Velominati Super Prestige:
Giro D'Italia 2013
Velominati Community Profile Archive

Velominatus: Balexander

Order: Level 4 Velominatus

@Balexander's activity:

Guest Article: Down with the YJA

Bicycles and automobiles- can’t we all just get along? @Kah writes about this universal (do aliens have this issue also?) problem of us co-existing with humans in cars. We all drive cars too and have cursed the occasional cyclists for some good reason. Cars are our greatest threat. We can crawl away from our own bicycle crashes, thanks very m...

@Balexander's posts:

  1. @pistard Agreed. I was leading a group ride of neighborhood kids last year (in June, in daylight), and a motorcycle rider pulled up to my wife, who was riding sweep, and pressed a high-viz vest on her, because “if you’re at the back, you need to be safe”…. »

  2. My VMH makes me take a YJA (I call it the Dork Jacket) on Rule #9 rides or twilight/dark rides. It raises the bar for Looking Fantastic; if I’m a rolling eyesore, I sure as hell better be a FAST rolling eyesore. The last time I got hit the driver told pol… »

Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2013, Stage 10

Day 5 of the Six Days of the Giro continues with an impromptu VSP event.Lets have a look at where we are in the 2013 Giro. Wiggins must have spent time training in Luxembourg because he’s been descending like a Schleck when things get dodgy before disappearing into the team van to have a cry about it. Hesjedal has put in some good moves and...

@Balexander's posts:

  1. I see Uran dropping the shit out of Wiggins. Nibali and Evans are the only “favorites” racing for real, but Gesink is going to blow shit up starting NOW. VSP PICKS: 1. Rigoberto the Colombiano 2. Pasta-before-a-race Nibali 3. Gesiiink! 4. Butt Chin Evan… »

To Carbone or Not To Carbone?

That is the question. Are carbon wheels a viable option for everyday riding? Should carbon wheels be your go-to wheels rather than your just-for-racing wheels? I don’t really race and I don’t own any carbon wheels and I wonder. Granted, every professional is and has been on carbon wheels for many years so it’s easy to think we sho...

@Balexander's posts:

  1. @mouse Yeah… I honestly can’t tell if I legit don’t want carbon wheels or if I’ve just given in the the VMH’s prohibition. Denial is a happy place? There are definitely cheaper ways to get light and aero, though. Throw away some spacers, skip that secon… »

  2. @Barracuda I kinda hate that noise. I’ve been coveting some $500 customs that my LBS sells for a while and following this thread because of it, but you just made up my mind: the next wheelset I buy will be aluminum. Every time I really start thinking abo… »

The Bikes

The Bike. It is the central tool in pursuit of our craft. A Velominatus meticulously maintains their bicycles and adorns them with the essential, yet minimal, accoutrement. The Rules specify the principles of good taste in configuration and setup of our machines, but within those principles lies almost infinite room for personal taste.It seems in s...

@Balexander's posts:

  1. @roger Pump up your tires, man!  I have A23s and did the same thing, but they are still going strong and are by far the best set of wheels I’ve ridden.  Looking to build up a set of 20/24s with A23 rims to replace my race wheels for next season.  Super li… »

New Rule: 52 (Plus a Guest Reverence)

With the writing of our first book supposedly well underway (but in reality being discussed ad-nauseum in the Boardroom rather than actually committed to text), The Rules have at least been getting some form of attention from The Keepers. When deciding which Rules each of us were to curate, no-one really had much idea what exactly was in there; ask...

@Balexander's posts:

  1. Refer to Rule #5 and ride farther and harder.  Giant bidons may not look too pro, but a bunch of jackasses standing around a convenience store in their lycra is about the furthest from it I can think of. Any rules about Looking Fantastic that interfere wi… »

The Great Debate: Pump or Chuck

I’ve said it once before, but it bears repeating now: adherence to Rule #29 carries with it the ultimate mission of the aspiring Velominatus, which is to geek out endlessly over the minimum amount of gear which yields maximum security in the event of a mechanical incident while riding.The goal here is twofold. First, with no European Poste...

@Balexander's posts:

  1. @Balexander The picture was too awesome to upload the first time. »

  2. I know I’m inviting rule violations by uploading this, but Rule #29 has always seemed off to me.  Just look at how well this frame pump fits on the CDale.  Perfect.  I would also argue that if you carbon-riding ninnies don’t have pump pegs or another way … »

Velominati Super Prestige: Men’s Olympic Road Race 2012

You can all wave “goodbye” to your Post GT Depression Syndrome, because the Men’s Olympic Road Race is only three days yonder. I don’t typically give two shits about this particular event; while contested by national teams, unlike the Worlds it appears as just another one-day race on a calendar filled with events that carry...

@Balexander's posts:

  1. Cavendish for the win, pretenders right behind him, whoever is supporting Cav in the final kilometers for fifth.  Wiggins?  Millar? That, or Cav gets dropped and the boy wonder/tourminator takes it. VSP PICKS: 1. Cavendish 2. greipel 3. sagan 4. Goss 5… »