2014-02-28 - A Bit of Activity in Gym on a Rainy Day

Exercycle
Miles: 5.0
Start Time 5:00
Moving Time: 0:25:
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 12.00
Max Spd(M): 12.00
Temp Out:
Temp In:

Eliptical
Miles: .61
Start Time 5:30
Moving Time: 15:00
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 2.5
Max Spd(M): 2.8
Temp Out:
Temp In:

It has rained/showered off and on all day and the streets in the park are wet. I did not want to take any of my bikes out to get splattered with muddy water so I went to the gym which is far from my favorite form of exercise, especially bicycling. I rode an upright and a recumbent for 25 minutes then got on an elliptical trainer for 15 minuted of an "interval" session. I needed to burn some calories to account for the 12" Subway sandwich I had for lunch yesterday. My original plan this morning was to take the tour bike around the airport loop but that will wait.

2014-02-27 - Luckie Park Loop on Vilano SS

Miles: 10.9
Start Time 5:09
Moving Time: 0:56:08
Elevation(Ft): 118
Avg Spd(M): 11.6
Max Spd(M): 23.7
Temp Out: 70
Temp In: 70

After returning Bill to Yucca Valley this AM I stopped at The Joshua Tree bike shop and got the above seat bag for the new bike. An extravagance but it looks much better on the new bike than the ratty old thing I found on the side of Amboy Road on a walk one day. It is a tad on the large side but it has plenty of capacity and a loop to hang a light on so I can run 2 taillights, the more the merrier. It also has some reflective piping and logos. I wore my yellow jacket this evening and I am told it lights up like a Christmas tree in car headlights. Good! If a driver sees you the chances of him or her hitting you obviously go way down.

This evenings ride was pleasant. I started out, as is often the case, with the intention of put putting around the park for 30- minutes but ended up busting my butt a bit climbing up onto Two Mile Road. My legs are getting better. I noticed I have a strange puncture or cut on the top of my right foot behind the two small toes. I have no idea where it came from. Possibilities include a sandal strap cut on one of the steep hills on yesterday's ride or a rock in the sandal. The new pavement in the park has some nasty sharp pebbles loitering on the surface. They really hurt when one ends up in the shoe or sandal. I have no recollection of feeling an injury. I will watch and do my best to make sure it does not get infected.

I still have not gotten photos of this bike that do it justice. These are from my digital camera. I am trying it to see if it will give better results than the phone camera. Not at night. The flash washes out the green of the bike. I will try it during daylight hours to see how it goes. I am spoiled by the convenience of photos from the phone uploading almost instantly to the web.

2014-02-26 - Airport Loop on Single Speed Vilano

Miles: 23.3
Start Time 2:00
Moving Time: 1:48:30
Elevation(Ft): 410
Avg Spd(M): 12.9
Max Spd(M): 20.4
Temp Out: 75
Temp In: 75

After writing in yesterday's post abut how durable the new tires seem, this morning I grabbed the rear and found it completely flat. It had a Goat Head sticking in the left side of the tread and sure enough after removing the wheel and taking the tube out I found a very slow leak at that spot. So much for bullet proof tires. Although I have had very limited success patching tubes in the last 3 years I decided to try again to see if my observation about stale dried up glue being the problem would hold. I had a tube opened to patch a tube on the Murray about 2 weeks ago and it worked fine on this tube so I no feel confident I know the secret. I took advantage of the opportunity to install the "No Flat Strip" in the rear tire as well.

After a warm up run to the end of the park and back I set out down Amboy Road into a brisk W to NW wind to take the new bike on its first real adventure. I fought the wind to Valle Vista then had a nice downwind run to the airport and then back to Pinto Mt. Road and 62 where the W wind kicked in again and made me work the rest of the ride.

