I was thinking about this as I was riding around yesterday sans waist pack.
If you've been following along at home you, the reader, know that I trimmed down the amount of crap I carry around with me and have gone to stuffing everything in my jersey pocket.
With mixed results.
For one thing, that plastic baggy I carry is still sort of heavy:
Most of it being that antique phone I got and the weight of the whole thing makes the back of my jersey tickle the back of my knees.
I can feel it swaying back and forth back there and it's very disconcerting.
The good this it only happens when I'm off the bike.
On the bike, I really can't tell the difference between carrying that stuff in my pocket and wearing my waist pack.
Except now I got to strap my camera on to the top of my stem, which looks really odd.
So I'm thinking of just going back to the waist pack, only finding one a bit smaller.
The reason I got such a large pack was that I wanted to be able to stick my pump in there, well now I figure maybe I should try and use that mount thingy that came with it.
Thing is, should I mount it to the seat tube:
Or the down tube:
Or no tube?
Aesthetically, I don't really like how a frame mounted pump looks.
It just breaks up the lines of the frame and well it's just not pleasing to my eyeballs.
I'm also afraid it's going to rattle around on there and boy, I very much dislike rattles coming from the bicycle.
What I'd like is a center mount for my pump, then at least it's all symmetrical, even if it costs me a water bottle cage.
I don't use it anyways.
Anyways, I'm thinking maybe I go with a smaller waist pack, that way I can go back to carrying all the other crap around with me that I don't use but think I need, that way the back of my jersey won't stretch down and wrap around my ankles.
Actually I think one of them old school jerseys, the kind with the pockets in front would be kinda cool:
I guess you'd have to lose the collars though the woolness may help me get through these unbearable Hawaiian winters.
Anyways, that's where I left off last night, before I fell asleep.
At Atala I mean.
The Italian Racing Bicycle, by Guido P. Rubino, traces 40 marques, in alphabetical order, and gives some background and history of each.
As you can see, I only got to the A's, I left the good part for today.
You know, the Holy Order of All Things Celesteness(HOOATC).
A good record of the Italian brands, past and present; the present ones have websites listed so off I go to seek out new life and new temptations.
The Quest for You Know What(QFYKW) may not be over.
Sort of.
A great book if you are into that sort of thing and Flat Tire recommended.
Though probably not recommended for your wallet.
9 comments:
Why don't you just put all that crap you carry around in an empty water bottle and just slip it in the bottle holder? If the pump won't fit, you can slip that into a jersey rear pocket- it will be much lighter on it's own.
You can even buy special water bottle shaped containers in which you can put all your 'stuff' if you don't want to use a bottle.
-Trevor
I have a rattle crisis on my fixie, since the mini U-lock rattles in its bracket! Can't stand it. Been leaving it at home. I've seen some purists who don't like the pump break up the lines of the bike figure out ways to attach or store it on or in the rear triangle. With some inner tube and some velcro one wrap, you may be able to do that.
What you need is a proper Silca Impero with Campy head. In Celeste, naturally.
On the one bike I have that the Silca looks wrong (hard to imagine I know) I mounted the mini-pump on the seat tube. It seems to be less obtrusive there.
I was looking at them storage bottles, but couldn't find one in celeste.
Then there's the rattle thing.
I've been thinking about mounting the pump on the frame for a while, I'm just being stubborn.
I also looked at them super micro pumps, since I only use the pump to get started.
Scott, there's a nice celeste silca on the eVilness right now.
I got the pump head, but how the hell do I attach it?
Would there be some threaded stud I need?
The Campy head will thread right on to the Silca; just remove the original and replace.
I've been checking them pumps out, I think the trick is finding one in the correct size.
Yeah, getting the size right can be a challenge. FYI Silca measures them 'relaxed' without the pump head: if it's the 47 that you're looking at that should fit under about a 51/52 top tube. However, the best thing to do is ask the seller to measure it for you. I have two that differ in length by about 1cm uncompressed yet compressed it's more like 2cm difference. They also seem to go for some good money these days.
Yeah, I checked around and I guess the celeste version is getting sort of rare.
I guess I'll just have to keep my eyeballs peeled.
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