EGC Skates

I’m a skater. Sometimes I’m also a cyclist.

I lazily switch back and forth, enjoying both. Monday to Friday - I ride to work. My commute is 35km, one way. It’s an hour and a half of bike paths, trails, parks, roads and yes, some sidewalks. I do it rain or shine. I don’t see it as a commute like most riders in the GTA would. Instead, it’s my AM training session and in many ways my morning meditation.

Sure, I’m dirty and sweaty when I get into work, but that’s what the gym membership is for. Besides, it feels great. I have often thought about what the bicycle means to me and my thoughts are often focused on racing or bombing around on some muddy trail. I also think about bicycle advocacy and if I had more hours in the day, I’d certainly support those groups.

Occasionally, I stumble upon things that inspire me and when it has to do with cycling, it’s even more meaningful. I’ve been a serious rider for over 22 years and one of the things in this life that I am thankful for was the first bike my dad ever bought me. I can still remember that day. It rained like crazy and I didn’t want to ride it for fear of getting it dirty.

Some mornings, I feel like crap and I don’t want to ride, but when I see this story, I feel thankful that I can do it no matter what. I hope this gets you out of bed on those days…

(Edit: Okay for some reason the video isn’t available, but it’s about a DH MTB rider that is blind. I hope they put it back up.) This trailer is part of the Bicycle Film Festival that will be in Toronto in the next few weeks. Don’t miss this opportunity to see these films - the festival starts Wednesday June 18, 2008. Check out more trailers and schedules here:

http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/

The first week of June ‘08 has come and gone. I’ve had some extra hours this week to work on a few things like my bikes and boots. The weather has completely changed from last week. It’s now sweltering in the garage making it yet again, difficult to work.

[Photo] Swamped with work in the sweltering heat.

Tomos Moped Update

So I took the bike for another spin last night. I purchased a $12 bicycle computer from MEC and installed it on the front mag without too much effort. Using several pieces of evalite and some plastic zip ties, I secured the various sensors and magnets to the bike. Here are some photos of the install…

I’ve yet to determine how accurate the bicycle computer is, but I’m hoping to compare it with a more precise measuring device, my Garmin Forerunner. I didn’t push the bike very hard, but I did do a full throttle push on a flat road for a few seconds and easily got the bike up to 70 km/h. Not bad, but not as fast as I expected (after reading about all the hype on the internet.) I’m weighing in just over 150 lbs these days and the bike has over 3000 km on it (so with the exception of the piston and cylinder head, all the parts are broken in.) So in addition to the 65cc Airsal kit, I’m running a Technigas Next muffler, a cloth performance air filter, a #62 Jet, 27-tooth front sprocket, and have removed any unnecessary parts off the bike. I’ve disconnected and plugged the oil injector lines and use a pre-mix of 40:1. Tire pressures check out and the spark plug is a Bosch (don’t know the model numbers) that is relatively new.

If you’ve stumbled upon this article researching the Airsal A35 Big Bore kit, understand that I’ve installed the 65cc kit. I looked around for the so-called 70cc kit and it’s not available from my local dealer (or isn’t made by Airsal for the A35 engine.) In terms of installation, the bolt-on kit wasn’t that hard to install… provided you have all the suggested tools (especially a 3/8″ tool set, 11mm socket, 3″ extender and a torque wrench.) Removing the oil injector was a cinch and took about 45 minutes (including draining the gas tank.) In terms of performance, before the kit, I got roughly 60 to 65km/h (on the stock speedo, which is A LOT more accurate up to 60km/h, than what I’ve read on the internet… I did a GPS speed comparison… after 60 it no longer makes any sense.) Before the kit, I had every performance part I could find (muffler, sprocket, up jet, drilled air box). Acceleration was noticeably better than stock, but nothing to write home about. The bike was overall faster, but still felt wimpy in traffic.

After the kit, cloth air filter and up jetting some more, the performance was again, noticeably better than before. While doing everything else gave me a better top end, it wasn’t until the Airsal kit, that the acceleration really improved. Certainly enough to make me smile. I wasn’t impressed by the 70km/h top speed, but getting there was much, much better and faster. In fact, on most of my rides so far, I’ve been able to out-accelerate traffic in general. If I could find one word to describe the new sensation, it would be “crisp”. Before, the throttle response felt a little spongy, but now it’s crisp.

