Hasufel (aka Supertank) edit: New pictures!

Most bicyclists who spend a lot of time in the saddle, grow very attached to their bicycles. One of my first cycling mentors rode a Novara Ponderosa that he affectionately called “Rebecca.” Today is the one year anniversary of owning my bicycle, so I thought it would be fitting to introduce him to everyone.

My Bicycle’s name is Hasufel. The name means "grey coat" from the Old English “hasu” meaning grey; and “fel” meaning skin. He is named after the great dark-grey horse ridden by Aragorn (for a while) in the Lord of the Rings.

(If you would like more detailed information about the horses from Lord of the Rings visit: http://www.tuckborough.net/horses.html )

For those of you who are not familiar with bicycles, Hasufel is a very large bicycle. He has a stretched out or “long” frame geometry and has 29” wheels (Significantly larger than your average 26” mountain bike tires) with 2” slick tires. Because of his size, and the fact that I ride with loaded bags all the time, he has earned the nickname Supertank.

For those of you who are bicycle nerds here are Hasufel’s specs:

Make: Novara
Model: Safari
Year: 2009
Frame: 6061 Aluminum 29”
Fork: Chomrmoly Unicrown Touring
Front Wheel: Shimano Alfine Generator Hub
Rear Wheel: Shimano M-475 Hub
Rims: Alex DP – 17
Tires: Vittoria Randonneur
Drivetrain: Shimano Deore, 3x9
Crankset: Truative Fire x 3.1 48/36/26
Brakes: Avid BB7
Pedals: Crank Bros Egg Beaters
Cockpit: Safari Touring Handlebar, Novara Alloy Stem
Saddle: Velo Safari
Front Rack: Tubus Tara
Rear Rack: Tubus Cargo
Front Light: Supernova E3 Triple
Rear Light: Supernova E3 Rear
Hard Mount Accessories:
Pletscher Double Kickstand
Planet Bike Cascadia 29er Fenders
Planet Bike Protégé 9.0 Wireless Bike Computer


Cool Features to Note:

• Hasufel’s frame geometry is designed for touring. This means that the chain stays and the top tube are longer than normal. The longer chain stays allow me to have pannier bags without kicking them, and the longer top tube gives the bicycle more stability when loaded with stuff.



• Both my front and rear lights are powered by the front wheel. The Shimano Alfine hub is a 6 volt generator hub. My front light is the Supernova E3 Triple. 3 high powered LEDs are rated for a light output of 680 lumens. The rear tail light is hooked up through the front light and uses 3 high powered red LEDs. Both front and rear lights have Stand-lights, which allow the lights to remain on even after the bicycle has stopped. This is very important for intersections.




• I get a lot of comments on my handlebar setup. The funny shaped handlebars are called euro-touring or butterfly bars. They are designed to give the rider a wide variety of hand positions to keep your wrists and hands from getting sore.



• I have both front and rear racks, and carry front and rear panniers. This gives me lots of cargo space. I also have a trailer that I can use to haul larger items (including other bicycles!)