On my ride today I made a little shortcut thought Ravenna Park. It’s a really nice little greenspace in the U District near the Burke Gilman Trail.
There is a leveled path paved with gravel that runs though the valley and you see tons of trees on either side of the trail. A small creek runs though along the path. What is interesting is that although you are in the middle of a residential neighborhood, the trees that grow up on the sides of the valley completely block out traffic noise. The only reminder that you are still in the city are the bridges of the roads that arch over the valley.
I have been using the leather ergo grips for a few weeks now. They are pretty comfortable and dang stylish for 9.99. These are a cheaper version of the Portland Design Work Dapper Dan grips without the lock on design. They were fairly easy to get on with some Aquanet, but they took forever to dry and I had moto-grip for a week. All in all though, the combo of these and the Noah’s Arc bars is pretty close to perfection. You can see my Timbuk 2 handle bar bag that I’ve been using in this picture. Fully review coming I promise.
On another note, the Continental 37c tires I’ve been riding since last summer have been great. They are pretty supple, feature reflective stripes and have a decent tread for mixed terrain. When I was riding them brakeless I started to wear them down really quick because the rubber is fairly soft. Now that I have brakes on they’ve been holding up really well. I get the feeling that they run a little narrow. I think I may try a Vittoria Rando in 38c next.
I would like to set this bike up with some fenders using rubber coated p-clamps. They have decent clearance, but I cant bear to use clip ons. I think I will either use some Tektro R538 calipers or get a Paul Racers or Dia Comp Centerpulls with to use with 650b wheels. I’ve been looking at a lot of Quickbeam pictures on the Cyclofiend Gallery for inspiration. Also I can’t help but be envirous of One Happy Cog’s Build.
