Author: Bob Harrison

Well now I’ve really gone and done it…yes!
Sometime this Spring I’ll be rolling down the coast of Oregon with my RAGBRAI buddy Erich. It’s going to be a leisurely ride of about 400 miles. We aren’t going to push it and we may even take a day off somewhere along the way…or not. In any case the point isn’t that I’m going, I wrote about that before. The point is that I actually purchased the tickets.
And, because it seemed like a good idea for only $100 or so more, I’m headed to the Bay Area for a few days after the ride. A few days in the Bay Area for only $100…well not exactly. The addition fare for the plane turned out to be about $100. Clearly it’ll cost more to stay there.
Based on a recommendation from in post on the RBW Owners Bunch Google Group I’ll be staying at The Mosser in a tiny little room with a shared bathroom. Intrigued? At the price it’s hard to turn down. The place generally gets rave reviews and the location, as well as the fact that BART station is just down the block sold me. Since I don’t want to get a car while I’m there (really don’t need one with a bike and the BART), it’s perfect.
I’ll know more soon, but it’s done…I’m going and it’s moved beyond the ‘thinking about it’ and the ‘making a decision’ stage. I’m set. Now all I have to do is put in hundreds of miles in prep rides so I don’t die on the hills that are sure to always be in front of me.
Aloha!

Okay, I’m officially impressed with the ride of my Bridgestone. Indeed it’s a shame I’m back in Honolulu and it’s still in Hilo. I want to go back now so I can ride it again tomorrow. I’m going to have to content myself with my RB-1’s spiritual grandchild, my Rivendell Quickbeam.
I put in almost 29 miles today riding from my folks home into town, then out to the Panaewa Zoo (one of my favorite places), back down to sea level and out Keaukaha way, and finally back home.
Here’s how nice the ride was..I figured I’d put in just over 20 miles when in fact I was bit short of 30. The ride felt really fast to me overall, but I wasn’t timing it so I could be pretty far off.
Actually the ride didn’t start that well. I must have banged my rear derailleur bar-end shifter or something because it the gear kept slipping back onto the smallest cog. This wasn’t great but as the initial bit of the ride is downhill I was able to cope with it. Once I was in town I did a wee bit of tightening and the bike shifted fine for the rest of the day. I didn’t stop to do this on the way into town as I had an appointment and didn’t want to take the time out to make a fix for something that wasn’t really hurting me at that point.
Once I was fixed up and my obligation finished I was off to the zoo. It’s an easy climb of about 400 feet over a few miles so while you do notice you are going up it’s not really a lot like climbing hill after hill in Iowa. It’s just up.
After a cold drink at the zoo and quick walk around it was time to head back down. Down is fun. In fact I felt so good at the end of down I did flat for a few extra miles. Then it was time to go home, shower, have lunch with my mom (and answer a few of her Facebook questions – yes, she’s on FB), and get to the airport.
I can’t wait to go back so I can do this all over again…

I’d love to say I managed to spend the entire weekend riding my new (old) Bridgestone, but I’ve been very busy with some of the obligations that brought me to the Big Island. Still I did manage about 45 minutes last this afternoon and have to admit that this bike is one sweet ride.
It’s a comfortable and stable frame. I can hold a line with ease and on descents it feels very steady and not at all “twitchy.”
Even though I’m friction shifting with bar-ends I’m not having any trouble find gears on the 8 speed cluster and the front derailleur is accurate as well. Basically this bike is solid.
Still I’m not completely happy with the handlebars, which came from the Raleigh, and I’m pretty much convinced I want to put some moustache bars on this bike. I’m used to those from my Quickbeam. I can stretch out to get out of the wind just fine with them, but seem to have more comfortable postions available when I’m more upright than I can find with these drops.
It’ll mean I have to swap out the brake levers as well to something more modern -not a big problem in my book. And all that will probably mean I’ve got to recable the bike though there might be enough slack available. No time this trip, but I’ll be back soon enough.
I’ve also spent a fair bit of time looking at the differences between the RB-1 and the RB-2 in images I can find and I’m fairly certain this is an RB-1. Again it’s not a big deal, the bike is good and I’m happy.
Aloha!

