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 ...
@roger
That bike is dead sexy…..
-Dinan
@minion
Fulcrum Racing 7, cartridge bearings. I will take a look at the hanger screws, didn’t look bent when I looked at it when I first noticed the derailleur moving, didn’t think to check the screws. But the derailleur shouldn’t move, right?
I’ve got a pair of these on order from our very own DanR at Cafe Roubaix.
Now I just need to select tires. Any suggestions?
@Marko Planned use?
@DerHoggz Hmmm, could be one of two things, one the derailleur hanger is loose on the frame, or the derailleur itself needs tightening on the hanger (5mm allen key). But no, neither the hanger or the derailleur should have any play in them.
@Tobin
Don’t let Frank know you ride a “kid’s bike”. I quit BMX racing at the ripe old age of 36 (back in ’96). I rode a Haro cruiser with Campy track hubs but that don’t hold no weight with Frank. Too bad he doesn’t realize that my bike handling skills would crush him. I raced my first CX race last year and I was doing hot laps with my Cat 3 buddy and he would pull away from me on the easy flat stuff and I would catch him in the technical stuff. I was going to try to manual through the little rythym section but I was too tired to do more than pump through it but even then I would gain on people. BMX rules.
Cyclops, circa mid 80’s – pink leathers, Campy hubs, and death metal hair.
Cyclops #607, circa ’96 on the Haro cruiser on his way to his other State Championship.
@Marko well close to those! Marko is springing for a custom job with White Industry T11 hubs!
sweet
@Cyclops crazy. Pink leathers. Pinky Tuxederro?
@Nate
Number one – everyday riding. I’m drawn to the Challenge Stradas right now.
@Cyclops Awesome! I am looking forward to it…I am justifying by thinking it may help me bridge the gap to crit racing.
@Tobin
Dude, totally. After flying over doubles at full speed with a guy tucked into your armpit crits are pretty tame.
@Dan_R
Love the White Industries stuff, but the CNC engraving on the new ones is ugly, especially the big “USA”.
@Scaler911 and myself did some wrenching on my bike this weekend, and this was the result:
New bars with a more classic bend as opposed to that anatomic BS, drop the stem down a spacer and installed some fancy-pants Yokozuna cables, which are so stout they will probably be the only thing left with the cockroaches in the event of a nuclear holocaust.
Going to cut the steerer tube if everything still feels good after a week or two. Looks a bit weird currently.
@mcsqueak I ride with spacers above. Ready just in casei unload it for a new #1
@Marko I will see if I can get the Stradas in too if you’d like. My Campagolo supplier has ’em.
@DerHoggz hhhmm, like everything it’s a bit subjective. More important right now is getting the right set of skewers for Marko
@mcsqueak
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say you’re bars are angled down to much. They look like some ergo bend with a tighter radius at the hoods. The drops look slanted as well. What bar is that?
@Dan_R
Yeah, subjective and great hubs I am sure. I just think aesthetically the blocky lettering doesn’t go with the more classic hub shape.
@Marko
Are you gonna get up in some gravel? How much clearance can you get on your frame?
@mcsqueak she looks great.
@Dan_R: ever seen this contraption/invention?
@Tartan1749
Looks interesting although I am guessing you still need to loosen the breaks. Personally I never have a problem with my rear wheel, I do however come across loads who simply don’t know how to do it quickly and end up on the ground wrestling with their price and joy…
@Nate always a little graveling but that’s mostly for le Graveur. Clearance really isn’t an issue, at last on the type of gravel we have around here. It doesn’t get too sticky when it’s muddy.
A miserable 6 on todays quiz brings my end of winter season to 141 points in total….must do better next year!
@Deakus
Ahhhhhh, I got a 4!!! Lowest score ever!!!
@Tobin
Update on this for anyone that was interested.
I ended up ordering both the DA skewers as well as the DT skewers. I am in need of new skewers on both the bike I currently ride and the one I am building. I will try them both and report back with what I find.
-Dinan
@Tartan1749 those guys can’t have seen American Flyers…
@Sauterelle
Well I got a 1 – hope you all feel better now.
@the Engine Thanks for that, not so bothered by my three now.
@the Engine
Holy Hard Quizzes Batman! Yeah, I got fucked as well. I scored a 4 when I took it yesterday but then received an email saying that the original scoring was wrong for anyone that had already taken it and that the scores had been corrected. But, they did not tell me if I went up or down! Either way, I sucked on that quiz.
@DerHoggz
I dunno, it felt good while I was riding yesterday so I’m not going to sweat it for now. Though the bike was at a little bit of a downward angle in this picture so that may contribute to it looking that way. I took a picture straight-on in my kitchen with the camera about 4 ft off of the ground, and the bars only have a slight downward angle and the end of the drops is pretty much parallel to the ground. *shrug*
These are the bars, Ritchey WCS Logic Curve Compact. I really wanted some Pro Vibe bars to match my stem but I couldn’t find the ones I wanted in a 44cm.
