| I dislike mirrors that attach to the handlebars, but I LOVE the little bottle-cap mirror that attaches to my helmets. (Sometimes in red zip ties to keep them secure). You can find them in ETSY: https://www.etsy.com/listing/159575818/?ref=share_ios_native_control
Liz, who watches what goes on behind me in Cincinnati Sent with delight from my iPhone On Feb 28, 2025, at 2:20 PM, Leah Peterson <jonasandle...@gmail.com> wrote:
Johnny,
I do feel conflicted about the RR shifting. Not sure it will be a great benefit to me, either. Seems less ergonomic because I’m used to having the lever pushed forward and it’s better for the thumb. We’ll see.
I dragged the bike into my mud room so I could stare at it and see how I should go about setting up accessories. This bike won’t have a rack and large bag, as all my Platys do. I have a gray BananaSax I put on the saddle today. Looks ok. I need a stem bag (I really can’t live without a Randi Jo Bartender Plus bag) and maybe a mirror. I hate to put that big old German mirror on the bike again, but does anyone have any better suggestions?
Also thinking of a bottle cage for once because I need extra water on long rides and will have nowhere to store it on the bagless-Charlie. I hate the compromises one makes on a road bike.
This is fun, I remind myself. Stressful fun. Leah On Feb 27, 2025, at 6:16 PM, Johnny Alien <johnny.alien...@gmail.com> wrote:
Love the look of the anodized choco bars. Curious to hear your thoughts on them once the weather gets in line and you can spend some time with them.
(I never really fell in love with rapid rise like Grant did but I don't hate it either. Just never got enough out of it to warrant my brain confusion)
On Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 3:59:19 PM UTC-5 oldandin...@gmail.com wrote:
awesome build!!
Nick What is the rear hub.?..can't remember if you mentioned what it was
On Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 1:20:52 PM UTC-6 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:
Thanks, everyone! I am just dying to try it out! It’s cold and drizzly and I was taking pics and wanting to throw a leg over, even just for a bit and then felt myself skid on black ice as I was having the thought. Nope nope nope. I’ll have to wait for it to be just a bit warmer. The rear hub is so quiet and the bike is so cute. In love over here!
Outstanding!! That turned out great! Now you and Bill L have to get together on your CHGs for a ride when he comes to Michigan. Can't wait for a ride report and pictures in the sunlight. Although, I have to say, even in the cloudy conditions, the gold frame pops! And looks good with the NL parts.
You go girl!
On Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 11:30:14 PM UTC-6 JAS wrote:
There aren't enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe this bike, but I'll start with exquisite! Unsurpassed creativity, certainly.
On Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 8:17:50 PM UTC-8 Joe Bernard wrote:
The bars and rims are INSANE. I love this bike! On Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 5:39:12 PM UTC-8 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:
I got to go to Washington DC, and on my last day there, which was yesterday, my favorite mechanic texted, “Charlie H. Gallop, first of his name, is complete.”
I came home last night and today made haste to go see Charlie and bring him home to live happily ever after with me. M, my favorite mechanic, is off today. A letdown! But I left him a card that will make him very happy when he gets it; he deserves everything, he is that good. But the other guys were there to chat about the NLC with me, which is half the fun of picking up a new bike.
This bike looks little compared to the lengthy Platys that inhabit my garage. ![image2.jpeg]() Isn’t it cute? It’s the 53, so it has lighter tubing, too.
There was not one ray of sunshine today, making most of my color dull. Only the rims catch the light and twinkle at you.
I asked the shop to hide the dyno wire and showed them an example. I think I’ll snip their black zip ties and add my gray ones. These are Ultradynamicos Cava Race tires in 38 mm. ![image3.jpeg]() ![image4.jpeg]()
The galloping horses on the chainstays really do it for me. Here is the RapidRise Grant set me up with. I have no idea if that’s a thing I’ll like; it’s a thing I wanted to try. I don’t know what the fuss really is, except that in the event of a derailleur failure, I’d be in a more pedal-able gear. M said, “RapidRise? Are we going to use it though?” He was not convinced. R from the shop said he gave it a test ride, rode up a ramp was shocked when he went to downshift and ended up in a higher gear. If I hate it I’ll just swap it for the normal kind.
Some of Ashley’s excellent anodizing can be seen on the luscious Silver3 cranks and chainguard. I cannot convey how wonderfully the cranks took color. They drip with NL charm.
