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 ...
@frank
Kidding aside: this.
@Steampunk
une plaque de taille moyenne choisie pour sa fonction, plutôt que comme un substitut…
@Dr C
That is such a choice word, so under used.
That is weird. Usually the ramped teeth are flatter and have visible ramps next to them, and they wear differently. FSA rings aren’t known for good shifting, so it could be a quirk I’m not aware of.
@Chris
As others have stated, that’s quite normal and nothing to do with wear.
@minion @Oli
Thanks chaps.
Even Pro’s ride a compact sometimes.
Compact is good when it’s needed.
@all “Steel is Real” believers
Not sure if anyone’s seen these two bikes that someone’s had built up for themselves by Independent Fabrication in NH.
Exactly the same geometry & componentry except one is made from Colombus XCR tubing & one from Reynolds 953.
God I hate cyclists with more money than they know what to do with!
@Mikael Liddy
Nice classic bend bars on both! I put them on my Christmas list (Ritchey model).
@Ron
Velomidoggie matches the Kit and the Bike. THAT is pro
@Oli
which for some of us, is always!
in fact, I was worried with my 46/36 FC and 27/12 casette on my Cx bike, that I wouldn’t have enough welly for commuting – not a bit of it – I don’t really need anything bigger, just welly it for longer – and still beat the cars in to work
I make the case that the size of your big ring does not correlate to your manhood, but rather, the determination to mash it until your visual field starts to close in is where the V factor lies….
(I understand this may be blasphemous, and apologise to those thus offended)
@Mikael Liddy
Indeed, that is the question I would ask – the fact he has SRAM Red on both makes it even more ostentatious
Oh well, if you’ve got it, might as well flaunt it
They’d be much more ostentatious with Campag SR on them.
@Dr C
Apology accepted, but only if you buy me a whiskey the first time we actually meet in person.
Cervelo’s next aero bike is going to be a tri bike first and foremost, why?
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cervelo-p5-set-for-january-debut
If they want less drop just don’t slam the stem, not like they care about the rules. Why make it harder for real cyclists to get into position?
@Buck Rogers
my pleasure of course!
@DerHoggz
I imagine for the same reason as Willie Sutton gave.
When rebuilding a wheel is it absolutely necessary to replace all the spokes and nipples? I’ve got a new hub for my crappy old front wheel (assume that the holes in the hub are at the same radius and same distance apart as the old hub) and am going to try my first wheelbuilding project.
Spokes I’d think so. Nipples I’d think you were okay to reuse, spokes deform and stretch over time, and where the spokes cross, can get worn and weaken where they cross if unsupported.
@snoov
For a project like this it’s probably fine to reuse the spokes, although do check for obvious damage, as @Minion suggests. I’d suggest new nipples though for a more predictable and reliable build.
@Minion
@Oli
Thanks for the input. What I think I’ll do is build the wheel with the old spokes and nipples as a practice run. Then for safety’s sake I’ll get new spokes and nipples and do it again. The experience/fun of two builds with a safe wheel at the end! It’s currently laced radially so I might try and make it with crossed spokes the second time (not sure how many times the spokes will cross) so I guess I’ll need to work out the length of the longer spokes. Unless, I’m sure you’ll alert me, it’s not possible to do this due to the new angle of the spokes in the rim.
@Oli
Given the Chris King hubs I think the SRAM works better than Campa would…
@Mikael Liddy
CK make Campagnolo freehubs now, so that’s that problem sorted.
@Minion
Thanks, minion! When picking her out at the pound I knew she’d go well with my bar tape. And, she’s versatile as I have white tape on my three road bikes. I suppose I’ll have to get her a dogfriend to match the black tape on my cx bikes.
G’rilla – Are you talking about the new(ish) Ritchey Classic bars? I was actually about to order them recently until I got my hands on them in person. Kind of a weird curve on the drops that I didn’t really like. I went with a second set of Deda Zero100s instead. I like those bars a lot. Just some maybe useful info. I have Deda Newton shallows on another bike. The Ritchey Classics are similar, but not quite.
Franks bike steels the show. Rule #4.
Not sure if anyone’s put this up yet, but me likee! (Can’t affordee, but likee!)
http://youtu.be/VfJ3CK804t4
@sgt
I think the Keepers would agree that cable is much mo better.
@sgt
It’s beautiful, and I think its much better-designed than Shimano, but I hold the same reservations over it as I do with the Di2. If I was a Pro, I’d be all over it. As a dude who grins to himself every time I execute the Perfect Shift, I am not looking forward to the inevitable day when my bikes are kitted up with dynamos and batteries.
