欧州自転車レース追っかけ日記

Hanna (2011)
This movie came out in 2011. I don't know why but I remember clearly hearing and watching a commercial (of sorts) on German TV channels (or just one channel) persistently promoting this particular motion picture "Hanna (2010)".

I lived in Germany until December 31st, 2008 and moved to Luxembourg on New Year's Day. So why do I recall this German ads? I watched German TV in 2011? Yeah, I could watch German, French, Belgium or Dutch TV programs in Luxembourg.

For some reasons this movie (title) was so familiar and now only now I watched it after 13 years.

Saoirse Ronan as Hanna. Her first name is obviously an Irish one and I could not read it correctly without knowing how to read it. These Irish shenanigans (I don't mean in any way disrespect their cultural heritage) of name spelling conundrum dazzle me.

The story takes place in Finland, Morocco, Spain and Germany. The last half of the story takes place in Berlin, Germany and this was why the German TV advertised this movie when it came out or broadcast on the air.


CHPT3 is down and Brompton?
Brompton's profit has plummeted I heard. CHPT3 has ceased to trade and I believe is in the process of liquidating what's left of its former business (Chapter 9 situation?). I don't know if these two events are related but they came about almost at the same time.

There are several reasons for the loss but I have read at least one article analyzing their business. Some seem to suggest it has made too many Bromptons because the COVID-19 brought a steep demand for them (they also expanded their manufacturing capacity to catch up with the demand).

Now the demand for them (bikes and their equipment in general) has subsided, they began to face the consequences.

I don't know how popular Bromptons are in Europe, I mean continental Europe. They are popular in the UK, do doubts.

In my own experience, almost all (90 % or more?) Bromptons on ebay are from the UK (mostly used and some new).

They (Brompton bikes) have avid fans in Asia, too. It does not bother me too much if,... if they went bankrupt. I think I have plenty of replacement parts so I can still maintain my Brompton for long time.

Mine
In December 2023, I bought one from Germany for relarively good conditions at a reasonable price. I purchased cheap train E-tickets (Luxembourg - K&oulm;ln round trip in a day) on my phone and went there to get it back. No import taxes or no shipping charges but the tickets cost me only a bit more than €50 as the seller wanted it to be picked up.

I had seen a lot of candidates when I was searching for one but they were from the UK (outside the EU by then) and I had to pay for the exorbitant import charges if they must be shipped. Some sellers allowed "Pick Up" method but in this case instead of the import charges, I had to pay for the train tickets and spend almost two days crossing the English Channel.

I wanted to have a Brompton with P-stem and least equipped. I was going to swap all the drive train components; new wheels, 7-speed, new shifter, cables and wires, crankset and chainrings, and so on. All I wanted was a P-stem.

I settled with this S-stem Brompton (S2L equivalent) made in 2015. I don't like the high handlebar position. Since then I have been looking for a P-stem but it is hard to come by.


A dynamo hub wheel for the Brompton
There are at least three kinds of

I wanted it for mine and have been on the look. If you pay a lot, you can get one with that famous German SON Schimit dynamo. If you pay a bit less than that, you will get one with Taiwanese SP dynamo.

If you pay even a bit less, you will get one with Shimano dyanamo. This is what I'm after.

If I'm correct, this dynamo once belonged to the Shimano Capreo component group. Back in early 2000's Shimano released this component group for small wheel models like Alex Moulton, Brompton, Birdy, Dahon and others. The strong point was the special rear hubs (135 mm wide) with the smallest 9 cogs. I had one on my old Birdy (2003). It has kinda rusted away, though.

I'm not sure if this Shimano dynamo (74 mm wide) is still in production. I can still see them on ebay as new.

I have been watching an auction of Black Shimano Dynamo Hub wheel for the Brompton.

Now I'm a proud winner of an auction. I hope it will come to me in time.

I paid for it as soon as the auction ended.

In English: 続きをどうぞ [A black Brompton Dynamo Hub Wheel]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車（スポーツ用） - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2025/01/18(土) 21:16:55|
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It's time I start repairing my Birdy (2003 model)
At least I bought it as new way back in spring of 2003. It came with Shimano Caprio component set.

I haven't ridden it more than two years as the shifter began to slip (ratchet gears worn out?). I knew I had to swap them. I knew I would swap the shifter, cables, rear hub, sprocket, deraileur and some others. I bought Shimano Deore XT parts.

Shimano has discontinued its Caprio component line since long time ago. The Caprio rear hub has special measurements (smallest cog 9 teeth).

I have already accumulated enough material to revive it but I have been too lazy.

I'm also planning to renew the front wheel. I'm thinking of making a wheel with the Shimano dynamo-hub using the old rim. I need properly cut spokes.

Making the rear wheel is easier as the hub measurements, as long as the wheel making is concerned, are exactly the same whether it is a Caprio rear hub or almost any other Shimano mountain bike rear hub. I can recycle the spokes without any problems.

Let's start, shall we?

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Birdy 2003 to be resurrected]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車（スポーツ用） - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2025/01/10(金) 21:22:29|
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Midsommar 2019
I did not know what to expect. I could not anticipate the way the story would go. At the first look, I thought story would be psychological thriller or some kind of horror involving some supernatural power that lead to the tragic death of the parents and the sister of the main character.

