I hit my goal...now what?

   Just before the hurricane swept through last week, I was able to hit my goal of 3000 miles for the year 2012. I have never ridden that many in one year, and a good reason I was able to reach that goal were the strangely mild temperatures January through March. I am not a cold weather cyclist, so the conditions were a treat - but I don't expect a repeat performance this winter.
   We've had some chilly, windy days already, and I've forced myself to hit the pavement to stay in shape, just in case we have a little warmup. Otherwise things are a bit slow, particularly because I had to close down the shop for a while due to a waterproofing project in the basement, not that I regularly have a ton of customers at this time of year!
   Sue and I did have a chance to attend the Philadelphia Bike Expo and enjoyed a presentation by Eben Weiss, alias Bike Snob NYC, author of a VERY funny blog and a couple of books focused on cycling. We are regular readers of his daily entries, but I was considering boycotting the site, when within a two-week period he managed to poke fun at three of my all-time favorite cyclists: Johann Museeuw, Mario Cipollini and Alejandro Valverde. However, Eben also regularly puts himself down, so I decided not to hold it against him.
   I also saw a fantastic bike (pictured below), which particular appealed to this Bethlehem native and big time Lehigh fan. I quickly reassured Sue that I wasn't looking to purchase.

I'll be picky and say he needs to put an Engineer on there instead of a Mountain Hawk (no such thing)!

   I will be taking a bit of a break from regular posting, but if something interesting pops up, I will definitely share.

Weatherman, Shmeatherman

The information from this blog series on the trips my father and I took to complete the 333-mile journey from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh, PA, has been published in a book:

Instructions for purchase of the book in hardcover or via Kindle will be coming soon!

Pedaling With the Pack

   To begin with, I’d like to point out that the MS150 ride on Saturday was a well-organized event with adequate rest/feed areas at appropriate intervals. I’m not going to complain about the lack of gluten free things to eat, because I’ve learned to expect the minimum. There was a great police presence along the route to help the cyclists through intersections, and friendly volunteers were out to encourage riders, as well as help direct them around obstacles or dangerous areas (New Jersey road conditions…YIKES).

 

 

   Our Wanna Ride Bikes team (named for the punchline in the famous “How many kids with A.D.D. does it take to screw in a lightbulb?” joke) all finished the 105 mile ride at a slower pace than we would have liked (explained later), but more importantly, with no bike or bodily damage! Our Cannondale-bicycles-only squad consisted of my wife Sue and me, brother-in-law Jay, sister-in-law Sandy and her husband Todd. After spending Friday night together in a hotel, we parked our cars at Todd’s parent’s place in Cherry Hill, NJ, then pedaled about five miles to the starting line at the Woodcrest train station. The event course was about 79 miles to Ocean City, but we continued another 20 miles to the Stone Harbor residence belonging to Sue’s parents.
   When faced with all of the supporters lining the finishing straight, Sandy couldn’t resist putting a couple bike lengths on me for a finishing sprint. She caught me by surprise, and I admitted to her afterward how ridiculous I felt making the effort to edge her out, and in way too small of a gear. I felt somewhat like a circus clown on a mini-bike, not having enough time to wind up a more appropriate big gear in reaction to her move. I should have just let her go, instead of flailing my legs around like an idiot, but I got caught up in the excitement, too. I apologized to her afterward and joked that I should have been tested for doping before the ride - “dope” being the key word!

 

 

   I think we all had good enough legs for the full 100 miles, but most first-timers, which all of us but Todd were, struggle with the sore butt/nearby anatomy that comes with nearly seven hours in the saddle. We all agreed staying on our bikes and not taking such a big break at the event finish line would have been a better idea. Although we enjoyed some of the snacks, collecting swag and mingling with other finishers, we cooled off a bit too much, tightened up and found that getting back into the previous pace was tough.

   The problem I had with the MS ride is that the event may have outgrown itself, with thousands of people, many of the lesser-experienced variety, jamming the roads. Maneuvering in tight spaces is difficult even for skilled veteran cyclists, so any intersections or feed zones were an adventure! The difference in pace among hardcore cyclists and the occasional rider created some hazards as well. There was a definite lack of cycling etiquette, as slower cyclists, who really should have been to the right, were passed on either side without proper verbal warning. I found myself startled several times when I announced that I was “on the left”, going by someone, and caught another (unannounced) cyclist right along my rear wheel, trying to buzz by us both!
   This was a charity fundraiser ride, not a race, no timed finishes, no award or cash prizes given out at the finish line. Everyone’s main goal is to finish in one piece, and hopefully with your bicycle in the same condition in which you started. At the same time, the MS150 should be a fun, social event. Certainly when the conditions are safe, sharing a conversation side by side is no problem, but riders were often fanned out across the road, three or four across, making it impossible for faster-paced cyclists to pass.
   Because much of the route was open to traffic, cars had an even more difficult time getting by, and to the drivers’ credit, most were very patient, and we experienced little honking or yelling. Mind you, there was plenty of yelling by other cyclists, especially from our team, to move over to let the traffic pass! Signs that warned participants to refrain from “swamping” (surrounding) cars were completely ignored, making turns, or really any movement, by the motorist impossible. It was also frightening to see a group of cyclists in a paceline attempt to go around a large pack of slower cyclists by using the oncoming lane of traffic and cause the cars rushing towards them to swerve out of the way. It’s no wonder a majority of drivers have a prejudice against cyclists – many of them ride like idiots!

 

 

   Cyclists definitely need to work on their patience and put aside their efforts to “win the race”. I’ll never understand why at intersections cyclists, even if they are of the slower pace, move around fellow pedalers who are stopped in front of them. This is like going to check out at the market and having someone push your cart aside, as if you’re not there, to get to the register. These must be more of those “special” people who go around everyone who is merging on the highway just as a lane is about to close for construction, or more annoyingly, use the shoulder to get around the congestion. What kills me about these cycling budgers is that they will work their way to the front at successive intersections, forcing us to pass them repeatedly – and it never fails that they suck at getting into their pedals and cause a panic…argh!
   Todd suggested getting up earlier would help to avoid the larger number of slower cyclists, but if you are a regular reader, you know how much I love morning rides in the first place…NOT! As much as I recognize the importance of charitable causes, I’m thinking the smaller attendance of the club-sponsored rides is the preferred alternative for me.

