Brooks Saddle Mod

I punched some holes along the sides of my saddle and laced it up.  I used a pair of "hole punch pliers" (from Home Depot for $10) to make the holes, and some paracord to lace it.

It wasn't easy punching out the holes, but I eventually got it.  The holes are 4mm in diameter, spaced about a centimetre apart, and sealed up with Sno Seal.

The saddle is noticeably firmer, but still comfortable.  It's definitely worth doing if the sides of the saddle are starting to flair out too much, or if you want to firm it up a little.

TIP:  When lacing up the sides, don't pull them together tightly.  Try to keep the sides where they are while keeping the paracord snug.  Otherwise the saddle will feel like a rock.

2'ND TIP:  Punch even number (2, 4, 6, 8, etc) of holes per side.  This makes the paracord lacing look neater, and allows you to hide the knot under the saddle.

My Favourite Upgrades (so far)

These products made the biggest difference on my bike.

• For comfort, it's the Brooks B67s saddle without a doubt.  Especially since it's broken in now.  It's so comfortable I hardly notice it.
• For handling, the Misfit FME handlebar is the ticket.  It feels better balanced, but I lose some of the sit up riding position.
• For extra speed, the Specialized FatBoy 1.25" tires helps me ride faster with less effort compared to the original tires.
• For utility, the milk crate is hard to beat.  It carries more than the front basket, and it can be removed/installed easily.
• The icing on the cake is the Kool Stop Thinline (salmon) brake pads. The improvement is awesome.

The best upgrade of all time is proper bike set-up.  Once everything is dialed in, riding feels so much better.  I had to ride often, and be self aware to know what needs adjusting/changing.

Brake Upgrade

The original brake pads on my bike were adequate to slow me down.  I wanted more stopping power so I upgraded to a set of Kool Stop Thinline Salmon pads.

After installing the brake pads, one of the caliper arms was stuck to one side.  I gave up troubleshooting it and installed a spare set of Avid Single Digit 5.  The front fender was lowered so the calipers can clear it.

The difference in braking is like night and day.  It's way stronger and smoother than the factory set-up.  I should have upgraded the brakes when I got the bike.

UPDATE FEBRUARY 18, 2012:  These brakes have been squealing something fierce lately.  =/

UPDATE MARCH 11, 2012: The brakes suddenly stopped squealing.  I wonder if it has something to do with the warm weather (17° Celsius or 62.6° Fahrenheit)?  

OURY Mountain Grips

I just installed a pair of red OURY grips.  They feel great with or without gloves.

Both grips were kept at standard length.  Shifting feels the same even with the extra length.

I cleaned the handlebar with Windex and used rubbing alcohol to install the grips.  I put a nickel in each grip to act as bar end caps.  That should prevent the handlebar from punching a hole through the grip.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 17, 2011: The combination of these grips and the Misfit Psycles FME bar gives me a lot more knee/handlebar clearance for those super tight, slow speed turns.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 29, 2011: I left out two points that may help prevent the grips from twisting.

• I wrapped the ends of my handlebar with 4 revolutions of duct tape (just the width of the tape) to make it a little thicker.  
• The handlebar ends stick pass the grip a bit.  You can see it a bit on the 3'rd picture on this post.

UPDATE MARCH 7, 2012:  The grips never twisted on me during riding.  Twisting is a common complaint for slip on grips.  I really think the duct tape helps.  

Misfit Psycles FME Bar

I picked up a Misfit Psycles FME handlebar today.  For $22 it's hard to go wrong.  It provides a better wrist/hand position for control, and it's almost half the weight of the factory one.

The factory Kona handlebar weights 607 grams.  The Misfit FME bar weights 336 grams.

To install it, I had to pry the stem clamp open a bit to slide the centre section of the handlebar in.  I probably could have rammed it in, but I didn't want to scratch the finish.  =)  

The FME's riding position feels similar to the bar it replaced, and has more handlebar/knee clearance for tight, slow speed turns.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 11, 2011: The price of the handlebar went up.  Yikes!

UPDATE NOVEMBER 18, 2011: The extra bit of drop and reach from this bar puts extra weight over the front wheels. The bike feels more balanced and puts me in a slightly more aggressive riding position.  