2014-02-25 - Luckie Park Loop Plus Some Laps on Single Speed

Miles: 8.2
Start Time 5:13
Moving Time: 43:25:
Elevation(Ft): 118
Avg Spd(M): 11.3
Max Spd(M): 27.3
Temp Out: 77
Temp In: 75

I had to go to Yucca Valley this morning to shop and to fetch Bill. When I got home I ate then napped and then went out to ride. A nice evening. I had a package this afternoon and was hoping it would be the chain adjusters arriving early but it was the No-Flat Strips for the Vilano. I am glad to have them. I will not put them in until I have a flat. So far the Kenda tires on the bike are proving to be very durable. No hint of any leakage in spite of the thorny environment here. Even though these tires are 700 x 28 they look as big or bigger than thee 700 x 35's on my tour bike. The front has no more fork clearance and maybe less than it did on the Murray frame, a bit of a disappointment. When these tires are finished I will probably move down to 700 x 25.

The rear is a bit tight too:

2014-02-24 - Around Park on New Vilano Frame Build

Morning
Miles: 5.5
Start Time 3:30
Moving Time: 0:35:
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M):
Max Spd(M):
Temp Out: 77
Temp In: 77

Evening
Miles: 5.1
Start Time 5:20
Moving Time: 26:06
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 11.7
Max Spd(M): 21.6
Temp Out: 68
Temp In: 68

The new frame arrived about 11:00 AM. I unboxed it and began to put it together. I did not expect the seatpost and clamp so that was a happy surprise:

I pulled the headset cups in using my homemade tool then assembled the fork, headset, spacers and stem. I discovered that the shim I had in the box with my Fuji stem was not fat enough to make the switch from a 25.4 bar to 31.8. I put on the seat and post, the cranks and the chain and wheels (Fixie) then went to Joshua Tree to see what I could find at the little bike shop there. He had a serviceable 31.8 bar. I also got a pair of brake levers even though I had no brakes at that time and a modestly priced set of grips. As soon s I got home and put the bars on I took the bike out and tried it as a "Fixie" (fixed gear, no coasting, the pedals are turning if the bike is rolling). I went about 30 yards and could see this was not the way to go at least at this moment. I came in and turned the rear wheel around to the freewheel side and decided to take the front brake from my road bike temporarily. By 3:30 I was ready to take the bike for a real ride which I did, 5 laps around the park. Unfortunately I had put the computer on the bar but neglected to put the sender on the fork and the Veloroid app on my phone went nuts so the stats are based on time and similar rides in the past. I stopped at least once to take photos. I figured I better get them while it is all new and pretty.

After I finished the ride I went to check my mail and the new brakes were here even though they were not to arrive until Wednesday. I went out at 5:20 for an evening ride and did 5.1 miles including a run down Amboy Road to Utah, up to the water dispensing area and back to and down Diamondbar to the end and back to the park for a few more laps. The weather is beautiful these days.

When I finished I put the road bike brake back where it belongs and mounted the new one on the Vilano (the white matches the wheel hubs):

It is very nice to ride a bike that stops well again. The brakes on the Murray have been marginal at best.

Update:

The frame and fork with bottom bracket weigh 10 pounds which is not light but it is fine for a bike of this nature. The finished bike is 26 pounds which is not bad for a fitness and recreational bike. The Murray weighed about 32 as a single speed (with the 700c tires and wheels that are on the Vilano now) so this frame is at least 6 pounds ligher.

2014-02-23 - Around Park on SS

Morning
Miles: 9.3
Start Time 10:48
Moving Time: 0:50:11
Elevation(Ft): 149
Avg Spd(M): 11.1
Max Spd(M): 17.9
Temp Out: 66
Temp In: 70

Evening
Miles: 4.53
Start Time 5:49
Moving Time: 25:57
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 10.5
Max Spd(M): 19.0
Temp Out: 65
Temp In: 65

Beautiful spring morning. I went out to poke around and take it easy and for the most part I did. I am just getting faster on this bike without any effort on my part. There is enough of an E breeze to make it a bit unpleasant to go in that direction. Not a good day to head for Arizona with a loaded bike. Yes, this bike is a bit heavy but since it is a fitness and goof off bike I am not concerned. It will be interesting to see what I end up with using the new frame. It will be nice to be able to take the back wheel off and keep it straight and the chain properly tensioned with minimal effort thanks to decent chain adjusters. I was thinking that since I will not have the new brakeset until Wednesday at least I may try a bit of "Fixie" to see how that works. Having no brake and no ability to coast could be a bit daunting at first and potentially dangerous. If I try it I will stay in the park and keep the speed down.

