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 ...
I’ve mentioned this before and it works for me. Last year I did a couple of 200kms rides and a bunch of 160s. Never bonked once. Before I ride I have a bowl of yogurt mixed with raisins and raw oats. Mix it all up and eat. Not very pretty or appetizing I’ll admit, but gives of good, slow energy and is pretty bland so the stomach can handle it.
On the ride, two bottles – one sport drink, one water. Refill at gas stations along the way as needed. I always try and refill/replenish before I run out.
In the pockets, a few gels, couple of chewy granola bars (not the dry kind) and a couple of Oatmeal to Go bars. Very similar to Clif bars in all the nutritional areas, cheap and being square they fit in jersey pockets nicely. I’ll mix up what I eat so as not to have eaten all of anything at once. I usually save a gel for the last 20kms.
50kms and under, one gel usually suffices. Two small bottles if the weather is warm.
100kms and under, two gels, one oatmeal to Go, one Granola, two large bottles. Maybe a refill if warm.
I’m trying to get better at eating a granola bar or Oatmeal bar in a couple of goes instead of all at once.
If I do an organized century, I usually stop at each rest stop, but only for a very short time, refill bottles, grab a quick bite (bananas and maybe a bit of bagel and peanut butter) and go. No hanging about. Piss stops as dictated by nature. I always carry a couple of back-up gels just in case.
That’s what’s worked for me!
@Blah
It’s currently a no-name carbon wrapped piece of alloy nonsense. I hate it.
As is, she tilts the scales at 7.7kg and i’m aiming for sub 7kg eventually, my mate has his addict down to 5.9kg!
I generally like to take the path less travelled with finishing kit, i’ve been looking at the Salsa PM1 (for the looks) or the Control Tech ipost (for weight), your Superlogic post definitely ticks both boxes but at £200, ouch!
Suggestions anyone?
@frank
It doesn’t get easier, you just go faster.
Anyone else looking at this 54cm Pinarello Sestriere on e-Bay?
Oh my …
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/260932743883?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
@wiscot
Yeah those will suck up more time than you realize. I did a century in October with a riding time of something like 7 hours (nothing special, but I did most of it solo), but a resting time almost two and a half hours! So the total time was nearly 10 freakin’ hours. Unbelievable, it certainly didn’t feel like that long!
But I had some food at each stop, and then one stop was a “lunch” where I actually sat down for a bit. One stop was waiting for a ferry so we could cross a river. Nature breaks, and on and on. It all adds up…
@wiscot @Buck Rogers @frank @Chris @Anjin-san
makes you wonder how the Pro Tour boys go a whole year eating that shit constantly
@mcsqueak
I hear you. My computer gives me actual ride time and the difference between that and total time can be startling. The only time I’ll sit down is it it’s hot and near the end, I’ll get the shoes and socks off for a few minutes – amazing how much better that can make you feel.
@mcsqueak
Yeah, that’s one thing that I try to not do. I try to avoiding stopping as much as possible for any reason. I only stop once usually for a 6 hour ride.
I will head out with two big bottles in the cages and one or two in the jersey and all my food and my inner tube/levers/pump and ID and money also in my jersey. It weighs a TON at the start but it is cool as you ride and finish a bottle to pull one out of the jersey and replace it with an empty one. Feels so much better.
I think this will be key on the Keepers Tour rides and the cyclosportifs and the 200-on-100. In order to finish a ride like those, you cannot be stopping that often, and then only for the absolute minimum amount of time or you will be finishing in the dark or not at all.
@Dr C
I love reading about how they used to eat ham sandwiches and pasta on the bike. I wonder if anyone still does that nowadays?
@wiscot
Yeah, that ride I didn’t care so much as it was my first crack at 160k, and I was more interested in enjoying the ride for riding sake and finishing while feeling decent than turning myself inside out to beat a certain time.
I have a few rides planned for spring/summer though that I’d certainly like to improve my time on. Limiting rest stop times is one strategy I’m going to employ, even if I need to set a timer on my phone to remind me to get moving…
@Buck Rogers
Totally with you on this one. I find if I have to keep stopping I lose my rhythm and tire more quickly.
On an organised 100km ride last year I managed to go through a feed station, drop some money on the counter and grab two doughnuts with out stopping…
and got berated by my riding buddies for taking it too far! In my defence, I was on a personal challenge to do the 100km in under 3 hours. Made it by 30 seconds, wouldn’t have done it if I’d stopped.
@Buck Rogers
One of the things I remember from the Graeme OBree movie was him reacting with disgust to some road food another rider had, and telling him Marmalade sandwiches were the way to go. Ton of sugar and a bit of citric acid to settle the stomach.
I might also be making that up. Unreliable witness anyone?
@Buck Rogers
I limit myself to three tire changes per ride.
@itburns
Ha! I think that I have caught the tube popping disease! I seem to be flatting so much recently. Cannot wait to get on my sewups and see if that helps!
@minion
I used to race against Obree a lot and nothing unorthodox about him surprises me. If he felt that eating roadkill worked best, I’m sure he would have done it.
