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 ...
@Jeff in PetroMetro
I refuse to believe your relationship with the look is n+ done. You may both need some counseling; her outlook on things might improve by having some work done. But remember you’re in this for the long haul, and you can’t give up at the first speed bump.
Either that or warranty that shit, and then show up pics of your new bike.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Man, that sucks. Not like you needed to be told that, though.
I hope Look does the right thing and warranties your frame. Did it experience any trauma? You mentioned a crash replacement claim, but you didn’t specifically mention a crash. If I was Look, I’d be very concerned if my frames started to crack randomly.
Last CX hitout before the first race of the season on Friday.
Fuck it was muddy.
That was the most fun I’ve had riding singletrack in ages.
I’ve begun to understand why Pro CX racers have 2 bikes that they do alternate laps on. The grinding sounds coming from the drivetrain were alarming to say the least.
@mouse
Where are you cx racing already? Here in pdx we have to wait until end august for a dust-suffer fest…
yesterday did a mtb race where literally for half a lap one was stopping pushing the bike(as in walking because the course was frequently unrideable foot deep mud) every 200 yards to remove mud clumps from the various collection points since the rear wheel would lock. At the end of the 3 hr race (there was also a 6 hour version) they closed off that part of the course and made the laps shorter. I was done at the 3 hours. on a positive note, my 10+ year old 9 speed deore drivetrain still worked during and after…
@mouse
It looks even more beautiful.
mouse is in Australia. Cross season down there, or up, depending on if you have one of them standard maps on yer wall or one of those cool inverted ones.
That looks good with some mud on it! Reminds me of a strawberry ice cream sandwich!
Jeff – No way. The LOOK is dead? I hope it can be saved.
tessar – Did you decide yet? I’m with Frank. I don’t really like white hoods but black tape. I have white/white, black/black, and white tape/black hoods. those look the best to me. Also, I like matched tape/saddle colors. But, if you’ve got good style & taste, many different things can be pulled off well. I have pulled off a “white out” on my Casati – white bars, tape, hoods, cable housing. I think it looks great.
Duende – WELCOME! That’s awesome that in two months time you’ve become a cyclist. Very, very cool. I’m jealous that you are just starting out, since it can be such a great time. I’d encourage you to remember to just have fun with it and not chase too many things right now. As in, don’t see others rides, times, power, etc. and wish you were there. Just have fun and enjoy your own progress and development. (and, I’m assuming you have room to improve – maybe you were an Olympic speed skater or something!)
As I was descending down a particularly twisting descent, I realized that whatever brake-pads I had installed were, to be honest, quite shit. Pulling the levers had the effect of producing a quiet hiss, but not much in the way of stoppage.
What stops a Velominati’s steed in it’s tracks? Assuming said steed’s hooves are shod with aluminium brake-tracks.
@Ron
I haven’t decided yet. My hoods are getting thin and sticky, but it appears the nearby shops don’t stock spare Shimano 7800 hoods, except for Hoodz ones – which come in red for 6600, or white for 7800. Worst case, I’ll wear the cushy black tape through next winter. I’ve got a series of more pressing purchases coming up – moving out of the city in a few months and into the mountains, so I need a bit of savings to cushion the blow. Already prepared myself, bike-wise, by ditching the stock triple for a proper 53-39 double and an 11-25 cassette. Also using my part-time job at an Assos Concept Store to stock up on quality clothing kit cheaply.
The new Corsa Concepts custom wheels.
@itburns
Like black by any chance?
@itburns
in all seriousness that’s a nice looking rig, well done for resisting what appears to the be the done thing at the moment and getting massively deep sectioned carbon wheels.
@Mikael Liddy
Looked at some carbon wheels, but these were light enough, bombproof, I got a great vibe from the builder, and it certainly didn’t hurt that they were 3 to 6 times cheaper than some of the carbon options.
Yes very nice. The whole thing, wheels and frame. fits together rather well. I think if I could afford it I would be the Imelda Marcos of road wheels.
BTW, in Houston, I might drink a whole bidon just to get out of the driveway. How do you manage?