So the million dollar question - would I recommend the kit? It depends. If you’re in Canada, anywhere near the Greater Toronto Area, then YES. Go for it. It is a BIG modification and does carry a significant cost. If you bought your moped new, then expect to add about another $800 - $1000 to fully modify it like I’ve done to mine. Considering that these bikes cost about $1600 or so brand new, that’s a lot of money to pay just for another 20km/h more speed. There are however, other more tangible benefits. The acceleration can not be understated. If you’re in traffic during rush hour, the ability to get up to speed quickly is definitely an advantage that is worth the extra money.

Now that being said, moped laws in Canada, especially in Ontario have changed somewhat. It used to be that anyone with a regular driver’s license could ride one of these things, but that is no longer the case. Mopeds are now considered LSM’s or Limited Speed Motorcycles and you need to obtain an LSM classification on your drivers license to ride one of these. I mentioned this because a brand new, fully modified moped can run you from $2500 to $3500 in Canada (depending on the model you choose - the ST is around $1700 stock and the Streetmate R is about $2700 stock.) In Ontario, scooters still require a full motorcycle license. If it’s speed and acceleration you’re looking for, there is no replacement for displacement. Tomos actually makes a 150cc scooter for around $2700 that will out-accelerate, have a much higher top end and run considerably quieter than any modified moped.

So unless you already own the moped and are looking for better acceleration, I’d suggest getting a bigger scooter instead.

Boot Updates

The weather has been great for drying plaster, but difficult for working in the garage. The heat is brutal, but the production is moving along at a decent pace. I’ve completed all the sanding and started making the base patterns.

So what are base patterns you ask? Well, today’s your lucky day. Base patterns are created from the last because it’s easy at this point in the process to draw and design right onto the plaster. Once the liner and padding are on, it’s difficult to create these patterns. You’re probably thinking that the sizing will be incorrect and you’re absolutely right. The base patterns are only used to create rough designs for the final outer leather work.

Once I have the approved designs and colours from the client, I can further refine the pattern. The final designs are roughed out, then precisely positioned onto the partially assembled boot, using rubber cement. This allows for fine tuning of the design. The rubber cement also plays a secondary role. If any stitching is required the rubber cement holds the different pieces together, temporarily and just long enough to complete the sewing.

The patterns are all cut for the first five pairs on my workbench. Tomorrow, I’ll take the ankle pad and insole patterns and begin cutting them out of the 6mm and 3mm Eva-lite.

“Every time you take a car off the road - I don’t need to tell you what that does for somebody’s health, but also for the environment.” - Lance Armstrong (via Rhiannon Coppin, Momentum Magazine.)

Read the whole article at:

http://www.momentumplanet.ca/features/shifting-priorities#

For those of you out there thinking about utility cycling… I’ve been doing this for over 20 years.

Join me and take another car off the road.

Welcome to June 2008. I’ve been working away over the past month or so and here are some recent photos, showing the progress on my various projects including the most recent batch of EGC skate boots.

[Photo] Sanding and shaping is almost done. See if you can guess who lasts these are.

On the boot making front, I have to add some plaster back to a few areas on the lasts and raise the boot height on another (the cast was a tad low to start with.)

[Photo] Deltoro Oil Injector out of a Tomos Bullet.

I finally figured out the problem with the moped. Don’t use use 2 year old gasoline! Now that my bike has pretty much all the performance upgrades you can buy, it was time to ensure the oil/fuel mixture was consistent. Oil injectors are known to be unreliable and with a higher powered engine, more air and fuel, the Tomos oil injection system would NOT provide adequate lubrication. The recommended solution was to remove the oil injector entirely, then premix the fuel at a 40:1 ratio. The oil injector was a useless piece of metal on the bike anyway. There are some strong arguments on the moped forums on why you would want to remove the injector and go premix. Since I’m no spring chicken, when it comes to the innards of a two-stroke engine and a bicycle (though I’m no expert on these things either.) I felt that it was best, I treated the bike like an enthusiasts machine, rather than from the angle of brainless driver.