Speaking of the Flying Scotsman, the new Transport Museum in Glasgow has both his Old Faithful and the Superman bikes on display. You can get nice and close and see how home-made they are. They look kinda grubby too. Just awesome. The rest of the bike displays leave much to be desired unless you’re 15′ tall . . .
@Chris
+1.
@Buck Rogers
I still do that. It’s a holdover from my running days when I would stuff all manner of food items in my CamelBak… pizza wrapped in aluminum foil was my favorite when running, but it doesn’t fit real well in my jersey pockets. Sandwiches for long rides… PB&J in the summer (cause it sticks together and doesnt get too nasty in the heat) and turkey with avocado in the cold weather. Beef jerkey also seems to hit the spot with me about 3 hours in… protein, salt, hmmm good.
@Anjin-san
Yeah, I saw that you used to run ultra’s as well. I only did two ultras before seeing the light and giving up running altogether! But I still carry a few habits over onto the bike!
@itburns
Hey Brother! I am going to go up and ride the Tour de Gruene 100 k route on this Thursday morning. If you are around, do you want to meet up? I might do a bit over100 k but will do that loop and then add on from there, time permitting. Love to ride with you if possible.
@wiscot
Oh well fuck me if my eyes didn’t just fall out of my head. Round the time the movie came out I worked with a mentally unstable perverted giant englishman who related some interesting stories about O’Bree, which got my interest in him going.
I did work with the englishman though.
Sweet Jesus, I cannot go back to riding my old bike again!!!
Took a Focus Izalco Pro out for 2 hr demo ride from the bike expo the TDU is running tonight…MAJOR CARBONE!!! That thing just flew up any incline, the difference between the full carbon, all DA Focus & my aluminium Schwinn with its Sora running gear was like going back 50 years in development.
N+1 must be satiated now!
Oh yeah, it only set a lazy 14 PB’s during the ride
@Mikael Liddy
That’s why I never take the LBS up on their bike and wheel demos. I don’t want to create an itch I can’t scratch…
@Buck Rogers
If only I could. It is “planning time” with my client right now. One of the rare times during the year that I have to be on location every day. That route is so much fun.
@itburns
Well, I try to ride it at least twice a month, sometimes every week, so let me know in the future when you have a Thursday that would work for you and we’ll link up!
@mcsqueak
EXACTLY! Dangerous stuff playing with the ones above your pay grade (be it bikes, cars or even women!)
@minion
Do tell. Mind you, the source’s reliability must be borne in mind. I know the English weren’t keen on Obree as they didn’t care for a wild-eyed, unconventional Scot from sunny Ayrshire on a homemade bike coming down and creaming their best TT boys. He was one of the few to ever give Boardman a run for his money.
I also heard that the English commissaires used to bring out the rule book on frame geometry et al and give Graeme’s bike a real going over so they could disqualify him if possible (kinda like the UCI and the shit they gave him over his saddle during one of his attempts to win the world pursuit championship, but that’s another story). For the record, in amateur TTs (at least in Scotland) the commissaires almost NEVER measured bikes for “legal” compliance.
Let’s face it, the man’s a freaking legend.
Don’t wanna tell another man’s stories, since not all of them involved good behavior, but OBree was definitely respected by this guy and a bit of a hero I think (OBree was a bit older.) Definitely a large part of the cycling consciousness in the UK judging by the impact he made,and that still gets talked about now.
@mcsqueak
Yeah I may have just asked for a whole pad of the entry forms for the $8k version they’re giving away at the end of the tour.
@Mikael Liddy
See Rule #4.
Mikael Liddy – You’re on an Al Schwinn with Sora? Goodness, I can only imagine how that test ride felt! Good on ya for blasting away on your bike, but yeah…start saving those pennies. I started with an Al Cannondale and 105 (pretty nice stuff) but now I’m sure it would feel slow & ancient.
Not knocking what anyone is riding, but hey, a nicer, lighter, stiffer bike is…a nicer bike.
But yes, avoid test rides unless your piggy bank is nearly full, lest you go mad with CARBONE desire!
@Steampunk
Well you did notice how I didn’t claim them?
@Ron
You can see the Focus rep putting the pedals back on mine in the background of the photo. It’s actually a really nice ride, needs a running gear update but outside of that it’s pretty good.
Is there any worse purgatory than awaiting the arrival of shiny new components?
@The Oracle
Certainly not! These arrived at long last…the wait was killing me!
Does anyone have experience using Yokozuna Reaction cables with Campa? Tempted to give it a shot – I’ve only ever used the cable sets provided by Campa…
I guarantee you, those are more exquisite than any of the components I’m waiting for.
@frank
Having used them on the Shimano I would say go for it. Gonna use en again when it’s time to recable my ride.
@The Oracle
Waiting for the V-Kit! The day they arrive Frank is going to walk out of his front door and trip over me balled up on his porch, shaking with cold sweats, just having hitchhiked up to Seattle in some sort of daze/stupor, in search of the sacred garments.
