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 ...
@Buck Rogers
Come to the Dark Side my friend… it’s pretty sick! Carbon frames don’t have the feeling of permanence that comes with steel, titanium or aluminum, but the ride quality, stiffness, weight, and corrosion resistance are pretty darn hard to beat. Plus, they do look kind of cool.
@DerHoggz
You are a stud! Unless you live in someplace like Kansas where the biggest climb is a highway overpass ; )
I live among the nice rolling hills of Western PA. I wouldn’t say I’m a stud. The climbs around here are pretty short, just steep. There are a few 20% spots (I actually just looked them up, didn’t know they were that bad) that are short enough to just power over, but mostly now more than 12% or so. I only average 32m/h on a good day, usually it is closer to 28-30km/h.
@DerHoggz
Faster than me… If I avoid routes with categorized climbs I average 300-400 meters of vert an hour, usually at 28-30 kmh per hour… Go for the climbs and I usually get close to 1,000m per hour of vert and the speed comes way down. I’d say you are bordering on studly pushing a 42 in western PA.
Here we are, halfway round an 80k run yesterday, and feeling very Rule IX compliant.
@Anjin-San / DerHoggz
Question for you – how do you guys know how much/what grade climbing you are doing – is that all done on a GPS?
@al
I suspect they are using a GPS then uploading to one of the various mapping/training sites. If you don’t have a gps and want to know gradients and meters climbed you can manually map a ride at mapmyride.com (probably at other sites too).
@napolinige
I don’t do GPS, my phone’s GPS only works for Google Maps, not Strava and MapMyRide, probably because of rooting it, but whatever. I just enter it manually at MapMyRide.
@napolinige
I’m not too sure how accurate Map My Ride is. A riding companion measured 1400m of climbing on his Garmin 500 for our ride this past Saturday, but Map My Ride says only 1100m when I plot it. That’s a big difference. Presumably they use the same satellite data. Anyone care to guess why the difference?
@Bianchi Denti
I am making an assumption here – is the data reading taken from the garmin 500 itself or from Connect? The garmin head unit uses barometric measurements rather than map data for altitude. When you upload the data to garmin-connect you can click a box for altitude adjustment, which then uses map data to adjust the altitude.
Interestingly, when I adjust my data it shows my garmin is under-estimating my altitude gains, the opposite of your friend’s discrepancy.
I have found that mapmyride underestimates climbing by quite a bit. I’ve used it to do recon on a couple of Fondo rides only to be suprised by the gradients when I get there so I’m guessing if the gradient is off then the total meters climbed will be under also which has been the case when compared to my Garmin 500.
@paolo
@Bianchi Denti
Just did a quick google – it would seem by the many different forum topics I scanned that MMR is undercutting altitude gains.
@Blah
Finally, the scientific cover I require for climbing with the speed and grace of wet sand.
@paolo
I use Strava with a Garmin 500 and have found it to be pretty accurate. Quite a few Velominati on Strava too. Very cool to see how much others ride!
@Anjin-san
I have never posted a ride on Strava. Do they have any new competitions I can help out with this year?
@al
I use A Garmin 500 and post to Strava. I also use TrainingPeaks.com to plan my training calendar and analyze results. the distance and climbing for both sites seems to line up pretty consistently.
@RedRanger
Not yet- January is an individual base miles competition.
@Anjin-san
Thus ensuring those of us signed up not only contravene Rule #74 but also Rule #24…oh the shame of it!
@Mikael Liddy
If your phone has GPS you can jut fire up their app and throw it in a pocket. My Strava does kilometers.
@DerHoggz
Yeah mine’s the same, I was just commenting on how the comp that Strava is running is a “Base Miles” one where they’re keeping score of how many miles you ride in January no matter whether you’ve got your account set to metric or imperial measurements.
@Blah
Interesting you mention this. I did my first ride with a Garmin 500 yesterday and the elevation gain from the device was about half that of the G-Connect correction (603 v 1117 m). Maybe my labored breathing changed the local barometric pressure?
@Blah
Thanks @Blah and @paolo for the useful information. The Garmin climb gain was taken straight from the unit. I can now appear intelligent when I explain this to the guys next Saturday.
As I have no interest in using anything other than a simple V-meter, it’s probably safest to just measure the climb total on MMR and double it.
Sorry to drag the conversation back to bicycles, but has anyone seen Gilbear’s new BMC???
Daddy Want!
