Hey everyone in North America, the Kojaks are here! http://www.schwalbetires.com/kojak Wire bead is in, Kevlar folding bead is coming. Great news. Now, what do I do with my 349 wheelset?

Now I just have to wait for the government to bail me out so I can afford those prices.

Not sure if u've been there already, but the ECP- Changi area is rather scenic. Being quite the lazy bugger, I took the MRT with my Brommie to Pasir Ris Stn, then took the entrance to the park connector from around there. Was trying to find the the bike path to ECP from there, but unable to find it.

Thanks, yeah, I was there about a year ago but believe they have added to the paths since then.

I am thinking about being a bit ambitious (means getting up early): Ride to ECP, try out the cable waterskiing.

Then on to Changi, and from there take the ferry to Pulau Ubin and try some MTBing (well not sure how mountainous it is) for a while, then head back.

We'll see how far I actually get though. :p

I stick to the less-busy streets, so it's not too bad. I wouldn't really want to ride down Orchard. I have in the past ended up on the Expressways by mistake which is a bit interesting. :twitchy:

On the roads without a shoulder, I just stay in the middle of the left lane. This is often a bus-only lane.
As long as I am visible (bright bike and bright jersey help) and holding my position, then cars and buses go around me. If I am more on the left then they'll try to squeeze by in the same lane.

Sometimes I have to play a bit of leapfrog with the buses as they pass me, then go to a stop, I pass them, etc.

Although at home I am pretty comfortable getting to the left-turn lane while riding, I don't feel quite so ready to jump to the right-hand lanes here, so most of the time I cross, then cross again to do a right turn.

Last week I flew with my Birdy for the first time. I borrowed a Samsonite F'lite 31" case from a friend with a Bike Friday. As you can see, there was plenty of room for the Birdy! Once the bike was in, I still had room for all my clothes, shoes, helmet and tools. Fully packed the case weighed 48 lbs.

On Saturday, I did the Wurst Ride in Texas. 62 miles of Hill Country from Austin to New Braunfels, and I discovered why it's called HILL country - the rollers never end! It was a great ride on some very quiet country roads. I didn't take many pictures, and the one attached here isn't particularly scenic. I guess when it was really scenic I just wasn't thinking of taking pictures.

Apart from the ride, most of my trip was spent eating great quantities of Texas barbeque :p

I like the look of Birdies. whats the front chain ring size ? do you find it under geared ?

56t on standard Birdy single ring/derailleur set ups. I found that pared with an 11t -32t cassette I was undergeared. I opted fora a bigger chainring as it was cheaper than a Capreo hub/cassette wheel build.

I installed a 58T chainring for a small improvement. I can pedal up to 40km/h with reasonable comfort. Since the Birdy is my commuting/touring bike, that's adequate.

What would be the easiest things to do to lighten an old style Birdy? I recently purchased a used Birdy red and think a few upgrades may be in order.

Would a new crankset and bottom bracket make a significant difference? The newer ones seem to be integrated and I suspect of much lower weight. Other changes in priority order (or what would make the most difference first)?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

-Jim

Of course, your tires are the most cost-effective way to get the weight down. But it's most important to make sure you have the puncture protection you need. If you are in the US, Black Dog will build you replacement wheels with lighter hubs. The BB/Cranks isn't a bad way to start. Or you can put a rack on the back with wheels and then you don't need to worry!

This is from the Birdy thread. Some guy that got his to 8Kg:

change comfort stem for an "allround" one (ca. 100 g less, ca. 40g of
this due to the QR)
Stelvio tyres (ca. 215 g each, Maxxis are ca. 355 g each)
Cheng Chin inner tubes for them (ICE states they are 50g lighter than
Schwalbe SV-5A, which are 94 g each)

> I think American Classic are the best value for money as far a lightweight hubs go.
>
> I use the XTR Titanium 9 speed cassette 12-34, IIRC 245g instead of
330 for the Deore LX of the Black. I have changed my chainwheel so

> Of course, if you don't encounter any steep hills, you can use a
much lighter Dura Ace 9-speed cassette as on the Helios XX.
>

> lightweight 16x1" inner tubes (55g), for the other tyres I use the
> Schwalbe SV-5A (94g). SV-4 (claimed 85g) probably are possible,
too.

