-P
Some riders unwittingly lightened darkened their steeds in this manner as well.
My solution then, was a humble, ever resilient, rubber band.
*Snap!*
That served me well, easily lasting through a 14-day tour in the tropics.
However, there's got to be a neater, more reliable, more aesthetically pleasing way to go about this. (Thanks, Karen :-) )
The solution? A longer, translucent cable tie!
Loop a 3 mm wide, 200 mm long translucent cable tie around the mid-section of the light and tighten. There's no need to cinch it too tight; the point is to hold the two halves together, not achieve fusion. Cut off the excess with a very sharp utility knife, such that it sits flush. The last detail is to ensure that nothing protrudes to hook or scratch your thighs and/or too tight shorts. The light can still be slid off the bracket at this point, you just need to bend the light out a wee bit further.
Regular alkaline batteries last about 190 hours in flashing mode, so you shouldn't need to remove the cable tie to replace the 2 AAA batteries too often. In any case, the cable ties are very affordable, costing me about S$0.06 (US$0.04) each. For those desiring much, much greater intervals between battery changes — as well as a 33% reduction in battery weight — use a pair of Energizer Lithium AAA batteries.
Here's a shot of the 200 mm (about 8") long translucent cable tie. You might be able to get away with 150 mm (6") but I can't guarantee it.
For the other cable tie, use a shorter length and make a small loop. Use your estimation of your favorite male politician's manhood as a rough guide. You will need a little trial and error in the next step to figure out just how small the loop can be and still remain removable. For aesthetics, you may choose to use a black cable tie as it will blend in with the tab and belt clip.
Tip: The thin, long cable ties supplied with your speedometers / cyclo-computers are usually 3 mm wide.
Slide the loop over the tab and belt clip until it slips into the hollow formed by the upper curved part of the belt clip. There is just enough space in there for two 3 mm wide cable ties.
What the completed modification looks like.
Rear view.
The light is now ruggedized; short of a crash, nothing is likely to cause your Planet Bike / Smart Superflash to pop off.
So said Jim Burlant. In quiet genuflection, I went for my first night ride of 2010. Besides, it's been a while since I went exploring solo. (Thanks for the tip, Pete!)
Crossing over to Pulau Punggol Barat (island). About 3+ km further, this new road crosses over to another island, Pulau Punggol Timor. There's a couple kilometers' worth of quiet wooded tarmac after this. nash_1126 has some nice pictures here.
Cool winds and solitude made for a contemplative, spiritually refreshing, ride.
Crossing the tide control gates of Sungei Punggol, Seletar North Link terminates beneath the tracks of the Punggol LRT, connecting to Punggol Way. The road passes a yet-to-be-open LRT station, PW7 Soo Teck. A stone's throw away is Punggol Marina. (Hat tip: Weijie of Chapter 2 Cycle for showing me the way through the construction sites.)
After 6 months of almost absolute inactivity, NicIz2HardKore and I decided to embark on a short ride in the greater Desaru area. The ride was almost called off a week before the trip when some klutz knocked Ivy over, rendering shifting to her smallest cog impossible; then, Peter Chew of Cycle Corner worked his magic and got her back on the road. Whee!
Red = Day 1 Blue = Day 2 Magenta = Day 3 Yellow = Highway / B-road numbers
9:40 AM. Filling waterbottles from a drinking fountain at Changi Beach. As Curious Cat looks on, Nic loads film into one of his cameras.
"You folks are crazy, I'm staying put — where it's nice and shady," kucinta purred.
After waiting the better part of an hour, the bumboat finally got going — everyone decided to fork out an extra SG$2 instead of waiting for more passengers. (Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
11:10 AM. Here's a picture of a really beat up motorbike at Tanjung Pengelih. Temperature 91° F (32.8° C)
What's that about fatty cuts of meat being bad for you again?
