Grant Petersen's very popular book "Just Ride" basically describes the difference between what we have come to know as a "cyclist" and someone who simply rides a bike.  Differences being mostly about bicycle race marketing cliches and riding on'e bike in a more comfortable appreciative mode of identifying one's own ride whatever that might mean to you.  

"Ride your own ride" I have enjoyed saying from time to time, knowing there are no absolutes and there are exceptions to every rule. If you have spent any time at all commuting where bike lanes are not prevalent or bicycle commuting just hasn't had its place in the area you live then you probably realized at some point that some rules are made to be broken anyway.  That may contribute to the popularity of converting a mountain bike for bike commuting.  Converting can be as simple as replacing heavy knobby tires with tires which provide less rolling resistance or something in between.  Other additional changes to a mountain bike might be replacing the stem or handlebars to provide a more comfortable riding position or adding fenders and or racks.

Whereas a traditional touring bike is based on a fairly standard idea of frame geometry for comfort for extended time on the saddle, a commuter bike is mostly defined by the rider's commuting needs depending mostly upon road conditions and cargo needs.  Some bike commuter folks may not find it necessary to install a front rack for panniers, while some find it convenient for their bike camping or other touring bike needs.

New is good, change is good, so when we heard that experienced mountain bike tour leader Alessandro Ferrrara decided to provide tours from his home town of Palermo, Sicily we wanted to give it a "blog about".

Located in the beautiful town of Palermo a variety of mountain bike tours are provided granting access to the diverse and abundant riding opportunities that Sicily has to offer.  Discover vast tracks of ocean front tours or ride the higher elevations for spectacular views of Mount Etna, either way Sikania MTB Cycling Tours has you covered.  Offering accommodations for lodging, bike and helmet rentals or van transport this bike touring company knows how to care for and look after their customers assuring a safe, adventurous and fun time whatever your mountain biking skill level might be.

Providing one, two, three and six day tour package options all offering different sights and trail riding terrain, Sikania MTB Cycling Tours can assure your particular mountain bike tour will be personally fulfilling as they are also offering Customized mountain bike tours upon customer request.

Dubbed "Sikania" referring to an ancient term referring to Sicily, eighteen year mountain biking veteran Alessandro Ferrara brings his riding expertise and experience as well as his knowledge of his home town of Palermo lending a knowledgeable and down home charm to the exquisite beauty that is Sicily.

For more information contact visit Sikania MTB Cycling Tours to view their many unique bicycle touring features as well as to ask questions regarding your personal interests for visiting Sicily. 

Found this beautifully crafted bike from Razesa complete with steel lugged frame, Campagnolo crank set, Nitto bars and stem at our local thrift store for $65.  

As I am a reasonable person I allowed the bike to sit at their listed price of $90 and felt that I would allow another person who needs a bike more than me (I have several) an opportunity to purchase the bike.  I would routinely pass by and watch folks consider getting the bike and ultimately decide not to.  After a week I went and haggled the price down to $65 as the bike was missing rear brake pads and the original down tube shifter. 
For a bike like the Razesa I wanted to get the original Ultegra shifter and brake pads so the bike would be kept in its' original, standard component class.  After finding the parts for less than twenty bucks on ebay, replacing cables and giving it a tune up this bike is a smooth, fast retro classic that simply feels good on the road. 

It is difficult to find much information about Razesa, a company perhaps best known for providing a bike for Miguel Indurain's first of his five consecutive Tour de France victories.  Other than that the best information was provided by a guy in one of the forums I found while researching this bike.  Information he provided is given in the following quote.

"Hi, i have a razesa, from the 80´s and like razesas, i am from Spain. Razesa is a small company from the north of Spain, from Navarra. Navarra is near Pais Vasco, also in Spain, with a great tradition in cycling and steel making. From Pais Vasco are also the brands BH, Orbea y Zeus. BH is the most important, everybody here had a BH when we were kids :) Now Orbea is as important as BH. Zeus made bicycles and components, but its now closed.

In the 80´s with the great demand of road bikes, all brands colaborated, because they sell more bikes than they can make. So Zeus made components that were used by BH and Razesa, Razesa made frames for Zeus and i think also for BH because my Razesa is exactly as some BH i see.

In the 90´s with the mountain bike explosion, these brands were specialized in road bikes, so, it were bad times. BH and Orbea began to make mountain bikes and continue production, but Zeus and Razesa were in trouble. Zeus close and Razesa was almost in bankrupt. The owners sell the company to the workers and they continue making steel frames for track, and distribute carbon frames ( i think they imported them ) they also made taylor made steel frames".

