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 ...
@girl
I swim if I’m in the Caribbean, run only if being chased.
Multi sports are interesting, if only because I can picture some dude a hundred years ago sitting in some Austrian pub after a humiliating defeat in the hard-man’s sport of cross country skiing. “You may have beaten me, but I bet if we had to carry a rifle and shoot at an arbitrary nonsensical target every few km, I would have a chance!”
– Excerpt from The Birth of the Duathlon, by Calmante
Biathlon, sorry. Duathlons are for people who can’t run or ride particularly well, but absolutely cannot swim.
@Calmante
A beauty, I like the gussets (if that’s what they are).
@sthilzy
Wow, that’s an awesome link, thanks! I’ve been thinking about new bars recently – I want some traditional bend bars, but I’m unsure on how deep or shallow I want them. My current bars feel OK in the drops, and I can brake fine, but shifting is a little cumbersome – so I want to address that as well.
“You may ski faster, but I’m well fed.”
– Excerpt from “Surviving the Brutal Winter in Freyja’s North”, by Itburns.
@Calmante
Fucking Biathlon, now THERE is a Hardman’s sport. Dabbled in it when I was nordic racing during high school and college in Vermont but never really did it.
My barber of all people was an ex-USA olympic biathlete and he loaned me his 0.22 biathlon rifle to train with. Used it some in the woods where we also had snowmachine trails that I could skate-ski on but never really got into it b/c no one else on my team did it.
Now I kill myself as I should have really got into it and taken him as a coach. He was looking for someone worthy to train, obviously wasn’t me.
@scaler911
Top call.
@itburns
I want to read that book.
@Buck Rogers
Cross country skiing is right up there with riding in my book. My favorite winter sport… To watch. Those guys are hardcore, and the racing dynamics in the mass start events are extremely similar to cycling.
@snoov
You know what’s crazy about that frame? Calfee (formerly Carbonframes) still makes it. I can’t think of any bike out there with a longer history; 24 years!
Calfee Tetra/LeMond Alpe d’Huez
@snoov
I prefer not to use the word “gusset” in relation to my bike or any bike. One of those words to be avoided like moist, phlegm and triathlon.
Is that your bike?!
@wiscot
So I’m not the only one that thinks moist is a disgusting word? All my friends think I’m insane (I probably am).
@DerHoggz
There are a couple of words that send me into a dry heave. Moist would defiantly be descriptive of both of them.
@DerHoggz
It’s a word with unpleasant connotations. Avoid using it in conjunction with gusset at all costs.
@Calamari
I prefer the 1990 bike. I also thought that edition of the Drop-In was a cooler look. But man, were those things flexy! I can still feel the shimmy of hammering along at 50kph dropped-in, with the bars just wobbling all over!
[dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/frank/2012.02.14.21.56.11/”/]
@wiscot
A+1
(With that I close the discussion on “Words we don’t like”)
@frank
And when you stood up to climb, it was like stomping on a pogo stick. super whippy.
@scaler911
But my goodness my guinness they Looked Magnificent. And, of course, I rode with the Scott stickers on there, and I used the same tape LeMan did – which was the Benotto cello tape. BAD. ASS.
@frank
Fuck Ya. And Time Mag Pedals. Mmmmmmm.
@scaler911
Man, for some reason I thought LeMan was a Look pedal guy, especially with his association with Tapie.
@motor city
Ha! That’s awesome. I still have some serious nervousness when I drop one of my nice bikes off at the shop for an extended stay. Big time separation anxiety, and fear that they’ll clank some commuter bike against it or grab my bar tape with greasy paws. However, that’s very romantic!
Question: I have a Campagnolo Centaur gruppo, circa 2007. It’s Ultra Torque with the external cups, etc. It’s also…a compact! (I know, I know.) I really don’t like switching between standard and compact, doesn’t ever feel right. So, can I just switch out chain rings to go standard or do I need an entire new crankset (cranks + rings)?
@Ron
The BCD diameter will be different. Campy uses 135mm BCD for their standard cranks, and compacts are 110mm. So, you will need new cranks as well. You could probably find standard rings for 110mm, but they would be really flexy and not a normal thing to do.