Clearing out the shop, finally!

   Lately so many bikes had been lingering around my shop in various stages of repair, most awaiting parts to arrive. I was getting a bit tired of shuffling them around from workstand to floor and back again, but at last all bicycles have been returned to their owners or sold off to customers.

 

   Of course the highlight of this recent wave of work was final assembly of my Cannondale, which was fairly simple once all of the appropriate parts were collected. About a week ago I had taken off everything in anticipation, as the photo above reflects, with all but the old cassette and bottom bracket removed at this point. The distortion of the right chainstay visible in the photo is not a dent, but a built-in curve to compensate for the location of the chainrings. If you scroll down a couple of photos, you can also see the curve in the lower photo with the new Tiagra compact crankset in place.

 

   I mentioned in my previous blog entry that I had a delay because of an eBay seller listing an incorrectly described derailleur, so while I waited for that part, I took the time to put some new Cinelli cork tape on the bars. I also routed the wiring and installed the computer mount. In the past I’ve bought several mounts and install one on each of my bicycles, then I just switch the computer out when I ride a different bike so that I can record the cumulative miles.

   The crankset was the first part to arrive, and I was pleased to find that I no longer had to wrestle with mounting each crankarm onto the spindle. The bottom bracket on this Shimano set comes integrated to the chainrings and right crank, and the process involves simply sliding the bracket through the frame and tightening the cups on each side. I did have to give the drive side a little bump with a rubber mallet to push it all the way through the frame. The left side crank then bolts directly to the spindle, with a safety ring between the bolts that only pops down when you have everything in the correct position.

 

 

   The front derailleur bracket had to be loosened so that I could slide it down closer to the smaller chainrings, otherwise the chain would rub on the derailleur cage when in the smaller rear cogs. I left a couple of millimeters of clearance over the large ring then tightened the bracket after making sure the cage face was parallel with the rings. Adjusting the cage swing during gear changes had to wait for installation of the chain.

   By comparing the earlier disassembly photo with the shot on the right, the difference in size between the former 11-23 tooth cassette and the new 11-34 mountain bike cassette is obvious. The need for a long cage rear derailleur is also apparent, allowing for adequate swing of the chain over these cogs. At this point I hadn’t adjusted the derailleur, so the cable wasn’t bolted down.

   Correctly sizing the bicycle chain for a triple chainring or compact double arrangement is important to ensure the right amount of slack is present for smooth shifting, yet not so much that the chain is slapping down on the stays when you hit bumps. The most effective method is running the chain around the largest chainring and largest cog without going through the rear derailleur, then overlapping one more full link. Note in the below left photo that a full link is what I’ve marked between the blue lines. You then remove the pin from the leftover chain section, but hang onto that section in case you need it for a future repair!

 

   The photo also includes my favorite feature included by some chain manufacturers, a master link (the gold-colored section), which completely eliminates having to mess with pushing a link pin back into the chain. The master link has a face plate for each side with a pin already attached and a tapered hole, which allows you to pull the two ends of the chain together and connect them easily.

   After adjusting the derailleurs, I was able to take the Cannondale on long, hilly test ride. Not to be too overconfident in my abilities, I made sure to stick a few basic tools in my jersey pockets, but I had absolutely no mechanical problems. The bike performed perfectly, and I even found that I had extra gears not needed on some of the worst climbs. I’m thinking that is somewhat because I’m in such good form, but I bet there will be some longer hills when those “desperation gears” will be appreciated, or on rides during the first few weeks of next season!

 

ATTEMPTING to put it all together

   My Cannondale had Shimano 105 components, and I quickly found that it would be impossible to keep a complete set of matching Shimano components since the 105 line did not include a compact crankset. I certainly didn’t feel like dishing out the big bucks for Ultegra (Shimano’s top-of-the-line), so I looked at some of their less expensive product lines. I'm familiar with the Sora and Tourney names for their lower level road bike components, later discovered that Alivia and Altus were their corresponding MTB lines, and avoided all of those. Anyway, I eventually settled on a mid-range Tiagra crankset, a Shimano line of which I’ve had no complaints about on my Trek for the last four years.

   The acquisition of a new rear cassette was no problem, after finding a reasonably priced 9-speed Shimano Deore mountain bike version with a wide range of cog size from 11 to 34 teeth. However, my purchase of the long-cage Deore rear derailleur to go with it was a bit of a bust. The listing on eBay was missing the correct description of the part, which was reverse sprung. Some Shimano derailleurs use what they call a “Rapid Rise” system that reverses the tension on the derailleur cable. In other words, the cage is sprung towards the wheel and the larger cog, as opposed to the traditional direction towards the chainstay and smaller cog. This system supposedly makes shifts under load on bouncy terrain much easier. I found this set up counter-intuitive and somewhat useless for road bicycles, so I am now awaiting a replacement with the correct spring direction.

   I did realize that with my new setup that my required chain length was probably going to increase. After wrapping the old chain around the largest chainring and then back around the largest cog to make sure, I found the purchase of a new chain would indeed be necessary, which leads me to the following - just another example of why Bikesport is the best bike shop around:

  Today I needed help with the rear wheel from one of the “throw-in” bikes from my recent Cannondale transaction. There was a broken spoke on the drive side, which required the removal of the freewheel (the cluster of gears) in order to have room to weave a new spoke back through the hub. Partly because of a short wrench, but also due to a bad shoulder, I was not getting enough torque on the removal tool. I needed to purchase the new spoke (and previously mentioned chain) anyway, so I took the wheel with the hope that Bikesport’s better tools and younger arms would be able to loosen the freewheel.

   As usual the guys went above and beyond - I would assume somewhat because I’m a regular customer on a first name basis with a couple of the employees, but also because that is just the way they operate. Christopher, who knew that I would normally handle the rest of the work at home, proceeded to not only remove the freewheel, he inserted the new spoke and put everything back together. While I was talking to another employee about chains, Christopher held up the wheel and told him that when I was ready for check out, to just charge for the spoke. Now, I understand that he was leaving the truing of the rim to me, but he definitely did more than just hand me a spoke and send me on my way!

