Mark V

Recent Actions

• Commented on The Rise of the Compact Crank (aka "The Death of the Triple")
  It depends on how much low gear you need. You could get a a 12-27 (I’m assuming you have 9sp or earlier 10sp) to lower the gear a little over your 12-25. If you need a significantly lower gear, then...
• Posted Bont shoes explained (or the parallels of skating and cycling) to Bike Hugger
  Let’s imagine that cycling experiences a decade-long boom in popularity, fueled by media coverage, high profile personalities, and flashy new technology. Then just as suddenly, cycling is no longer cool. I mean, really not cool. The butt of jokes,...
• Posted In the Bike Shop: After Hours to Bike Hugger
  One of the few perks of being a bike shop employee is working off the clock on side projects. My friend just acquired a used Santa Cruz full-suspension, and we needed to do some work on it to get it...
• Commented on Travel Bikes: Couplings and Hinges
  i’ve seen the 6-pack from rodriguez firsthand. basically you use more than 2 S&S couplings to break the bike down into smaller pieces. actually i saw japanese custom builders using this idea on mini velo bikes (adult bikes with wheels...
• Commented on Just Riding Along: Insta-Fixie!
  hidden nipples on wheels: booooo!...
• Posted More Stinger 9 to Bike Hugger
  One wheel (the factory built Stinger 9 FR) glued-up and mounted. Still working on the spoke experiments on the rear rim. I don’t have the correct nipples for this 90mm carbon rim either. Hopefully I can get that straightened...
• Commented on Hed Stinger 9: It's So Deep!
  yeah, if all goes to plan, i’ll be racing these wheels next year....
• Posted Hed Stinger 9: It's So Deep! to Bike Hugger
  Here’s my new Hed Stinger 9 front wheel. It’s really deep profile: 90mm! When you put your Velocity Deep-V wheel into your bike’s dropouts, does your bike ask you “Is it in yet?”...
• Posted Wheel Designs I Hate: Nipples in the Hub to Bike Hugger
  For some reason the past month I’ve been dealing with wheels a lot. I’ve been building a lot of custom wheels and repairing a lot of wheel systems. It’s made what I like and dislike very clear in my mind....
• Posted My Favourite Hub of All Time to Bike Hugger
  The most beautiful bike part in my mind has always been the high-flange Dura Ace track hub. This is a painting I did a while back. To me, art that is focused squarely at a bicycle is limited in its...
• Commented on Our Guide to Cycling Gifts
  so….are these compatible with the older 7800 chainrings and cogs, or do i have to upgrade the rest of my drivetrain to match? and can i use a wax lubricant…i heard it would keep my shirts cleaner...
• Posted Mavic jumps into the tire market to Bike Hugger
  Mavic, traditional purveyor of rims and wheels, has decided to enter the high performance tire market with the K10 tire to go along with the limited edition K10 Yksion version of their Ksyrium wheelset. Really, Mavic? You’re going to make...
• Commented on Replaceable Derailer Hanger gets Replaced
  argh, Byron! I suspected that you hadn’t pulled the derailleur before putting the bike into the S&S case. sorry to break it to you, but derailleurs and hangers are engineered for riding first, not packing. 20” wheel or no, the...
• Commented on aero wheel wisdom
  Since the time I originally wrote this entry, I’ve had a Jet 6 (what Hed is calling the most recent version of the 23mm wide x 60mm tall Jet wheel) plus a similar Jet 6 rim that I laced to...
• Commented on Cyclist Allegedly Hits Child and Rides Away
  seems like there’s not much real data out there about the pending case. the guy will be arraigned in a couple weeks, i guess, so maybe more news then. chances are nothing will come out before then. if he’s part...
• Commented on Return of the Turbo
  I spoke to Steven Merlini, sales manager of Selle Italia, last February, and he explicitly said that they have no plans to recreate the old Turbomatic. He stated that their philosophy is to look forward, rather than rest on past...
• Posted Fillet Brazing This Week to Bike Hugger
  I like fire. I like setting fires. In high school, I used to steal chemicals from the lab so I could colour the family home’s fireplace. LIthium in enough quantities would create this red/fuschia flame, while cupric chloride would...
• Posted Return of the Turbo to Bike Hugger
  Let’s say you are one of the most revered Italian saddle makers. Your products have been ubiquitous amongst professional and recreational riders alike. Each of the last 3 decades can almost be defined by a saddle of your design:...
• Posted Laundry Day to Bike Hugger
  When the rack of bikes is covered in cycling laundry, it’s a good sign. It means that I’m riding consistently....
• Posted Tiger Balm to Bike Hugger
  Sure there are a lot of embrocation products on the market, but for years my favourite product is good ol’ Tiger Balm. It’s cheap, I can get it at better grocery stores, and unlike a disconcerting number of cycling-specific embrocations,...
• Commented on Cool Dyno Wheel & LIght Mount
  ahblake well spotted....
• Commented on Men in Hats, Girls with Bows, and Bikes
  does this remind anyone else of Husker Du boardgame?...
• Commented on Cool Dyno Wheel & LIght Mount
  True, but there are many generator lights with LED, such as the Supernova pictured here. While I do agree with some others that halogen light is easier on the eyes, the power of LED has come a long way in...
• Posted Cool Dyno Wheel & LIght Mount to Bike Hugger
  Recently I’ve been thinking about dynamo (generator) hubs as an alternative to light systems with rechargeable batteries. Though Shimano makes several popular dyno hubs, the acknowledged gold standard is Schmidt Original Nabendynamo (SON). Schmidt makes the lightest hubs with the...
• Posted The Marginal Way to Bike Hugger
  It’s odd when bicycles are classified on the city’s infrastructure as play toys so that automobiles can conveniently be driven irresponsibly. That’s what I was thinking when I saw this bicycle sign posting a limit of “6mph”. Are you kidding...
• Posted Elvish Steel apparently not the same as mithril to Bike Hugger
  As a fan of bicycles, you’d have to be completely oblivious to not know that there’s a renaissance of sorts for steel bicycles, particularly at the low volume, artisan end of the market. Many individuals are leaping into the trade...
• Commented on Fender on my Fixie
  well that might have been the fender “du jour”, but that “jour” was nine months ago. “Jour” is one of the 11 French words I actually comprehend....
• Posted Fender on my Fixie to Bike Hugger
  I wish I was back in Taiwan. I loved the weather there, warm and humid. Instead I’m here in Seattle, dank and chill. Still, since Taiwan I’ve been more consistent on riding, and I intend to keep going. I finally...
• Commented on Mobile Social Worldwide: LDN, Daleks, BBC
  Man: Of course I’ll call you later! Just because you are the love child of R2D2 and a Van der Graaf generator doesn’t mean I don’t find you attractive as a woman. Machine: Dude, I’m a guy! Look at the...
• Posted Euro Asia Imports sells candy to Bike Hugger
  For all the European-branded carbon fibre on display at Interbike, a visit to Euro Asia Imports’ modest booth is an absolute must for me. Why? Because the La Crescenta CA distributor has consistently been a source of the best...

Recent Actions from Mark V

Mark V Feed