@Ron
Duende – WELCOME! That’s awesome that in two months time you’ve become a cyclist. Very, very cool. I’m jealous that you are just starting out, since it can be such a great time. I’d encourage you to remember to just have fun with it and not chase too many things right now. As in, don’t see others rides, times, power, etc. and wish you were there. Just have fun and enjoy your own progress and development. (and, I’m assuming you have room to improve – maybe you were an Olympic speed skater or something!)
Thanks for the excellent advice Ron. I most certainly do have room to improve! But, as you suggest, the process of discovery and the types of improvement that are possible at my stage on the learning curve are intensely enjoyable and rewarding. Over the past few months, I have had plenty of opportunities to get used to watching other riders pass me up hills without giving any sense at all that they were exerting even half the effort that I was. But the realization that there are so many cyclists out there who are better than I am does not in any way diminish my enjoyment of my journey into the world of cycling. I love the feeling that comes from of finding a good rhythm on the bike. I love the feeling I get when I’m climbing a hill and my legs are burning so badly that I’m sure I won’t be able to maintain this level of effort any longer, and then, somehow, I do and I crest the hill. I love riding in Gatineau Park and hearing only the sounds of the birds, of my breathing, and of my tires on the road. And, to the great detriment of my work, I have found that I love reading and learning about the culture and history of cycling. Oh yes, I have also found that I love the aesthetics of the bikes (danger!). All in all, I find it exciting to contemplate just how long this road of discovery and improvement really is and, given how much enjoyment and thrill I have already reaped from my travel down it, just how close to the start I still am.
@itburns
Beautiful! A buddy of mine rides a Focus with a similar black on black styling. I really like the look.
@xyxax
I can’t speak for @itburns, but for me it’s a combination of two things. A) I have a relatively short driveway (maybe 8 meters), which means I need no more that 1/4 to 1/3 of a bidon for that sector, and 2) I think I have gotten acclimated to the heat and humidity. I have a much harder time in hot, dry conditions.
On really hot days, I either ride early before the temps climb or, if the heat index is already above 40C, I scale back my effort.
@itburns
You, sir, have a good looking bike.
@xyxax
The heat is our Rule #9. You ride in 37C and high humidity every day and it stops being so bad. I have also put together various in town routes over the years that have fountains along the way for those really hot days (June to September).
Put me in typical Seattle weather (10C and raining) and I’m crying like a little girl.
I much prefer a dry heat, but having lived in Galveston for 4 years, I can certify that you guys need to be a bit mental (i.e. Velominati) to ride in the middle of a summer’s day. You need gills.
We know about dry heat in Tucson. That shit sucks. Let alone the constant burning sun. I’ll take rain and clouds any day.
@RR,
And after an hour, your bidons are ready to make a nice cup of tea.
@xyxax
If that. I Need to invest In some insulated bidons.
Ok, MTB tires. For two weeks in August I’ll be in Winthrop, Washington where I’ll be riding 30km on rough chipseal, then 30km on off road mountain trails, and then back. I need a tire for my yet-to-be-assembled MTB that can handle a bit of road riding but also steep singletrack. It will probably be dry throughout although I’ve heard that some of the climbs are so high that one can go from 35°C to snow on a single ride.
What tires will serve me best?
These Ritchey Z-Max Shield tires have a nice ridge down the center that could do well on pavement. I don’t know how fast they would wear out: http://www.ritcheylogic.com/dyn_prodfamily.php?k=394065
Other requirements: 26er, tubeless.
I love, I mean love Schwalbe tires.
Suggest you try Racing Ralphs. They are light (510gms in 2.1 width from memory) and have fantastic grip. Roll pretty well as well. A bit spendy, but they are top notch.
@mouse
I am on it — Schwalbe. Will do and thanx for loving a tire. I am sold.
If you want to take a look at a nice bike (and a nicer accompaniment), go to this link on Fyxomatosis to take a look at Kiwicyclist’s (a sometime poster here) bike.
Unfortunately (for me – as I ride with Kiwicyclist) the rider with this bike is not him.
@Marcus
I seem to remember a few of his steeds gracing this page in earlier comments, they were definitely pretty.