   The clincher was when the clerk, after tallying my other purchases at the register, forgot and entered the full price for their regular spoke replacement service. Jeff, my former mechanic class teacher, who was barely within earshot of this whole exchange, and was at the time busy with another customer’s tire repair, piped in with a reminder to just charge for the spoke itself. I laughed and told him that I was in there so often that I wouldn’t have even thought to double check the receipt, but it’s obvious that the high-quality service they provide is what makes me feel so trusting.

Upgrading/fine-tuning/tinkering/tricking-out our new rides

   A quick pro racing note: if you need to understand why I don't like Alberto Contador, witness another one of his pre-planned victory celebrations as he crossed the finish line in Madrid as winner of the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain). Contador held up seven fingers, to acknowledge his seven Grand Tour titles…wait he has only won five titles legally. Two of them were stripped because he was found to have a banned substance in his system while competing in the 2010 Tour de France. Hey, I have no problem with maintaining that the ingestion of the substance was accidental, but the bottom line is that you won a race with an illegal drug in your body. A victorious return to competition is not the time to make a gesture that effectively thumbs your nose at the rules and the governing body that enforces them!

   I also quickly want to mention that I’ve had it with the Lance Armstrong investigation, not that I think he is innocent. His influence is so far beyond the sport now, which makes me question somewhat the motives behind his accusers. The work he has done for cancer awareness and research has helped so many that I feel pursuing this any further is counterproductive. So what if his Tour titles are stripped - he has reaped all the benefits from them already. These wins are now so long ago that awarding a victory to anyone else during those races, even if you could find a clean winner from those podium places (or even top ten, for that matter), would be meaningless. I feel bad for those few athletes who attempted to compete fairly in professional cycling during that era and were robbed of the excitement of winning a spring classic or a major tour, as well as all of the perks that come with having achieved such an accomplishment.

   I finished the repair/refurb job on the K2 mountain bike for Carrick (photo right). Besides replacing a severely worn rear tire, I also purchased a new seat, since the original had a few tears in it. I changed out the handlebar grips, which had turned into a deteriorating glob of rubber, and some of the cables that were rusty. Carrick was excited to try out the bike, and although he is certainly used to front shock absorbers, he found that the rear suspension will take some getting used to. This might be something we’ll want to adjust in order reduce the amount of sag flexing in the frame.        

   I am in the process of tuning up my son’s old Schwinn and the GT hybrid I also received in the Cannondale deal. Both bikes have really decent frames with remarkably little paint loss, but the handlebars, derailleurs and other parts have taken quite a bit of knocking around! The Schwinn was fairly abused by Carrick and the GT, which was a shore bike and displays the expected rust from exposure to salt air, certainly isn’t going to be perfect, but the two are definitely usable. With a little work, I hope to get a few bucks for them both.

  Thinking over my current collection of bikes and how I wanted to use them, I’ve determined that after nearly a full season of cycling, the Pinarello has become my “everyday” bicycle. Its lightweight frame and comfortable gearing are perfect for the Schuylkill Valley, which is dominated by short, steep climbs. I consider the Colnago as a bit of a luxury bike, something I’ve always wanted and really like to show off. Its Campagnolo shifting is super smooth and the bike just feels fast, but it’s not the best climber, so it is relegated to the flatter courses I ride.

   I found from my test rides on the Cannondale that it has gearing very similar to the Colnago – far more appropriate for the professional racer that can grind the big rings. However, I love the look and fit of the Cannondale, and would rather put it to regular use, instead of just on trails, which was my intent when I purchased it. What I decided to do, with much input from others, was change up the gearing on the bike completely, making it my “go to” machine for rides that contain more climbing. That would leave the Trek to be my trail bike, and its generous gearing would be appreciated on some steeper paths; one particular section of the nearby Perkiomen Trail at Spring Mountain comes to mind. I have a couple cyclocross tires ordered for the Trek, and that will be a simple setup.  

   The Cannondale, however, will not be so easy. I knew that I would have to change the current 53/39- tooth chainring set, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go to a triple chainring configuration, because that would mean having to purchase a new shift lever with that extra shifting capability and sinking a whole lot more money into the project. The current Shimano 105 Hollowtech crankset, which is in excellent condition, should easily re-sell and help make up some of the replacement cost, but used levers usually aren’t in as much demand.

   Some research on internet forums and a conversation with the excellent staff at Bikesport helped to nail down a plan. With the increasing number of tourist riders who desire to tackle roads the pros take on in the Rockies and Alps, bicycle manufacturers now use a compact double configuration with a smaller chainring set in the front and, more importantly, a rear cassette very much like those found on a mountain bike. Besides providing a bit of reduced weight with one less ring, a two chainring system features smoother shifting with pressure on the pedals, which can be very important when changing gears on the hills - just ask Andy Schleck during the 2010 Tour de France!

   At Bikesport I was shown one of Trek’s new models that had the compact double setup as standard, and I immediately noticed the longer rear derailleur cage necessary to accommodate the larger cogs. Since the Shimano 105 derailleur on my Cannondale was of the very short, racing variety, I knew this would have to be changed. The 105 lever is nine-speed, so as long as I purchased a cassette with the same number of speeds, this wouldn’t be a problem.

   At this point I am awaiting the delivery of parts, so next week I will describe some of the trials I faced trying to acquire everything needed and provide some details on the assembly!

"No, I don't need therapy!"

…was the answer to the question my son Carrick asked when he saw me pull in the driveway with four bicycles crammed into our minivan. “And there’s one more that didn’t fit,” I added. As he shook his head, I jokingly told him that I traded them all for my cyclocross bike. Although it seems that I have bicycle collecting issues, I will defend myself by saying that I always have a plan in mind and that I don’t have any more bicycles than I had last winter.

    The truth was that only one of these bicycles was initially intended as a keeper, a 2002 Saeco/Cannondale team replica bicycle (pictured right), with two others scheduled for return after tune-ups and the fourth a “throw in” mountain bike that Carrick has already claimed. It needs some minor work, but he has outgrown his mountain bike, and this one is of much better quality. There is actually another bike that I couldn’t quite squeeze into the van during this trip, and that one will be fixed up and sold. All of this was a result of an interesting and enjoyable trade+cash transaction with a very nice gentleman that came about via Craigslist. 

