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 EffectRule #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 BlackGuest 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 StableDialing in the Stable
    This 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 rugMatching the drapes to the rug
    As 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 HourFestum Prophetae: Waiting for the Hour
    Everyone 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 ...

15,871 Replies to “The Bikes”

  1. @Oli

    But, but I’m Oli-Wan Kenobi!

    No fair! You stole mine long-time moniker, “Obi-Frank Kenobi”. I guess I’ll have to settle for Qui-Frank Ginn.

  2. So I managed to convince my velominotte (not a cyclist in any way) that it was a good idea to upgrade my number two steed otherwise it was in need of replacement. So here is the result, with only the stock seatpost left for your comments.

  4. So, I’m thinking about undertaking a progetto. I’ve seen a beautiful looking frame and fork purporting to be a Colnago Junior. When I say beautiful, it has been painted up like the current Colnago Master, including chromed drive side chain stay. Problem is, I can’t find any decent info on such a bike so anyone here know anything about them?

    The fork has the word Colnago embossed on the top of each leg, and the same is on the dropouts. The frame and fork are reasonably old – down tube shifter bosses, threaded 1″ steerer. The seller tells me it’s sized for 700c wheels, Italian bottom bracket (naturally), although some of the other dimensions he shared make me think it could be hard to find seatposts and so forth. The word Junior is embossed on the top of the none drive side bottom bracket shell.

    Essentially my dilemma is that it’s a thing of rare beauty but the asking price seems steep for an old steel frame and fork.

  5. Lister, nice bike. What bars? Traditional round bars always look nice. That head tube looks long as. Do we have another damn tall Follower?

    marko & G’rilla – I have 9-speed 105 stuff on a road bike, Force/Red on my cross bike. I’ve considered swapping them, mainly due to the price of Shimano stuff over the SRAM. I did break a right shifter earlier this year (but it was a second-hand one, so who knows.) I was pretty happy with SRAM through season 1 of racing, but I do know you didn’t like it, G’rilla.

    Mikael – that freakin’ lil’ tricolor boot is awesome! Jealous, very jealous you get that for a full year.

  6. First off all, thanks everyone for the help this past couple weeks. It’s finally home!

    2011 Giant Defy Advanced 3

    While the Roubaix was a lot more bike, I just didn’t feel close to as comfortable on it as the Giant. My suspicions were confirmed by the owner while fitting “Dude, this thing fits you perfect”. A slight cut to the seat post was required, my legs are that short, but otherwise a great bike.

    Since it was a leftover, I had a little budget leftover. I replaced my helmet (Hadn’t been replaced despite a decent fall during my early days), got shoes (leftover Specialized Comps with semi-carbon outsole and a rachet (old shoes were specialized sports), Shimano 105 pedals, and some Serfas Shades (My first pair of cycling specific eyeware, and they come with 4 lenses). All said and done I spent $2000 USD, which was less then my original budget and I look champ in it all.

    The Extras:

    Maiden Voyage was wonderful tonight. Not terribly long but a quick hammer with some punchy hills and descents to get comfortable. I already know this bike is a great fit.

    Bar tape will have to go at some point, its the worst bit on the bike for sure. Otherwise all stock for now, even the saddle works well, a longer ride will confirm that. The leftover budget is going towards a red and black Garmin 500.

  10. @King Clydesdale

    Niiiiiiice. Yes, that tape needs to go. Someone get this man a roll of fizik microtex tape in white, stat!

    Regarding your helmet, if you ever fall again contact the manufacturer. Many of them will allow you to trade in a crashed helmet for a brand new one at a significant discount.

  11. @Marko

    I’m built more like a bull, but I was always told a Clyde was someone over 200 pounds. I weighed 245 when I graduated, I’m not hovering at that magic 200 mark. Aiming for 180 this summer.

    @Marcus

    Poor editing on my part, the orange bits are actually red.

  13. King C., congratulations! Nice bike, nice management of Budgetatus!

    Enjoy spring 2012 on your new steed. I see no better way to hit your target weight than having that charmer on your hands. One reason I ride so much is that I have nice stuff, would feel guilty not riding my bikes or using the nice gear. I hear my bikes talking to me if they are hanging on the wall too long…

  14. @Ron

    Lister, nice bike. What bars? Traditional round bars always look nice. That head tube looks long as. Do we have another damn tall Follower?

    That looks like the Pro Vibe bar with the classic bend. Nice bar. The drop is classic, but the top of the bend has a sharp bend to it so you don’t have to tilt the bars back like you do with other bars. Interesting approach; not for me, but interesting approach.

    Also, that looks like a 57cm frame or so – Lister is, I’m guessing, 5’10 to 6″ tops – not tall to all us 6’+ers, but like a God to all you pygmees.

  15. Does anyone have reverence for Campagnolo Record 11 D skeleton differential brake calipers ?? Looking to replace silver Chorus skeleton set. Been haunted for awhile to mount Black skeleton brakes, but want to discern any performance before choosing an aesthetic. Also looked at TRP R960s.

  16. @King Clydesdale

    Very cool. Very cool.