Razesa won a tour de france with Banesto team and Miguel Indurain, so is part of the history of cycling. My razesa, from the late eigties is a fine bike, cromed and painted, with lugwork. Campagnolo, huret, cinelli and zeus components. Weight about 10 kgs.

This bike is a dream to ride with classic steel lugged Columbus tubing, Nitto handlebars and stem it's a very nice piece of cycling's history and I'm honored to have had the opportunity to repair such a quality bike as this Razesa.  

For more information visit Cycle Exif's blog article regarding the Razesa bike company and to view some very nice photos of Zeus components.

Bike discussed here is a 59cm frame with Mavic 27 x 1 1/4 wheels with Ultegra components and Campagnolo crank set.  

Lisa is such a good photographer and I appreciate her so much, here are some photos of recent touring bike build and front rack product review pics.  Click on any image to view it or click on link to our flickr set.

One of the most difficult bike restoration projects is clear coating a steel frame as there are so many options on how to accomplish the task and of course not all of them work very well.

Last year when I found an old Puch Bergmeister in the back of a pickup truck headed for the scrap metal yard I looked it over to see if it was worth doing anything with as the rust had all but destroyed the frame. With chain rusted solid, paint deterioration and surface rust it looked as though the frame may had gotten too pitted to be salvaged.

For ten bucks, which is what the scrap metal yard was shelling out for scrap I decided to get the bike to the shop and take it from there.  

There are several methods for removing paint from a frame but due to the paint deterioration and rust I employed the most commonly used wire brushes, wire wheels on a drill, sand paper and Boshield Rust Free rust remover.  After removing the worst of the corrosion I decided to strip off the rest of the paint with Easy Off oven cleaner.  That worked very well and is much less labor intensive than the other methods.  After spraying the cleaner on and watching the effortlessly drip the paint off the frame I repeated three or four times to get all the paint and residual corrosion removed. Then came the hard work of wire bushing, sanding and polishing working the surface and prepping it for a clear coat.

After I felt the prep work of the exterior surface was complete and after initial inspection of interior of frame which determined the possibility of this bike restoration project, it was necessary to treat the interior of this bike frame to prevent future rust or corrosion.  There are two choices of product for this application eitherJ.P. Weigels Bicycle Frame Saver Rust Inhibitor or the newer less heard of Pro Gold Steel Frame Protector.  Pro Gold has been well reviewed as it is reported to be able treat several frames with one can but I haven't worked with that product.  

The biggest question is what type of clear coating works best for applying to bare steel and cost relative to over all value of the bike.  Powder coating with a clear coat was not necessary and other bike restoration guys were not entirely pleased with the results when compared to how much it cost.  After much research and bouncing some ideas around we narrowed it down to two choices.  Everbrite Protectaclear or the newer Glisten PC available from the trusted and highly reputable Por 15 Paint Poducts which are used for automotive restoration and painting projects.  

Because the Everbrite Product was a mere $19.95 I thought I would try that first and requires a specific surface preparation method as do all paint products but if you're going to use Protectaclear you have must use Maas Metal Polish to clean and buff out the surface for proper adhesion.

Photo at right and at top of page shows the nice look and finish after Maas Polish and Everbrite Protectaclear were applied.  At the time we were completing this project the newer product mentioned earlier Glisten PC was not available. Although we like how the frame looks with the Everbrite product we have decided to consider a can of Glisten PC for $34.95 and see if it provides better protection from mild rusting.  Here along the Texas Gulf Coast humidity and salt air are factors that contribute to rusting. 

Our results after a year of storing the bike outside allowing rain and weather to test the Everbrite Coating we are relatively pleased with the results.
For average daily bike commuter use this product would be sufficient in maintaining a rust free frame with the bike being stored in doors when not being ridden.  However, for a more durable coating and perhaps a more aesthetically pleasing look we are considering the new steel clear coat product Glisten PC.

This has been a popular topic in forums with folks asking lots of questions about clear coating a bare steel frame so thought I'd give it a "blog about".  Visit the links listed below for more information regarding this topic.

Forum Discussion
Blog Article Opposed to Clear Coating Steel Frames
Lovely Bicycle Blog Article 
Sheldon Brown Article for Steel Frame Prep and Paint
Italian Frame Builder Who Clear Coats Frames

I will start off by saying just about any breed of dog is good for bike enthusiasts and getting a dog from the pound is even better.  I am a dog lover having grown up with dogs as a kid I learned at a young age how joy their company brings to a home and atmosphere.  

