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 ...
FRAME-BONER!!!
@SimonH That’s a great looking bike.
@SimonH Lovely.
I was following this build on Ricky’s much recommended Instagram feed (@thefeatherworkshop) so its great to see it finished.
@SimonH I’m having stem-envy.
@SimonH Magnifique!
@SimonH
Stunning
@Chris
Damn – I looked, but did not see, maybe next time
@SimonH There is only one word to cover this…..STUNNING! I went to bespoked and there were some lovely bikes there from Ricky and Donhue and my local favourite Demon Cycles…
I just love tan sidewalls
@SimonH Holy Shitbombs Batman! That is fuck’in amazing!!! And that is your n2??? What the HELL do you have for an n1? If I may be so bold as to ask (and you can tell me to foook off if you wish) what did that puppy cost all total? Must be close on 7 to 8 thousand US (which would be well worth it if you had the cash!!!)
Jezhus what a bike!
@SimonH Damn, that is gorgeous.
@Dr C i know older excellence also used the golden counterweight
@SimonH love it.
@SimonH I still can’t get over the fact that is your # 2
Deal of the month — 130mm 3T ARX PRO stem at minus 6 degrees — 19.99 with free shipping. Now I have an option on certain climbing rides and won’t be stuck with 130mm 3T ARX TEAM stem at minus 17 degrees all the time.
@unversio
You swap stems regularly?
@SimonH That bike is fucking gorgeous. Major steelbone. Chapeau.
@Buck Rogers Thanks Mr. Rodgers. I call it my no. 2 more as in chronological order. It will be my go to bike for shitty weather and the odd commuting but mainly for long hard days. It’s a slightly relaxed geometry from my no. 1 which gets tiresome on my back after 4-5 hours of a steady effort.
Seeing as you’ve asked my no. 1 is UK made titanium Enigma Echo, running Enve 6.7 laced to CK R45 hubs and shod with 23mm Veloflex tubs. The gruppo is the Ti, Super Record, and I have a stealth 3T carbon saddle with Tune Kom Vor 2 atop. The cockpit is an alloy 3t ARX Team stem with Rotundo Pro bar. Its fucking sweet and on a light wind day with the sun shining is my “gotta ride” bike.
All other times will be the above one, the steel frame and alloy components are far better at obeying thprinciple of silence yearn carbon, in my view.
Cheers for the positive feedback guys, I thought some of you on here might like it. !!!
@SimonH
Sweet baby jesus. Chapeau. That is a bel mezzo. You do us all proud with a ride like that. The stem is a killer.
@eightzero
My tubeless experience ended when I had three sealant spraying flats in a week, the final one required an inner tube. Luckily I was using Campag 2-way fit clinchers so I can use either tire style. I may revisit the tubeless when the tires get better.
But now I have 25mm Conti clinchers, front at 90psi, rear 100psi. No pinch flats, no flats at all so far. And I too am Jan der Kaiser sized.
@Gianni
I like to keep in shape and this weeks shape is the capital Q…I run 120psi on front and back and the only 2 punctures I have had in the last 6 months happened 2 weeks ago and today. They were both flint strikes which left a 5mm slash in the tire with instant flat…..tyre boot required both times and one was on a brand new Vittoria Open Evo Tech and the todays was on a brand new Conti GP 4000 24mm….I am going through tyres as fast as tubes!!
I am coming to the conclusion that punctures are luck and the rest is marketing…and yes I have tried gatroskins too…
O by the way great article in this months Cyclist mag. Last year conti were selling 24mm tyres…they were just 23mm rebadged, no change at all it was just that the 23mm casts were actually 23.8mm so they jumped on the “wider is better” band wagon, and apparently the only country where they sold in any great depth was…you guessed it…here in the good ol OooKay!
Get good tyres…carry your tubes and patches and when you puncture, thank Merckx for the rest..tubeless…Bah Humbug!
(Disclaimer: This completely excludes tubs…no idea what they are, who invented them or if they work, in fact I suspect they are the devils work…)
@Chris
Worth considering, but Merckxdammit, they don;t seem to have a US distributor. Wonder how many quid I’m expected to shell out for them.
And let’s just say I am metering my V on all equipment. Every hour I devote to Fucking Around With Fucking Tubulars is one less hour my Jan Sized Ass could be out actually riding my Fucking Bike.
@eightzero
Nemisis on Chris King R45s: http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=BUY_PRODUCT_STANDARD&PRODUCT.ID=36042&MODE=
They had some rims too but sold them all.
Alternatively, if you can’t be arsed to glue them, I am assuming you aren’t planning to build them yourself. There are a lot of good wheelbuilders, and if they have built them before they can probably source the rims too.
@eightzero Go with the Excellights or Excellence rims then.
@Dr C Great wheels. I love building with Ambrosio.
And for a look at what is hanging in my studio, right fucking now…
@Dan_R
Nice theme. W il Giro!
@DerHoggz
I wondered that but was too polite to ask.
@Gianni
WHAT?!?! With a name like Gianni you don’t run tubs??? Oh shattered internet illusions!
@Nate
DAMN! That seems like a REALLY reasonable price to me, but I am no wheel expert, either.
@SimonH
Oh, you had to see this coming from a mile away:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8rBDOMLtSU
And no “D’ in the name as well. The devil and the brilliance is in the details.
@Buck Rogers I reckon it’s a very good price.
@Nate Yeah. Completely custom, so the best scheme with an Italian bike has got to be as such!
@SimonH Meant to say, nice ride. Very sharp looking indeed.
@eightzero
£542 – 644 depending on spokes. For the clinchers. Bit more for the tubs.
