My girlfriend Sharon was keen on getting a new bike to replace her clunky mountain bike that I converted to a city bike.  She isn’t a hardcore cyclist so she just wanted something comfortable to ride around town to collect some groceries, commute to work on and maybe a weekend bike tour.

She had a long wish list:

• budget ~$850cdn
• needs moderate gear range [Alfine/Nexus 8 okay]
• wants low maintenance
• something she could ride 5-50kms
• can accept a front basket and rear rack
• chain guard
• fenders
• kickstand
• upright seating [but not uber laid back like a cruiser]
• comfort [saddle/suspension/etc...]
• step through frame
• needs to look stylish

We scratched the various cruiser bikes off the list pretty quickly on.  They are really stylie, but not that practical if you want to ride longer distances at any speed.  There are quite a few European bike manufacturers making cool city bikes, but they cost a fortune, are super heavy and aren’t readily available in Calgary.

That left 3 bikes in contention:

1. Norco Corsa 1 ST
2. Globe Live 2 Mixte
3. Electra Amsterdam Royal 8i

The Electra was a bit more than she wanted to spend. The Globe was not suspended and had a narrowish saddle that would have to get replaced right off the bat.  That left the Corsa 1 ST.

After a couple test rides she decided to buy the Corsa 1 ST.  Naturally she wanted to go on a long ride with her new bike on Saturday.  So even though I was feeling rough from a cold I ventured out for a 30km ramble on the bike paths from downtown to Bowness and back.  All that was needed was a little adjustment of the saddle height to dial in the fit.  Sharon enjoyed the ride and managed to cope with some challenging slushy snow and ice sections thanks to the stable steering, wide bars and sensible tires.  Her friend Tanya was getting envious of the fenders on Sharon’s bike as we splashed our way to Bowness!

Since I’m going have to do all the maintenance on this bike I’m glad she choose a bike with an internal geared hub [IGH]. They are super easy to keep running perfectly.  Norco did a great job specing this bike intelligently and keeping the price low enough to interest a casual cyclist.

I do think Norco could improve this bike in three areas:

1. fenders are a bit short and don’t provide as much protection as they could.  I’ll be making Sharon a long mudflap for the front fender to keep her cleaner.  The rear fender is too short to add a mudflap.
2. since there is no derailleur this bike could have a fully enclosed chain case which would keep the chain clean and mean it would need almost no maintenance.
3. I’d love to see disc brake mounts on the fork and frame for future upgrades.

If you want a less expensive version of this bike Norco offers a derailleur equipped Corsa 2 ST - shown above.

I love a fresh snowfall in the morning…makes me glad I commute by bike!  This is the Elbow River pathway in Mission last week after one of our seemingly rare snowfalls!

If you’ve been thinking about giving commuting a try I actually think commuting in the winter is nicer [on a lot of days] than in the summer.  You’ve got the pathways to yourself and it can be really pretty - especially in the AM.  If you just skip the bike on uber cold days or after a major snowfall it’s not hard to get started.

Well I tried the Surly Fixxer out on a MTB wheel with a Shimano XT disc hub and it doesn’t work.  I made three trips to see a professional bike mechanic to be sure, but it seems you need to stick to Shimano road hubs to make this work.  Lesson learned!

I’ve got a lot of multi-tools.  I’m a big believer in the idea that if you have the tools on hand to fix something it won’t break in the first place. I also have a terrible memory so the only way to have the right tools with me is to stash multi-tools in every bike seatbag and every backpack/messenger bag I own.

All multi-tools are created equal right - so who cares?  I wish…the gold standard for a multi-tool is having all the tools you are likely to need and nothing extra.

The Lezyne RAP 13 hits the mark nicely:

• chain tool [9spd & 10spd]
• hex keys [2,3,4,5,6,8mm]
• T25 & T30 torx
• small Phillips screwdriver
• 3 spoke wrenches

What I like about it:

• has all the tools I need for my field repairs [except an 15mm wrench which no multi-tool has!]
• I really like the 8mm hex key as most of my BMX platforms only accept an 8mm hex and without it there is no way to tighten a loose pedal.
• light enough I can carry it without noticing [149g]
• low profile so it slides into a backpack/bag pocket easy
• neoprene cover stops the tool from wearing a hole into my spare tubes
• looks well made and should take a beating

What I don’t like:

• the neoprene cover stops you from wearing a hole in a spare tube, but it doesn’t seal off the tool from sand/dirt which would be nice if you aren’t real careful about your stuff.
• it’s low and wide which won’t fit into small/narrow seatbags as easily as a more square profile.

