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 ...
@Nate
Indeed. Did you not wince for a second though when you seem him fling a ten grand bike like that?
@paolo It made me think “what a twat,” although I am not sure that’s exactly new information.
@paolo
Ya know, this kind of thing bothers the shitte out of me. Schleckanicals are endemic to the technology. Anyone who ever mounts a Bike must do so only upon first accepting that the technology has inherent risks and limitations. If you cannot accept that, your sorry ass doesn’t belong on a Bike, much less deserve the title “pro.” Fuck you, Wiggo.
Pros treat their equipment with care and respect. OK, racing means you have needs, and I get the idea you might not be as careful during the battle, but you *do not* deliberately disrespect your equipment, sponsors, or for that matter, the symbol of our beloved sport. I shun anyone that does this, and beseech the Keepers to carefully consider this Rule:
Respect Thy Bike:
This is my Bike. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me my Bike is useless. Without my Bike, I am useless. I must ride my Bike true. I must ride faster than the enemy who is trying to pass me. I must pass him before he passes me. I will. My Bike and I know that what counts on a ride is not the watts we produce, the heartrate we monitor, or the calories we burn. We know that it is the V that counts. We will Ride. My Bike is human, even as I am human, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories, its bars and its wheels. I will keep my Bike clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. Before Merckx I swear this creed. My Bike and I are the defenders of the Rules. We are the masters of our enemy, the Anti-V. We are the saviors of my life. So be it, until victory is the Velominati’s and there is no enemy.
@eightzero
+1, I like that a lot.
Re: ‘leccy shifting, and front mechs in general, they generate a lot of force that has to be reacted in the frame somewhere. I’ve had a PRO using Campag EPS explaining to me 2 days ago that he’s had to get his braze-on mount re-riveted to his string-and-glue frame as there’s nothing inside the seat tube to spread the load other than the rivet heads. Funnily enough the second load of rivets were also pulling and his mech mount was, ahem, ‘improved’ by the addition of two sturdy zip ties. On a £10,000 bike…
@Nate
Wiggo still gets points for that one handed remote parking job. Casually deliberate indeed. That is fantastic footage.
@eightzero
Perhaps we should chant that as we drink the blood of a triathalete.
Seriously, Wiggo can come across as a twat but he’s an Englishman so I am compelled to forgive him. Maybe he really meant to lean his bike against the wall at velocity.
We have all seen other riders do it too, I can see how it could happen ( getting mad enough to throw your bike) as a pro. I took part in a charity ride last October and my chain almost went in to my spokes. ( I will never transport my bike in my truck again and not check it upon arrival) Luckily there was no damage and I got it out from behind the cassette all be it with bloody fingers. I was 30k in and hot and sweaty with the blood pumping and furious at my bad luck, had I had an arsenal of bikes at my disposal that I did not have to pay for I may well have been tempted to fling it.
I agree with you and I think…wow, how many people wuld love to own that bike you just chucked….but I can see how it happens is all.
@Nate
Greatest thing since KY jelly. Love my 10 speed Dura Ace Di2. Limitation is that you cannot move up or down more than one cog unless you click for each one. Minor problem. New 10 and12 Ultegra only slightly heavier, but much cheaper. New12 speed Dura and Ultegra allow multiple cog shifts on holding shifter down. Very difficult to drop a chain. Can shift under power with no problems. No need to back off on crank, just keep pedaling. Battery lifer is phenomenal.
@DocBrian
Sorry, meant to say 11 cogger, not 12, although the way tech is going that might not be far a away. Electronics also have self-indexing. The front derailleur moves to correctly place chain above the ring, no matter what back cog you are in. Reduces chances of cross-chaining to almost zero.
@eightzero Couldn’t disagree more. I’m not condoning bike abuse but the guy is extremely passionate about his sport and it shows. The thing that sets him and cycling part from whiny soccer primadonnas and the like is that he got on the replacement bike and turned himself inside out trying to reel in the leaders.
Throwing your bike away might not be the greatest thing in the world but I’d rather the sport had people with that level of passion. I haven’t seen anything on the internet to suggest he’s spat the dummy and started chucking blame around.
I’d have been angry at that point. Given that he had 9 seconds going into the stage and the way he cut through the field after the mechanical, he can’t have been blamed for thinking that he’d just lost the chance to take the overall.
I just assumed that Sky’s team bikes had little gyroscopes in them, like that bike on the Keeper’s Tour that stood up in place.
@Chris
That’s the thing about sport. You choose your heroes and make your likes and dislikes on a totally subjective basis. The same thing that makes Wiggo a hero to you makes him a twatwaffle to me; and that is actually kinda cool and fun. I’m not a bike racer, but I am a competitive athlete. I’ve won and lost, and both those experiences make me a better athlete, and humbly, I think a better person. When I win, I celebrate, feel a sense of accomplishment, analyze why I won so I can remember to do it again, and move on. When I lose, I acknowledge the defeat and my opponent, then do the same analysis. I don’t blame others, for this is counterproductive and is just plain old “being a bad sport.” If you can’t accept that a piece of athletic equipment can fail…well, you’re in the wrong business. My simple advice is to simply grow the fuck up.
