Pegasus soars

You may recall that in September 2024, in a fit of FOMO, I bought a Crust Lightning Bolt Cantilever frame in Light Sea Green. In my most recent post, I noted that I was nearly finished assembling the the bike, and I can now confirm the I have achieved a state of substantial completion. It's been a longish process, and I'm glad to be [nearly] finished. All that's really left is tinkering with some of the very minor details, such as where exactly to mount the headlight. I think otherwise, the bike has turned out exactly as I hoped. 

Crust Lightning Bolt Cantilever Light Sea Green - XS

The bike is very close to the ideal randonneuse as long described in the pages of Bicycle Quarterly magazine. When interviewed by Russ at Path Less Pedaled, Crust's founder Matt White said, "shake the pages of Bicycle Quarterly and this fell out." Jan Heine himself validated the bike in BQ 70 writing, "The Lightning Bolt takes much of the performance, handling and versatility of our favorite bike and makes them accessible to a greater audience. That is a cause for celebration." I, for one, am definitely celebrating.  

You may recall that this is, in fact, my second Lightning Bolt. Back in 2022, I bought the one in black. It's been my main bike ever since, and I honestly think it's the best bike I've ever ridden. I kept Blackie light, without lighting or fenders. There's a rack, but now decaleur, so I tend to use small bags like the Zimbale in the afore-linked bike check, or the Berthoud Alex Singer Mini Bag. But I wanted to have a full-blown randonneuse, outfitted with fenders and dynamo lighting, so when Crust uncharacteristically put the frames on sale in September, 2024, I had no choice but to grab one. Come on, $975 for the finest steel production frameset ever made? Fuggetaboudit. 

Now it's finally come together after a year and three quarters. As before, I had Travis at Just Riding Along Bike Shop (JRABS) prep the frame and install the headset and bottom bracket. This time though, I let him run the cables and housing and set up the whole drive train. In retrospect I should probably have done the cabling myself, since after fiddling with fenders and the rack, I ended up having to redo it anyway. But I was a bit nervous about installing the front derailer clamp, so I just had him set up the whole thing.  

Campagnolo Veloce 10-speed front derailer

As mentioned in my previous post, I spec'd this bike very similarly to its doppelgänger, looking to create essentially an identical bike for poor weather and winter riding. I stayed with the same drivetrain, featuring MicroSHIFT MTB 2 x 10 bar-end shifters, and their "Mega" rear derailer, paired with Velo-Orange's 46/30 crankset, shifted by a Compagnolo Veloce front mech. The headset is the same 1-inch threaded Campagnolo Record, but the bottom bracket is an Origin8 TorqLite square taper. Pretty much exactly the same set-up as Blackie.   

Origin8 "Classique" levers with MicroSHIFT MTB 2/10 friction shifters

MicroSHIFT "Mega" rear derailer. 47 tooth capacity

The cockpit is where components are just a hair different. I scavenged the 80mm Soma Sutro stem from my old Fuji, and paired it with a pair of 44cm Nitto B132 Grand Randonneur handlebars I bought some time ago. This makes the bars 2cm wider than the 42s on Blackie, just a touch higher and 20mm farther forward. I suspect it all works out in the wash; at least I haven't noticed much difference between the two setups in the admittedly short shakedown rides I've done so far. I also opted, as you'll note in the picture below, for a shiny Japanese Crane bell procured from the local shop Terrapin Bicycles, rather than the spiffy Spurcycle bell I have on my other Crust. 

Soma Sutro stem, Nitto B132 handlebar, and Crane bell

 I used the same Soma Mini Champs-Elysees mini front rack, but here's where I first ran into trouble. There isn't room between the fender and the bottom headset cup to fit the "diving board" rack strut for the rack. I had the same issue with both my Cycles Toussaint Vélo Routier v2 and my previous Lightning Bolt. Sorting out the Vélo Routier took some fancy metal bending, owing to the presence of the center-pull brakes, but for the Lightning Bolt I took the lazy way out and just turned the strut upside down. Not by any means the best solution, but it worked and got me on the bike without having to make another trip to the hardware store. I also didn't have to fiddle with the angle of the brake's straddle cable. 

