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. Today was n-1 for me.

    In 1998 I was riding a hand me down Schwinn when I was hit (okay…barely bumped) by a car. I convinced the driver to give me $300. I added another $300 (I was in college) and bought a LeMond Reno.

    I used it mostly for commuting until 2010 when an Aussie friend talked me into riding the Lake Taupo classic in NZ.

    I never ended up riding the race, but it got me into cycling every weekend on longer and longer distances.

    After a few months I bought bike #1 and have added three more, most recently an MTB.

    There’s no more room for the LeMelvis in the garage. I had been stealing parts from it for 9 months so it’s not even ridable anymore. No saddle, no barrel adjuster on the rear derailleur.

    I put it on the front yard with a “free” sign this morning and a few hours later my wife told me it was gone.

    So to whoever took home a purple road frame slightly too big for me with an “Obey the Rules” decal on the top tube, treat it well!

  5. A package full of VVonderful things just arrived:

    Ultremo for the #1’s everyday wheelset, Open Corsa and latex tubes for the deep-section raceday wheels. And we all know where the Fizik tape goes…

  6. G’rilla – woah! That’s a pretty good story. Lake Taupo Classic? Man, I spent a few great days there hiking and touring around with a mate. Cool place, love to ride a bike there. Funny the inheritor already has a badass decal on their frame! And it’s purple. I love purple bikes. Maybe because Prince is awesome & we share a date of birth.

    tessar – Damn, I like that order! I ride those Evo Corsas on my Casati. Magical tyres for sure. I haven’t even upgraded to latex with them but they are so smooth. Mine have lots of life left too, lasting longer than I would have though for such nice tires.

  7. After getting the project to this state, I realized that the front brakes are missing their barrel adjuster and sleeve for the quick-release system… so here she sits until I find a replacement part. (Or decide to replace these brakes with something more modern, which I’d rather not do.)

    … and Yes, that’s Faboo on the TV. I believe that was Stage 4 of the TDF.

    Anybody know where I can find 80’s era Weinmann Type 500 Quick-Release brake parts?

  8. @Xyverz

    After getting the project to this state, I realized that the front brakes are missing their barrel adjuster and sleeve for the quick-release system… so here she sits until I find a replacement part. (Or decide to replace these brakes with something more modern, which I’d rather not do.)

    … and Yes, that’s Faboo on the TV. I believe that was Stage 4 of the TDF.

    Anybody know where I can find 80″²s era Weinmann Type 500 Quick-Release brake parts?

    You will always get points for being “original”.

  9. @versio

    You will always get points for being “original”.

    Thank you sir! To that end, I’ve procured several rolls of Velox red cloth tape for the bars. =)

  11. @Ron For the price of those tubes, I’ll probably downgrade as soon as I puncture. Which, considering it’s a raceday wheelset, I hope not to do. These are getting the full latex treatment with some sealant – knock on wood, no punctures in the family in over 2000km of combined racing distance. Also, living outside the realm of reasonable shipping prices, it’ll be a year until I can order special stuff again (they don’t import Corsa Evo CXs, nor latex tubes, nor those removable valves).

  13. @Xyverz

    Ok.I’d still say that ebay is your best bet in finding one.Most of these vintage parts are from European sellers however.I know few shops mostly in Nederlands and Belgium.

    On the other hand if you contact the seller shipping of such a small item from France can be done in an envelope so shipping cost shouldn’t be too high.Good luck anyhow.

  15. @Xyverz

    You can also try to contact this seller from Germany.Most of them list as shipping to Germany only but I personally got lots of parts from Germany after contacting sellers.He’s got a full set including shifters and with very low interest you might get it cheap if you’re lucky.Also I think you have to log in to ebay.de to buy.Some items cannot be purchased through ebay.com from Germany for example.

    http://www.ebay.de/itm/Weinmann-Rennrad-Bremse-alter-gebr-/160842143225?pt=Transportwesen&hash=item2572f055f9#ht_500wt_1287

  16. The LBS should have an express line for people who come in all year ’round and a separate one for those who pull the bike out of the cobwebs in July.

    Sheesh.

  17. @G’rilla

    Mine does. It’s been crazy busy through a very mild winter and spring, but they always jump to when I come in. It’s nice to hear them say “Tuesday” to the guy in front of me and then ask me when I’m hoping to ride next. A couple of time over the past few years, they hoist it up onto the stand before I’ve even left the shop.

  18. @Steampunk Nice.

    To their credit, it was mostly the new hires who didn’t know me. When my favorite mechanic walked in, he went straight to me, had a chat, and ordered some parts for me even though he was on his way home for the night.

