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 ...
@Ron Thanks for the compliments on my bike. I live in central VA and am looking to do a mini mountain training camp in early March to prep for the Tour of the Battenkill, so if you get a mini Cogal on the BRP going, I’d be interested.
@Lee
I think your bike looks pretty good too Lee, it’s not fully rule compliant on the bar tape and saddle but the F&F looks sweet. I’ve never heard of that manufacturer and have always been drawn to the lesser known but quality brands.
@Ron @Anjin-san
interesting stuff indeed chaps – I suspect the Cx bike and hangover were major factors Ron!
One question I have is when to start fuelling/refuelling?
I used to be snacking from 30k in, but found that come 80k I was starting to feel sick – now I only fuel if doing over 60k, apart from compulsory coffee and bun stop – and haven’t done a mile centuary since I changed – that said, I bonked terribly when extending a planned 60k short run into an irresistable 90k with a mountain in it, in Gran Canaria a few weeks back – so not sure if that was because I hadn’t fuelled up as I went, or just hadn’t enough fuel – that said – stopped for a half a plate of spag bog at the summit and never looked back after that – not ideal
So question is – load from the outset (in which case you lose no weight), or feed when you get hungry? Maybe different for different riders?
@Chris
Can’t wait to ride with you in March, I sense an element of Norman Wisdom at times, throw in the cobbles and we should be quite the comedy act!
@Dr C
I’m going to take that as a compliment rather than a nice way of saying “the fuckwit is bound to be acting like such an Adrian that he’ll take my mind off the pain of the cobbles”.
I’m not at all funny in reality, though, and I wouldn’t want to be disappointing in the flesh, a bit like that girl who told you on the ‘net that she was young, slim and attractive.
March is going to be awesome. Ride hard, party harder afterwards and then spend the Sunday recovering in the rain and mud! There’s still a long way to go on the training front but yesterday my Sensei was impressed with the progress I’ve made since Christmas.
@Chris
I was admiring your efforts on Strava yesterday – smashing your kitchen up may seem like a good idea, but actually the roads are the place to be if it is >4C
I did my first group ride with the team of six doing the Transpyrennee in late June – we made for quite the ramshackle crew, reminiscent of Lee Marvin’s Dirty Dozen (now calling ourselves the Dirty Half Dozen), and clearly with a lot of work to do….
When I told them I was shitting myself with panic, they reminded themselves the tour was nearly 6 months away, and there was no panic (but they aren’t doing 228K in France in 10 weeks!!!) – hope we don’t have to settle for the 158K version – I’m relying on your wheel to get me through to the velodrome sometime after midnight!
@Chris
by the way, which girl on the net are you referring to? – I haven’t logged onto Facebook for months….
@Ron @Anjin-san @Dr C
Good talk, here, and I think @Anjin-san pretty much nailed it. The one thing I’d add is that carbs are almost more critical than total calories (almost). If you’re waiting until you’re hungry, you’re probably leaving it too late (much like hydrating). I read somewhere that you should try to consume 1g of carbs for every kg of body weight per hour. That’s a lot if you do the simple math on energy bars/drinks, etc. I typically force myself to start eating around 30km and will find points in the ride (not on climbs, for example) where I can take in some carbs. A good swig of drink will help get the food down. I’ve never been a big carb-loader, but am not above eating some extra toast and nutella before heading out””and then taking the food easy on the first hour.
As a side note, I find it’s also harder to take in calories in the winter. In summer heat, I’m thirsty, so it’s easy to eat and drink. In the winter, I feel fine right up until I bonk. So learning to eat and drink on the bike requires discipline. Small bites regularly. More than you think.
@Dr C
I thought it was 260km and we’ll be getting in way before midnight, I’m not cycling all that way for someone to to tell me “non, la biere est fini”.
You’d best be careful about relying on my wheel, I’ll have lost a whopping 1.5kg by then, there’ll be nothing to hide behind. You’ve not done a Scaler and got the girl bit wrong as well as the slim and attractive bit?
I think I’d be more concerned about the Pyrenean adventure, in March there’ll be little in terms of gravity to worry about.
A for the girl, she was hypothetical. Or she was until your response suggested that there might be some element of truth in the matter.
@Dr C
I quite like riding in the cold but I don’t know whether it was the intensity of the 2 up 25 segment and pushing the last 10 miles after I’d recovered slightly but my lungs really hurt for an hour or so after I’d finished.
