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 ...
@Collin
Nice ride @Collin. Since becoming interested in road cycling and then La Vie Velominatus my taste in bikes has developed somewhat. The LBS 10 mins walk from my place has some Look frames hanging above the door. I think I’ll get dressed and go and gaze at them for a few minutes. The tax man owes me nearly One Thousand British Pounds which I hope to be able to put towards a carbon frame and forks. Either a Canyon Aeroad or one of the Looks although I’m not yet sure which one to dream about, this one certainly makes me salivate, so I quoted so we could all see it again. Does it really need two cages?
@Collin
Love the Look.
My vote is for black cages. Classic.
@Dr C
Thanks Doc, maybe the keepers will organise some V-scrubs as the apron does nothing to protect my patient from arm hair contamination.
@Dr C
Sorry to say it Dr C but those things have got to be the recumbents of the scooter world.
@Collin
Very nice bike Colin. Those Looks are among the few current carbon frames I like the look of. I’d probably go with black cages.
@napolinige
I cannot fault your accurate critique – it appalls me every time I straddle it – definitely function winning hands down over form
Odd thing is, as my friend and I illegally did two laps of the L’Arc de Triomphe last year en route to Lake Garda World SB3 Champs (boat thing, had to be done), these heinous back to front tricycle atrocities were swarming about like locusts – mostly 30 yr old blokes with three piece pin stripe suits, bluetooth headseats and Nicloes on the pillion – good enough for Paris, good enough for me!!
c’est la vie!!
@Dr C
You’re game going into Paris with a trailer on. I’ve heard the Parisians drive much like the Neapolitans.
If your scooter fits in in Paris then mine is the perfrect match for Napoli, held together with zip ties that is.
@Dr C
WTF! Surely you knew that was wrong when you bought it. Only positive thing you can do with that is sell it with all funds going to the n+1. Have a word with yourself!
@Chris
harsh – it’s actually the third one I’ve had – I’d explain but you’d all laugh at me/ berate me etc
good bit is I leave it at work and cycle in and home now, and use it for my house calls!! (silver lining to every cloud) – couldn’t cycle to work otherwise
@Dr C
Harsh?! Hardly, as a cyclist you are supposed to be cool with the concept of leaning when cornering without some sort of assistance. Your Roubaix doesn’t come with training wheels does it?
@Dr C
I can see the point of a motorbike or even a scooter for the house calls but I don’t get the three wheel thing? Please explain, no laughter or berating.
Oh, and can you pop round so I can do some motor pacing. That would fit nicely into my training schedule.
according to the DVA it is a car, even though it os a scooter, which is just as well, as I am too busy cycling to do my motorbike test
this’ll answer your questions, as it is so dull, I couldn’t explain it myself
dullest Youtube vid ever
@all
Thanks for the bike love. The first ride today was great…except I haven’t ridden a bike with this much toe overlap before and knocked myself over *twice* when going into a trackstand at a stop sign (frame unscratched). Fortunately, I was just riding with friends, so they harassed me dutifully but my reputation is unscathed.
For cages, after having white and black (as pictured), black is the way to go. White cages require far more cleaning.
@snoov
Two cages are absolutely necessary. I suck down huge gobs of water, and absolutely despise stopping at any point on a ride for any reason. I strive to get my time pedaling vs. total ride time as close to possible — minimize the pedal-to-park ratio.
@Dr C
It’s SRAM Force 2010. The big ring is starting to wear. I think I’ll replace it next year with a SRAM Red ring in black. The computer scientist in me is naturally drawn to black and white everything.
Wow, Collin, another LOOK is added! Nice going.
I always cut a small square out of an old tube, put a small hole in it, and just slide that down over the valve stem of the tubes in use. It helps with any possible rattles and also protect the tube against abrasions from the valve hole in the rim.
But, those other methods probably do the same trick.
snoov – Be careful eyeballing LOOKs at the LBS – that’s exactly how I ended up with mine.
Don’t have many action shots, have fewer of me + the doggie. The VMH snapped a few on Thanksgiving Day morning the other week. Thought I’d share.
My LOOK is under the weather at the moment, which has forced me to do all road riding on this Casati Laser. Damn, such a nice bicycle. I think I could give up my LOOK and Tommasini and just ride it all the time.
*Don’t love how the dark stem fits in with the silver, but hey, it does have the “V” on the face plate. I’ll get that sorted out one of these days.
@Ron
but the Doggie matches the bartape and stem very nicely – strong work
So here is my #2 fall-off-on-the-way-to-work Spesh CruX Elite winter bike (yes, I am keeping the reflectors on the wheels, to prolong my life)
#1 on its way to Essex thanks to Ebay, with new #1 due Saturday…..
