Totally Not Tubular

What a dry spell since my last blog post! You really gotta be motivated with ideas and subject matter to write about in order to keep a well maintained blog. If you're not producing a couple of entries per week the search engines wont even recognize your blog. The purpose of this exercise has been to journal the process of building a new bicycle from square one, piece by piece, and record my thoughts and experiences throughout. And what could make following my chronicle of the venture interesting is the fact that I've never done this before. That is build a bicycle from the ground up...but also keep a blog as well. It's been a challenge though authoring a worthwhile read when the bicycle build is so drawn out and having not much to write about in the meantime.

Entering into the wheel phase of the Soma Smoothie build I had the opportunity to choose tubular tires over clinchers, which I've ridden on my whole life. Those who have tubulars will say there is a noticeable difference in ride quality. They will praise their superiority. Despite this there are good reasons to go with clinchers. To begin with, I am a recreational rider. I doubt the improvement in quality of ride will benefit me much. The performance level of tubulars is appropriate for professionals and avid racers, not really this "soul rider". Second, when I have a flat on the road somewhere far from home I'd much rather have the relative ease of an inner tube change than be faced with the uncertainty of whether or not a sealant will hold up in a tubular tire, or riding the rest of the way home with a replacement tire held on by what ever glue is remaining from the original. I'm sure one day I'll have a second set of wheels and learn of the joys and frustrations of tubulars, until then my primary, singular set of wheels will have clinchers.

Visions Of Dancing On The Pedals

Considering the drawn out manner in which the Soma Smoothie build is coming along I would probably be a good candidate to head up an airliner project at Boeing. The fact is the excess money I have to put into the bike isn't exactly abundant and there are periods, like currently, where I have to devote every single one of my dollars to other expenses and financial responsibilities. O, to be wealthy. But then if I were loaded with cash I could throw down for a dream machine at any moment and just wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much. When this rig is up and running it will be my ride for life. Or something like that. The longer the process, the more meaning there is in the experience

The Hubub Is All About: White Industries H2/H3 Hubs

 

It's too bad they are a couple of the least visible parts on the bike because these White Industries H2 and H3 hubs sure are gorgeous. This kind of bling needs to be on display where it can be easily admired. To say the design and craftsmanship is beautiful would be understated, but then maybe understatement is most appropriate to reflect their simple beauty. A few weeks back I ordered two H2 hubs - one front, one rear. To my surprise what I received was one H2 front hub and one H3 rear hub. A little research revealed that the freehub body of the H3 is an updated design to accommodate the Campagnolo 11-speed systems. A nice convenience for me if I ever replace the 10-speed drive train with an 11. Holding one of these in the hand, they are light - the front is reportedly 97g and rear is 252g. The White Industries rear hub is one of a few brands known for a characteristic noise when it spins. The ratcheting sound of the spinning freehub is not as loud as a Chris King hornet's nest, but it is distinctly louder than most. I'm curious to hear it buzz when I have the Soma Smoothie out on the road.

Velo City, Here We Come

The Velocity Aerohead rims are in hand and they look pretty. They are quite simple looking, but it's a simple beauty. The outer side walls are machined to a shiny metal finish while the rest of the rim is a matte silver. I'm still getting used to the unusual appearance of the rear rim with its off-center design and am curious to see the final wheel build. The idea was this Soma Smoothie would be an American-Italian venture, though with the Shimano pedals and now these Aussie made rings it is a multi-nation union. The hubs are on order and I will be building the wheels myself, a project I'm excited to begin. I'll be documenting the process in this very blog. These wheels will be sweet.

Mercy Seat: Selle San Marco Zoncolan

The Selle San Marco Zoncolan is not made of gold, nor is it accompanied by the angelic presence of cherubim. It is however deceivingly comfortable and freaking light as a feather. My hope is that with this seat when I am attacking a particularly steep climb on the Soma Smoothie I will feel the heavenly wings of those cherubim carry me upward to the summit. The Zoncolon is long, lean and versitle, designed to accomodate the agility needed for moving around and out of the saddle when climbing. The nose has a little extra padding as well. At first I found the design of the nose a bit odd looking, but soon came to really love it's flair. Quality materials went into this seat with a leather cover and titanium rails. Bike Radar gave it a glowing review, but user reviews I have found have been mixed. Only time in this saddle will tell if it is well suited for me.

One Piece at a Time

That is how it is for the opportunistic auto factory worker in the Johnny Cash song of the same name who can't afford to buy a whole Cadillac so he builds one by stealing parts from his employer one by one over many years. And so goes my bicycle, coming together component by component, one piece at a time. Although I am doing it in a much quicker fashion (one year versus 24), the parts are actually compatible with another, and I am paying for them rather than sneaking them away from a General Motors assembly line. Over the course of this process I have not been able to help myself from associating the song with my experience and I hear Johnny's voice in my head singing, "I got it one piece at a tiiiime." It has become the theme of this build. Who would've thought there'd be a link between The Man in Black and bicycles?

A Praise Chorus: Campagnolo Chorus D Brake Set

Campagnolo Centaur Skeleton brakes, the decision had already been made for some time. They are in the right price range and offer the level of performance suited for my riding. From what I could gather they are similar in quality to the previous generation Chorus D brakes. Between the two I leaned toward the Centaur because of the updated design, although that was not a deal breaker. As it happened on the very day I was prepared to put down my money this Chorus D brake set appeared to me in the form of a sweet discounted sale price at Cambria Bicycle Outfitter. An amount I didn't need to consider more than once. From time to time Cambria offers 20% off of the already discounted "Hot Deals". This just so happened to be one of those deals. Goodbye Centaur Skeleton., hello Chorus D. I actually like the classic design of these very much, so it turned out for the best.