Leashless?

I suspect for the majority of those that will read this, it is preaching to the choir.
If not it is worth rethinking your game plan.
Originally there were some pretty strong opinions as to why leashless climbing was not an advancement in ice climbing. Held some of those same opinions myself in the past.



1975 Terrodactyl and a Nomic


The advancement in tool design with specifically engineered additional hand support has changed all of that. The added option of an umbilical makes it even easier to transition to leashless with little risk. At least two manufactures (Grivel and Black Diamond) are now producing umbilical systems that make loosing a tool *almost* impossible even if you do drop one or just as likely leave them at the last rap station. If you are interested take a look at the umbilical blog posted earlier.

Leashless climbing is easier. You are able to shake more often and it is much easier to do so, prolonging endurance and pushing the pump farther out. Your hands will be warmer because of it and you can use less effort to grip the tool because your glove system can be much, much lighter for the warmth required. All this adds up to climbing faster and reducing the strength required to do so.
The umbilicals, if you decide to use them, offer a mobile self belay. Leashless climbing is here to stay. It is a much better climbing system on hard ice and mixed as long as you are taking advantage of the newer tools specifically designed for leashless climbing. You have many really great tools to chose from today.

Black Diamond Fusion II over layed on top of a Petzl Nomic

5-Speed Conversion!

My conversion of the Mercier mixte to a 5-speed is pretty much complete, and it worked out nicely. I've received some questions about the process since I first mentioned my plan to do this, so I include answers to these questions here.

What is a 5-Speed Conversion?
A 5-speed conversion refers to transforming a vintage 10-speed bicycle into a 5-speed by removing one of the two front chainrings and the front derailleur system (see before and after pictures above). In the end, the bicycle is left with a much simpler set-up of 5 chainrings in the rear, 1 chainring in the front, and a single gear shifter. It works much the same as a 5-speed hub, only the gears are visible rather than hidden inside the hub.

Why do this? Doesn't it mean you have fewer speeds now?
Hard question to answer, but I will try: The advantage of a derailleur over an internal hub, is that it allows for much wider spaced gearing. Riding the Mercier around hilly areas, I can get by perfectly well with just the middle 3 rear gears. The 2 extra rear chainrings provide a nice "just in case" buffer of one higher and one lower gear than I'd ever need, but the second front ring (which provides 5 additional speeds) and the whole front derailleur system (which switches between the two front rings) are useless entirely in the context of where and how I plan to ride this bike. Given my certainty of this, converting it to a 5-speed made sense, because it would simplify the handling of the bicycle and it would get rid of extraneous components. Also, this bike (as many older French bicycles) was originally designed to have a rear-only derailleur system. This is evident, because it has a braze-on (on the downtube) for just a single gear shifter. So converting it to a 5-speed reverts to a traditional design.

If you're going to make it a 5-speed, why not use a 5-speed hub and ditch the derailleur system all together?
The main reason, is that no existing 5-speed hub could give me the same customised, wide spacing as a 5-speed rear derailleur. It's not just about how many speeds you have, but how useful each of those speeds are. Additionally, it would cost a ton of money to rebuild the rear wheel with a 5-speed hub, whereas the 5-speed derailleur conversion was inexpensive. And finally, I am trying to keep this bicycle fitted with traditional components, and French bicycles were traditionally fitted with derailleurs.

How was the conversion done?
Keeping in mind that the process will differ depending on your current set-up, here is what generally needs to be done, step-by-step:

1. Front chainring removal
Since you will only have one chainring in the front now, you need to figure out how to get rid of the second one. The main issue here has to do with how the crank arm is attached to the ring(s). On some bicycles, it is possible to simply remove the extraneous chainring and the remaining chainring will hold up the crank. On my Mercier, the two rings are a unit, attached to the crank via a proprietary bolt system. To make a long story short, we could not simply remove the extra ring. Rather than get an entire new chainring and crank system, it occured to me that perhaps the teeth on the bigger chainring could be filed off - turning the ring into a chainguard. I discussed the idea with metalworker and bicycle mechanic Jon Gehman, who is a reader of this blog, and he agreed that this was a good way to go. I then sent him the chainring for a "de-toothing" service, and he did a spectacular job.

Here is a close-up of what was formerly the larger chainring. Notice how beautifully the edge is done - giving it a professionally finished look.

2. Front derailleur removal
This was the easiest part. The Simplex front derailleur simply unbolts and removes. On the picture above you can see that the rainbow decal is a little worn where it used to be, but that is all.

3. Changing the shifters
The ease or difficulty of this step depends entirely on what sort of shifters you have to begin with. If your bicycle has separate (unconnected) shifters for the rear and front derailleurs, then you simply remove the one that controls the front and you are done. If your shifters are a unit, then you will have to remove them and install a single shifter instead. Above is a vintage Huret single shifter for mounting on the stem that I bought for this purpose. It's beautiful, "period-correct", and can be bought fairly inexpensively. The Co-Habitant installed the shifter and connected the cable to the derailleur.

Here is the Huret shifter installed on the stem. I am not 100% sure though that this is the ultimate solution. Originally, the Mercier had downtube shifters, and this is where the single braze-on is located. However, I do not understand how one is supposed to use downtube shifters on a near-upright bicycle. At least for me, and in traffic, they were too much to handle - especially given that the shifting has to be done with the right hand.

So now there is a cable stopper where the downtube braze-on is, and the cable then extends further to the stem. Though the Huret shifter is beautiful on its own, I am not sure how fitting it is here. For instance, the reason it is not all the way at the bottom of the stem, is that placing it here makes it hit the handlebar when it is moved all the way forward. Hmm, right? Your thoughts on this welcome.

