It's been a while since I got a new bike (not that long--I got an Appaloosa about 9 months ago)--but it seemed like longer than that, and I wanted to get a CLEM-L 59 before they were gone, and if we were down to two I'd feel bad for taking one of them and depriving somebody of this bike and Rivendell of they money.
We've been talking a little but not a lot about one-speeds. I have a track-dropout one-speed, but it was made in my less enlightened days, so it doesn't have what I want in a one-speed.
Will and Dave are sold on one-speeds with vertical dropouts and chain tensioners. They don't think all others are dumb, but they like them. Will's ridden his Hunqapillar this way a lot.
Most of my widmeek riding is a short commute to here, but I often stretch it slightly a charge up hills a 100 percent effort, and it's the short bursty stuff I do it for, not for speed, so at that point the gears don't matter and a one-speed will do.
And my daughter's been riding her Glorius and parking it where anybody can steal it, leaving it out in the dark for a few hours--and that's all good and all--I'm a big believer in riding good bikes for hobo tasks and not worrying too much about them (easy for me to say I hear you say). But even so I thought a CLEM we could both ride might be good for night-locking.
I really like the Grilver color, too, and I already have a green and mustard something (Mustard CLEM-L 52). Listen, I get to buy a bike on a whim now and then. It's good for me, I get a BLAHG out of it, and it's fun and doesn't hurt anybody.
Here's my new single-speed CLEM-L----
I'll put reflective tape on the tires instead.
Yes, this is what's going on there. It's a Shimano tensioner. Pretty easy to work, but dang, in looking at this pic I notice the chain is too long to let me use the small front ring. I really hope Mark fixes that. (I put it all together...)
Around here and on the phone I think we call these "basketball tires." They're 700x42 and on the wide DM-24 rim they measure 41.5. Ripped off!
I drilled and spiked these pedals. I thought ten set screws would be enough--five per pedal--but I forgot that pedals have two sides. Well, Ace didn't have 20, anyway, but could have gotten four more. I may go there today, but the thing is--once I put a pedal onto a crank, I don't want to take it off and mess with it anymore. The pedals don't need spikeys, but I like some, anyway.
RIGHT GRIP. I'll ball-cock it later.
This left grip is ball-cocked, but I need to shellac the orange.
This is a good looking decal.
CLEM SMITH JR is a hobo. He lives underground. We're not making fun of hobo or living there. Hobo means "homeward bound," I heard from somebody who wasn't a hobo. I hope they all get homes. I was a hobo for a two days in 1979. That was the year ET came out, and Breaking Away, and the first commercial mtn bike was made. I think there were no good songs from '79, unless Bob Dylan had an album that years.
This bike rides dreamily. It needs a bag and basket and fenders, and lights. We're going to get a new (well, resurrected) bag for the holidays. It's top secret, but it doesn't have to be. Want to see how the internal correspondence goes? OK, here's the bag and some notes to the maker on the first sample:
It may not be clear here, but it will be to the maker. I'm not stuck on the rivets.
------ a friend just sent me this link. (I added the comments). Sheesh.
OH...as of today it's back to normal and pictureless. Good, it can stay that way.
------Bike Update----
I think I prefer heavier wheels, but it goes pretty good with these. Fenders before it rain. I've got lights on it already. I like the underailer it has to take up the chain slack, but I wonder why not just put a derailer on it? THen if I opt for gears again it'll be all ready. There are ways to scoot the derailer pulleys under the desired cog and keep it there.