Pork-Power! (Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
Reception for "high-end" TRY-athletes from a certain tropical-island-city-state-with-no-mountains. You know? The w(h)inners who cry about not having enough water points, feed points, medical personnel, traffic control, finisher's medals, hugging stations, counseling couches, pow-wow tents; and bad music, uncooperative weather, too much sand, too much mud, strong headwinds, cold water, dirty water, excessive sunlight, et cetera...
Passing by some chalets in Tanjung Ramunia.
Hey! They repaved this section of the road! No more prostate-squishing! Yay!
Mr. Shutterbug.
Highway 90 is on the left.
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
Much earlier (leaving Sungai Rengit):
BEN: Let's stop at the next bus stop. NIC: I am sure you realize bus stops aren't very common here.
Bus stop. I raised my saddle height by 2 mm. Temperature 98° F (36.7° C)
I promise to do better next time. Next time, I'll say, "Let's stop at the next light."
:-P
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
Well, technically, it's still a (gravel) road.
Taking a few minutes under swaying coconut trees, gazing at the huge LPG tankers barreling off the coast, in the South China Sea.
Well, at least it's not as crowded as the Botanic Gardens of a certain city-island-state.
Batu Layar (Sail Rock).
The hills begin after this.
I like this pic.
It makes me think of this.
:-P
Sweat got into Nic's eyes.
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
Desaru, final approach.
4:04 PM. Tajung Balau. Temperature 91° F (32.8° C)
4:30 PM. Back on the road. Trying our hands at panda shotsagain.
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
Not quite.
There!
Watermelon fields.
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
No rest for the wicked. No sleep for the damned.
Nic rides his Surly fixie north, past numerous oil palm plantations, along an undulating road (J173) to the fishing village of Sedili Kecil.
We reached Jason's Bay Resort at 7:15 PM. Temperature 80° F (26.7° C)
Jason's Bay Resort Tel 607-234-8861 019-70408324 Mr. Amran bin Abdullah
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
As there were many other guests (the place was almost full), the in-house restaurant was open.
2 sup ayam (Malaysian Chicken Soup) 2 ayam goreng (Fried Chicken) 4 nasi goreng cina (Fried Rice - Chinese Style) 4 bandung (Milk flavored with rose cordial)
As we dined, the mosquitos dined on us. Later, a crowd of men arrived — smoking — and the gnats went off to get their own Marlboro.
Did I say this is a Halloween Ride? Well, here's Skeletor. (Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
(Picture credit: NicIz2HardKore)
DATA
Start 11:10 AM End 7:15 PM Total 8 hours 5 minutes
Cateye AT-100 Elevation climbed 1150 ft (350.6 m) Distance 63 miles (100.8 km) 4 hours 53 minutes 45 seconds Average speed 12.9 mph Maximum speed 30.9 mph Temperature 80° F - 98° F (26.7° C - 36.7° C) Cumulative distance 63 miles (100.8 km)
Day 2 7:30 AM. Boiling water for coffee with the JetBoil™.
10:25 AM. Temperature 91° F (32.8° C)
Having assumed all cattle by the road to be cows, Nic taunted a bull.
Pedal, Nic! Pedal Paddle! Damn it!
:-D
Peace!
(Or, is it, "You two need brains!" or "You need 2 motorcycles!"?)
At the junction of J172 and J173 is first traffic signal since arriving at Tanjung Pengelih.
5 roti canai telur (Malaysian flatbread with egg) 1 roti canai kosong (Malaysian flatbread, plain) 1 nasi lemak (Steamed rice with coconut cream) 2 iced-teh (Iced tea) 1 kopi-o (Coffee without milk) 6 bottles of mineral water (The only form of water high hind-end TRY-athletes drink)
'Dodged a soaking when a thunderstorm passed by.
The water is brown not due to mud (it's an asphalt road) but government propaganda cow manure.
!!!