I spent a few hours this afternoon patching in the flooring where the couch and dinette bench were. I had some wood left from the initial install. Naturally I was one board short. I decided to scrap it in rather than buy another box. It is under the chair anyway. The bad joint does not even show in this picture because of glare. I will buy a stick of "T" moulding to fill in the gap under the edge of the table:

Update: 5:49 PM

Rode around park after a very brief nap (the phone woke me). I was very weary. The flooring work really knocked me out for some reason.

2014-02-22 - Pinto Mt. Loop on Single Speed

Morning
Miles: 16.3
Start Time 8:36
Moving Time: 1:17:37
Elevation(Ft): 161
Avg Spd(M): 12.6
Max Spd(M): 20.8
Temp Out: 53
Temp In: 66

Evening
Miles: 7.2
Start Time 05:03
Moving Time: 38:39
Elevation(Ft): 107
Avg Spd(M): 11.2
Max Spd(M): 24.6
Temp Out: 70
Temp In: 70

After taking a warmup lap in the park I went out onto Amboy Road westbound into a very cool (cold) NW wind. It was nasty all the way to Valle Vista. Fortunately by the time I turned back into the wind on Amboy Road it had warmed up considerably so the only issues were the grade and headwind. The two miles back to Bullion Mt. Rd. were a chore with no lower gears to fall back on. I did hold 10-11 MPH though. It seems with this bike that after one is warmed up if the pedals are turning the speed is at least 10. I made it about 1/2 up the steep hill on Pinto and had to walk the rest. My legs are just not strong enough to push this gear up that much grade. The bike worked flawlessly other than the noisy brakes.

The bike weighs 33 pounds as it is in the picture sans water bottle. This includes a tube, a 15 in one wrench, a 6" crescent, pliers, a 10 mm ratchet wrench, a phillips screwdriver and a Master Blaster pump.

Update: 6:05 PM

A few easy laps in the park then around the Luckie Park loop. Clouded over and a bit cool.

2014-02-21 - Baseline Loop on Single Speed

Morning
Miles: 12.3
Start Time 11:12
Moving Time: 1:04:37
Elevation(Ft): 312
Avg Spd(M): 12.4
Max Spd(M): 25.9
Temp Out: 65
Temp In: 69

Evening
Miles: 5.55
Start Time 5:15
Moving Time: 0:32:32
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 10.2
Max Spd(M): 16.3
Temp Out: 67
Temp In: 65

Beautiful cool sunny morning. I tried a potential touring outfit: Pearl Izumi liner, Walmart light cotton shorts, Champion thin wicking "T" and Columbia nylon travel shirt. It was OK once I un-tucked the "T" so I could pull up the liner. It is hard to know how this stuff will work in warmer temps but it does offer good sun protection and perhaps a more conventional appearance when visiting the store and so on (if that matters). The experimentation is fine but does not necessarily mean much without a tryout on the tour bike:

Grinding up the hill to Baseline was a job with the relatively big gears (46/16) on the bike. I worry some about hurting my knees. I will avoid much more climbing than I did today on this rig. The bike worked well other than some brake squeal. I did give in and order a new "Track" frame this morning. I think I have most of the parts to build it up. It will be better as using 700c wheels on this bike is sketchy. I will return this bike to something resembling stock although still single speed. I checked a Youtube video this AM and I definitely put the bearings in backwards when I rebuilt the one piece crank bottom bracket (I did read the instructions several times but obviously misinterpreted the description of the two sides of the bearings). The kit was only $10 so I will get another and do it right later, after the dust settles.

Update: 6:00 PM

Did a pleasant 5 laps in park to dump a few more calories and to enjoy the evening.

2014-02-20 - Single Speed, The Project Continues

New wheels (Flip/Flop Rear Hub, 700c x 28mm Kenda Tires):

Initial Solution to Tire Clearance Problem:

Final Solution to Tire Clearance Problem:

Bike Ready for Test Ride:

New Crank and Chain, Final (for now) Tensioner Position:

Crowded Handlebar:

2014-02-20 - Aroujnd Park on Single Speed - New Wheels, BB, Crank and Chain

Afternoon

Miles: 8.75
Start Time 2:00
Moving Time: 52:02
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 10.0
Max Spd(M):
Temp Out: 70
Temp In: 70

Evening

Miles: 5.5
Start Time 5:41
Moving Time: 33:53
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 10.0
Max Spd(M): 15.0
Temp Out: 65
Temp In: 61

Finally got SS/Fixie ready to ride. A beautiful warm afternoon. I wanted to stay within walking distance until the bugs are shaken out. Bike worked well. Gearing is bigger than I prefer (46/16) but it is probably good for me.

