Journey of the Boardwalk: Part 11 - LitePro Seat Clamp

My new LitePro components had arrived a few days ago, from Cyclopedia.com, the local LitePro distributor. However, I did not have the time to install them yet. Also, I did not want to put on new components for a tough ride like the King of Da Hills without some testing around the neighbourhood first.

Decided to change the seat clamp first, because I thought that it would take the least amount of time. Will be changing my seat clamp from the current silver seat clamp to the new gold coloured LitePro seat clamp!

My first impression of the seat clamp is that it is really well made. The edges are nicely finished with no burrs or sharp edges or scratch marks from machining. Brass shim between clamp and lever that does not deform when you clamp tight, unlike those with a rubber shim. Brilliant gold anodized finish, a quality product.

New gold coloured LitePro seat clamp!

There are two different sizes of seat tube clamps for Dahon bikes, 40mm and 41mm. This measurement refers to the outer seat tube size. For steel framed models, the size is 40mm, while the aluminium framed bikes use the 41mm clamp size. You can check the clamp size of your original seat clamp by looking at the bottom of the clamp. It should write 40 or 41mm, depending on your frame material.

40mm seat clamp for my Chromium-Molybdenum steel Boardwalk frame!

Adjusting nut of the clamp. It may look small, but is surprisingly easy to adjust!

Bye bye silver seat clamp.

First step is to remove the current seat clamp. This is actually harder than it seems, because the current seat clamp is probably stuck to the seat tube already! In a way it is good when in use, because it will not move about when the clamp is loose.

Tried to remove it by pulling apart the clamp and lifting it out.However, the clamp is quite strong and there is only so much that you can open it up by hand. To lift it out, you will need to open the clamp wider than the lip of the shim. It already takes two hands to open up the clamp, no more hands to pull out the clamp! In any case, even with two hands it is difficult to open the clamp wide enough to clear the shim lip. Fiddled around with it for quite a while without success, before I had an ingenious idea!

Ingenious idea: Find two M5 sized nuts, and screw them onto the seat clamp lever bolt as shown above. It should be a tight fit between the gap. Of course, the clamp would still be stuck on the seat tube at this point in time.

Next, take a size 8 hex wrench and turn the two nuts so that they move apart! By doing so, you will force the clamp open with ease. And the clamp will stay open thanks to the nuts. Do not overdo it, just open it to the extent that the clamp can fit past the shim lip, and then lift out the seat clamp.

The bare seat tube! Note the lip of the shim, which will come in useful if you want to lift out the shim.

At this point, you can just put on the new seat clamp and the seat clamp change would be done. I decided to go a step further and remove the shim, just for fun!

As expected, the shim is also stuck within the seat post. I tried using pliers to pull out the shim, but it was stuck fast. Hardly any grip or leverage on the tiny shim lip. And then I had ingenious idea number 2!

With the nuts on the seat clamp lever bolt still apart, flip the clamp upside down and put it around and under the shim lip. There is also a lip on the clamp. Then, turn the nuts so that they come together and the clamp closes up. The clamp lip will tighten around the shim, and you can just pull them out easily! Without the clamp, it would be difficult to get any grip on the shim.

Ta-da! Note the rust, which is from the steel frame, and not the shim itself as the shim is aluminium.

Rusty inside of seat tube! Still not too bad though. Must be from those wet rides where rainwater got in.

Cleaned the seat tube and shim, and then put on the clamp. It is easier to put on the clamp first, because without the clamp, it is difficult to judge how far in to insert the shim.

New gold-coloured seat clamp! The clamp lever is on the other side because of the wording on the clamp lever.

Insert the shim back into the seat tube. The lip of the shim will rest nicely on the clamp.

Last step, put back the seatpost and everything is completed! Took me almost an hour for the job, as I could not remove the seat clamp and shim, before I had the two ideas. With the tips above, it should take you much lesser time to change the seat clamp yourself.

The gold LitePro seat clamp! Compare it with the original one shown below.

Still have some more LitePro components, but will need to find more time to install them! Just as a teaser...

New Topeak Accessories!

Bought some new accessories for my bike!

1) Topeak iPhone Dry Bag

This was originally bought for another iPhone, but I found it so good that I went out to get another one for my HTC Desire! Of course, I tried the sizing before buying it for my HTC phone. Some of the advantages over some other iPhone mounts is that it is waterproof, courtesy of a double folded opening and ultrasonic welded seams. Although I wouldn't try dunking it in water, it should keep the rain out with no problem. Also, there is no need to remove the protective casing to fit the phone into the pouch.

The Topeak QuickClick system also makes it very convenient to remove the pouch and bring it with me when needed. If you have more than one bike, you can just buy additional mounts and switch the pouch among the bikes. Note the additional blue strap which I added, that serves as a safety belt for the phone pouch in case it decides to jump off the bike!

More details at the link below! If you want to try the sizing for your phone, look for me during the rides!

