My Sweet New Ride

Marian said:

700c X 41 tires with fenders and there is STILL frame clearance.
Amazing.

You are going to love that more and more over time.

Chalo

Marian said:

Pictures Coming Soon

It's like the axe that has had the head replaced five times and the
handle three times but is still the same axe.

I have decided that the soul of a bike is in the left-hand handlebar
tape. This is very important because the left-hand handlebar tape is
the only original component left on this bike. And despite the wishes
of the bike shop, especially when part of said handlebar tape was torn
(so we'll re-wrap with TWO seperate colors, okay?) I'm keeping it.

I am now the proud owner of a sparkly dark teal Panasonic touring bike
courtesy of Yellow Jersey. It was my commission for translator duties
on a large batch of weird stuff that Andrew ordered from China (which
is just about ready to ship).

Although it is not Celeste colored it is teal and it is a nice bike
and teal + nice bike can only possibly equal Bianchi. Perhaps P looks
like a B to Chinese eyes or something cause I've had not one, not two,
not three, but four people already say "oooh Bianchi" and it hasn't
even been a week since the frameset arrived.

The stem is cheaper than the brake cables. This will have to be
rectified as soon as possible. It was, however, the only solution
possible for finding a threaded stem that didn't come with a bike
already attached to it and I had to go down the street to the cheap
Chinese bike shaped object store to get it.

The front brake is almost as cheap as the stem. One of those
unfortunate not-in-stock problems and there weren't any V-brakes that
they had two of this week. I'm pretty sure that the rear brake is not
supposed to stop the bike better than the front brake but the mechanic
was very insistent. It's not that the front brake does a bad job so
much that the rear brake does a very good job.

Are you using proper pull levers for the V brakes? Even pretty crummy
V brakes can be set up to work fairly well with the right levers.

Quoted message said:

Alivio rear derailleur, 11-28 mountain bike cassette, FSA triple
30-40-53, standard non brifter Shimano brakes to which I will soon
also be adding a pair of Tektro cross levers, Brooks saddle, ... it's
so cush.

AFAIK, Shimano does not make a brake lever and Tektro does not make a
cross lever that is compatible with V brakes--might want to look into
sourcing some cantis--which may be pretty rare over there, or you
might be able to pull some off an old junky mtb. Alternately, dispense
with thoughts of cross levers and get some DiaCompe or Tektro levers
compatible with Vees. The Tektro RL520 are inexpensive and in common
distribution these days--might solve your braking issues.

The Panasonic looks to be a cool bike. I'd love to have a [censored] colored
brown one.

Quoted message said:

Alivio rear derailleur, 11-28 mountain bike cassette, FSA triple
30-40-53, standard non brifter Shimano brakes levers to which I will soon
also be adding a pair of Tektro cross levers, Brooks saddle, ... it's
so cush.

Also 28 spoke 105 hubs (is what I already had) laced to Alex Rims,
Tiagra front derailleur, and my name painted on the top tube
underneath the clear coat.

still needs to get a rose, an overly philosophic four character
idiom[1] on the downtube, and lowrider front racks. I'm thinking
about headlights but would rather not ride at night if possible and
not having a light is a good way to avoid riding at night.

Double plus good is that it's a take apart frame!

-M

[1] Chinese idioms have so many layers of meaning most Chinese people
have trouble explaining what they mean. "Horse horse tiger tiger",
for example, means "only so-so". I'm basing my poetry on the phrase
that usually gets translated as "bon voyage" but which would be better
translated as "one path favorable wind" or "may every road you travel
in life be accompanied by a tailwind". I'm then adding the radical
for disease to the character for wind (which will only change the
tones but not the pronunciation) making it into "insanity" so that it
will read "may every road you travel in life be favorably accompanied
by insanity"

landotter [email protected] said:

Marian said:

Pictures Coming Soon

Quoted message said:

It's like the axe that has had the head replaced five times and the
handle three times but is still the same axe.

Quoted message said:

I have decided that the soul of a bike is in the left-hand handlebar
tape. This is very important because the left-hand handlebar tape is
the only original component left on this bike. And despite the wishes
of the bike shop, especially when part of said handlebar tape was torn
(so we'll re-wrap with TWO seperate colors, okay?) I'm keeping it.

