Since my last post, I have moved to the Big Apple, and have been busy adjusting to my new life in. But now that I have some free time before the year is over, I have decided to get back to updating this blog.
Given the limited living space of my apartment, I am unfortunately not able to keep up with my hobby at the same scale as before. And I'm still a bit terrified of riding through the streets of New York -- it is not the relaxing rides that I'm used to taking back in California. But hopefully in the new year, I will try to venture out a bit more, and maybe even attempt that bicycle touring that I've always thought of doing.
For now, I will update on a couple of things from the last few months since the last post.
Back in October, I had the privilege to visit Sweden (and Eruope) for the first time (it was also the mating time for moose, but I didn't get to see it). I was in Umeå, which is the largest city in the Norrland, and also a huge university town. The scenery actually reminded me a lot of western Massachusetts in the fall (where I attended college). I'm sure many other places in Europe are similar, but this place was extremely bike-friendly. Everyone rode bicycles, and you could get pretty much anywhere on the bicycle on their extensive bike lanes.
I was able to borrow a bicycle that belonged to the father of a professor who was hosting me. It was a bit big for me, but I didn't have too much issue getting around on it. The bike was a Finnish brand called Flying Finn, with pretty low-end parts. I used it mostly to get myself to and from the university, but I did take it around for some sightseeing. Here are some of the pictures of the bicycle and the beautiful scenery there:
The bike was a tad too big
So many bikes!
I think the sculpture is supposed to be the northern lights
I was going to part out this bicycle, but ended up keeping it after just making minor changes.
I put on Deore XT BL-M733 brake levers and Ritchey grips that I took off of an Univega Alpina Team. Then I put the original Concept bar ends back on. I also put on some slick tires (Specialized Nimbus EX) since it gets ridden more on pavement than off-road.
Drive-side w/ Specialized Nimbus EX slick tires (6/13/12)
Went on an extremely lazy and short ride to the bank and to the local Goodwill, and took this photo to commemorate it. The picture makes it looks like I'm in middle of a open field, but I was actually right off of a pretty large boulevard. They just have this strip of undeveloped land for the electricity towers.
It's been raining a little bit lately, so I wanted to check out the trail nearby that has a creek at the start of it. I've been wanting to take some pictures of my mountain bikes at a more nature-filled scenery, but the creek's been dry all winter since we got little precipitation this year. The water level is probably embarrassingly low to be called a creek at elsewhere than Southern California, though. And unfortunately, you can't ride bicycles on this trail, so I just took some pictures and left. (I have yet to try riding my bikes on a trail)
The only mountain bike that's ready to be ridden right now is the Univega Alpina 5.7, but hopefully I'll get to work on the others and post them here soon.
Taken at the side of the street on the way to the trail (4/16/12)
I'm guessing there was once a creek under this bridge (4/16/12)
It's been 9 months since I moved to the "new" neighborhood. Even though I say "new", it's actually only a couple miles away from my "old" neighborhood. But it's up in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains, making it much more of a workout just to ride around the neighborhood due to all the hills, and deterring me from exploring much. However, I was getting bored of my usual bike routes, so I browsed through Google Maps to find any interesting places in the neighborhood, without having to go too far. I saw a park about a mile and half away, so I rode there without expecting much. However, it turns out that the park is actually an opening to a trail into the mountains. I went there too late in the evening to explore much, but I did take some pictures.
Doesn't look like Southern California -- too much green... (4/12/10)
I got off at a different Metro station on the way back from work, and decided to take a couple of pictures. That's the 210 Freeway before the rush hour in the background, and you can also see the San Gabriel mountains. Sometimes the smog gets bad enough that you can only see a silhouette of the mountains. When that happens it makes me think that I need to ride my bicycle more, but at the same time, I worry about all the smog I would be breathing in.