@Chris
260K!!!! No-one told me that (usual state of mental denial)
Furthest I have ridden so far is 150K – I wonder if the Keepers will allow us to do a brother Schleck thing and just hang in at the back (well second from back of the peleton) for the duration, otherwise we could be in a world of trouble
Just thinking on the cold lungs thing – if you think about it, you probably lose more heat via your lungs on a cold day than you do by sweating – blowing a litre of 37.4C air out, and sucking in some 3C version of it every 2-3 seconds is a pretty efficient heat transfer system – maybe one should stuff a hat down one’s trachea in such cold weather??
Failing that, try some EPO??
@Steampunk
Personally, I have found that I need to force hydrate and eat… If I wait until I am thirsty or hungry it’s too late and my performance has already begun to deteriorate. I usually start with the fuel/food 30 minutes in and try and take ~250 calories every 30 minutes (that’s a lot of damn food on a four hour ride!). I try and force myself to drink a water bottle an hour. Depending on the length of the ride I stop at convenience stores along the route to refill bottles and buy some calories.
@Ron
Anytime you want to get together for a ride let me know- with enough notice I am usually available! Occasionally I get into eastern NC- I’ll let you know the next time I go and we’ll see if can work in a ride.
@Steampunk
so frites and mayo is for afterwards only?
Good idea not to eat on the uphill bits, as I was minded recently – I was overtaken by Fabian Cancellara at the top of previously mentioned mountain, so hooked his wheel, and at the top, after I’d got over the disappointment of discovering he was just a random Swiss wearing a red top with a white cross on it, and not the glorious Faboo himself, we made chat, and set off along the summit ridge – nice chap, he spoke in German and I spoke in Irish, so we laughed together as we rode along, none the wiser for what each other was saying – you know, I’d throw in words like Mont Ventoux and Phillipe Gilbert, and he would laugh, he’d say something about Leopard Trek and rear derailleur and I’d laugh, and for a while, we were best mates
Shortly after that we hit a 200m stretch of 6-8%, no great shakes, but for some reason I decided this was the time I chose to eat the bounty bar which had been burning a hole in my jersey pocket – I can tell you, it’s bloody hard to look Pro after you inhale a mouthful of cocount whilst climbing! In true reverence to the tradition of the Swiss, he waited for me as I ground to a halt and fell all over the place coughing my lungs up – nice – gotto love the Swiss
still maintain Kit Kat Chunky is king
@Dr C
I’m no physician or biologist but I suspect that the air wasn’t spending enough time in my lungs to come up to 37.4C. If it had, I’d have been hurting all over as my heart pumped super chilled blood round my body at 156bpm. I’d probably put it down to my (in a former life) penchant for the odd fag.
The longest I’ve been is 156km so I’m mildly nervous about it. I’ve got a 160km sportive the week before but I might also take a day off ride up to my parents and back, that’s about 220km. I could get my mum to hand me a mussette with some cake in it as I go past.
As for the rest of the peleton, they’ll all be jet lagged but to be on the safe side we’ll have to get them heavily into the Belgian beer the night before without damaging ourselves.
@Dr C, @Anjin-san, @Steampunk
As with everything else we Velominati do, careful thought must be given as to whether one’s nutrition or hydration would be considered casually deliberate…
@snoov
Thanks! I know I’m pushing it with Rule #8 based on the white “S” on the front of the HT and the “comp” on the TT, but I really liked the white Fizik tape and had to get it on my bike. The saddle was a result of a recent fitting (along with seatpost and stem), and although I agree black would probably be better, the saddle is unbelievably more comfortable than what I had, plus, I like the silver trim on top and sides that compliment the silver trim on the bike.
The frame itself is actually not obscure, but the shop brand for Performance Bicycle made for them in Taiwan. I did buy it here in town, and although they are a big chain, I was more pleased with the service I received from them than anywhere else I visited.
Good discussion here!
I was asking because I’ve learned/trained how to ride for 3-4 hours & do quite well, whether in groups or solo. But, this 5.5 hour ride caused some stress by the end.
For me personally, I’ve learned that if I’m riding for a few hours I need to start taking in calories at the one hour mark, then about every forty-five minutes thereafter. I like homebrew gel & I’ve been using it for awhile now & doing well on longer rides. (I use brown rice syrup, agave nectar, and a pinch of sea salt.)
I guess I progressed from one hour rides, to two, to three and four; now I’ll need to figure out how to progress to 5+ if I’m going to be doing them. I guess it’s just like the rest of ’em – slow, steady progress.
