Welcome back, class!  Now that you've adjusted your Shimano Nexus hubs, we'll dive into the next most interesting operation on one of these bikes: rear wheel removal.  Mastering this will allow you to replace tires or tubes that are worn out or damaged beyond patching.  This will get a little more technical than the previous post, so it's very important to make sure you're comfortable using tools and that you have the time and energy to safely put everything back together.  Please read through the entire post before tearing apart your bike, and be sure you're comfortable performing all the operations described (especially tensioning the chain!).  Troubleshooting and adjusting your hub didn't require any tools, but this will, so get out that toolkit and polish up your:

1. 15mm open-end wrench or 15mm deep socket w/ driver
2. 10mm open-end wrench and 10mm socket w/ driver (you can substitute another 10mm wrench or a small adjustable if necessary)
3. Cable cutters (diagonal cutters or wire cutters can be substituted)
4. 2mm hex key/Allen wrench
5. Dental pick, sharpened spoke, sturdy ballpoint pen, small switchblade, or something else with a nice point to it
6. Tire levers (if you plan on replacing tubes or tires)

Now that your tools are prepared, set your bike on its center stand (or clamp the seatpost in a work stand if you're lucky enough to have one).

We will remove the rear wheel first because it's a more complex operation and many of the steps will be duplicated in removing the front.  As an overview, we're going to disconnect the brake, open the chain case, disconnect the shifter, disengage the chain tensioners, and remove the wheel.  Then we will reinstall the wheel, engage the tensioners, tension the chain and center the wheel, reconnect the shifter and brake, and close the chain case.

To disconnect the brake, first loosen the cable fixing nut several turns.  Pull or clip off the cable tip, and pull the cable out of the brake.

Now once we've removed the torque arm clamp bolt the brake will be completely disconnected.

After that, move back to the right side of the bike and open the chain case, starting by unhooking the tension wire running along the bottom of the case.

Once the wire is unhooked about 3/4 of the way down toward the front, unsnap and unclip the rear section as we did in the previous post.

Now loosen the axle nuts about three turns (Don't worry, the chain tensioners will hold the wheel in place) and yank the rear section of the chain case frame straight back and out of the bike.

Shift the bike into first gear, and poke the long end of the 2mm hex key into the tiny hole in the back of the cassette joint.

Pull downward on the wrench to give yourself some cable slack, and then use your pointy tool to pop the cable and cable stop out of the cassette joint.

Pull the cable housing out of the housing stop, being careful not to kink the cable.

Now that you've disconnected the brake and shifter cables from the hub, all that's left is removing the wheel itself!  Loosen the chain tensioners until the nuts are even with the end of the threaded section, and loosen the axle nuts until the colored non-turn washers (yellow on the right, brown on the left) can completely clear the frame.

Lift the chain carefully off the teeth of the cog and set it down on the plastic of the cassette joint.

Now you'll actually remove the wheel: pull it straight backward until both chain tensioners are loose enough that you can flip them downward so that they hang from the axle.

The wheel will now be free to slide forward and out of the dropouts, and you're free to replace tubes, change tires or just marvel at your accomplishment.

To reinstall the wheel, you will essentially be reversing most of the steps you've just completed.  Set the chain on the cassette joint -- next to the cog but not on it -- and then slide the wheel back into the dropouts.  This may take some wiggling, and possibly even some fiddling to make sure that the chain tensioners are inside the dropouts, and the non-turn washers (brown and yellow) are outside.  Gently pull the wheel as far back into the dropouts as possible, giving yourself enough slack to flip the tensioners back into place.  Now that the wheel is held in place by the tensioners, you'll be able to reattach the shifter and brake cables, the chain, and the chain case.

Set the chain back on the cog and carefully turn the cranks a few revolutions to make sure that the chain is fully set on the chainwheel (front gear) as well.  To reconnect the shifter cable to the cassette joint, first slide the cable housing end into the housing stop.

Now repeat the trick with the 2mm hex key to wind the cassette joint back to a point where you can slot the cable stop into its cradle, making sure that the cable sits cleanly along its channel.   Shift up and down the range a few times to make sure that everything is working smoothly, and also use this opportunity to check the adjustment of your hub (just like you learned to do in the last post!).

Pass the brake cable through the housing stop and into the cable stop, tightening it down at at its original setting.  Make sure the housing is fully inserted in the stop.  At this point you can crimp a cable end cap onto the cable, then test brake function by pulling hard on the brake lever. 