    This is actually a pretty good lead in for a new story…

    What happens when you get reps from a half-dozen major road bike manufacturers in a room with sandwiches and no customers within ear-shot? Lots of admissions, that’s what. Over half of the UCI ProTour are on bicycles made in the main Giant Taiwan factory, including those teams sponsored by BMC, Cervélo, Pinarello, Colnago, and of course, Giant, among others. Of the ones that aren’t made directly by Giant, a majority of those use carbon fiber sourced from Giant. The rest are made by Merida, notably, some but not all of Specialized.

    I came away from the experience with the distinct impression that there are few companies that are truly pushing the envelope of innovation; the rest are working with engineers at both Giant and Merida to copyright carbon molds that are heavy on the techno-babble, but light on actual performance.

    Giant came out smelling like roses, and cemented in my mind that my next bike will almost certainly be a carbon TCR or Defy. The Waterloo-made Treks (5 and 6 series Madones) also garnered almost universal praise. That BB90 is, at the very least, very impressive looking.

    It was a fun afternoon.

  17. @Ron
    @ Ron, the bars are Zipp carbone
    @ Frank, amazingly accurate I am 5’11”, not so tall I won’t ride with pygmees on occasion.

  19. @Vin’cenza
    Is your silver Chorus 11s? Aside from a few grams less weight and black color there should be very little preformance difference.

  20. @King Clydesdale
    Congrats on the new steed & purchases, I managed to keep it at budget, which was a task in itself. How good is that first ride? Only had time for a little 15k shakedown before work today, since then it’s just sat in the office with me turning to stare every 10 minutes but tomorrow we ride.
    Now rule compliance would dictate rotating the tires to sit over the valves but on closer inspection it seems the detailing of the labels matches up with that on the labels of the wheels in their current location…something to ponder.

    As the body gets used to the new fit & embarks on a flexibility regime, the stem issue shall be addressed & despite the angle of the photo, that saddle is level.

    p.s Those shoes are way too good for me!

  22. @Calmante

    @King Clydesdale

    Very cool. Very cool.

    This is actually a pretty good lead in for a new story…

    What happens when you get reps from a half-dozen major road bike manufacturers in a room with sandwiches and no customers within ear-shot? Lots of admissions, that’s what. Over half of the UCI ProTour are on bicycles made in the main Giant Taiwan factory, including those teams sponsored by BMC, Cervélo, Pinarello, Colnago, and of course, Giant, among others. Of the ones that aren’t made directly by Giant, a majority of those use carbon fiber sourced from Giant. The rest are made by Merida, notably, some but not all of Specialized.

    I came away from the experience with the distinct impression that there are few companies that are truly pushing the envelope of innovation; the rest are working with engineers at both Giant and Merida to copyright carbon molds that are heavy on the techno-babble, but light on actual performance.

    Giant came out smelling like roses, and cemented in my mind that my next bike will almost certainly be a carbon TCR or Defy. The Waterloo-made Treks (5 and 6 series Madones) also garnered almost universal praise. That BB90 is, at the very least, very impressive looking.

    It was a fun afternoon.

    Very interesting. I’m sure that, due to the very nature of this community, many of us know deep down that “advances” in cycling are never much more than marketing speak. That why we tend to stick to the classics, in all its meanings. But that doesn’t make our sport any less enjoyable.

    PS my favourite marketing conspiracy theory is that large flat aero surfaces are only in vogue because they hold more decals!

  26. @Mikael Liddy

    Now rule compliance would dictate rotating the tires to sit over the valves but on closer inspection it seems the detailing of the labels matches up with that on the labels of the wheels in their current location…something to ponder.

    Would like to share with you my ponder, re: tire labels. Using the tire label fitted on the wheel drive side at the valve makes it easier to find the valve.
    Looks like the yellow bits of the rim labels already high light the valve position. Hence my ponder – howz-a-bout positioning the tire labels in-between the rim labels?
    That way when wheels are in motion, to the spectator they get to see ‘strobing’ wheels flash by.
    Just a ponder…

  27. @Calmante
    Nah the level was on it in the store, it’s just an odd angle from the camera.

    @Blah
    They’re the Time Ulteam RS, last pair they had so got them at cost price.

  28. @sthilzy
    Now that’s an idea…they’re the standard Mavic tyres that came with the Aksium wheels (Aksion I think), not sure how long they’ll last on there. I’ll give them some time & see how they go.

  29. @Mikael Liddy

    @Calmante
    Nah the level was on it in the store, it’s just an odd angle from the camera.

    Yes, look at the locker handles – combined with the angle of view, the phone lens obviously imparts some distortion to the photo. Killer bikes to both you and KC!

  30. @snoov

    @JC Belgium
    Ok here are the results of my experiment.

    The cable was easily pulled out leaving the foam securely in the tube.

    The foam inside the tube weighed 3g barely as much as a gulp of water from the bidon.

    I’m still not encouraging anyone to fill their carbon frame with expanding foam, just throwing ideas out there in the Pursuit of Silence.

    1 / 3
    Slideshow:

    Fullscreen:

    Download:

    Powered by DM Albumsâ„¢

    Hey Guys! Hows it all going with the internal cable slapping?

  31. @Mikael Liddy

    @Calmante
    Nah the level was on it in the store, it’s just an odd angle from the camera.

    @Blah
    They’re the Time Ulteam RS, last pair they had so got them at cost price.

    Hah! Thought so.
    My new hobby is to buy a bike when in Melbourne over New Year’s, and then go back to where I live (Doha last year and Singapore this year) without riding it (no shoes or kit in town and buying them was in both cases unplanned), leaving it in Melbourne to await my long holiday in June/July.
    I’ve done this for the last two years. The first one is bike #1, Scott Addict, which lives with me in Singapore now.
    The bike waiting for me in Melbourne this time is my De Rosa Team (Alu, SRAM Rival), bought at a huge discount, and sitting next to it is a pair of Time Ulteam RS shoes, bought as they are last year’s model, at a huge discount.
    You have to give a ride report on the shoes, too.
    I think they’re roomier around the sides than my Sidi 5s I’m using right now, and if they feel good they’ll come home and be my #1 pair, Sidis retired to Melbourne for holiday riding. The Sidis have worn in well and are acceptable, but aren’t really blowing me away.

  32. Hey peeps – I remember a discussion a while back about a little trick to help quiet SRAM powerdome cassettes. Does this ring a bell/anyone remember what the trick is?

  33. @marko

    Yeah I do. Swap it our for a Dura Ace cassette.

    (now add a kmc chain and you got yourself a mean set up)

  34. @paolo
    That’s the set up I’ve been riding for two seasons on #1. It works on my ultegra/DA 12-25 cassettes but on my 11-23 for some reason it’s fucked. The chain skips slightly on the 19 and jumps off freewheeling. I’ve tried everything, had it to three different shops for perspective, it’s weird. Hence, I’ve got an 11-26 powerdome coming for KT (should be a good spread for P-R and Ronde routes).

  35. @Nate
    @frank

    @Vin’cenza
    Is your silver Chorus 11s? Aside from a few grams less weight and black color there should be very little preformance difference.

    Chorus 10s currently. I really am drawn to TRP brakes (thanx Frank) — any TRP reviews ??

  36. @Marko

    @Nate
    @frank

    @Vin’cenza
    Is your silver Chorus 11s? Aside from a few grams less weight and black color there should be very little preformance difference.

    Chorus 10s currently. I really am drawn to TRP brakes (thanx Frank) “” any TRP reviews ??

    TRP (thanx Marko) — any TRP reviews ??

  39. @Marko

    @Vin’cenza
    We’ve got a Reverence TRP 960 article up but no other reviews. We’d like to do more though.

    I believe that I am hooked on trying TRP R960s — and love testing new stuff. Will add any relevant stuff when I can. And let’s see that Beartooth Pass photo of Julie Andrews (again) with TRPs.

  40. Eddy Merckx MX Leader with new 2012 Open Pro Black vision 32h wheelset. And named — The Sword !!

    Including a 3T 130mm ARX changed out yesterday.

  43. Frank – I consider myself just barely tall enough to be beyond pygmy status. Then again, now that I’m not really competing at sports that involve collisions with much bigger dudes, I don’t care too much about my height, or lack of it. I was a bit sad there in 7th grade for awhile when I realized I’d never be tall enough to reach the NBA…

    @marcus

    @frank
    Gerro is 5’7″³. This sport is not for you.

    Woah, really? I didn’t realize that. He looks bigger with those fucking guns he sports. Just checked out his bio…same height, 1 kg lighter. That’s awesome. I was getting tired of watching Tommy V. fight the bike, now I can watch Gerro! Ah jeez, new favorite rider in the PRO Tour. And he’s on a win streak. This is GREAT!

    Is that the black Merckx that was posted a week or so ago? Am I losing my mind or what.

  44. Mikael Liddy – Congratulations! Enjoy the new bike; I expect more big rides out of you now – no excuses for not training enough or climbing well enough for your size!

  45. Here’s my newish ‘rig’ as I believe the colonials like to call them. It rides beautifully and goes like a stabbed rat.

    The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed the odd saddle position – this is because it had slipped during the first ride without me noticing, although it would explain the sore knee ligament…

  46. @Ron

    Here is a photo of Gerro with a few of my riding buddies – none of whom could be considered above average height…

  47. @Marcus

    @Ron

    Here is a photo of Gerro with a few of my riding buddies – none of whom could be considered above average height…

    The missus and I call him The Jockey – listen to his voice and look at the size of him.

  48. @sthilzy
    Work in progress.
    tested the zip ties and insulation tape, but it did not make any difference. next weekend I ll try the piece of foam/sponge (@Lepidopterist ‘s solution), and give it a try in the E3-prijs Vlaanderen cyclotourist version. seems like a propper test to me…

    nice to know I am not the only pygmy (although I prefer to be called little person)

  49. @Ron Cheers, initial thoughts after a decent 70k, 1k climbing ride this morning is the bike is awesome however the engine on board is somewhat rusty!

    @Marcus Mate, you guys have some seriously sweet kits…is that the third different one to grace these pages?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.