And yup, eating on the bike is a skill itself. Takes time to know when, how, what to eat & be able to get, and keep, it down.
@Chris
@Dr C
Definitely an effective cooling mechanism (lots of mammals pant to cool off) – I think it used to be thought that the disproportionate increase in respiratory rate on prolonged exertion was partly due to a “panting reflex”. I wouldn’t shove a hat down there though – try a snood…
There’s so much conflicting information about fueling on the go. I’m riding to lose some weight as well as get fitter etc. so don’t want to be piling in 250kcal every 30mins but I suppose there’s no point pedaling squares at 20km/h because you’ve run out of juice.
One thing I’ve come across a lot though is the idea of doing base-mile training at a low intensity (using an HR meter for example) to burn fat rather than carbohydrates. At least that’s what I tell myself I must be doing whilst being overtaken by milk-floats.
@heinous
Don’t do yourself down fella, some of those milk floats are pretty quick these days
Good thinking on the snood – definitely better to use something with a hole down the middle to prevent complete asphyxiation – hope no-one has tried the hat thing since I posted that – actually, maybe an arm warmer would be more cycling specific
@Ron
I always try to get a gel in immediately before I start as well. Unless I’m starting really early, I’ll have a nice big bowl of porridge a couple of hours before I start but not much else until jut before the ride. I don’t like the idea of getting to that first hour mark not having had anything for up to three hours.
I also find that I’ve got to mix it up a bit, gels are great but there’s only so far I can get on them alone. I can’t stand bananas usually but after 110km of synthetic goo, anything natural is a godsend although I would be less interested if it’d been in my pocket all that time. Fruit cake (especially with a bit of icing and marzipan for a bit of sugar boost) and flap jack is good too.
@Dr C
Yeah- you know you’re living the dream when you’re drafting a circa-1982 electric milk-float with half a ton of semi-skimmed on the back.
I hope no-one tries tracheal insulation by any of our suggested methods and if they do – you started it.
@Dr C, @heinous
You chaps may have hit the nail on the head, I’ve got a snood that works very well on the cold days but it wasn’t long after I set off that I’d realised that I’d forgotten to put it on.
It was a giveaway with a cycling magazine and I’m sure that finer examples are to be had (@frank a cheap addition to the V-Kit maybe? One of the Asian based members could get some run up easily) but it does do the job very well. I do tend to keep it on the outside, though @Dr C, unless it’s exceptionally cold.
Chris I agree about the gels and need for hard food sometimes – I do carry gels, especially in summer, but tend to regard them as emergency rations rather than force feed them every hour as many people do.
I find I tend to need something every hour or so – just a mouthful, not much. Small but regular.
On long rides where no croissants etc are to be found I have often used a peanut butter and jam sandwich or bagel. I would cut it into four, so each portion would be my hour snack.
Graeme Obree was partial to marmalade sandwiches apparently.
On the drinking side there is recent evidence (of the scientific kind, as opposed to the funded-by-sports-drink-companies kind) that drinking to a plan, not just when you are thirsty, actually has a negative effect on performance.
@Chris
I think I got the very same item of clothing (about 3 or 4 issues back?) but threw it in the bin after my VMH laughed uproariously at me when I put it on and said I looked like a pirate (not Il Pirata, just a pirate). I really wished I’d had it on Saturday morning for the first few km though…
@heinous
Sounds like the same one.
I fucking hate the word snood, it makes me think of twat football players moaning about how cold it is whilst dressed in tights and LS base layers, gloves and snoods – If it was that cold the ground would be frozen and you wouldn’t be allowed to play. When I was a kid we played rugby in cotton shorts, shirts and socks when the ground was frozen.
Sorry rant over.
@ChrisO
I’d forgotten about PBJ. The problem is that if the ingredients are in the house, I can’t resist it and I’m trying to downsize at the moment. Late night PBJ sarnies are not the way forward.