@frank
I’ve seen a few Dura Ace aDi2 bikes and one Ultegra Di2, and the size of the dereailleurs is huge. That’s my pick for things that will be improved in the following generations.
I do think it was a very shrewd move by Campa to get 11 speed sorted before releasing EPS. And it’s consistent: Campa always think hard about the most useful features and how to integrate them into their drivetrains. Tuning derailleurs on the fly is very good.
@Oli
Yeah mine was more a “moral” issue of putting campa on a bike with anodized colour hubs…
SO, I’ve been thinking about bike n+1 (2 in my case) and wanted to bounce some ideas off of the Velominati. I’m thinking about getting an older bike and then a new Veloce group and Campy wheels to update it. Have frames improved enough that I should just get a more modern bike without Campy? Competitive Cyclist has the BMC Street Racer with 105 for $900, unless they run out. I could possibly just buy a cheap aluminum bike from bikesdirect or some such place and then do the Campy upgrade.
One bike that has particularly caught my attention is this one, it has been reposted many times, so I might be able to haggle the guy down.
What do you guys think?
Link wasn’t working, here it is:
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/bik/2753803648.html
@DerHoggz
dont go down the bikesdirect route. your best bet is to figure out what your maximum budget would be and got from there. also as nice as Campa may be, its quite a bit more expensive than shimano or sram.
I got a job in the cafeteria for next semester, and possibly later at the bike shop. I am thinking the budget will be around $1000 at most. This is all speculative, and is why I am leaning towards getting an older bike and then upgrading if possible. I was thinking about a new wheelset for my current bike since it currently has 27″ steel wheels with huge tires, which would come out around $150, so it is not much more to get a bike with more appropriate geometry and such.
One question about fitting older bikes, how difficult is it to get the more modern tons of drop on them? I think the older ones had smaller TT:ST ratio compared to modern bikes, So if I got a bike more in line with modern fitting (referencing ST length) I would have to get a longer stem or bars with more reach?
I just measured my bike and found it is 56cm c-c, blew my mind. I was under the impression it was a 60cm.
@DerHoggz
Check out eBay. I’ve seen some brand name frames going for 400.
Seasons greeting Velominati hope you’re all having a good one. I need some advice, been given £500 Sterling off a grandparent and i want to up grade the wheelset. Looking at 3-4 options, Mavic Krysium Elite, SRAM S27AL and S30AL, Shimano Ultegra 6700 and Planet X 52mm carbon clinchers.
Also the plan was to get a second casette & just swap between the current set and these for Races, TT’s and a bit of training on the good days. Anyone got experience with any of these? Any thoughts?
@DerHoggz
All good questions; from my perspective, the best bike frames from era to era haven’t changed too much, with the exception of aluminum frames. Generally what you’re getting is a stiffer/lighter frame, but when it comes down to it, I enjoy riding the TSX and Soloist just like I enjoy riding the R3.
In my opinion, you don’t notice things like stiffness in a frame, you just notice that you can go harder, like the bike keeps encouraging you to keep heaping coals on the fire. What I DO notice is flex. When I push on the pedals and nothing happens, I feel it; when I’m in the hurt locker and I feel like I’m riding a pile of spaghetti, I notice that.
Alu frame design has gone through an interesting evolution, since they started out super stiff and in-compliant and then swung too far the other direction to become really light and soft before coming to something pretty good which is where they’re at now.
As for frame fit, I don’t think anything important has changed – getting good drop on a modern bike can be just as hard as an old one – what it comes down to is how they are fit. Back in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, pros were riding bigger frames with less drop, but they were making that distance up by going for long reach – have a look at RDV or Merckx, and their fit was super long, while the modern pros are shorter horizontally, but the bars are lower so they get the same stretched look; the distance is being made up in two directions rather than one (this is an oversimplification, by the way, but you get my point).
If you want a lot of drop, go for a slightly smaller frame, and you’ll find yourself needing a longer stem to get the reach you want. As a general observation – I look at c-c top tube measurements much more that c-c seat tube measurements; for me, reach is the limiting factor, not seat post extension.
@Sam
I have Dura Ace c24’s..fantastic wheel. 1380grams (lighter than any of those you mentioned) Stiff, fast and they stay very very true. Almost 2 years of hard riding, bullet proof. And I weight 190lbs so I’m no flyweight. Ok I am going to break a massive rule now and sorry Keepers if advertising a web retailer is verboten but Sam you can get them for just 560 of your sterling pounds from Chainreactioncycles.com I don’t know the regular UK price but that’s like a 50% saving on the US price almost. You won’t be sorry.
