Getting ready

[weisan]

Two inbound this week. One came as a frameset, the other just needed a "Campy-->Shimano" surgical operation by which I have done quite a few in the past.

I hope that's all I need.

There are two pals on this forum and only these two know what I am talkin' about. I hope they can keep a secret until later. :D

[donevwil]

Hence the "I am not a bike connoisseur " thread I assume? I like your style and agree whole heartedly. I've got my own forum potential n+1+1, etc, etc. tugging at my heart strings and it'll likely be a go.

[tuxbailey]

I am glad that the little trike has a place in the bike cave. :beer:

[pinkshogun]

Champagne wishes, caviar dreams....but Bell cable and housing....come on, man

[weisan]

Champagne wishes, caviar dreams....but Bell cable and housing....come on, man

But but but....they worked, pink pal. In a blind test, I can't tell the difference. Do you think I would use them if they are gonna break down and leave me stranded in the middle of a ride or skip a gear at every second or third revolution?
Or would I knowingly torture myself or suffer the hellish experience of riding on these bikes that were all built with said cable kit?
http://alicehui.com/bike/Weigle/all_weigle.jpg

Therein lies the heart of the problem: We are a community of passionate cyclists who are generous and magnanimous with sharing our knowledge and resources but sometimes we can give out misinformation or send the wrong message to new bidding cyclists by confusing between what's considered personal bias and preference and what's truly true.
Case in point and I will risk my good relationship with my pal OldPotatoe by saying this : old pal's sometimes tiresome and persistent jab at disc brakes, fat tires as pure marketing bs can get...errh...a bit tiresome at best. At worse, it's doing nothing to teach up and coming cyclists to learn discernment and exercise good judgements when interacting with marketing materials and bike shops. In the right application and proper context, these things have their rightful place. Oh well, it's a non-stop learning process, and the world is big enough to accommodate both people who like or prefer vanilla ice cream as supposed to chocolate. They are both right, just different.

The truth will set us free.

[Peter P.]

You may not be a bike connoisseur, but you ARE a bike junkie. ;)

[AngryScientist]

i only spy one crankset...

looking forward to see what's cookin over there :hello:

[weisan]

You may not be a bike connoisseur, but you ARE a bike junkie. ;)

true true...it's the next "best thing" I could do short of owning a bike shop.

[weisan]

i only spy one crankset...

looking forward to see what's cookin over there :hello:

Angry pal, I have learned long time ago not to despise people of a different race or worship a different religion but to try and learn and distill from them the best they have to offer.

I will let you in with a bit of information but not too much details until later...so, the reason, the "other" bike won't need a crankset is because it comes with some really pretty and shiny parts that I like and I know for a fact will play well with his japanese pals.

http://www.bikepro.com/products/cranks/crk_jpg/d_chorus_cranks.jpg

[AngryScientist]

Therein lies the heart of the problem: We are a community of passionate cyclists who are generous and magnanimous with sharing our knowledge and resources but sometimes we can give out misinformation or send the wrong message to new bidding cyclists by confusing between what's considered personal bias and preference and what's truly true.
.

perhaps on discussion forums, but out on the road, this is less of a problem in my experience.

remember when we last rode D2R2? I think it's safe to say i had the "cheapest" bike of the group with downtube shifters, rim brakes, and tried/true/cheap paselas.

we had a couple pals rolling in our little group with $10k+ rigs, and quite a range in between.

we all finished with smile on our faces :hello:

[weisan]

perhaps on discussion forums, but out on the road, this is less of a problem in my experience.

remember when we last rode D2R2? I think it's safe to say i had the "cheapest" bike of the group with downtube shifters, rim brakes, and tried/true/cheap paselas.

we had a couple pals rolling in our little group with $10k+ rigs, and quite a range in between.

we all finished with smile on our faces :hello:

Indeed!

[shovelhd]

i only spy one crankset...

Looking forward to see what's cookin over there :hello:

srm

[Kirk007]

I'm showing that pix of your bikes to my wife. She thinks I may have a problem. :)

[weisan]

I'm showing that pix of your bikes to my wife. She thinks I may have a problem. :)

Hey, be a man, don't use me as a heat shield.

And to all pals out there who may have the same issue with their spouse and haven't quite figure out the secret to marital peace yet, here's a freebie.

Treat your wife better than your bikes....and the rest will take care of itself.

[Ralph]

I've been known to look over the bike dept at Walmart to see if they have anything I can use. I use their Bell riding gloves a lot. Chain lube, sometimes I find tubes for wife and kids bikes.

