Skinny Rims, Fat Tires

If Fat Tire is a beer, then perhaps Skinny Rim could be an energy drink.

Actually, this post is about trying to winterize my new Trek Earl. My plan is to put Nokian Hakkapeliitta 700c x 35mm studded tires underneath full fenders and a low gearing ratio on its single speed drivetrain so I can pedal out of snow drifts and slowly up steep hills.

When I bought the bike, the shop mechanic assured me that I could fit the 35mm tires on the rims that were sold with 28mm tires. Yesterday, I tried mounting the tire, just to see how it would fit.

The rims are stamped at 14mm. Upon researching tire fit online, I found (you guessed it) that Sheldon had a great chart that shows tire/rim compatibility. This chart delivered a bit of bad news, in that my 14mm rims are not depicted holding a tire much larger than 28mm; a difference of 7mm. However, there's a note that says the dimensions depicted may be conservative.

It took a bit of persuasion with a plastic tire lever to get the snow tire on my rim. As I tried to pump it up with air, I heard an odd creaky noise, followed by a loud pop as the tube herniated through an improperly set bead.

Hmm.

I searched my closet and found, thankfully, another tube with a Schrader valve. I made extra special sure that the bead was set as I remounted the tire, as well as spot checked it as I pumped. Finally I mounted the wheel back on the bike to check for clearance.

It looks good!

My question to any readers: do you have experience in mounting wide tires on narrow rims. Is the 35mm on a 14mm pushing it too far? I won't know how the bike feels until I can get the tires remounted and go for a test spin, though I'd feel silly riding a studded tire around in October while it's still 75 degrees outside.

I may consider a brake upgrade, as the check stock brake has no quick release to facilitate tire changes. I put Tektro brakes on my Schwinn Le Tour II, and I like them, so I may consider a similar brake for the Earl.

My next step is to put on a bigger freewheel. I've got a 22 tooth freewheel on the way.

I'm not in a hurry to see the snow, but I'll be eager to give the Earl a whirl.

My [Bike's] Name Is Earl

You've heard the song by The Dixie Dicks. You've seen the TV show. Now meet the bike.


What is the Earl?

The Earl is a new offering from Trek. Without a doubt, the Earl is designed for city riding.

Here's why, in my opinion:

• single speed or fixed gear for ultimate simplicity (stock configuration: 44T chainring, 17T freewheel)
  
• chromoly steel construction, while heavy, soaks up the bumps on the road
• double top tube that is designed to hold a U-lock while biking to work or running errands
  
• 28mm tire with a good tread pattern can handle wet or sandy spots or the occasional gravel road
• tall stem with riser bar to sit up high in traffic
• flat handlebars make for lots of leverage when navigating city streets, sidewalks, and curbs
  
• long wheel base means no toe clipping when track standing (or trying to) at stop lights
• chain guard to keep pant legs from getting dirty or ripped, or having to wear a pant leg strap
• bosses and eyelets for mounting a rack and fenders, plus two sets of bosses for bottle cages or other accessories
  

A Good Value

At $439, the Earl is a fairly inexpensive bike. The simplicity of the bike with its lack of shifters, cabling, and derailleurs probably keeps the cost down. The brakes, levers and tires, while adequate, aren't anything special.

Things I Really Like About Earl

• the blue paint job, called "Earl Blue". Sure there's a "Gloss Black" version, but everyone sells a black city bike. The mix of blue with black accents makes for one pretty bike. Nice job, Trek.
  
• frame graphics are a nice touch. The Earl has its own head badge, and a very regal Earl himself, with trucker hat and scruffy beard, makes an appearance on the down tube design. There are also also a few graphics placed here and there that you'll never see unless you're working on or cleaning the bike.
• saddle designed just for the Earl features a custom logo impressed into the seat
• relatively narrow handlebars go easily up and down my old apartment building's stairwell
• cool bend in the frame where the double top tubes become the seat stays. Very interesting looking
• fun to ride! The 44x17 makes for pretty quick starts from stop lights. The balance is solid, and the saddle is quite comfortable.
  
• I can open beer bottles on the frame. How cool is that?
  

