Getting out from under my pile of parts

   Just over a week ago I had three bicycles completely disassembled and stored on various shelves in my basement shop. I am finally seeing some space open up, after completing Carrick’s Giant FCR1 and making significant progress on the Pinarello Prince.

   Carrick really did a great job and was very patient with my directions, and other than a few of the more complicated tasks, he only had to be told once for each step. I have to admit that there are times when I’m working that I wish that I had a third hand, and it was sure nice to have four during this build. I usually manage alright by myself, but setting up the derailleurs and brakes is so much easier when someone is holding the cable taut while I tighten the bolt.

   I could have built up the bike with its original stock parts, using Bikepedia for reference, but in an effort to upgrade some of the lesser quality parts while still staying within a budget, I pieced together my own set, although it is dominated by Shimano. I admit when I put together my own bicycles, especially the vintage builds, I like to consolidate my component groups, such as all-Campagnolo, etc. With Carrick’s bike, I did try to at least pair up component manufacturers whenever possible, so as not to have a complete mismatch of parts - for instance, the seat post and saddle are both Origin 8 parts.

   Although drivetrain components made by Shimano and SRAM are compatible, I wasn’t too pleased by having derailleurs by the former and a crankset by the latter, but the 8-speed chain (the correct width is important) we purchased is a SRAM product, so we felt that “evened things out”. Some of the odd parts are accessory-type items, like the Bontrager bottle cages, ultra-cool RockBros platform pedal and Specialized wireless computer – Carrick liked the neat way it mounts via the steering tube cap, centered directly above the stem.

   The Shimano wheelset actually came from Sue’s Cannondale. About a year ago she took her front wheel off and leaned it against the back bumper while she loaded the bike into her car. She then forgot to grab the wheel and accidentally backed up over it, gouging the rim very badly on the breaking surface. She really liked the interesting spoke pattern on the R540 wheels, but being in the middle of her triathlon season, we couldn’t really be patient to search for the odd wheel and just purchased a different set.

   With the one leftover wheel, we had the opportunity to save some money on Carrick’s build, and I could now take the opportunity to search for the match. My plan worked out perfectly as I eventually surprised Sue by swapping back her “old favorites” one evening and then loaded the bike back in the car for her regular afterschool ride. The R500s now on the Giant have a higher spoke count than Sue’s R540s, and since Carrick is now the tallest of our family, the sturdier-built wheels are probably a good idea for a kid his size!

   I was able to assemble the basics on the Prince this afternoon, putting the fork and headset together. I had to saw off about a quarter inch from the carbon steering tube to have all of the spacers, stem and top cap fit perfectly. I screwed the rear derailleur hanger back on then mounted both wheels so that I could stand the bike up and center the stem and handlebars. I also took a couple of minutes to bolt on the front and rear brake calipers.

It looks pretty good, although I obviously still have a good amount of work left to do!

Two Wrenches Better Than One?

   I’ve been questioning some of the tactics used by my current favorite pro Alejandro Valverde and his Movistar cycling team the past few years. Too many times they’ve been positioned poorly during lulls in a race and been caught up in crashes, or they have been driving the pace on hills in order to shed the teammates of their opponents, only to be burned out when the finish line nears, leaving Valverde exposed with no one to help.

   This morning I was able to enjoy seeing the Spanish star use amazing patience to win La Flèche Wallone, one of pro cycling’s Spring Classics contested in Belgium’s Ardennes region. Yes, he did use his teammates to set a tough pace, but the last climb up to the finish line was relatively short and steep, the kind of terrain on which Valverde excels. He wisely let some of the favorites jostle for position and launch attacks that proved way too early and then jumped with an explosive kick over the last couple hundred meters to break clear.

   This has been a very busy week down in the shop, and I’ve had some company with Carrick doing most of the work on his bike, with patient direction of course. I had been making fairly quick work collecting parts, and I told him when we were in a bit of a lull with schoolwork, we could get busy with assembly.

   We took a trip out to Bikesport to purchase some cables and housings, and this morning the wheels arrived, so we thought we were all set. The project was flying along until we realized the brake caliper arms would not extend far enough for the pads to make contact with the wheel rims. This frame had a cyclocross setup, which allows more clearance for wider, knobby tires, but also requires calipers with a longer “reach”.