  After a few spring rides on the Motobécane Mirage that I had refurbished last year, I realized how cumbersome the steel frame bike was, especially when hitting some uphill sections of the nearby Perkiomen Trail. Sure, I’ve been a bit spoiled lately by the superlight carbon frame of the Pinarello, but the inadequate gearing of the mid-1970’s era Mirage didn’t help its case either. I enjoyed the repaint project and its results, but I wasn’t too disappointed with the prospect of selling it.

   The Mirage was one of Motobécane’s lower level machines, probably only worth about $100 these days, but I hoped to make a bit more on the work and new components. I planned to only spend, at most, a couple hundred dollars to replace it. While concentrating solely on road cycling all summer, I had been tossing around a few alternative bicycles in my mind and casually scanned eBay and Craigslist for deals.

   I had made a decision to go with a late 80’s to early 90’s bike, but I was not looking to buy an expensive brand that I was going to be afraid of getting nicked with stones or other debris kicked up from unpaved trails. I narrowed it down to an Atala Corsa (pictured left), in what appeared to me as a paint scheme inspired by my favorite Inter Milan soccer team. Months ago I had seen one listed and considered for a fix and re-sell project, but passed on it because of the price. However, judging by photos online, they weren’t super rare, so I just had to wait until another within my budget became available.

   Sure enough, a couple of weeks ago I saw a blue and white Corsa listed in North Jersey, and then a beautiful bright red version with cool World Champion decals showed up in the local shop, all tuned up and ready to go. This model even had some nice Mavic wheels and some Campagnolo components. I was strongly considering making my move on one of these two bikes until I rode the metric century in Delaware in preparation for the MS150 later this month.

   All four of the other members on our family cycling team ride Cannondale bikes, and it always made me feel left out, particularly because of my history with that brand. I grew up a “Cannondale guy”, having ridden thousands of miles on a royal blue machine I kept in pristine condition for nearly 20 years until a careless motorist ruined it in a collision that I was lucky to escape from without major injury. I purchased a Trek as a replacement bike, mainly because I couldn’t find a Cannondale at that time that fit my requirements and price range. However, there’s more to my connection with this bike company, so please excuse me while I digress. My Mom will be the first to tell you it is a family storytelling trait, of which we are both EXPERTS.

   Years ago I had a Saeco/Cannondale team jersey that matched this bicycle’s colors and graphics, but Sue and I agree that wearing it with the bike would have made me an extreme poseur (means the same thing in French and English). I had purchased this jersey because one of my favorite cyclists, Mario Cipollini, rode for the team during the 1990s, when I couldn’t get enough of the European racing scene. Mario was a very handsome athlete that could be seen often wearing flamboyant outfits in competition (see photos below), but most importantly, he backed up everything he did with supreme talent and results.

 

 

   Known as The Lion King for his full head of hair and dominance in the peloton, Mario claimed the points jersey three times and a record forty-two stages at the Giro d’Italia and won classics like Milan-San Remo and Ghent Wevelgem (a record three times). Although during his career he also won twelve stages of the Tour de France, including a modern-day record four in a row in 1999, and three at the Vuelta a España, Cipo never claimed the points jersey at either of those grand tours. I suspect that because his Italian team sponsor focused so much on success at their national tour, Mario rarely had enough left in the tank to hold it together for three weeks in France or Spain. The 2002 World Champion has always been one of the coolest personalities in cycling, and is often seen these days at the big races, promoting his bicycles which are used by the ISD/Farnese Vini pro cycling team.

   Mario grew up in Lucca, Tuscany, one of my favorite cities in the world. The city, also known as the hometown of Puccini, is surrounded by a wide Renaissance-era wall, upon which is now a 4 km bike path loop, where you can have beautiful views of the Apennine Mountains and the surrounding river valley stretching towards the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea. The city inside the walls has very limited auto traffic, so you can stroll about relatively safely while you check out the remnants of a Roman amphitheatre, the famous Torre Guinigi (a tall stone/brick tower with trees growing at the top) and Duomo di San Martino.
 

   Well, not all of this information was running through my head when I did a casual search of Cannondale bikes on Craigslist, but when I saw the fantastic red, yellow and white Saeco graphics on this bike, I was hooked! The seller, Tom, had even mentioned possible trade, so I thought this could be a one stop deal – out with the old, in with the new. It ended up being more of a case of out with the old, in with some more old and a little new.

   My wife laughed when I told her that as soon as I walked into Tom’s office and saw the bike I told him, “Oh, I’m taking this home!” She commented that I’m not exactly the world’s best negotiator, but I know what I like and had a great idea about what I was getting beforehand. I had seen pictures and a thorough description in the listing, and I had been exchanging emails with the seller for any additional information about the bike.

   I may have spent more than I originally intended, but considering the fantastic bike I bought, the convenience of not having to list and/or ship the Mirage and the extra bikes I came away with, I am extremely pleased. Next week I’ll provide more details on the work to be done on everything I acquired.

Gear Girls

   I’ve always said to my wife that I enjoy riding with her more than when I go out by myself, not only because of the social factor, but also because when riding alone, I tend to bury myself, going as hard as possible. Just backing off a little while riding at Sue’s pace is far less fatiguing, and now that her cycling has improved so much, I usually get a decent workout. She used to always thank me for riding with her, and I would explain that I want to ride with her, and that if I felt the need to ride more afterward, I would. Lately I haven’t found the extra work necessary - I’m putting in the miles, but not burning myself out.

   At the end of September Sue and I are participating in the MS150 City to Shore ride. While I have done a similar distance in the past to benefit the American Cancer Society, the farthest Sue had ever ridden was 45 miles in the loop we often travel into Philadelphia and back. On Saturday we had a training ride with the rest of our “team”, my sister-in-law Sandy and her husband Todd, on the relatively flat roads through central Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

   We pedaled a metric century, 100 kilometers or about 63 miles, in a nicely organized event put on by the White Clay Bicycle Club. I was wondering how the women were going to handle it, since they don’t regularly cover the distances or ride at the pace to which Todd and I are accustomed. From having her draft behind me often during rides together, I knew Sue could hold a wheel, but for how long? Sandy rides fairly frequently, but admits that she is a bit intimidated sharing the road with automobiles and prefers the safety of spin classes. I didn’t know if she was going to be comfortable for such a long time in a group of cyclists riding in a paceline.

