Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Another Snow Bike Upgrade


5 minutes ago I was nice and healthy. In that time, it seems that I have come down with a cold: congestion, sneezing and wheezing. What's with that?? Just in time for Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving EVERYONE! I have 4 days off work!!! After spending 4.5 hours of testifying for a fraud case on Tuesday, I NEED A BREAK FROM WORK!!!
My new wheels are finished. 1.5 inches wide, downhill rims but also used here for riding in snow. Wider rim + lower pressure = more squared tire = larger footprint = more floatation on snow.


Everything was going smoothly to get them on my Kona winter bike. The cassette came off the original freehub fairly easy, I didn't have to round up any extra muscle to get it off. I got it mounted on the new wheel and then started working on realigning the chainline, the cassette is a seven speed and the new freehub is for a 9 speed so I had to add spacers. The cassette is now further out than it was so adjustments to both derailleurs and the high and low screws. I got it all shifting smoothly, the brakes adjusted for the new rims...ready to go except for the tires mounted on the rims....


That's were it all ended.


Nokians are really great but I just CAN"T get them off and on. Twenty minutes, hands sore from the studs, the rubber coating looking like it might separate from the bead if I continue. So I stop. Damn.


I grab Capt'n Balance's Schwalbe Ice Spikers and get them mounted with no problem. I go out for a test ride but pretty quickly notice the Ice Spikers just don't grab the same as my Nokian. It was a beautiful ride, it was snowing big, fluffy flakes and about 20 degrees. Perfect for winter riding. Bike Boy was on his snowmachine packing me a bike trail over the hill and through the woods. I tried filming it with my camera but I need to figure out a way to mount the camera, holding it doesn't work. The test ride confirms I want the Nokians on my bike.


So to Bike Guy I go with the new wheelset and the old wheels with the Nokians. Bike guy gets them off the old wheels in about 33.7 seconds and mounted on the new wheels in an additional 42.1 seconds. He says it's all hand strength and I ain't got it. Yeah, I know.


So my bike is ready to go with the new wheels and Nokians. I was looking forward to going for another nice snow ride this holiday weekend but the temperature was 48 degrees at 5 am this morning when I got up for my morning ride. Everything is melting fast, icy slush and puddles everywhere. Slush so thick the front wheel doesn't like to move. Sheesh, it's more like spring break-up than the end of November.


Some people like this warm weather but I don't. My winter bike is busting to get out and ride and so am I. Winter should be COLD!

8 comments:

Karen Travels said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you!!

I agree - winter should be frozen and snowy, not cold and wet.(Of course, here in NC the winter is currently warm and dry...but thats a whole different story!!)

I hope you feel better!! Have a great vacation!

Dan said...

I use this clamp from Campmor to hold my camera on rides. It works pretty well.

(Picture here)

Chris said...

Wow. It is colder in Tx. 38 right now. Happy Thankmsgiving.

amidnightrider said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Full moon over Cape Cod tonight. It's cool, bright and brisk. Perfect for a night time bike ride.

The Donut Guy said...

As I write this, it's 47 degrees where you are and 47 degrees here in PA.

I'm perfectly okay with 47 degrees by the way:-)

What size are your Nokians? I have a friend that runs studded Nikians (skinny ones) on his cross bike. It sounds like a freight train when he rides on bare pavement....

Unknown said...

What is the white stuff outside in your photo? Damn, I am not ready for that yet.
Too warm? You are much tougher than I am. It is in the 30's and I am ready to pack the bikes away.
Have fun in the snow!

Nathan said...

Nokians, at least the Hakk 106s I use, are some tight tires. That makes it all the more important to line the bead you're trying to remove along the center of the rim, where it's deepest.

Might prove prudent to practice should you need to repair a flat on the trail some time.

Michelle said...

Now the cold is back but we have no snow again! Pretty weird to have been warmer than TEXAS!

I'm looking into that clamp, thanks Dan!

My nokian's are 2.1 or something like that, wide mountain studded knobbies.

Yes, I agree I need to get the Nokians figured out in case of a flat. I just am not really sure how to figure it out: hand strength like Bike Guys says or technique or both.