   We were not so happy that BikePedia.com, which I use often as guide for appropriate parts, didn’t point out this little glitch, and we were especially disappointed to have to wait on a new brakeset to arrive. The picture below shows how far our build went to this point, not being able to wrap the bars with the brake cables going under the bar tape. We hadn’t put the cross tires on the rims yet, since we had just checked the clearance, but we had used the bare wheel with the cassette installed to size the chain properly.

   I was finally able to pick up the Pinarello Prince from my new airbrushing connection, and Bruce was a little embarrassed that he had hung it up in his storage room and forgotten about it. I assured him it wasn’t a problem, and reminded him that if the first guy who worked on this would have listened to me and taken his time, I wouldn’t have had to pushed the project this far! I was certainly glad to have met Bruce, because he did a fantastic job - I wish I had gone directly to him!

   This evening I applied the vinyl decals, and I think it looks fantastic. I’ll have to take the bike over to show Bruce when I’m finished putting it all together.

   I also started stripping paint off of the Pinarello Treviso last weekend. Some of the areas where the chemical was fighting through the decals and paint, as well as some spots where the paint was thicker, will need a second round of application. I used an environmentally friendly paint stripper and was a little skeptical about its effectiveness, but not anymore - and you can’t beat not having to worry about knocking yourself out with toxic fumes!

   I'm a bit disappointed to have a really busy schedule for the next few days that will keep me from finishing work on any of the bikes, but it's nice to see some progress.

Flying Dutchman

   Maybe, as a University of Maryland alum, I should start a Niki TERPStra fan club, after he broke free from an impressive pack of contenders within the last handful of miles to win Sunday’s thrilling Paris - Roubaix. Terpstra, who keeps in shape during his “offseason” by racing the European indoor track circuit, found himself in an elite group that included three-time winner and defending champion Fabian Cancellara, four-time winner Tom Boonen, last year’s runner-up Sep Vanmarcke and 2013 Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins.

   Also among this powerful bunch was two-time Tour green jersey winner Peter Sagan, former world champion Thor Hushovd and Olympic team pursuit gold medalist Gerraint Thomas. However, on paper the most dangerous man appeared to be speedster John Degenkolb, who had won Ghent-Wevelgem this season and in 2012 won five sprint stages during the Vuelta a España. The German was conspicuously doing very little work in the break and was looking to use his explosive speed to win a sprint during the race’s finish in the Roubaix Velodrome.

   What Terpstra really had going for him was two teammates for company in Boonen and Zdenek Stybar, himself a three-time cyclocross world champion who was in the winning break last year until a spectator snagged his handlebar and took him down. Perhaps riders in the pack were eyeing those thought to be more dangerous and let Terpstra slip away, but considering that he finished third last year and had shown terrific form this spring by winning a couple smaller stage races, this proved a huge mistake as the former Netherlands national road champion held off the chase for the biggest win of his career.

   By the way, Cancellara continued his amazing string (now 12 out of 13) of podium finishes at pro cycling’s “monument” races, when he sprinted to third place behind Degenkolb. The Swiss star again showed his incredible abilities during the race, chasing down breakaways and making sure he was in the winning move, although the finale didn’t quite turn out in his favor.

   I have to say, using the podium photo above as evidence, the pro peloton appears to need an injection of color and creativity in its jerseys. I understand the desire for a sleek corporate image, but some advertising genius has to realize that catching the eye with a clever design would have some value among all of the drab black team kits. Just look back the past team kits and how bold splashes of color made pro racing so much more visually interesting.

   Among my all-time favorite jerseys is one from Mapei, a manufacturer of latex adhesives and sealants, that incorporated the pattern of a tile-layers’ notched trowel sweep among colorful cubes, and another from Ariostea, makers of porcelain, stoneware, floor and wall tiles, which was evident just by looking at the jersey artwork. Other unique jerseys include a design by Benetton, which was inspired by the art of Piet Mondrian, for the French health food chain La Vie Claire, and one which had comic book styling to promote Z (Groupe Zannier), a maker of children’s clothing.

   I don’t have much more to mention this week, although I am happy that the weather is finally spring-like and I have been out on the road more often in my free time, instead of down in the shop. I’ll leave you with a photo from Paris-Roubaix that really stood out for me, particularly because it shows the danger of cornering on the dusty cobbles, as well as the need to always be alert when following the wheel in front of you.

Give him the hook!