@Chris
Were you the family that lived in’t septic tank at the bottom of a lake, you’re mum fed you a spoonful of cold poison for dinner every day, before your dad came home and beat you to death with a baseball bat? Aye, you was lucky….etc etc
Secret Policeman’s Ball aside – you and me sound like we need some trimming down pre-P-R – I’m aiming for 5-7kg – I think massive long rides and hypos aren’t the way to go – and the PBJ combo is clearly for you, as it is for me, the Devil’s Work – I’m eating alone these days, as otherwise I eat the kid’s dinner before they get it finished – I’m a fucking gannet, like you wouldn’t believe
I think regular 60-90K with eating as you feel hungry, will keep the kilos falling – otherwise, we’ll just replace what we’re burning off – for the record, I’m currently 90kg (fat bastard) – and listen to your body – if you feel like you’ve drunk to much, you’ve probably drunk too much (night before and day of ride) – I like these Zero tablets – no idea what is in them, but I think they are better than water, and make the fluid load on the guts less bloating – pure anecdotal as ever….
McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes
@Dr C
At 87kg or so, I’ve got a few kilo’s head start on you, I think, but I’m only a short ‘rse. I’ve got a completely schizophrenic set of scales never the same reading so I’ve sort of given up on them. 5 to 7kg is a good target though. I’d like 10kg but that will take longer.
I’m quite good at eating healthy food, I’m just not any good at eating sensible quantities. I’ve been using a certain COTHO’s website to track what I’m eating which does make it alot easier but last week I got the balance between energy in and energy out completely wrong which, along with trying to do a 2 x 20 interval session the night a one hour forty five session had me in bits.
I’ve reorganised the training schedule and I’ll up the energy in part of the equation a bit this week.
I’m quite a fan of the zero tabs as well. I’ not terribly bother about whether they contain calories or not but they are a lot easier on the gut than most. I also like the fact that you can carry some for refuelling further down the ride.
@Dr C
Ah but the chocolate melts – an important factor when tucked in a back pocket at warm times of year, or in Abu Dhabi anytime.
The beauty of peanut butter and jam (by the way that’s JELLY for our friends in the Americas – I bet you all had no idea what we were talking about until that moment) is that it will keep quite well and if you spread the peanut butter on both sides it stops the jam going into the bread.
I have given this considerable thought, as well as empirical observation.
@Dr C @Chris
I recently did my longest effort ever, 160k last October, a week before the Whidbey Island Cogal, and made the mistake of fueling too often. I didn’t want to bonk, so in an effort to stay ahead of the hunger curve I had food at every stop, as well always having HEED in my bottles and consuming the gels and blocks I brought along in my pockets.
While it did keep my from bonking, it also gave me some gut bloating later on in the ride. Wasn’t a deal killer but wasn’t the most comfortable thing ever.
A week later on the Whidbey Island cogal, 130k – I simply drank my HEED and consumed my gels and blocks, without eating all the extra food since there were no organized rest stops, of course. During our lunch break at a coffee shop I drank a coke and ate a granola bar. Less food, but I kept my energy up and didn’t have any uncomfortable bloating. So beware of eating TOO much in an effort to over-compensate and avoid the bonk.
@ChrisO
But your ambient temperature alows for easier spreading peanut butter than ours – here we have to slice it and add it like cheese
I’m hoping it’s baltic at the end of march so the cold slows you down a bit btw
@mcsqueak
Good point, I don’t eat a massive amount on the bike but just try to substitute something a bit more natural into the mix as the ride goes on.
I do tend to eat everything in the house after a long one though!
@Chris
after a particularly long ride last year, my wife caught me squirting tomato kethcup on my son’s head – so I know where you are coming from
I am officially pulling out of the full P-R ride now BTW, and am just doing the last 110K, as if that won’t be bad enough – my take is the first 170K are just designed to tire the Pros out, before the Hell starts on the cobbles – I have officially no pride and expect no less than to be downgraded back to a gery sea urchin with a 4 on it ….
I think kethcup is the same as ketchup FYI
@Dr C
WTF ??? Was this because you were:
A) Delirious and exhausted
B) Annoyed that he had eaten everything else on which one could put ketchup
C) So hungry you were planning to eat him (I have a vision of the little old lady catching Sylvester basting Tweety Pie)
Ketchup is one that needs explaining to the antipodeans, where it is tomato sauce.
I still can’t say ketchup, at least that’s what my wife tells me. I happily say yoghurt (rhyming with slog rather than slow) but every time I say ketchup she sniggers and tells me its all wrong. I’m thinking of going back to Tomato Sauce in protest.
Yes 260km including 50 over cobbles will be quite an ask. I think we will all be secretly thinking you’ve made a very wise choice, but would never admit it of course.
@ChrisO
C)
@Dr C
I like your style but the kids take way too long to cook. After a long ride, I’m looking for quick calories. Having two boys though, it’s reasonable to expect that one of them will probably already be covered in either ketchup or chocolate already.