I chose this Spurcycle bell in a moody black and blue. It fits the disposition of this bike - northern lights are never static. Wondrous, elusive things. Moody. You can see the Silver shifters did not take color well. They had a flaky finish that came off in anodizing and they look like blue metal now. I heard they frustrated the junior mechanic helping M. “There’s no directions to reassemble these! It’s just a schematic!” he was rumored to have said. There’s a scratch on one of the shifters and I do not at all care because I know they were a bear to reassemble. Mark at Riv had taken them apart for anodizing. Will said he’d mash it if he tried, it’s hard to do. I told the guys we could send them back to Riv but they took on the project themselves. In fact, if these shifters got ruined in this process, I will not be shocked. We’ll see how they perform.
Here you a see I did do a little matching. I chose gold housing and a gold headlight. You’ll notice gold valve stems on the wheels.
Again, the new Silver3 cranks in the shorter length (165?). The pedals are oil slick (not NL) but I’m getting away with it somehow.
The spokes! 😍
My bars are showstoppers but they look dark without sun. It’s a nice and muted look in cloudy weather, and will be dreamy in Michigan golden sunshine. They are Chocos, which I bought because I thought they looked sporty on someone else’s bike. 🙄
Even the Paul levers had to be pulled apart for anodizing. They always take color well, but again, you’ll have to wait for sun to see.
The weather was 30s and sleet today with black ice on the road. One of our surgeons spent a whole day fixing all the broken bones from falls on the ice recently. Test rides will have to wait, but just from handling the bike I can tell it’s light and nimble. It steers easily with one hand guiding it and it looks compact and quick.
“Just think if Leah had a road bike,” my club riding friends said. This bike will not be what they meant when they said that. But I love my Minimal Compromise Northern Lights Golden Charlie. (First of his name, you know.)
It’s the road bike no one wanted me to have but exactly the one I needed.
Leah That is an amazing audio setup! So cool to see what people can do with their bicycles.
I've ridden in bicycle groups and gotten into pretty good shape but could never average 18 or more mph. I think 16 was my max average on a carbon Felt Z6 road bike. I was never dedicated enough to road cycling to really work to improve though so I was satisfied with my slower group. These days I ride solo mostly. Doug
On Monday, February 24, 2025 at 10:04:42 AM UTC-5 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:
***Sorry! Noticed the video cut off the rest of my message. Here it is, below: ***
Despite the prejudice, I have found that my non-traditional bikes keep up in the road rides I do, and when they (ok I) don’t, I’ll just go down a class. The fastest group I go with advertises 16.5-17mph, led by a couple on a tandem, isn’t that wild? I like that we are moving but not getting to that level where you’re gasping and wishing to be done. My women’s group goes 16, and that’s the sweet spot for chitchat, which I love. There is a group that goes 18, but it’s a bunch of dudes and I’m not brave enough to ride with them. But I have ridden with their leader on a different ride that he said would be slower and it was SO HARD. We had a mad-hilly route and this guy just always averages 18, regardless of what the ride is supposed to be. I couldn’t even hold a conversation and he said, “Just think if you did this every week, you’d be so fit!” No thanks.
The RivSisters who went to HQ rodeo the Charlie and reported it was so spritely and lively and fast. I guess we’ll see if it makes any difference compared to my Racing Platypus. Maybe I will try the scary 18 mph dude class with the rumored fast Charlie. Leah Despite the prejudice, I have found that my non-traditional bikes keep up in the road rides I do, and when they (ok I) don’t, I’ll just go down a class. The fastest group I go with advertises 16.5-17mph, led by a couple on a tandem, isn’t that wild? I like that we are moving but not getting to that level where you’re gasping and wishing to be done. My women’s group goes 16, and that’s the sweet spot for chitchat, which I love. There is a group that goes 18, but it’s a bunch of dudes and I’m not brave enough to ride with them. But I have ridden with their leader on a different ride that he said would be slower and it was SO HARD. We had a mad-hilly route and this guy just always averages 18, regardless of what the ride is supposed to be. I couldn’t even hold a conversation and he said, “Just think if you did this every week, you’d be so fit!” No thanks.
The RivSisters who went to HQ rodeo the Charlie and reported it was so spritely and lively and fast. I guess we’ll see if it makes any difference compared to my Racing Platypus. Maybe I will try the scary 18 mph dude class with the rumored fast Charlie. Leah
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