For the record, I too have lost because of equipment failures. I too threw my equipment in frustration. One time. I got the stinkeye from my coach, and learned an important lesson: don’t. do. it. again. That lesson was a subtle reminder about the meaning of the word respect, something that is earned. And since I do want to be respected by my peers, I thought the lesson important to remember. And pass on to other athletes.
Sorry for being longwinded and sounding preachy; I don’t intend to be, and appreciate your perspective. Root for Wiggo, but I’ll be the guy next to you rooting for the other guy. As long as that other guy isn’t Evelyn Stevens.
@Chris
More CAAD love. I’m a stumpy little old guy, with a compact and a 12×25…
@frank
mmmm Slurpee…
Custom frames are almost all tube to tube construction, so much more like traditional frame building. Sarto make their own carbon tubing, that way it can look like any other brand’s bike. Most big Italian pros ride Sarto.
@PeakInTwoYears
Another CAAD:
Crapola! I forgot to properly align the valve stems and scatter an adequate number of cigarette butts!
And I see you guys both have the cooler cages. I tell you what, though, when you’re riding a 34cm frame, those Arundel sideloaders are the wee dog’s balls.
@PeakInTwoYears
Isn’t there also a rule about the chain being on the big ring and cranks at a certain attitude? Ahem, Mr. Punk…
Nice deal though!
Fuck. Decal.
@Bespoke
CAADs are nice deals Ha ha.
Throw my hat in the ring with the CAAD love. I have a CAAD 10 105, really likey. There are certainly nicer (fancier) bikes, but the dollar to performance ratio seems hard to beat in my opinion. I guess I feel the same about the 105 gear, alot of function to dollar action going on.
@PeakInTwoYears
Indeed. I would have bought one when I was just getting into this whole cycling thaang. There was a beauty CAAD 10 in a 51 frame at the LBS but they insisted I should be fit to a 54. Every other shop and the friend I ended up buying my frame from thought the 51 was perfect. Got professionally fitted and, sure enough, 51 is my size. Otherwise, I would have been a member of the cluub. I digress.
I got back into cycling year before last after a long time away from it and (more specifically) a nasty ankle sprain that had me on my ass for months. It had been so long since I’d ridden with any seriousness (late ’80s) that I’d forgotten what it meant, and so went looking for a very budgetatus bike. Was looking at whatever Specialized it is below the Roubaix because that’s what was in the LBS but fortunately went down to Portland on business and stopped in at a bigger shop. There, I invited them to sell me up a bit and so wound up on the CAAD10 105.
Have since done some upgrades and am very happy. Got it down under 17lbs (16.932, in fact) without going apeshit, and it’s really all the bike I deserve unless I drop another 5kg off my beer receptacle and starter pistols.
As far as di2 goes, can you just slap it on a standard frame or are there special mods that’d have to be done?
@Bespoke
Y’know: as soon as I posted it, I figured someone would call me on that. My lone defence is that the pic was taken during a ride, at the top of a hill, so I rolled over to the wall, stood up the bike, all Wiggo-like, smoked a couple of packs of cigarettes, and snapped the shot. Here’s a better shot of the climb’s altitude gain (cranks still a bit too close to 12 & 6, too: I know).
@graham d.m.
This.
Marlboro Reds and vodka-gatorade. Yeah.
@PeakInTwoYears three years ago was still smoking a pack a day but was back riding, very entertaining having the post ride coffee and a Dunhill or two!!
@graham d.m.
Most bits fit where you would remove mechanical bits, but you have to make provision to mount battery and rout the wires. This could be done with some expert help, I guess. Possibly cheaper to buy a bike fitted with electric setup.eg. Azzurri Forza with Ultegra Di2 can be found for less than $3000 ( Ultegra Di2 setup alone costs around $2500, while a Dura Ace is more than $4000) Ultrgra is cheaper, but very good, not to be sniffed at! My LBS has a 2012 Giant TCR Advanced with Ultegra Di2 for $2500, one year old unridden. Size 59. Low price just because they have had it foe some time with no takers.
@PeakInTwoYears
Even more CAAD love?????
Those Cannondale Hooligans are an absolute hoot to ride, so yeah I’d buy that a drink and throw it round the block once or twice on a Friday night. Super jumpy acceleration combined with very grabby brakes mean good times all round.
I haven’t been on the LOOK since I got the Deacon on the road but today I did a complete overhaul on the 586 and I installed new chainrings, chain, cassette, Gore Ride-On derailleur cables, and Lizard Skin bar tape. Just gotta glue the Vittorias back on the 303s and I think I’ll have carbone for the LOOK again.
@Cyclops Always a good choice! She’ll love you for the new jewelry too.
