Looks pretty sweet! Those bars look like they have an odd bump in the drops -- does it feel funny?

Have been enjoying the commute to the new old gig... 10 km one way on what is one of the nicest commutes in the city.

Taking the high road today...



Yesterday I took the low road...

Ridefreemc, what's that sweet saddlebag? It looks like an modern version of a Carradice. Are you using a support bracket with it?

It's a Dill Pickle, as I tried a Carradice but the buckles were too fiddly for me (and they weren't attached properly). It does have an aluminum support underneath. Otherwise it would sit too heavily on the fender. Nt sure how smaller frames make it though as this barely has enough room as it is (56cm frame).

Is that the Velo Orange Porteur rack?

VO Porteur Rack - Racks & Decaleurs - Accessories

After adding Nitto Albatrosses:

That at looks great! This is obviously a personal preference thing, but if you ever have hand or wrist discomfort you might want to try angling those bars down a little past horizontal. For me it's made a big difference.

I rode it home from the LBS yesterday and I agree, it needs a little downturn. I wanted to let it go for a few miles before I judged it though, as I rode down there on my Xtracycle and wow what a change in position. Very weird feeling, but I know that I need to give my brain some time to adjust. It is amazing how much our body and mind pick up without us being much aware, but when you make a handlebar change like I did it shows up "hard" at first.

Yes, yes it is. I enjoy it. Definitely different dynamic than the rear rack/panniers I'm used to. I find the Panniers to be more convenient for loading/unloading/carrying more. I like the weight over the front wheel on this bike, though. A nice, roomy porteur bag would probably make this front rack ideal, but they're not cheap.

Edit: I have seen a rack that looked almost identical, but it had a lower horizontal bar that looked perfect for strapping front panniers on and keeping that weight low. Little more flexible on that one, but not sure the make. That said, my rear panniers technically mount up to this one. But if anything is loaded on top it's not ideal.

I have the smaller front VO rack and had it mounted up for awhile. I had a hammock and small sleeping bag on one day and found that it affected my steering more than I had expected (couldn't go no-handed). How have you found the rack and steering with any weight on it?

Made my steering more stable actually, but responds more slowly. I can ride no handed even easier now. I usually find adding rear weight makes the front less stable. My cx bike with rear rack is nearly impossible to ride no handed.

Of course trail and geometry have a lot to do with how different loads affect handling.

My rebuilt U08 holding up the water bottles and flanked by the exquisite file cabinet and garbage can in this palace of a building.

I have never ridden no handed but I have attempted too and it is tough on my cyclocross bike maybe that is why i struggle. Loaded back and twitchy bike. Perhaps i should try on my road bike sometime.

Hi Guys! It's me again!

Today I bring to you another handmade frameset by Igor Miyamura: Galadriel (A.K.A. "Só no Girinho").





It's my Touring Bike, but sometimes I use it to commute as well.
The first picture was taken at "Pico Monte Negro" (Black Mount Peak) in São José dos Ausentes - Rio Grande do Sul/BR. The second was at Canoas Park, also in Rio Grande do Sul.

There are some canyons on north of Rio Grande do Sul. I went there last july, in the middle of brazilian's winter.
Not so cold as in United States, but quite freezing for us brazilians, hehehe!

The bike's earlier name was "Só no Girinho". It's a kind of encouraging expression here, when you're facing a long and steep slope and have to choose the biggest cog and the smallest chainring, keeping a confortable pace in order to beat the slope. No rush, just a confortable and steady pace, you know...

We use to say "É isso aí...vai só no girinho! Você consegue!"
(That's it...go "só no girinho"! You can make it!)

BTW, there is a expression like this in english?
It would be nice to know if I can "translate" the expression...it's a kind of "mantra" to me!

See ya, buddies!

Another beautiful bike in Brazil!

