Chapter Six: The V Saddle clamp works !

What a miserable couple of weeks here in Seattle. Snow, wind storms, ice, more snow, this really is not safe cycling weather. Glad I've not gotten the Blast blasting or I might have tried something stupid like ice riding. The good news is that the V saddle clamp was a winner. Received it a few days or so ago but with the afore mentioned weather just getting to work and such took most of my free time, but Saturday I finally got back after the Blast.

Did a trial fit with the clamp and it looked like a go so I then took some time to cut up more leather and make all of the pads for the contact points of the frame and clamp, Then I took some shrink tubing and encased the v bolt with the exception of the thread area I will be using. Clamped on the mount no problem. Took it back off and inspected the frame, no pinching or crushing so I decided to finish up the motor installation.

Like any project I didn't have all needed so it took a trip to the LBS ( Revolution Cycle in North Seattle) for that new longer chain to compensate for the larger chain wheels and an extra master link so that I could use the chain I removed for the motor drive. Remember the one supplied was too short for my application. Once I installed the rear chain it was on to the motor drive chain resizing. I used a SRAM power link on my existing Shimano IG chain now used for motor drive at the suggestion of the LBS guy. No problem and reusable unlike the Shimano pins that need be broken off after insertion to lock them.

Really everything went so smoothly it was one giant anti climax. From here out it will be an easy install just like the web site says. http://www.elationebikes.com.au/ Had I been putting it on a comfort bike it would've taken a few hours, but hey half the fun is the hunt for the right stuff.

As I mentioned in my last chapter I ran across another issue and hinted at it when stating that recabling for the new Nitto Albatross handle bars would be needed. The issue is that my control cables run on the top of my top tube with no casing. Hang the battery pouch over the top tube and the rear brake drags, plus I have auto shift or no shift as the weight of the pack pulls the cables. While I was picking up my chain I talked to Trask the LBS bike wrench and he thinks that putting outer cabling on the exposed inner cables along the top tube will be enough to solve the problem. He also offered to re cable the whole bike for $10 per cable. Think I'll take him up on it as I don't have one of those fancy $30 cable casing cutters. If it doesn't work I've a couple ideas for fixes, either a double S bracket to support the pack and take the load off the cables or run a support like angle steel or half ( cut lengthwise) of a piece of ABS pipe over the top tube making a false top. Then again I may just hang it from the front down tube even though the forks hit the pack when turned very sharply left.

Until next time, over and out.