Comments on: Passing the test http://www.brucew.com/blog/2007/08/12/361 It's a male midlife crisis story—only without the red sports car and trophy boyfriend Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:19:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: brucew http://www.brucew.com/blog/2007/08/12/361/comment-page-1#comment-10308 brucew Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:53:18 +0000 http://www.brucew.com/blog/2007/08/12/361#comment-10308 Yeah, I kinda enjoyed writing that one too. It took me a couple of days to figure out how to put the reader right on the saddle and in my head for this ride. I liked the anecdotes about the ricer kid and the squirrel too. But how to fit so many different things into one piece? Once I decided to structure it ABDCE (Action, Background, Development, Climax, Ending), it just sort of flowed. I'm pleased with the results, although it could use a bit of spit and polish to zap a couple of typos and an incomplete edit or two. As for your Ultegra levers, I'm not sure it's an issue. Both bikes have <a href="http://www.sram.com/en/avid/mechanicaldiscbrakes/bb7.php" rel="nofollow">Avid BB7 disc brakes</a>. They're designed specifically for road bikes. Near as I could tell, the Schwinn uses box-stock Tiagra brifters and the Portland has unaltered 105 levers. From a glance at the literature, the BB7 seems designed for the shorter cable pull of road bike brifters. This seems to be confirmed by SRAM's own Rival and Force double-tap brifters being compatible with both road calipers and Avid BB7s. If you used a mountain bike brake, like the BB5, you'd need an adapter of some sort. A guy I ride with has a Gary Fisher Fast City—very similar to the Portland, but with flat bars. It has MTB-style levers and uses BB5s. Naturally you'll want to confirm, but I doubt there would be any issue at all with your Ultegra levers. Yeah, I kinda enjoyed writing that one too. It took me a couple of days to figure out how to put the reader right on the saddle and in my head for this ride. I liked the anecdotes about the ricer kid and the squirrel too.

But how to fit so many different things into one piece?

Once I decided to structure it ABDCE (Action, Background, Development, Climax, Ending), it just sort of flowed. I’m pleased with the results, although it could use a bit of spit and polish to zap a couple of typos and an incomplete edit or two.

As for your Ultegra levers, I’m not sure it’s an issue. Both bikes have Avid BB7 disc brakes. They’re designed specifically for road bikes.

Near as I could tell, the Schwinn uses box-stock Tiagra brifters and the Portland has unaltered 105 levers. From a glance at the literature, the BB7 seems designed for the shorter cable pull of road bike brifters.

This seems to be confirmed by SRAM’s own Rival and Force double-tap brifters being compatible with both road calipers and Avid BB7s.

If you used a mountain bike brake, like the BB5, you’d need an adapter of some sort. A guy I ride with has a Gary Fisher Fast City—very similar to the Portland, but with flat bars. It has MTB-style levers and uses BB5s.

Naturally you’ll want to confirm, but I doubt there would be any issue at all with your Ultegra levers.

]]> By: Alastair http://www.brucew.com/blog/2007/08/12/361/comment-page-1#comment-10305 Alastair Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:03:12 +0000 http://www.brucew.com/blog/2007/08/12/361#comment-10305 Forget the bike, you should be concentrating on your writing career. That was a really well written story, all joking aside. Portland sounds sweet too. I investigated the possibility of putting mechanical discs on my Cross Check - need a converter to make the Ultegra brifters pull enough cable for them. I might do it eventually. Forget the bike, you should be concentrating on your writing career. That was a really well written story, all joking aside.

Portland sounds sweet too. I investigated the possibility of putting mechanical discs on my Cross Check – need a converter to make the Ultegra brifters pull enough cable for them. I might do it eventually.

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