There are expressions with similar intent in English, for instance "Keep it up!" or "Slow and Steady", but I have no idea if they are close to a translation. Here in San Diego I have a lot of exposure to Spanish, but Portuguese is a mystery to me. I assume "no" is still like Spanish and English "no", but what are the other words? Is it maybe like "Don't give up!" or "Don't stop" or "Don't quit"

(I tried Google Translate, and apparently it doesn't know what 'girinho' is, it came back "only in girinho")

Shoot, now I want to go back to Brazil.

Thanks for the compliment, [MENTION=252435]RubeRad[/MENTION]!

About the expression, if you guys don't mind, let me try to break it word by word...

"Girinho" is a diminutive form of the word "Giro".
"Giro" is a 1st person of simple present of the verb "Girar".
"Girar" in english means "to spin".

Okay, so we find out that "Girinho" is something like "Little Spin".

"Só no" means something like "Just in a". Notice that the word "Just" have the same meaning as the Nike's slogan: Just Do It" which in portuguese means "Apenas faça").

"Só no Girinho" would be something like "Just in a Little Spin" (and it doesn't make any sense in english, I suppose!
So I thought that you might have some expression like this one...or not...

After a long time thinking on it, I think there's no way to translate it, nor literally neither with some idioms of yours...

Anyway, that's the dificulty (and the beauty, IMHO) of learn a foreing language, specially when you're trying to find an equivalent idiom in your mother tongue.

Sorry for this nonsense kind of discussion...LoL
It's not a philological forum...but I do appreciate try to understand (and be understood) better in english...I hope you don't mind...

Thanks guys!

Wow, How Nice! So you've been in Brazil [MENTION=25448]bigbenaugust[/MENTION]...
Did you like it? Have you learned a little bit of our portuguese?

Totally OT, but yes on all counts. Mrs. A and I spent a few days on Copacabana and in Rio and then Foz do Iguacu, and then a week in Fortaleza, where she has family. This was back in '09. I wish I could have crammed a Barraforte in a suitcase, just for fun... along with the suitcase full of brigadeiro and the one full of pao de queijo... what a trip, what great people, what a country.

I'm happy that you enjoyed your stay among us, Ben!

You all are most welcome to visit our big country, specially if you come here to bike travelling...there's a lot of wonderful places to visit.

ahahahaa!
Barra Forte is an ICON here! The most famous popular bicycle in Brazil. In 70's/80's, every worker would like to have one...



I don't like that much "brigadeiros", but "Pão de Queijo" is fantastic! I definitely love it!

Ottimo.

I would ride a barraforte to work...

https://goo.gl/photos/PmTbiuYrbVneVdKB7

These ones are "Barra Circular", manufactured by Monark.
Barra Forte was manufactured by Caloi.
Both were tough...hahahaha!

Pretty sweet for commuting on flat roads...but please, do not try to use it there on San Francisco...hahahaha!

Cool, I love this kind of language stuff! Not word-for-word, but maybe concept-for-concept, we have the expression "It's just a walk in the park", which is often used sarcastically for something difficult. Is that how you mean, even though the current mountain is obviously a "big spin", you try to be encouraging by saying "it's just a little spin"?

It's very fun to me trying to define the feeling when we listen to the expression "Só no Girinho", in order to translate it to english.

The "little spin" is more like the actual movement that you perform using a short/light gear (bigger cog/smaller chainring): Your cadence go up and your effort gets a little easier.

So, the expression goes like this:
Come on, buddy..."just a little spin" and you're there!
(Vamos lá, amigo...só no girinho e você chega lá!"

or

Man...look at that slope...let's go "just in a little spin".
(Cara, olha aquela subida...vamos lá, Só no Girinho).

Try to keep in mind that a "little spin" isn't about the slope itself, but the actual movement that you perform, spinning in a light gear to beat the slope...think on it like a mantra: "Go easy spinning light and you'll make it.".

The challenge here is to make this "full of words" expression, into a little one...tricky isn't it? hahahha!

Thanks for all the attention on this matter. Means more than a fun conversation...means learning how to express myself better in a foreing language...