I’m visiting my folks in Hilo this weekend and back in July of 2010 I purchased an old Raleigh. I rode it every time I was out here during 2010 and 2011. I had some great rides on it, including a few up to the Panaewa Zoo.
Last time I was here I had a bit of trouble with the rear wheel which was, um, quite used. I actually bought another used wheel (too bad about that) which was in somewhat better condition but blew out my last tube when I put it on the bike. Sigh.
Well yesterday I was back at All Kine Bicycles to visit Bill and pick up a new tube when I saw a Bridgestone RB-? sitting there for sale. It was more or less my size (my size really being larger than most production frames – I ride a 66cm Quickbeam). Well Bill says they sell recycled bikes and often he sells bikes he’s sold before (Hilo have a lot of students who buy bikes from him and then sell them back when they graduate or otherwise move on). So…
I ran home, got the Raleigh which, to be honest, really needs a new paint job and new (could be new used) components and made a deal with Bill.
Basically I traded in the Raleigh, parted with a few bucks (ouch, but not too bad, Bill is fair), and picked up a new used Bridgestone RB-? today, after which I went riding.
The reason I say RB-? is because I’m not sure it’s an RB-1. It could be an RB-2 I supposed. The original owner strategically placed a sticker over the part of the frame that would let me know. I’m not that concerned, though of course I’d rather have an RB-1 than a 2. Here’s an image…can you tell what it is? Let me know.

For that it’s worth it would appear my bike is a 1994, late 1994, the last year Bridgestone sold bikes in the US I believe. I get this from Cyclofiend’s B-Stone FAQ. My serial number begins with H4, the H indicating it wasn’t made from January to July (letters A-H) and the 4 being the year.
The component group is Shimano 600 (later becoming the Ultegra group I believe). It’s an 8-speed cluster on the back with two chainrings. I haven’t counted the teeth. The seatpost is Campy – the only Campy part I think I’ve ever owned, though my dad was fixated on Campagnolo back in the 70’s and early 80’s.
The bike had brifters but I wanted to swap the Nitto Dirtdrop stem I used on the Raleigh. Since I was working a trade I needed to leave them with a working bike so instead of taking everything apart they simply switched everything from the Raleigh over to the Bridgestone. So know I don’t have the original handlebars or shifters, but I’m going to end up with moustache bars on it anyway so…no big deal. It’s bike to ride, not one for the museum. Besides I really didn’t want brifters and this way I get to keep the ancient Suntour bar-ends which work great with the Shimano 600’s.
I also dumped the saddle which was nice for a go-fast type for the Brook B-17 I had on the Raleigh. And finally I had them switch tires from really hard road tires to my squishier Pasella 28’s. I think I might be able to get 32’s on the bike, but the 28’s, even at my weight, are really pretty comfortable (I ride 35’s on my Quickbeam which is more comfortable).
So it’s sort of a Frankenbike now and I don’t regret parting with some of the original bits.
And yes, I’ve forgotten one more thing. Clearly the previous owner likes his pedals because the bike came without ’em. No problem. I simply put the Grip Kings on from the Raleigh. Actually I did that before I made the deal because I needed something to try the bike with.
Today picked it all up and did a sweet 10+ mile ride. This bike rides very well and the components are much smoother than what I had on the older Raleigh.
I’m a happy camper.
Here’s the set of images I made with my phone on the ride today. I didn’t bring a decent camera with me on this trip (I also forgot deodorant but I was willing to buy that) so it’ll have to wait till I come back in a month or two.

My Fujiyama is crying out for a different color. I can’t explain exactly how I know this, but ’tis true. I’ve been in the process of fixing her up with new cranksets and whatnot.
Well the next step seems to be painting the frame. I’m just not a rattle-can kinda guy so I figure powder coating is the next best way of dealing with things. But what color?
Well I was struck, not literally, by an old frame I saw a couple of years back that had been painted orange and had a black and silver build up. Since I’ve already got black and silver bits, I’m thinking orange is a good way to go. I don’t want fluorescent day-glo orange though, so a nice sedate pumpkin seems the way to go.
That means I’ve got to spend today breaking down my bike though as I need to get it to the Kickstand, a great little cycle shop in Kaimuki. They’ll take care of removing the bottom bracket and the headset, something I don’t really have the tools for, but I’ve got to get the rest.
They have another great option, a Mechanic’s Club. For a fee they’ll let you use their tools and give you the benefit of their expertise while you do one job or another.
I’m thinking of using them to build myself some wheels. I’m thinking the Sturmey-Archer 2 Speed kickback hub for the back wheel and an inexpensive dyno-hub for the front. I’m still researching that bit, but the powder coating is a definite go.
That’s it for now…got to get to work.
*** UPDATE ***
The deal is done. I spent an our stripping my Fujiyama down and now she’s been given over to the able hands of Cyrus and Nicky at the Kickstand. They are charming folks who run the shop in the evenings and on Sundays. I think they moonlight as educators during normal business hours. Really nice guys. I’m looking forward to doing even more business with ’em.
Last two words for the day… PUMPKIN ORANGE!
Aloha!

