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Now at Hello Vélo - Winterborne Custom Bikes

Jay Filer of Winterborne Custom Bikes dropped off his showroom bike yesterday.  We've partnered to bring his custom built beauties to Toronto.

Built to measure, adorned with the groupset and custom wheels of your choice.  More here: winterbornebikes.com

Battle Tools - PRO and Park BB remover

This PRO (model PR100353) and Park (BBT-9) both do the same job but in different ways.  Both tools are for the Shimano external bottom bracket (works with FSA and SRAM as well) and are used for tightening or loosening the bottom bracket. 

The Park tool is a die-cut metal tool, relatively thin but still sturdy, with the standard Park dipped handle for sure grip.  The dust cap remover is on the end of the handle. 

The PRO tool is thicker with a little bit longer handle.  The head is angled for easier application and has a half inch drive socket for attaching your torque wrench.   The dust cap remover is at the middle of the tool.

Using these tools is very simple.  Just line up the splines and apply.  First the Park,

And next the PRO.

Note how the PRO cradles the entire bottom bracket while the Park has an open end .  The open end makes it easy to see if all the teeth are engaged, but at the same time can lead to slipping as below.

Park also places their dust cap remover on the end of the handle, in a very incovienient place.  Should you need to apply any significant torque to the wrench, say to remove a slightly stuck bottom bracket, you will have to remove the dust cap wheel or emboss your palm with a pattern.

Winner: PRO BB-Remover for the addition of a half inch drive, more sure application of the wrench to the splines and the better placement of the dust cap remover.

PRO: BB-Remover Hollowtech II: PR1000353 - $28.99 (MSRP)

Park: BBT-9 Bottom Bracket Tool - 27.90 (MSRP)

Quick Store Tour

This is the bike shop I've been waiting for.

90% done, but oh, that last damn 10%!!!

Setup continues - full fitting studio ready

A few more deliveries yesterday (all the Juteau Cantin fitting tools), trainers are set (6 mag trainers and 3 computrainer lab units) and so all that I really have to do is build the change area beside the bike gear cubbies at the back of this picture. That and catch up on all the things that have either gone wrong (accounting software failure, need to re-receive) or that clean the place up (a few lights and some cabling).

Closed the 24th and 25th, back at it 12-8 the 26th and 27th. Indoor Cycle training begins on January 3 (http://www.hellovelo.ca/docs/iCYCLEJan09.pdf).

Ongoing cleaning project

The cleanup of the SRAM Red groupset from my racing bike continues; this time 2 times of concern.

When I disassembled the non-drive side bottom bracket and started to clean under the seals I found one side nice and clean and the other chocolate brown.  For bearings, this is never a good sign.  Giving the bearing a spin it felt rough and crunchy a sign that significant galling had taken place.  These are sealed pressed in ceramic bearings so not too much that I can do, although I will make an attempt at removing them to see if I can rebuild the BB instead of throwing it out.

  
Next up, the chainrings.  Inner was fine, the outer, not so much; one small and one large shear/gouge in the ring.  I know for sure it isn't a shift ramp as it is sharp and there is clear deformation of the chainring around the shear.

Is the crankset rideable with a bad bottom bracket and busted chainring?  Yes, but this is definitely not ideal.

New stuff

At the end of every night I try to do a little something that makes me feel great. With new items arriving every day and all the minor rennovations that are going an, a day can go by without even touching a bike. So last night I continued my clean up work on the group set that came of the BMC I just sold. Dental pick? Yep, removing the factory applied loctite.

New saddles from Louis Garneau came in, Men's and Women's Airstream 3.  Under 300 grams and the holes go all the way through the saddle body and top, and if you wear LG's shorts with  Airgel Chamois you'll get cooling all the way through to your bottom.  Should be great for the dog days of summer.  And both match the 2009 DH Flyers Team Kit.

 

2 Days of Rest

The shop is really coming together and I can't wait for the bikes and other 6 trainers to arrive.

I'll be away in London for Parker Family Christmas this Saturday so the shop isn't open.


I'll be back on Tuesday, open 12-8.

p.