Surly’s got a new 3.7″ uber fat tire for the Pugsley and similar fatbikes.  It’s called the Larry! Larry is similar to the Endomorph - both are shown above Endo on the left and Larry on the right.  The Larry has some raised arrows pointing forward.  It’s supposed to track nice and straight in slippery conditions where the Endomorph has a tendency to washout.  Some folks are using Larry’s front and back…I’ll just put one on the front and use up my trusty Endos on the rear.

I’m pretty stoked the only complaint I had about the Pugsley was the caution you needed when steering in the really soft slippery stuff to avoid washouts…if the Larry fixes that I’ll be super happy.

I’m planing on ordering a Larry today from Bow Cycle so I’ll report back how it works…assuming we actually get some snow before spring hits!

Photo: Larry and his brother Larry having some Alaskan adventures on Epic Eric’s blog.

My plan for my Surly 1×1 project bike was to use a Rohloff hub I had built up in a 26″ MTB wheel.  It was a cunning way to get a wide range of gears on a frame designed for 1 gear.  Unfortunately I’m missing one small, but vital Rohloff part so I can’t make that happen right now.  I’ve ordered in the necessary part and it should arrive in the next couple weeks.

In the meantime I’ve been thinking about what to do with the 1×1 frame. since it has no derailleur hanger. Scouring my parts bin I came up with a Surly Fixxer I bought a while ago when I wanted to try out the fixed wheel experience.  I never ended up using it so it’s just been gathering dust.  I’ve decided to see if I can install it on a spare MTB wheel I have and if that works set the 1×1 up as a fixie for now.

The Surly Fixxer turns a normal Shimano MTB hub into a fixed gear wheel.  Read the Surly Fixxer Spew for all the details.  I just need a track cog [+ lockring] of the appropriate size and I should be good.  I’m thinking a 44T x 17T since I’ll want to run a reasonably easy gear ratio.

If you’ve ever wanted to try out a fixed gear bike and don’t want to invest in a whole new ride the Surly Fixxer is your answer.  The only two caveats are:

1. you need a frame with horizontal or semi-horizontal dropouts so you can tension the chain.  Vertical dropouts won’t work.
2. the Fixxer only works with Shimano hubs.

#2 is the one problem for me.  The hub I have is a WTB hub so it’s possible it won’t work.  I’m going to give it a shot this week and see what happens. If I can’t use the WTB wheel I may be able to trade it for a Shimano wheel.

Why go fixed?

• simple drivetrain that’s nearly bombproof
• almost zero maintenance
• nothing to freeze up or break in the winter
• no missed shifts
• riding fixed is supposed to make you a stronger rider
• more connection with your bike

My only fixie experience was test riding a Surly Steamroller from Bow Cycles.  I nearly flew over the handlebars and was anything, but graceful.  However, enough people I know think fixed gear is awesome so I might as well give it a shot since I’ve got a chance.

….who knows I may never put that Rohloff in the 1×1!

Fixxer Instructions from the Surly site.

I’m going to use a Shimano LX Hollowtech II crank and external BB on my Surly 1×1 project bike.  I’m used to square taper BB’s/cranks or splinded BB’s/cranks like ISIS.  If you’ve got a Shimano external bearing crank you may be puzzled like me how to install it properly.  Luckily Part Tools has the home bike mechanic covered.  I just ran a search and got all the info I needed to move this crank from an existing bike to my new 1×1 frame. Thanks Park Tools - very helpful - especially at 2am when there is no bike shop open for a 911 call…=-)

BTW - if you are installing this type of crank on a new frame just be sure the BB shell has been faced so both sides are parallel. These BBs use the BB shell to align the bearings so if the sides aren’t parallel you’ll get some binding and wear stuff out really fast.  Unless you build a lot of bikes facing a BB is best left to your friendly neighbourhood bike mechanic.