[Drmojo]

But but but....they worked, pink pal. In a blind test, I can't tell the difference. Do you think I would use them if they are gonna break down and leave me stranded in the middle of a ride or skip a gear at every second or third revolution?
Or would I knowingly torture myself or suffer the hellish experience of riding on these bikes that were all built with said cable kit?
http://alicehui.com/bike/Weigle/all_weigle.jpg

Therein lies the heart of the problem: We are a community of passionate cyclists who are generous and magnanimous with sharing our knowledge and resources but sometimes we can give out misinformation or send the wrong message to new bidding cyclists by confusing between what's considered personal bias and preference and what's truly true.
Case in point and I will risk my good relationship with my pal OldPotatoe by saying this : old pal's sometimes tiresome and persistent jab at disc brakes, fat tires as pure marketing bs can get...errh...a bit tiresome at best. At worse, it's doing nothing to teach up and coming cyclists to learn discernment and exercise good judgements when interacting with marketing materials and bike shops. In the right application and proper context, these things have their rightful place. Oh well, it's a non-stop learning process, and the world is big enough to accommodate both people who like or prefer vanilla ice cream as supposed to chocolate. They are both right, just different.

The truth will set us free.
or like and prefer Vanilla bicycles :)

[weisan]

The packing job on the merlin was so good, I was able to put the whole bike together in 30 mins or less.

[montag]

The packing job on the merlin was so good, I was able to put the whole bike together in 30 mins or less.

Looking good! Let me know if you want to pass on some of those Italian bits...

[weisan]

Looking good! Let me know if you want to pass on some of those Italian bits...

Normally I would pass them on but these came in silvery glitter and everyone knows I have a weakness for silver bits so I threw in my shimano 10 speed cassette just to see if it would shift properly and it seems ok...long story short, I am just gonna ride it as is for a little bit before I decide.

[azrider]

:no:

[Matthew]

First thing I noticed too AZ!! I hope that death grip by the work stand was quickly released!!

[montag]

Normally I would pass them on but these came in silvery glitter and everyone knows I have a weakness for silver bits so I threw in my shimano 10 speed cassette just to see if it would shift properly and it seems ok...long story short, I am just gonna ride it as is for a little bit before I decide.

I share that weakness. :help:

On another note, I've ridden a family member's Agilis and it was something else. Hope you enjoy it.

[weisan]

R3, I release you from your suffering...

[weisan]

But someone must take your place!

[rousseau]

...the other just needed a "Campy-->Shimano" surgical operation...
Ouch! That sounds painful and so very, very unnecessary. This procedure is not recommended.

[Matthew]

At least put a cloth in that stinkin clamp weisan pal!!!

[Kontact]

Therein lies the heart of the problem: We are a community of passionate cyclists who are generous and magnanimous with sharing our knowledge and resources but sometimes we can give out misinformation or send the wrong message to new bidding cyclists by confusing between what's considered personal bias and preference and what's truly true.
Case in point and I will risk my good relationship with my pal OldPotatoe by saying this : old pal's sometimes tiresome and persistent jab at disc brakes, fat tires as pure marketing bs can get...errh...a bit tiresome at best. At worse, it's doing nothing to teach up and coming cyclists to learn discernment and exercise good judgements when interacting with marketing materials and bike shops. In the right application and proper context, these things have their rightful place. Oh well, it's a non-stop learning process, and the world is big enough to accommodate both people who like or prefer vanilla ice cream as supposed to chocolate. They are both right, just different.

The truth will set us free.
Having a few loud and passionate voices is the way things are supposed to work. Oldepotatoe is not the boss of anyone, and has no more influence than anyone else who can make a cogent argument.

In other words, it is too our benefit to have people that will consistently trumpet the dissenting opinion. I think you're mistaken for being bothered by one or a few people.

[oldpotatoe]

Having a few loud and passionate voices is the way things are supposed to work. Oldpotatoe is not the boss of anyone, and has no more influence than anyone else who can make a cogent argument.

In other words, it is to our benefit to have people that will consistently trumpet the dissenting opinion. I think you're mistaken for being bothered by one or a few people.

Well said...and I don't clamp any frame/bike by the top tube!!!

IMHO, of course......:)

[weisan]

Meh Kontact pal, like old pal, you are over-thinking this. People who know me well would say, "Wei San, the problem with you, is not that you are bothered easily by others, but rather, you don't seem to be bothered by ANYTHING!!?" :D

Ok now, where were we?