   As we unloaded our bikes at Middletown High School, I was thinking we were going to do a casual tour of the countryside, and boy, was I wrong. Aided by a couple of short rest stops along the way, we averaged about 17.5 mph for the whole ride! Todd was leading our group most of the time, mainly because he had the route set up in his bike’s navigation system, and it was easier than messing around with the cue sheet. I don’t know if this made him overly confident about where he was headed, but he may have started out a little harder than anyone expected. After about a half an hour on the road we were doing about 19 mph, and from behind me I heard Sue say softly, “I don’t think I’ll be able to hold this pace the whole way.”

   We backed off the speed, taking some spots a bit more slowly, probably due to the abundance of intersections and turns early in the route. Eventually we hit our stride at a comfortable pace for all of us, generally in the order of Todd, Sandy, me and Sue (as pictured, left to right), but we flowed back and forth, often to talk or make a short burst to stretch out the legs a little. There certainly weren’t many people passing us, unless it was after a long wait crossing a busy intersection (Can anyone explain why some cyclists do that?), and then we would end up going right back around them anyway.

   While we’re at it, why do drivers feel the need to go around cyclists when approaching a stop sign/light? We’re going to pull right up beside the car/truck at the stop, and most likely be quicker off the mark, so the driver is going to have to pass us again. I just don’t get the thinking, or lack of it. It’s even more exasperating when they squeeze off the space between car and curb, leaving you to suck in their exhaust while you wait.

   Back at a rest stop in Delaware, spirits were mostly high, in large part due to negligible winds and the forecasted rain that never really amounted to anything but an occasional spritz. I won’t say I let it get me down, because I’ve become somewhat accustomed to the absence of items at feed zones for celiac sufferers such as myself, but the smell of muffins, bagels and (later) pizza gets pretty annoying. I just wanted to rush back onto the bike, but I tried to be patient and let everyone enjoy the breaks. I appreciated the fruit/nut bars Sue made for me, but sometimes the “substitutes” I have to live with just don’t cut it!

   Although Sandy’s back was tightening up during the second half of the event, she simply took some time to stretch, and we were on our way again. Neither she nor Sue had any complaints of leg fatigue, even though the pace never slowed. Late in the ride Sue went into her tuck on the aerobars and pulled away from the group with me in tow. I looked back and found the rest of our gang about a half mile back, probably wondering if we intended on finishing by ourselves.

   The railfan in me helped slow us down, as we viewed a train out in the middle of nowhere, and (I’m pretty sure) I bored our bunch with a story about the newly painted locomotive that was on the front. Shortly afterward we started up one of the few inclines on the route, and Sandy and Sue were hanging behind as Todd and I started uphill. I heard some giggling on my left as Sandy blew by us, and I tried to quickly jump across to salvage my manhood by not letting her get away so easily. I told her next time to laugh after she goes by so that she keeps the element of surprise when attacking. We all enjoy our moments of pretend professional bike racing!

   We had a great time meeting this challenge together and even flirted with the idea of completing the 100 mile route. I have no doubts about my family members completing the MS ride, but I wonder at what speed we’ll be doing it and if the other folks on our team will be able to hang with us.

Sportsmanship?

   Monday’s exciting stage three of the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) featured constant attacks on a long uphill finish, many by Alberto Contador, who has just returned to racing after his doping suspension. Although I’m not a fan of Contador, I recognize how much his aggressive style of racing adds to the sport of cycling. I was most encouraged to see Contador waste a lot of energy as his repeated jumps were matched by the top contenders like Joaquin Rodriguez, Chris Froome and my personal favorite, Alejandro Valverde. After a very tight finishline victory (photo left), Valverde took the overall race leadership, but he didn’t hold onto it very long.

   With about 35 kilometers left in yesterday’s stage four, Valverde and a handful of his Movistar teammates were caught up in a crash while rolling through a flat section marked by crosswinds. Froome’s team Sky immediately picked up the pace, made it extremely difficult for Valverde to return to the peloton and dropped him back to ninth place at the finish, 36 seconds back. I understand the desire to put pressure on opponents who are tiring and attacking to gain some time – that’s what bicycle racing is all about. However, this simply was not the case, taking advantage of the race leader when he just had some bad luck. The British Eurosport commentators took the stance that it was part of the “racing action”, but they seem to have become cheerleaders lately for the Sky team, which is dominated by U.K. riders, so I won’t put a lot of weight behind their opinions.

 

   I immediately thought of the old unwritten cycling code of honor to not attack opponents when they crash. During the 2001 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong waited for his rival Jan Ulrich to climb back onto his bike after he had misjudged a turn and went down an embankment. Armstrong’s refusal to take advantage of the misfortune of an opponent paid off two years later when his handlebar was caught on the handbag strap of a roadside fan and Ulrich waited for him to recover (photo right). Yes, I know that it is somewhat strange to point out issues of fairness during a period when all of cycling’s top competitors may have been using some sort of performance enhancing drugs, but most of us now just see this as their bizarre form of a level playing field.

   In the modern world of sport, where “if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying” has become the norm, it always seemed cycling at least clung to this one important act of sportsmanship. Unfortunately it seems this law of the peloton has gone out the window, and I’ll be the first to admit that the Movistar team may only have themselves to blame. At this year’s Paris-Nice, Levi Leipheimer crashed while chasing on a decent and Movistar turned up the pace, effectively knocking him out of the race and putting Valverde on the podium. During stage three of the Tour of Switzerland, most of the Movistar team was separated from the trailing peloton at a lowered railroad crossing gate and continued to push on. Some heated arguments began at the front, and eventually the race director stepped in to hold up the leaders.

   Teams will often brush off these incidents, claiming that they “Didn’t realize what was going on” or “Weren’t aware so-and-so crashed”, but in these days of race radio and TV coverage everywhere, that is just a ridiculous excuse! I hate the idea of a mechanical flaw or careless accident determining the winner of important races, but with the amount of money and prestige now involved in major cycling events, perhaps the unwritten code has been permanently broken.

