And This Is Why I Don't Ride With A Carbon Fork...

These Are Not the Bar End Plugs You Are Looking For

At least that's what they would have told me at Obi Wan's Cyclery about these ODI bar end plugs. After a Summer distracted by many things velo related, I've returned to the web log about the building of a Soma Smoothie bicycle. Today I relate my experience with the fancy, fine-crafted ODI aluminum bar end plugs. They are a lovely sight to behold with their shimmering aluminum finish, BUT disappointingly do not fit a standard road bar. The problem? The adjustable wedge system which secures the plug to the inside of the bar end is not wide enough, therefore requiring a shim in the remaining gap assuring a tight fit. Ah, yet another shim on this bike.

What's more is the diameter of the cap of the plug is so wide that if you aren't using a thick bar tape, like cork (which I happen to prefer anyhow), there will be overhang (for lack of a better term). In fact I needed to apply a small strip of tape on the end of the bar under the wrap in order for the tape to be flush with the plug. If I were using a bar with a smaller diameter there would be even more overhang! Would I have needed a triple layer of tape on the end?

The little imperfections I must endure. All part of the adventure of building a bicycle.

Shiny Happy Hub

A double post today! These White Industries hubs are so beautifully designed and crafted I just can't help but admire them.

 The White Industries H3 rear hub.

Assembly Update: Gettin' Fit

An hour here, a couple hours there. I have bits of time from day to day to gradually complete the Soma Smoothie. So I'm at the point of the build where I need to adjust the fit of the bike to know how much steerer tube to chop off. This is the second road bike I've ever owned. What it has in common with the first is a stock frame size of 56cm. I am a tall 5'9" just shy of 5'10"(l77cm). When I was 17 yrs. old and bought that first bike, a Centurion LeMans RS, I was about an inch shorter and probably barely tall enough for that frame. I figured this time around 56cm would be just right but as I adjust the bike to fit I wonder if 54cm is a preferable option. Although this is a trial and error process of learning what frame size fits best. It will take quite a bit of fine tuning to get all of the adjustments just so and that will require some miles on the road. By the time I have the fit dialed in I may find the size is just fine. A lesson learned going into any bike build is knowing certain details, dimensions and measurements that I need in a frame, and subsequently parts, that suit me and my body.

Traditionally I have fit my bikes simply by how the adjustments feel. This time I am trying to take a more clinical approach using tested and tried guidelines for fitting. To get the bike to a point of basic adjustment I followed a simple, logical method by Peter White of Peter White Cycles. From here I can make the necessary finite tweaks and turns. Perhaps even a professional fitting is in my future.

Campagnolo Doesn't Care About You

That is if you ride a traditional steel frame, Campagnolo doesn't care about you. Why would I say such a thing about the beloved and legendary components manufacturer? They don't make a 27.2mm size front derailleur clamp is why. I assume this is a business decision. Maybe they've concluded there is not enough demand. That's too bad; for us that is. I know there are some out there on the used market, but I don't want used and I don't want an older design. I want a current design that compliments the other current Campy components. So then I am forced to choose the 32mm clamp and make do. Thank you Campagnolo. I mean that with both sincerity and sarcasm. As seen in the above photo I have inserted a shim to adapt the larger clamp to the smaller seat tube.

I made the shim with two layers of rubber strips. One would suffice depending on the thickness of the rubber. In my case I had two sizes of rubber shims from a head lamp clamp. The thicker of the two was too large but by doubling up the thinner option it was just right. I cut the thin shim into two strips and they were the perfect width to match that of the clamp. Only a little finesse was required to position the strips neatly between the clamp and seat tube. Voila, the clamp is in place.

God Is In The Details

The Soma Smoothie build is now getting down to the details. Decisions about these aren't as little as the parts themselves. For example, the dimensions of the steel tubing of this frame are traditional which means sorting through a selection predominantly comprised of parts designed for the over-sized tubing of carbon frames. It's like a treasure hunt in the case of finding a proper front derailleur clamp. Campagnolo unfortunately - foolishly - does not make a 27.2mm size clamp. Therefore I had to find another viable option, and didn't. There are a couple of companies I discovered that make an alloy clamp in the size I need but the design of these is primitive. I found them unacceptable. So I bought the 32mm size Campagnolo clamp and will have to adapt it to fit. No problem. Call me superficial if you will but I also like the fact that there will be a Campy brand clamp to accommodate the Campy brand derailleur.

The other seemingly simple choice I had to make was on a pair of bar end plugs. Some are content with the plastic pair that come with most packs of bar tape. Once again, unacceptable. Adhering with the rest of the detailing scheme on the bike I want alloy. Lucky for me Soma makes just these very sort of bar end plugs. But after some shopping around I learned that the plugs are simply plastic with some kind of alloy looking finish. Fortunately I found this lovely pair of aluminum plugs made by ODI that compliment the bike nicely. It really is all in the details.

Assembly Update

While I was watching stage five of this year's edition of Tirreno-Adriatico I tinkered on the bike a little. Do people still tinker these days? Or does that sound amateurish? Too buffoonish? Instead they "engineer" or "fabricate". The Soma Smoothie is coming together nicely.

