Project Mickstee: Episode II: Deconstruction

I managed to dismantle the bicycle down to the frameset. The stem was (and still is) dead stuck inside the steerer, and I didn't want to resolve to heat; inspection of cups and bearings showed them being in excellent condition, so I removed old grease with an oil-remover soaked toothbrush and re-greased the bearings. I know it's cheating, but the idea of this project is to keep as many original parts as possible and not to spend a fortune. Plus the fork has pretty cool lugs, and is in too good condition to replace just yet.

Taking the bike apart showed that it has not been ridden much in the last... mmm... lets say 5 years. The rust was mostly on the top left side, almost none on the frame (95% on the chrome parts). It looked like there was constant source of dampness on one side, while the other remained relatively protected. The frame is not scratched either; all cups and bearings are in perfect condition.

Moreover there is epic spiderweb inside the fenders and brake handles: I dropped a washer in it by accident, and it got stuck there!


The lady is taking her bath; the frame is metallic brown, so it camouflages rust perfectly (good to hide a half-ass derusting job, bad because it makes the rust easy to miss: the cause of the half-ass job!). Washing it removed about half of the stuff that looked like rust at first, but turned out to be dirt. Also showed the almost new condition of the frame. Serious rust was only inside the fenders.

The wheels are entirely different story. Steel rims ("heavy as a prerevolutionary iron"), gathered some rust, but still look pretty cool, and make me want to reuse them to keep the original parts on. Hubs are in average condition. Spokes, on the other hand, loosened and rusted, so at least the back wheel is to rebuild. Now, the Great Wheel Dilemma arises: to use the heavy and rust prone steel rims, or to upgrade to aluminum. If to upgrade, then it would make sense to upgrade the hubs as well. The second part of the dilemma is to whether keep it as a 5-speed (reuse same rear hub and/or sprockets) or to put a coaster brake. Coaster brake solves the potential problem with rusty brake levers and handles, and derailer. This also makes the bike lighter, and can compensate for the use of steel rims, and reduces the problems with wet weather braking.

Project Mickstee: Episode I: Road Find

On the day of the Saint Jean Baptiste anno domini 2008, a bicycle and a half was found in the trash pile in front of Mahatma Ghandi park. The half was nothing special - a cheap mountain bike frame with some rust, with no brakes and one wheel. But the bicycle... the bicycle didn't look like much either - rust, bolts missing on the front axle so the wheel is falling out, useless chain... Looking closer: a mixte frame '70s C.C.M. 5 speed cruiser. Cruiser handlebars. No structural damage to the frame. Appears to have all (or most) original components. Leather spring-loaded seat. Beautiful even in its rustiness.

Bringing it home, I feel like an animal rescuer from a child story. My room already looks like a bike shop - two frames from the ongoing projects, the mountain bike frame I piked up today, and a bike waiting to be tuned up and sold; plus the one I ride on daily bases. This dysfunctional family welcomes the newcomer by falling over and the symphony of clinngggs and bannngs.


Handlebars seem to have taken most of the damage from rust. Even the chain is in better condition (but still unusable). Hopefully they are still salvageable; we'll see what does the steel wool have to say on the subject.

The progress of the work will be reflected in regular reports. Stay tuned.

Making sure summer is real

This year I decided to witness the first sunrise of the summer. Getting up at 4 am was out of the question, so I stacked up on tea, coffee, and energy bars and prepared for the night of stargazing and daydreaming. To add to the pagan nature (summer solstice, etc) of the event and to feel more primal, I also decided to bake some bread. The recipe has already been tried a few times on previous occasions (less pagan and primal, I must admit) and proved itself worthy.

In case you are curious here is this premium vegan bread recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5716.0

The only modification made was the addition of herbs: rosemary, oregano, thyme and sauté-ed onions (what?! what do you mean "not a herb!?").

I completely messed it up. Poured too hot water into the yeast and later forgot to put it in when it was supposed to be inserted; as a result, the dough didn't ride. It took over an hour in the oven, formed bulletproof crust and stayed completely raw inside. Coda. However, since all the ingredients can be pretty much eaten uncooked, I took the chances and tried this gastronomic catastrophe. Despite the density of a neutron star, the taste was actually quite good. The onions are just right, oregano not overdosed, rosemary is noticeable.

It is now 3.45 am, the bread is cooling on the counter, and... O MIRACLE! First light of the summer!So after the another (seventh) cup of tea and freshly underbaked bread, the sky color pallet is upgrading:Dawn at 4.30am:


Behold friends, summer is not a hoax! It is actually here! I saw it arrive with my very own eyes!

"Where did it go?"