I posted back in Dec about the idea for a bike project using a Surly 1×1 frame.  Something along the lines of an uber commuter/errand/touring bike.  Well I got in a medium [18"] 1×1 frame this week from Bow Cycle.  My goal is to use existing parts and hopefully not have to buy anything other than the frame.  So far I’m doing pretty well scavenging in my parts bin and stealing from other bike that aren’t getting used too much.

I’ve got the 1×1 clamped in my bike work stand waiting to be built up and rolled out onto the streets.  I’ve got some pretty cool bike frames and you might ask why go with a plain jane Surly 1×1 when I could have selected something exotic and uber cool?  Good question!

Why the Surly 1×1?

• so far every Surly frame I’ve bought and built up has turned into a bike I love to ride.
• the cost of a 1×1 frame is low enough that I can indulge my desire to build up a new bike at a very reasonable price using existing bike parts.
• versatility - a 1×1 can be a mountain bike, a commuter bike, a touring bike or a hip urban cruiser depending what parts you hang on it.
• Fatties Fit Fine - one of the main reasons this frame is so versatile is the massive clearance it has for 26″ tires up to 2.7″ wide with room left over for fenders and/or mud!
• the massive tire clearance means you can mount 700c/29er wheels with narrower tires as long as you use disc brakes…[I haven't confirmed this, but it makes sense]
• speaking of brakes you can run discs or v-brakes
• horizontal dropouts - I’m a big fan of internally geared hubs and clean chainlines.  With these dropouts I can do away with pesky chain tensioners and have a bombproof drivetrain that doesn’t pay attention to mud or the weather.
• steel is real - great ride, low cost, gets the job done.
• besides these reasons the 1×1 just looks and feels “right” in my hands.  Nothing I can explain really.

Want to ride your Surly Pugsley on ice - then you need studs!  Here is a great blog post explaining how you stud an Endomorph. Great winter biking photos also…be careful you might find yourself building up a Pugsley!

I’ve slowly been moving away from SPD type pedals on my bikes in favour of BMX platforms and street shoes.  This has worked well for most of the riding I do which is generally urban transport, utility/cargo cycling and touring.  I wasn’t 100% sure I’d be happy with this setup for mountain biking as it’s a much more aggressive style of riding. I also harbored a fear of flying off the pedals at an inopportune moment.

When packing for Moab/Sedona last year I included some SPD type pedals and shoes just in case I couldn’t stand platform pedals off road.  Kurt only brought SPDs and so I started to worry I was making a bad choice.  However, I had the platforms on my Santa Cruz Nomad and was too lazy to swap them out so the experiment was set in motion!

After a couple rides in Moab it was pretty clear that platforms were an excellent choice.  So much so that Kurt ditched his SPD pedals/shoes and bought some BMX pedals.  He also bought some 5.10 bike shoes.  With climbing rubber and a flat sole these shoes stuck to his pedals like glue.  I was a bit dissatisfied with my trail runners on BMX pedals as the sole did not grip the shoes as well as I would have liked – not their fault – trail runners are not designed for bike riding.

I pulled the trigger on some 5.10 Impact 2 low shoes [Kurt got the Impact 2 mid version with a slightly higher ankle   section].  The difference was impressive…climbing rubber is understandably sticky and a flat sole engages all the pins on my NRG BMX pedals.  The result is loads of control and the ability to put a foot down instantly.  I felt much more comfortable tackling technical sections since I could take a foot off the pedals easily or jump right off the bike if needed.  I also never had any issues with coming off the pedals on fast downhill sections or jumps.  In fact it pretty much feels like your feet are glued to the pedals until you want them off.

Interestingly of the local riders we’ve seen in Moab and Sedona the ratio of platforms to SPD pedals is about 4:1.  These 5.10 bike shoes have been one of the most popular choices of footwear for the platform pedal crowd.  I’m not surprised since they are well made and quite comfortable as day to day shoes off the bike.

Of course there is a downside to not being clipped in to your bike.  You can’t pull up on the pedals to generate extra power or bunny hop an obstacle.  I haven’t noticed the lack of power as a problem and with 6″ of travel at the back as long as I get my front wheel over the obstacle I’m home free.  I’ve also watch loads of riders with BMX pedals bunny hopping so it’s doable I just have to learn some new skills.

I find this change back to normal footwear a bit funny as I used to think cycling without SPD pedals was crazy talk…=-)