@Dr C
Nice, I rather fancy a cross bike but that would mean selling one of my mountain bikes and I’ve already decided to sell my downhill bike to pay for some new wheels.
@Chris
I got it for the Cx season, but in the 8 weeks it took to arrive, I missed the entire season! Still don’t know enough about bikes to build my own one – though I do now know that Sora certainly isn’t 105!
Will do me well for those shitty days I don’t want to take the #1 out – have a beaten up old MTB, but just don’t seem to have the mojo for it at the mo – hopefully I’ll have stopped falling off it by the time next Oct comes around!
I know what you mean about not having the will to take the MTB out. I was never massively into the XC thing and I’m not sure I want to risk my knee flinging myself off the tops of any hills until it’s got a lot more strength in it.
That said, when the roads get icy, I’ll dig the prophet out and hit the farm tracks. More out of fear of the general population trying to send txts to their dim witted mates about X Factor or Big Brother, whilst eating a MacLard, smoking and failing to notice that their windscreen is steamed up than of my own inadequacies.
Flirting dangerously close to the S-1 factor. I just took delivery on a poppin red Masi CXR frame to build up. The cross season is essentially over here in East TN, but I have alot of dirt roads to explore too. Yes, I know the MTB would also get the job done, but I like the thought of riding on skinny “32mm” tires especially on the combined hard pack/gravel and chip seal asphalt loops I have got planned now that the weather here is approaching Rule #9 conditions.
Chris, Dr C, GottaRideToday – Picking up a cross bike was far and away the most awesome thing to happen in my cycling world in a long time. I’ve been racing this fall, but more importantly, the bike allows me to do a lot of other things – hit the trails when it’s rush hour on the roads, cruise off road with the VMH, who sometimes can’t be bother to put up with cars on the road, run my dog on trails, not worry about the bike getting dirty or dinged, having more relaxed geometry for winter/rain riding, riding road on Saturday, cross on Sunday.
I loved my cross race bike so much I picked up a more modest cross bike to use as my do-it-all and ’round town bicycle. Have full fenders on it, just got it adjusted perfectly and I couldn’t be happier. Cross bikes rule. (I don’t have a mtn bike.) And now I have essentially two road bikes (one carbon, one steel), one cx race bike, one do-it-all bicycle. My life was simplified!
I’ve stated all this before, but my world has just been made even better by picking up a cx bike. Go for it if you are considering it.
Help – Roubaix Expert about to be made up this weekend at LBS, so if I need to swap something out, need to do it now
Just reading Roubaix Pro Tyre reviews – not very favourable…..
What would be the best tyre to use, given the impending thrashing they are going to get on the cobbles in March? Fancy something 25mm – has Axis 3.0 DT Swiss rims
@Dr C
Yo, hows your cycling going into the 80mph winds up your neck of the woods?
@Ron
That’s it exactly, a road bike that can take some abuse (whilst being ridden – still needs looked after in the garage) and still love you for it
Nothing more dull than a MTB on tarmac
There is a 30 rider MTB group that do a night time 30km thrash on a monday night, mostly trailed – they are mostly on full susp MTBs, none on Cx – I think I might turn up on my Cx and see how I get on….
@huffalotpuffalot
chickened out – don’t have an hour in the morning to punch a hole in that sort of breeze – took the Beemer – pathetic!
@Dr C
I ditched those tires – very smooth ride but seemed to pick up and hold road debris. In hindsight, similar to the behavior I was getting during the Austin Cogal with the Spesh Armadillos. I’ll never use Spesh tires again.
I went a bit overboard and grabbed some Continental Gatorskins 25mm. Heavy but about as flat proof as it gets. No one should take tire advice from me, however, until I’m rid of the Flat Curse.
Only other things I’ve swapped out on my Roubaix are the stem after a fitting and the seat.
@itburns
maybe I’ll call in on the way home and have a chat with them
@itburns
What rim strips are you running?
@Nate
Fulcrum Racing 3 rims – no holes, no rim tape. Is that what you are asking?
@Dr C
Bad enough you’re keeping the reflectors, but at least take the nut off of the valve stems. Or I’ll do it for you using only my Seething Disappointment, even from 5,000 km away.
@frank
you mean to tell me a bike shop let you walk out the door with those things still on the bike? I dont even know what to say to that.
@Collin
Welcome to the LOOK Club. The ONLY cages you want on that bike are LOOK carbon cages. They come in white with black writing or vice versa. Choice is up to you.
If you can find one, and you want to make a statement, go for the LOOK HSD (“Handlebar Stability Design”) stems – they are chunky enough that the Gendarmes use them as clubs to break up riots.
Makes a Ritchey WCS Carbon stem look like a toothpick (but still a good stem choice for your bike).