Tire clearance; who needs it?

For the green Crust, that solution wouldn't work, because the fender is in the way. So I bit the bullet and bought a chrome spacer that moves the strut forward enough to clear the headset cup. Everything about the solution is superior. The diving board didn't need to be bent much, it doesn't interfere with the fender, and it generally just looks more "right". I've subsequently added a spacer to Blackie, so both bikes are set up the same, i.e., correctly.

1/4 x 1/4 inch chrome spacer pushes out the rack strut from the fork crown

At the sharp end of the fender I mounted a Busch + Müller IQ-XS dynamo headlight using the included mount, taking advantage of the Crust dynamo wheelset I bought with the frameset. I'm not crazy about how far forward it puts the light, and may end up trying to mount it below the rack using a Nitto lamp holder (#7), or the très cool DIY chainring solution. 
 

Busch + Müller IQ-XS dynamo headlight

Though I had initially planned to use a plastic chainstay protector, I ultimately decided to use bar tape to match the handlebars. I had contemplated wrapping the chainstay in that cloth tape/twine Rivendellian way, but abandoned the idea because I'm just too lazy and don't have any cloth tape or shellac and am not inclined to wrap my handlebars that way. Also, I had bought some cheapo "celeste" tape on eBay and completely hate it - it won't last on the handlebars for long - so I had a bunch of it at the ready. So, I'll peel off the adhesive and keep it around to wrap the chainstay. I might even try it on Blackie, just for shiz and giggles.   

Crappy bar tape works fine as a chainstay protector

Crust says, "The Bolt's Fork features our new Gran Trajet Fork Crown meaning they suit a 48b tire perfectly, and will fit 42s with fenders. The Gran Trajet fork crown is designed to perfectly mimic the arch of a fender like the Honjo Smooth 62, to leave you with a seamless look." I'm not a fan of smooth fenders, since they tend to show the inevitable scratches and dents. I thought I might get away with the SimWorks by Honjo Turtle 58 fenders, which have that traditional "hammered" texture, but they've been out of stock the entire time I've been looking for them. 

On my two other fendered bikes, I've used Velo Orange fenders and have been pleased with them. Though I was extremely hesitant to go with the Wavy 58mm model, fearing they would just be too weird looking, they were immediately available and seemed like they'd be the right size. In the end I'm glad I did. The bike has a typically Crust-ian funky aesthetic, with its ridiculous Cooper lettering and the odd doodles all over the frame, so I figured what the hell, might as well lean into the funkiness with the mind-bendingly psychedelic wavy chrome. Thrown on a Blue Lug mini triangle reflector for some alt-bike cred, and I think the whole package looks pretty good. Plus, they went on with relative ease. No issues with the front derailer. No funky drilling needed. I did have to do just a bit of metal bending to squeeze the front edge of the rear fender between the chainstays, but nothing you'd really notice. And they integrated with the rack perfectly, so there's a bolt fastening the two together, which gives them both a more solid structure. AND, I got the fenders on sale for just over half what the Honjos would have cost. Score! 

Reflective Blue Lug energy!

Speaking of the bike's doodles, I presume the figure to the left of the decal is Zeus, but does anyone know who the woman to the right is? Hera? Aphrodite? Astrapè? And what about the constellations and urn on the inside of the non-drive side chain stay? Anybody got any ideas about possible meanings? Anyhow... 

Zues and a mystery woman adorn the Lightning Bolt's downtube

So now the bike itself is in pretty good shape, with all the functional bits working. I added a pair of Velo Orange Moderniste stainless steel bottle cages, a Silca Impero Ultimate II frame pump, and what turns out to be one of the last Acorn Medium Rando handlebar bags (they just announced their retirement). The saddle is an old Specialized Avatar I had in the bin of unloved saddles, and the Shimano PD-M540 pedals were scavenged from another bike. 