Ah, yes!

The Merlin.

A work of art.

Tom Kellogg.

Titanium - The sexiest material man ever used to build a bike.

What else can one ask for?

[AngryScientist]

very cool bike. do you know what the essential difference is between this and the extralight? is it the tubing i wonder?

i also really like the looks of that saddle, very toupe-like, do you happen to know what model it is?

[tuxbailey]

Meh Kontact pal, like old pal, you are over-thinking this. People who know me well would say, "Wei San, the problem with you, is not that you are bothered easily by others, but rather, you don't seem to be bothered by ANYTHING!!?" :D

Ok now, where were we?

Ah, yes!

The Merlin.

A work of art.

Tom Kellogg.

Titanium - The sexiest material man ever used to build a bike.

What else can one ask for?

You make me miss my Extralight.

[Kontact]

I believe the Aglis was the straight gauge compact replacement for the standard Merlin Road. The Extralight has butted tubing and more welded on embellishments, like the seat binder.

[weisan]

Angry pal, apparently it's Prologo Scratch 2 Pas CPC Road Saddle. I am gonna give it a try.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/vend-images/product/original/6/e/6e640cb61f233d48ce7a69f2256a359b26eff5da.jpg

[weisan]

Managed to take the merlin out for a short & quick spin yesterday before it turned dark and the rain /cold front hit us.

Smooth as glass.

Good power transfer

Great climber

Looking forward to riding it more.

[msl819]

Managed to take the merlin out for a short & quick spin yesterday before it turned dark and the rain /cold front hit us.

Smooth as glass.

Good power transfer

Great climber

Looking forward to riding it more.

Nice... you are back on the bike sooner than I would have expected.

[cmbicycles]

very cool bike. do you know what the essential difference is between this and the extralight? is it the tubing i wonder?

i also really like the looks of that saddle, very toupe-like, do you happen to know what model it is?
Agilis was straight ga tubing and compact geometry. Standard road was traditional geometry, same tubeset. The extralight was butted tubes, and the magia was the compact geometry version. The Agilis had some engraving options that were pretty cool at the time.

[bobswire]

Wow, if I ever make it out your way I'll have to check out your bike shop. Besides all those bikes in your inventory are you going to do servicing also? ;)

[weisan]

hit a bit of snag with the R3 build. the hangar just snapped off. the price of making everything super lightweight.

[cmbicycles]

Better to snap it off in the stand than out on the road.

It was probably due to the pressure from clamping on the frame tube... that pressure build up has to go somewhere, like squeezing a balloon, and it just burst out through the hanger screws. ;)

[pitonpat]

I kept looking at the pieces of paper taped to the wall...and it just dawned on me- protecting paint from wheel rub!

But I have to confess. I was really looking for that sweet Merlin cross you bought a couple years ago. Don't see it. You didn't sell it to make room for the new bikes did ya?

[weisan]

I kept looking at the pieces of paper taped to the wall...and it just dawned on me- protecting paint from wheel rub!

But I have to confess. I was really looking for that sweet Merlin cross you bought a couple years ago. Don't see it. You didn't sell it to make room for the new bikes did ya?



No....Never!

:D

That bike is "special".

[texbike]

Congrats on grabbing that Merlin Wei. It seemed like a very reasonable deal for a really nice riding bike!

Texbike

[weisan]

Congrats on grabbing that Merlin Wei. It seemed like a very reasonable deal for a really nice riding bike!

Texbike

Indeed!
Thanks to Nick (nick209) pal.

[R3awak3n]

Bike was like, don’t put a mtb derailleur in me :)

But hey, at least derailleur hanger is replaceable.

[weisan]

R3 pal, can I ask a big favor?

If you ever see any of these XT rear der. for sale anywhere, would you please let me know? 'coz I am in serious hoarding mode on these, they are my all-time favorite, used them on all the bikes from 9 to 10 to 11 speed, from 11 to even 40 t cassette in the back with great success!

Thank you.

[weisan]

These two bikes other than sharing their namesake couldn't be more different in terms of design, intended use and ride qualities.

I am privileged to have them both in the house.

Merlin Cyclocross, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1988

Merlin Agilis, Chattanooga TN, 2002

[zmudshark]

Pump is backwards and way too much Shimano.

Just because: :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

[weisan]

Different headbadge

[weisan]

Pump is backwards and way too much Shimano.

Just because: :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

Thank you shark pal, was in a rush when I put it on the last time, transgression corrected.