Slide the rear section of the chain case frame into place, carefully pushing both top and bottom ends into place in the main chain case frame.  Be sure that the chain tensioner is outside the chain case frame on the axle.

Now that everything on the axle is in place, you can tension the chain.  This step is going to be the most technical that you'll perform during the operation, so shake the kinks out of your hands and get ready!  Tighten down the axle nuts until the tabs of the non-turn washers are fully inserted into the dropouts, but not so tight that you can't shift the wheel.  Throughout this step, you'll be keeping the wheel centered in the frame by watching the distance between the (ideally fully inflated) tire and the chain stays.  Tighten the chain tensioner nuts evenly as you bring the wheel back toward its original position.  On Workcycles bikes (especially if you are using the original cog size), you'll frequently be able to find this spot by the indentations left by the non-turn washers in the frame powdercoat.

Ideal chain tension can be an art and a science, but the easiest gauge will be this: at the tightest spot in the rotation of the cranks (because there will be tight spots and loose spots) you should still be able to move the chain slightly (<1/4") up and down with your fingers.  You should NOT hear a crackling sound as you spin the pedals through the tight spots, and the chain should not be so loose as to hit the bottom of the chain case.

Once you've got the chain at a nice tension, double-check the centering of the wheel and then reattach the rear brake's torque-arm clamp on the chain stay.

Now you can tighten down the axle nuts!  Make sure these are solidly tight, really get your arm behind the wrench (unless you're some sort of giant burly guy, in which case you'll want to exercise some restraint).

Now that the wheel is reinstalled and the chain case frame is reassembled, most of what's left should be familiar from the last post: closing the chain case.  Gently (because these are fabric parts, after all...) slide the rear section of the cover over the frame, keeping the chain tensioner outside.  Pull the edges of the inside slit (between the wheel and the chain case) together and slide the prongs of the clip into their pockets inside the chain case.  Snap the snap on the outside, and hook the wire back and forth across the hooks on the underside (don't miss any!).

...And you're done.  Go for a ride!

As you may have guessed, we love some internally geared hubs here at Dutch Bike Co.  We love the smooth shifting, the quiet operation, and the simplicity of use.  From the shop perspective, I enjoy knowing that our bikes are out there being ridden and loved - not worked on.
 
More than any other drivetrain, an 8 speed hub really doesn't require its user to be a "bike person."  An avid cyclist will certainly enjoy it -- as many of you have discovered for yourselves -- but anyone who can push the pedals will benefit equally from the utter simplicity and rock-like durability of this transmission.  Combine the system with a chaincase and in a year of riding you'll probably do no maintenance whatsoever.  You won't even have to wonder whether or not to feel guilty about it.

This brings us to the educational kernel nestled within this husk of a post: adjusting your Shimano Nexus hub.  At this point, you might reasonably grow apprehensive that I'll try to explain planetary gear systems, expose you to exploded views, or start talking about gear inches.  I won't.  Adjusting your hub is a simple and easy procedure that will likely take less than five minutes and won't get your hands very greasy at all.

Step One: Diagnosis
When I teach a repair class, this is typically the subject that receives the strongest emphasis.  Without understanding what's causing the problem, we can't fix it.  Bearing this firmly in mind, we'll quickly check the three main parts of the system: the shifter, the cable, and the cassette joint (I'll explain in a moment).  The cable will come first, because it's the simplest part of the system and -- relatively speaking -- the most vulnerable.  Around three out of four "mis-shifting" or "gear slipping" issues on our bikes have the same simple cause:



Here, the cable housing (the outer sheath) has been tugged out of the shifter, exposing the cable.  It has then caught on the edge of its proper place (the barrel adjuster) and failed to snap back in.  This 1/4" difference leaves the system totally out of whack.  The solution is even simpler than the problem: just nudge the end of the housing back into the barrel adjuster, and the tension already on the cable will do the rest, snapping it back into place.



If all is well so far, check over as much of the shifter cable housing as you can see for damage or kinks that could cause it to drag or bind.

Next, we'll move on to the cassette joint.  This is the little plastic unit on the side of the hub where the cable attaches, and that translates your pull on the cable into the actual gear change in the hub.  If you have a cloth chaincase (any Workcycle, Azor, or Jorg&Olif except Secret Service, Fr8, and Bakfiets) you'll need to open the back end just a little to see the cassette joint.  Unsnap the outside snap, then slide the clip out of the pockets on the inside.



Gently peel the rear section of the chaincase up and forward, and tuck it out of the way.



Now you'll be able to see the gray and black plastic cassette joint, and the little adjustment window with a yellow indicator line.  With a plastic chaincase you'll just be able to flex it inward slightly, and the view will be the same.



