ADD

One of the problems with Attention Deficit Disorder is the inability to sustain focus on a single task,   and with just one month until our departure to Iceland, my attention should be on finishing the 650b Travelers Check and converting my Merlin to one armed touring mode.
Instead I have been preoccupied this week with building up a Surly Long Haul Trucker that was relegated for XtraCYCLE duty before I was smitten with the quadruple seat stays and tricolor paint scheme of a vintage Kuwahara ATB mixty for my cargo-bike needs. 

My bike-whisperer ESP was telling me that Trucker was feeling neglected, so I went to work breathing new life into the trusty frame that carried my good friend Pete on an adventure of a lifetime. 

The end results is a dirt road tourer that is somewhat of a hybrid-homage to old ATB bikes
Rigid steel frame, wide rims, gum wall rubber, mountain gearing, ready for adventure.
Blued-steel Suntour ATB crankset, 26x1.75" Araya rims.
Smooth as silk Suzue sealed bearing hubs
cutting edge for the late 80s
Too bad I can't ride it.

The creative outlet of building this up, refurbishing old parts, and scrubbing of years of grime from the old parts helped lift my spirits after being incapacitated these past 3 weeks due to my recent injury.
I'm hoping to adopt it out to a good home so I can afford to eat next month in Europe,  as the Travelers Check build and other touring necessities have quickly drained my piggy bank over the last 2 months.

 

Thankfully, I was eventually able to refocus on the more important task at hand...

Can you say monstercross? 

 

Vee Rubber Mission 650bx2.1 ;  Fatties Fit Fine

Midwinter Spring Melt

As the global warming hoax continues, temperatures reached the mid-40's in Anchorage  last week promptly melting what meager snowpack we had accumulated thus far into an icey wet mess.  These springlike conditions necessitated studded tires,  full fenders, and waterproof riding gear for the daily commute. So I reluctantly had to park the fatbike and hang up my wool sweater and dig some fenders out of the garage.

I had been saving a set of vintage steel fenders with an integrated old dyano tail light, and the unseasonably wet weather gave me the chance to mount them to the Long Tail Trucker.  Running the wiring from the dynamo hub was a snap thanks to a series of stainless steel strips lining the inside of the rear fender; just had to use a flat head sceew driver to pry open a small gap, feed the wire through, and the wires are now held securely in place and out of sight.

Surprisingly, the old bulb was still functional, but I will likely replace it with an LED bulb in the near future.

The white painted steel, and racing flag decals add a little vintage class to he cargo bike and work like a charm to keep the icey grime out of the drive train.