I removed the oil injector (unlike some instructions on the web, this model of moped and injector CAN be altered rather than completely removed.) Instructions on the web said to remove the injector completely. That leaves a hole in the side of the transmission, and I fear debris may get in. I found some other suggestions, like cutting a piece of sheet metal in the shape of the injector gasket (except no holes) and bolt it on top of the hole (using the original injector mounting bolts.)

[Photo] Inside the transmission body. Notice the two notches that turn the oil injector pump.

My solution was to simply remove the “gear” that turned the injector pump. This way, I could re-insert the injector body, back into the side of the transmission, and close up the hole. The pump wouldn’t work, because there would no longer be a connection to it.

Inside the injector is a spring and gear. These can be removed. The oil lines can be removed and drained. Each oil line had a small metal clip holding it onto the injectors. I carefully removed these clips and used them to clamp the oil line running between the intake manifold and oil injector. This line was then cut, drained and then zip tied to cables nearby. The other lines were removed, drained and put away in the spare parts bin for a rainy day. The oil tank, under the seat was removed and drained. The oil line holes in the transmission cap (which protects the oil injector assembly) were plugged up with epoxy putty. So not only is the bike going to run better (due to the now precise oil/fuel mixture), I now have an extra bit of space under the seat for a small storage pouch.)

[Updated] More on boots later, but while I’m on the subject of two wheels machines and alternative transportation, I’d like to write a small piece about mopeds.

[Photo] New cylinder head, piston, reed valve and performance air filter installed.

With pedals, a chain, 27×22 gearing and two wheels, a moped is kind of like a very heavy beater bike. The 27×22 leaves MUCH to be desired in terms of gearing for human power, but for a small 2-stroke, 49cc engine, it’s not so bad.

While I do claim many miles of commuting by bicycle, some mornings (like Wednesdays after a tough Tuesday night at the track) I don’t feel much like riding. If the weather is good - out comes the moped. Unfortunately, my moped has seen better days and after 2 years in storage, it was suffering from fuel, oil and performance problems.

[More] on flickr.

My “ped” is a Tomos Bullet with most of the body fairings removed. I’m still wondering where I can save additional weight (not including the rider of course.) Anything unnecessary has been peeled off the bike.

From a performance aspect, I’ve done the typical “legal” modifications. I’ve purchased a custom drilled carburetor main jet (allows more fuel at full throttle), drilled out the air box for more air, installed a 27 tooth front sprocket, and replaced the stock muffler with a Technigas Next expansion chamber. The bike is loud and much faster than stock (at least it was before putting it into storage.) During my first rides on the moped, I got about 55 km/h. Not very exciting. After the small performance parts, the bike now accelerates better and tops out at about 65 km/h (using the built in speedo.)

Power and speed are nice. Power and speed all around you isn’t.

So while that is better, local laws state that I have to ride the bike in the middle of the right lane. Okay, so now that doesn’t seem fast enough to keep up with the crazy driving that goes on around here. I need more speed.

Presenting the Airsal A35 Big Bore Kit.

Okay, so here’s the deal. This kit isn’t legal. On the box it says “For competition use only.” It boosts the engine displacement to just under 65cc. I’ve read on several forums that the worst performance improvement you can get from this kit is about 75 km/h. That is starting to sound a little better, but is it realistic? Will it damage the engine or transmission?

[More] on flickr.

The bike is no longer under warrantee, so I can pretty much do what I want with it. The bike is likely approaching it’s physical performance limits and 75 km/h is well beyond the legal limits for a moped anyway. When deciding on power vs. laws, power wins. Not for reasons you might think though.

Power and speed are nice. Power and speed all around you isn’t. The primary reason for my performance upgrades is to ensure the bike can keep out of trouble. There isn’t a cop on every corner and the way I see it, I AM responsible for ME. That’s the attitude I take, whether I’m on a bicycle or moped. That doesn’t necessarily mean, to power out of trouble, but having the extra cc’s at my fingertips gives me more options. I’m more than likely to pull over and let the car pass me, than to try and keep ahead.

Installing the Kit

There are comments, instructions, photos and a whole lot more floating around the internet on this, yet I still had trouble figuring out a few things. I’m not a professional mechanic and my engine knowledge is very limited, but with the help of the internet, I’ll write about some of the trickier aspects of the installation.