@itburns
I recall you mentioning multiple flats on the Cogal. I thought it might have been the rim strips. I had a pair of Ksyriums that gave me several flats till I ditched the OEM strips for Velox.
Sounds like you have the 2 way fit Fulcrums?
@Nate
Oh, gotcha. Don’t have the 2 way, just the “normal” Racing 3 rim.
Only had one flat since April until the Cogal. Just wasn’t my day, but two rides and a roller session later and no more flats so hopefully the Puncture Gods are satisfied for now.
@itburns
Sometimes you just have bad luck. Two weeks ago I simultaneously got a flat and had a frayed cable jam up in my shift lever. The latter obviously could have been avoided by more vigilent maintenence on my part.
@Fronk @RedRanger
Holy Merckx – that is inexcusable! Wood for the trees I guess
I shall commute this morning in the nude as punishment
@Gentlemen
I present to your next Bianchi;
The perfect conveyance to lay down the anti-V and nod snob EVERYONE.
Why must bike manufacturers do this? What fuckwit from Bianchi thought that this would be a good idea.
Oh, and do make sure you wear your helmet from the same collezione…
This is about as off colour as the nipple ‘burns posted in the other thread (at least that one made me laugh)
@mouse
oh no…..I love them both
small fault in a good person otherwise
there is something beautiful about the symmetry of the discs and the clean lines of the forks without brakesets on them
bit like an Audi RS4 Avant, ugly, unnecessary, wicked and oddly desirable
the helmet is just top gun jet fighter stuff
– that said, this combo is clearly for solo rides, or groups of 5-6 bandidos wearing black outfits on identical kits, probably wearing Uzi-9s
@mouse
I cold go for one of those helmets. 78km at 3°C and with a headwind that seemed to be with me all the way round, my face really hurts!
@Dr C
Those PI lobster claws rock, toasty!
@Chris
No amount of cold can justify that. I had a similar headwind hell yesterday and got lost on busy roads to boot. That sucked. Although, nothing like a nice tailwind on the way out to give one a hint of what la volupté feels like. Coming home sucked. At least my hands were warm.
@mouse
What a great way to fuck a legacy! I just threw up in my mouth a little…
Mrs Chris is out so I’ve taken over the kitchen and attacked the bike with a pack of baby wipes. I know, I know, it should be done after each and every ride and I was about to blether about having to ride at ungodly hours but I’ll refer myself to Rule #5 and do some hill reps or descending intervals. Back to the bike cleaning, I’ve noticed that the big ring seems to be wearing a bit unevenly, I’ve got a couple of real sharky looking teeth 180° apart that are followed by nice regular square topped teeth (although on one side the regular looking tooth follows immediately behind the sharky one whilst on the other side it’s a couple of teeth away). Is this a natural state of afairs or have I got something wrong in my tuning? The bike is adhering to the principle of silence.
The sharky tooth with the unworn tooth next to it:
And the other side:
with the unworn teeth a couple of teeth behind:
The bike has a shade under 1,500km on it and I wouldn’t say that I’m laying down huge VVatts.
@Chris
All I see is a compact.
@Steampunk
If that’s just a jibe about compacts, I did wonder how long it’d before someone went down that route.
If it’s down to my poor description of the problem at hand, the sharkey worn tooth in the first picture is highlighted by my finger and the unworn tooth follows it. In the second picture, the worn tooth directly opposite the first is in approximately the same position. The third picture shows the unworn teeth on the same side in that position.
I’d love to be able to upgrade to a regular crankset, both in terms of affording it and being able to turn it in conjunction with the smaller cogs but my knees would explode. You’ve got to earn these things, eh?
@Chris
I don’t know much about FSA cranksets as I’ve never used them, and I know even less about Compacts. Fuck me, I didn’t even know they made a 50/34. I guess I don’t know what I *thought* they were, but…Just don’t go around calling that a “Big Ring”.
But to the point, it’s fairly common for the teeth on the outer ring to be shaped, in order to allow for smoother shifts. You might also see some ramps and pins on the inside of the crankset between the rings. I suspect there’s nothing wrong with your outer ring.
@Steampunk
Took the words out of my mouth.
@frank
Hidden in there somewhere is an answer that makes sense. Thanks.
In future I shall refer to it as “the ring that is slightly bigger than the little one” or “la plaque qui est légèrement plus grand que le petit plaque.” I apologise if my referring to it as the big ring gave the impression of delusions of grandeur.
@Steampunk
bastard
@frank
you too
@Chris
Fixed your post.
@frank
What’s all this talk about two rings? Am I to understand you just invoked Rule #5 on me and now you’re claiming to have two rings? Seriously, Frank. This is just disturbing. Next you’re going to tell me your cassette goes up to, like, 15 or something. Shameful. It’s like I don’t know you anymore.
@Dr C
Don’t hate the player…