I would love to find an old polaroid from the late '60's of our English Bulldog riding a tricycle for this article and as fun loving, docile and affectionate as our old Polly was she couldn't keep up with a lot of activities such as mountain biking.  Years later in my early twenties I found myself living with a black Labrador Retriever that my stoned out brother simply couldn't find the energy to care for.  Perhaps he should have put the bong down but that's another story, or not.  My brother had named him Peter and would send me paw printed letters showing the dog's growth while I was in boot camp for the Coast Guard. 

After being stationed in Neah Bay, Washington I found so many opportunities for mountain biking, quiet dirt roads offered casual scenic bike routes to bike on the wilderness beaches and a town with no traffic lights and only one stop sign is a mountain biking haven. It was an ideal environment to have a dog and our Captain at the time agreed to let Peter stay on as the station mascot making it so much easier to keep Peter from being cooped up in the barracks. A few years later Peter met another Black Lab mix while we were camping in the Lena Creek Wilderness area on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state.  She was a magnificently agile dog who after finding her starving in the woods pregnant at what the veterinarian approximated to be nine months old, she had to have her puppies aborted and lived a long healthy life with me and Pete.    

After my two dogs had passed away and each of them had lived to be thirteen years old I wasn't sure about having another dog in my life. That was until I met my new best friend in the form of a Catahoula puppy. I had never even heard of such a thing and had no idea that was his breed as I had found him at the dog pound and he seemed mellow enough compared to the other rowdy mutts, all of which would have made fun biking dogs. I was actually looking for a smaller dog that I could carry in my bike trailer and would let out once we arrived at the bike trails.  That was my plan anyhow and Puppy just kept growing and growing.  One day while at a petsmart store a woman in charge of "doggie day care" commented "that's a good looking Catahoula you have there".  What the what?  

Yep, there's lots of information on the Catahoula Mountain Cur from Louisiana and sure sounds like a mountain biker's dog to me.  When he was little he patiently allowed me to put him in a pet carrier, which I placed into a single wheeled bike trailer and after a block or two he didn't seem to like it much as I could feel him throwing a mild fit causing the trailer to do some fish tailing.  We didn't try that again as he grew to just about sixty pounds and doesn't fit in a pet carrier for my bike trailer.  As this type of dog needs to run a couple hours a day or so he's now a fun trail riding, bike camping buddy.  We practiced this racing each other on the single track around the dome workshop and after several attempts by him to bite my shin I gave him a love tap with my front rack and he has settled down knowing not to bite me when I ride.  This was a recent topic at MTBR Forums and thought I'd give my good buddy a "blog about".

While I have been refurbishing some older classic touring bikes that find new homes with bike commuters I seem to always display some reluctance in letting them go. Lisa laughs about this and says "that's one of the things I love about you, you love bikes so much that they're all gems".  

She's right about that, however it's not only the bike itself often it's the hard work and effort of putting a bike back in working order so that it rides as it was meant to ride. Today a gal is coming to look at this old gem of a touring bike in the form of a Motobecane Prestige.  A very rare bike that is designed specifically for a bike commuter with keyed spoke lock, generator lights, original steel chrome rear rack and fenders.  It's not that I rode it all that often but when I would it was fun riding at night with the generator efficiently whizzing along.  Today's after market bottle generators are not of the same quality as the one on this bike made in Germany, doesn't get hot at high speeds, works very well even at very slow speeds and because it is an integrated model with braze on plate for the generator it never needs adjusting.  I had replaced the stem after someone had over tightened the stem bolt breaking the expanding wedge inside the head tube, so that when I replaced the stem as necessary I created a more comfortable riding position.  After adding Schwalbe Marathon 700c x 32 tires providing a durable tire for the generator I considered keeping this bike but at 58cm it is a bit tall for me.  

It's times like this I need to remind myself why I want to sell a bike like this besides the fact it's a bit tall.  I didn't want to replace the rear Mallard hub wheel and I don't like working on those things.  I was barely able to get the wheel trued out enough radially for it to ride without a noticeable hop so that most of the original drive train is intact after replacing the cottered crankset with an inexpensive chrome steel chain guard model.  I like the crankset for the ability to ride with any type of work pants without a pant leg getting frayed and oily.  A very bike commuter friendly ride indeed.  So, as I anticipate bidding that bike a fond farewell this afternoon here are some photos of this retro classic steel lugged frame beauty we like to call Eleanor.  Some of these old classic bikes have a warmth and depth of simple elegance and longevity of performance that lends a comforting vibe to my atmosphere of "Bikeology".  Out with old and in with the new I suppose, not that I need to learn how to let go and move forward but will nonetheless miss the presence of such a fun old touring bike.  For awhile anyway, then I will just keep riding.
Cheers!

