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 ...
@Xyverz Reckon you might be one of the first among the v-ranks to be rocking the discs on the roadie, nice one.
Nice – kudos for getting the V decal on before you’ve even ridden it out of the shop.
@ChrisO Shame the shop put the stem on the wrong way up though.
@Xyverz There was an interesting article in thsi months Cyclist (I think) about Volagi. Seems they came under a bit of pressure from the Big S but won out in court.
Be interested to hear how it goes. Enjoy it.
BTW, is that a XTR rear mech?
@Mikael Liddy – Thank you, sir. I’ve been lusting after the Volagi since I first heard about them almost 2 years ago. =)
@ChrisO – Just so long as my test ride the day before doesn’t count. That being said, I have to give massive props to Crank2 Performance Tandem Bicycles in Pleasanton where my adoption of this lovely lady took place. They urge their test riders to do a minimum of an hour for a test ride. Mine was two hours. =)
@Chris – Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I’ve not been a fan of Specialized in recent years. From what I heard, and this may be something different that what you read, Volagi and Specialized settled out of court on the whole “you copied our design!” issue for the price of $1.00 being paid by Volagi.
And yes, that’s an XT rear. I put a 12-36 on this thing for climbing. I’m hoping that before the year’s out, that I can switch out to an Ultegra 11-32 and maybe switch to an Ultegra rear derailleur. I’ll really be putting this thing to the test this weekend though, with my first “big” ride since my accident in October. I expect it’ll be about 100km with 1200m of climbing (give or take a few hundred meters).
@Xyverz Ah there it is. Nice.
Headed to the woods Saturday morning to get in an hour before watching the last hour of Omloop. I spent twenty minutes in the woods, the other forty balance-biking it home – second ripped off RD + bent hanger of the cross season. Have never done that before, now I’ve done it twice in a few weeks.
Argh. Thankfully spring is close and I can let the wounds heal as I ride on the road. Very frustrating to be cruising along and suddenly your bike is totally buggered. Especially if you didn’t even see the stick, or find it when getting off to inspect.
wow … just wow
http://colnago.com/c60-racing-2014-2/?lang=en
@GogglesPizano some serious carbone, but I can’t help put pick a couple of issues.
1. Group-San on that looks wrong, it’s gotta be Gruppo all the way.
2. Egregious Rule #41 infractions
@Xyverz
From one Xy to another: very nice, I’m glad to see you back!
@Barracuda do you notice the C35 as more aero than the C24?
my VMH buckled her front C24 and I was wondering whether C35 would help her on the flats.
she is a good climber being a lightweight, but don’t want to slow her down with heavier wheels.
might be cheaper option that 303s?
@Rom
They are only 200g heavier than the 24’s. I doubt she’ll notice the difference! I weighed my C24’s the otherday, fully kitted on my bathroom (digital) scales (ok, not all that accurate down that low); 2.5kg. So, you are talking less than a 10% penalty. They are definatly more aero, how much, and is it worth an extra 10% in weight? That would be too hard to answer. Are you on the flats more on the hills more? Does she spend most of the time following (your) a wheel or a lot of time in the wind? These are the questions that might help you decide if the extra aero/weight penalty is worth it. Don’t forget the $$ penalty too.
@Nate Thank you, sir!
@xyxax Thanks! I’m looking forward to getting a good long ride in very soon.
One thing about this new bike though… She’s not a lightweight. She feels almost as heavy as my aluminum. I have, however, weighed both bicycles. Trek: 8.93kg. Volagi: 8.82kg. If I build up my strength quickly, I can replace the rear cassette with something smaller and lighter, but she’ll never be racer-light.
Then again, I bought her for long distance riding. I’m hoping to do something moderately long this weekend, so we’ll see.
@Giles
Looks like there will be few of us at 3 Peaks. Weather forecast so far is reasonably kind.
@Mikael Liddy
Go the Baum. Long term it is a sound financial decision. Frame for life.