Topeak iPhone Dry Bag

2) Topeak CageMount

I got this because it enables me to separate the mount from the bottle cage when not in use. This is to allow folding when the second bottle cage is not required. This mount is also much more secure than the clamp on + quick release type.

From the picture on the website, Topeak CageMount, you can see that the mount splits into two parts, one part is fixed to the bike while the other is fixed to the bottle cage. By removing a bolt from the side, the 2 parts can be separated easily.

The part that stays on the bike when the bottle cage is removed.

I have since modified the bolt to be tool-free, by adding a wing nut so that I can install/remove the bolt by hand.

Just turn the wing nut instead of using an allen wrench to turn the bolt.

Both the phone pouch and bottle cage fits on the handlepost without interfering with each other.

Preparing the bike for King of Da Hill !

This coming weekend, we will be conquering all the hills at the southern and western part of Singapore! Some of the hills include Mount Faber, Bukit Chandu, Kent Ridge Park etc. I have not been to any of these hills before, so it will be an interesting trip for me!

Can't say that I have been training much for this, nor can I say that I am well prepared. But no matter what, I'm just going to have fun! I have heard that it is very difficult to get up some of the hills on a 53T Front/28T Rear combo, with a 20" wheel bike. Not good news for me, because that is the exact same lowest gear ratio that I have!

Some of the KODH participants have a double chainring up front, which makes it much easier to cycle up the hills with the lower gear ratios. However, for those of us who only has a single chainring up front, there is a limit to how low the lowest gear can go, without affecting the top gear too much.

With my Dahon Boardwalk, I have 9 speeds, with a 53T chainring in front and the largest sprocket at the rear being 28T. To get a lower gear ratio, I will need to have a larger rear sprocket or a smaller front chainring.

Contemplated getting a front derailleur adaptor for the Boardwalk, so that I can fix a FD and add the 39T chainring up front, to give me a 2x9 gear system. However it is quite troublesome, since I will have to fix the adaptor, FD, front shifter, cable housing. Also, I can't see myself using the 39T chainring other than for KODH or for touring?

Another solution is to change the cassette to one with a larger sprocket, such as 32T. However, this is also not as straightforward as it seems. Because of the larger sprocket size, my short cage X9 RD will not be able to handle the 32T gear. Short of changing the RD, I also cannot use a different cassette.

Finally, I hit upon another solution, which is to change the current chainring size! From the current 53T chainring, I can change it to a 45T chainring, which lowers all my gear ratios by 15%. Although I lose the top end speed, I gain by having a lower gear ratio to use while climbing the hills. This is a temporary arrangement, all for the KODH challenge!

Brought out my new bike workstand from X-Tools which I bought about 2 weeks ago! Ordered it online at CRC, had it shipped over and it is still cheaper than buying locally, haha. It is of good quality too!

Being able to fold the workstand is very important, as I can put it in one corner and not have it take up space when not in use.

Sturdy large diameter tubing, adjustable height and angle.

Solidly built clamp head, with cleverly designed latching mechanisms and easy adjustments.

Lever with cam profile allows quick clamping and loosening of bike.

Ta-da! All set up and ready for use! It only takes 15 secs to set up the workstand!

Although the workstand has a rubber clamp area, I still prefer to use a separate old seatpost for clamping, instead of my black seatpost. With the workstand, it is now much much easier and comfortable to work on the bike, since the wheels and cranks can spin freely without the kickstand or the ground getting in the way.

Note the different seatpost that I use. Very sturdy and stable workstand!

45T chainring with bash guard. Lowers my gear ratios by 15% compared to the 53T chainring.

An issue which I overlooked was the fact that the chain length would not be correct, since the chainring is now smaller. In fact, at the smallest sprocket at the back, the chain actually becomes loose! Luckily I could still adjust the B-tension screw on the RD to take up the slack on the chain. That was not the original design intention of the B-tension screw, but it works, and it is only temporary so it is fine. Shifting is not as crisp because the guide pulley is now further away from the sprockets, but again it is fine because it is only temporary.

Will be testing out the new system very soon, hope it works well and comes in useful for KODH!

Journey of the Boardwalk: Part 10 (Headset & Fork)

Been upgrading the bike yet again! It is never ending, there is always something to zhng. Some people may say that it is a waste of money, and that there is no point. But to me, cycling is my hobby, and so is modifying my bike. As a hobby, what is important is that you enjoy what you are doing. When I upgrade components, it is not to compete with others or to show off, but just a form of expressing my unique-ness through the bike.

It gives me a great sense of achievement and satisfaction when I ride my bike, because I am riding a bike which I have assembled myself. I also like working on my own bike, to understand how everything works a little better.

In this latest upgrade, I changed the fork of the Boardwalk, from the stock chromoly steel fork to an aluminium fork. The weight of the fork has been greatly reduced, from 800g to 440g. This is a big difference that can really be felt, especially when carrying the bike around. Performance wise I guess there is no difference, but at least I don't have to worry about the fork rusting!

Also changed the headset, which I bought from Taiwan but did not have the chance to change.

At MBS, knocking out the original headset that was press-fitted into the frame.

