Mentor series - Introduction

I began working in bikes shops when I was 16 years old. Through the years I've had the pleasure of working with people who made a lasting impression on my career. This series is about me recognizing those people for their contributions to my development. Since I attempt to keep my writings here specific to cycling, in this particular series I'm only including those who influenced my career in the industry.

The posts in this series will not be in any particular order of importance. It normally takes quite a lot of thought and time for me to finish these posts, and I tend to work on more than one at a time. I'll post each when I feel I've done my best to explain their importance to my professional life.

Comments

What is Kashima Coating?

Kashima coating is a feature currently only found on Fox forks and shocks*. It's easy to spot from it's distinctive dark brown color. What is it and why do they use it? First, a quick definition: Anodizing is a process by which a metal part (normally aluminum) is electrically charged and submerged in a chemical bath. This creates an oxide layer that penetrates the metal and changes the microscopic texture and the crystal structure of the metal near the surface. After a part is treated, it can be dyed to give it color before it is sealed to increase durability. Hard anodizing is a similar procedure that penetrates further into the metal. This increases the surface hardness of the material making the surface even more durable and corrosion resistant. It does not make the metal part stronger, it affects the durability of the surface of the metal. Kashima coating is a type of hard anodizing that involves a lubricating treatment as well. This ...

1986 Fuji Restoration

I just picked up this 1986 Fuji Sagres to restore. This has been one of my all time favorite bikes and one I've been searching for a long time. It's gonna be a long term project since it doesn't have the original gunmetal grey Ukai rims and gunmetal grey handlebar tape. I'd like to pick up some original 27" SCCR Fuji tires too, but that may be asking a bit much. I'm not sure why I've always like this so much. Maybe the color, maybe it was a good seller for us at the shop back then. It would have been the year before I started working at the shop so it could have been old inventory or that we just worked on a few of them the following years. I remember always wanting one, probably has a lot to do with the color. It's one of the last to have been made in Japan and features quad-butted Valite tubing. These were decent riding bikes and reasonably priced at about $325 if I remember correctly. So why the big deal about a mid 80's Fuji? ...

1986 Fuji Sagres Restoration Part 2

I finally finished the new wheels for my '86 Sagres restoration. The original wheels will be nearly impossible to find because they were painted to match the dark grey paint on the bike. In the mean time, I decided to buy a rim that was similar to the original and paint it myself. In order to make this happen, I had to tape off the sidewalls so they would be silver. This took some time to get it right but I'm pleased with how they turned out. The paint isn't a perfect match, but it's very close and they look great! The wheels were built with a basic 14g stainless spoke and a set of used hubs. Tires are Panaracer Pasela 27 x 1 1/8 - the only true skinwall tires I could find in this size. Not ideal because they have more tread than the originals, but I didn't want to spend a lot on these wheels since I'm still looking for the original wheelset. They aren't 100% period-correct parts, but they will make it ridable and a close enough match to ...

The Bike Hive

Search This Blog