Can just order a frame made and bolt on all your own bits from other bike if you wish.
Had mine for 6 years and not looking like replacing it ever, mind you about to start thinking of a wheel upgrade, done one already a few years back. And a respray to freshen it up is always an option.
@Puffy
Resident Science-Nazi reporting for duty:
I may be a lousy triathlete, but I’m also a somewhat-less-lousy physicist – so when I say “Aero or die”, that’s not just the result of too many hours pouring over tests to determine whether ENVE or Zipps should be my next object of lust. Well, at least not entirely.
Better-versed mathematicians and engineers crunched the numbers, and a surprising amount of them – Zipp, HED, ProTour mechanics and geeky cyclists, all independently – reached the conclusion that, as a rule of thumb, aero matters more than weight in nearly every circumstance.
Especially if your VMH rides on your wheel, since in another cyclist’s draft, the lower half of the bike is less shielded than the upper part, which is shielded by a torso, no matter how slim.
In fact, give or take a percent, unless your entire ride goes up a 6% gradient, a more aero wheelset will provide more speed than a lighter one even if the trade-off is an entire kilo. That’s why even hilly TTs get ridden with disc-wheels and time-trial bikes.
Now, let me take correct that statement: Don’t follow the ProTour for examples in this case. Pro cyclists are a superstitious bunch, and no amount of explaining will drive it into Contador’s head that a Zipp 404 is better than his Zipp 202 in every single way, especially with his ultra-light S-Works. If it was up to engineers (and that’s a quote of Marc Cote, Spec’s head engineer), they’d have him on a Venge and 404 every single stage, except for flat ones where he’d get the 808. He’d save more energy before the climb, descend faster, go faster on the lower slopes and have a better chance of out-sprinting his rival at the summit. And with his frame size and equipment sponsors, it’s not even certain he’d be over the weight limit to begin with.
Unless she’s not riding competitive, in which case it’s all really moot. “Best option” then is entirely a question of lust.
@tessar @Puffy @Rom
And of course, since we’re talking about a VMH’s bike, two more things to consider:
A) They have to be slightly nicer than yours, if that’s possible.
B) Take her weight into consideration. Those who ride in Dutch winds would be better off with shallow wheels than a deeper wheel that, though faster, also requires more effort and stress to keep in the right direction. Lighter female TT and Tri professionals often prefer a slightly shallower wheel (that means 50-60mm where males would take 90-80mm, not 24mm…) in windy races.
@Xyverz
Knowing you, you’ll have plenty of long rides under your wheels before the rest of us in this part of the world are out of winter kit (which may be June at this rate).
BTW, Padraig over at RKP has a review of the Liscio.
http://redkiteprayer.com/2014/03/volagi-liscio-part-ii/
@tessar This is all true but taking a step back…
Aero wheels don’t matter very much should be the starting point for the discussion.
After that, weight matters even less than aero.
Almost everyone can do quite a lot to improve their aero performance before needing to worry about their wheels. Position, skinsuits, shoe covers even race numbers. Sort those out first.
Bottom line is that I completely agree with Tessar – it’s a question of riding conditions and which ones you like best or will give you the most brownie points.
At the end of the day the actual wheels will make hardly any difference to her.
@ChrisO All true – I guess I was just venting tension that built up after reading far too many weight-weenie posts with napkin pseudophysics to back them up. The bike is responsible for only 20% of the resistance, but I don’t think any (sane) person would don a skinsuit and covers for the weekend ride. Sadly, far too many wear Giro Air Attacks lately…
As far as changing things on the bike, however, wheels are up there with the more effective changes to be made – though improvements there can be rather costly. But for a person considering a new set of wheels anyhow, they might as well spring for the slightly more aero option. There’s definitely a difference – small, but it’s there – between my Ultegra WH6700 training wheels and the very modest, student-budgeted PRO RC50 wheels I race on.
