Last bits and road readiness
Now there are just a few crucial bits missing before it’s ready to hit the road. Let’s see.. brakes (at least one), gears (preferably) and pedals. And of course there are lots of smaller things like lights, end-caps for the fender poles and so on, but those are nice-to-haves, so I start working on the most critical issue: Brakes.
As mentioned, the 1700 mm brake hose that comes with the Shimano rear brake is too short, so I need a replacement brake hose. Shimano only sells 1700 mm, at least that’s all I’ve found. Pity I didn’t go for e.g. Avid which has 2000 mm hoses. Oh well. Jagwire has some 3000 mm hoses that cost a fortune, and I need more stuff too.. bleed kit, mineral oil, banjo connectors, o-rings… Woha! This is complicated, so I shoot off an email to Bikeshop.no asking if they can tell me what to buy. There’s clearly some lead time on the rear brakes, so start working on the front brake first.
My only experience with hyraulic brakes are from my MTB which has Avid Elixir 3. I’ve never managed to adjust them to my complete satisfaction, so the Shimano brakes are a pleasant surprise. After attaching the caliper (no adjustment, just bolts straight on), attaching the front wheel and pumping the lever a few times, it runs smoothly withot any rubbing whatsoever. Amazing!
And since the wire for the front light is potentially interfering with the front wheel, I decide it’s time to attach that too. Whee!
Inspired by this success, I also mount the rear light to the mudguard. It attaches via a screw and a plastic pin, the latter probably to keep it straight. That is, if you manage to place the holes perfectly on the mudguard. I almost succeed, I think. Actually measuring it is quite hard given the shape of everything, but it looks pretty good:
One problem is the wiring. I contemplate various paths and alternatives, and decide to try to run it along the right topside of the mudguard, fixing it with electrical tape. I try the most elegant alternative first; covering the full length of the wire run with rubber tape. This works out pretty ok, and it would have been even better if my helping hands wasn’t busy playing online games! I split the tape a few centimetres near the ends and finish off with shorter pieces securing the long one. All in all, this looks pretty good and descreet:
Next up is the gears. I got myself some green hoses to match the Surly frame, but black would probably have looked better. Still not bad though! Contrary to what I’ve worked with before, it accepts end-to-end hoses, which seems like a way better solution than splitting them at every straight run.
The rear cable is 2000 mm, which is enough with just a few millimetres to spare! But.. wh-what? No barrel adjuster? Darn. That must be a separate part then. Luckily every bike has one, even my daughters old bike which is on the way to the junkyard. Unfortunately, the junkyard waiting spot is also where the plow leaves all the snow, so I have to dig it out to get to the barrel adjuster.
But of course that one doesn’t fit! Not only didn’t those bastards supply one, they’ve also changed the standard. But no problem — I’m anyway going to Spinn Majorstua to pick up a some parts for my Brompton the next day, so I ask for a Shimano Deore barrel adjuster too. He gives me a strange look and sells me one for about €6. But back home, this one too doesn’t fit either! Argh! I start trawling the internet for an explanation, and I’m clearly not the only one that’s confused: It turns out Shimano has stopped supporting barrel adjusters on the derailleur, and are instead supplying these on the shifter ends. And yes, there it is! Sorry Shimano!
Setting up the gears is pretty straightforward work, but I don’t to it often enough so I consult this guide at BikeRadar to get the rear derailleur right. The front derailleur is way easier, so I don’t bother consulting any guides. But after 15 minutes of confusion I have to turn to the Shimano docs. They are terrible, and leave me even more confused! I turn back to google for a guide and find this awesome video by ParkTool. It’s worth every minute — it’s so well made it makes me want to watch it again. Thank you, ParkTool!
But I still don’t have a solution for the rear brake, so I start asking around on Facebook. I promptly get a response from Per Bjarne Løvsletten — the guy I mentioned in the first article, that inspired me to start this project! The solution he recommends is 3000 mm of Jagwire PRO hydraulic hose and Jagwire QuickFit adapter (which should fit my SLX brakes too). I also get a bleed kit from Bleedkit, and then the order clocks in at €70. That’s just €30 below the limit for free shipping, so I add a hose cutter, some Brooks Proofride and a heavy-duty prop stand to bump it above €100. I’m such a gullible customer.
While I wait for that shipment, there’s not a lot more to do except tightening the bolts and adjusting the mirror. How very unsatisfying!
But wait! I’ve read that you’re supposed to do 80% of the braking with the front brake, so technically my bike has 80% braking power. That should be enough for a small test ride, so I strap the rear caliper to the frame to keep it out of the way.
When I put the frame in the stand almost a month ago, it only had cranks and headset bearings on it. Now it’s a complete bike, and when I loosen the clamp I almost drop it on the floor. It’s heavy! Up against the wall, its real size becomes apparent: I’ve created a monster!
For a moment, I’m worried about getting it down the stairs and out the door, studded tires and all, but I manage without any problems. Outside it’s 50 cm of snow, -5ºC and blazing sunshine:
Oh, and before I go there’s one more thing! Bicycles are required to have a bell, and I’ve been saving the Knog Oi bell for last. I would have wanted it even closer to the grips, but unfortunately the gap between the gear shifters and the handlebar is too narrow. Still, it’s a lot closer that it would have been if I had a separate clamp for the gear shifters, and it’s well within reach of my thumb. It goes pling just like any other half-decent bell, but it looks a lot better!
The maiden voyage is only a couple of hundred metres to my parents house, but I get my daughter as a passenger to test the luggage rack, and it’s quite a success: The bike is extremely steady and the Schwalbe tires provides superb grip. When I enter the driveway with about 5 cm of loose snow, there’s a little bit of lateral skidding, but compared to my Brompton it’s nothing. I was a bit worried it would be too big for me since the frame is size L and I’m closer to M, but I can’t say I notice, except perhaps the standover height being a tad on the tall side. Seated, the position is good, medium upright, and I’m glad I didn’t cut the fork any shorter.
Besides a few minor adjustments to the mudguards, the only problem I find is that the left DMR V8 pedal is squeaking. I loosen the axle, and there’s a rubber gasket that’s completely dry that seems to produce the noise. I lube it up well, and that fixes the problem. I don’t really get these pedals though. There’s no dust cover, so what’s preventing dirt from entering? And all the threaded pins protruding from it discourages bare-foot use. Finally, it doesn’t have reflectors like pedals should, hence they are not strictly legal for road use.
Anway, with that in place, I really can’t think of anything else to do except wait for the brake parts!