Things I Don't Like About Earl

• scuffed up the top tubes after carrying a lock just two miles. I've since wrapped several layers of tape around the each end of the barrel of my U-lock, and I secure it tightly with a Velcro strap to keep it from bouncing around
• the chain guard clangs against the crank arm when I hit bumps
• ugh, it's heavy, but it's a real steel bike... what do I expect?
  

A Winter Commuter's Dream?

What has me most excited about this bike is the generous clearance between the seat stays and the fork blades. My plan is to use fenders and 35mm studded snow tires to make this one mean winter commuter. No more frozen derailleurs or stiff shifter cables.

Jake at the Trek Omaha store put on some really useful Bontrager quick release fenders. Unlike strap on fenders, these have nifty ball mounts that go into the frame eyelets on the rear dropouts and fork blades. The fender stays have a socket that snaps sturdily on to the balls. Also a clip/guide mounts to the rear brake bridge to hold the top of the rear fender, and a cam lever goes at the top of the fork to secure the top of the fender. Basically, these behave like permanently mounted fenders when they are on, but come off in about 30 seconds, leaving behind very minimal attaching hardware.

I'm pretty sure that the 44x17 gearing is too steep for me in the snow. Riding the bike up and down Leavenworth a couple of times this week actually has me wondering if it's too steep for me in general, but that's another story. I'm thinking that for pedaling through snow and fighting harsh winter winds, an 18, 20, or even 22 tooth cog might fit the bill.

Video

How to open a bottle on the Earl's frame.



Pictures

The chain guard makes riding in pants a little safer and more comfortable.

The head badge

The aftermarket add-on quick-release fender guide under the brake bridge.

The quick release fender stay ball-and-socket joint

This cam lever binds the fender to the quick release mount

The custom Earl saddle

Two views of the double top tube design

How to carry a U-lock

Single speed freewheel or track cog... take your pick

The custom logo and on the chainring is a nice touch

Two sets of bottle cage bosses

Open beer here

Retro "TREK" design

Earl sports a trucker cap and carries a wrench

The Earl design also hides in places not normally seen

So far, I think I've got the only Earl in town. Does that make me the "Duke of Earl?" I hope to see more of these on the road soon.

The Art of Being Seen

Motorists often don't see bikes at night, so we have to go out of our way to be seen when riding the streets of our cities. My morning commutes are often in the dark, and the occasional Taco Ride has me biking home 30 miles in the dark.

Being Seen

I could add lots of reflectors, like this guy. (Photo courtesy of AJ Jones IV)

I could also add a dozen blinkies, like these guys:






Nah. (Is that even legal?)

The Art

My Schwinn project is just as much about art as it is a functioning bicycle. Even if I've made it up myself, I've got this standard in my head for what this old bike should look like. I'm trying to preserve its 30 year old style while making it fun and safe to ride using modern components.

So mounting dozens of reflectors and LED blinkies, while it would help me be seen, there's no art in it.

The Art of Being Seen

I ruled out a seat post light when I came across bar end blinkies. These tiny lights slip into the rear facing ends of road handlebars. While they aren't as bright as a good seat post flasher, they are passive to install. When they are off, you can't even tell they are there. One con is that I can't direct their beams. They point down toward my legs and the street below the bike.

Bar end light on

Bar end light off

Today I added a new rear facing light. This one is a nifty looking bullet light made from polished aluminum with a bar end light inserted. The Soma Fabrications Silver Bullet can be mounted in many places, but I choose to mount it on the dropout eyelet so that I could avoid using the ugly plastic seat stay mount.







Finally, here's a video of a 360 degree walkaround showing the lights in use. They aren't as eye catching as a Planet Bike superflash, but in the interest of preserving a little artistic style, the bar end lights and the Silver Bullet will do.




The Law

Nebraska law demands that bicycles operating at night have tire reflectors, either in the form of a reflective sidewall, or spoke mounted reflectors. See the side reflector code here.

I don't meet the requirements of this law, yet.

Also, bikes must have a forward facing light, and a rear red reflector. A rear light is permitted, but does not take the place of a reflector. See the rear reflector code here. I think in the city of Lincoln a rear light is required.

