I saw these two things being hauled around today. I have no idea what they are. Whatever they are, they are normally trailered, have wheels on one end (in this case the “front”) and have what appear to be seats on the other end. The curved part is hydraulically moveable, and there are little support arms on the sides that look like supports for additional panels. Some kind of radar antenna?
Monthly Archive for April, 2008
Page 3 of 4
Here’s some updates on bits and pieces from the bike that have undergone months of use and abuse:
Shimano M970 XTR Driveline
Excellent operation since day one. I’m running an all-Shimano driveline, and aside from the pinch-bolt-style XT crankset (which I purposely chose over the M970 XTR because of its easy field servicing), it’s all XTR. The shifter paddles and the derailleur pivots are all still tight and smooth. Shifting is quick and precise. The dual-release triggers are nice, since I can keep the forefingers on the brakes while upshifting or downshifting with the thumbs. The availability of service components is nice – I was able to keep a rear derailleur damaged in Whistler in operation by replacing a small part. There has been no issue with premature chain or cassette wear, or chain failure. Continue reading ‘Long Term Tests’
Friday was overcast and dark, but I thought it would be a good idea to test out the new Panaracer Rampage tires and the reinstalled Solos headset. There was a good, cool wind blowing from the East, so I had a brisk headwind to work against along Kahekili. Still, I managed a higher maximum speed along this run with less effort than usual owing to the much lower rolling resistance of the new tires. I went into the turn up to WCC hotter than usual, but the tires easily held in the deep leaning turn. The climb up the Chicken Trail went fine. The traction on the new tires was very good. The stiffer knobs climbed up the rooty sections better than the Michelins did. On the road, the laps went easier. I was able to generally use one higher gear than usual on the climbs. Backtracking up the Chicken Trail on the way back home, I found there was more tire spin on the steep debris-strewn initial section, and full-spin loss of traction on the moonscape climb. That is a difficult section anyway – if the traction is good, the legs usually can’t manage the climb anyway. I think the new tires are great, but I need to get used to their behavior and adjust my riding to them. The headset was solid and drag-free.
D = 15.35 km (9.54-miles), Vavr = 17.5 km/h (10.9 mph), Vmax = 41.5 km/h (25.8 mph), T = 53-minutes
I picked up a set of the new Panaracer Rampage All-mountain tires last Thursday. According to the packaging, they are 700-grams apiece, 60-grams heavier than the Michelin Mountain A/T 26 x 2.2 tires that were on the Ellsworth before. The tread pattern is evenly open like the Michelins, but the paired center knobs are buttressed on one side. Panaracer recommends mounting the front with the buttresses on the leading edge and the trailing edge (rotationally, that is) to brace the knobs for braking and traction respectively. The side knobs are aggressive and braced, and like the Michelins, they are spaced apart to allow for mud clearing or to allow them to punch through loose material. There are almost twice as many side knobs as the Michelins, but there is still adequate spacing. Many current tire designs have an almost continuous band of side knobs, which would be good for cornering on hardpack, but a recipe for mudpack or sideslip of loose off-cambers. Continue reading ‘Panaracer Rampage 26 x 2.35 Tires’
I’ve had endless creaking problems with my 1-1/8” threadless Chris King Headset. It is a beautiful piece of workmanship, but the top-cap-to-steerer interface is a complete hack kludge. No bearing interface should be dependent on an o-ring for concentric loading! It was time for a change, so based on my exceptionally good results from the Double X One Point Five headset on my Chase, I had Jarrel bring me in the mechanically similar Solos for 1-1/8”. Continue reading ‘Cane Creek Solos Headset’
After being reminded of the place that took over the old Rainbows Express location in Kakaako, We went by to Hank’s Haute Dogs for lunch. The interior is well-done-up, in neo-fusion-diner style, not unlike places like Kakaako Kitchen. Both the dining area and kitchen were bright and clean.
The cashier quickly and courteously took my order and sent it back to the kitchen, where Hank himself was prepping orders.The place was crowded with mostly white-collar-types. About ten-minutes and half-a dozen orders later, I got my Brat and onion rings. Continue reading ‘Hank’s Haute Dogs’
The weather was downright beautiful on the Windward side on Wednesday afternoon, so I took the Ellsworth out for a spin to settle in the new Cane Creek Solos Headset. It didn’t really go in smoothly on Tuesday, so I was considering uninstalling it and resetting it, but the nice weather compelled me to take the bike on a shakedown ride. Initially, there was a noticeable amount of resistance on small amplitude movements. After the ride, the resistance was gone, but there was some aluminum dust appearing at the junction of the upper bearing cup and the top cap. There may be some kind of interference contact that has to be dealt with. I’ll take it out on Thursday and see what’s up. Monday’s ride was mostly seated climbs, so I did standing climbs to mix it up a bit.
D = 15.04 km (9.35-miles), Vavr = 18.3 km/h 36.4 km/h (11.4 mph), Vmax = (22.6 mph), T = 49-minutes
As of Tuesday, 01 April 2008, there is no daytime Japanese-language programming on 101.1 FM. The 101hawaii.net website is still up, as is the DJ blog, both with entries up to last weekend, but there is nothing but bad jazz on the air.
Did their contract expire at the end of last month?
The Monday night St. Louis ride pared down to Root and me, with Ckucke away in Lost Wages, and Chris and JT having prior commitments. Just about 16:00, the skies over Honolulu went black and squalls of heavy rain fell. Although momentary, the grey over the mountaintops promised more of the same, and if nothing else the trail was going to be panko.
I called Root and told him I was going home, but if the weather was good on the windward side, we could still do some secret training. The weather was indeed nice, so I geared up with the light, anticipating a longer-than-usual ride if Root showed up. I did my regular run over to WCC and rode laps. The sky went from blue to twilight orange, then descended into darkness. Taro called and got my voicejail and said that he got stuck late at work, so couldn’t make it. A white veil of rain crossed the valley, so after a couple of laps in t he rain, I decided to dig.
D = 16.17 km (10.05-miles), Vavr = 18.2 km/h (11.3 mph), Vmax = 37.3 km/h (23.2 mph), T = 53-minutes