Warning: If considering a new purchase, DO NOT click the show all button & go through all the comments on this thread. It’s a delightful, if slightly torturous, way to spend a couple of hours drooling over bike porn.
@Marcus
Nice one. Nicer rider. Wicked kit. I didn’t notice the bike. But tall wooly gray socks? The humanity, oh the humanity.
We really need a pic here…
Ha! Nice one. Next time fyxo does a photoshoot with one of my steeds I’m volunteering to hold the light screen.
The shoot was in part to promote the Melburn Roobaix ride which is coming up here in Melbourne on Sunday 24 July. Keep an eye out on the fyxomatosis website soon after as there will be plenty of photos of the event posted up.
The socks are by Chrome – I have a pair and they are the ducks nuts for winter.
24 June I meant.
@Kiwicyclist
Lovely Merckx! The build is a very cool blend of Campagnolo eras…
@Gianni
Socks? What…
What were we talking about again?
Quick question gents, I’ve discovered another reason why I’m finding the climbs such a struggle since getting back on the bike. The replacement for the write off has a standard 53/39 up front as opposed to the old one’s 50/34 and still has the same 12-25 cassette on the back.
Now I’m not entirely upset by this discovery as I like the idea of getting used to running the standard up front but I’m thinking I might need to invest in a slightly more gentle cassette at the back to ease me back in (as well as for something up my sleeve for some stupid climbing rides I’ve signed up for later in the year…
According to the Group-San website I have the choice of either an 11-28 or a 12-30, I’m leaning toward the second purely because it provides two sprockets above my current max of 25 as opposed to 1 & i’m not really spinning out in the 53/12.
Thoughts?
@Mikael Liddy Well Mikael I run a compact with an 11/25 and race at a reasonable level here in Adelaide. I like the compact because it generally allows me to simply Sur le Plaque in races and with an 11 bottom I can’t go any faster than that gear anyway. Then I have the small dog for longer climbs like Mt Lofty or when I head across to the Vic Alps to torture myself with the Alpine Classic each year. If’s it’s good enough for Bertie in the Giro then I feel no shame running my compact. I lose count of the number of people you see struggling up hills trying to ride pro gear they are not up to. Does that answer your question?
Guess the rule you’re going to get told to use the most.
Seriously, though standard cranks with a 12 25 is the easiest gearing I have on my bikes. My winter bike has a 12 23 cassette, and I rode the shit out of that in Wellington for a couple of winters. 11 28 would be my pick if you did change because if you set your bike up for climbing, you’ll find out real quick how little time you spend pointing up hill, and the gaps would bug the shit out of me.
@Mikael Liddy
And if you want to run a 12 25 and 11-28 you won’t need to resize your chain to run both cassettes.
Perhaps if you’re not that committed to the standard you could switch to a compact? Then you might be able to run tighter cassettes while still getting the gear inches you want. i’d find out but if I spent any more time on here today I’d need to give my employer money back at the end of the month.
@minion Running a tight gear ratio is a good argument for Compact, thanks Minion. I cop a bit of shit for it but fuck em, most of them can’t hold my wheel up a hill anyway and that’s the best argument.
Gear inches are gear inches, I reckon and when I’m communing with butterflies it’s pretty irrelevant how I got there. I’m afflicted with pride into keeping my standard cranks, but that’s about it.
@Mikael Liddy I’ll chime in if only to see the lovely +1 jersey beside my name. You can treat what follows however you like. I run a compact. I like climbing. Compacts are good for climbing. They also allow you to run a 11-25 on the back without suffering too much on the climbs. For me, it looks more egregious to have a dinner plate on the cassette than to have a compact crank. Also, for those who are concerned about spinning out whilst sprinting? It hasn’t happened yet. The last one I did on my Tuesday night bash fest still left me with one or two cogs to go. The only time I have ever wished for a bit more was when attacking a descent where I was spinning out at about 75-80kmh.