  21. Today I went and picked up my bike.  Got the fit and I just need a longer stem which is on order, had to convince the fitter to slam the stem and its all good.  As the mechanic was cleaning it up and double checking it I overheard him say, “Look at this drop!”  The shop is actually a Trek shop but their “high end” one that stocks other brands as well, a few kilometers away from the regular Trek store, and is staffed by a bunch of mountain guys, only one of the 4 or 5 were Rule #33 compliant.  I think they sell more tri stuff than road, and there were quite a few abominations (bottle cages on the saddle, bars sky high, noseless and Adamo saddles) laying around.

    Take it home, grab my multitool and head out for a quick ride.  Wow, 30yr of technology and improvements is quite something.  The stiffness is quite noticeable, as well as the weight.  Time iClics are worlds better than Crank Bros..  Ziiping along enjoying myself.

    Started to get that feeling, punctured on the rear.  I actually looked at my patches and tire levers before leaving and thought, “Ah, it isn’t going to be a long ride.” so I didn’t take them.  Nobody to come pick me up.  Finally manage to roll the tire off the rim and find the hole.  Now what?  Use the warning label from the wheels, since I hadn’t destickered it yet.  Alright its holding, ride it gingerly and reinflate every couple of minutes.  Flats again, won’t hold air, try to get the tire off for 10min, no luck, my thumbs are about to explode.  Hmm, 7km from home, I guess I’m walking.  Walk past an ice cream joint that is hopping because it is Saturday.  “Where are his shoes?”  “Hes holding them.”  Oh yeah, just out for a walk with my bike not wearing any shoes, no big deal.  Start walking down the biggest climb in the area, decide to start counting how many cars drive past me.  Car no.2 (truck) stops, “Hey did you break something?”  Throw it in  the back.

    Turns out he was a runner who rode occasionally with his running buddies, and when we get to the bottom he pulls over and sets up a bike rack and puts my bike in.  Says its a very nice bike so he doesn’t ant it to get scratched up, I tell him I just got it today.  He knows the store.  Gives me a ride home.

    All my tubes are for 28mm tires, I forgot to buy some today.  Someone explain Ultegra front shifting and adjusting of the rear (are there two barrel adjusters?) to me please.

  22. http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

    They do a far, far better job with explanations than I could give, just wanna click on the area of the bike you want ot work a=on and choose a tutorial.

    Or you could just do what I did and bend the front derailleur cage so it wouldn’t rub. THAT was a fucking ggod idea.

  26. @DerHoggz Good story. The excitement of a first ride on a new bike will certainly cloud the Rule #83 compliance. You went with a Focus, no? Good on you.

    Shimano front shifting is smooth. I like it better than my SRAM but not as much as my Campa. Remember that you can micro adjust with one subtle click. Either barrel adjuster will do the same thing. If your bike is on the stand (or your not riding) adjust the one on the mech itself so you don’t max out the one you’d use while riding. Spin the wheel with the crank and while doing so turn the adjuster (usually to the left to take up slack) until it’s quiet and shifts smooth. If the chain doesn’t move crisply right away take in more slack, if it get jumpy it may be too tight. Shimano is really easy to work with.

    Now post pics of your actual bike.

  27. So after 4 years renovating the house ground up, through and through and front to back we listed it for sale and found ourselves with 3 very motivated buyers and sold to the most aggressive for a tidy sum over the asking price. Mrs Harminator suggested we split the bonus earnings and treat ourselves… I didn’t need convincing.

    I was a bit keen on a Ridley but after some consideration I chose to keep the LOOK 585 and upgrade the wheels and groupset. I did the whole build myself (my first one) and learned a whole lot.  And now I know every fucking thing about my rig. First ride today was like sex in circles…

    LOOK 585, Campagnolo 11sp Chorus, Zonda.

  29. So… old bikes. Would a early 1980’s Schwinn with what I think are Suntour parts likely have the same pedal threading that is used today, or has that standard changed?

    Took Bike #1 to the shop to get a new FD, and they are out a needed part so I probably won’t have my bike back until Thursday or Friday. Thinking of having them take my speedplay pedals off and throwing them on my old bike so I could ride that around in the mean time.

    It has flat pedals, which just drive me bonkers after three years riding clipless now. And I feel like I can’t rock a normal kit if I’m wearing street shoes on a flat pedaled bike…

  31. @DerHoggz

    Cool thanks. I really just need to order a second set of used speedplay pedals online that I can use, but I didn’t expect to be without the bike for nearly a week so suddenly.

  32. @revchuck – Thank you, sir! I’ll take a look at that site.

