In March 2017 I visited the Berliner Fahrradschau and besides many other interesting things I also discovered the bicycle bell by Spurcycle. I could have bought a copy a the booth but I postponed that since I didn’t know where to mount it – because the handle bar was already quite cramped due to the gear indicators of the shift levers. The mounting of the old bell, a “Charly” by Mounty, was already cumbersome under the gear indicators and I never was very happy with this solution.
Tag: Workshop
Rail, accident, ouch
A couple of weeks ago it happened again after more than 10 years… I managed to get the front wheel of my every day crosser into to a tram rail at the underbridge to Pfersee next to the Augsburg main station and crashed at a speed of about 35 km/h :-(. The result: A scrape on the right knee, handle bar of the bicycle damaged, right brake lever broken out of its stay. Fortunately the accident was at night where there was barely any traffic at this place – otherwise it could have been much worse.
Peugeot PX-10 with light
Recently I mounted a bit more comfortable handlebar on my Peugeot PX-10. However it still lacked a solid mount for a light. The intended light, Ixon IQ by Busch und Müller, provides a mount for the handlebar – but this is not very stable (at least in the variant of my copy) and the light tends to turn very easily due to its weight.
Peugeot PX-10 with “moustache” handlebar
Nearly two years ago I had the opportunity to buy an old Peugeot PX-10 in a very good condition. With a longer seat post, new handle bar tape and new brake pads it also still rides quite good. However the drop handlebar and the quite stretched posture on the bicycle caused by this is not very suitable for rides in the city which I did realize not at least on my last ride at the critical mass.
For the upcoming sommer I wanted to have a bit more comfortable solution. A good compromise which also allows to use the old brake levers is a “moustache” handlebar. With this kind of handlebar you don’t sit so stretched and the brake levers are reachable quickly.
New wheels for the every day bicycle
The wheels of my every day crosser are now nearly 10 years old – and therefore the rims as well. Due to the use of rim brakes the flanges became quite worn, especially on the front wheel where I could feel the brake pads sticking to the flanges with every revolution when applying the brake lightly which caused a “stuttering” of the wheel.
The hubs – in the front Schmidt hyb dynamo and in the back a DT Swiss 340 – still work fine despite their age why I laced new rims.
Defect at the Ortlieb Office Bag
Since about two years I often and gladly use a “Office Bag M” by Ortlieb. So far the bag worked fine – until today :-(.
Ride more comfortable (and more beautiful)
Generally I’m satisfied with the straight handle bar of my every day bicycle – but sometimes I have the problem of aching hands, even though I use bar ends for alternative grip positions.
Rust soup in steel frame
I have been wondering for a while at the flash rust on the spring of the kickstand and the body of the rear derailleur on my every day crosser. The rear derailleur is made of aluminium and the kickstand was in use for many years already without developing any rust on the spring.
(Please see the German version for more details)
SKS Secu-Clip
For many years the stays for the fender at the front wheel of my every day bicycle were mounted directly at the fork without any clip. The problem: If any debris gets between the fender and the tire or into the spokes, this can lead to severe accidents when the fender is pulled up and the stays don’t release.
Also see: article in “Tour” 12/1995 (German).
Therefore I decided to change that before I will experience this kind of problem on my own (ouch!).
GPS for the bicycle
(Please see the German version for more details)