 

   Much of my distaste for Alberto Contador stems from his 2010 Tour de France win, which came mostly on the strength of the time he gained when Andy Schleck had a chain/derailleur issue (photo left). The fact that the victory was eventually awarded to Schleck because of Contador’s doping allegations only helps somewhat to erase memories of the lame video Alberto released at the time, apologizing for taking advantage of his rival’s misfortune.

   Media discussion has raged on about circumstances during races and fair play among cyclists in their pursuit of victory. Unfortunately much that I’ve seen written involves “taking revenge” or “getting even in the next race”. What is this, the World Wrestling Federation? Next thing you know it, we’ll have fiery team directors posturing in front of the camera, talking about how their team is going to wipe the tarmac with their rivals!

Fear of Those Who Don't Know What the Hell They'e Doing

   Because my wife has competed in a few triathlons this summer, I have had to explain several times why I don’t enter one myself. Well, despite having track and field on my athletic résumé, I was a sprinter and jumper and prefer not to run long distances. I do occasionally enjoy the varied terrain of trail running, which is not only less boring but also less punishing on my legs than running on long stretches of concrete and asphalt. Another important reason for my tri aversion is poor swimming technique – I sink like a brick and have a flailing style that looks more like a survival stroke. Yes, I could work on it and maybe take some lessons, but if I don’t have a strong wish to do it, there is really no point. In response to my mother’s question about improving my swimming, I asked, “Are you good at marathon running? Are you going to practice to get better at your marathon running?”
   After witnessing some of the entrants at these triathlon events, I believe I’ve found the most important reason for me to avoid entering - the fear of being wiped out by someone who simply doesn’t have bike handling skills. I have experienced this problem in some citizen bike races years ago, with nervous weavers causing panic in the bunch. The “fun” goes out of these events very quickly when picking cinders out of the large scrapes down your leg!

   I would never want to discourage anyone from exercising, but there needs to be a separation of entrants for the benefit of more experienced/competitive folks. Just watching an elite athlete from a different age group having to zigzag her $5000+ Cervelo time trial bicycle through a pack of chicks on mountain bikes trying to jam their running shoes into conventional pedals and old-school toe clips is ridiculous! There are many awkward overweight folks competing that cause problems, but I don’t mean to pick on them because there are plenty of “pretty folks” on beach cruisers with baskets on the bars that are just out there for the fun of it, and are also relatively clueless on a bike. Organizers should be aware of a need for a division for the non-competitive types, just for the safety of the more intense athletes.

   The SheROX event in Philadelphia on Sunday had a particularly dangerous pinch point where the transition from the swim to the run overlapped with the turnaround point of the cycling loop. The weary-legged women struggling to get into their pedals were creating a jam, and others were impatiently swerving around them into the passing lane (or even worse, the return lane) to get by. A frightening collision nearly occurred when several cones were knocked over and someone attempted to set them back up. Screened by some slower riders, this helpful person didn’t take a very long look before continuing across the street and walked into the path of a cyclist deep in her aerodynamic tuck, rocketing down West River Drive. The piercing screech the woman let out when she saw him standing there was the only thing that snapped the dude out of his deer-in-the-headlights stupor.
   I still enjoy playing many different sports, but admit that my competitive spirit has mellowed a bit. I find myself far less willing to take risks to be successful, particularly when it may involve personal injury. Cycling with others can be fun, but I’d rather have the comfort of pedaling among familiar people, with a skill level of which I am more confident. These days I am content going fast while out riding alone, instead of taking the chance of compromising my health because of some other cyclist’s mistake.

(Not) Squeaky Clean

   A quick Tour de France note - my current peloton favorite, Alejandro Valverde, was finally able to claim a stage win yesterday. During an incredibly difficult 17^th stage of the Tour through the Pyrenees Mountains, he was able to get into a long break and hold off the hard-charging teammates Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins, who will most likely claim this year’s yellow jersey. Valverde and his Movistar team have had terrible luck, with nearly every rider on their nine man team hitting the pavement at some time during the Tour, and many of them leaving with serious injury. When asked about the crashes and how it affected his chances to challenge for a podium spot, I thought Valverde (pictured below) was classy with his answer by not rehashing some of his previous complaints about the reckless cycling in the pack. He simply explained that the pounding his team took would make it hard to fight against the quality of opponents in the race and that at this point, he would just like to focus on the success of the day.

   I’d like to offer some advice about cleaning a bicycle, after hearing some disturbing stories from some customers, friends and family (you know who you are). I admit that I am more finicky than most and tend to wipe down most traces of dirt and sweat from my bike daily, or at least every few days, if I’m too exhausted from the ride I’ve just finished, but most cyclists recognize the eventual need to clean their ride, not only to make it look better, but also to make it operate more efficiently.

   I would first like to point out that, although modern bicycles have frames of carbon fiber and exotic materials, the machines are still primarily made up of moving metal parts, and introducing water to them is not the best idea. Even if you haven’t experienced a chain completely seized up with rust, there are many other important parts of a bicycle that will eventually become victim to oxidation, such as the headset and bottom bracket. The tiny metal ball bearings involved need to be clean and well lubricated in order to move freely and keep your bike operating smoothly.

   If you have a bicycle that was manufactured in the past 10-15 years, you may be fortunate to have sealed bearings that keep out moisture very well, but that doesn’t mean you should take a power washer to the bike! As a matter of fact, spraying a garden hose to your bicycle is really just a bit lazy, when taking the time to wipe it down with a damp cloth or two is really all you need.  What I like to do (I learned this technique in an old Paris-Roubaix cycling video) is first go over the bicycle with a wide soft bristle paint brush, dusting off the frame and wheels. A smaller tip brush is good for some of the harder to reach spots, particularly around the bottom bracket, where the chainring/crank assembly and derailleur are in the way.

   I then use a damp cloth, or perhaps one with a spray of degreaser (Simple Green is my favorite) for stubborn spots, like bug bodies or asphalt splash under the down tube. Some compulsive folks actually wax and buff their frames, but I’ve never done this, and I’ve had frames for twenty years which had a finish looking close to factory new! Maybe if you live in extreme environments, waxing your frame would be something to consider, but I’m not sure what the average cyclists would get out of this but a lot of aggravation.