Power cranks - Paul

So umm, here is how I did on my first ride.

What was most noticeable was that I have a significant dead spot on the left side, just after passing through the bottom dead centre of the pedal circle.

p.

Wednesday update

More stuff arriving, Chain-L No. 5, a great oil that will penetrate your chain and stay there.

The fit bike is also all hooked up to the computrainer and ready either to find your fit coordinates, fix your pedal stroke with the Powercranks or to be used to take your graded and maximal power output (measure your fitness now and track your development over the season).  Elite and Junior racers, I'll be calling you in next week to work on your positioning.

The sign is painted, but not yet mounted - I still need to install the bench lighting and run the wires.  Schwalbe Ultremo R tires came in as well; too bad about the ice otherwise I'd be out there giving them a try.

Powercranks and the shop moves forward

Lauri came by and put up the window film for me (sorry ladies, lads and ladyman ladies of the classifieds you are no longer my window screens) and Claudia came by for her sizing.

Claudia also had the pleasure of using Powercranks for the first time.

80% done, open Tuesday

Christopher, Chelsea, Toni, Andrew, Elizabeth, Andrew, Heidi, Mehdi, Michael, Jez and Marie Beath came by Friday night to slap a little paint on the wall and help sand the logo for the wall.

Melanie was here in the morning (to discover the over flowing toilet and centimetre of water on the floor) and made quick work of a very curvy logo. What a great job! I'll paint it red next week and hang it over the work benches.

So what's available on Tuesday?  Spring bike pre-orders and time trial sizing, Schwalbe tires, Pro and Shimano components, GIFT CERTIFICATES for Christmas for winter training or mechanic classes, tune-ups, winter bike wheel rebuilds, and the best chain lube out there.

Grand opening in January, but I am here for the next couple weeks from 12-6 Tuesday to Saturday.

Getting closer - open next Tuesday

I got the fitting and testing bike together (centre of picture) with the help of Emile, sorted through the tools and mopped 1/3 of the shop floor (I had one of those, how many times will I have to do this?? moments).

The shop/studio is really shaping up and if I am lucky, the super will drop off paint tonight or tomorrow and enough people will drop by to do a little painting on Friday. If there is no paint it'll be more of a pizza and drinks party (which ain't too bad).

I am off to instruct fitting to the next class of mechanics on Monday at the Winterborne Bike Institute so Tuesday I'll be open, working on bikes and planning the mechanic and training courses. More news about the team and club to follow as well.

You can drop by tomorrow (Friday the 5th at 6PM) if you want to check it out.

Getting closer to opening

I am getting down to bits and pieces, waiting for deliveries and doing the final touches.  Still a fair amount of cleaning to do and the super hasn't fixed the window sill yet, but I should be operational by Tuesday morning.

I picked up a fridge and filing cabinet yesterday.  The office looks good where it is and it is also far enough away from the front door (a little cold during the winter when the door opens).

I wrestled with the Ikea unit, getting it back up (almost took a hammer to it and moved on with my life).  This will be wear people can drop their bags and shoes for Thursday night time trial and Saturday morning brick workouts.

The peg board is up, benches varnished and Melanie has offered to make the Hello Velo sign for above the benches.

Tomorrow will be the last day of running around, some of the final cuts as well as sourcing the parts I need to put the fit/training bike together.

p.

Day 5

Finished the trim on the wall.  You can see how un-level the floor is.  The plan is to paint the base board and the wall white, leaving the rest of the wood unfinished.

Mark came by and helped me put the Kobila together.  This fit cycle (once I install the cranks, front wheel and computrainer) allows me to determine the perfect fitting bike.  It can also be adjusted to mimic the geometry of other bikes out there - say you want to see how a Medium Xenith T2 fits versus a 54 Cervelo P4.   No problem.

Beautifully machined to tight tolerances, the etched measurements let me know how a bike is configured in space in relation to the bottom bracket.

I'll be installing these on the bike to assist with fitting and so that people can use the bike as a training tool.  More on Powercranks here.

Lots left to do but the shop is definitely shaping up.

p.