All dressed up and ready to go

Of course what self-respecting Crust owner wouldn't "virtue signal" with some enamel pins, so the bag got one each from The Satanic Temple of Salem, Massachusetts, Crust and Blue Lug's famous Tobidashi kun.

One of the last of the Acorn Rando bags

 Now there's nothing left to do but ride. Time to let Pegasus soar! See you on the roads. I'll be the one with the goofy grin on his face.  

Pegasus, carrier of Zeus' thunderbolts 

 Build List

• Handlebar: Nitto B132 Grand Randonneur (44 cm)
• Stem: Soma Sutro (80mm)
• Shifters: MicroSHIFT BS-M10 MTB Bar End (2/3 x 10) 
• Brake Levers: Origin 8 Classique Sport Road Levers
• Front Rack: Soma Champs-Elysees Stainless Mini Rack 
• Front Bag: Acorn Medium Rando
• Computer: Garmin Edge 25 (discontinued)
• Bell: Crane E-Ne (chrome)
• Brakes: Avid Shorty Ultimate Cantilever Brakes (set to "Narrow")
• Crankset: Velo Orange Grand Cru 50.4 BCD Crankset 46/30, (165 mm crankarm)
• Bottom Bracket: Origin8 TorqLite (68x118)
• Pedals: Shimano PD-M540 SPD Clipless Pedals Silver 
• Front Derailleur Clamp: Venzo 28.6 Braze On Adapter - Silver 
• Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Veloce (9/10 Speed)
• Rear Derailleur: MicroSHIFT XLE RD-M62L
• Cassette: SHIMANO CS-M4100 Deore Cassette 10 Speed (11t - 42t)
• Seatpost: Nitto S65 (250 mm)
  
• Wheels: Crust WR Rim Brake (dynamo)
• Tires: Pacenti Pari-moto (42 mm) 
• Pump: Silca Impero Ultimate II frame pump
• Bottle Cages: Velo Orange Moderniste
• Saddle: Specialized Avatar (discontinued)
• Cable Hangers: Crust 1" 24 Palms Headset Spacer + Cable Hanger Kit (silver)
• Rear Cable Hanger: Nitto AS-1

New Crustation

Remember this? Well, it now looks like this:

2024 Crust Cantilever Lightning Bolt, XS in Light Sea Green

The build is nearly complete - just got to sort out the front rack, and wrap the handlebars and drive-side chainstay. It's pretty similar to my black 2022 Lightning Bolt, though I'm using Crust's dynamo wheelset, a Sutro Quill Stem from Soma Fabrications, and of course, have added a set of Velo Orange wavy fenders. 

Once I get it complete, I'll provide details and a bit more context about why on earth I have built a nearly exact duplicate of a bike I already own. More anon...

Thank you

I suppose those of us who live in "blue" cities should be thanking the taxpayers of red states for their eagerness to spend the estimated hundreds of millions of dollars ($1.8 million a day for Washington, DC alone!) to help us with our Neighborhood Watch, infrastructure improvement and city beautification projects by sending National Guard troops. It would, of course, probably have been less expensive to simply provide the money to the city governments, but since the MAGA voters are happy spending their money, and sending their sons and daughters to our community to intimidate the libs with their pruning and sweeping and mulching, we should be thankful. I'm sure the cities will be happy to channel the money they would have had to spend doing it into other things, like compensating for the administrations draconian cuts to social services. 

We would also be remiss if we didn't appreciate the red states' willingness to let their citizens become a bit hungrier, sicker, more addicted and less safe so that we don't have to see trash on our streets. Again, thank you for your generosity. I hear that our Vice President is especially enthusiastic about gratitude. We'll take the money we don't have to spend on landscaping and apply it to social programs that help our citizens. 

So, again, thanks. If you'd like to pay more to improve the quality of life for urbanites living in cities run by Democrats, please feel free. 