Quoted message said:

I am now the proud owner of a sparkly dark teal Panasonic touring bike
courtesy of Yellow Jersey. It was my commission for translator duties
on a large batch of weird stuff that Andrew ordered from China (which
is just about ready to ship).

Quoted message said:

Although it is not Celeste colored it is teal and it is a nice bike
and teal + nice bike can only possibly equal Bianchi. Perhaps P looks
like a B to Chinese eyes or something cause I've had not one, not two,
not three, but four people already say "oooh Bianchi" and it hasn't
even been a week since the frameset arrived.

Quoted message said:

The stem is cheaper than the brake cables. This will have to be
rectified as soon as possible. It was, however, the only solution
possible for finding a threaded stem that didn't come with a bike
already attached to it and I had to go down the street to the cheap
Chinese bike shaped object store to get it.

Quoted message said:

The front brake is almost as cheap as the stem. One of those
unfortunate not-in-stock problems and there weren't any V-brakes that
they had two of this week. I'm pretty sure that the rear brake is not
supposed to stop the bike better than the front brake but the mechanic
was very insistent. It's not that the front brake does a bad job so
much that the rear brake does a very good job.

Are you using proper pull levers for the V brakes? Even pretty crummy
V brakes can be set up to work fairly well with the right levers.

Quoted message said:

Alivio rear derailleur, 11-28 mountain bike cassette, FSA triple
30-40-53, standard non brifter Shimano brakes to which I will soon
also be adding a pair of Tektro cross levers, Brooks saddle, ... it's
so cush.

AFAIK, Shimano does not make a brake lever and Tektro does not make a
cross lever that is compatible with V brakes--might want to look into
sourcing some cantis--which may be pretty rare over there, or you
might be able to pull some off an old junky mtb. Alternately, dispense
with thoughts of cross levers and get some DiaCompe or Tektro levers
compatible with Vees. The Tektro RL520 are inexpensive and in common
distribution these days--might solve your braking issues.

Cantis ... mwahahahahah ... do you know how much trouble I had to go
to to get a threaded stem? And I'm desperately hoping the bike shop
owner brings me home a nice one from the Shanghai International Bike
Expo cause this one is a) badly machined, b) a bit too short, and c)
butt ugly.

I don't really have braking issues per se except that the front brake
sucks. Not being given an in-stock option for two nice brakes I got
one that was 300rmb and one that was 50rmb. The wrench insisted that
putting the [censored] brake on the back would be equivalent to not having a
rear brake and the difference is really noticeable in that thinking
hard at my rear brake makes the bike STOP while it takes a definite
squeeze to get a slowdown on the front.

I mean, despite being Shimano, this front brake is so bad that I can't
manage to get the standard disconnect to take the wheel off thing
happen. Thought it was just me but after quite a bit of fiddling the
wrench also ended up using a hex key to disconnect the wire.

Quoted message said:

The Panasonic looks to be a cool bike. I'd love to have a [censored] colored
brown one.-

Just be aware that the colors (at least the sparkly ones) look a bit
different screen to real life. My digital camera screen comes up with
the same color as my computer screen but that is not quite the same
color as the bike.

Sounds like someone got what they wanted :-3) Still waiting for those
sweet pictures.

As for a good quality threaded headset: Stronglight A9. Nuff said.

- -
Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

My website:
http://geocities.com/czcorner

Marian said:

Pictures Coming Soon

It's like the axe that has had the head replaced five times and the
handle three times but is still the same axe.

I have decided that the soul of a bike is in the left-hand handlebar
tape.  This is very important because the left-hand handlebar tape is
the only original component left on this bike.  And despite the wishes
of the bike shop, especially when part of said handlebar tape was torn
(so we'll re-wrap with TWO seperate colors, okay?) I'm keeping it.

I am now the proud owner of a sparkly dark teal Panasonic touring bike
courtesy of Yellow Jersey.  It was my commission for translator duties
on a large batch of weird stuff that Andrew ordered from China (which
is just about ready to ship).