@PeakInTwoYears
Back in another lifetime I did a bit of product photography and shot a few bikes for catalogues and print ads. Valve stems were either 6 o’clock or (contrary to Rule #26) hidden behind seat stay and fork. Sometimes we’d flip the tires so logos wouldn’t detract from the frame. This was before Photoshop…
Cranks were usually aligned with the chain stays (driveside forward, obviously) to extend that line. Japanese bikes of the time were often modeled with the driveside crank down and aligned with the seat tube (makes the wee frames look bigger). Either looks good, but for me it’s far more important than where the valves/tire labels are. You got that closer than @Chris or @Steampunk
@pistard
Got it! Thanks for that!
@minion
I don’t understand. What is it for? Does it have very small wheels or a very large frame?
@Steampunk
Sounds about right. Steamy smoked ciggies at the WI Spring Cogal last year like some old Tour rider from the 20s. Still kicked everyone’s ass though. . . .
@piwakawaka
I can dig it. Light smoker for a long time. (Nat Sherman MCDs only, please.) Then back on the bike and down to 3-4 per day for a while. Now 16 months since my last cigarette. I miss the little ceremony–front porch, glass of whisky, the opening of the natty Nat Sherman box–but even one or two smokes was enough to fuck with my already sadly limited VO2 uptake. Not that I’m competing with anyone but myself.
@wiscot
I’m down to two packs a ride: it lightens the load a bit. More room for beer in the bidon and bacon in the jersey…
@Steampunk
So you had beer and bacon on the Cogal and didn’t share? For shame!
@PeakInTwoYears
@wiscot
If memory serves, I didn’t have anything! I had borrowed animal crackers for lunch!
Cyclops – please report in on the LS bar tape. I’m assuming this is the rubbery stuff? I have some cheap-o rubbery tape that someone gave to me on my CX bike and really dig it. VERY awesome to grab with no gloves, has me considering putting on my road bikes. Mmmm, nothing like an overhual.
Since some are discussing shifting…I’m having slopping upshifts on my Casati. It’s slow to react when I push the thumb shifter, sometimes jumps two cogs at once, and generally isn’t centering on the cog, making too much noise from chain rub. 2007 Centaur 10-s, well maintained drivetrain, chain in good shape.
Do I just need more cable tension? Or, since there is a lot of rub and the chain isn’t centering on the cogs, do I need to touch the limit screws as well? Thanks!
Nice parking job from Wiggo! Hey, some scrapes & scuffed up bar tape can only improve the looks of those Pinarellos…
@Winelli Cinelli art here.
@mcsqueak
It does look minimal and worked really well.
Just enough tire to be a reference in the frame. I like this first test take.
No.1 reason to use the Nobi — “No touchy the frame!”
@Ron
i have on different bikes the. 3 different thicknesses of lizard skins. Have the thickest on my race bike, did 7 mile gravel climb last week (inaugural ride, natch) and found it quite pleasant with minimal padded gloves. Have medium on the commuter and thin on cx rig. Just tacky enough stuff , durable and doesn’t lose grip wet/ muddy. Bomber!
@Ron
Check the derailleur hanger alignment.
@Ron
Oh, and re the lizard skins tape, I had some on my cross bike last year.
Lovely feel and great grip, but it lasted precisely one 70km muddy CX/Fondo race before the outer surface wore through to the foam inside.
@Ron
As @mouse says, could be a derailleur hanger that’s bent. Also, depending on how old the Ergo levers are, they do wear out, but the good news is they are fixable, usually. Not sure if Centaur is serviceable, though – It might be Velocé up.
That said, start with loosening your cable tension as much as possible. Go way loose, then tension it just enough so the derailleur is lined up perfectly in the fifth cog. From there, it should work very well in all gears, but fine-tune it to get it perfect. Many, many people wind up with too much tension in their cables, causing poor upshifting.
If that doesn’t work, it sounds like weak springs in your rear mech, or too much cable friction. How new are the cables? Crisp downshifting with slow upshifting usually means one of those things, but your mechs in the shifter itself could be worn – this usually results in sloppy and inconsistent shifting, though, not consistently bad shifting.
Don’t fuck with your limit screws – all they do is set the limits on how far the mech can move to the inside and outside.
@Ron
ZIPP makes a Service Course Road tape and CX tape — both will make you happy.
A little help on sizing if you guys wouldn’t mind:
I have the inside line on what I consider a classic Bianchi. Size is unknown but thanks to some links on the Pirata article, it measures out to a 59cm. I am 178cm tall, dark and handsome. Inside leg is 87cm, book against the wall method. Going by the measurement table for Bianchis at evanscycles website, I measure out for a 57cm by height, but can ride a 59cm by inseam. They never made a 58cm.
So the science is saying no.
The classique is saying you will never see another in your life.
The mechanic is saying this is going to take some fucking work boyo. Stem, front mech, perhaps a fork, cassette.
What say you fellows? Yay, or get the fuck outta here and don’t ride a bike that is too big?