My commute is mixed. Some road, some gravel, some single track. I used to commute on my 29er with 37c “slicks”, and they provided more than enough control – I never had a puncture either, touch wood.

I was thinking about converting my 29er to a “dingle-speed” two gear ratios, but the same number of teeth. I run a 32/20 for XC, and would probably run a 36/16 for commuting. The chain length is the same so it doesn’t need adjusting, but to be honest I’m a bit of a perfectionist with bikes. Commuting on big chunky tires seems a bit pointless, and ultimately a waste of my energy and money.

Versa VRS-8 Alfine Levers - Allows you to shift an 8-speed internally geared Shimano Alfine hub with road levers - STI style.

So, I think I’ve figured out what I really want from a commuter…

The frame and fork should be a “monster-cross” style frame (cyclo-cross with disc tabs IMO). Ideally I’d be able to tension the chain using an eccentric bottom bracket (EBB) or track dropouts. Shimano Alfine 8-speed internally geared hub on the rear, and a “whatever” QR hub up front with some light 29″ rims and my 37c tyres. Road drop bars with Versa VRS-8 levers, so I can shift the Alfine hub, STI style, without any other messy shifters around the place. The rest of the spec would probably be fair mountain bike in flavour. Crankset, pedals and saddle would be similar to my 29er. Nothing over the top, since it is a commuter after all. The one thing I can’t decide on is whether to run discs or cantilevers. I know canti’s work fine, I just don’t know if I should because I can. Certainly finding a disc specific frame is harder, I just have visions of running this bike with a 2″ wide tyre in the future for some XC fun, and Avid BB7 Road’s would go nicely on it – not to mention handle the winter better as a commuter.

I’ve been on the frame hunt for a while now but unfortunately there aren’t a huge amount of options available, especially for myself living in Australia. The Salsa La Cruz covers some of my needs, just has no way to tension the chain. I’ve considered the Forward Components EBB but to be honest I’d prefer a frame that comes built for single-speed.

Singular Peregrine - Monster-cross styling - Cyclo-cross geometry, disc tabs and eccentric bottom bracket.

The Singular Peregrine meets my needs perfectly, only I can’t justify that sort of money on a frame yet (I’m guessing around AUD$1000 by the time it’s landed here).

It’s challenging, but I suppose it’s part of the fun of building something yourself. I’ll find my frame eventually – maybe I’ll just have to make some trade-offs first.

Post from: r0dman.com

The Ultimate Commuter Bicycle

Doing some research on the net this morning I have found that I’m not the only one that believes spending time outside makes you happy. It’s always been something that puts a smile on my face. Doesn’t matter if it’s the rain drops falling, looking at the clouds on a summers day, or bush walking and coming across interesting cliff faces or plants. There’s always something out there that makes me happy, as obscure as those things may be.

It’s well documented that in order to live a healthy life, you should try and get a good dose of sunlight and fresh air each day. Many believe that when you are outdoors, you get an endorphin high, which makes you instantly happier. When you spend a good deal of time outside, it is more likely that you will sleep better that night too, and better sleep means that the next day you will feel more refreshed.

In nature, most people realise their purpose. It’s hard to clear your mind in an urban environment surrounded by darkness, pollution, electronics, and all sorts of other stress. When you are closer to nature, you can clear your mind and feel connected to the world surrounding you. Like any other species, we are “just living our lives” too.

I don’t believe in any higher meaning, I believe that we are on this earth to eat, sleep and procreate. This is very hard to see sometimes, especially when you are planning for a 3 o’clock meeting, need to reply to a stack of emails, and then pick the kids up from school afterwards. Escape to nature and it becomes so much more obvious that the “something more to life” is actually less. Less stress, less frantic living, and so on. This is hard to escape at times, but the simplest escape is to spend a small amount of time outside.

Plants flourish outdoors, put them indoors where they can’t get any light and they will die. We eat these plants, and we are meant to live in the same environment as them. It’s no wonder we are so negative sometimes, we need our dose of outdoors too.