Anodized alloy handle bars can often times pose a problem with getting more inexpensive grips to stay in place so that the grips don't twist around on the handlebar.  All sorts of techniques can be used in getting grips to stay in place including the use of hair spray, or simply spend a few extra bucks on some locking grips.

There are lots of quality locking grips on the mountain biking market some of the most popular being the ODI Ruffians, Lizard Skins and Ergon.  With the exception of the Ergon which is an ergonomically hand friendly comfort designed grip most other locking grips designed for mountain bike trail riding do not provide the comfort for longer rides on a touring bike or pleasantries for a bike commuter.  It has been said that whatever part of your body touches the bike it will hurt while you ride.  For this reason the bike market has a plethora of grip designs to choose from, some of which include integrated bar ends for multiple hand positions and are made from a variety of gel, plastics, rubber compounds and even cork.  With so many options it's no wonder there are so many forum discussions on the topic.  

While I appreciate the comfort and design of lots of different grips I also appreciate grips that are durable providing long wear attributes for changing weather conditions.  Bike commuters understand very well that having components and accessories that hold up through varying conditions such as rain, freezing temperatures, UV rays and perspiration is important.  After all one of the perks of being a bike commuter is economic satisfaction of efficient transportation.  So having to replace any components or accessories with any frequency can seem defeating when shelling out extra cash on less than quality products. Why cork? One of the most common complaints is that many of the rubber compounds become sticky after being overly exposed to UV rays.  A durable composite cork like that found on many of the popular handle bar tapes don't incur that issue.  

When shopping for grips the most basic consideration is getting the correct length and if you're using grip shifts getting an appropriately shorter grip specifically designed for that type of shifter.  If you take your bike to your local bike shop that is not an issue as they will most likely have product that they know to be of good quality, economical and comfortable.  However, if you're a consumer who likes to shop online looking for best deals reading product reviews and such narrowing your search for affordable quality grips for your touring bike or commuter needs this article is meant to provide useful information for that search with a list of four of our favorite grips for a touring bike or bike commuter.

Ergon GP1 Biokork Bicycle Handlebar Grip
Ergon's top selling most popular design has a kraton rubber combined with organic cork.  What we like is the large clamping mechanism that is stout and secure while also lending to aesthetics.  

Size options are for the grip's circumference and is the only grip featured here providing such an option. While we like this grip the price is comparable to Portland Design Works all cork model at slightly more than thirty bucks. Whereas the PDW all cork model has an inner locking ring, Ergon's placed their's externally where the ergonomic palm pressure is designed to be applied to the grip and we like that. 

Portland Design Works Cork Chop Bicycle Grips
Though I can't speak directly from experience about these grips, because I'm from Portland, Oregon and due to the fact that PDW makes other high quality components and accessories for the bike commuter we thought we would include their grips here.  
PDW's cork grip design is the only grip featured here that is all cork, single inner locking mechanism, ergonomic shape and as PDW has added "pop the cork and relieve the pressure, it's a celebration".  If their grips anything like the rest of their products that's probably true.  As mentioned previously the price is a bit more than thirty dollars and availability is limited.

MegaSoft Ergotec SL1 Lock-On Grips - Cork
I know little or nothing about this grip but the price of sixteen to seventeen dollars is very agreeable, the only part we disagree with in the design is the inner lock on an ergonomic palm pressure.  

We like to see the ergonomically designed grips having the locking mechanism externally where the pressure is designed to be placed. However, if you're not an aggressive rider and just want a comfortable bike commuter grip, this one may be a winner for the nominal price tag.  Also note that these grips have more rubber to cork than any of the grips listed.

Having owned a bike shop that was an authorized Surly dealer, I've built up a few Surly frames for some very happy folks.  The Long Haul Trucker frameset was my favorite frame to build from Surly and one of the few times that I experienced what is referred to as "bike lust".  

Relaxed frame geometry, extra spoke holders and ability to fit larger tires with fenders and racks it's an excellent frame set for a touring bike. All that is included in the excellently designed Long Haul Trucker fork with longer fork rake, steel crowned forks provide nicer handling than oval forks and of course plenty of threaded eyelets for mounting fender and rack.  

When considering bike anatomy the frame is the most important factor when considering bike purchase.  Things to consider for frame assessment consist of design, materials and quality of building. 