The gold headset and its parts!

New black aluminium fork!

See how the black fork goes well with the black handlepost.

Note the details! Even got gold brake pad cartridge tightening screw.

At this point, I believe that my Boardwalk is the most zhnged Boardwalk in Singapore, and probably the world?? Only the frame is stock, together with the folding latches and kickstand haha.

I also have a major upgrade planned, but this will take a while as I gather all the required components so that I can change it all at one go. From the picture below, can you guess what I have in mind? By the way I got the stuff below from JensonUsa, ordered on thursday night and arrived today, impressive!

New way of folding your Dahon bike!

Just discovered a new way of folding the Dahon bike today. The usual way of folding is to put down the seatpost, fold the handlepost down and then fold the frame in half. However, sometimes the problem or inconvenience comes when you are trying to fit the handlepost/handlebar in between the bike frame. You will need to rotate the handlebar or adjust the height of the handlepost in order to fit it between the wheels. This method applies only to inward folding handleposts, which basically excludes the high end bikes, where the handlepost folds outwards.

However, there is an alternative way of folding! Check out the pictures below

Step 1: Put down your seatpost, and turn your saddle as shown in the picture above. Seatpost should not be down all the way, or it might affect the later steps.

Step 2: Left crank should be rotated to approximately the angle shown in the picture above. Put up the kickstand.

Step 3: Fold the frame in half, don't close the magnetic latch yet. Rest the bike on its 2 wheels and seatpost.

Step 4: Fold down the handlepost, so that it goes over your rear wheel. The handlebar will go under your saddle/saddle bag. This is the tricky part, where you might need to experiment a bit to fit everything nicely. If the handlebar is stuck, it may be because the seatpost was put too low, causing the saddle bag to block the handlebar. When done properly, the handlepost will rest nicely on the frame and the magnetic latch can be closed.

Note that the left pedal will be in front of your front wheel as shown above.

The right pedal will be below the handlebar. All the vulnerable parts of the bike (Eg. Rear derailleur, brake levers, chainring etc) are now on the same side of the folded bike.

In this configuration, the bike can still be laid on its side, such as in a car boot, or stored standing up, such as in a hatchback car. It can also be carried onto the MRT easily, without fiddling with the handlepost height or handlebar clamp. The advantage is that the height of the handlepost does not need to be readjusted everytime you fold and unfold the bike. You can also place more accessories on the handlebar without affecting the folding. However, the folding package is now wider as the handlepost/handlebar now sticks out on the side.

2010 MuSL, with the RD on one side and the handlebar on the other side when folded.

This is somewhat better than the outward folding handleposts (where the RD is on one side and the handlebar is on the other side), as the vulnerable parts are all on the same side, allowing you to carry/lay down the bike on the other side.

In my case, this allows me to fold my bike for transport without moving the gold stem clamp that connects the handlepost to the handlebar. Try the method!

Journey of the Boardwalk: Part 9 (Upgrades from Taiwan)

More upgrades to the Boardwalk! Upgrades are never ending, especially if you already have an upgraded bike!

Went to Taiwan recently, thus I had the chance to buy some special components that cannot be found in Singapore, and possibly outside Taiwan!

As always, I like to keep to my colour scheme of gold and black, thus I already had in mind what I wanted to get before I went to Taipei. Also prepared a list of bike shops to visit, as can be seen from the previous blog post.

Initially wanted to get an aluminium Vitesse frame, but they did not have the type of frame I wanted (with luggage mount at front). Thus I decided to keep my trusty Boardwalk frame and upgrade other components instead!

Bought an Aerozine Road BB in gold colour, with ceramic bearings! Just spinning the sealed bearings by fingers, it feels a lot smoother than the original BB. Goes really well with the black 105 cranks. However, when actually riding the bike, the difference is quite negligible. The drag from the BB is quite small compared to other forms of drag, such as aerodynamic drag.

Also bought some gold coloured brake pad holders, which add to the bling! However these brake pad holders are "thicker" and "taller", and I had problems aligning the brakes to the rims properly. In the end I only mounted the gold brake pad holders onto the rear brakes. Note the alternating layers of black and gold across the brake area!

Also got a gold headset for my Dahon bike, but only when I tried assembling then I realised that the bearing races are press fitted into the frame and onto the fork. Thus I could only change the spacer/cap that is at the top of the headset.

More bling to come! Even the small details will not be overlooked, check out the gold brake cable housing!

The biggest change of all is the wheelset! Check out the gold rims with some slight profile, brings out the gold look of the bike! The spoke pattern is quite special too.

6 pawl freehub, slightly more drag but stronger.

Opened up the freehub mechanism and found that there was actually quite little grease in there. Decided to add in more grease to make the freehub smoother, but the additional grease will cause the noise level to drop. Note that the freehub grease is not your normal grease, it is actually a mixture of oil and grease, giving a grease that is very light.

Before changing the components, I found it easier to just strip the whole bike, clean everything and then assemble with the new components. Enjoy the pictures!

And finally, thanks Joeel for the great picture!