Overall I am thrilled with the 5-speed conversion. The Mercier is light, easier than ever to handle, and now ready for its fate as Studio Bike. I admit that I am reluctant to send it over to the Studio and quite like having it here at home. But I also look forward to exploring a new neighborhood together... and to having less bike clutter in our apartment!

Cats Christmas

The dogs have been taught not to tear up anything so they didn't want to open their gifts but the cats didn't hesitate when offered the chance of opening gifts and playing in gift wrap paper.

The North Rim

Early on the morning of May 31st I headed south from Kanab, Utah to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon arriving there less than two hours later. I also gained an hour of time because Arizona is the only state in the lower 48 that does not change to Daylight Savings Time.

The first hour of the drive was through the desert but as you gain elevation, the terrain changes to one of high meadows and forests of tall pine trees with aspen mixed in. It was so pretty and so different from the approach to the South Rim!

My first stop was the campground. Once again, at the registration station the “Campground Full” sign was posted and once again I asked and once again I got lucky! I could have one of the few available sites for the night. After putting my “tag” on the site post I went to the visitors center then went for a walk along the Bright Angel Point Trail (less than half a mile in length) and a portion of the adjoining Transept Trail, which takes you to the campground. I didn't take many pictures because of the lighting conditions (southerly sun and hazy blue skies).

Looking towards the South Rim. This was taken later in the evening on my second walk along the Bright Angel Point Trail.

That afternoon, I drove along the scenic road to Point Imperial, Vista Encantada, and Cape Royal. It was a beautiful drive. I stopped at all the view points and walked the short trails. Unlike the South Rim, there were very few people. Even though the campground was full and the Lodge had no vacancies, the crowds of the South Rim were nonexistent.

Along the Point Imperial Trail. Elevation 8803 feet. The highest point on the North Rim. On a clear day you can see the Vermillion Cliffs off in distance to the northeast.

Along the Cape Royal Trail.

The view from Cape Royal. Freya Peak is in the foreground with a little bit of the Colorado River in the distance off to the left. Taken with the 7x zoom fully extended. Apparently (according to a sign at Cape Royal) this is the only place on the North Rim where the Colorado River can be seen. At this point the river is 70 miles below Lees Ferry - the site from which all points on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon are measured.

What Happens to a Tree

We go to the mountains and cut firewood every fall to use in our wood burning stove over the winter. The first photos show the trees as they look while growing.







The next photos show the tree after it dies. So why does it die? No one really knows why one tree dies and the ones next to it don't. Maybe it didn't get enough water. Maybe to much. Maybe it was struck my lightning or burned in a fire. Or just lived out it's life span. This one was a aspen tree. After it died the upper part fell off.







Then someone comes along and cuts up the part laying on the ground. Rules say you can only get the 'dead and down' wood. The part that was still standing we arn't allowed to take. Many birds and other wildlife could use it.











Then the chunks of wood are loaded into a pickup and brought home.




Here is a photo of the pile of wood after it thrown off the pickup and then we split it with the log splitter, (we are to old for using an ax any more) and afterward it will be stacked in the wood shed so it won't get wet if it should rain or snow. (you can see the woodshed behind the wood pile)






If a piece of wood is very lucky it will not be burned. If it looks like a good piece that can be turned into something pretty on the lathe that is what happens. This piece will be a vase eventually. It was still to green to finish at this point. It will have to dry for a while before being sanded and a finish put on it.

Rainbow

We had this rainbow before the big rain storm last week.

Winter on the Snowfield

A strong high pressure system over Mt Rainier led to some incredible weather last week! It felt like summer up at Camp Muir, with clear skies and warm temperatures. Unfortunately the snowfield was hammered by consistent moderate to strong winds, causing significant transport of the relatively dry snow left by the last major storm. The upper snowfield and Cowlitz glacier were laden with heavy sastrugi. and thick sun crusts and ice layers were exposed in many areas, making uphill ski travel difficult at times.The lower portion of the snowfield (below Panorama Point) had heavier snow and was less effected by the wind, and was actually quite enjoyable to ski.






Travel to Camp Muir can still be an enjoyable venture, as long as folks bring appropriate equipment to safely deal with the terrain, and areprepared for the harsh weather often encountered during the winter.Ski crampons or a set of light weight boot crampons would have been nice for getting to Camp Muir. If you expect to make use of the public shelter at Camp Muir, be prepared to spend time digging out the doors, as they were nearly completely buried by drifted snow when we arrived. Do not count on other parties to have dug them out recently, and certainly bring at least one sturdy shovel.




In addition to creating heavy sastrugi on the snowfield, the winds and heavy sunlight last week created significant spacial variability in the snowpack around Camp Muir. Some ridgelines had been scoured nearly to the ground, while others had generated large cornices, like those typical of the east side of the snowfield during the winter and spring. A few large wind pillows were noted along the ridgline above Camp Muir heading to the Beehive and Gibralter Rock, whereas other areas of the upper cowlitz were scoured down to last year's snow. We dug a snow pit above Camp Muir, and although we found no major red flags in the snowpack, the huge spacial variability in the area makes it difficult to draw any reliable conclusions about the overall snow stability. If you are going to venture up to Camp Muir and beyond, always get a detailed weather and avalanche forecast before you leave the trailhead, but also know that these forecasts are not an adequate replacement for good observations and decision making. Be prepared to make your own assessments about the safety of the terrain you are traveling in. Oh, and please remember to register for overnight trips so we know you're up there.


Have a great winter, get out and ski, be safe.