@Mikael Liddy
I like my compact 11-25 and based on viewing your Strava rides we ride very similar terrain even if separated by a big fuckin’ ocean. As others point out the compact lets you run a closer gear ratio so you’re more likely to have the right gear for the job. I’d see about sorting a compact replacement. Otherwise 11-28 and 12-30 are going to have lots of big gear jumps. If you stick w/ Group San maybe you can get a 12-27? I seem to recall having at least one such cassette. Even if they don’t any more reckon you could track a NOS one down pretty easy.
Yeah the annoying part to it is I’ve committed to selling the previous compact whilst under the impression I was also sitting above a compact, since I’m now aware I’m rocking a standard (and the $ from the sale are allocated) I now need something of a back end solution…
@Mikael Liddy
I’d go for a 11-28. Youll get more than your current, while still maintaining the top-end. *shrug* I’d love to put a 12-30 on my 105 group-san, but I’m running a triple. Yes, I know – rule violation and all that.
@Mikael Liddy
I opted for an 11-28 on my ‘climbing’ wheels (which I just always leave on since I’m always climbing hills).
The big gaps are all at the end of the cassette, so under normal riding conditions across more flat and rolling terrain you don’t notice it. Up less steep hills I’ll usually stop at the 24t so I don’t become too reliant on the 28t gear.
With the Ultegra group-san cassette, these are the tooth configurations:
11/25 Tooth (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25)
11/28 Tooth (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24, 28)
So the gaps are not such a big deal in my opinion… mostly an ego hit as you realize you’re running a mega-granny gear. However, it has saved my weak ass up plenty of steep ass hills. I did some gut-busters the other night that were in the teens % wise and I was glad I had it.
I’d go with a 12-27 to achieve similar gears to an 11-25/Compact. It appears to me that a one-tooth jump at the extreme end (IE, 12-to-11) is a bigger gap than a one-tooth jump in the middle (15-to-16). That is to say, a 12-27/Double (if I’m not mistaken) will have a very similar (if slightly narrower) range of gear-inches as a 11-25/Compact, but the gaps themselves will be less extreme.
That being said, I run an 11-25/Double on all my bikes, with the intention of dedicating one wheelset to climbing – with a 12-27.
@Kiwicyclist
@Oli
@G’rilla
@gaswepass
@Ron
So, we had the first CX race of the season down here in Melbs, the Dirty Deeds CX Prologue.
What an awesome night. Pack a few hundred spectators and racers around a lit outdoor velodrome at night, add plenty of beer, frites, burgers etc and watch the races go around a course set in the (by the end) muddy infield. The death spiral was my favorite part.
Each race was two laps, and all categories got to race twice.
Highlights of the night included meeting @Kiwicyclist, seeing one (or two)of the riders in Roadworks kit (@Oli, who were they?), and best of all, watching my daughter 7, and my son 6, podium second and third respectively in the second kids race!
Oh, and I managed a third place in the second race as well in Open CX. Who knew?
@mcsqueak
as being at the beginning of my “racing career” now, there is flats racing and then there is all the other pacific NW (ie frickin hilly frequently) riding. knowing that it is always better to have a funny looking bike that you make go uphill than a pro looking one that you’re pushing up it, the 11-28 is awesome. However, for flats racing, an 11-23 even would be so much better. Those gaps are really noticeable in the pack when you’re still trying to learn to be smooth and not kiss a wheel and/or avoid gap creation. On the flip, cassette changing is an annoying and dirty task…
@mouse
congrats!
only 10 weeks left or so here till we start up again! ah, anaerobic suffering…
@mouse I only know of one, the Brunswick Wolf. He’s my Australian agent.
It was indeed a great night for the opening of the CX season here in Melbs last night. I would have ridden myself but have been suffering a bad case of ‘manflu’ over the past fortnight with a complete break from the bike so I had to settle for watching on the sidelines.
A highlight was seeing @mouse help his two kids around the course – his little boy who looked like he was on a 12inch bike has some style spinning out of the saddle trying to beat his older sister to the roar of a couple of hundred drunken, frenzied spectators banging cowbells and screaming. That’s one proud parent right there and rightly so.
My two kids are pretty keen to give it a go when the first races start in a month or so.
Nice to meet you there @mouse – I look forward to some muddy duelling when race 1 comes up next month in July.
Stu