Couple of months ago, an excellent Montreal biking blog had a video posted about bicycle locking:

http://communities.canada.com/montrealgazette/blogs/ontwowheels/archive/2008/05/09/bike-locking-tips.aspx

After watching it, I found myself (apart from buying an additional, stronger lock) paying attention to the way bikes are parked around town. Within the same period of time I came across/overheard a few stories about bicycles being stolen around Concordia's downtown campus. This called for an investigation, since I have to leave my bike there regularly as well. Few walks in between buildings to and from class were enough to see the theft-prone trend. I didn't take any pictures (not to be mistaken for a thief myself) but here are few observations:

1. Bad locking technique. Only locking the top tube (the frame), even when possible to lock the seat tube and the back wheel to the same pole/parking meter. What's the point of using a long U-lock if not to be able to lock up two parts of the bike at the same time?!
2. Bad locks. Thin cable locks and long U-locks with thin locking bar are quite common. The first can be easily cut, the second levered off.
3. Combo "cable lock + parking meter." Occasionally comes in conjunction with part 1. The bike can be lifted over the pole since the cable is loose enough to go over the top of the meter.

There is also a bunch of reasons I heard people give not to buy a more expensive, but safer lock:

1. "My bike is cheap." Yes, the more expensive the bike is the more likely it is to be targeted, but a cheap lock is a greater attraction than the cheap bike is a repulsion. As long as it's ridable it should be properly attached.
2. "Locks are expensive." So are new bicycles.
3. "There are cameras here." You are staring at a little black and white screen, where you see the back of a hooded individual dressed in gray (aka cement camouflage), for the whole 6.57 seconds, during which he clips off your lock with a bolt cutter and joyfully rides away.
4. "There is plenty of people here at all times." Ever heard of bystander effect? If memory doesn't betray me, the original experiment looked something like that: a group of people was put into a room and given some kind of logic test (they think that THAT is the study). After a few minutes, smoke is pumped into the ventilation system and starts to fill the room. Result: the more people the group consists of, the longer it takes for someone to get up to go inform the researches in the next room about the smoke (while the building is potentially on fire). A bike thief is not nearly as much of a direct threat as fire, and there is a very tempting possibility to just walk off and pretend having not to noticed anything. For those still in doubt - check out this video by the Neistat brothers: http://www.neistat.com/movies/bikethief/index.htm
5. "I don't ride that much anyways."/"Don't leave my bike for that long." That does decrease the time your bike is exposed to danger, but an easy to break lock greatly increases the risk during these short intervals.

Now, I'm not trying to put the responsibility on people having their bikes stolen or let the thieves off the hook; however, facts are there - bicycles do get stolen, and I'd rather be a cycling pessimist than an optimistic pedestrian. The list above is not to annoy people, but to put some common sense, slightly "demystify," the bike locking.

General information from personal experience:
1. Good locks are mainly sold in bike shops, not department stores. From the latter, OnGuard U-lock does the job fairly well, used together with a SEPARATE cable lock (e.g. MasterLock cable). However, it's only 10$ cheaper (40$ vs 50$) than the U-shaped Kryptonite, which is shorter, lighter, and most probably overall better.
2. The best way to use a most common bike rack (like the ones around Concordia) is to stick the back wheel in it. Then it can be locked with the frame and the front wheel attached with the cable or a second lock to the frame (if the rack is too far). I know this advice sounds dumb (come on, anyone can figure out a rack!), but I had to explain this trick a couple of times already.

Other references:
A great article on locking by venerable Sheldon Brown, probably one of the best organized bicycle resources on the web: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html
Kryptonite locks official website: http://www.kryptonitelock.com/

Before the summer

The warm weather jump starts Montreal summer a dozen of days before the "official opening." Here is the quick recap of the events that marked the beginning of the month of June.

The area of Little Burgundy celebrated the change of seasons by a pineapple fight. The commercial and political connotation (promotion of locally grown fruit) of the event attracted such a number of environmentally responsible citizen that the reporting crew could only witness and photograph the aftermath.
The Organization for Humane Treatment of Edible Plants (OHTEP) responded by stigmatizing the activity as encouraging the melting of the Antarctic ice cap. Our analytical department is presently working on tracing the connection between the two.

The city of Montreal introduces innovative landscaping this summer. Young plants of new species, genetically engineered to survive in the urban environment are to be introduced in the places previously unthinkable. The tree seen on the photo extracts nutrients from the remains of food thrown into the can; it also receives its daily caffeine dose from disposable cups. Leaving a bicycle near one might not be the best idea, since some species planted near garages and gas stations were found to have particular liking for rubber and aluminum. The lack of foliage decreases the loss of water, thus diminishing the need for maintenance. This new kind of trees is independent, self-sufficient and resistant; it got everything to be fully integrated into the urban milieu of the 21st century.

Nightlife is not to be missed! Along with downtown bicycle renting service, summer '08 features the "uniglass" project, designed to reduce the use of disposable cups. Participating cafes, restaurants and bars are provided with standard glasses (seen on the photo). People that take their coffee or drink to go, walk off with a real glass, later leaving it anywhere in the downtown area, which is patrolled by a team of cycling volunteers; they pick up the glasses and bring them to the washing station, from where they are redistributed back to the businesses.