Although it is not Celeste colored it is teal and it is a nice bike
and teal + nice bike can only possibly equal Bianchi.  Perhaps P looks
like a B to Chinese eyes or something cause I've had not one, not two,
not three, but four people already say "oooh Bianchi" and it hasn't
even been a week since the frameset arrived.

The stem is cheaper than the brake cables.  This will have to be
rectified as soon as possible.  It was, however, the only solution
possible for finding a threaded stem that didn't come with a bike
already attached to it and I had to go down the street to the cheap
Chinese bike shaped object store to get it.

The front brake is almost as cheap as the stem.  One of those
unfortunate not-in-stock problems and there weren't any V-brakes that
they had two of this week.  I'm pretty sure that the rear brake is not
supposed to stop the bike better than the front brake but the mechanic
was very insistent.  It's not that the front brake does a bad job so
much that the rear brake does a very good job.

I'm offending people by using downtube shifters.  Next step will be to
put a _bell_ on it and a double kickstand.  Retrogression with a
purpose.  I want everything on the bike to be something I can
theoretically (with enough time) adjust myself.

700c X 41 tires with fenders and there is STILL frame clearance.
Amazing.

Three attach points on that rear fender and it goes down far enough
over the wheel that I can't stand the bike up vertical without banging
it.  That's some real serious fenderage.

Dahon Biologic Pump Post still puts the seat a smidgen higher than
optimal leg length but unless I want to find a very very very long
file and do something about the inside of the bottle cage holes I'm
out of luck.  At least I don't see any way I can cut the post though
I'll be working on that problem

Most of the bits and pieces on it come from the previous non-race
bike.  With the exception of the left handlebar tape, the front inner
tube, the seatpost, the seatpost collar, and the brakes everything on
that bike had been changed at least once.  The new pump post, the
inner tubes that go with hugemongous tires, and the V-brakes put end
to that.  It's why I've got to keep the left handlebar tape.

Alivio rear derailleur, 11-28 mountain bike cassette, FSA triple
30-40-53, standard non brifter Shimano brakes to which I will soon
also be adding a pair of Tektro cross levers, Brooks saddle, ... it's
so cush.

-M

Congratulations on your new bike. I think it is great when someone
takes the trouble to describe in an interesting manner how they built
their bike and why. Out here on the very edge of the known bicycling
world, that's the only way to "see" the kaleidoscope of bikes out
there.

I see that you're a poet, and in a foreign language at that, which
explains a lot; having worked in languages other than my mother tongue
all my life, I believe it sharpens the mind to expectations and
viewpoints at a tangent, and your desscription of your bike is pretty
good example.

Andre Jute
A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation. --H.H.Munro
("Saki"😉(1870-1916)

Visit Jute on Amps at http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/
"wonderfully well written and reasoned information
for the tube audio constructor"
John Broskie TubeCAD & GlassWare
"an unbelievably comprehensive web site
containing vital gems of wisdom"
Stuart Perry Hi-Fi News & Record Review

Andre Jute said:

Marian said:

Pictures Coming Soon

Quoted message said:

It's like the axe that has had the head replaced five times and the
handle three times but is still the same axe.

Quoted message said:

I have decided that the soul of a bike is in the left-hand handlebar
tape.  This is very important because the left-hand handlebar tape is
the only original component left on this bike.  And despite the wishes
of the bike shop, especially when part of said handlebar tape was torn
(so we'll re-wrap with TWO seperate colors, okay?) I'm keeping it.

Quoted message said:

I am now the proud owner of a sparkly dark teal Panasonic touring bike
courtesy of Yellow Jersey.  It was my commission for translator duties
on a large batch of weird stuff that Andrew ordered from China (which
is just about ready to ship).

Quoted message said:

Although it is not Celeste colored it is teal and it is a nice bike
and teal + nice bike can only possibly equal Bianchi.  Perhaps P looks
like a B to Chinese eyes or something cause I've had not one, not two,
not three, but four people already say "oooh Bianchi" and it hasn't
even been a week since the frameset arrived.

Quoted message said:

The stem is cheaper than the brake cables.  This will have to be
rectified as soon as possible.  It was, however, the only solution
possible for finding a threaded stem that didn't come with a bike
already attached to it and I had to go down the street to the cheap
Chinese bike shaped object store to get it.