   Perhaps most important part of your bicycle cleaning would be the chain and drive. Put a little degreaser on a rag and gently pinch the pulleys on the rear derailleur as you SLOWLY pedal the bike. The idea here is to remove accumulated gunk from the pulley without mangling your fingers or getting the loose end of the rag caught in the chain and pulleys or rear cogs. Similarly, wipe down the chainrings, moving the chain from ring to ring as you clean them. As an alternative, you could spray on some degreaser and scrub the pulleys and rings with an old toothbrush. I recommend holding a rag in your free hand, behind the pulleys and rings as you spray and scrub to prevent making a greasy mess everywhere.

   If you need to clean out the rear cassette, you may want to remove the wheel, again to prevent making a mess over any part of the bike you may have cleaned previously. Learning to remove the cassette from the wheel for cleaning is really not that difficult, but not absolutely necessary. Park Tool makes a great combination stiff brush with a serrated hook (pictured below left) for getting debris out from between the cogs, but any long bristled brush and a long, thin pick-type tool will work.

   Although I have one of those fancy clip-on chain cleaning tools (pictured above right), I have yet to try it - I’m not really sure why, but perhaps I just find the technique I’ve used in the past so simple. Again, holding a rag behind my working area to prevent splattering everywhere, I spray degreaser on a length across the top of the chain and scrub the surfaces to loosen the grime. Holding the crank with my opposite hand to create tension on the chain, I then pull backward with the chain wrapped inside the rag to wipe everything clean. Those of you who have neglected this chore for a while may have to let things soak a bit or go over the area more than once. You will have to rotate the pedals to expose different dirty sections of chain to complete the job. When finished, be sure to apply a light bicycle chain oil (a small drop on each link will do) to help protect the chain by keeping out moisture and to allow the links to move freely and operate quietly.

   As a final note, if you ride in the rain fairly frequently and don’t have a bicycle with a sealed bottom bracket, it is extremely important to either have your bike professionally maintained or learn to do so yourself. Water sprays up from your back tire and works down the seat tube into the bottom bracket. I found out the results when I took apart my brother’s bicycle during my mechanics class and found the bearings inside to be bone dry – NOT the smoothest of operating conditions for any bike, the bracket desperately needed to be repacked with grease. I was lucky to have caught it relatively early and didn’t have to replace a bunch of bearings with flat spots or worse, a couple of grooved bearing cups($$)!

Rack 'em up!

   Before I get into the main theme of this post I wanted to make a quick Tour de France comment. It’s good to see French cyclists picking up where they left off last season, winning three of the last four stages. Thomas Voeckler, who wore the yellow jersey through nine stages in 2011, and Pierre Rolland, who won last year’s Alpe D’Huez stage, have been somewhat expected winners, but young Thibaut Pinot was definitely a surprise. He won the 8^th stage with a well-timed attack and, perhaps inspired by the win, has been impressively hanging with the big contenders the past few days in the Alps. After several years with very little to cheer about, the French fans along the road have several national heroes, and a hopeful future, with riders like Rolland and Thibaut (pictured below) both in their early twenties.

   Sue and I learned several years ago that having a simple way of accessing our bikes certainly helps our attitude when contemplating getting out on the road. Some days just facing the pre-ride prep of getting dressed, applying sunscreen, stretching and collecting supplies can be a drag. Being able to just grab our bikes and sling them out the door helps to put us in the right frame of mind setting off to exercise.

   With our collection of bicycles for different types of riding, Sue and I were looking for a way to store them and eliminate trips down to the garage or basement. We have a side room that really isn’t in use very much of the year because it is mostly walls of windows and not very well insulated, making it usually very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. Sue had decorated it years ago, intending to use it as an escape room for herself, but jokingly admitted that it is only pleasant in there in April and September.

   We had occasionally stored a bike or two in there, but mostly just as a temporary arrangement. With some furniture located in the room, and an unfortunate accumulation of storage boxes, there really wasn’t room for more than two bikes leaning up against two opposite walls. We decided to remove unnecessary items from the space and come up with some sort storage method to put four bikes in the room.

   There was really no need for the vertical storage racks that are commonly advertised, since we don’t need to conserve the room space for other use. Sue noted the racks that are provided at triathlons, where the bicycles simply hang by the saddle from a crossbeam, and thought this would be a good solution. Buying a section of this type of rack, made of metal pipe, turned out to be more costly than we expected, and an alternative design of PVC pipe just looked kind of crappy. I came up with a similar rack made of wood that works well and, with some stain or paint, will look pretty good.

   We cut two eight-foot 2 x3 studs in half and assembled them in a “picnic bench method”, making two big letter Xs. This wasn’t really a technical operation - I pretty much eyeballed a configuration I thought would be stable and used some masking tape on the floor to make sure the two pieces were identical in dimension. We had predetermined from my saddle height that about 41 inches would be adequate hanging distance from the crossbeam to the floor, so this was the height I considered for the notch at the top of the X during assembly.

   I connected everything with wood glue and screws, because our unit is permanent, but I would think some pivoting arrangement for collapsing and removal could be easily worked out. I also added permanent cross braces to stabilize the X frames, but again some temporary type of hook/pivot method could be constructed for this instead. A 1-1/8” dowel was cut slightly shorter than the width of the room, set atop the Xs and secured with four curved metal straps of the type used to secure plastic electrical conduit.

   Pictured are our respective cyclocross and road bikes, with Sue’s on the left. The dowel does appear to sag a bit from the weight of the four machines, but the straps can always be loosened and the dowel rotated to compensate for any bad warping in the future. We considered a pipe for this part, but weighed its stability against possible damage caused to seatposts or paint from constantly bumping into the metal and thought wood would be a softer alternative.

A Belgium-ish Route

   I was cycling on one of my regular loops through Yellow Springs that reminds me of the area of Belgium and northern France the Tour has been visiting during the first few stages of this year’s race. The terrain of my ride was rolling hills, mostly on narrow roads, some of which were in rough condition. In fact, one half-mile section near Kimberton was stripped down in preparation of repaving, which gave me a taste of what it might be like to ride in Paris-Roubaix!

