Glass I can work with

Problem



The mirrors on our SV have to be adjusted way too often. If I wasn't the last to ride it, I'd have to adjust them. If the all-weather cover was removed (every time the bike is ridden), the mirrors have to be adjusted. If the bike is ridden long enough, the mirrors have to be adjusted because vibration shakes them loose. When they get loose enough, a wrench is required to lock them back into place. There appears to be a ball joint at the back of the mirror, but it's either frozen solid or it isn't actually a ball joint. Who knows. Bottom line, they are not convenient for frequent adjustment.



For 6 months or so, I have been considering rideitmoto.com's billet mirrors as a replacement. And last week, I decided to finally give them a try.

Initial Reaction



The mirrors, stems, and end caps feel like high-quality parts. They are even pretty to look at. The mirrors seem a little small, but when held at arms length, their convex surface actually provides a surprising field of view. The blue tint on the glass is a curious thing ... well, whatevas, we'll see what's up once they're on.

Installation

I removed the old, weighted bar ends and installed the new bar ends, which go through the new mirrors' stems. I'm not sure why so many different spacer rings were provided, as it appears only one mates the provided bar end to the big hole in the mirror stem. Maybe those rings are for re-using your stock bar ends? That surely wasn't an option on this 2007 SV650. Anyway, unlike the stock SV bar ends (which mount with an expanding rubber grommet) the rideitmoto's billet bar ends mount with a metal expanding thingy. Unfortunately, the expanding metal doohicky starts its life at a very small diameter. So you have to get the expansion started in your hands. Vice grips or plyers to grab the inside (round) nut are necessary to keep the nut from spinning. I opted for the bloody hand method. Either way, you'll eventually get to the point where it's of a diameter that fits snugly into the bike's handle bars.



A bit of adjustment, tightening at all 3 joints (bar end to bar, mirror stem to bar end, mirror to stem), and voila, new mirrors! The only issue was clearance for the clutch and brake levers. If squeezed all the way, they made contact with the mirrors stems. But I solved this by loosening the bar clamp for the clutch and brake levers and slid it inward just a bit. Now the ball end of the levers fit in right next to the mirror stems.

Usage



These mirrors are small. The is no getting around the fact that you are sacrificing field of view by switching to these mirrors. That said, they still serve their functional purpose if adjusted correctly. I found I had to give up seeing both behind me and the lane next to me. Otherwise I would have to accept a very large blindspot.



Thankfully, these mirrors deliver most where I hoped they would. They adjust very easily since the mirrors mount to their stems with very snug ball joints. So you can adjust one at a stop light, but the joint is snug enough not to vibrate or accidentally knock out of your setting.

Conclusion



A test ride for an americano proved that the mirrors solve my problem. And personally, I think they are a nice piece of kit. But what will Megan think next time she hops on?

Review: Genesis Track One

I mentioned previously that I solicited Wal Mart for one of their fine products - the Genesis Track One fixed-gear bicycle. Being a completely inexperienced cyclist, I'm going to go ahead and review the non-motorized machine. A friend wanted a review and, well, to be honest, I wanted to write one. So here goes.

Assembly...

...was easy! Just attach the handle bars, front wheel, pedals, and seat. The rear wheel and crank came assembled. And surprisingly, the assembled parts weren't full of rounded nuts from assemblers that didn't give a sh*t and used adjustable wrenches. I mean, they may very well have used adjustable wrenches, but the evidence wasn't grossly overwhelming.

I had to flip the rear wheel around as it came ready for riding as a single-speed free-wheeler. But I wanted to jump right into fixed-gear riding. So now my directional tire is rotating the wrong way. Wonder if that's slowing me down...

Anyway, to conclude assembly, let's just say I spent more time removing stickers than I did actually assembling the bicycle!

Appearance...

...is eh. From 10 feet away, the bike looked like it consisted mostly of paint (and minimally of decals). But alas, they actually used decals to blend the different colors together on the frame. I still tore all the decals off, though, because I hate stickers. And thankfully, they weren't too difficult to remove. I was disappointed because I thought the bike was black and white when I saw it on the website, but it's actually sparkly midnight blue and white.



The bike shipped with a chain guard on the crank sprocket. *Removed*. Also came with a kickstand! *Removed*. Why? I don't know - poking around on the internet taught me that cool people remove these things. And I wanted to be cool.

Anyway, after trimming, the bike looked simple, clean, and respectable (as if I even had something to compare it to). I will note that I'm impressed with how nicely the handle bars were wrapped. It's not coming apart or anything. Sure, it hasn't been very long. But it just seems like it was done well.

Performance...

...is respectable? Gosh, I don't know - I mean, it rolls pretty good. The brakes are a little disappointing, but I think that's because I'm use to dual front disks with opposed-piston calipers. This wheel-squeezing stuff is for the birds, I tell ya. I've looked into putting disc brakes on this thing, but it appears the hub needs to support that. And these JoyTech hubs surely don't have a mount for brake discs.

Anyway, I've probably put about 20-30 miles on the bike and I find it is particularly solid. I really like riding it around - it's easy to use, and it feels like maintenance will be almost non-existent for this bike (aside from chain cleaning). The gearing seems reasonable, and only the worst of hills and reasonable downhills cause me to run outside my pedaling capabilities.

Mods

You got shocks, pegs... lucky!

Well, I don't got that, but I do got a few other upgrades! The most significant of which is a lighter front wheel! I swept Craigslist for any goodies I could use to improve my new two-willer, and I found a guy selling a brand new Forte Titan front wheel! So that saved me a pound. Dumb wheel was made for a presta valve though, and the tube that came with my bike was shrader-valved. My friend Dewalt and a 21/64" bit helped me remedy that problem. And believe it or not, the tire that shipped with the Track One managed to mount on the narrower, 13mm Titan. Score!



Otherwise I added a water bottle holder (for which there are existing holes on the diagonal frame tube). And a slick little bar end mirror. Now I can see Megan trying to pass me with all her gears! Grrr...

Conclusion

I didn't expect much from the second bicycle I bought from Wal Mart. But it's acting like it wants to hang around for a while. And I'm loving the simplicity and silence of fixed-gear action. So if you're curious, and you want to try it, my experience so far says you won't be mistaken with the $150 Genesis Track One.



For what it's worth!

PS - pictures to come when I get some time...