UPDATE NOVEMBER 28, 2010: I can feel the handlebar flex a little on rough surfaces.  It takes a little edge off the bumps. 

New Seat Post

I installed an aluminium seat post today.  It's a micro adjustable type.  I bought it @ ebay.  It got here fast, but it took awhile to clear Canada Customs. >=(

The seat post size for the 2010 Kona AfricaBike is 27.2 mm.

Paracord Wrapped Handlebar

I wrapped the handlebar with paracord for a little more traction, and to take away the bite from touching cold/hot metal.  I'm sure handlebar tape will be more comfortable, but it's good enough for now.

I used a "constrictor knot" at the beginning, and end of the paracord wrapping. The ends were also sealed with a lighter to stop it from fraying.

When I'm riding on the "drop bar position", the shifter cable would be in the way. Repositioning the shifter so the cable runs along the side of the handlebar helped a lot. The bell got in the way too.  I'm gonna try mounting it on the side of my stem.

I may have to re-wrap them.  Next time I'll add something between the handlebar and the paracord to make them more comfortable.

UPDATE:  I tried adding thin cloth like sheets of foam to the handlebar.  It was more comfortable, but the wrapping didn't look very good.  So I removed the foam sheets and re-wrapped them with "olive drab" paracord instead.

Flipped Handlebar

There's no particular reason for doing this.  I just wanted to change the look and feel a bit.

I could definitely tell I'm not sitting up as straight as before, but it's still comfortable.

I'm gonna keep it this way for awhile and see how I like it.

UPDATED APRIL 9, 2011: I really like this mod.  It feels way more efficient by grabbing the inner bend of the handlebar like drop bars.  Now I can really put my whole body into hammering the pedals to get the bike up to speed from a dead stop fast.  It's no road bike, but it's a lot better than before.  The best part is I still have the "sit up style" of riding by grabbing the ends of the handlebar.  Wrapping the handlebar with paracord finishes this mod nicely.

UPDATED OCTOBER 27, 2011: I changed my handlebars.

Removed Basket & Added A Milk Crate

Today I removed the front basket and installed a milk crate.  The front basket was nice, but the milk crate looks cooler.  It adds a more urban utility look to the bike. I attached it with a bunch of zip ties.  So far it's holding up.

The "rear rack mod" (plywood seat) was removed before attaching the milk crate.  I could have left it on, but it feels more secure zip tying it directly to the rack.

There was a gap between the locknut to the washer after removing the "basket support bracket" from the headset.  Adding a spacer a little thicker than the bracket did the trick.

UPDATED NOVEMBER 5, 2011: There seems to be a lot of air resistants riding with the front basket, even when it's empty.  With the rear mounted milk crate, I ride with less effort.  I like the milk crate better.  It holds more stuff, and can be easily installed/removed.

UPDATE DECEMBER 5, 2011: I have a better way to mount a milk crate.

Specialized Fatboy Tire

I replaced the Continental Traffic 1.9" with a set of Specialized Fatboy 1.25" tires and Presta valve inner tubes. I wanted tires more suited for road and paved trails. The combination of a slick tread, lower rotation mass, and high PSI did the trick.

With the Fatboys inflated to 100 PSI really surprised me. I was expecting a harsher and twitchy ride. It feels similar to the Continentals except for the extra speed/efficiency I gained.

1'st and 2'nd gear on the bike used to feel a bit high. After installing these tires, the gearing feels a little lower.

The Continentals are good for what they were designed for, but the Fatboys are perfect for my needs. They're awesome.

UPDATED NOVEMBER 20, 2010: I keep them at 85 PSI now. They feel way more comfortable and just as fast.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 28, 2011: Depending on how and what you ride over, pebbles, twigs, etc. can cause the front/rear end of the bike to instantly skip left/right.  It'll startle you if you're not expecting it.

Seat Post Collar & Bolt

I swapped the quick release set-up for a collar and bolt awhile ago. I didn't find the quick release feature very useful for this type of bike. Once the seat height is adjusted, that's it.

The collar and bolt set-up is also a security feature (although a very weak one). It'll still take a thief a little longer to steal my seat, and seat post.