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 some ways like a kind of Stockholm Syndrome, the way we honor our machines. We love them to a point that lies well beyond obsession. Upon these machines upon we endure endless suffering, but also find an unending pleasure. The rhythm, the harmony between rider and machine, the outdoors, the wind in our faces and air in our lungs.
The Bikes is devoted entirely to our machines. Ours, The Keepers, and yours, the Community. It features articles devoted to our bikes, and proves a forum for uploading photos of your own machines for discussion. We will be harsh, but fair; this is a place to enforce and enhance our observation of The Rules.
If you’d like to submit an article about your own beloved bike, please feel free to send it to us and we’ll do our best to work with you to include it.
- Rule #12 and the Cascade Effect
That is a very reasonable opening salvo for the Rule about bike ownership. Three is good and certainly a minimum, and we are talking road bikes here, if there was any doubt. They naturally become ordered: the #1 is ichi-ban, top dog, go-to bike for every and all rides. #2 was the old #1, ... - Guest Article: Black Is Not The New Black@kogalover is singing my song here. Bikes are beautiful. ’nuff said. VLVV, Gianni With all those posts on riding in winter and being visible, either by putting Eyes of Sauron or other car melting devices on one’s steed, or by even considering a YJA instead of donning plain black kit, it was about time to finally get ...
- Dialing in the StableThis was going to be an article about Rule #45. It is amazing how much time is wasted and matches burned when professionals stop for that second bike change to get back on their #1. With all the jigs available to team mechanics it would seem they could set up five bikes exactly the same. And ...
- Matching the drapes to the rugAs a longtime titanium bike owner, I’ve always been jealous of a beautiful painted frame but Ti and carbon frames don’t need paint like a steel frame needs paint. But I want some painted beauty. It’s like buying a white car; I can’t do white, need some color. So between a Ti frame and a ...
- Festum Prophetae: Waiting for the HourEveryone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. – Mike Tyson The one thing everyone should always plan for is that however well-conceived a program might be, things will never go to plan. The high level plan for my Festum Prophetae Hour Ride was as follows: Have a custom Hour Bike built by Don Walker. Because reasons. Reasons like custom ...
@EBruner
I say Gawd Damn! That is awesome. Love the look of the new Campagnolo levers too. Outstanding job all the way around.
@EBruner
Someday I’ll sort out how to wrap bar tape that well. What a gorgeous Jaegher. And the attn to detail on bars, stem and post. Nice. Very, Very. Cheers
@RobSandy
I love it when a post stars with “SYMBOL PACK ARRIVED”, is filled with stoke and then ends with “Excited”.
BTW, I haven’t wanted to make a formal announcement until I have formal confirmation, but I hear tell the V-Kit order is ahead of schedule and will be starting to ship next week. They will take about a week to all go out the door, I would think, but that puts us 2-4 weeks ahead of schedule.
Excited.
@EBruner
Oh, mamma.
@EBruner
Pure seckx. Well done!
@EBruner
Hot.Fucking.Damn…just did a sex wee.
@frank
EARLY V-KIT I JUST SHIT MYSELF!
Here’s me with my bike rocking the V cog and new wheels, suffering like a fucking dog at our annual ‘fun’ hill Time Trial. Honestly, probably one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life. Words cannot convey.
Yes, it did hurt that much.
@RobSandy
Bugger, seem to have fucked that up. Sorry, don’t know why that picture has gone all big and fuzzy and stuff. I would delete it if I could!
@RobSandy
Did you figure it out? I am going to swap jockey wheels too so I am curious. If not, and I apologize if I am pointing out the obvious, but is your chain stretch within spec?
Wow, a Pinarello track bike, a classic De Rosa, and now that Jaegher. FACKKKKKK!
Sweet holy Merckx, n+1 has finally been achieved. Mrs. KW did not disappoint for my 40th birthday.
@KW
Clearly you have a fine woman and a fine bike. Congrats!
@KW
Fine result!
@KW
Well played!
@Ron
And then the Trek !! The black and orange going on around here is flat out first class. Is black simply the best color for a bike? Do I love black bikes? Does Howdy Doody have wooden balls?
N + 1 at play, sadly by all accounts has since been stolen after article written.
http://cyclingtips.com.au/2015/10/bikes-of-the-bunch-cipollini-rb1k/
@wilburrox
The color scheme may or may not have been a contributing factor to the decision on which bike to buy. I’ll never tell.
Anyone got any experience of the Praxis BB30 Converter or the Wheel Manufacturing equivalent? Fed up with creaking from my BB30 resulting from slight movement of the bearing cups (Campy Chorus) and considering this approach.
@Teocalli
I have a Praxis BB30 converter in two frames with Super Record UT cranksets. I absolutely love the Praxis product. Simple to install with the right tools, rock solid, and silent. One I installed to stop creaking, the other I installed from the first build. I highly advise to give it a try.
I have fitted several Praxis units for clients with great success – can’t recommend them highly enough.
@Barracuda
Not quite, that one lives in Brisbane. The one that got stolen belonged to Glen (mentioned in the article) & was stolen from within his own shop!!!
@EBruner @Oli
Many thanks both. Ordered from my LBS.
One question, have you fitted PF30? Looking at their instructions there is that sleeve to fit when fitting to PF30. Intrigued as to how tight a fit that is given that the instructions are not to compress the O Ring when pressing the unit in. If it’s a tight fit then surely that would compress the ring when pressing it in place and so the sleeve could be marginally offset to the non drive side?
@Teocalli
Both of mine are in BB30 shells. The “don’t compress the O-Ring” thing is when you press in the non-drive cup. When tightening the drive cup to spec, it will pull the non-drive side in, and compress the O-ring somewhat. How much will depend on the actual width of the BB shell.
