Oh baby...english 3 speed porn!

Well I didn't find this one at the dump, but it was free non the less. It's actually a hand-me-down from my father in law. He bought it at "Strings and Spokes", the LBS back in the day- 1977 according to the sticker on the down tube. This Raleigh Super Grand Prix has been my trusty commuter for a few years now, but it has never looked this good. It was originaly built as a 10 speed, spent a spell as a 5 speed, and now, with the help of some part donations (thanks again JSN), I've brought it back to its roots with the Sturmey Archer hub and given it some style with the moustache bars.

Remember that pretty little Dunelt 3 speed from a few posts ago? "It's not about sex, it's a domination thing." (JSN, the basement)

Another food post

I know a lot of you think that posts about food have no place on a blog about bikes and stuff. Well... Bite me :)


Lately I can't stop eating these simple fish tacos. I like to sit on the porch next to the grill in the sunshine and make these - devouring them immediately upon completion.


I think the simplicity is part of the goodness. A Tilapia filet, an avocado, a jalapeno, some cheese, and a splash of limon juice on a corn tortilla. I recommend Oaxaca cheese, which is basically Mexican Mozzarella. Any white fish will do. I like Tilapia and my grocery store usually has it. And for lime juice, look for Mexican or Key limes. I buy bottled Key lime juice for beer and that works great. Put some in your Miller Lite and pretend it's Pacifico. And please use corn tortillas. Get soft ones, not hard grainy ones. The texture will caress the fish instead of making you tear your way into it.

You want to roast the Jalapeno while you cook the fish. This will make it milder and mellower. It will be less hot than when raw, so don't bother digging out the seeds.

Dump-o-riffic Dunelt

You know how it is when you can't decide whether something is really neat, or really lame? That is how I feel when I find a cool bike at the dump. It is neat/lame that my local landfill has cooler bikes more often than my local thrift store. There is probably a word in Japanese that means "neat/lame".


This beautiful Dunelt ("The Aristocrat of British Cycles") was hidden behind a pile of broken lawnmowers and inexplicably crushed washing machines in the metal pile at the dump. Except for needing air in the tires, which held air, it is completely ridable. I lubed it up and put new brake cables on it ($2.99 cables from the hardware store!) and it is a great little cruiser.

It has the dreaded 650A size rims and tires. Fortunately the tires that were on it are in good shape. The sidewalls are cracked, but structurally sound.

Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hubs are amazing. Anything that takes oil instead of grease (with oil port!) and can survive 45 years of neglect (hub is from 1962) deserves more than a one-way trip to the dump!

The only part that didn't fare so well was the saddle, which was a very uncomfortable contraption of springs, sheetmetal, and peeling vinyl. Fortunately Eric loaned me a relatively period-correct Selle-Italia.

Cat Yellow Update

Just a little update on the final completion and drivetrain selection on the GT singlespeed - see photos.

The magical drivetrain set-up (no tensioner) - 32:18.

The cable routing for the rear brake wasn't great (the cable stops are set up for canti brakes) so I just used a solid cable. I might someday add a clamp-on cable stop (thanks for the tip jim g), but the non-round tubing doesn't leave a lot of options for positioning. But now it's rideable, so I imagine I'll just enjoy it a while.

Tom Satterfield: VacTrike

What a creative idea, and a killer outcome. link

ecofriendly mower

I want one of these! But lubed and without the rust. What are the practical issues with using it? Besides needing a pretty flat lawn. You could make it a fixy, for the back-and-forth mowing action! It seems like turning wouldn't work right, hmmm. Getting off every time to turn around definitely lowers the appeal.

Justin's bike

I am posting this for Justin because it is so great I can't stand it. This is the frame he built. Columbus Zona tubing, flat black paint. What's not to like? (Yes, it is a singlespeed. And yes, Justin is still faster than me. By a factor of 2 at least. And I have gears. 8 gears. So that kinda means he is 8 times 2 as fast as me. Wow that's fast. And he never puts a foot down. Ever.)

The dropouts and brake bosses are just plain sexy, and the welds are fantastic. This is the first frame he has built. I'm floored by the welding skills.

He used an eccentric bottom bracket so there would be no disc alingment issues. I like it.

By far my favorite part of this frame is that he attached the cable stops - or whatever they are when they aren't exactly "stops" - with JB Weld. I love JB Weld.

Merch!

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Walt Works

Damn it's great to see a Los Alamos alum doing such great things! Walt sure is making a name for himself, and rightly so. Check out these welds!

Walt has a great philosophy when it comes to frame building, and reading through his web site gives me the warm fuzzies about his product. I really appreciate the sleek design of his steel singlespeed 29ers, and I'd love to check one out in person. Three cheers for the home town guy! If you haven't checked out WaltWorks Bicycles, you should.