Yay machinist dude who made this nifty adapter. It converts a pre-war seat tube to a 7/8″ seatpost.

Plonk, dropped right into the seat tube on the first try.

…and the seat mounted perfectly on top. It’s still adjustable (although I won’t need it raised); I just need to pick up a carriage bolt and the seat is done!

* * *

I had the pleasant experience of cycling out to West Newton this morning on route 16, through Watertown, to pick up a part from Harris Cyclery. Generally speaking, the roads are wide enough to comfortably accomodate both cars and cyclists, although there were few marked bicycle lanes. Cars were able to pass easily; one car beeped and the driver and passenger waved happily to me (wai cool). I saw a recumbant, and a few other cyclists, and it felt good to stretch my legs and be outside.

However, there was an interesting merge from Watertown St. onto Washington Street — a long-cycle red light with a ‘no turn on red’ sign. I stopped and waited for the light, as did the car to my left. We patiently waited for the light to change, but the other cars in line started honking. I heard one driver yelling something about ‘right on red’. It’s too bad that one driver trying to do the right thing is so maligned.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that this pile of parts is going to turn into something substantial. At this point I just want them to take up less space; they’ve been sitting around for weeks and partly blocking a pathway.

* * *

Got the springer fork painted this morning, too. Now we’re getting somewhere.

Building out a bike from an old J.G. Higgins frame has been a constant process of discovery. It’s a pre-war frame, and tolerances were pretty loose back then… The head tube is cylindrical, but not really round; the bottom bracket adjustment will never be a perfect balance between bearing-grinding tight and meth mouth loose; the seat post — the seat post! That’s the current challenge.

Nobody makes 5/8″ seat posts any more. Nobody in the bicycle world has pre-fabbed a tube that converts a 5/8″ post to a modern 7/8″ post (Wald has a 15/16″ conversion that can be hacksawed). Bleh, so, no easy answers. But, there’s a solution — have a machinist take a 7/8″ tube and use a lathe to remove enough material to create a 5/8″ shoulder.

Must. Be. Patient. Progress comes in incremental, stuttering steps.