This household will tend to be shimano - centric just because that's what I know, and have tons of spare parts to support.

I did make a good faith effort to keep the agilis somewhat shimanGO...just because I thought those silverware look pretty...but more importantly they seem to play well with their shimano neighbors.

[pitonpat]

Very nice Weisan. I like the titanium Merlin pair...not to mention your interesting collection overall. How do you ever choose which bike to ride? :hello:

[weisan]

Very nice Weisan. I like the titanium Merlin pair...not to mention your interesting collection overall. How do you ever choose which bike to ride? :hello:

Thank you General Patton. The same way I do with my six kids...whoever shout the loudest gets my attention first.

[weisan]

Completed.

http://alicehui.com/bike/Getready/IMG_3805.JPG

http://alicehui.com/bike/Getready/IMG_3806.JPG

Now that the two newest members of the family have settled down, it's time to get the nursery ready again to receive the next one...

http://alicehui.com/bike/Getready/IMG_3803.JPG

[Black Dog]

My goodness man, we are going to need to organize an intervention for you soon!

:eek:

BTW, that Merlin is looking very nice.

[weisan]

My goodness man, we are going to need to organize an intervention for you soon!

:eek:

BTW, that Merlin is looking very nice.

Dog pal, you are too kind...I am afraid it might be a forgone conclusion. :cool:

Thank you pal.

[weisan]

Sorry, forgot about the seat post and saddle. just have the rear fender, missing the front, have to go hunt that down at the co-op the next day or two.
http://alicehui.com/bike/Getready/IMG_3808.JPG

[homagesilkhope]

I am afraid it might be a forgone conclusion.

Ha, wei pal! Figured you were going to say it was too late for that. Never mind, though. You're in good company here, around the bend, beyond the point of no return.

[weisan]

http://www.bbb.org/globalassets/local-bbbs/sacramento-ca-67/sacramento_ca_67/new_content_page_images/2014/no-returns-sign.jpg

[weisan]

The new frame coming in tomorrow. Getting the front end ready. Didn't realize I can put so much stuff inside this little Ortleib bag:

One windstopper vest
One thermal vest
One pair of gloves
Arm warmers
Leg warmers
Windstopper headband
8 pieces of fried chicken

[weisan]

.

http://alicehui.com/bike/hampsten/strada1.jpg

http://alicehui.com/bike/hampsten/strada2.jpg

http://alicehui.com/bike/hampsten/strada3.jpg

[john903]

OHHH nice, welcome to the Hampsten owners club. Is that the one that was in the Classifieds last week? Have fun.

[marciero]

Nice! This one looks like almost exact copy to mine; at least the frame. Same IF Boston sticker. Looks like same color "Vanilla Shake". Same rear dropouts (non-hooded). Mine has 8:00 cable stops where yours looks like 10:00. Steel fork on mine. Do let us know about tire clearance. Clearance on mine is less than other SB-class Hampstens I've seen on Paceline.

[weisan]

Nice! This one looks like almost exact copy to mine; at least the frame. Same IF Boston sticker. Looks like same color "Vanilla Shake". Same rear dropouts (non-hooded). Mine has 8:00 cable stops where yours looks like 10:00. Steel fork on mine. Do let us know about tire clearance. Clearance on mine is less than other SB-class Hampstens I've seen on Paceline.

M pal, thanks for pointing out the similarities. I bet you don't have that one unique feature that came with it. It's a custom option on the chainstay.

https://i.imgur.com/owjwkqT.jpg?1

I am using a Bontrager Satellite Plus fork. That thing has gobs of clearance, at least 45mm, maybe more. The constraint on this bike would be the rear. I mounted a true to size 35 mm pasela in the back, it barely clears the chainstays with maybe 1-2 mm on both sides. Normally, I would take chances on even that amount but not on this bike. I don't want to scratch up the paint.

[oldpotatoe]

It's a custom option on the chainstay.

https://i.imgur.com/owjwkqT.jpg?1

.

I don't want to scratch up the paint

:eek:

[cmbicycles]

Weisan, check that front brake pad on the Hampsten... Left pad should come in from the back side otherwise could eject from the holder if facing the front.

[weisan]

Weisan, check that front brake pad on the Hampsten... Left pad should come in from the back side otherwise could eject from the holder if facing the front.

Oops. Thank you.

[marciero]

M pal, thanks for pointing out the similarities. I bet you don't have that one unique feature that came with it. It's a custom option on the chainstay.


Of course! R3aeak3n's old bike. Should have recognized, though it had different fork.