Tools: To perform the kit install, I had to purchase a few new tools. I already had a suitable torque wrench, but the extender and socket were too large to fit into the engine head. I couldn’t access the bolts! I had to buy a 1/2 inch to 3/8’s converter, a 3″ extender and 11mm socket.

The kit: if you want to know what’s included in the kit - check the internet. If something isn’t clear - leave a comment and I’ll fill you in on the details. Basically, it was a new cylinder head, piston, rings, reed valve and a bunch of gaskets and (useless) bolts.

[Updated] Install Notes: I forgot to mention in the original article a few sticking points.  First, the rings were not as difficult as I had heard.  With the a little help from my local shop, I learned a couple of things that weren’t available on the net (but now they are here!).

• The piston rings need to move freely.  They become small springs that press up against the cylinder walls to seal in the compression.  If the rings don’t move freely in the piston grooves, they will stick and you’ll damage the cylinder walls, as well as lose compression.  The rings can also be damaged this way.
• The rings are made of iron, they should be carefully installed in the grooves without excessive bending or twisting.  Start DRY (no oil) so that you can grip the rings.  Carefully slide them in from the top of the piston, being careful not to scratch the finish.  ONLY do one at a time.
• After inserting the first one, align the ring with the rivet (there should be a small rivet in the piston showing the proper alignment of the ring.   Once the ring is in the groove, gently squeeze it together, then release.  IF the ring sticks at all, gently remove it, place it on a table and VERY carefully and slowly file it (for thickness.)  The ring should spring back without resistance in the groove.
• Next insert the top ring and repeat the process.
• Examine the piston before installing it.  There should be one or more windows or openings on one side.  The openings go towards the intake manifold (pointing UP.)  Many articles talk about ensuring the “arrow” points down, but that so-called “arrow” is difficult to read.  The arrow is actually more like a small “dash”.  It is biased towards one side of the piston (the exhaust side.)  This dash should be biased towards the bottom of the piston, once it’s installed on the rod.  These are two ways to identify the orientation of the piston.
• Some articles suggest inserting the piston onto the rod first, then lower the cylinder onto the piston.  I tried two methods and found that inserting the piston into the cylinder head first, then lowering the entire assembly onto the mounting bolts, THEN connecting the piston to the rod was easiest.  WARNING:  IF the circlip falls into the transmission - good luck finding it.  If you decide to use the latter method PLUG UP the opening to the transmission with a rag first.
• Always handle the circlip VERY carefully, cautiously and slowly.  If it goes flying - forget about finding it.
• On the Tomos Bullet, the fuel on/off/reserve switch gets in the way of the intake manifold.  It has to be removed with an allen key before removing the old cylinder head.
• Don’t use the intake manifold bolts that come with the kit - the heads are easily stripped.
• Some mechanics suggest that the stock reed valve is better than the one which comes with the kit.  I’ve seen the two and the one which comes with the kit is not the same as the stock valve.  I did not bother experimenting and installed the new valve.

There are other important steps, but those are widely available on the moped forums and across several moped dealer sites on the web.  Check my links for City Moped’s in BC.  They have a very good article about installing this kit (albeit, without a few very important details which I’ve covered off here.)

Break in period: Before I can finish this article and tell you all about how much faster the bike got, I have to break in the new piston and heads. It’s almost like installing a new engine, so I’ll have to be patient. According to advice on the net, I need about 300 miles before I can really push the new setup all out. Since my commute is only 70km a day and I only plan on riding once or twice a week, that’s going to take some time.

I took the bike out for a spin just to see if it still functions. It started on the second kick and the idle was immediately smoother than before. The bike even sounded different. It seemed smoother, and the tone of the engine was much lower. I coasted the bike onto the roadway then gently pushed the throttle about 40% and eased it down the road. I immediately noticed the increased acceleration. Sweet!

I didn’t push it very hard, but the bike was easily able to get to and maintain 50 km/h at what felt like 40% throttle. That in itself is impressive.

Anyway, that was last night and the bike ran perfect. I took it out again today and after a few minutes, the engine started bogging down when opening up the throttle. I checked all the gaskets, bolts and wiring. Nothing seemed out of place.

Based on some reading and diagnosis of the problem, I suspect the engine is running lean. Right now, I’m stumped, but I think I might know the problem and a possible solution.

More later when I figure out what’s wrong.