Component
Make
Weight

Frame incl pivot bearings
R&M
1225

Front fork + suspension (not including steering column)
R&M
902

Rear swingarm + suspension + pivot axle
R&M
884

Front wheel incl rim tape
Sun M14A rim, Tune hub
379

Rear wheel incl rim tape
Sun M14A rim, Tune hub
523

Cassette
TA + 10T lockring sprocket
190

Tires (2)
Stelvio
380

Tubes (2)
Kenda
106

Hub skewers
Control Tech
47

Seatpost
MD
251

Saddle
Selle Italia SLR
115

Steering column
MD (Reynolds 531+ Al + glass)
127

Headset
Ritchie WCS
111

"vertical" stem tube
MD
115

Spacers, bearing adjuster, clamp
anon, FSA, BBB
60

Handlebar stem
Ritchie WCS
125

Handlebar
Ritchie WCS
227

Handlebar tape
15

Brakes
Tektro (shortened)
250

Brake levers (2)
Modolo Orion
142

Brake cables
?
130

Cranks
Storck
319

Chainwheels + bolts
TA 50/38
121

Bottom bracket set
Tune
155

Chain
Shimano Dura-Ace 10 speed
270

Front derailleur + bracket
Campagnolo
126

Rear derailleur
Shimano Dura-Ace
178

Gear levers
SunTour
85

Gear cables
50

Pedals
Steinbach/MD
227


I have no idea what he means by "glass."

Thanks for the detailed list.

-Jim

You've got to love that guy's sub 1 Kg wheel set. The standard Birdy rims are strong and only 50g heavier. I found them to be of very high quality and they are drilled 24h. With the new folding tires, you've already made up for the weight difference. But Tune hubs are probably not the way to go, given the high cost. I have an XTR on the back and a Chris King on the front, both bought as open box seconds.

I have an AmC rear hub ready to go, but the front hub is special - I would have to order that specially. And where to get rims? Perhaps Velocity 349mm ones.

Jur,

Why is the front hub special? In the US Black Dog Bicycles carries the Alex rims for Birdy bikes. They are 24 hole.

I don't think American Classic has a 24 hole rear that will fit. What are you planning on using?

-Jim

The front Birdy hub is great b/c it makes the fold smaller and reduces the acute spoke angle for small wheels, but it isn't absolutely needed. It's still just a standard 100mm axle. Not sure what the Birdy hub weighs, but I would probably stick with that.

The problem with Velocity rims is that, for some reason, they only go down to 28h. Though I suppose you could get them undrilled and give a go at that. The Birdy rims can be bought from Black dog for US$20-something. Don has tons of them from a while back when he bought all of Burley's spare Birdy parts. To build a rear 24 spoke wheel, you need to use a 36hole hub. If you go with a lightweight rear wheel and keep the front, you probably want them to be the same size rim so you don't need to carry two spare tires when touring.

I'm not sure, but I think the current forks are a little different and needs the narrow flanges so the spokes clear the forks?

* runs down to check *

well an AmC road hub just fits, laced radially. But an AmC MTB definitely does not fit - the hub flanges hits the fork. And I think most other cross-laced hubs also would have trouble. The spokes interfere with the fork members.

Jur,

Thanks for checking.

Forgive me for asking what might be obvious if I was more experienced. I thought the Birdy specs call for a 135 hub which I understand to be the standard for mountain hubs. The AC road hub would be 130??. I would rather us a road hub as they are generally lighter but I didn't think one would fit. Incidentally I was at a local bike event and found out that American Classic is located in my home town. They had a display at the bike local fest. Really nice looking hubs and wheels.

My intent is to have a new wheel built up with lower weight and change from an 8 to a 9 speed with lower weight components. I know it's more the rider (engine) then the rest but I need all the help I can get. I also plan to change the Maxis tires to Marathon Racers.

-Jim

No I was talking about the front.

Thanks - I was thinking in another direction.

-Jim

Now you see me...
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1226817406


Now you don't.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1226817432

Jim, if you can manage to order one, Folex wheels are the most cost-effective way to reduce the weight of your wheels. They are not sold in the US, and there effectively is no US distributor at the moment, as far as I can tell.

It really won't make any difference in terms of how fast your bike will go. In fact, the original wheels have 24 spokes, and therefore provide more of a fractional advantage than you would get from 28 spoked Velocity rims laced to lightweight hubs. What will make a lot of difference is going with a thin tire like the Stelvio or Kojak. I don't think either of these tires are super safe for inexperienced riders, as they are so small they can get stuck in storm grates.

Jur, nice disappearing trick. I see what you mean about the hub flange. Assuming my partner's 2006 monocoque has the same forks, there is just about 4mm of clearance. My cross-laced Chris King hub fits with still a bit of room.

Went on a pootle today that turned into a 92 mile ride upstate New York in the US. Here is someone else's link with pics of the trail. http://www.nycbikemaps.com/maps/nort...ways-bike-map/

It's a really fabulous trail. From my house in Chinatown, there was only perhaps 1 1/2 to 2 miles of in traffic riding the whole way. We did a leisurely pace on the way up, but pounded the way down to stay warm.

So, Jur......has the GREEN machine been consigned to the "Never-never"?

Jur, either you spin slowly or your cyclocomputer is set incorrectly. At 100 RPM you should get 42km/h out of the stock 56T chainring and the 11T cog. I've only lacked gears on steep descents.