@Mikael Liddy
yes on both issues you pointed out, I have a C59 Nero being built up right now with Record-EPS I am just waiting on the V2 internal battery, I will post up some pics when it arrives if I it doesn’t put me at total number bikes = S after I bring it home and still have access to the house and a PC etc….
@Xyverz That’s plenty light. There are a lot of things more important than weight. They are just harder to measure.
Just tell me the C59 is not matte black. What’s the point of getting a flash Italian steed without the flash Italian paint? I don’t get it.
In preparation for the Heck of the North I present to you my soon to be gravel bike
[dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/RedRanger/2014.03.07.09.08.11/1//”/]
TRP Mini V brakes, Shimano 105, Ritchey cockpit and post, yet to be determined crank, BB and wheels.
Nice one @RedRanger . I’ve thought along these lines as well (with Paul MiniMotos) and love my current #2–a Defy Advanced. A shout out to Ritchey points to a classic legacy as well. Love to see the final buiild.
@freddy I didnt think a CX/Gravel bike without Ritchey wouldnt be right. all the 105 stuff is being transfered over from #1, which is getting a Ultegra upgrade also. cant wait till they are both done.
Now, I know this is by no means a good place to come for unbiased technical advice, but, my winter bike needs new wheels as they are shot at. However it is on 8 speed, can I take the 10 speed wheels from my N1 and fit the 8 speed cassette to it.
Therefore, wait for it, I can then justify a nicer set of wheels for my N1! Aha everyone’s a winner!
While we’re on the subject, recommendations for a nice set for rougher tarmac that can run 25mm clinchers?
@RedRanger How about 105 crank and chainrings. I’ve got them on my #2. They work well and are more trad looking. For wheels…many choices right down to Ambrosio. Keep Giant wheels in mind–they’re good, cost effective and tubeless ready.
designinspiration or distraction
Eddy Merckx MX-Leader Pista
@the-farmer
Handbuilt Ambrosio Excelights – the fabled golden tickets. Coupled with Vittoria Open Pave tires with latex tubes. Sorted.
@RedRanger
Owning a TCX myself, if I may offer a bit of advice;
Get a CX70 front derailleur. It’s a top pull designed specifically for ‘cross, so you can eliminate that piece of shit pulley that it comes with. Other than that, It’s a great bike to build a gravel grinder out of.
@Mike_P
Hubs?
Found a pair with 28 spokes, is that enough for 95kg?
@the-farmer I’m no expert but you can’t go far wrong with Chris King hubs. You might want to get some advice from a reputable wheel builder. @Nate recommended at hat to me some weeks back and they are a great font of knowledge. @DanR might have some thoughts.
Chris Kings are awesome, bu some (not me) might find the noise they make irritating. I guess you could also never coast.
@Mike_P
Golden Tickets don’t come in clinchers – you’re thinking of the tubular Nemesis rim, which is the finest rim that money can buy. That includes Zipps and Enves and whatever other carbon hoops you care to name.
The Excelights are fine rims, though. I’ll second the motion for OpenPave tires and latex tubes – you can’t go wrong. HED’s Belgian series are nice too.
That said, there is no greater feeling than a set of Golden Tickets laced to a top end hubset and shod with Vittoria Pave tubulars (Dugasts are also nice if you’re particularly well heeled.) They have the soft, sweet ride quality of 32mm rando tires without the ugliness and weight, and you can ride singletrack on the damn things if you want – they’re almost impossible to kill.
Don’t believe all of the FUD that people spread about tubs: they’re really quite easy to deal with once you know a trick or two, and they resist punctures better than any clincher.
They kind of do, because the Excellight and the Excellence have both got the little brass valve counterweight, which is what I’ve always thought of as the golden ticket. But yes, seconds on the tubs not being too awful to deal with – preglued spare or old tub – I like conti sprinters as spares cos they lie flat (and they’re cheap, but less awful than you’d think.)