On the east side of the bridge, a view of the fishing village of Sedili Besar. Apparently, accommodations are available there at a place called Le Club, but I have not been able to obtain further information about the place (apart from an expired phone number). FWIW, Tanjung Sutera Resort, accessible via a turn eastwards north of the bridge, offers accommodations.
The road will eventually run along that ridge.
Pain is only weakness leaving the body.
Detailed road directions (created by Mazon) to Sedili Besar and Tanjung Sutera Resort can be found here.
Tenggaroh.
Surging ahead, chasing a dog, I left Nic behind.
12:31 PM. After waiting for the better part of 20 minutes, I coasted back down the hill and discovered him walking his crippled bike.
What we got here?
For some reason, the 15 mm wrench was missing from Nic's bag.
My Topeak Alien DX has an emergency 15 mm wrench but it neither possess the leverage nor strength to remove the nut from a fixie axle. (The user manual states that it is to be used only for tightening — not removing — pedals in an emergency.) We attempted it anyway and the jaws of the wrench flexed alarmingly. Nic elected to preserve his knuckles and stopped.
Passing motorists (most of them have 14 mm wrenches, but none had the coveted 15 mm) suggested that we hike to the nearest village to try our luck.
Road cycling shoes are only a little easier to hike in than 8-inch heels, so Nic does his impression of a Hobbit.
1:15 PM. Tenggaroh Selatan 1.
Upon discovering the clinic closed, we wandered around for a while before another helpful motorist stopped by and offered the use of his tools.
No such luck. Lots of 14 mm. No 15 mm.
So, we trudge on.
The other Ti(e).
Hur! Hur!
As the village has no shops, we walked from house to house, inquiring after the elusive tool.
A 15mm socket is finally found, but the thin, stamped steel walls are too weak to remove the 15 mm fixie axle nuts.
Hmm... what shall we do?
The gentleman's wonderful friend went back to his home twice to search. The second time, he returned with a crescent (adjustable) wrench. Whee!
The other guy also returned with another wrench; this time, the elusive 15 mm.
So much trouble can arise when a little rubber breaks. So much depends on a little rubber. The little prick that caused so much trouble.
The puncture.
"Here, keep this in event of future punctures."
Thanks, guys!
:-)
Stress.
2:17 PM. Back on the road.
Heading in the opposite direction during my 2008 Thailand-to-Singapore Ride, I missed this junction and ended up in Tenggaroh 6.
Junction with Highway 3. There's a taxi stand and dispatch office here.
4:04 PM. Drinks and ice-cream at a rest stop opposite the taxi stand.
Distance covered today 30.4 miles (48.6 km) Elevation climbed 1700 ft (518.3 m) Temperature 95° F (35° C)
Thankful for little mercies: the wide road shoulder on Highway 3 from Mersing extend here.
5:25 PM. Nic's right pedal (non-drive side) comes loose — the first of many instances. Ah! The joys of reversing your crank orientation!
NOOO! I DO NOT SUCK!!!
Onwards.
The sun hangs low in the sky.
It's pedal-tighening time again!
5:52 PM. A moment's inattention caused me to run over a large bolt, resulting in a rear tube puncture. Here, adore my beaming visage.
The puncture was interesting. A combination of a snake bite and spoke hole cookie-cutter punctures on both sides of the tube. The Xero rim tape remained intact though.
Mini-pumps look great and look trick until you actually get to use them by the side of the road. Then, you will drop to your knees and beg for the Topeak Road Morph, the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive, or a friendly truck to run you over, sparing you from an — exhausting — impression of spastic roadside onanism.
7:13 PM. Junction of Highway 3 and J172 / Highway 99. Realizing that it can't get much darker than this, we stopped to refuel.
4 Ramlee Double Daging Lembu Special Burger with Telur (Double Beef burger with egg and cheese) 4 Cokes
Hey, where did the ice come from? Who cares?
8:12 PM. Nic misses the turn off to Highway 99, via Highway 95, a route that would have saved us about 13 km.
Taking a break on an unplanned night ride along Highway 3.