Even half past the movie, I did not know what to expect. It had already some grusome scenes and murders but I did not know what to make of them.

As far as I could tell, it looked like a Swedish cult having its traditional annual rites of some kinds. And incidental American youths got entangled or intentionally entangled. It seemed so toward the end.

It was a strange movie. It reminded me of "The Holly Mountain 1973" just a little bit but it was distictly different.

TRLREQ® Fish bone VS MUQZI Fish bone bamboo calbe housing systems?
I was talking recently about the Nokon cable housing (outer) systems for the last couple of entries. I found that Jagwire also had a similar product along the way.

I purchased before knowing that Nokon still lived up to now (2024) and the Jagwire product RISK® product.

Now these products from TRLREQ and MUQZI caught my attention. I want to compare them.

TRLREQ® call those aluminum beads "Fish Bones" and MUQZI seems to call (or just the seller?) them "Fish Bone Bamboo".

I found these names on AliExpress in the description section presented by the sellers. So I don't know if they are official names.

MUQZI does not seems to have ® on its logo but its brand name is all over the place on AliExpress.

Anyway, the shape of these aluminum bamboo internodes (?) are very similar (as long as I can tell from the pictures) between RISK and TRLREQ. The shape of those of Jagwire is slightly different and those of MUQZI is also slightly different.

They all (except NOKON) have a common curved shape found in a typical internode of the bamboo plant.

I searched for "bamboo anatomy" as I wanted to know the proper terms for the bamboo's anatomical sections. The analogy between bamboo and these aluminum beads is clear. I wanted to know what was the exact term for it.

It seems I should call them internodes but I'm not happy. I wanted to find the name for an individual section but soon realized I was an idiot.

The individual section should be called "an internode with a node (with the diaphragm holes) at one end" to be exact.

I noticed that there was a term "sheath" among the pictograms. Some showed that this sheath is the same as internode. Some showed that sheath is the forskin-like stuff wrapping the young bamboo (shoot and young bamboo). They eventually come off.

Fish bones were new. I had to agree with it. Now it troubles me. How should I call the individual section? A vertebra or vertebral body?

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Nokon saga continues]の続きを読む

テーマ:自動車の整備＆修理 - ジャンル:車・バイク

1. 2024/12/16(月) 21:32:19|
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Jagwire Elite Link Cable Set??
I did not know about this product but now I do. It is an obvious Nokon successor. The RISK bamboo link cable set is its Chinese version (legally or illegally?). Are they the same or different? They appear very similar.



I found out about this while I was looking for some winter bike clothing.

A (20 red bamboo links) package (or Elite links, I should say) costs about 6 Euro (€). Surprisingly, the same packages (20 links) of black, gold and silver have totally different price tags! (16, 8 and 10)

Jagwire Elite Link Set costs around 50 Euro. I'm not going to buy the whole set but maybe I will find out by getting the 20-link package.


Nokon lives!!
While I was being surprised to find the Jagwire Elite Cable Set, I also found "Nokon KonKavex Universal Shift or Brake Set" sold at the same online shop. It lives!

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Nokon Lives!]の続きを読む

テーマ:自動車の整備＆修理 - ジャンル:車・バイク

1. 2024/12/14(土) 16:46:14|
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Risk® Riding Is My Life (from its package)
I bought this product from China and it arrived this afternoon called Risk®. It is a copycat or ripoff of Nokon® bike cabling system that was popular (was it?) around 20 years ago.

Please Google "Nokon" if you don't recognize the name. I always loved Nokon for its look since I got my first ever road bike back in 2004 (I think). It was Cervélo Soloist (the original aluminum) 2004 model. It was built by an online shop in Germany. It was built with Shimano DuraAce with Shimano cable.

I soon modified the cabling system with Nokon. My second road bike, Cervélo RS is assembled with Nokon, of course and SRAM Red (10-speed).

Since the supply of Nokon has become scarce (I think they stopped operating altogether), I have to find compatible products to keep it going (to maintain my Nokon cabling system).

That's when I found this Risk® product sold on AliExpress. Now they have arrived, I will see if they are really compatible (comparable).

RISK versus NOKON cable systems
I recently bought two sets (since the seller's description said two sets for one bike full system - braking and shifting lines).

I bought black ones. I have not used them yet so this is not a review. I just write down what I have noticed by just fiddling with them.

1. More parts
The kit (as RISK sells other small parts) includes numerous small parts.
1. Bamboo links (1.3 meters) and additional "repair parts" 10 links
2. Oil catheter (3 meters x 2)
3. Seals and Copper sleeves (each 4 pieces)
4. Oil guide cables (0.3 meters x 2)
5. Guide cable end caps (2 pieces)
6. Aluminum cable end caps (6 pieces)
7. Mini-Cable protectors (10 pieces)
8. Rotating S buckles (2 pieces)
9. Cable Adjustment Screws (2 pieces)
10. Catheter dust plugs (2 pieces)
11. Heat shrinkable tail caps (4 pieces)


1. "Bamboo" links
These are the aluminum CNC-milled (I'm guessing) and anodized beads. They call them Bamboo links. How Chinese they are! Bamboo plants (I think they have more than 100 kinds) are very common in Asia and some are main staple of Pandas.