210 West on the left, 210 East on the right (4/2/12)
The Sportour has eyelets on its rear dropouts, but no rear rack bosses on its seatstays. Fortunately, I saved a rack from a 70's Centurion Super LeMans that clamps onto the brake bolt. The eyelets on the dropouts were unthreaded 5mm holes, so I tapped it to fit M6 x 1mm screws. I also had to enlarge the holes on the rack to fit a 6mm diameter bolt. Since I don't have any cutting oil, I used PB Blaster for the job, and it turned out alright. I also had to re-bend the mounting arm that goes on the brake bolt. It probably took me much longer than others to do these simple tasks, but I think everything turned out decent in the end.
I also added a Specialized bottle cage that I had lying around.
A few pictures:
1983 Univega Sportour - Drive-side with new rack (3/24/12)
I am not sure why I keep running into so many Univegas, but I acquired this bike back in December 2011 from Goodwill for $56.10. I was originally planning to either give it to a friend or flip it for a profit, but it was in such a good condition that I decided to keep it. It appears to be an upper-entry/low-mid level bike, but it looks well-built and the ride feels especially solid. There are minimal signs of wear/use, despite most of its part being original. The only thing not original in the current form are the handlebar, brakes, bar tape, pedals and the bags. It originally came with a flat bar and flat bar brake levers. but I replaced them with a drop bar and Dia Compe brake levers taken off of a Centurion Elite 12 (plus pedals).
From my readings of forums, the serial number on the frame suggests that the frame was actually manufactured in 1982 (by Miyata?), but the Suntour aRX components point it to the 1983 model. It appears that the '82 model was equipped with Shimano 600 Arabesque components, so the aRX seems like a step down. The rear dropouts look stamped, not forged, but has a derailleur hanger, which I haven't seen before. The frame material is double butted Tange Champion, so it's definitely not a gas pipe bike. I'm guessing the fork is a hi-tensile steel. The 27" rims also look like Araya 20A rims, which are double-walled with eyelets, and they're laced onto Sunshine (Sansin) Gyromaster hubs that use cartridge bearings. However, given a decent selection of rims and hubs, the spokes are not stainless steel. Overall, the bike is a healthy mix of decent and entry level stuff.
I read on Disraeli Gears that the aRX never shifted as well as the older models, but personally I think it does just fine One major drawback I do see is the steel cage because it seems to be pretty soft and I can see it going out of alignment. Maybe it feels alright just because it hasn't been used much. I'm planning to keep all the original parts since they're relatively unworn. I do plan on changing the bar wrap with cotton ones (the current ones are those that my friend was going to throw away). I'm also going to add a rear rack so that I can use the bike for short commutes. Since the bike is a bit small, it feels a little cramped when my hands are on the drops. So I may experiment with a different length stem sometime in the future.
Specs then pictures: Frame: Tange Champion Chrome Molybdenum Double Butted tubes; 49cm center-to-center; fully-lugged; stamped rear dropouts Fork: Unknown; single eyeleted dropouts Headset: Unknown chrome steel Crank: SR Super Custom; "Univega Cotterless" dust caps; 52-42t chainrings Shifters: Suntour Symmetric friction Derailleurs: Suntour ARx GT Pedals: SR SP-100BL; CyclePro toe clips Chain: Sedis Seatpost: SR 26.8mm Saddle: Selle Italia(?); Univega Logo inscribed Stem: SR Custom Handlebar: SR Custom Brakes: Dia Compe G Brake Levers: Dia Compe non-aero; Dia Compe gum hoods Hubs: Sunshine Gyromaster; 6-speed Suntour Perfect 14-28t freewheel Rims: Araya 27 x 1, double-walled, eyeleted, presta valve Tires: 27 x 1 1/4 Performance GT-k rear; 27 x 1 Forte (Performance) GT2-K front
1983 Univega Sportour - Drive side (3/21/12)
1983 Univega Sportour - Front view; Schwinn Voyageur handlebar bag (3/21/12)
1983 Univega Sportour - Dia-Compe brake lever w/ original gum hood (3/21/12)
1983 Univega Sportour - SR Custom stem; Schwinn Voyageur handlebar bag attachment (3/21/12)
1983 Univega Sportour - Cockpit (3/21/12)
1983 Univega Sportour - Front view; Schwinn Voyageur handlebar bag (3/21/12)
