Rawland Stag Low Trail 650B

The Stag was not my first choice for a frame and fork. My first choice was a local Seattle frame builder. I discussed details with him, sent in my deposit and was guaranteed a frame in 6 months. So I began to dream and collect parts, a Paul rear hub, a Son delux generator front hub, VO Grand Cru cranks, Grand Bois Randonneur drop bars, leather tape, and a  Brooks saddle. I orders some Pacenti 650 rims, built my wheels and finished them with Grand Bois 42mm Hetre tires. I was ready, my wheels were ready, but while I was building my inventory my frame builder was experiencing a sudden storm of instability in his life. The result was a frame that never came, hopefully one day will come, but might never come.

I had to have my bike so I went here and there in Seattle and searched the web for a 650B frame that I could get quickly and inexpensively. to I would build up an inexpensive frame and wait for my builder to find his legs again. After almost committing to the VO Polyvalent I happened to see that Rawland had just started making the Stag. It was $725.00 and almost exactly what I had envisioned. Almost because it had an unthreaded steering tube and only came in metallic blue. I would work around those two realities. You really can't have everything unless you order a custom frame. Oh, that's right I did order a custom frame. . .

I placed an order for a Medium frame. I'm 5'9"

My fellow randonneur Andy knows everything, has a huge inventory of parts, and at 57 has been working on bikes for half a century.  His advice has been invaluable all along this bike path. You can't just order any pretty part and have it work on your bike. Knowing what will work and what won't is, for the most part, beyond me. He advised me and provided most of the parts for my dream bike. He suggested that I get the steering tube threaded. " I can do that?" "Sure", he said, " you just have to find the right guy with the right tools. That was daunting and resulted in a bit of a run-a-round until the mechanic at 20-20 Cycles suggested  Haulin' Colin. http://www.haulincolin.com/. He has a machine shop in Georgetown and within a couple of days I had my threaded fork. Now I could mount the stem, decaleur, front rack, and Giles Berthoud bag I had my heart set on.

Andy chased the head tube with his beautiful tools and installed the Grand Cru head set and SKF bottom bracket. I took it home and over the next couple of weeks put the rest of the jewelry on my beauty. I was in no hurry to be done. I had waited so long and put so much consideration into each part it was a pleasure to just be able to turn a hex wrench on the Stag. I wanted to say "her" but it's a Stag. I guess I don't have that option unless we do a sex change and where would the relevant bits be on a bike? Any guesses?

So it's done and I've had it on a few short rides. It seems very solid and has a very soft ride absorbing rough pavement due to the larger tires and lower psi. I have them inflated to about 50 psi which seems about right. It tracks nicely with  even cornering. It is not jittery at all, just very balanced. Best of all it is 3 lbs. lighter than my Davidson.

Now the road beckons. I'll be taking some short rides in the next few weeks, and the Winter Solstice 200k ride will be a chance to give the Stag a chance to run in the moonlight and test the Edelux headlight. If you see a rider go by you and his shadow is a silhouette sporting antlers you won't be saying "What's up wid dat"

 

Special Ground Delivery

It happened faster than seems possible, but every unavoidable accident does. It’s only afterwards that it repeats and repeats and repeats in slow motion.

I was riding my bike down a beautiful  hill on a beautiful day in north Seattle. It’s a long incline on a street call Roosevelt and you can easily hit 40 mph just coasting. It must be about a mile in length.. I was about halfway down the hill when a UPS truck pulled out on my left crossing over Roosevelt. The driver saw me at the last second but by then it was too late. I couldn’t stop and it was squarely in my path so swerving wasn’t an option. I was heading directly for the brown side of the brown truck with brown thoughts preparing to die.

As they often do on nice days the driver had both doors open and he was perched on the stool seat that looks both precarious and functional. I was able to steer to my right and when I hit the truck it was right at the delivery side door. My bike stopped and I continued at perhaps 30mph through the open door right at the driver. I just had time to put out my arms as I crashed into him and took him with me cleanly out the other side of the truck. (This is case where seat belts would have been deadly for both of us). We landed on the shoulder of the road which was coated with sand, gravel, glass, and a Sunchips bag. I was on top, he in the less advantageous bottom position which required him to be the sled and me the rider. We went perhaps 15 feet and came to a gentle stop. I could see right away that he was hurting. The Sunchips bag was peering cheerily out from behind his shoulder. His brown shorts and short sleeved shirt were little protection against the glass and gravel covered asphalt surface. I however was not in much pain. He was a plump soft man and had absorbed my forward motion in a way that slowed us both  gradually.

I immediately called 911 on the cell phone I carried in the back of my bike sweater and kept him as motionless as I could until the sirens arrived and someone who knew what she was doing took over. I had a few abrasions on my fingers where they stuck out of my bike gloves. Otherwise I was untouched by the crash. I didn't know whether to thank him or yell at him, but considering his condition I kept my mouth shut. His injuries were superficial as far as I know.

My bike was totaled, but a new one arrived the next week in a brown truck, compliments of UPS, different driver.

 

The above is fictional in my case but probably has happened somewhere.

If you have any short bike fiction send it to me and we will start a collection.