A stop at a gas station just before the junction to Kota Tinggi, Johor Bahru, and Desaru.
What the pics and videos don't show: descending long, barely-seen stretches of asphalt in the dark, our paths only illuminated by anemic headlamps best meant for city streets; the palpable darkness; the roar of the wind, the flutter of helmet straps in our ears; and the subtle interplay of inky black forests and mountain ranges against the indigo blue night sky — a vast chiaroscuro with two infinitesimal figures slowly pedaling across the landscape.
You had to be there.
No, these were not waiting for us by the roadside, nor was Issei Sagawa. (Though Nic did scare the living crap out of me later — you'd never seen me sprint up a hill so fast — but you will have to buy me a cup of coffee for that yarn.)
Truth be told, we were more worried about potholes. Thankfully, we didn't run into any of this size, or its wheel-flipping daughters.
11:07 PM. 29 km from Desaru, a truck stop after Air Tawar 5.
Distance covered today 77.2 miles (123.5 km) Elevation climbed 3480 ft (1061 m) Temperature 77° F (25° C)
The coffin nails / cancer sticks / cigarettes aren't mine. (I don't smoke, I stir.)
Day 2 slides imperceptibly into Day 3.
We left the truck stop at 12:45 AM.
1 AM. Highway 92.
The turn off to the southern terminus of Highway 99 (Lok Heng / Bandar Easter / Wa Ha), our intended route, was utterly dark and desolated. I wonder what sort of adventures we would have run into had we not miss the turn off to Highway 95.
Another time, perhaps.
500 meters after this sign is the Petronas gas station that marks the turn off to Desaru (it was closed for the night).
4.7 km later, the traffic circle at the entrance to Desaru.
Start 10:25 AM End 1:52 AM Total 15 hours 27 minutes
Cateye AT-100 Elevation climbed 3930 ft (1198.2 m) Distance 90.1 miles (144.2 km) 8 hours 38 minutes 48 seconds [includes hike to Tenggaroh Selatan 1] Average speed 12.2 mph Maximum speed 32.2 mph Temperature 75° F - 95° F (23.9° C - 35° C) Cumulative distance 153.2 miles (245.2 km)
'Left Desaru Damai Resort at 10:50 AM. We doubled back halfway to the Petronas gas station, and then cut through Bandar Penawar, circumventing a couple of hills. Temperature 91° F (32.8° C)
Playing chicken with traffic on Highway 92.
Car loses!
:-P
12:42 PM. Distance covered today 20.3 miles (32.5 km) Elevation climbed 630 ft (192 m) Temperature 91° F (32.8° C)
A bunch of unsuspecting cyclists heading into "Dog Alley" (no, I am not talking about SDN).
*grin*
Round 2.
22 km to the jetty via J52.
2:40 PM. Distance covered today 31.2 miles (49.2 km) Elevation climbed 710 ft (216.5 m) Temperature 89° F (31.7° C)
4:09 PM. Back in Singapore, a bus driver behind the wheel of SBS2833B refused to follow traffic laws whilst approaching a filter lane at Telok Paku Road — cutting us off with the vehicle's rear wheels and nearly running us over.
Wonderful. (And we have terrified / repressed lemmings on this wayang island chastising us of the dangers of cycling on Malaysia roads at night.)
Right.
[To the guy in the picture (riding a red Cannondale R900), "Hi!" ^_^]
After an easy ride along Changi Coast Road and a brief foray into East Coast Park — which we quickly ditched for East Coast Park Service Road — we concluded the ride at Cycle Craft with drinks, food, good company, drinks, drinks, and more drinks.
DATA
Cateye AT-100 Total elevation climbed 5960 ft (1817 m) Total distance 197.5 miles (316 km) 16 hours 26 minutes 59 seconds Average speed 12 mph Maximum speed 32.2 mph Temperature 75° F - 98° F (23.9° C - 36.7° C)