   I’m afraid that was a phrase my parents heard all too often during the days I was pitching in youth baseball leagues. It seemed I was a very good practice pitcher, but fell completely apart when the gameday pressure hit me. What I’m referring to, in relation to this blog, is a somewhat imposing tool, which looked like a cross between a scythe and huge channel-lock pliers, that my local frame expert used in his attempt to extract the stem from my Yellow Pinarello.

   Peter Dreesens builds wonderful steel bicycle frames for the road, track and trails, but also occasionally puts together something exotic (see first photo below). Peter, who used to race himself, has seen athletes win eight U.S. national titles on his bikes!

   After a couple of email exchanges and a quick phone call to schedule a visit, I made the twenty minute drive to Peter’s garage shop. His throwback operation, crammed with tools, parts and dozens of frame projects in progress, was in immediate contrast with an ultra-modern Wilier carbon fiber bike Peter had in a bike stand while making repairs for a friend.

   There was no doubt the man had a plan when he snapped up the Pinarello frame and locked the fork into a table vise, wedged between wooden blocks to protect the chrome. He then pulled out “The Hook”, a strange contraption which he assured me was an actual ParkTool product. I checked – it’s called a frame/fork straightener (photo below), although his was very well-used!

   He threw all of his weight behind the tool, which caused a terrible CRACK, followed by a high-pitched shriek, resulting in a small amount of stem movement. Peter turned the tool the opposite direction and again, the awful shriek with a couple inches of twisting stem. Results! (I thought.) We were definitely getting some movement, but it was obvious some more solvent soaking was needed, so I left the frame behind.

   A couple of days later I received a call from Peter, informing me that he was getting side to side motion, but with no improvement. The operation would lock up again after every turn, and he was definitely not getting any vertical movement. He told me that this is something he has experienced before, called spalling, which he explained (after a disclaimer that he was no metallurgist) was a tearing away of the top layer of metal between the two parts. He wasn't just fighting the rust; he was twisting material off of the steering tube and stem.

   I told him that I was far more interested in saving the rare Cinelli engraved stem than the fork, which wasn’t original anyway. We agreed that the best solution was to loosen the headset and drop the fork down so that the bottom of the steering tube was exposed enough to cut it. He could then slide out the fused parts, cut a slit along the remaining tube and pry it open to release the stem.

   Carrick and I stopped by his shop on our way to class on Thursday and…

   Peter pointed out that, based on the location of the rust lines, it appears none of the solvents we used had penetrated at all! We then discussed stripping the paint, which I’ll do myself, and he gave me a very reasonable estimate for the dent repairs and for brazing on new cable guides. He revealed that he sends his frames out for professional painting, but I think, with the money I've already sunk into this project, that I will make other arrangements.

   I try to keep from focusing my blog entries on professional cycling because I realize that, although most readers are fans of bicycling, it doesn't necessarily mean they are fans of racing. However, I like to point out interesting athletes and stories, and I hope my enthusiasm rubs off on someone. I find it incredible to watch these guys regularly cover more than 150 miles at an average well over 20 mph, whether they're rolling over flat, wind-blown roads in the Netherlands, attacking ridiculously steep cobbled climbs on a rainy, cold day in Belgium or grinding slowly up winding passes up through the Alps.

   Use of the phrase “You gotta love …” by sports commentators really annoys me, not only because it’s terrible grammar, but also because viewers really don’t have to do anything they don’t want to! I would think statements like “You gotta love the way the Boston Bruins have been dominating lately” or “You gotta love the way Michael Wacha is pitching for the Reds” would find Flyers or Pirates fans, respectively, a bit grouchy.

   So I won’t say something stupid like “You gotta love Fabian Cancellara’s performance in Sunday’s Tour of Flanders”, because I know those folks rooting for Tom Boonen or Peter Sagan would strongly disagree. I will say that you have to respect the abilities of one of the most dominating cyclists in the history of the sport! The five cycling monuments (Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Giro di Lombardia) are the oldest and most prestigious of pro cycling’s one-day events. Cancellara generally skips the last two because their routes are more suited to the climbers, but in the last dozen monuments he has entered, Cancellara has won five times and, incredibly, has finished on the podium eleven times – the only time he didn't was because of a crash that resulted in a broken collarbone. I guess we’ll give him a pass on that one instance!

   As in many past occasions, the Trek Factory Cycling rider came in the favorite at Flanders, everyone was watching him and he emerged victorious with tactics and sheer talent. Stuck without any teammates to help, Cancellara was in a group of a dozen riders who were marking him closely the whole race and refused to do any work in order to chase down a breakway duo up the road which looked like the possible winning move.