BCD diameter, redundant.
Use a cassette with a lower range. Gear inches wise, 11 – 23 I think in compact will be close to 12 – 25 in standard, and you should be able to use an 11 – 21 if Campy makes one. Someone who uses girly cranks might know better, cos I don’t.
Who said that you’re two feet taller and harder than nails when you’re on the interwebs?
DerHoggz – Ah, right. I think I knew that. But, thanks for clearing that up. I checked out cranksets that match my gruppo, nothing too expensive, which is good.
A lil’ Valentine’s Day lovin’ for all the Velominati out there! A Llewellyn close-up:
Saw Darrell McCulloch’s bikes at NAHBS in Richmond a few years back. Very slick bikes.
@Ron
Of course he makes slick bikes Ron. He is an Australian.
@Buck Rogers
@frank
@Calmante
A parting comment on triathlons. JaJa does them! And he is cooler than the other side of the pillow.
@Buck Rogers
He was, when he rode for Tapie. Then he got shot, found redemption, and switched to Time.
@Ron
That’s dead sexy sir.
I just received “Lugged Frame Construction…” (the one @cyclops used to build Fränks frame). While I’m not going to be gifting anyone a frame anytime soon, it’s stuff like that that gives me ideas.
@frank
That bike looks even cooler with the rider perched upon it:
http://www.velominati.com/general/anatomy-of-a-photo-greg-leman/
@Marcus
I LOVE Jaja. He’s right up there with Jens in my opinion. I also saw the result of one IM that he did where he came out of the water in something like 1050th place, came off the bike in 42nd place and then finished in around 80th place. That dude passed over 1000 people on the bike leg and still managed a decent run. Pretty amazaing!
But, then again, they were only tritards, not real athletes.
@frank
Ahh, thanks. Forgot about that part of switching to Time. I rode Looks in the late ’80s. Weren’t Time way more expensive than the middle-of-the-road Looks? Seems I coveted the Times but never could even think about buying any.
Back to shoes, my shiny white ones came today. Do I wear them for an inaugural wet/dirty ride today or wait for nice weather?
@DerHoggz
Go for it!
@DerHoggz
What @RedRanger said. I felt absolutely fabulous when I took out my White Ladies the first time, (I might have looked fabulous too but that’s not for me to say) even though the roads were wet and they got a bit dirty. When I got home I gave them a quick wash and they still looked fabulous!
@DerHoggz
Shoes are meant to be ridden in – so ride them regardless of the weather. I would, however, advise you throw on some Belgian Booties or other overshoes if you have them.
Heeeeeeey. Someone answer my dumb question!
After Steampunk posted about wheels, I started thinking about them more. I’m getting pretty close to pulling the trigger on these. I’ve been thinking about new wheels for a long time, basically since I purchased by bike so I think it’s about time I did something about it.
If I just take my current cassette off my existing wheel, will I need to adjust the limit screws on my RD when using the new wheels? Do all wheels/hubs for road bikes have the same width these days?
My cassette is probably getting a bit long in the tooth, so I’ll be replacing it soon and I’ll probably just throw my current one back on my old wheels as a backup. If I were to get a cog with a different tooth configuration (say 12-28 rather than 11-25, – can’t decide if it’ll make a difference or not) would that require any tweaks to the RD?
@mcsqueak
There’s one way to find out: once you have the new wheels/cassette mounted, put the bike on the workstand and spin it. If it makes noise or doesn’t shift correctly, it will need adjustments.
There are no dumb questions. Just dumb people that ask stupid questions! ( joking )
Almost certainly you will need to tweak the RD. I have a couple of sets of wheels and they are different. Changing the cassette on the same set of wheels should in theory not make a difference to the RD but it may take a little tweak. I’m no Oli but I have found if you just watch real close (on a stand) and see what’s going on you can figure it out and make very small adjustments one adjustment at a time.
Between my two sets of wheels I have it dialed in so I know exactly the adjustment to make for the RD both on the cable and the limit screw when I switch.
Incidently we have a new cat..she can’t meow, she squeeks. I named her McSqueek.
@The Oracle
Ha, true enough.
