Rear Rack Mod

I added a piece of plywood on the rear rack. I saw something similar on-line. It looked pretty cool so I made one too.

It's made from 1/2" plywood cut to 7 1/4" wide x 10" long. The corners and edges are rounded off, and finished with several coats of black paint.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Now I can give my nephew bike rides.


UPDATE NOVEMBER 29, 2011: I removed the plywood seat since I added a milk crate on the rack.   

New Helmet

I got a new helmet today. It's a matte grey Pro Tec Ace Skate with SXP. I bought this one for several reasons.

• Read lots of good reviews.
• Good head coverage.
• Can take multiple impacts.
• Lots of air vents.
• Looks cool.

The profile on this helmet isn't too bad, and it feels pretty light. One thing this helmet lacks is a micro adjustment feature to fine tune the fit. It would also be nice to have larger vents.

I like this helmet, but it isn't for everyone. For a casual rider, I think it'll do the job. If you ride hard, you'll cook your brain during the summer.

Leather Saddle Is Breaking In

My leather saddle is already starting to break in. I can feel the slight depressions made by my sit bones. I'm surprised it has started so fast.  I've read some people putting in hundreds of miles before they noticed any results.

I did expect it to break in faster than others though. The riding position puts most of my weight (88 Kg) on the saddle. I didn't use any magic oils or special processes. All I ever done was apply some Sno Seal on the top. Since that stuff doesn't soften leather, I don't think it helped in speeding up the process.

I'm breaking it in the old school way by riding. Luckily for me, it isn't taking very long.  I've read somewhere that Brooks uses a softer leather for their "City & Heavy Duty" saddles.  That explains why it's breaking in so fast.

UPDATE DECEMBER 4, 2011: My saddle has finally broke in. =)

UPDATE APRIL 17, 2012: Problem with saddle?

UPDATE APRIL 18, 2012: Brooks saddle mod.

The Step Through Frame Stereotype

Before I got this bike, I was a little self conscious of what people might think about a guy riding a step though frame. I really shouldn't care, but the stereotype associated with it was always on the back of my mind.

The Kona AfricaBike and the Africa Bike Program helped me get over it. The good cause this bike supports and represents, made the whole "girl bike" thing a non-issue for me.

After riding it for almost a month, I'm liking the step though frame. Even if they made a diamond frame version, I'll still take the step though instead. It's simply a more versatile design.

P.S. Here is an interesting link about this topic.

Stem Height Adjustment

I think I've got it. The bike is finally setup perfectly (for now). All it took was several long rides to figure out what felt right and what didn't.

On the latest ride, I noticed my shoulders feeling a little tired. I raised the stem an inch to take a little pressure off. The slight strain was gone like magic. The bike was more stable, and it felt like I was sitting a little higher too.

All these improvements by raising the stem a little bit. Simply amazing. I never knew a bicycle could feel so comfortable.

Rear Wheel Removal & Adjusting The Nexus 3 Speed

These are links on how to remove the rear wheel with a Shimano Nexus 3 Speed. You'll never know when you gotta fix a flat.

• YouTube video from BeachBikes.com
• WikiAnswers

This is how to adjust it.

• YouTube video from BeachBikes.com

The Coaster Brake

When I was a kid, all my bikes had coaster brakes.  It wasn't till high school that I got my first bike without them.  Fast forward years later and here I am with a coaster brake again.

I thought switching back to coaster brakes would be easy...NOPE!  It has been a little tricky, and dangerous at first.  Sometimes I would apply the brake by accident.  Usually at the beginning or a turn, or when I'm standing on the pedals to adsorb rough roads.  Luckily I haven't dumped it.

I can understand why some people don't like coaster brakes.  It only took me a week plus a good part of my childhood to get the hang of it. ; )


UPDATE DECEMBER 9, 2011: I changed the nut on the coaster brake arm to a wing nut (size M6x1).  Before I needed 2 tools to disengage/attach the coaster brake arm.  Now I only need one tool.  Either a 10mm wrench or a Phillips (+) screwdriver.