@paolo
wow those are some sexy wheels, and i may be able to get them for £480 and be rule compliant, just requires some sweet talking at the local shop & just forking out the extra for the cassette.
thanks man i had no idea i could get anywhere near dura-ace with my budget
@RedRanger
If I was going to piece it together,the frameset would need to come in at like $200 in order to end up around a grand.
@frank
CC has me needing a 56cm TT with a 110-120mm stem and 55.5cm stack. It seems like there are very few models that have a race geometry in my price range. Since it wants such a long stem there may not be farther to go. I’ll have to keep on the lookout for some used stuff.
@DerHoggz
It sounds as if you are in the middle of a 56 and a 58cm frame. With an offset seatpost and a bit longer stem as CC suggests, you can usually make up that difference. As Frank suggested, going smaller rather than larger on the frame is good advice. Keep in mind that, like shoes, one manufacturer’s 56 may fit a bit different than another’s – but that’s why there are different stems, spacers, offset posts, and different reach bars – to fine tune those measurements.
just a quick search on ebay this morning turned up this stunner starting @ $200. I bought a 57cm Merckx CHM off of ebay last year and the auction finished w/o any bids, so I contacted the seller afterwards with an offer (not a low ball, but lower than the initial bid would have been) and he threw in shipping for free. You may want to try the same approach since you have some time. Also, email Frank for my email address and you are welcome to build it at my place as I have all the tools and such, as I believe you are only about an hour north of Pittsburgh. Hell, you could even come down and try my frame size out on the trainer if you’d like.
@Tartan1749
@DerHoggz
Now that there is a quality post @Tartan749 and what the community here is all about. If I knew how to code the little V-kit badge for you I would.
Sage fit advice+found AWESOME frame on ebay+offer to come over and use shop = Sensei. Well done.
As far as the look goes, watch that one DerHoggz. My last sensei project bought the exact same thing last spring with record/chorus build and loves it. They’re nice bikes – JaJa rode one.
@anyone
For those of you with park tools repair stands that use a clamp than can grab the bike by the frame or the seat post, do you use any sort of cloth or something as padding to avoid scratching the frame?
I put together my stand yesterday, and was surprised that the clamp was hard plastic (or metal maybe?), rather than something soft where it would grip the bike. It just seems like that design would lend itself to easily scratching or perhaps even denting a frame where it’s clamped.
I’m thinking mounting the bike via the seat post would be best, as that is easily replaced if I were to mess it up.
@mcsqueak
Yes. Rag and seatpost. Workstands are life changers.
@Marko
Sweet, thanks.
I am so excited to use it! No more hunching over from a chair or sitting on the deck for me, flipping the bike end over end, wrapping the bars and saddle in plastic bags so I don’t damage them or get them dirty…
@DerHoggz
120mm is not really a long stem; that length should be standard (have a look at the Pro bunch and you’ll find only riders on Felts which have a long Geometry to be riding anything less than a 120 – most are on 130 and 140). Sounds like you’re at the right size based on the stem you’re finding.
Flandrians, it seems, are born with 140mm stems attached to their forearms, by the way.
@DerHoggz
One other word of caution regarding the Veloce. We love our Campa, but at the lower-end, I might suggest SRAM or Shimano’s groupoes over Campa’s. Those Italians were never taught how to build something on a budget, and their lower-end stuff is significantly more troublesome than the high-end stuff. The biggest issue with Veloce is that the levers aren’t serviceable, so if you’re buying used stuff, you’ll be stuck with whatever you get. For used Campa, I wouldn’t venture below Chorus.
On the other hand, Shimano makes absolutely bomber mid and lower range kit. My old Shimano 105 was, while not the sexiest, always a monster performer. I bought it in 1989 and used it until last Spring…and it always worked well. I think the SRAM might be similarly solid, though these pages have quite a few people stating otherwise. I haven’t ridden it enough to be able to provide any meaningful advice.
@mcsqueak
Never – NEVER – clamp the frame. Only the seatpost, whether the frame is carbon, steel or alu. Supposing you scratch it or dent it, its much easier to replace a post than a frame. And yes, a rag does wonders to improve grip.
@frank
I finally saw a bike with your same position.
It’s Ryder’s bike, stem super low, and man satchel. And my ass as a bonus.