You blouse! Do we know what the options there are in terms of distance?
@ChrisO
You mustn’t forget the muricans for whom it’s catsup (which to my mildly dyslexic mind brings on a vision of Tweety Pie boiling Sylvester)
reference my open display of V-lessness, I have often found that if one is prepared to jump on one’s sword early, then one often forms part of a friendly kebab (mutiny isn’t the correct word, before someone suggests it)
better to be on the kebab and at the party, than lying in a ditch like a burned shrivelled sausage that even the dog declines (probably my worst metaphor to date)
I think the Pave tour is actually only the last 1/3 anyway, and those who wish to cane the tarmac for the first 170km may need to start very early
I reckon I would like to enjoy the craic after the ride as opposed to sitting in the corner with an intravenous infusion / morphine – having seen your Strava stats however, I think you should definitely go for the full havana ChrisO
@Dr C
Deep down, old chap and I wouldn’t tell anyone else, I’m secretly relieved that you’ve fallen on your skewer. It paves the way for me to do so later but with much more dignity.
Do they put mayonnaise on their kebabs in Belgium?
@Chris
Oi, what do you mean, with a bit more dignity – are you going to claim that you have failed a drugs test or have fractures a thighbone? I think wimping out is perfectly acceptable
Anyway, my job allows me to say whatever the hell I like without offending anyone, which is handy – it also allows me a window into the soul, and teaches me that people are generally saying something but wishing they were saying something quite different – I then provide that conduit for them to vent their innermost anxieties worries and desires
It’s too far, isn’t it Chris?
@Dr C
It’s always the first to fail or wimp out that is remembered. Can I have a Doctor’s Note excusing me from all but the last 110km?
Seriously, though, there’s a part of me, a big part, that says “this is not something that I’m going to do on a regular basis so why fuck about with part of the route”. There’s another part of me, the little part that’s called Sensible Chris, that says “oh for god’s sake, who the fuck do you think you are, listen to the Doctor”. Until it’s a bit clearer what the options are in terms of distance, I’m going to leave it open but I’m going to train my ‘rse off so that if Big Fuckwit Chris wins I might survive the decision.
@Chris
No sir, it’s ketchup here as well. I think catsup is an old alternate spelling/pronunciation. I guess it could still be used somewhere here, but I’ve never heard anyone except my grandmother ever use that word.
@mcsqueak
I’ve seen it used before although I couldn’t for the life of me remember where or when. Wikipedia (I know, take it with a pinch of salt but the origins of the word are quite interesting if you like that sort of thing) cites it as an American way of spelling it.
@Chris
@mcsqueak
I think that way of spelling is used in the south. Could be wrong. When I came back
From Italy I had a hard time with American ketchup. It’s a bit sweeter than what I could get there.
@Ron, @Anjin-san, @Dr C
Its also a matter of training; I’ve always used a simple technique to get better and long distances: ride farther than you need to, more often than you want to. If you’re doing a 150km race, go riding for 200 or 250km, etc. Get your body adjusted to much longer efforts than you’ll be racing and it will be a piece of cake to go the shorter distance.
@Anjin-san
As for your issue taking food on board on a bike – indeed. Its hard to eat when you’re trying not to pass out and want to keep breathing. Gels are the bomb-diggity for this purpose. I expect to eat between 20 and 30 of them on my way up Haleakala next.
@frank
20-30 gels – yah yah yah – does that not just form a plaster mould in the shape of your small intestine?
Looking forward to the report on your preparatory ride for the 280K P-R ride – maybe riding for 24 hrs non stop across the desert?
@Chris
No you can’t have a sick line – you can sit in on my wheel when you’ve done the first 170K as a sympathetic gesture, but otherwise you must be Big Fuckwit Chris for the day – chapeau!
Now, you might well be right, but the need to finish in the velodrome, not somehwere on the Belgian border seems important too
@frank
I can only go on gels for so long before my stomach starts to revolt on me. I have been trying to do at least one 4-to-6 hour ride per week getting ready for my P-R Cyclo in June, not to mention the 200-on-100, and I find that after about 5 hours of gels and gatorade, I start to really feel sick.
I have found good old PBJ sandwiches are awesome as well as pre-microwaved cheap burritos. I pack three of those suckers in a zip lock and also have one PBJ with some gels and I am good for 6+ hours. Mozzarella cheese sticks also kick ass for long ride food, in my opinion.