During the afternoon ride I noticed a sign at the clubhouse advertising an "Ice Cream Social" so I went over afterward and got 2 scoops of chocolate with chocolate syrup and chocolate sprinkles. It was delicious and worth the calories! I slept from about 4:00 to 5:30 then went out for an evening jaunt. It was cool when I started and after the first lap I stopped and got a coat and hat. The ride was pleasant and the bike worked well except for the brake which squeals like a stuck pig because the right side pad will not line up properly with the brake surface on the rim because the caliper spring is too long and blocks the adjustment slot. I will probably give up and order a cheap set of "Single Speed" brakes this evening unless I can figure out how to bend the spring enough to get it out of the way.

The end of the spring is under the washer instead of in the slot visible above the washer:

2014-02-14 - Night Ride Around Park on Fuji

Miles: 5.5
Start Time 7:00
Moving Time: 36:20
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 9.0
Max Spd(M): 15.8
Temp Out: 70
Temp In: 70

I went out at 4:00 to ride but ended up helping Kim and Dorothy who bought Rich and Hazel's lot paint their deck railing. Any excuse will do. After we stopped due to darkness I moved a headlight from the road bike to the Fuji and did 5 laps in the park to burn a few calories (234, dinner). A beautiful 80 degree day. I appear to be down an honest 5 pounds. Good!

This morning I took the crank and the remains of the bearings and the cups out of the Murray single speed. I put up a hook and have it handing on the shed now. The bottom bracket for it came this afternoon. Now I only need the cranks and BB adapter.

2014-02-13 - Late Evening Ride Around Park on Fuji

Miles: 5.5
Start Time 4:00
Moving Time: 34:27
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 9.5
Max Spd(M): 15.7
Temp Out: 73
Temp In: 71

I started out at 4:00 after spending most of the day in Yucca Valley taking Bill home and shopping. As I rode by Ron's trailer I saw he was out and stopped to show him my bike and we ended up talking until nearly dark. I rode a quick 5 laps in the twilight. It was fine because I was not highly motivated to ride anyway. I am glad I burned the calories as I ate a single serving apple pie from the store when I got home from shopping. That is my binge treat for the week (I hope). The ride and pie are nearly a match calorie wise but at least I am not behind the 340 from the pie.

The good news is that this morning I registered 215 lb. down from 220-222 3 weeks ago. I have learned to ride every day and to watch portion size to some extent and it is gratifying to see it start to pay off. If I do decide to take a long tour in a couple of months it would be helpful to start without 10-20 pound of extra ugly fat to drag around on top of my more useful luggage.

Last night I ordered a one piece to 3 piece crank Bottom Bracket adapter, BB and crankset for the single speed Murray. I hope to have this bike on the road again by the end of next week. It depends on the shipping speed of the parts. The crank and BB have shipped. The crank will arrive Monday, the BB perhaps Wednesday and the adapter, who can say? Here is the sad story (notice the greasy balls and chunks of bearing retainer on the floor):

This afternoon I tried to buy a rear brake cable for the Roadmaster mountain bike but Walmart had none and the shop in Joshua Tree was closed, at 3:00 PM. Strange. I did buy a bike hook and some lag bolts so I can put a piece of 2 x 4 with the hook in it on the side of my shed as a storage spot for the Murray SS.

2014-02-12 - Around Park on Single Speed. Pants Testing

Ride 1:

Miles: 7.8
Start Time 11:40
Moving Time: 50:16
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 9.3
Max Spd(M): 13.9
Temp Out: 70
Temp In: 72

Ride 2:

Miles: 3.6
Start Time 5:00
Moving Time: 24:10
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 8.9
Max Spd(M): 14.2
Temp Out: 68
Temp In: 68

I went out with the intention of screwing around inside the park for 20-30 minutes but as usual it turned into a more energetic ride than I planned.