   The man known as “Spartacus” within the peloton because of his toughness and powerful build simply rode away from his companions, with only one rival able to hold his wheel. The multiple world time trial champion caught the breakaway and still had enough snap left in his legs to sprint around all of them at the finish line to win.

   I strongly encourage you to tune in next Sunday morning to watch “The Hell of the North”, Paris-Roubaix, and see if Fabian can win for a record-tying fourth time. If you have satellite TV, it’s on Sky or Eurosport, otherwise you can catch one of many available feeds online at Steephill.tv. The great thing about cycling is, like baseball, it’s more of a pastime. You don’t have to watch every second while you’re eating breakfast, reading the paper or browsing eBay, just glance at the screen occasionally to see what’s up, listen to the crowds or announcer for something exciting to happen and be sure to catch the final inning, or last 20-30 kilometers in cycling’s case!

Ooooh - Shiny Red Bike!

   My sons Colin and Carrick have never been big on team sports, although they are hockey fans and played in local dek hockey leagues. However, they have both now outgrown the youth ranks and really need to find a consistent outlet for exercise. You would think the warmer months would be the more logical time to be outdoors, but as a family we’ve always been very active during the winter. No, I’m not counting the repeated sidewalk shovelfests we’ve had this January and February, but we played a lot of street or ice hockey and skied fairly regularly in the past (see pics below).

   Although Carrick tried baseball for a couple of seasons, large chunks of our summers were usually taken up by epic family trips. When the boys were home they would just disappear with their friends and play somewhere in the neighborhood. However, we’ve found computers to be a bad influence as they’ve gotten older, and try to stay on top of them about getting away from the screen. I struggled to find some interest or inspiration to get them off of their butts without having to constantly tell them to do so!

   The purchase of a new bicycle for my older son Colin was a big success, as he has told us about rides he takes during the school year around campus in Madison, New Jersey. When he comes home for the summer, he often disappears for long rides, and although he doesn’t ask me to accompany him, I balance my bit of disappointment with the fact that he is out enjoying cycling without any prodding from his “old man”. If the non-invite is simply a case of “embarrassing him with my presence”, a situation I’m sure most parents have heard about, I can smile to myself and think that it is the fact that I would be badly out-pacing him on my bike that would make him so uncomfortable!

   Carrick and I used to mountain bike fairly frequently, but it seems a lot of the local off-road trails have really deteriorated lately, some from overuse and poor maintenance, but also from weather issues that have left an abundance of downed trees everywhere. An added obstacle to this activity is simply having to pack up the bikes to go somewhere, when it would be so much easier if it was possible to just hop on and head off into the woods

   An idea hit me the other day that Carrick has always had hand-me-down bikes which were ridden pretty hard before he received them. I wondered if something new (or new-ISH) that really is his machine would excite him to ride more often. The fact that the old, heavy steel bicycle he was riding had been maxed out in all seat and stem adjustments in order to fit his long proportions, led me to think he probably could use a bike built to his body dimensions as well.

   During my regular eBay searches I found an excellent Giant bicycle frame that was a bit older model, but had been rarely used. Someone had stripped off all of the parts for sale, and had listed this beautiful red aluminum frame with carbon stays and fork, which also included the headset and a quality Easton stem. The best part about the deal was that the seller was only a fifteen minute drive away – potentially no shipping fees!

   For convenience the seller dropped off the bike his local bike shop on his way to work, and I made my way over there to check it out. The mechanic there whistled in approval when he showed me the frame, and it certainly met my approval as well. He put in a quick call to the seller, who was excited to hear that I liked the frame so much and would pay cash on site - he could now close the listing early and avoid eBay’s 10% fee on the final auction price.

   I’ve since put Carrick’s old repainted Schwinn on craigslist, and have been searching for parts to build up his new bike. I’m trying to keep it a bit of a secret until I get everything together. As the school year winds down, and we have less class work to take care of, I’d like to make the assembly a project we can work on together. I’m hoping not only that he will learn some things mechanically, but also that the “Hey, I built this” idea will make him take even more pride in his bicycle.

   Not a lot of news to report on my projects left in the shop, except that I dropped off the stem-stuck Pinarello with a local frame builder for some expert help. In the near future I am also expecting some pictures from my airbrushing friend of the Prince paint job. The search for a home for the Colnago also continues.