I have to say I spend less time fucking around with tubs than I do with my clinchers. It’s a bit like saying I’m going to stick to shoes with velcro straps, learning to tie my laces sounds like way too much hassle. It’s only when you give it a go you wonder what the fuck you were talking about.
I’ve probably just written off my chance of a hassle free ride tomorrow morning. D’oh.
@SimonH That thing is fucking georgeous..
@Deakus
The only big difference I have seen between the current Contis in use and the past Veloflex and Vittoria tires I have tried is that the Contis “throw off” debris, the Veloflex and Vittoria are softer, have a slightly better ride, but get nicked up easily. I ride a good amount of chip seal and only the Contis finish a ride unscathed. The Veloflex and Vittoria look like someone went after them gently with razor blades.
I do agree with you on punctures – when it’s your turn, doesn’t matter what is on your rim.
@Buck Rogers
I have done. I found patching them a most tedious chore. Moved to race quality clinchers when they appeared on the market. Maybe I will revisit them now there are crazy people who will repair them for not too much money.
@Gianni
I saw an add for Schwalbe Durano Plus tubeless, the ultimate tubeless tyre as unlikely to get a puncture? I hear they are slow to ride tho…
so went and had a look at the bottecchia i mentioned earlier. it isnt exactly mint, but she is in very good condition. the bottom of the bb where the cable guides run is a bit beat up, and there’s a good peanut sized paint chip on the headtube plus usual wear. the brake blocks looks brand new so the bike hasnt really done much besides get moved house to house.
the hardware is full campagnolo with the cinelli stem/bars. hubs/wheels/seatpost also campagnolo but all towards the low end as far as models go. 7 speed indexed downtube shifting…and herein is my quandry…disclaimer all the info i find is from google, not anything i actually know to be true or have verified
7 speed was around a very short time it seems. it is also spaced at 126mm at the rear. im not seeing much in the lines of 7 speed cassettes on the bay, but have read you can use 8 speed cassettes by omitting either a cog and/or a spacer. is this accurate?
if i wanted to…and i will…build a wheelset for this, am i stuck trying to locate 126mm hubs? is the process complicated to fit 130mm, which is what the 8 speed is? can a 7/8 speed cassette be slapped onto modern campagnolo freehubs easy peezy?
sorry for all the newb questions. i havent been around the block long enough or time spent in bike shops to know any of this
@motor city
This allows me to try the comfort of a swap now that I have an extra stem — for the swap. Better knowing that you might benefit from a more upright position when spending most of the day climbing. Hence a more upright stem. You know this right?
@SimonH Wow! That is beautiful.
@all
Any experience with the 3T Ergonova bars? Im looking to finish of my stem/post/handlebars 3T matching set. any pics on a bike would be cool.
@SimonH Sweet ride, love the colour co-ordination of the paint and headset!
@Dan_R
15.15kgs is pretty heavy.
Didn’t monsieur Trudeau give you the metric system in Alberta?
@Beers
I’ve had some experience with Gatorskins when they first came out. In the preceeding 5 years before I got them, commuting every day, I had perhaps one flat on a crappy set of Vittorias. After putting on the Gatorskins, I had 4 flats in 3 weeks. I actually took them back to the LBS and they to their credit, accepted them back. My perception at the time was that the rubber was tto soft and picked up flints and glass too easily. It seemed that the protective belt did me no good.
Fast forward to present day. I’ve worn out a set of Durano’s without having one flat. I now run Ultremo ZX’s, and at the risk of totally fucking up my next ride, can clearly state that they are light, fast and quite puncture resistant. I havent yet had one as the result of regular road debris (of course, a 20mm section of snapped off box cutter blade that lodged itself in my tube in this instance doesn’t count. Nothing would have survived that.)
Anyhoo, Schwalbe Ultremo ZX; highly recommended.
@snoov yeah I like that. just ordered a set from 3T!
@mouse
I’ve had Schwalbe Ultremo ZXs for 2000km now. light weight, low roll resistance, good puncture resistance. We have horrid tar and chip roads in quite poor condition, yet these handle them well. No punctures. I have heard of sidewalks splitting, but I keep pressures up above 115psi. Seems to stop flex and preserves sidewall.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lolnfa52f4
Tandem Cycling. We have just done a promo video for our teams Tandem Project. Keiran Modra has long been a team member and our guys been his training partners. After the London Olympics he wanted to help young visually impaired athletes get into cycling so he has trained quite a few of the team to pilot and now we get VI’s out several times a week. This lead us to the Paracycling Nationals last weekend where Mrs Daccordi and Keirans daughter Holly took out the National TT Title, more impressive when you know Holly is 13! Mrs D is in the video and you get a bit of a shot of my legs leading out a sprint near the end. Hope you enjoy.
My tupence worth. I’ve put nearly 5000 km into a set of 23 mm Vittoria Rubino tyres, I think they’re just 150 tpi pretty cheap and I haven’t had one puncture on them. I did notice a little 3 by 2 mm hole in the rear about 2000 km ago which I fill with super glue now and then, I was shocked that it didn’t flat but it must have just taken the rubber off, seemed deep to me. I haven’t experienced lots of tyres though and I put the great ride down to the michelin latex tubes inside them, sometimes I think I have a puncture when I’m standing with my weight on the bars, it’s so smooth. 100psi and I’ve swapped them front to back a wee while ago.
When I broke a spoke and the LBS sent the wheel back I went for a ride on my Velomihottie’s wheels that had butyl tubes inside Michelin Lithium tyres and got a pinch flat coming up the kerb cut outside where I live. She’s only 8 stone though and never had a flat.
@mouse
Could weigh anything, someone’s got a hand on it.
@SimonH
Bella.
@DocBrian
Them’s some heavy tyres.
Never heard of Sarto before, but boy they make some saweet bikes. Lovin the Ti…