This morning after checking my email I headed down the street to get some coffee with a coworker. Outside our building we saw that there was a downed power (or other) line. It wasn’t clear how it had come down as there was no downed pole or other indication, but there is was, laying across a couple of lanes of traffic. No sparks were visible but you can be sure I wan’t going to try to move it. My coworker suggested, as no officials were around, that we call 911 about it.
That was at 6:10 A.M. By the time we’d gotten our coffee, just a few minutes later the first officer had pulled up and was eyeballing the situation. Soon several more police vehicles arrived and traffic was diverted.
We watched for a bit from our windows overlooking the scene then got back to work. That’s when I noticed the first email. I’m subscribed to Nixle, a notification service for government and law enforcement, that keeps me up to date on the local goings on.

As you can see, 25 minutes after I’d called, probably 20 minutes after the first officers arrived, I got this notification. Keep in mind I’m not claiming to be the only one who called this in, indeed it could have been down all night and phoned in multiple times. I like to think, however, that even if I wasn’t the first, the city was fairly nimble in responding. If I wasn’t the first to call it in, I suspect I was within a few minutes of that call. [This is actually the second time I’ve called in down lines, the previous time was in the same area around the same time, but a much different situation.]
Later, after 7 a.m., I received this notice…

I haven’t paid much attention since then other than to note that the notices also showed up in my Twitter feed as well as on the HPD Facebook page. Actually when you get right down to it, there’s a lot of information available these days one can find on what’s actually happening in near real time. It was kind of fun tracking this, especially as it doesn’t seem there are any injuries or property damage (besides the power line itself) involved. That would definitely have been a bummer.
Coffee break time is over so…back to work!

While updating my blog today I noticed a new comment on my previous Tiki Truck post. It was from Abe, the proprietor, dropping by and saying thanks. You’re welcome.
But the story doesn’t end there. The thing is, as soon as I read the comment I got thinking how delicious my initial foray into Abe’s food had been and, as it was lunchtime, I wondered if he was in the neighborhood. Luckily for me the Tiki Truck is on Facebook as well as on Twitter.
Sure enough was just across the street again. Super.

When I got to the truck Abraham did a quick double take and asked if I might be the fellow who’d blogged about his truck. He said that he and the fellow from the Puffettes Egg Puff truck had found my post yesterday.
Last time around I had a Bahn Gyro so this time I thought I’d try something else. I took a look at the menu:

This time I opted for the Twisted Gyro. I sure hope that the “Crack Sauce” doesn’t really have crack in it because I’ll start jonesing for another soon. In fact, I’ll probably being doing that even if the sauce is legal because this gyro, with my choice of grilled pork, was simply onolicious. The veggies were fresh, fresh, fresh, the pork grilled to perfection, the gyro soft and chewy, and the sauce…might as well have crack in it…that good.
Here’s a shot of it all with a bite or two missing opened up for your viewing pleasure…

I also had a Chicken Adobe Taco which was really, really good. I’m afraid that I ate it all up before I thought to make an image though…maybe next time…and there will be a next time.
I didn’t get to the Puffettes truck…again. I’ve had bite of their product when a co-worker bought some a while back and they’re onolicious too – but if I eat dessert I tend to pass out for the rest of the day – not good at work.
But again, that’s not quite the end of the story. The same co-worked who’d let me try her Puffette last time around went down to the Fairy Cakes truck. They’re on Twitter as well @FAIRYCAKES808. I ended up with a bite of their Banana Dream Cake (at least I think that’s the name). It’s sort of a Banana Cream Pie but on Banana Bread instead of pie crust. Ab Fab!

