Saturday Bike Work during a Snow Storm

I installed a front rack on my Maruishi today. The rack is a Berthoud I bought used from Kevin at Hiawatha. I can't resist putting French stuff on my bike. In the past, I've installed Berthoud fenders that are still there and an Ideale saddle. The saddle was the most effective form of torture known to man. The CIA bought it from me and I'm living off the proceeds.

The rack also has a built-in light mount. This is convenient for me because it gets stuff off my already crowded handlebars and mounts the light in a position that prevents the light from being blocked by a handlebar bag. You might be wondering what other stuff I have mounted

on my handlebars. I have a blinking light, a coffee-cup holder, two computers (one in kilometers and the other in miles), a bell, and a perch for my bird. The bird is really my daughter's, but the bird likes me best.

The light I mounted works with a dyno hub and I already own one of those. I've had the Shimano dyno hub for a couple years and have never liked the amount of drag that I noticed. I immediately thought the bearings were too tight, but everyone assured me that's not a problem. I accepted that for a couple years until recently I read an iBob post by a guy who adjusted his Shimano dyno hub bearings and found it reduced the apparent drag.

With this in mind, I adjusted the hub and holy shit! it made a noticeable difference. Now, I've got the whole rig installed: rack, light, and dyno hub.

Does anyone have a decaleur for sale? I initially intended to install a basket on this rack, but it's so cool that I changed my mind and I want a proper French-looking handlebar bag that mounts with a decaleur . The real reason for this is that it will allow me say Berthoud and decaleur in the same sentence. Both of those words sound really cool when spoken with an exaggerated French accent, which I will use. After speaking this sentence, I may find my tongue in a knot, but I'm willing to risk it.

Tomorrow I install the Nokians because it snowed today. I've also have a Huret rear derailleaur in a box somewhere.

The last photo shows the most important tool on the bench and it's not the Allen wrenches -- it's the reading glasses. They let me see what the hell I'm working on.