update

So, it has been a while, but I'm still here. I'll get some pictures of the Chester build parts pile up soon. I've also decided not to sell the Hunter. I'm going to send it back to Rick for a refurb - and have shifty coasting part cable stop and brake bosses put on it! So I'll have a full on geared touring bike, the first one in a really long time.

Commuting has been going well, riding mostly the Xtracyle and the internally geared SimpleCity 8. I'll have some stuff up about those bikes soon, they have been in the stable for a few years now, and they haven't seen many changes. I'm looking for a replacement for the Xtracycle, the "donor" bike is getting old, I've had it since 2001, and it was a warranty frame from 1992 that I bought when I worked at REI. So the frame itself is almost 20 years old. Those old steel frames last a long time, even with the abuse I've put it through and the unknown amount of maintenance that should have been done to it, it is still in good shape, but it is getting to the point where it probably could be retired. The bikes in the running are the Trek Transport,the Surly Big Dummy, and the Civia Halsted. The ideal bike would be a Ahearne Cycle Truck, but unless someone is going to give me one, I'll have to settle with one of the above. I know I have a lot of promises of crap going on the blog, but I'll try and give all the up and down sides of the bikes, so you can see where my thought processes are at.

Meanwhile enjoy:

FROM STEEL: The Making of a Soulcraft from michael evans on Vimeo.

sweet

Patagonia is probably my favorite fabric company that makes clothes. They try to do no harm in their manufacturing process, and make sure that their clothes have a long life span. Their ideals are in the correct place. They also are great supporters of people who do some crazy things. One of their employees did this. Wow.

3 years

01/09/2008, I received my Hunter Cycles MonsterFixieCross. I have had some great times on this bike, but unfortunately, I have to sell. Frame and fork are for sale, as well as the wheels. Contact me before I have to e-bay, or forum sale.

front end

From the other day, I showed the wheels of the new ride, so here is some of the rest of the front end.



Custom Rick Hunter steel, fillet brazed, goodness. 383 axle to crown, 45mm rake with fender mounts at the bottom.



As you can see, the fork is painted a kind of flat black, and the Hunter logo is orange. This is the second fork that Rick has built for me, the first matching the frame that he built for me a few years ago. I really like the craftsmanship and understated beauty of his work, and they ride awesomely.

The fork is drilled for and designed around a "standard" or "medium" reach brake. At first I got a cheap Shimano side pull brake, but decided that I needed something a lot nicer, so I got me one of these:



Paul Components Racer Medium. The center bolt version, the brake pads hit the rim right at the bottom of the arms. The only thing I'll do is to switch out the brake pads to a Salmon Kool Stop and replace the rear brake bolt with a Problem Solvers Sheldon Fender Nuts, so fender installation and removal is much easier.

More to come soon....

bike

I'm going to do a few blog posts on the parts that are going onto my new Matt Chester. I'll start with my wheels, which are a wonderment of awesomeness. I have a sick addiction to awesome wheels, not the super lightweight, carbon, low spoke count racing wheels, but moderately light, aluminum, 32 or 36 hole double walled single or double eyeleted hoops on some bomber hubs. DTSwiss and some Mavic, as well as Sun Ringle are favorite brands, with DT being the forerunners. The rims are well made, reputed straight out of the factory, and are strong. My Hunter has some TK 7.1 touring rims, and my next touring bike will have the updated version. For the mc, I have picked the R465s, since the tire width won't go much above 28 mm (with 32 being max), I should be alright. I de-badged the rims, the only complaint I have is that the graphics are kind of gaudy.



Hubs are the best out there - Phil Woods.



32 holed High Flange Track Hub for the front and rear. The rear is spaced 130mm with double fixed threading. I like the sealed bearings, and Phil's are some of the best (Chris Kings are great, but no fixed hubs), although I wish someone out there made a good loose ball bearing fixed hub designed for the road/off road, not just the velodrome. I went with the 32 hole so that I could ride a little bit lighter rim on this bike, not just a big heavy rim.



Cogs are Phil Woods, 17 and 19 tooth. I prefer Surly cogs, but I actually had these laying around, so on the wheels they go.

More later, including tires, fork, and brakes this week.