@RobSandy
Oh man, you’ve gone full geek on that freehub question (of course, Google had the answers). At work we just bought a super-fancy digital caliper and I’ve been enjoying measuring everything to 0.001mm precision. Which makes for interesting cases of reverse-laziness: Instead of checking whether the CX bike was 130mm or 135mm rear spacing by putting a fucking wheel in, we whipped out the caliper.
I’ve been too caught up at work to follow the V-Site lately but I’m always happy to hear of your hot-rodded Budgetatus bike. Mine, though soon to be replaced, just hit 8.5kg – down from 11ish – and not bad for a bike that cost ~$600, and that was 8 years ago.
P.S Killer budget race-wheel options: Second-hand Mavic Cosmic Elites. They’re OEM on tons of aero-leaning bikes so they’re cheap as chips second hand, but their simple alloy exterior has some pretty awesome stealth aero going on. They’re also sturdier than a tank.
@frank
Thought you might want to know, a package was waiting for me when I got home from work today…
@tessar
Geekiness continues – I’m now running the Quattros as my ‘good’ wheelset with an Ultegra cassette, and the original Felt wheelset as my ‘spare’ set, for track training and the turbo, with the 105 cassette the bike came with.
With the Quattros on, the gear changes are sweet. With the Felt wheels on, the rear mech will not drop the chain onto the smallest cog. This is now screwing my head up…
So, should I see if there is a tiny spacer behind the 105 cassette and remove it, and then the two cassettes will be in the same position relative to the mech – or should I put that tiny spacer back behind the Ultegra cassette on the Quattros and re-adjust it to line up, hoping it will then work the same for both wheels?
Fucked if I know. I was quite grateful of the malfunction last night, as we were doing sprint drills in our biggest gear, which would have been a 52-11 if things were working right. the 52-12 felt just hard enough thank you.
@RobSandy
Those two spacers (total 1.85mm?) ought to stay there otherwise there’s slop for the cassette to move. Not good. I don’t know what the solution to “incompatible” wheels are… But I know to avoid my girlfriend’s Mavics because my drivetrain shifts off the small cog on those.
Watch your chainline if you do this sort of workout again. My bike has some bad issues with that causing the chain to drop outwards, and I discovered that while grinding a 1000W sprint in the 52-11. I nearly lost any chance of progeny…
@tessar
Fuckety fuck I’m totally confused now. The Ultegra cassette on the Quattros is solid, but the 105 cassette on the felt wheels does wobble, with the spacer in or out.
Think the short term answer is to use the Quattros for the time being, and perhaps put an extra spacer behind the 105 cassette…but I don’t think it should need it, the Felt wheels are 10spd, not 11 spd. And if I did that it would put the sprockets on each cassette even more out of line.
Ah, quick google suggests the play on that wheel might be the freehub.
Total teaser
@anotherdownunder
Mine creaked like hell until I got rid of the grip cleats.The regular cleats are silent.
Ive heard this from others too….
Feeling dead inside. Found image archive of a TVM Gazelle Mondial Champion that I agreed to sell in 2010.
@universo
WHY?!?
@EBruner
at first I thought “which why ?? am I answering” _ 2010 was trying to build up the next no.1 and had to choose a formal weapon _ started hearing of too much flex with Reynolds in the bb, so decided to focus on Columbus SLX weapons only _ sold this with zero dollars difference _ found the Merckx Corsa Extra [ Team Domex-Weinmann ] that begat the MX Leader [ Columbus MXL ] which i now ride _ there has always been only one no.1 and no other frame set or bike to wait around for my attention _ now i want that frame back for the sake of reverence _ it is art _ although i would not allow it to merely hang on the wall though _ would build it up as a gravel bike
@Oli
Question for you Oli. Does installing a Praxis require a new crankset with a longer spindle?
@wiscot
There are various models (BB30 internal bearings / PF30 external bearings) of the Praxis so you should not need a new crankset.
@universo
I feel for you. Those are beautiful, classic frames. And there’s nothing wrong with 531c. Time to start scouring eBay and CL for another to replace it for your next n+1.
There was supposed to be a caption to go with the pics above: Anyone needs a new frame?
Ai Wei Wei’s Forever
@Teocalli
What he said!
@Oli
Thanks gents. Just what I wanted to hear as my #1’s BB30 bearings need replaced and if you both say the Praxis is the way to go, I’ll take that to the bank (or bike shop).
@KogaLover
incredible fractal design
@wiscot
Balls. My Pinarello has a step in the BB frame and won’t take the Praxis now that it has arrived. Back to the drawing board.
@GalleySlave
I gave up, switched to Shimano. Should have done it years ago.
All is good now.
OK, please overlook the lack of bottle cages on the bike frame, had to go with a “plan B” and at least carry some water somehow.
Also needed to be able to self-support over a longer than normal route for me…hence the briefcase under the saddle.
But just wanted to show a few shots of my single speed doing some mules duty and carrying my ass over a few hills.
Anybody want a vintage bike? Or 150?
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Lot-150-vintage-racing-bikes-Bianchi-Colnago-Coppi-Chesini-from-1945-to-1990-/141818759262?hash=item21050e885e%3Ag%3ASYQAAOSw5VFWOII3
@Harminator
I am so here after seeing that!
@Harminator
4-5 will be enough: the colnago, the bianchi and the battaglin. And then, oh why not, a coppi, a moser and a pinarello.
@Harminator
The VMW just passed out………
Crowdsource 80 grand
Quit job
Move to Italy
Ride a different classic vintage steel bike every week for 3 years.
Die happy
@Harminator
I have this whimsical dream to have a cycle cafe with a joint business in vintage and modern steel bikes and components. Screen all the races on TVs and have a self servicing area for people to service their own bikes (for a fee!).
Could be the starter stock…………..