Hi all, Here are some updated pictures of my Bombadil in its current incarnation. After all the great feedback regarding my post on hand pain, I finally removed my Moustache bars (will be up for sale shortly) and got a set of 48cm Noodle bars, the same I have on my AHH. I'm using the shorter Nitto Dirt Drop stem and have fine tuned the position of the handlebars so my hands are comfortable and I can ride basically with no pain. I also installed a set of interrupter brakes to give them a try. Still undecided, as I find they require a lot of pressure to stop the bike, significantly more than the regular brake levers. Haven't tried them on the dirt yet.
I also put a grey Sackville Saddlebag (medium) and after using it for a bit with no rear rack, decided to add the rack and use a couple of zip ties. It didn't swing and felt great without the rack (I carry my laptop and raincoat and other stuff) but it was resting on top of the fender and rubbing it (wearing down the shine) so I decided to be on the safe side and put a Nitto R14 rack. I bent the stays so it would come as close to the seat stays as possible while being as low as possible, but it still pushes the saddlebag back some. It doesn't rub on my legs now, but that didn't bother me at all before; I actually liked it. Shortly after that, I realized that if I wanted to use the bike in a more utilitarian way, I needed a basket. You can't believe how many personal mental blocks I had to break through. I don't know why, I had always refused to consider a basket on my bikes. Not that they were able to take them, but it was much more than that. Even after getting my AHH and then my Bombadil, I still couldn't come to grips with the idea of attaching a basket. Then I realized that I couldn't even go get coffee for my wife on Sundays without having to drive the few blocks to Starbucks. That did it! I placed an order for the medium basket and the medium Shopsack figuring I'd end up returning them quite promptly, but I loved it instantly! All of a sudden I could get stuff on the bike that didn't fit (or could leak) into a regular bag. Then I went to Baja Fresh for takeout for the whole family and realized that the medium basket wasn't large enough. I'm now considering the large basket and have posted another post for feedback on the large Shopbag. In January I got the 29x2.0 Marathon Supreme tires and the Berthoud steel fenders (50mm) to ride when it was raining or wet. I love how they look. I considered the plastic black ones, and even ordered them, but the steel ones won me over. I ended up using some parts from the black set, so if anyone wants replacement fenders without the parts, let me know. They are the Planet Bike 29er Cascadia fenders. The ride of the wide tires is wonderful. Other details are the Brooks B17 British Green saddle and I'm now starting to experiment with cloth bar tape. I ordered the new green tape that they are selling but messed up my initial installation. I used a bit to cover the kickstand and learn how to twine it, and am getting ready to give it another try. Since it doesn't stretch it's been a bit of a learning experience for me. I also ordered Shellack flakes to start experimenting with them as well. Otherwise, I may fall back to the Deda green tape or the Brooks British Green leather tape. I have the Brooks leather tape on the AHH and I like it, although it's a bit slippery. We'll see how the Shellack experiments turn out in the next few weeks. I've been traveling a lot for business so I haven't had much time to ride or do anything much; now I have 3 weeks at home. I have to confess that I haven't ridden the AHH since I got the Bombadil; not because I don't like it anymore, in fact I like it much better now since it feels so lively. It's just that I know the Bombadil can carry my heft and my stuff with no issues, and am letting the AHH rest a bit while I work on losing some of my portly heft! You can see the latest incarnation of my Bombadil here: http://tinyurl.com/ykqv8lx. They are the last 3 pictures in my set. René * * * * -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
