Posts tagged “sands”  

While David and I were hanging out with Specialized in Morgan Hill last year, his USB hub failed and he asked to use one of mine. I grabbed my Crumpler and pulled out a hub and also had at my diposable most anything else a traveling bike blogger would need. If NORAD goes down or the cable in the room or anything else, I’m ready for that too.

David hadn’t seen such a devotion to packing — I learned most of this from Mark V — and suggested I write about it. Going into Twenty Ten, I’m carrying a DSLR now and even more gear. I upgraded to a photographer-specific Sinking Barge Deluxe that holds the Macbook Air and camera, along with the proven

Replaceable derailer hangers are engineered to break, to spare the derailer, and this one did in an S&S travel case. Can’t imagine the forces within the case to do that, but break it did. Sheared right off. Discovered this back home from the Mobile Social Worldwide.

Besides dings and an ever-developing travel patina, a broken derailer hanger is a new occurence. This was on the Dahon Mu SL we took with us. I suspect it’s because the wheels and tires weren’t there to protect it. The Dahon isn’t intended to break down fully like an S&S — you fold it in 1/2 into a large case. With the recent crack down on luggage by the airlines and a very long trip, we packed the Dahons in cases I knew would pass through baggage.

Cost to repair is about $15.00 USD.

Mark track stands on his S&S BMX — there’s much to like about a 20 inch travel bike; especially one that’s near bomb proof. We’re traveling with Dahons to Europe and India later this month — more on that trip in another post.

Uploaded by richardmasoner | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Just out for an everyday ride on a Davidson titanium carbon belt drive travel bike in Vegas.

Uploaded by mathowie | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

This belt-driven S&S-coupled bike

folds and packs up like this

and then is ready for the bus, subway, train, and/or ferry.

On test soon and on the ride during our Mobile Social @ An Event Apart.

When you’ve been building frames for over 38 years, like Bill Davidson has, there’s lots to talk about, including the current obsession with carbon (used to be aluminum), what’s new is actually old, Paragon drop outs, the boomin’ business in S&S-equipped frames, and Parlee’s custom carbon frames (again with the carbon obsession).