Quoted message said:

The front brake is almost as cheap as the stem.  One of those
unfortunate not-in-stock problems and there weren't any V-brakes that
they had two of this week.  I'm pretty sure that the rear brake is not
supposed to stop the bike better than the front brake but the mechanic
was very insistent.  It's not that the front brake does a bad job so
much that the rear brake does a very good job.

Quoted message said:

I'm offending people by using downtube shifters.  Next step will be to
put a _bell_ on it and a double kickstand.  Retrogression with a
purpose.  I want everything on the bike to be something I can
theoretically (with enough time) adjust myself.

Quoted message said:

700c X 41 tires with fenders and there is STILL frame clearance.
Amazing.

Quoted message said:

Three attach points on that rear fender and it goes down far enough
over the wheel that I can't stand the bike up vertical without banging
it.  That's some real serious fenderage.

Quoted message said:

Dahon Biologic Pump Post still puts the seat a smidgen higher than
optimal leg length but unless I want to find a very very very long
file and do something about the inside of the bottle cage holes I'm
out of luck.  At least I don't see any way I can cut the post though
I'll be working on that problem

Quoted message said:

Most of the bits and pieces on it come from the previous non-race
bike.  With the exception of the left handlebar tape, the front inner
tube, the seatpost, the seatpost collar, and the brakes everything on
that bike had been changed at least once.  The new pump post, the
inner tubes that go with hugemongous tires, and the V-brakes put end
to that.  It's why I've got to keep the left handlebar tape.

Quoted message said:

Alivio rear derailleur, 11-28 mountain bike cassette, FSA triple
30-40-53, standard non brifter Shimano brakes to which I will soon
also be adding a pair of Tektro cross levers, Brooks saddle, ... it's
so cush.

Quoted message said:

-M

Congratulations on your new bike. I think it is great when someone
takes the trouble to describe  in an interesting manner how they built
their bike and why. Out here on the very edge of the known bicycling
world, that's the only way to "see" the kaleidoscope of bikes out
there.

In chronological order, I have changed the crankset, saddle, bottom
bracket, brake levers, downtube shifters, handlebars, fork, rear tire,
cassette, chain, rear derailleur, wheelset, crankset, added granny
gear, changed front derailleur, bottom bracket, stem, rear tire, front
tire, pedals, right hand handlebar tape, headset, frame, fork,
headset, stem, downtube shifters, shifter cables, added front rack,
added fenders, changed brakes, brake cables, chain, seatpost, rear
rack, redrilled the rims for schrader valves, rear tire, front tire,
rear tube, front tube, added low-rider front racks, and changed part
of the left hand handlebar tape.

🙂

Quoted message said:

I see that you're a poet, and in a foreign language at that, which
explains a lot; having worked in languages other than my mother tongue
all my life, I believe it sharpens the mind to expectations and
viewpoints at a tangent, and your desscription of your bike is pretty
good example.

While I am a Chinese translator living in China please take note that
English is my native language and I'm an American citizen.

Though, on the topic of writing in foreign languages, there is an
essay I wrote as a homework assignment on cycling which the local
university is (at least as of the last time I checked) still using in
the comprehensive reading section for year two Chinese midterms.

Quoted message said:

Andre Jute
A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation. --H.H.Munro
("Saki"😉(1870-1916)

(It's Chris) said:

Sounds like someone got what they wanted :-3) Still waiting for those
sweet pictures.

Just got the get them off the camera and on the net.

Quoted message said:

As for a good quality threaded headset: Stronglight A9. Nuff said.

The eternal problem is the whole "in China" part of it. Threaded
headsets fall into gray space below good (ie - replacement parts
wanted) and above horrible (ie - replacement parts necessary) and
while the shop has (a truly amazing number of) contacts who can
provide (a truly amazing number of things including) threaded stems
they are all nearly as [censored] as the one I'm currently using.

Unless of course I want to buy a stem with a bike attached to it.
Quite a number of reasonably nice threaded stems that come with
surprisingly tolerable bikes attached to them.

-M