If you do one thing today, go outside and find something interesting. Look up at the clouds, look at the green grass, close your eyes and breathe in the fresh air or listen to the birds.

Post from: r0dman.com

The Great Outdoors

While I’m still a considerable hypocrite with most things I say on here, I feel as though one day my life will be quite simple.

A few years ago my fiancee and I decided to get a joint bank account. Financially we were the one entity – neither of us kept tabs on money spent on each other, so it made sense to join the accounts. All of a sudden I realised how much easier it was for the both of us. In the process I got rid of my Visa card, my high interest account, my normal account, and an account that I used to use for business and never bothered to close. So much less paperwork, so much less hassle!

Next up I decided to start cleaning up my old email accounts and other internet accounts. You know, the ones that bug you from time to time about coming back to a forum or that someone has replied to a post from two years ago. Took a while, but I sorted it out. Even just by removing these small annoyances from my life I feel more relaxed.

Since then I have been slowly selling small things from my spare room on eBay. I have a ridiculous amount of bike parts, car parts and computer parts just wasting space and driving me nuts every time I walk in there. It’s taking time, but I’m slowly getting rid of the gear that I don’t need.

I’ve mentioned my bike before that I ride to work on. It’s a single-speed. One gear. Pure simplicity! You’re never in the wrong gear, and there are no derailleurs to break and leave you stranded at 8am in the rain. It’s mentally so much more enjoyable to ride than my geared bikes. All I have to do is pedal and not get hit by a car. The rest of my brain is free to ponder the topics that end up on this very blog.

“Less is more.”

- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect.

While I do love minimalist design, and believe that the house that my family will live in will incorporate lots of these principles, I believe minimalism to be a term that has such a broader meaning than what it is usually used for. To me, a simpler life quite plainly means much less stress. Without stress, life is pure fun. What more could you want?

Post from: r0dman.com

Minimalist Lifestyle

All of this is out of my control. Some days it’s the complete opposite.. Freezing cold, or boiling hot with a strong head wind and having to stop and start constantly at the lights. It’s nice when things just work out though. Gives you a real big boost for the day!

One thing that is in my control is the bike that I ride. For those that know bikes, it’s a Haro Mary SS. In it’s standard form it’s a 29er, but with smaller tyres for commuting it’s more like a 28er. I run carbon forks on it too for a bit of forgiveness over the bumps. The most important thing though, is that it’s a singlespeed. I first made a singlespeed about four years ago when I wanted to start riding to work in the city. Back then I spaced a 9-speed hub with one cog and did it the cheap way just to try it. Within one ride I was convinced… The best way to commute is on a singlespeed (assuming it’s relatively flat for your commute). Since then I’ve had four singlespeed bikes.

The simplicity is awesome. You’re never in the wrong gear, your chain never comes off, it’s quiet, you get better pedalling efficiency, and it requires much less maintenance and just makes you feel more in tune to the bike. You’ll find within weeks you’ll be much stronger in the legs too!

To quote the great man Sheldon Brown:

Riding a singlespeed can help bring back the unfettered joy you experienced riding your bike as a child. You don’t realize how much mental energy you devote to shifting until you relinquish your derailers, and discover that a whole corner of your brain that was formerly wondering when to shift is now free to enjoy your surroundings and sensations.

I’ve got great tyres on my bike too. Continental CountryRIDE’s. I’ve pulled all sorts out of these tyres now, and still haven’t had a flat. Usually saying that sort of thing is bad karma and you’ll get a flat on the ride home, but I know I won’t. This helps even more with commuting, when you’re not thinking 100% about the riding. It’s less of a concern if you ride over some glass or a three corner jack.

It’s taken me a long time, but I’ve learned that the trick to commuting on a bike and enjoying it is to set yourself up on a simple bike. Make it comfortable, sure, but keep it simple and it will reward you in more ways than one.

Ride on.

Post from: r0dman.com

Simple cycling