My Surly Steed

Stolen!

Update 2007

Some details of my custom-built commuter bicycle

• The Surly Cross-check is a chrome-moly steel frame which is specialized for Cyclo-Cross cross-country racing. The 56cm frame is is durable and smooth as silk on bumps. It is not really suitable for elite racing, due to frame weight. But why pay an extra $1000 to save 500g? This is a wonderful frame for the $$. It is tough as nails, with lots of braze-ons, and perfect for my needs.
• The original rim brakes ate though the front wheel after just two years, even with the gentlest (Salmon) Kool-stop brake pads! Furthermore, I hated needing 75m to stop downhill in the rain. So I replaced the stock Cross-check front end with Dimension Cross (rigid, disc-only) forks which accommodate Avid "road" cable-pull disc brakes, and Salsa "Delgado Cross" front rims on a Formula hub.
• A rugged Mavic CrossMax rear rim with a Schwalbe Marathon tire permits (gentle!) curb-jumping with full panniers.
• A Shimano drive train with 50/38/28 chain ring and a (32/28/24/21/18/16/14/12/11) 9-speed cassette provides between 23.20 and 120.54 "gear inches". The high-to-low gear ratio is more than 500%, so I easily ply Burnaby mountain with a load, yet comfortably fly the 60km/h speed limit all the way down. A Deore XT Mountain-bike rear derailleur reliably handles the cartridge, but a 105 front derailleur leaves room for the fender.
• Cockpit (far too busy for purists!)
  • My long legs vs short arms warrant a short, high Axiom stem on a Ritchey Logic headset.
  • Flared drop handlebars. Reason: All those years of 10-speeds ;-) Actually I can't stand those ubiquitous mountain-bike handles. I feel trapped with them, and get fatigue. Drop bars accommodate my "ADHD" by providing no fewer than five comfortable grips (bar-top, top-curve, brake-horns, drop-curve, bar-ends).
  • Shimano bar-end shifters. People are often critical of this "old-fashoned" set up. I find them to be convenient and easier to replace/service than those popular integrated brake/shift levers, which need replacing every 10K km for sake of reliability. The unusual routing of shifter cables, as shown, works well.
  • The Mirrycle mirror is the only satisfactory one I have ever found. No shaking, convex, easy adjusting, spare parts easily available, and it folds away. Unfortunately, neither their "Original Mirrycle" nor their "Mountain Mirrycle" works well with modern brakes on drop handlebars. (Will Shimano/Mirrycle ever cooperate on this atrocity?) I was saved by Calhoun Cycle in Minneapolis. For $13USD extra, they mate the mirrycle with a sturdy tube-mount base and call it the Evo Mirror. It is targeted to recumbent bicycles, but works great on road bikes. By fastening it just under the brake handle as shown, the mirror is in a good viewing position, yet the mount is (by miracle!) just out of the way of my left hand for both of the braking grips (lower and horn). Still, I pine for the beautiful mount of the Original Mirrycle on those old 10-speed cable-bearing brake horns.
  • A Delta Airzound air horn has saved my life twice now. It is especially good in summer, when I am less visible (no lights), but alarmingly audible. I use it preemptively when I suspect a driver might has not seen me in the right-of-way, about once per hour on average. It usually stops cars dead in their tracks. It must never be used for pedestrians. I pump it up every couple of weeks. Mounted as shown, it within easy right-thumb reach, which lets me simultaneously use the powerful front brakes if necessary.
  • A Planet Bike Alias SC 15-watt lamp (winter only) features a compact battery, and is inconspicuous when mounted under the handlebar as shown. The company was greatly supportive, when the charger went on the blitz. When I politely related my woes, they replaced it for free! Kudos for Planet Bike!
  • A BLT front LED blinker is surprizingly visible, and is locally made. Always remove it when parking the bike on the street, or someone else will do it for you.
  • A bell is for politeness.
  • Bicycle computer -- just kidding -- Ed would disown me if I tried to squeeze another gadget on the "chistmas tree."
• Other Accessories:
  • Two locks. A snappy cable lock for quick stops. A U-lock for resistance.
  • Under-saddle Blackbum tool bag
  • Rear Axiom 10.2mm pannier rack (go Canada).
  • Very very old and patched Cannondale rear panniers. My Theory: Ahem . . . nobody could possibly imagine that they contain anything worth stealing . . .
  • Front rack/panniers (summer touring only).
  • Full fenders (It rains 200 cm/year here).
  • Toe clips. I would go clipless if I could find 3E-wide shoes. The "wide/stubby" clips are better as they fit overshoes, and avoid the front fender.
  • The Profile Design Kage water bottle cage is perfect for those 591ml Dasani water bottles that I find all over the place. The 710ml bottles are even better, but rare. Bonus: Return the bottle for 5 cents refund after the sun has damaged it.
  • Rear LED blinker and reflectors
  • Hose clamps -- not kidding -- Ed showed me how to deter thieves with electrical tape and hose clamps on the quick-release levers. Brilliant!
  • Bungee chords.
  • Deeply engraved and stained ownership information, so a thief knows who will be sending him to the dentist ;-)