@Mikael Liddy
That is pretty hot. Even though I shouldn’t be, I’ve been fantasizing about a new ride recently (really should get serious about a house before I buy another bike).
A BMC would be very nice. Of course, another Felt would be fine too!
@Anjin-san
what’s your Strava name – I haven’t updated my Velominati list recently, so will plug you in
@Dr C
Got you now Dave!
I must say, for a relative (self promotional term) newbie, Strava has really helped me push myself over the past 6 months – anything that encourages painful laying down of V should be encouraged IMHO
@Mikael Liddy
That is a very cool bike. I already have one BMC that, after having been looking over my shoulder whilst admiring PhilGil’s, has just informed me that it is lonely at night and would really like some company. Now I’m all for ensuring my babies are well catered for but I think this may be out of our league (mutual sigh…).
@Mikael Liddy
Badass – I hope he still wears his “Devil in the Peleton” Belgian colours kit he wore in 2011 – super badass
Shame he is colourblind when it comes to picking his bidons
I believe I have solved the Garmin mount problem with the Look C-Stem. Great spot for the V-Cog also!
@Anjin-san
I still can’t get over how raw carbon is on that bike. Stunning. Nice work on getting that resolved.
@sthilzy
Or you could drill some holes in the bottom of the old bottle. That’ll provide drainage.
@Mikael Liddy
Why not the Impec? You would think BMC would be pimping those.
Regardless, sick bike.
@al
You were riding that lovely bike through farm fields?
I just serviced one of my machines!
I did a lot of riding in bad weather recently and living by the coast is not helping with the sand getting everywhere after each ride.
I can’t come up with better quality photos at the moment so sorry in advance.
@al
Nice shot.Wish you took the photo of the drive side though.
I can’t see from the picture what Canyon frame is that?
@TommyTubolare
Sweet Cervelo. Can’t go wrong w/ red, black, and white. I think everyone has to have at least 1 red bike in the stable.
@TommyTubolare
Looks like an Ultimate CF 9.0
@lucky
Impressed – in fact its a CF8, because I preferred the Ultegra
I do like the frame.
The bike is just leant on the sidewalk so thats the side you get. It was a cold ride, and I think next weekend is one for the rollers and 6 Nations rugby in the Irish bar in town (Cwmry am myth) before a very late SuperBowl Sunday (on CET here). My busy life …
@TommyTubolare
Beautiful! Great to see someone with some good drop! Impeccably built – always love the classic look of the 10spd Ergos.
@TommyTubolare
Stunning bike!
@TommyTubolare
sweet baby jesus…those are some nice wheels. They make any bike look badass and this one is looking highly badass. Someday, somehow, I may possibly own those wheels.
@GottaRideToday
Thanks a lot.For me red is nice,not for everybody though I think.
@frank
Thanks for your comments.I’m kind of flexible and although I use -17 stem my bars still feel high especially on top and on the hoods.The only time I begin to feel lower is when I go into drops position.I’m very comfortable though in all positions so I guess this set up really works for me.I can’t stand high handlebars.I feel much more control over bike with low bars for sure.
In terms of groupset it’s not full Record 10 as I use some Record 11/S.Record 11 parts there however Ergos are Record 10 and shifting is top notch.My all time favourite from Campagnolo.
@Bianchi Denti
Appreciate your comment,thanks.
Nice bike.
I agree that red, black, and white are the “safe” colors in cycling.
@Gianni
Thanks.Believe it or not these wheels are totally bulletproof.I bought a special internal spoke nipples key from Park Tool to use it before you glue the tires however until now I didn’t have to.Plus they definitely got the riding qualities and looks covered.If you get a chance to buy them,even second hand,you will not be disappointed.
@DerHoggz
Thanks.These colours definitely work for me.
@TommyTubolare
I don’t mean safe in a bad way, just that you can get pretty much everything to matchy-match easily.
@Dr C
Gilbert’s Belgian colours…
http://www.sporza.be/permalink/1.1208179
The clip is an interview in Flemish and French, in between some shots of him training with Team BMC and @2:17 you see him posing.
@23 sec: ik heb wel al veel goesting! (= I am already excited, I am ready, I am looking forward to it) Love to hear him saying that in Flemish with his juicy French accent.
@DerHoggz
/looks at the red/white/black LG jersey he just got, slowly slides it behind him and hopes no one notices…
@TommyTubolare
Wow. That is a sweet machine. I’m not particularly fond of that bar bend, but with that kind of saddle-to-bar drop, I couldn’t reach it, anyway.