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 ...
@2000dB
What is this? Couldnt find much via google except for some guys tumblr…
@roger
I have no idea, he just had the decals on his frame where the normal logos would be.
I take it he’s a motörhead fan.
New bike! Thanks to @brett for help with picking out the pieces. I’m going to the mountains for two weeks in August and will be riding this thing all day every day.
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@G’rilla That is a beautiful bike. But I’m confused. If Brett helped, where’s the mirror?
@snoov
I took one of the nipples out and found that the nipple washer has snapped, it’s a “C” shape instead of an “O” shape. Hope the rim is not damaged in any way.
@G’rilla
Fer heaven sake man, flip that stem. (smiley emoticon!!)
Beautiful bike, sir!
@G’rilla
Mate, she came up noice! Don’t flip the stem, it’s a mountain bike. But it looks quite long.
And where’s your dropper post? THE must-have component for any mtb that is ridden off-road.
The ASR5c is the bike that has almost converted me back to 26″ wheels, great geometry, light, fast and agile. Everything 29ers aren’t really. Got my eye on one of these…
@brett
Oh FFS!
Dropper post? Next you’ll be telling him to get some armour.
@brett
Having said that though, it’s hard to go past the technology descriptors they have on this bke…
“The careful use of C.O.C.K. makes the Carbon Covert one of the strongest frames on the market today.”
Yes apparently “The 2013 Carbon Covert is the first bike on the market to offer both C.O.C.K. and B.A.L.L.S. technology.”
Sophisticated humour from those wacky MTB guys.
@G’rilla mmmmmm nice. This is not what I want to see while I’m trying to convince myself to sell my DH bike.
Flip the stem; get flatter bars bigger discs and fewer chainrings, get the dropper and the armour. Drive to your nearest ski resort ad buy a lift pass.
@G’rilla That is a beaute!
Just showed up at my door a few days ago. Now I am broke and the bike will have to stay in this config for a few months.
Ok, ok, ok. I know the first week of the tour can be a bit boring what with the flat stages and all, but that’s really no excuse to start posting lots of pics of mountain bikes. Red Atalas, yes; stuff with cocks and balls technology, no.
I will point out that my bike has no “wedding vegetable” technology.
@wiscot
Maybe this will cause retaliatory posting of Assos Girl pictures!
@Chris Holy crap! That thing needs a snow plow on the front of it.
Stop it with these dirt bike posts
So when did this become a MTB site?
Road people, road;
@scaler911 She’s dressed for beach volleyball NOT cycling!
@scaler911
Oh my oh my…
I don’t know how I even noticed that she has Assos armwarmers and Castelli shorts, but I forgive her.
@scaler911 yes Rule #27 applies there, and in that particular case those shorts are too long.
@Chipomarc – I dunno man, that Santa Cruz is a nice looking machine…
@scaler911
I don’t see any rule violations…
@scaler911 proper AZ girl there. Can’t for the life of me figure out why I would want to move to colder climates after seeing that.
@scaler911 you’re about to make us terribly jealous & just casually mention that she happens to be your VMH aren’t you?
(and yes in this case that term most definitely applies)
@Chipomarc
I’ve seen beach volleyball, and last time I checked, they wore basically bikinis and no helmet. This gal is road cyclist and belongs here just fine.
@mcsqueak
The armband thingy suggest a possible Rule #62 infraction.
@Chris
She has arms?
@scaler911
The second thing I noticed about this photo, and the one thing I can’t get past, is that monstrosity on her arm… what on earth is that thing? I’m usually a very “live and let live” type of rider, but that thing is ruining what could be an amazing photo, somebody she rides with should step up and help her out with getting that thing into a jersey pocket.
@scaler911
The right length depends on the person. For here, that’s no Rule #27 violation; for the rest of us, it would be.
@LA Dave
You’ve got it right — the problem is that thing on her arm.
@scaler911
I’m thinking there might be a Rule #44 violation. The differential between saddle height and bar height may not be 4cm. Another violation? arm warmers, full-finger gloves, but rolling the shorts way up. I think that thing on her arm may be some kind of Ipod. In that case, another violation. Jeez, someone needs to take this girl aside and explain the rules . . . .