The Germans (where Nokon originated from) could have nicknamed them Baumkuchen. In deed, RISK links are shaped like bamboo stems with a curvy body where as NOKON links are shaped like Baumkuchen without curves. I'm waiting for an Italian manufacturer steps in with Macaroni links or Rigatoni links.

I'm Japanese and bamboo plants are so common in my native country and we eat their young shoots (sprouts).




2. Oil catheter
This is what I really wanted to acquire. I don't find these tubes (Teflon coated inner tube?) in Europe anymore.
I also bought these tubes separately from AliExpress.

3. Seals and Copper sleeves
The seal and Copper Sleeve are used together. It resides at the end of line where lubrication oil (by oil I think they mean substance less viscous than grease) has to be contained as the pictures show.


On the instruction diagram, they are used at the both ends of a brake line but not at the ends of a shifting line. I don't know why.

One important feature of these copper sleeves is that they have outer diameter size of 5 millimeters.

4. Oil guide cable
This is a normal BRAKE cable (5 millimeters of outer diameter) cut in 30 centimeters. They lie quietly under the bar tape. A cable tension adjuster screw (or whatever you call it) operates at one end.

Nokon prepared special cables for this part. They were made of stainless steel and much like a metal chimney duct. I don't think they (Nokon company) had tension adjusters in mind when they designed this.

A cable tension adjustment screw does NOT operates as expected if the outer casings (cables) spin. If you don't understand what I mean here, please stop reading right here.

I think I have to add a plastic cable end (a cap) here to increase the friction between the "Oil Guide Cable" and the "Cable Adjustment Screw".

I'm sure I have some plastic end caps lying around.

5. Guide cable end cap
These come in handy when you decide to forfeit cabl tension adjusters. It has a stopper (narrow choking flange) in the middle so that two outer cables can be joined.

6. Aluminum cable end cap
This is used at one end of an outer cable. It is just like other normal end cap but since it is made of aluminum and anodized, it has less friction than cheap plastic end caps.


There are end caps made of steel (stainless steel?) and those are shiny.

If one decides to put cable tension adjuster on the shifting line (I don't think you need it on the brake line), I think (at least I will) that a plastic end cap to prevent the whole adjuster from spinning.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, I recommend that you stop reading.

I don't know if I will use an adjuster. I have used and failed before.

7. Mini-Cable protectors
Nokon included in its kit, vinyl tubes cut in 4 or 5 centimeters long. I used them. Although they worked, they tend to collect dirt and become murky as they age (from exposure to the elements like ultraviolet ray?).


This cable protector (or more aptly frame paint protector) has some bonus. It is advertized passive luminous! That will make night riding an exciting experience!


8. Rotating S buckles
I don't think I will need these on my bike.


9. Cable Adjustment Screws
Already enough said.

Oh, one thing; I don't know why they include two of them. Do you need one on the brake line?

Oh, another thing; I did find this screw in the installation instructions but its installation method is completely wrong. How wrong? Dead wrong! It won't work that way.

You are on your own if you want to install any (inevitably shifting) cable tension adjuster. Do not follow the instructions from the manufacturer!

I have experience although it was unsuccessful. (After all those struggles and failure) Now I know how to install one on the shifting line.


10. Catheter dust plugs
This is a neat product. It comes at one end of the inner liner (oil catheter) before the exposed end (brake or shifter).


It seems that it is also made of passive luminous silicon rubber.





11. Heat shrinkable tail caps
It is a replacement of normal cable tips (end crimps). I don't know if I use them. The best cable end treatment is soldering. I haven't found the right solution (literally the right solution called soldering flux).



Noticeable differences
1. These bamboo links are shaped in a way that make them stick slightly (firmer than Nokon beads?) to one another. It may be because of the round edges.

2. Nokon provided shorter barrels (beads or whatever you may call them) for tighter curves typically for the curve before the rear derailleur whereas RISK does not. Because of the round edges, they seem to be able to make a tigher curve.

3. RISK provides more gimmicks like rubber seals and copper sleeves than Nokon did.

4. RISK has two slightly different assembly instructions. One for the brake lines and another for the shifting lines.

The Brake line needs the seal and copper sleeve at the shifter and at the brake. On the other hand, the shifting line does not seem to require them. At least no mention of them in the instructions. I don't understand the reason.

Notes
RISK also has plastic cable end caps on its lineup. The product pictures indicate that they fit inside the plastic cable end caps. They should also fit inside the aluminum cable end caps.


Those plastic cable end caps have two kinds, brake line (5 millimeters) and shifting line (4 millimeters). The copper sleeves must have corresponding size.

In the installation diagram, the brake line shows this cable end cap only at the cable stop on the frame but does not show this cable end cap at the shifter or brake. I had to conclude that I could not trust this installation paper.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [RISK, a Nokon copycat?]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車ロードレース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2024/12/13(金) 03:24:10|
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