@Dan_R
I’ll probably hang onto this bike as a new #2/rain/commuter when it comes time for me to upgrade. My only other bike is an old steel Schwinn which I don’t want to beat up too much.
@Buck Rogers
I think my season score of 141 has basically been achieved by selecting Jacques Anquetil as the answer wherever it appears as an option…..well it is better than just guessing at shit I don’t know!
@Marko I’ll assume those are tubulars and add Veloflex Arenberg/Roubaix to the list of what you might consider.
@Buck Rogers 9 points… will it be enough to overtake the mysterious Karl Hungus?
@Nate
Ahhhh, it will be close! I had you by 8 points going into today, right? I got a 4 but then received a mass email saying that the answers were incorrect when I took the test and the answers had been corrected but I did not get any email saying what my score had changed to. If I drop to a 1 instead of a 4 then we will tie. Nail biting, no?
About two years ago I posted about my indecision between buying a Look 695 or a Colnago EPS. I went with this EPS.
On Sunday, the shop wrote it off with cracks around the rear dropout from a low speed fall onto cobblestones (not even dramatic cobblestones, mind you). Insurance came through, and my components are being rebuilt onto a new team black C59. Photos to come.
The good news? The EPS has Ernesto’s signature on both sides of the top tube. The C59 does not – so I can order and apply a V nameplate.
@Dinan Looking forward to the review!
@Chris
And I nestled my 2 right in between…
@Marko
You suck! Carbone clinchers or tubs? I’m standing here with my schwantz stuka in my hand, the last guy on the planet without carbone wheels…
@roger
Love the yellow tape with the frame color. Speedplay, check.Campy super record, check. Golden tickets, check. You are the devil.
@Buck Rogers
So, you are Hungus. I suspected as much!
@Gianni
See, if you had a pair of Golden Tickets, you would not need an inferiority complex about not having carbon tubs.
@Nate
Hmmmm, I’m not sure that works that way for me. If I had Rodger’s complete bike that might shut me up for a while. Actually, that dosen’t work either. The first time I either melted the glue, exploded tire or otherwise destroyed myself or wheel descending on Maui would cure me of my need for carbone wheels.
@Nate
Oh boy, how ya gonna keep ’em down on the farm once they’ve seen Karl Hungus?
#1 getting some new hoops this week, couldnt see the VMH coming at a set of @Dan_R ‘s volcano destroying carbones so Ive gone for a set of Shimano C24’s.
Too late to discuss as the “trigger has been pulled” on the order but any opinions from the V fold ?
@Tartan1749
That thing is actually slower than a trad QR! Who can’t get a wheel out and in without touching the chain/derailleur? Jesus.
@Gianni
No – I’m not rocking Carbone either. Perhaps we can form a non-Carbone gruppetto for mutual sympathy. Mind you I ride clinchers too so am clearly confined to a very small circle of hell.
@the Engine
That circle of hell is where I live too….if it is that small there is probably not much room left for anyone else! I too have shunned the world of tubs and carbone in favour of clinchers and alu hoops.
On the subject of tyres I recently swapped out my Conti Gatorskins on my rain/winter bike for Vittoria Open Corsa Evo Techs and I love them! They ride beautifully (320tpi) they grip well, they cost a shit load but I found them for £24 each rather than the RRP of £50 and the rolling resistance is good too. Not done enough miles yet to judge puncture resistance but I have been out in some shit and clag recently and am still puncture free.
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/vittoria-open-corsa-evocx320tpi-tyre/vitttyrf260
I have brand new Conti GP4000s on my summer bike but now I am a wondering if some other Vittorias might not just give me some that special Italian love….maybe an Open Corsa SC..
@Deakus I’d be tempted to put those on the summer bike and pop some Open Paves on the winter bike.
@Chris
Yup…the only downside is that my Winter Trainer does not have clearance for anything above 23mm tyres, schoolboy error and one that will be corrected in the next couple of years. This means that Open Paves are out of the question. It seems a bit crazy to discard the Contis so I think I will stick with them, but I am definately going to explore Vittoria when they are done, I am falling in love with cotton tyres!
Very weird whirring buzz yesterday when out riding my CX bike that has me flummoxed. Was tearing down a hill, maybe 25-30 km on gravel when a whirring started, that progressed to a howl. I thought someone was being stabbed so I hit the brakes, looked down to see what was going on, nearly went hard into the trees.
Inspected my front brake, fork, brake pads, wheel and couldn’t find anything. Went on, hit a good speed again, happened again.
Seems to be coming from the front end. The second and third times I didn’t panic but rode on while watching to see if the brakes were rubbing the side of the tires. Don’t appear to be. I can’t figure it out!
Cantilever brakes on a Van Dessel Gin & Trombones. Carbon fork. Can’t see any rubbing, never happened before. Any ideas welcome because I honestly have no idea.