his defense was attack!

I got a new bicycle? No, but this old one has some new (to it) bits. Begin with drilling holes in the downtube and inserting the riv-nuts to finally run a bottle cage, step to fatter tyres (42mm!), and pirouette on the S3X. Let us ignore the ~80mm 21.1 stem, as the Schwinn Le Tour Touriste demands certain concessions.

QBP had the Sturmey-Archer S3X singing it's siren song. I plugged the other mechanic's ears with wax, and tied myself to the work-bench, but this albatross came crashing through anyhow. It was too much to resist; the notion of riding fixed yet also having options. The S3X being the 3speed fixed hub, you know.

No disassemble, but I reserve this info for potential future use.

I opted for the bar-end shifter. At first, I tried it on the faithful Surly Crosscheck (c. 2001) and rode around the Ord and such. I knew going into this that there would be the lag, and I figured serious back pressure a la skid-stops would be a bad idea. (I don't shift under load either...) I found I wasn't stoked on the quality of the ride on that bike, with it's emphasis on fixed off-road. I'm running a 46t c-ring with an 18t Surly cog (as opposed to before, when it was a badly worn 46-16, which was fine for this bike's purpose of cruising around town). This gives me gear inches of Gear3) 67.72 (direct as in 1:1), Gear2) 50.79, and Gear1)42.325... unless I effed the math, which is quite possible. I know it works out pretty well! I wanted a top end close to 63, and I wanted those big tyres. It required a 1/2 link to stuff the rear in, but it fit and rolls so nice. With the big tyres the ride of the bike has changed (for the better) to a softer, quieter feel. I am pleased. It is super fun to ride.

So. Who's got the 165mm cranks I now need?