I said it twice, you fauxbilly douche

Somebody didn't get the memo...

Further to my recent post regarding the removal of factual data from government websites, it seems even members of the Big-Beautiful-Administration's Office of Obfuscation can't keep track of which lies they've been telling. A tangled web indeed. 

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/idiocracy-trump-aide-mocked-for-sharing-graph-on-far-left-versus-far-right-violence/

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-terrorism-2674080202/

https://www.alternet.org/media/abigail-jackson-terrorism/

https://www.axios.com/2025/09/28/left-wing-terrorism-far-right-violence-research

Facts is facts

Political violence is horrifying, and unacceptable. But if we are going to have any chance to find solutions to it, we have to be honest about it. Clearly, the current regime has no real interest in finding solutions. Still waiting for der Mango Führer to explain how an ex-marine, known to festoon his home and family with Trump t-shirts and yard signs is the product of "Radical Left" rhetoric.  

History rhymes

History rhymes

You decide:

• https://chc.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressional-leaders-condemn-white-nationalist-stephen-miller-call-for
• https://www.americanprogress.org/article/white-supremacy-returned-mainstream-politics/
• https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/09/25/stephen-miller-charlie-kirk-speech/ 

Send in the Clowns

Attack academia. Check. Attack journalism. Check. Attack science, history, art and public resources of all kinds. Check. Now the Big-Beautiful-Regime is coming for the comedians. What's the matter, TACO? Can't take a joke?  

This machine kills fascists

What NIJ Research Tells Us About Domestic Terrorism

If, in order to keep believing what you believe, you have to hide facts, erase or distort history, intimidate and cancel journalists, teachers and scientists, what you believe is bullshit. If you can't handle the knowledge that slavery, Jim Crow and the holocaust were perpetrated by white people, or that history is "woke" whateverthatmeans, you are being deluded. If you think there is some kind of organized invasion of our country by poor and persecuted people, you've been duped. You've been conned. You've been had.

You're part of a cult, seduced by an ideology that tells you you've been cheated by the people trying to help you, promulgated by the people who are actually cheating you. You are a victim, a rube, and very much on the wrong side of history.  

From here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/281543725526797/ 

No matter what you hear from the Great-Big-Beautiful Administration, these are the actual facts:

"Militant, nationalistic, white supremacist violent extremism has increased in the United States. In fact, the number of far-right attacks continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism. Since 1990, far-right extremists have committed far more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical Islamist extremists, including 227 events that took more than 520 lives.[1] In this same period, far-left extremists committed 42 ideologically motivated attacks that took 78 lives.[2] A recent threat assessment by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concluded that domestic violent extremists are an acute threat and highlighted a probability that COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors, long-standing ideological grievances related to immigration, and narratives surrounding electoral fraud will continue to serve as a justification for violent actions.[3]"

Last week you would have found that article on an official government website (https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/what-nij-research-tells-us-about-domestic-terrorism). 

This week you can find it at https://archive.is/2024.10.24-222147/https:/nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/what-nij-research-tells-us-about-domestic-terrorism.

I guess Big Balls missed a spot. 

Apparently, without any public input or notification, the Minister of Personal Vengeance had the study removed in the hope that you couldn't cite the government's definitive research on the topic of Domestic Terrorism when your racist MAGA uncle tries to claim that the political Left is more violent than the Right. Or use the information to help us reduce the threat from our delusional neighbors, relatives and government officials. Or to refute the aforementioned autocratic regime when they use imaginary "emergencies" as justification to send the goon squad after you.  

Our country is now being run by your ignorant bigoted uncle. And he's building an army to stamp out dissent. Is that really what you wanted? 