Now that you've ruled out problems with the cable, shift into fourth gear (you'll see a dot next to the number to tell you it's special) and check the yellow marks in the small window on the top of the cassette joint: if they line up, you're adjusted properly.  If they don't, then turn the adjuster on the shifter (with a couple of experimental turns to make sure of your direction) until they do.



...And you're done!  You've just done exactly what a good mechanic would have when confronted with Nexus hub "issues," and almost assuredly resolved them.  Take the bike for a quick test ride, and enjoy your perfect shifting.

It's been almost a year since I built and started flogging the strange hybrid beast that we named the Saison (a saison is a Belgian farmhouse beer style whose wild yeast strains produce a light body but strong earthy flavor).  The idea was to build a bike that could balance the toughness and "fuhgeddaboutit" maintenance interval of one of the Dutch bikes with the speed and acceleration of a modern American commuter.  Strong wheels, a strong frame, internally geared drivetrain, disc brakes, full fenders, and a comfortable riding position were required.  Add a few little extra touches for comfort (carbon bar and 28c Tserv tires) and style (gold Nokon brake housing and gold grips), and I was ready to go.

The Frame
Predictably, I couldn't let myself simply order a frame designed to do exactly what I intended for it (they exist).  Instead, I decided to use the wrong-est frame to build this multi-speed city bike: a single-speed mountain bike.  The Surly 1x1.  And yes, I am perfectly aware of the abject silliness of this premise.  That said, measure the actual radius of a 26" wheel with tire, and a 700c wheel with tire, and you'll find a surprisingly small difference.  Measure the wheel/tire clearance of a 1x1 and you'll run out of measuring tape; you could lose a medium-sized child in the depths of that gigantic rear triangle.  Even with tires half again the size there would be plenty of room for nice beefy fenders, too.
 


With tough steel tubes, convenient horizontal dropouts, and easily adjustable brake caliper mounts, the Surly would have been a fair bet even if it weren't super cheap.  And deep down, who doesn't want to ride "the thing that should not be"?

The Build
Lace up a wheelset: light-ish rims made for 29'er mountainbikes on a Shimano Alfine hub (the stealth-bomber version of the eight-speed hubs in our Workcycles bikes) and a mostly-matchy front hub, and slap them into the frame.



Throw on the rest of the parts.  Get a different crankset because the chainstays are so wide that the arms of the compact road crank I'd planned on using wouldn't even come close to clearing...wow.  Bend the fender stays and install spacers to clear the brake calipers.  Install lights on the brake bosses because they're just sitting there doing nothing.  Install the KitchenAid headbadge because this is supposed to be an appliance, right?

The Ride
The first impression of the ride is the quickness: even though it's a big bike with a wide bar, it feels very nimble and responsive.  You just point your shoulders and the bike zips that way.  It's difficult to sufficiently emphasize the nimble feel of the bike and the resulting confidence: the handling is so intuitive that maneuvers that would be nerve-wracking on a more conventional bike just happen naturally and with little fanfare.  The wheels and frame are highly rigid, and even with relatively big tires and the flex of the carbon handlebar the ride isn't Dutchbike-smooth, but it's not punishing.



The Alfine hub and shifter snap off quick, positive gear changes with almost no lag or interruption of power transfer.  The disc brakes (Avid BB7 calipers and Shimano XTR levers) offer a surfeit of power and smooth enough modulation to keep it under control, although after putting in the miles on our roller brake-equipped city bikes they feel surprisingly aggressive. 

The Year
Now, after a year of riding around Seattle, up and down stairs, through alleys, around parks and pump tracks, through street brawls and farmer's markets, and over every nasty piece of pavement and road debris I could find, I can actually evaluate the bike.  It has commuted, gone on dates, shopped, and pubcrawled.  It's been taken on countless test rides, and borrowed for extended periods.  Through it all the Saison has required very little of its rider in terms of either maintenance or even basic consideration.  After a few adjustments for break-in, the mechanical systems have functioned as close to flawlessly as any bike I've ridden.  A little chain lube every few weeks, and the occasional stack of batteries for the cheap blinky lights I can't seem to get around to replacing with a sexy generator setup.  It's not quite as impossibly maintenance-free as a Workcycles bike, but it's not too far off.

I can explain the experience of living with this bike best by calling it "enough."  It's tough enough that even through the year of abuse I've barely had to think about it, while remaining light enough to accelerate and climb with pizazz.  It's fast enough to really feel fast, and -- most important of all -- fun enough that I consistently want to ride it.  The best bike is, after all, the one that you ride.