Two Wheels Good

A solid set of wheels are critical. It simply is a necessity they are well built with quality components, particularly the hubs. As a general rule the parts that do a lot of spinning around and around, hubs, should have the greatest of attention to performance and durability. The rims preferably light and strong. Some are stronger than others, some lighter than others. I put much research and consideration into these factors and came up with what I think is a great combination.

When I was a kid learning bicycle mechanics by trial and error I deconstructed a couple of wheels but building one up is a foreign endeavor. Because I have more time than money, and it's not so difficult a job that only a professional mechanic can perform, I took on the task of wheelbuilder. Equipped with a few very helpful resources including this webpage by Mike T., Sheldon Brown's wheelbuilding article and the instructional video "Mastering the Wheel" featuring UCI master mechanic Gerd Schraner, I easily assembled a set of beautiful wheels. Once completed the wheels only needed to be adjusted for tension and trued. I don't have a proper stand for this process but it can be done on the overturned frame of the bike. Having a go at it using the bike frame method I was able to balance the lateral movement but vertical truing proved to be beyond my ability. Adjusting for a round-shaped rim was difficult and frustrating so I took the wheels to the shop for a professional to complete the job.

The ever exciting and expressive Gerd Schraner.

Because I am a "soul rider" rather than a club racer I decided on a build that will provide agility yet still retain strength as well - 28h 2x on the front and 32h 3x on the rear. Radial spoking has become common on the front end of many bicycles because it allows for a light wheel, but the likelihood of the wheel becoming totally out of balance when a spoke breaks is enough for me to stick with a traditional 2x pattern. I chose Wheelsmith double-butted spokes, a great all-purpose spoke to which I am partial but there are other excellent options like DT Swiss Competition or Sapim CX Ray. Spoke choice is a personal preference from one person to the next. Choose wisely though. To determine the proper length of the spokes I used two calculators to be doubly certain; one is called Edd and the other is the DT Swiss Spokes Calculator. Both are available online. On the rear I recommend using brass nipples on the drive-side of the wheel for additional strength with all other nipples being alloy. This will add a minute amount to the overall weight of the bike so if you're a weight weenie you just might decide against brass. The other main components are Velocity Aerohead rims with Aerohead OC on the rear and White Industries hubs, H2 front and H3 rear. If you chose the Aerohead OC for your rear wheel remember that the position of the offset side of the rim is opposite the drive-side of the hub. The offset side of the rim should be on the small flange side of the rear hub. Of all the research I did about this rim I never read anything that explained this. I actually built the rear wheel twice because at first I thought the offset side of the rim was on the drive-side only to learn it goes the other way. Do not make the same mistake I did.

For the benefit of any wheel building newbies like myself here are a few prep pointers:

Depending on the manufacturer your rim may have little ringlets hiding inside, leftovers from the drilling of the holes on the outside of the rim.

To remove the ringlets shake and tilt the rim until the ringlet is over the hole then carefully hook the ringlet with the angled end of a spoke. Viola! It pops right out.

Lubricate the threads of the spoke so the nipple turns easily.

Lubricate the outside of the nipples also to reduce friction for easy turning. .

Use brass nipples (right) on the drive-side of the rear wheel, alloy (left) for all other spokes.

A piece of tape over the valve stem hole will help easily orient the wheel while you're lacing it.

I've forgone documenting the whole process of lacing the wheel. That is all well illustrated in many other source materials. But what I will say is the process is quite simple. Once you get started it all makes sense.

Late Substitution

Spring is on the horizon and I have emerged from blogger hibernation to document the final stages of the Soma Smoothie build. An important question lingered in my mind over the months since the Fall. That question is this, "Why put all of the time, energy, effort and money into assembling a fine collection of Campagnolo components and then include with that group a budget brand bottom bracket?" I've been trying to keep the costs down with extensive shopping, comparison and seizing the moment when the price is damn near unbeatable. Since I already had an inexpensive BB which came with the Record crank set I figured using it was a sensible way of cutting my expenses. It is but really why not just scrape up the cash to upgrade to a quality Campy BB, and shop around just like I had for other parts? The answer was clear. So here I have a shiny, new Chorus bottom bracket and am I ever pleased because of it. It's only fitting to compliment the rest of the Campy drive train with more Campy. Am I right? The thought of having a ride equipped with a lesser quality version of a crucial component and whatever surprises it may have in store is one that would bother me every time I'm on the bike. So this was both an aesthetic and practical decision. Now, my ideal choice would have been a Phil Wood with titanium spindle, but that just wasn't in the budget and realistically this is a perfectly acceptable compromise. A welcome compromise for that matter. The Chorus BB has the reputation of longevity which is comforting knowing as long as I care for it, it will spin and spin for years to come. As well, the design of the Chorus is the same as the top-of-the-line Record except for the carbon housing sleeve that allows the Record to be lighter. Since saving a few grams is not a priority I believe I've made a wise selection. Quite.