    @Harminator – That’s a pretty machine, sir! Chapeau!

    All – After this weekend’s SF Bay Cogal, I’ve come to the realization that it’s time for me to stop being a pussy and get my five and dime on. I need to get rid of my triple and go to at least a compact double, so that I can start climbing faster.

    My question is: do I need to replace my front derailleur or shifter when I switch to a double, or is it all about the limit screws?

    If I can get by with only replacing the cranks, that’ll save me a ton of money.

    Thanks in advance!

  33. I guess I should also ask if I’d need to resize my chain while I’m at it? It’s currently sized big-to-big (not through derailleur) plus a link.

  34. @Harminator

    So after 4 years renovating the house ground up, through and through and front to back we listed it for sale and found ourselves with 3 very motivated buyers and sold to the most aggressive for a tidy sum over the asking price. Mrs Harminator suggested we split the bonus earnings and treat ourselves… I didn’t need convincing.

    I was a bit keen on a Ridley but after some consideration I chose to keep the LOOK 585 and upgrade the wheels and groupset. I did the whole build myself (my first one) and learned a whole lot.  And now I know every fucking thing about my rig. First ride today was like sex in circles…

    LOOK 585, Campagnolo 11sp Chorus, Zonda.

    As you know, nothing beats knowing every minimum and maximum — insertions and Newton meters. Nice job and good decision. Keep us posted with all the pros thus far with 11s. Chorus — nice.

  35. @Xyverz

    My Peg came with a triple (albeit Campagnolo — the answer may be different for your Shimano group).  I replaced it with a standard double, which did not require replacing the FD or the left shift lever.  What exactly you’ll need to do depends on how everything lines up, but once I made the change there was a lot of extra slack in the cable for the inner ring that was no longer there.  I shifted the left lever all the way down to where it would be in the little triple ring, pulled out the slack, and tightened the cable back up with the chain in the inner ring and the FD positioned where I wanted it to be in the small rig & largest rear cog.  I probably messed with the limit screws but I don’t remember.

    If you change the outer diameter of the big ring you may need to move the FD up or down a bit.  Once I put on the new crank the outer plate of the FD rubbed the insider of the driveside crank arm so I rotated the FD on its clamp a bit to eliminate the rub.

    FWIW the Peg is my first bike  with a standard & I wished I’d had a compact fitted, especially for the Mt Tam series of climbs.  Given you like to do long rides with big climbs I think you’d prefer a compact crank.

    I can’t remember what your RD is like.  My bike came with a long cage rear & I replaced it with a short cage rear.  Probably this was largely cosmetic.  I thought I’d have to resize the chain as the shortcage rear is shorter, but with the new setup the chain isn’t slack in the small-small combo and it works fine, hence I saw no reason to break a perfectly good chain.

  41. Hey, that was fast! Paycheck is in, FC-5750 (172.5mm) has been ordered! First major component swap will commence later this week.

  46. So the new bike has a big cone on top of the headset with a o-ring on the inside and a rubber seal on the outside, I probably shouldn’t take that off?

  47. To clarify, the bearing is exposed when it is removed, but I would like to get lower than with it on.

  49. Damn, all this new gear! Jeez, and I’ve been debating a wheelset upgrade on my #1…rode in a group with lots o’ nice wheels and felt my Budgetatus wheelset was out of its league.

    A bunch o’ tech questions for ya. Feel free to choose one, all, or none!

    1) Anyone ever re-covered a saddle? Seen some threads on them and some DIY tutorials as well. Curious to hear more.

    2) When I’m in small/big on one of my road bikes the chain rubs the spokes. Cause? I’m guessing I need to adjust the low limit screw?

    3) Swapped cassettes on a bike, 10-speed Shimano. Went from a 12-23 to a 12-25. All was in fine working order prior to the swap. Now when I shift to big-big it overshifts and throws the chain off the 12 and into the space between it and the dropout, jamming it in there. Not good. I thought I put the cassette on there in proper order, with the spacers in the right spots. It looks to be right, compared it to other working cassettes and looks the same. Maybe I’m wrong though. Anyone have an idea what is causing this? (again was working prior to the cassette swap so I’m confused)

    thanks!

  50. Harminator – nice! Jeez, I don’t think I even realized you too were another one of us riding a Look. Sweet bike. What tape is that? I’ve been debating a wheelset upgrade on my Look as well…don’t have a house to sell to fund it though.

    RR – nice saddle/post!

    tessar – ha! Been wanting to add latex tubes to my Casati wheels but the price always has me reconsider. I know, I know if the ride is that much better and you don’t puncture much. I’ll give myself a pep talk one of these days!

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