Want one?
With a somewhat less extravagant component selection, you can have one for right around $1700.  We're custom building each one of these for the time being, so even though you're dodging the challenging "experimentation phase" of a project like this you can still have plenty of input on the specifics of your Saison.  An albatross bar, a Brooks B67 saddle and 38mm wide tires for a more "Dutch" feel?  A narrow cut-down riser bar and racy tires for tackling traffic?  A Workcycles Transport-style front cargo carrier?
No problem.  Have a tall, chilly glass of Saison.

Join us Saturday January 30th for an afternoon social ride!  It's been too long since we've left our little cave down here by the boat launch, and too long since we've seen most of you, so come on down.  Ride an Azor, a Workcycles, a bakfiets, a Christiania, a Gazelle, or something American...anything, as long as it's comfortable and fun.

We'll meet at the shop at 4, mill around for a bit, and head out west.  We'll be rolling very slowly, to facilitate talking, kids, laughing, merrymaking, goofing off, and possibly even hijinx!  Eventually we'll reach Golden Gardens, where we'll have some tasty snacks and refreshing drinks, and maybe try to ride a bakfiets on the beach.  When we feel like it, we'll ride back toward Ballard and the shop at a leisurely pace. 

If it's raining, we're still going, and we'll still be raffling off a pair of Clarijs panniers, a Nantucket basket, and a Bikecap saddle cover (pattern to be determined...I promise it won't be the creepy lace one). Five dollar entry for the raffle, and 100% of proceeds go to Haitian earthquake relief.

After that, like-minded adults are invited to join me in cruising toward points east.  Points to include: the Traveler, the George and Dragon, Sinners and Saints, and onward...

It's a new year at Dutch Bike Co, with many big changes going on both here in Seattle and out in Chicago.  We're finalizing plans for the interior of our new Seattle shop space on Ballard Avenue, and they're looking great.  Despite the snowy weather and the temptation to hibernate, the boys in Chicago are developing some great ideas for the months to come.  Keep an eye on the blog for posts on all sorts of topics from all of us here at Dutch Bike Co.  We'll have information about upcoming rides, soirees, and maybe even a party or two in the style of the old days!

A few weeks ago our friend Mike Kleven came by and shot some gorgeous video of a Workcycles Opa coming together.  Now for the first time -- unless you've been hanging out in the shop -- you can see the mysterious, alchemical process by which a ragged transatlantic cardboard box is transformed into a beautiful bicycle.

The Dutch Bikes Classic from Michael Kleven on Vimeo.

    We hope you enjoyed this little peek into our Seattle shop, and a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the love that goes into each one of these bikes.

Vietnam is a country of over 85 million inhabitants and 20 million mopeds.  Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is a city of over 5 million where many of these machines congest the streets.  If you think your commute is knarly, contrast these two videos below.  The first is taken by our friend and favorite man about the globe, Gregg Bleakney, during a non-rush hour (no kidding) period on Saigon's streets.  The second is our friend Paul Steely White's relatively sedate and well-produced interview through the streets of New York.

How does the vibe of your commute compare?

Some of the latest Gazelle news:
New York Times writes about the rise of the Euro bike .
Bike Europe reports a 20% increase in Gazelle orders.
Virgin Blue: “Gazelle, the original and still the best.”
Australian Cyclist Magazine: Gazelle Cabby tested and passed.

Dutch Bike Chicago customer Andrew Coffey and his son JP share their fall day with us.

Chicago 1 Year Anniversary Celebration — Tonight

Join us at our Chicago shop for a Belgian beer tasting tonight, Saturday evening, 6-9 PM, with Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield of Vanberg & Dewulf, the Belgian beer experts and founders of Brewery Ommegang, the first Belgian style brewery in the USA. Also, join us during regular hours in the shop,  for a weekend of sales specials on bikes and accessories.

Sun Nov 8th and Sun Nov 15th, 6 - 8 pm, $65 per person

Join Fritz, for two Sunday evenings of two-wheeled wisdom and wit. You'll learn the anatomy of your bicycle, diagnosis of mechanical issues, and maintenance techniques to keep you independent and riding all winter. The first session will cover the anatomy and inner workings of your bikes, troubleshooting and safety checking, and fixing a flat. The second session will focus on fixes and tweaks for your bike that you can do in your garage, without a $400 professional workstand or too many special tools. The material will be tailored to your bikes, so bring them and your questions on both nights, and expect to get your hands dirty.