@ChrisO
It isn;t hard to see she is wearing Castelli shorts, probably because of the big red logo, yeah… that is what I’m going with.
On an unrelated note, but pertaining to The Bikes, I just put some money down on one of these, and will be paying in full and getting it next week. What are your thoughts on this Velominati?
Watch everyone be too distracted to even notice.
@DerHoggz
I noticed your post. That bike has a nice ass too.
@DerHoggz fuck yeah!
@DerHoggz
Looks nice! I’ve read really good things about Focus. It’s not a brand you see a lot of around here, that’s for sure.
Speaking of bike bits, I bought myself a new stem today, 10mm shorter than my current one. I’ve moved my seatpost up a few cm over the past few weeks and want a slightly shorter stem to offset the slight rearward movement of the saddle as I’ve adjusted my seatpost up – I feel ever so slightly stretched out as it is now when I am on the hoods.
Will I need to adjust my cables/tensions if I just remove my existing stem and put the new one on without doing anything to my handlebars? 10mm isn’t much of a move…
@mcsqueak You shouldn’t need to do anything.
@DerHoggz Sharp!
@DerHoggz that Focus is looking pretty sweet to me! Is the black matte or shiny? I couldn’t tell from the pic.
@Nate
Nice! New bike always cause for celebration. link won’t work due to iPad (I can’t believe the compromises we put up with with these things), but it’s the Variado 1.0, yeh? Ultegra is great stuff. I’m appreciating that so very much now I’m back in Australia riding #2 bike with Rival. Getting to grips with it a week later, but the shifting is… clunky. Agricultural, even.
Ironically, the most disturbing thing on the new bike is the Ultegra wheel set, which is flexing like a pair of rubber bands when climbing. Brakes backed off all the way. Not a patch on #1’s Ksyrium Elites; bombproof.
Grats on the new steed.
@DerHoggz Looks sweet! My LBS sells Focus and I have ridden a buddy’s Izalco Pro 3.0. I thought it handled very well and was really fun to ride. Focus seems to make some really impressive bikes. Enjoy yours!
@Blah
Nicely put, Mr. Blah.
@Oli
@mcsqueak
Shouldn’t you scoot the saddle forward a bit when you raise it? To offset the moving back as you go up?
Hi all. Above I’ve said that the shifting on my Rival equipped De Rosa is a bit clunky. Accurate enough, but doesn’t feel great.
Riding up hills with a mate today I realised I need a wider ratio cassette on it – he’s spinning away on his compact with a couple of sprockets to go when I’m mashing in my lowest (39-23).
So if I’m going to change to a wider ratio cassette anyway, does anyone know if going for a Shimano cassette and chain will help shifting? Was thinking Ultegra level.
Any help or first hand (second will do) experience appreciated.
@scaler911
Well done. Took awhile, but redemption for Brother Scaler is at hand. He has cast confusion from his eyes, and seen the light!
@wiscot
need a reverse angle shot to check um, ah, Rule #45 compliance. Yeah, Rule #45…
@scaler911
This is a cycling site. I don’t know where you got that road only idea from.
@brett
Probably from around 95% of the posts, articles and comments. Do we have a World cup DH VSP?
@minion
Last time I checked 95% wasn’t 100%. Better stop talking about ‘cross and track too. Recumbents are ok though, they’re road bikes.
@RedRanger
I was thinking that, but I don’t have a loose hex key that will fit the rail clamp screw and my multitool is too big to fit into it and turn because of the seatpost.
So because of that I’ve gone on a few rides and it feels fine, I don’t feel that the relation between my hips, knees, and cranks has moved out of a good alignment. However since I lowers my bars last summer I’ve been meaning to buy a new stem, and I feel just ever so slightly stretched now on the hoods, not enough bend in my elbows. Especially if I want to try dropping another spacer down soon.
@brett
I don’t disagree that MTB discussion is welcome, but they’ve probably got the idea this is a road site through the complete focus on road cycling, very occasionally dipping into cross.
VSP, for example. Road only. Rules – only mention (that i can think of right now) of MTB is RE shoes and pedals.
Of course it’s a road site. I like most forms of cycling, though, so it’s all good to post some pics of your new prides and joys. And whatever else before frank shuts it down.