Velominati Community Profile Archive

Velominatus: Cheaves

Order: Level 4 Velominatus

Location: Atlanta

I've been racing since the early '90's. My focus is now on cyclocross racing with road and mountain biking as training. Married with kids.

@Cheaves's activity:

Sur La Plaque: Rule #33

We’re heaping coals on the Giro frenzy that’s burning in all corners of the Cycling world by issuing the second installment of the monthly BigRingRiding Sur la Plaque series while at the same time kicking off the Six Days of the Giro series where we’ll post six articles on the subject of this, the best Grand Tour of the year. Y...

@Cheaves's posts:

  1. I caught up to a fella on a try-bike today with some of the fluffiest legs I’ve seen in a while. I thought those guys shaved everything. »

The Rules

We are the Keepers of the Cog. In so being, we also maintain the sacred text wherein lie the simple truths of cycling etiquette known as The Rules. It is in our trust to maintain and endorse this list.See also The Prophet’s Prayer. Continue reading...

@Cheaves's posts:

  1. @Mikael Liddy Check out the Food Lion bag near the bottom. Do they have those in Holland? »

The Phoenix

As a dyed-in-the-wool Northerner, my time living in the South was a mixed bag. Southerners think differently, speak differently, eat differently, and prioritize life differently than do Yankees. In many ways, I became a better person during my time in the South, learning to relax a little bit and stop chasing my tail over everything all the time...

@Cheaves's posts:

  1. nothing like a healthy dose of “boooo” »

  2. I would like to congratulate my fellow Georgian Thomas Turner on his winning the Masters 30-35 CX World Championship. This guy barely missed first last year by about 20 feet. He’s been the local butt-kicker around here for the past few years. This dude ma… »

Peer Pressure

Eight point V bar. From the moment I bought my first set of high quality road clinchers, I’ve ridden at that pressure. I started with that number because that’s the pressure the sidewall told me to pump them up to; I didn’t yet understand much about balancing the benefits of high and low pressures to optimize comfort and friction;...

@Cheaves's posts:

  1. I got turned on to 25mm tires a few years ago and have never looked back. I ride both clincher and tubular 25s.  High quality 25s are nearly as light as 23s but they roll faster, corner better and last longer than thinner tires. The extra comfort doesn’t … »

Reverence: Speedplay Pedals

I’m old as dirt. My first two race bikes employed toe clips and toe straps and that set-up was bad. For many reasons it was bad and any retro-hipster who thinks otherwise is wrong. When Lemond and Hinault started racing on the white Look clipless pedals, everyone but Sean Kelly quickly switched. Talk about a quantum improvement, it was long o...

@Cheaves's posts:

  1. If anyone hasn’t seen it, the owner (I think) of Speedplay has a huge collection of pedals from way back. It’s on the Speedplay site. I’ve given the pedals a fair shake, but they always felt like trying to pedal on ice cubes. Maybe I’ll try some of the l… »

Anatomy of a Photo: The Shoulders of Giants

The question tackled here is of carrying the bicycle, should it require carrying. The non-cyclist is perhaps more inclined to consider carrying their bicycle than is the Cyclist. Examples that come to mind include the navigation of a giant mud pit or a steep twisty narrow snowy descent, where the uninitiated may erroneously contemplate the like...

@Cheaves's posts:

  1. Thanks for the reminder. First ‘cross race of the season is less than 2 months away. Practice starts tomorrow. Gotta get a step out of that remount. »

The Rules

We are the Keepers of the Cog. In so being, we also maintain the sacred text wherein lie the simple truths of cycling etiquette known as The Rules. It is in our trust to maintain and endorse this list.See also The Prophet’s Prayer. Continue reading...

@Cheaves's posts:

  1. @Bill I’ve lately seen a few riders make a fist with the thumb sticking out and smacking their backside with it to indicate pulling off a paceline. Any other sightings? »