1. Design of a frame especially for a touring bike is very important, long wheel base, relaxed geometry, longer chain stays providing room for rear rack panniers.  Head and seat tube angles not only provide a more relaxed riding position but helps to transmit road vibration away from rider's contact points on the bike, hands and buttocks.
2. Materials of a frame for a touring bike or bike commuter vary and most folks these days prefer good old steel to aluminum or carbon fiber and 4130 chromoly is good quality steel material..  Reasons are many but most notably is steel is easy and inexpensive to repair as well as providing a comfortable, less rigid ride.  
3. Quality of Building is typically something that is acquired over time with a proven reputation.  Surly has established themselves as a quality frame builder not only in the bike touring community but pioneering some of the most innovative fat bike designs and playing a major role in bringing popularity to that style of frame building.

Today, when I look over the specifications of any touring bike frame and fork combo I compare it to the LHT's design. Surly designed a frame and fork that feels to some owners that it rides better when loaded with panniers as it is meant to do than without a load. Lots of folks purchase theLong Haul Trucker as their "all rounder" one bike that does it all for them.  Bike commuter, casual trail rides and of course light or fully loaded solo touring rig the Long Haul Trucker has become extremely popular over the years as proof of Surly's successful design that not only provides superb quality it is reasonably priced.  This is a good time of year to purchase the Long Haul Trucker frameset as quantities are limited and will sell fast, particularly the more common sizes of 54cm, 56cm and 58cm frame sizes.

Once in a while I reminisce about those Surly days at our shop.  Thanks to Surly for providing so many fond memories with their wonderfully designed frame sets.  

Use links provided to in text to shop for your size of Surly Long Haul Trucker use link provided.

Blog is an odd word, not sure who coined the term but it probably comes from the term "mumbo jumbo" or "rigmarole".  This thought came to me about the time I was asked if my recent bike build of a Nashbar mountain bike frame was a "poor man's fat bike wannabe".

Hmm, now it's fairly obvious to me why I thought of word association given the context as the question alone sounded like "mumbo jumbo" and my answer could have been a long explanation sounding like rigmarole.  After further consideration I would sincerely like to thank that person for making such an insulting remark in the form of a question.

Now that it's winter snow bike bunnies everywhere are climbing aboard their lofty fat tire bikes and dashing through the snow without a care in the world, good on 'em as my Texan neighbor would say.  I want to be clear that I am not defending my bike build here, in fact I know it has its' own niche as I've ridden on snow and ice plenty and it is loads of fun. Now realizing that my own bike build is a bit unique and would conjure an association with fat bikes I'm flattered.  I suppose the style resembles a fat bike with the sweeping handle bars, sturdy steel front rack and pseudo fat tires at a mere 2.35 inch tire diameter.  

Now there is no denying that I built this bike "on the cheap" mostly because I was able to without compromising on a quality bike build.  By quality I am suggesting the objective view of the term which is a bit more technical than simply reciting what is read in mountain bike magazines or on the internet. Not that it's all "mumbo jumbo" mind you, just to say hey, I found some incredible prices on some new old stock parts that I wouldn't trade for some of today's top of the line components.  Perhaps I'm a bit of a retro grouch, but that doesn't really apply here. It's more of a work with what you have where you're at scenario and that' that.

What is the best bike for commuting?  This is, for the area I live at that is not accustomed to seeing bike commuters rolling around with cups of coffee and laptop bags on their way to work, no this area's bike commuter lanes resemble deer trails in the forest where commuters have carved out their own bike paths through grass fields where there is the absence of sidewalks.  Upon assessing my bike commuter needs I set about building the "Rigmaroll" it quiets the noisy complaining of bike commuter rhetoric where there are no bike lanes and for an area that isn't considered "bike friendly".  It is now, at least for me anyway, anyhow, the "Rigmaroll" is my best bike for commuting.

After completing the Rigmaroll build and feeling very satisfied with myself and the bike I decided to blend a bit of touring attributes for occasions where I enjoy going off the beaten path, go camping, trail riding and just having access to wide variety of recreational bike touring opportunities, so without further ado we built this touring bike we like to call the "Mumbo Jumbo".  Now, based on the premise of the Maxxis Hookworm claim to be the original fat tire bike at 2.5" wide it's understandable why this mountain touring bike resembles a fat bike.  Kenda Slant Six 2.5" front tire puts this bike at the so called claimed original fat bike size of tire.  Since there's a bit of recent historical data in that reference the "Mumbo Jumbo" resembles that of the original Safety Bike in a classic retro style for a modern bike build that is versatile and practical in every sense without getting lost in rhetorical trends that come and go as planned obsolescence.  A bike built to last surpasses trendy, we love fat bikes.  Having said that, I didn't build it for your approval, I built it because it meets mine.
Cheers!