Wow.
Okay, that was lunch…it’s time to get back to work. I’ll be looking forward to another lunch at the Tiki Truck and Puffettes guy, I promise I’ll get there soon.
A hui hou!

Let’s see…my old Fujiyama had been sitting for several months while I’ve been concentrating on my Riv and my Bike Friday. It’s really too bad because it’s a nifty little knockabout bike. I’d gotten started with this little project a long, long time ago when I bought the bike, rode it for a bit, then stored it until late 2009. That’s when I started playing, documented right here. You can find more with a search for Fujiyama if you are really interested, including this bit on Mr. Fujiyama. As it turns out, he’s still around the shop from time to time.
So, back in the present, Rivendell had a sale recently (actually it’s still on at the moment). It’s was their first ever sale and while they weren’t happy to have to have one, it turned into fairly good fortune for me.
The upshot is that one of the things I bought was an FSA Vero crankset which I figured I could use on my Fujiyama.
It arrived several days ago but I didn’t have time to put it on till this afternoon after work. It turned out to be a pain to get the old cranks off. They were original to the bike with the original welded-on chainrings. I got it off eventually with a little elbow grease (and some of the other kind as well).
The new FSA set went right on and I used the MKS Touring Pedals I had laying around, having removed them from my Quickbeam eons ago.
The only hitch was because my new chainring is a few teeth bigger my chain was now too short. I’m using a 1/8th inch chain on this beast (which helps with the chainline a bit having a bit more play) but that meant I had no links around as I do from the various 3/32’s I have around. Luckily a trip back to McCully Bicycle fixed that.
Ben, the (one of?) son of the original owner always seems happy to see this old beater, given that his dad used to import them as a house brand (name after his buddy, Mr. Fujiyama). Another fellow who’s worked there darn near forever looked at my bike again, laughed, and said I should donate the bike to the Bishop Museum.
In any case Ben put a new link in my chain saving me the trouble of buying a new one. All is well again.
Here’s a photo of the whole bike with its new drivetrain and one of the drivetrain a bit closer up. What next, 2 speed kickshift? Hmm….

A bit of glare but…

Aloha!

Last Saturday my friend Erich departed Hawaii but not before we got in one last longish, but flat ride. We’d talked about a quick trip out to Sand Island for the photo op standing in front of downtown Honolulu across the harbor but ended up biking out to Waipahu and back on the Pearl Harbor bike path.
And, given the flatness of the route, we actually had time to get in the Sand Island leg before I had to run off to A Prairie Home Companion’s New Year’s show here in town.
Here’s Erich at the harbor…

I haven’t done nearly as much riding since Erich left – I ran up about 200 miles last week all told. This week I’ve only managed about 25 so far, but I’ve made sure to include some hills as I’m more or less (mostly less this month) beginning to train for Oregon. It’s back to increasing miles per week – though with 200 as my starting point I think I’d be hard pressed to go for more.
In other notes, Rivendell is having a sale, their first ever (sadly noted according to Grant), and I managed to spend too much money on things I definitely don’t need. Still it might all be fun.
One thing I did pick up was an inexpensive crankset for my Fujiyama. It’s been neglected for most of the year and I’ve been thinking about the possibilities. With the new crankset aboard I’ll probably work on new wheels next. They’re pretty trashed but still get me by. What I think I really want to do is build up a 3-speed hub drive for my rear wheel and run really puffy tires. Good fun – sort of a semi-cruiser commuter bike. We’ll see.
That’s it for now!

After aborting our ride and busing it back to Honolulu we did do a few more miles exploring our waterfront (mostly I was showing off). Here’s one of both Erich and I at Kakaako Waterfront Park…(great place to get the “bike and Diamond Head shot).

The weather on the south shore was a lot nicer than on the windward shore, though the wind decided it should follow us over. Sigh.
Speaking of sighs, I also figured out why I ran out of steam on the way back – I seem to have forgotten that I had bad cold for the entire week before the ride. Even on Christmas, the day before we did our ride, I wasn’t quite up to snuff as I did a 36 mile round trip to visit my family; still on medication in fact.
I’m looking forward to our next adventure (though we will be having another ride here on Saturday – a short one).
Aloha!