De minimis maximus

Tobidashi kun pin from Blue Lug Bike Shop

Immediately prior to our current stoopid government imposing its latest stoopid import tax, I was fortunate enough to place an order with the world's greatest bike store, Blue Lug Bike Shop of Tokyo. I mostly ordered from them to get a Campagnolo Record threaded headset for the upcoming build of my second Crust Lightning Bolt, but of course while there, I had to throw a few other trinkets in the cart. I picked up a couple of the must-have mini triangle reflectors, a couple of their popular brass bits, and the enamel pin of the running boy above. Oh man, I'm gonna be so cool. Like the Ronnie Romance of the Bethesda, Maryland 60+ crowd. I've been picking up the necessary components for the better part of a year, and I've got nearly everything. Now I just need to get an IRD square taper bottom bracket and I should be ready to ride!

The Police State; brought to you by Big Balls

Thanks to one of Elon Musk's DOGE goons it looks like we're going to have Marshall Law in our nation's capital. Apparently, "Big Balls" was out at 3 a.m. in Logan Circle. Nothing out of the ordinary there, right? Claims he was beat up by a group of unarmed teenagers. 

I guess his balls aren't that big after all. Maybe he should go back to Rye County where it's safe for a member of his school's wrestling team to be wandering the streets at 3 a.m.

Now our city will have Cheeto Führer's brown shirts lurking around. They're no doubt already using Coristine's bitch-beating as an excuse for rounding up every black teenage male they can find.

Just another Reichstag fire. Coming to a town near you.    

Big Balls, der Cheeto Führer and uncle F'elon

Edward "Big Balls" Coristine, a 19-year-old software engineer and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer, was allegedly assaulted during a carjacking incident in Washington, DC, on the morning of August 3, 2025.  

The incident occurred in the northwest region of Logan Circle, where police reported that approximately 10 juveniles surrounded Coristine and his significant other, Emily Bryant, before assaulting him. Coristine attempted to push Bryant into their vehicle before turning to confront the suspects, after which he was beaten, reportedly sustaining a concussion. Two suspects were arrested and charged with unarmed carjacking.

Why do Republicans hate wildlife conservation?

I knew the autocrats would try to destroy any and all institutions that threaten to expose them for the grifters they are. Think journalism, education, science. I knew they'd overcharge the taxpayers for fixing non-existent problems (an you say, "immigrant invasion"?) so they can channel the money to the oligarch friends. You didn't have to be Hannah Arendt or Masha Gessen to see all that coming. Autocrats gonna do what autocrats do. MAGA can only survive if voters are ill-informed and lack access to accurate information. Straight out of the authoritarian playbook; see Orwell, George.    

I get that the current regime hates foreigners, the highly educated and generally, facts. What has surprised me are the current crop of assaults on things hunters, who I would have thought a core segment of their constituency, care about. I guess I should have presumed a real estate developer from Queens wouldn't care about public land or wildlife conservation, but I'm nevertheless stunned by the brazen attempt to demolish the American model of wildlife conservation, which has been the envy of the world for a century. 

First there were not one but TWO attempts by the GOP to steal our public land from the People, no doubt to provide a few lovely vacation ranches around Tahoe and Yosemite for select GOP mega-donors and begin the third world type exploitation of our common natural resources. Again; real estate developer. Both attempts were beaten back, largely by conservatives from Western states. 

But now come the following:

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/looming-federal-cuts-threaten-bird-banding-lab-cornerstone-avian-science (note that the USGS page about "bird science" has been deleted; ; see Orwell, George). "Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia."

https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/usda-revokes-roadless-rule-nationwide/

https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/executive-order-mining-federal-public-lands/

So if so-called "Conservatives" aren't conserving our public lands or wildlife, what exactly are they conserving? Is it really only white pride? The interests of the Oligarchy?  

They're certainly not fiscally conservative. They're not interested in conserving the health and well-being of the citizenry or the world's human population. US influence and prestige? Nope. 

Now that we're solidly in the grip of an autocratic regime modeled on the likes of Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban, it's becoming obvious that Cheeto Mussolini doesn't care about America at all, beyond what he can steal from it. So, what are we gonna do about it?

 

Source: https://syracuseculturalworkers.com/products/poster-resist-fascist-liars