@mcsqueak
My guess is no. As best I understand em the limit screws are more or less a set it and forget it kind of thing.
@paolo
Cool, thanks. I guess in my mind I had this image of just effortlessly being able to swap wheels with no adjustments, but it probably won’t work that way. Ah well, something new to learn and break on my ride! I’ve already busted a FD last year, so maybe this year it’ll be my RD. Expensive lessons to learn, those are.
Ha, funny story about your cat! Did you really name her mcsqueak? That is pretty funny.
Yeah we called her Heidi McSqueek coz she hides under the bed and squeeks. Mind you shes started coming out more now. Shes 6 from a shelter. Tabby.
Yeah the Maddux wheels I use when I ride with my VMH are very heavy and soft so it makes me work harder, they are just a tad wider I guess than my dura ace. Same cassette. It’s like 3/4 turn out on the barrel adjuster and a half turn out on the outside limit screw. But you might get lucky. I don’t know if it’s possible to use some kind of spacer adjustment to make two different sets the same?? SOmeone with more experieince might say. But if you just use a stand and take your time it’s not hard to figure out. Patience and 1/4 turns at a time on both the limits and the barrel.
@mcsqueak
My experience has been pretty effortless swapping rear wheels to and fro, mostly between wheel for trainer (cheated once or twice and ruined a conti gator (folding of course) which nearly ended my season (lost adhesion and went down on a wet metal bridge). So, trainer wheel is trainer wheel, road wheel is road wheel. Race wheel is, well, lonely.
if you think about changing cassetes, review your goddamn gear charts. 50×11 is much bigger than 53×12. A 50×12 is kinda puny top end. Just sayin. and giving up your 28 for a 25 will hurt on those rated climbs.
On the other hand, you might want to wait until you decide to race and save the $ until you know what you want for racing. Unless this is it. which <600$ 1300gm wheelset is pretty damn rockin bang for buck!
@mcsqueak
Funny, after that discussion I think I’m going to get version of these Corsa but in lighter version
ps..not the exact same cassette of course that would be daft…same size etc.
@paolo
Ha, cute. Yeah my VMH and I adopted a cat last year who didn’t make a peep for weeks. I thought she was a mute. But she finally started talking and now meows up a storm. Pretty funny.
Yeah, if I run into trouble I’ll just force @scaler911 to help me out, at threat of good beer and food. No big deal.
@gaswepass
Yeah, I’d like to keep these old wheels as trainer wheels, and just run my old tires on them.
I currently run a 11-25, which DOES hurt me on the big rated climbs – at the end of the climbing on the cogal my quads were starting to cramp. But I also know my current wheels are fucking heavy, and I still have a lot of growth in fitness to achieve over the coming years. I just sometimes think that having a 12-28 for big climbing days would be nice. I guess I can always buy an 11-25 and a 12-28 and just switch between them depending on my needs. I rarely run out of top end, but then again if I spent more time on fast group rides I’ll need it.
@itburns
Yeah I thought about that brand as well since it’s made here in PDX. The thing I liked about the Revs over the Corsa 1.2Lite is that they have more spokes but the same weight. Makes me feel a bit better in case I bust a spoke on a ride (which has happened to me). I’m 175lbs so I don’t want to go too crazy with low-spoke wheels.
I start too many sentences with yeah, I just noticed. What a crutch.
Just an extra thought. I don’t know if you run a compact. Sounds like you might. I do and I use an 11-28. I’m sure some people here would think that horrendus. I have a lot of climbing in my area and I need to lose 20 lbs and I’m no spring chicken so I need what I need and I’m good with that. Anyhooo that said an 11-28 is really the best of all worlds. Yeah the change on the two smallest cogs isnt super smooth but the rest is BUT unless you have Di 2 getting it set up so that theres no front rd chain rub at all is close on impossible even with the trim.
So what I do is make sure that the only bit of rub I get is in the hardest gear. 50×11 isn’t used all that much and when it is used I’m going like the wind and I can’t hear it anyways. That way you ensure you get no rub when climbing and it’s all silent..coz that shit will drive you bonkers.
@mcsqueak
You probably just type like you talk. I’ve found it’s usually the sign of someone whos pretty personable.