I still haven't found a suitable retro looking forward light for permanent installation, so I've been using a Planet Bike Blaze light.

I put a rear reflector on this afternoon. Some, like Sheldon Brown, argue that reflectors don't work, and that lights should be required, but I figure that a rear reflector and a light can't hurt, and helps satisfy legal requirements.

Schwinn Le Tour II Restoration, Phase 3.5 - Single Speed with Fenders

Before

After
I put Phase 3.5 in the title because the bike's configuration hasn't changed that much from the so-called Phase 3. There will be a Phase 4, so stay tuned.

The addition of fenders, Brooks B17 saddle, cloth tool roll, silver crank dust caps and retro bottle cage does change the look somewhat, though.


The fenders are the 37mm polished aluminum fenders from Velo Orange. I installed them myself using the supplied hardware. Fortunately, I didn't have to drill anything, but unfortunately, I didn't have all the hardware I needed, and had to pick up some extra parts from Ace Hardware.


It seems to me that the tire clearance is a little too wide but due to the way the frame is built, there wasn't much I could do about it if I wanted to keep the clearance uniform.


The old-school bottle cage straps are designed to secure certain bottle cages against the tube. These straps don't have any nuts that would replace brazeons, so I can't use any bottle cage.

I felt a stainless steel bottle would work well with the chrome and polished aluminum elsewhere on the bike. Some also recommend steel bottles, as they don't get gunked up the way plastic can, leach chemicals in the water, and make the water taste funny. The bad news is that the bottle and cage aren't designed for each other, so there's a little vibration and noise when the bottle is empty.

The tool roll is a Bike Burrito and looks really good underneath the black Brooks B17 with copper rivets and rails. I keep an extra tube, tire levers, wrenches, rag, patches, pump, and a multitool in the roll.



I still want to cut the fender stays to keep a clean look.


I needed to create some spacers to move the fender further out from the chain stay bridge. I used a long bolt with washers and nuts as spacers. I used leather washers from Velo Orange to help absorb vibration.

This part was tricky. The sliding mount was in the form of a strap that I had to bend, fold, and pinch myself for a custom fit. This holds the top of the fender secure to the seat stay bridge. The hole in the strap for the brake bolt wasn't wide enough for the nut, so I had to ream it out a bit with a drill.


The fenders came with a fork crown daruma. This nifty piece of hardware connects to the brake bolt as it passes through the crown. It drops a bolt that goes through a hole in the top of the fender. I don't know if I did it right, but I didn't tighten down the nut under the fender too tightly. As a result, I can wiggle the fender a bit to align it over the tire, and it gives if I clip the fender with my toe, rather than bend the fender.

The Good

• Fenders rock. I've got fenders on my Trek 7300 hybrid, and they've enabled me to ride comfortable in wet conditions. They also help keep the bike clean, especially the underside of the new leather saddle.
• They look cool, I think. I feel almost caveman-like when it comes to shiny things. Oooohhh... shiny!
• Yay! I installed the fenders myself! It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but it did take a while. It should go more quickly next time.
• Being able to carry a bottle is nice on those hot days when I might not be riding near water. This bike is more of a city commuter with skinny tires, and not intended for long adventure rides, but a swig of water every now and again is a good thing.
  

The Bad

• These fenders, while not as pricey as Japanese Honjo fenders, were a little more expensive than plastic fenders.
• I'm afraid the metal fenders will get dented and scuffed with everyday commuting. This is a working bike, and not being restored just for show.
• Toe clipping is a problem now. My days of the almost-track stand are done on this bike, since my feet hit the fender if I move the handlebars from side to side.
• I didn't notice any vibration or rattling during an easy test ride on the trail this afternoon but I wonder if commuting on the rough streets of Omaha will shake something loose.
• I guess it's impossible for Velo Orange to predict all the parts that I would need. I spent an extra $10 on assorted nuts, bolts, washers, and such from the local hardware store.
  

In summary, I like the look of the shiny new parts. Fenders extend the riding days of any bike. I've got a few more ideas for the bike before I call it done, so be sure to watch for updates.