Quick question – anyone here got the hang of soldering cable ends? Thought I’d give it a whirl while recabling the winter steed (as I ran out of end caps) and the solder just slides straight off. Need to dip the ends in acetone or something? There’s got to be a trick to it…
@Simon I seem to remember a discussion here about this technique. Silver solder was important, I don’t think you can use normal solder.
Reading up it looks like excellight may be a bit light for me at 95kg, or rather I would be too heavy for them, especially at 28 front and rear
@the-farmer
I would get a pair of Campagnolo Neutron Ultras and be done with it. Strong enough for a 100kg Swede to win Paris Roubaix on, and sub 1500 grams to boot. I used a pair of chorus hubbed Excellights for 12 years, great wheels, but I prefer the neutrons.
@fignons barber
The barber speaks the truth. I’ve been using Campagnolo factory wheels for some time and they are pretty tough and cost as much as a pair of Chris King hubs. Presently I’m using some Eurus 2-way fit wheels, no weight restriction. That way you can experiment (spend too much money on tires) with clinchers or tubeless. I’ve gone back and forth with them, jury is still out. And the hubs are tough and easy to maintain. The only downside is the aluminum spokes are expensive to replace on the Eurus. Maybe the Neutrons still use steel spokes? That might be better.
Well,
Seeing as all of the suggestions are scarily expensive I have been looking on the bay! Nearly nailed down a set of ksyrium s but they slipped away so watching some bontrager RL that are 25% of new price. Failing that LBS has ksyriums with xksium tyres for £470 a set!
@the-farmer
We like our wheels around here. it could have been worse. No one suggested carbone wheels.
@the-farmer
Ambrosio Excellence, 32x. They do come in clincher. That’s the (golden) ticket.
I run them with 25mm Continental Grand Prix.
@the-farmer :at 95 kg myself I’m riding the quintessential Golden Tickets (Nemesis) on Chorus hubs and Nucleon tubulars. Both ride nicely with an edge to the Nucleons for lighter weight and faster acceleration. And as @Gianni cites @ Fignon’s Barber, Campagnolo wheels rock.
if your heart is set on clinchers I like the TB-14s I’m running. In the hard ano finish they look remarkably similar to the tickets. At our weight 32 spokes is the way to go with this box section rim. If you’re thinking of tubulars I may have a set of Nucleons I’d consider selling.
@the-farmer Everyone likes their own wheels, so you’ll get a million different opinions.
At your weight and if the roads are not in perfect condition I think you couldn’t go wrong with Mavic Open Pros.
What Nemesis are to the pros riding P-R, Mavic Open Pros are to thousands of audax riders who do huge kilometres on shitty roads in the middle of nowhere and don’t have support cars or the luxury of a new set of wheels for their next ride. Lace them up to some Royce hubs if you can afford them and you will have a bombproof wheelset that spins up as nicely as anything.
On the other hand if you want something a little fancier I would go not for the Campagnolo but for Fulcrum, which is made by Campag. They tend to be a little more robust. A set of Fulcrum Racing 3s or 5s won’t set you back too much.
@the-farmer
If that’s your price range , how about something handbuilt from Wheelsmith in Larbert, their advice-
What’s your recommendation for a £300 clincher wheelset to use all year round?
Rims and hubs by Ambrosio, spokes by ACI. Can’t be beaten for price/performance for most riders.
Something built around Ambrosio Excellight SSC rims well respected by club racers as a perfect low-cost race wheelset.
Here’s a link http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/
@Weldertron
Maybe there is a case to buy the hubs whose song irritates you the most as a disincentive to freewheel unnecessarily.
It’s a personal thing, me love Chris King, my Ultegra’s and Chorus hubs are inoffensive, but I can’t stand Fulcrums racket
Wheelsmith are suggesting ambrosio evolution and ambrosio hubs. Sounds a bit heavy duty though!
I just thought the ksyriums looked quite nice and for £470 you get xksion tyres as well
@eenies Very nice! Always nice to see a C’Dale. This reminds me that I need a badge for my newest bike. Red or Black. Ill have to think on it for a bit.