I started out in Pearl Izumi liner shorts under Levi cargo shorts, a different pair that I have been using. They do not work well as the crotch is too long and bunched up on the front of the seat. This pair is a rugged work pant and the previous are a more casual pair. After about 4 miles I decided to try some other shorts. First I tried my other pair of nylon hiking shorts which is a fairly expensive Mountain Hardwear product. They were better than the Levi's I exchanged for them but not so hot. Next I tried an old pair of cheap zip-off pants (legs off). I hoped these would be good because it would be nice to have the dual use feature on a tour where luggage space is finite. They were better than both previous pairs but not ideal. Finally I fished the original Levi's from prior days out of the laundry and tried them and they were the most comfortable by a pretty good margin. The tests did not work out the way I would prefer but it is OK. Next I will try the same drill on the tour bike, different seat and seating position. It may come out the same or completely different.

This afternoon I will attempt to true the wheels on the Roadmaster bike and try to dial in the shifting a bit more. I may do another ride this evening.

Update (8:00 PM):

I ended up going grocery shopping and getting a pedicure instead of bike work this afternoon. I went out on the mountain bike around 5:00 for a brief ride before dark. I did not use the single speed because I have had no luck getting the bottom bracket bearings to stay adjusted. I thought I would open it up and pack more grease in before I went shopping. When I backed off the retainer balls started falling out along with chunks of the bearing retainer rings. Obviously I did something wrong when I installed it, apparently reversing the bearings. I read the instructions several times and thought I understood but apparently not. I am glad the bearing and cup kit was only $10.00.

A few minutes ago I finished ordering a converter sleeve, a sealed bottom bracket and a single speed crank.I did not want to do this at this time but it seems necessary if I am to continue using the bike.

2014-02-11 - Lucky Park Loop on Single Speed

Miles: 8.3
Start Time 4:21
Moving Time: 48:41
Elevation(Ft): 98
Avg Spd(M): 10.2
Max Spd(M): 22.1
Temp Out: 70
Temp In: 68

I did two warmup laps in the park then rode up to Luckie Park and around the block then did 2 more laps here. It is a beautiful spring evening in February.

I have been experimenting the last week or so with alternate forms of bicycle attire with the idea in mind of being able to wear less geeky clothing on tour. I have had two pairs of Pearl Izumi padded liner shorts for some time. I wore them under a pair of cheap basketball type shorts on the first two days of my tour to Temecula in the fall of 2012. The combination did not work. I had not worn them since. I have been wearing the liners under a pair of Levi cargo shorts and that has worked well on the short rides I have been taking and with the single speed seat and fit. This evening I tried a pair of Columbia nylon cargo shorts with the liner and it did not seem to be as comfortable as the Levi/liner combo. Tomorrow I will wear the Levi's again to see if the nylon pants were really the problem. It would be nice to use nylon or another thin synthetic as it would be much more comfortable and serviceable if wet. I will try another pair of nylon shorts I own in a few days to see if they are better. Once I decide which shorts seem to work I will break out the tour bike and wear the rig on a 25 or so mile test ride. If that works I may try the setup on tour with my Lycra bike shorts along as backup of course.

I also have two synthetic polo shirts I bought at Costco several years ago. I have almost never worn the as street clothing so I decided to try them as a top to wear with the cargo shorts. They work well although they may be a bit too heavy for warmer days.

The tires and grips for the Roadmaster project mountain bike came yesterday. I spent a couple of pleasant hours this afternoon changing the tires, putting on the grips and adjusting the shifters and brake levers and tweaking the shifting. Both bikes are ready to take to LA although the Roadmaster still needs a rear brake cable. I will take them this weekend and get the cable on the way if not before. The Roadmaster is low quality and I hope we did not throw good money after bad. It does look pretty good though. Time will tell if is has any legs.

You can see in the pictures what the sun and wind have done to the back of my golf cart cover. It rips and falls apart at the slightest touch. I put the green tarp under the cover in an attempt to keep some dirt out. I recently turned the cart around, the back had been facing south for several years. The cart is another project. It needs about $600 of new batteries and about $200 of tires.