   The closed-in shaded roads around this area were especially nice in today’s heat, keeping me from baking in the convection oven-like conditions on the asphalt. However, I really enjoy the breaks of open farmland along this route, riding among the fields of corn and hay which look so similar to what I’ve seen during race coverage on TV. It's too bad that all of the houses of stone with slate roofs or the occasional massive modern estates that line the roads are so obviously American, otherwise I could really imagine I’m in a breakaway, trying to hold on for a Tour stage victory. Granted I’m riding about one fifth of the distance the teams covered today, at about three quarters of their average speed, but I’m ten to fifteen years older than they are, and I don’t have the benefit of drafting among 197 other cyclists either. (Yeah, dream on!)

   Speaking of the Tour de France, I’ve really been impressed by Peter Sagan (above), the Slovakian cyclist from the Liquigas-Cannondale team. He has had some successful spells the past couple seasons, but he looks like a man on a mission in this year’s Tour, with two incredible stage victories already in which he has crushed the competition. Brimming with confidence, he reminds me a lot of Sean Kelly in the 1980s, with the ability to hang with the top sprinters in the bunch, but also possessing the punchy ability to power up steep short climbs. Sagan narrowly missed winning a couple of the Spring Classics, but I see that being his specialty in the near future.

   On the business side here at CycleTech, I had quite a full shop here a couple weeks ago, including a restoration of a child’s bike and a rush job for a friend who was competing in an upcoming triathlon. I was also working on a troublesome mountain bike that had multiple problems, such as frayed brake cables, misaligned handlebars, wheels badly out of true and a bent rotor for the front disc brake. With the prompt delivery of some parts, I was just able to clear everything out before heading on a vacation to the shore.

Bikes of Bygone Days, Part 2

   I normally enjoy riding down at the shore, but the wind here has been really whipping up, pretty much wrecking the benefit of the pancake-flat terrain! Of course, it is the first rule of cycling that the wind will always be worse on the return leg of your route.
   I'm excited about the start of the Tour de France this weekend, but it's time to continue our look back at some of my past bicycles...

   The 1989 Cannondale ST400 was purchased at Genesis Cycles (still a great shop) in Easton when I knew that it was time to upgrade from that heavy steel Ross frame. The Cannondale had that cool oversized tubing, a relaxed fit and plenty of gears for climbing. I loved the blue color and always kept the bike spotless!

   I rode a couple criterium races on that great bike and my first 1000 mile summer, which seems like a comparatively small achievement now. I particularly recall two 50+ mile rides during vacation in western New York State, one on the hilly roads around Letchworth State Park and another in the beautiful Finger Lakes region, one of my favorite areas of the country.

   I also rode my farthest (at that point in time) one-trip distance on the Cannondale, a 67-mile ride from Philadelphia to Mays Landing, New Jersey, to benefit the American Cancer Society. Incredibly, I averaged over 20 mph on that ride, being lucky to hook up with a group of cyclists who rode regularly together and formed a fantastic paceline to share the work along the way!

   That bicycle was wrecked beyond repair in 2008 when a driver made an abrupt right hand turn into me. I was able to salvage a bit of the bike and my memories of it by turning its frame into wheel aligning tools (see article here).

   I purchased a 2008 Trek 1.5 Triple after my beloved blue Cannondale was totaled. It had perfect gearing for the larger hills and a really comfortable fit, which is why I had it hooked up to my windtrainer during the winter months.
   When I bought my new Cannondale and converted it to compact gearing, it became my "big hill ride" and the Trek's role changed. I added cyclocross tires to this bike for cycling on rougher, unpaved trails.

   This was a 1991 Diamondback Centurion Expert TG that had belonged to my younger brother. I rescued it from the floor of my parents’ garage and used it for the bike mechanic classes that I took at Bikesport in Trappe, PA. During the classes the bike was completely taken apart and overhauled, including repacking the bearings in the bottom bracket and wheel hubs! Considering that my brother did very little maintenance, it ran like a dream after I worked on it.

   One thing that caught my attention right away when riding it was the big honking chainrings, pretty much a setup for criterium racing at high speeds, definitely not for the hilly terrain around Royersford. I was stunned to think that Mark was on this bike when we rode up to my uncle’s place in the Poconos, and I remember he was climbing with a mushy rear wheel (more on the flat tires later) up one of the steepest roads as well! When I mentioned this to him, he winked and flexed his muscles at me – yeah, he was just being funny, but I was really impressed, and quickly found the need to change to a smaller set for more comfortable spinning.

   I’m usually not a big fan of the splash graphic bar tape, but I thought this black and white version looked pretty good with the marbleized paint around the front fork/head tube and rear stays on the bicycle. Besides, I was able to purchase two sets of this top-rate Cinelli tape super cheap! The bike also had white brake lever covers, which I never understood because they get cruddy, so I replaced those with a black pair. I also added a new saddle and some Look pedals.

   Logos on the bike said “Avenir Equipped”, and I have no idea what that actually meant because the components were mostly Shimano. It also had a set of Mavic wheels, which are usually high quality, but developed a tendency to flat. Frequent pinch flats were solved by a little extra shot of pressure in the tires, but there was a problem with the machining of the nipple holes inside the rim, which had sharp edges that also caused occasional punctures. I took a needle file to those trouble spots and had the rim tape replaced, which seemed to finally solve the problem. However, I was so frustrated with this process, and knew the wheels had some value, so I sold them and bought a new pair of Vuelta rims with bladed spokes of a lower count.

   I used this bike mainly at the shore or on flatter routes, but when I was looking to raise some funds for a Colnago purchase, I planned to sell the bike. I wasn’t happy with the way the Bontrager rims on my Trek would flex when I turned the bike at high speeds, so I switched them out for the Vuelta wheels when I eventually listed the Diamondback on eBay.

   I enjoyed the high-end performance of the 2001 Colnago Dream Lux, an aircraft aluminum speedster with full Campagnolo components. I’ve discussed this bicycle and its role in my current collection of bicycles in a blog entry earlier this spring (see article here).

   My final "bike of the past" is the Motobécane Mirage, a repaint of a mid-1970s road machine. I converted the bike to a cyclocross setup to take advantage of the numerous unpaved rail trails in this area of the country. It was a sturdy steel bike (a bit too heavy, leading to my decision on its sale) with some quirky vintage details. You can read about this refurbish job, beginning with the “Start up” article on this page.