@mcsqueak
I’m almost as excited to get my v-decals, especially after seeing the pics of how Oli’s turned out so well in the “Keepers” thread.
I’ve just learned that my new Ultegra group is out for delivery and should be waiting for me at home! Wheee!
I’ve got a serious Rule #11 conundrum, though. Today is my daughter’s fourth birthday. It is going to take all my willpower not to escape into the basement to start installing the new group as soon as I get home. On the flip side, the sugar high I will get from the cake will surely keep me well-fueled for a late night wrenching session…
@The Oracle
Personally, I’d do the cake/party thing, be seen to eat a lot of cake, play the good dad then claim massive sugar buzz that means you can’t sleep. Just say you’ll be in the basement for a wee while and then lose track of time.
If you are in the basement wrenching while the party goes on upstairs, that’ll come back and haunt you, likely preceded with the words “Like fuck you will, remember XXX’s birthday party and you were in the basement playing with your bike . . . . “
@wiscot
Perhaps I should mention the other factor in the equation–I have a two-hour group trainer session on Saturday morning, at which there will be several hard core local cyclists. Do I install the new parts late into the night, at the risk of suffering from lack of sleep on Saturday morning or (worse yet) suffering an embarrassing mechanical issue on the trainer as a result of said late-night installation? Or, do I wait until after the trainer session, giving me a full week to fine-tune the new components?
@The Oracle
I would plan out your install tonight, and then wait until tomorrow after your ride to install all the new shiny bits. Murphy’s law says something will go wrong and you’ll miss the session if you do all the work tonight. But that’s just what I’d do. You may be much more mechanically competent than I. I’d screw something up for sure…
@frank
What, exactly, is wrong with Campa cables?
@The Oracle
Fixed your post. Don’t miss the party!
@mcsqueak
I’ll echo McSqueak here. Plan ahead but install after the trainer ride. Seems like this is a crowd you don’t want to look a prat in front of. If the bike runs ok now, delay the install. Having time to do it properly and test ride the results mean that next time you’re in the session, you’re cool, calm and confident your new gear works.
@wiscot
Yeah, that’s definitely the most prudent course, but you know how it goes. After the kiddos are in bed I’ll be relaxing by the fire with a glass of wine, and I’ll think to myself, “what harm can there be just to open up the box and take a peek?” I’ll slowly unpack the crankset, enjoying the aroma that comes with lightly-oiled, factory-new components. I’ll gaze fondly at the way the light plays off of the seductive curves and the finely-machined teeth of the lightweight but robust chainrings. And then inevitably, I will find myself in the shop, frantically tearing off my old components in a rush to mount that shiny new groupset, and before I know it, two hours will have gone by in the blink of an eye and I’ll fall back, sweating and exhausted, with with the special warm glow you feel deep in your loins after such an intense and powerful experience.
er … or something like that …
@The Oracle
I like shiny new things too, but try to avoid mixing them with alcohol. By all means gaze, fondle, stroke the components but put them in the kid’s room before the party. That way, she’ll be in bed and you won’t want to wake her by going in to get them Put them under her pillow if necessary!
Believe me, showing some restraint vis a vis the bike (as hard as that can be) can pay dividends later and avoid ugly confrontations by a wife/partner later when said incident is brought up . . .
Restrain yourself and do the job in the cold, sober light of dawn. You know it makes sense.
@The Oracle
After using SRAM I realized how well Shimano hoods fit my hands, especially the current Ultegra. I feel like SRAM is too narrow and too pointy at the top.
I’m surprised the manufacturers don’t make hoods for various hand sizes and widths.
@Buck Rogers
Guilty as well. That said I still enjoy getting out and doing some trail running. Road running, never, but give me a few hours of single track and I am still game.
We all have a cycling odyssey… finding a saddle that fits our uniquely shaped posteriors and riding style. My odyssey took me though Fizik, Bontrager, San Marco, and Selle, before I found Selle SMP. The Forma fits my butt perfectly. That said, I sprung for a sweet carbon railed job this summer for Bike #1. The saddle was perfect, but over the intervening 3,500k it has warped so that the right side is about 70mm higher than the left. Needless to say this is a bit uncomfortable. I am in the process of exchanging it under warranty (I hope), but I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with a carbon railed saddle or if anyone has any ideas for repairing it or adjusting it. Any feedback is most appreciated.
Here is a bike cleaning tip that I just had an “ah-ha!” moment about today. This may be old hat for some of y’all but it had never previously occurred to me, and I felt pretty smart.
Since I’m dedicated to the ways of the Velominatus Budgetatus, my Bike #1 is also my rain bike. A few weeks back I spent several hours giving it a really good, though cleaning and then waxed it afterwords with Pedro’s Bike Lust.
I don’t know why I never thought of this before, but a waxed bike makes cleaning off leaf jizz (which is still around for some reason), pine needles, and mud super easy. I just sprayed a bit of plain water from my bidon over the dirty areas, and wiped down with a soft cloth. Bingo bango bongo, clean frame in like two minutes.
And to think, I almost busted out the hose…