2014-02-10 - Around Park on Single Speed

Miles: 5.5
Start Time 2:52
Moving Time: 34:21
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 9.6
Max Spd(M): 14.5
Temp Out: 72
Temp In: 72

Miles: 5.8
Start Time 4:55
Moving Time: 36:50
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 9.3
Max Spd(M):
Temp Out: 70
Temp In: 70

A quick 5 laps around park. Before the ride I spent 1-2 hours fixing the slow leak in the SS front tire. It has been there several days and I have been pumping it up every day but decided to deal with it today. I put on about 5 patched before I got a good one then found a second hole in the tube. I could find nothing in the tire so I guess it was an in and out puncture. The second hole appeared to be the result of a partially exposed spoke nipple. I re-positioned the rim tape and hopefully that will end that problem.

The secret seems to be the glue. In this climate once the glue is opened it does not seem to last long, certainly not through the summer. Once I got out a new patch kit and used the new glue I got results. With a previously opened tube of glue the patches would not hold, period. The patches held outside the tire but as soon as the tube was put in the tire and pumped up they would leak. Frustrating! I have been buying single use tubes of Superglue for some time. I need to find the equivalent tire patch glue. It does not make sense to use a $4-5 patch kit for each flat. At that price a new tube makes more sense. I had no choice this time because I have no extra tubes for this bike.

The tires and tubes are the old 26 x 1 3/8 size. I think Walmart carries the tubes. I bought a 26 x 1 3/8 tire there some time ago thinking it would fit my 26" mountain bike. Wrong! 26" mountain bike rims are a different size than the old 26" road bike rims. Of course I did not know that at the time. 26" mountain bike tire sizes are expressed in decimals, i.e. 26 x 1.5 while the road bike sizes are fractional s in 26 x 1 3/8.

There is a new metric ISO standard for bike rims and tires which makes much more sense but the old inch and metric sizes are used universally in the market. 26 x 1 3/8 is ISO 590, 26 x 1.0 to 2.125 is ISO 559 and standard modern 700C road bike rims and tires are ISO 622. The ISO number is the bead seat diameter in millimeters. Just to add more confusion to an already illogical standard the new 29" mountain bike tires and rims are also ISO 622 which means some 700c road bike tires can be used on 29" mountain bikes if the road tire is fat enough to engage the wider mountain bike rim.

While I was on the ride the new tires for the second mountain bike I am refurbishing came. After the ride I went to my mailbox and the grips were there so I have all the stuff to finish this bike except the rear brake cable. I may mount the tires and grips this evening. I will get the cable on my next trip to or through Yucca Valley, either on a shopping trip or on the way to deliver the bikes to LA. I have to talk to my daughter so work out the delivery situation.

Update 6:30 PM I went out just before 5:00 to ride an easy 30 minutes or so. A good part of the time I rode with Ron, a Canadian here for the winter with two KTM motorcycles, a mountain bike and kayak. We chatted about bikes and the weather mostly.

2014-02-09 - Baseline Loop on Single Speed

Miles: 15.3
Start Time 1:22
Moving Time: 1:37:15
Elevation(Ft): 312
Avg Spd(M): 9.5
Max Spd(M): 24.4
Temp Out: 71
Temp In: 77

A beautiful afternoon ride, mid-70s with a light South breeze. I did 2 warm up laps in the park then set out for Luckie Park with the idea in mind of going on up to JTNP HQ and around on Baseline. I had some apprehension about the uphill with no low gears but it worked out OK. After brief stops at Luckie Park and JTNP HQ I ground up the hill to Baseline and turned for home. I stopped briefly in front of the new Indian Casino to take a photo to send my friend Bill who is anxious to get inside and donate some money to the tribe. A security guard came over and told me the new estimated opening target is Mid-March. This will disappoint Bill who was hoping they would make the February estimate.

When I got to Adobe Road I decided to go west on Sullivan and come home through town rather than the direct route. When I got back to the park I did 2-3 more laps to get the mileage up to 15+. All and all a very pleasant ride in spite of the moderate climbs. I will note that the single gear ratio I am using is pretty low, 39/21. I spin out at about 15 MPH. When my legs get stronger I will drop to bigger gears. A very common single speed gearing is 46/16 which I could not push very well at this time.

The Tortoise Rock Casino: