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
My last ‘real’ episode of leg cramps was bridging a serious gap in a 90+ (cat 1,2,3,4) road race w/ 90+ degree temp. Charging (uphill) thru the feed zone, legs (both) LOCKED UP — screamed — fell straight into the roadside ditch. I was 20 meters away from my bag. And my volunteer had pulled the back seat out of my Volkswagen to sit in the feed zone. I love this story !! Still love that race.
@Campagnolo Vince!
90+ miles (cat 1,2,3,4) road race.
@Buck Rogers
I once had them so bad on a ride through to Aviemore that I had to fall off slowly on to a convenient embankment as I was in such incredible pain that I couldn’t get out of my Look pedals. When I finally got to move again I had to ride the last 15kms without moving my legs – agony.
I told her it’s about time she got herself a lighter and newer frame. Didn’t think she’d do it this way… Get well soon, training-partner, Ironwoman and full-time badass, Miriam.
@Campagnolo Vince!
I see you added some sort of units, but it still means nothing to me.
@DerHoggz
Ah Vienna
@Belgian Cobblestones
Ah, the mysterious Mr Lodewyck/Ludwig! Nice to hear from you, BC.
@the Engine
Aviemore, Scotland? I was just up that way (from NZ). I love that area. My brother lives near Nairn.
But if it’s Aviemore, Wisconsin or something, forget what i just said.
@tessar
WTF?! Can we please have a BIT more information?
@the Engine
Haha! Awesome.
@DerHoggz
It’d be a road race of 90+ miles involving category 1, 2, 3 and 4 riders. Cat 1 being the best/fastest, cat 4 would be the slowest (but still very fast to me). I’m yet to try racing but for organisational purposes they often all race at the same time. Some places have cat 5 as well. @Cyclops just moved up a category , I think from 4 to 3 so I reckon he’d drop me pretty quick.
@Bianchi Denti
It was indeed Scotland – hence the embankment that I fell in to was of the highest and softest quality.
@DerHoggz
You’re a real difficult prick — and your comment was pointless. I ride miles in America asshole. Our maps are miles. Road signs show miles. Mile markers. Delusional meter-fuck! Man, that was fun!
@DerHoggz
Going to ride “miles” in the rain now. And will perhaps spit up blood at some point. And I expect to see some improvement with your comments when I return — after I clean the drive-train!
@Campagnolo Vince!
Metres – its spelled metres.
@Buck Rogers
That happened during my first ride up Haleakala, at about 8,500 feet. My Merckx, bad.actually had to get off the bike and massage them back to life, laying flat on my back.
@Campagnolo Vince!
Rule #24
@frank
Wait, how far up Haleakala were you?
@mcsqueak
Ride up that fucker and we’ll talk. The markers in feet along the way get burned in your head. They become beacons more than measures of distance. (We’ve been over this before, no?)
@Campagnolo Vince!
How many litres of blood do you plan to spit up?
@frank
I think we’ve covered this topic before, yes… but it wouldn’t be a proper cycling website without coming back around to the same topic a handful of times, now would it?
That being said, I’m hopefully going to be able to give it a try in ~2 years when I go down there with my VMH and her parents for their anniversary. I’ll probably die.
@Ron
Yea, Park is a 1st class company. Glad I do business with them.
Here you go. Felt like it was time to post a couple picks of my alpha bike.
@Steampunk
All done. No blood on the (moderate) ride today.”These lungs are clear.”
@DerHoggz
\\ First I must apologize, while during the ride today I did consider our misunderstanding and my abrupt spout earlier. I swear to uphold R-24 when riding outside The States.
@the Engine
\\ Cycling focus is lost by the little craps taken here — metres (crap). Each USA Cycling race registered (my experience) has been promoted by distance in miles. me·tre [mee-ter] noun, verb, me·tred, me·tring. British (meter) — keep this as your own device (1.61). The Rules always remind me: “O, thinking too precisely on the moment — just ride thee bike and be silent.”
@GottaRideToday oooh purty, but please tell me that’s not a kickstand?
I’m sensing a new velominati handle coming, much like “Ronning” (effulgent or overflowing entheusiasm for all things V- related, like taking the velomi-doggie for velomi – walkies…) “Campagnolo Vincing” assertively defending their local unit of measurement, threading, measure of fluid etc. over the alternative.
Said in jest of course.
@Bianchi Denti
Details are scarce as she’s still under anaesthetics, but from what I understood, she got the classic right-hook when a car just ignored her right-of-way. Smashed shoulder and broken foot – everything should heal, but her plans for a Kona-qualifying performance at IM Frankfurt are over.
@GottaRideToday
Absolutely beautiful ride! One question though. How short is that stem? Or does it just look really tiny at that angle?
@MJ Moquin
It’s a 90mm. The frame size is 58cm. I started w/ at 110mm and worked backwards to find the best fit for me to be able to ride on the hoods comfortably. The 56cm frame would probably let me run a 110 or 120 stem, but I felt there was too much toe overlap to be comfortable.
minion – Ha! I didn’t realize how much that had caught on and been noticed. I guess it has. I’ll do my best to keep it going. On another note, I’ve been thinking a new velodoggie shot is in order. Maybe I’ll wait for my V-jersey to arrive & snap one!
tessar – damn. Always frustrating & depressing to see how many cyclists are smashed up by drivers. Hope your friend gets well soon.
@Bianchi Denti
Nope, no Aviemore, Wisconsin.
There is a Pittsville, Wisconsin. Its name is decriptive of its character. Its claim to fame is that it is the exact geographic center of the sate.
@Campagnolo Vince!
I bet you call them “freedom fries,” too.
@The Oracle
Why such nonsense ?? Coming from The Oracle — a blind female chimpanzee that has the ability to see the future in Planet of the Apes.
@Campagnolo Vince!
All in jest, my friend.
After spending some time reviewing the entire list of Rules, only 59 and 86 truly held real importance. Obliging the Rules, while a dutiful task for some, serve only to affirm what experienced cyclist already know or in turn heaps contempt towards new cyclist — it talks down to people. The Keepers have placed much value on the Rules, and so I apologize for rubbing them (the Elite) the wrong way. The Keepers and the Rules focus much on posturing and what it means to become “hard” as a cyclist. True cyclist don’t need to hear it by the Keepers. Determination and excellence with the rider lives on the bike and by the bike. Cycling experience is meaningful when it is earned, not fussed over. So after spending too much time on the Velominati (blog) website, I have realized that it consumes too much, says too much, craps out too much, and takes too much to read some of the screwed up contributions — nonsense.
I did absorb the wisdom that some offered. There was not enough to follow.
And to Frank Strack’s credit, I had to acknowledge that “Obey the Rules” was genius. And he made the effort not too long ago to launch Velominati June 29, 2009.
Thanx Frank!
“The reason I started the blog is partly because I love writing about cycling, but I am also hoping to find other people who enjoy it and want to contribute as well. Topics could cover local racing, pro racing, Pacific Northwest cycling routes, technique, bicycle maintenance, gear reviews, or something cool I haven’t thought of. So, I am inviting anyone who enjoys cycling and writing to become a contributor and help make the voice of this new blog.”
@Campagnolo Vince!
Are you @frank’s dad?
@Mikael Liddy
LOL. Its a bottom bracket stand I use outside when I clean the bikes. Don’t like it much in the garage because its really unstable.
@Chris
Don’t call him Francis!
Question for the wrenches:
If I rebuild my Campa 9sp as a 10sp do I really need to replace the RD?
It would seem to me that the indexing comes from the shifter and it shouldn’t matter if the RD is labelled as 9sp or 10sp. Or am I completely out of my mind here?
@MJ Moquin
No wrenching experience with Campa, but I spend too much time reading about this stuff on the internet.
The spacing on the cogs will be different, as can be seen here:
http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.html (scroll to cassette section)
The derailleur will move a certain distance for a certain amount of cable pulled by the shifter. Depending on the cable pulled between detents on the 9sp vs. 10sp it may work. I’m sure Oli will be along to give a simple yes or no.
Looking here it appears there is a different cable pull, so you could use Shiftmate #2 to make them compatible.
@GottaRideToday
Beyond the quality of the components, you’ve done an excellent job with wheel, saddle, stem, and bar tape choices to match the frame without making it look fussy.
@MJ Moquin
You can probably look around in Zinn’s archives or his book for more info. If you don’t have a copy I do and if the question isn’t answered before I get home I’ll look it up this evening.
@Chris
\\ Just for you Chris \\ kraftwerk \\ tour de france (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQz-CZvkY8k
@Chris
\\ Another for Chris \\ KRAFTWERK TOUR DE FRANCE (innovated video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9POYvZFyms
@Campagnolo Vince!
How terribly kind of you, sir!
@Campagnolo Vince!
I think you are missing the whole point if you are taking things that seriously, but if tilting at windmills keeps you riding then it’s all good.
@itburns
You are having trouble with my online personality, which does not allow much inflection with my statements. I am aiming at serious work and serious fun — total seriousness. And a seriously rewarding career that includes cycling and design. Hope you can understand that sentiment Gollum.
I bet Gollum would be would be a real KOM threat. In all seriousness, it sounds like it’s the “personality” part that you’re struggling with.