noglider 

70 km in a day? You're not planning to do that every day, are you? That's very ambitious and will require ideal conditions.

Syscrush

No, no, no, no. Not every day. One day. I agree with you that all of the stars would have to align for it to work. There's an event here in Toronto called the Ride for Heart, and I've been doing it every year for a few years now. They have 25, 50, and 75km distances, and I've always done the 50. Plus 20 for the round trip from my home to the start/finish area.

It's an amazing event, with about 15,000 people riding on the 2 biggest highways in the city's core. One of them goes through the downtown full of highrise buildings, and the other goes through a very scenic valley.


To do this on Pinky with my little guy in the seat behind is a stretch goal. I think I have a decent chance of getting into good enough shape to do it, but I have concerns about his ability to enjoy that much time in the seat. My 2 possible outs are to drive to the start/finish area, or to do the 25k distance instead of 50 (which is a decision that can be made at game time - the 50k route and 25k route are the same up to the 25k turnaround point).

We'll see.

Dan Burkhart 

Looks good. The clearances worked out nicely.

The eyelet is on top of the dropout, so I don't think support will be an issue.

Syscrush

Surly builds their stuff for abuse much more than for light weight or performance. The rear rack that they sell is rated (by them) for 80 lbs. There are no notes about the frame, but I'm confident that that rating applies to all of the frames that fit that rack.

Syscrush

Today I pulled the seat off (left the rack on), and went out for a 40 km ride. Weather was 6C and rainy, wind was blowing at a steady 30 kph. The bike is a joy in almost every scenario except strong headwind - where it becomes a complete bastard due to the very upright riding position. I also wished for fenders a few times (above a certain speed, the roost from the front wheel reaches mouth level and things get nasty. Even so, I'm not planning to add fenders, because I love the look of the 2.0" slicks out in the open.

noglider 

Maybe you'd like some experiments with handlebars. I find that changing handlebars can make a dramatic difference. You could try some extension known as bar ends. And maybe eventually, you could use something like trekking bars which put you upright in the normal position, as you are now, and add some more reachy positions.

Dan Burkhart 

I'm trying a trekking bar on my current build, which is re purposing my old MTB to a city path bike. Never tried one before, but I think it's going to work for me.

DoctorTattoo

How well do the Kojaks hold up? I keep looking at them, just haven't bought them yet. I have the Continental Sport Contact II's that look a lot like them but have a bit of a snake skin looking tread but still have the "slick" look to them from a distance.

Shawn

Syscrush

Well, yesterday I got out for 71k solo ride (baby seat removed) - mostly waterfront but with a total of 450m of climbing.

It was a nice ride, and I've been having fun putting miles on this bike, but it's not really what it was made for. The cushy seat, upright riding position, and platform pedals are awesome for commuting & runabout use, but they all start to work against me for rides over 30k or so.

I really liked the idea of hauling my boy in the seat of this bike for the Ride for Heart this year, but I've nixed that idea. There's no longer any question for me that I'd be able to get into shape to do it, but with the rides we've been doing together it's become apparent that it would not be a pleasant and engaging experience for him - it's just too much time on the bike for him to enjoy it at this point. Next year it might make sense.

I'm gonna start transitioning off this bike for my fitness/fun/training rides that don't include baby hauling.

noglider 

@Syscrush you might well be right that it wouldn't be good for him. For what it's worth, I towed both of my daughters in a trailer on my fun rides. It was at least as much for me as for them, so I was concerned that they be comfortable and not bored. When the older was seven, I asked her if it ever gets boring. She said, with enthusiasm, "Oh no! The bike goes faster than the car!"

Syscrush

Here's a quicky update:

1. The more I ride this bike, the more I love it.

2. At a bit over 2 years old now, my son is really into riding in the baby seat on Pinky and in the trailer behind Fredo.

3. This spring my wife and I did the 25k Ride for Heart with our little guy. I was planning/hoping to rock Pinky, but it was cold and rainy so we went with the (enclosed) trailer, and he had a great time. Pinky with the seat is a lot less work than hauling the trailer on Fredo, but it was still a wonderful experience.

4. The Clarence bars are a very nice riding position and I like how they look, but they do position the shifter and the brake levers such that I can't hook the bars over a rail or fence without risking damage to the shifter or hydraulic brake lines. It's a minor issue and easily mitigated.

5. Did I mention that I really love this bike? It's great for commuting (including daycare dropoff), and I'm really glad that my little guy enjoys riding around on the back of it.

acidfast7

That's a cool ride. I hope to own a IGH-disk bike one day

Syscrush

I missed this before and don't know if anyone's still interested, but after 2 years I'm very happy with the Kojak 26x2.0 tires.


I'm really just a fair-weather rider, so I can't comment on how they do on mud, snow, or slick wet pavement, but for my usage on rough city streets and the occasional unpaved trail, they are awesome. Comfy, quiet, and not slow. I have either Schwalbe or Continental tubes (I think this one is Conti) and they do a great job of standing up to mild abuse & semi-benign neglect.


Another 26er tire that has been catching my eye (although not for this bike) is the Schwalbe Big Apple, specifically because it comes in white. I want a 26er roadster with drop bars on a 90's MTB frame and those white Big Apple tires. With the right frame color, I think they look great:

PatrickGSR94

I run Big Apple 26x2.15 tires with reflective stripe on my e-bike. Love'em!

konradnet

Hi sycrush.

i have just finished a similar setup with Alfine 8 disc and surly 1x1.
what do you do to tension the chain. Does it affect your disc break?
best