Cannondales to the right of them, Cannondales to the left of them...

   Fellow fans of the Little Rascals (of which there are probably far more readers of my blog than poetry experts) will get my title reference and recall Alfalfa’s pants exploding with fireworks (it’s that time of year, after all) as he attempted to recite Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade” in front of his classmates:

    Half a league, half a league, half a league onward, all in the valley of Death rode the six hundred.

No, I do not have that many bicycles!

   These days one of my favorite shows is American Pickers – in fact, I was inspired to start one of my first bicycle projects (click here to view) by an episode where Antique Archeology owner Mike Wolfe pulls an old Motobécane bicycle from someone’s pile of junk. I always feel a bit of pride when Mike refers to himself as a bicycle guy, but I’ve also heard him say, “I’m a motorcycle guy” or Volkswagen guy, and once a even a hotdog guy! Generally he just fills that first slot in the phrase with the item at which he is currently looking.

   I suppose someone could accuse me of doing the same when it comes to bicycles – I’m a Colnago guy or Pinarello guy, or maybe it’s just that I’m an Italian cycling guy. However, when it really comes downs to it, I am a Cannondale guy at heart! I devoted a previous blog entry to my past bikes (click here) and should say I grew up on a Kia or Ross bicycle, but my formative years as a “true cyclist” were on a blue 1989 Cannondale ST400 that I kept in pristine condition for 20 years. That bicycle was unfortunately wrecked in a 2008 collision with an automobile.

   My wife had been riding a yellow (with orange accents – the company called the color scheme tangelo) 2003 Cannondale R600 Triple for a couple of years, while I tried out a few different other makes. I finally decided to get back to my “roots” and purchased a 2002 R700 Si, in the colors of the great Italian Saeco/Cannondale team.

   I regularly browse eBay and craigslist for great deals on bicycles, particularly if they are valuable and/or collectible models. I’ve always been intrigued by Cannondale’s “Black Lightning” bicycles that the company produced in the late 1980s to early ‘90s. The bikes were, of course, painted black and featured gold decals and highlights, but the clincher (pun) was that all of the components were black. The parts weren’t of any elite quality, but they sure looked sleek.

   Someone pointed out in an online forum that it really was a mid-level bicycle dressed up in black, but at that time period the Black Lightning was still as good as, or better, than most of the bikes churned out by other companies! The real value in this bicycle is when you can find one with all of the original parts, since most owners swapped out preferred components or upgraded them as time went on.

  A craigslist-er in New Jersey was selling one of these bikes with all the original parts for a very reasonable price, and I picked it up on the way back from the shore last weekend. It had very few blemishes (black touches up easily!), in fact the worse thing about it was that it had been stored near a shop table in the garage and had a thick coating of grimy sawdust on it.

   I had actually cleaned it up for the “before” photo above, since it rained for a couple of days, and I couldn’t resist getting to work on it. The tires and bar tape were in a sorry state, so I removed them and ordered a pair of classic gum walls and some black tape with that perforated leather look. I’ll take more detail photos next week when the finishing touches arrive, but I think the Cannondale looks pretty fantastic already!

   I like it so much that I don’t want to sell it – since it is only a 7 speed setup with 53/39t chainrings, I think it will be a great shore bike. I can leave it hanging up in the garage down there and not need to transport one of my bikes every time my family visits. The lack of required shifting over the flat terrain will also keep my out-of-practice hands from fumbling too much with the downtube shift levers.

   In other news, the repainted/built-up Pinarello Treviso finally has a new home, as part of a cash and trade deal. I was reluctant to take on one more bike, but in this case it was another Pinarello, and the buyer was a really nice guy who seemed very enthusiastic about my work – sometimes that becomes the deciding factor for me! As it turns out, the subsequent interest and discussion about this mysterious bicycle has almost made the deal worthwhile.

   The “swapper” had the impression that the bicycle was a Treviso, based on the decals, but as I later pointed out, all of Pinarello’s products had this name on the bikes, since that is the Italian city in which they are manufactured. I mentioned to him in a later email that at the time of the exchange I noticed plenty of similarities between a Treviso model and the bike he gave me, so I had no reason to doubt what he had told me.

   After much research I found that this bike is actually a Gran Turismo, but I wouldn’t say that fact would have been a deal-breaker anyway – most Pinarellos are quality machines and very collectible. My decision about the transaction was strongly influenced by a listing provided prior to our meeting of the desirable (and somewhat eclectic) components included on the bicycle.

   I was intrigued by the slight upward curve of the top tube of the handlebars and found these were common to “randonneur” or cyclo-tourist bicycles. I also noticed the brake levers had bolts for attaching the extension lever for application of the brakes when riding on the tops of the bars. I then found that the front and rear dropouts on the bicycle had eyelets that I thought were for mounting panniers (baggage racks).

   When I first solicited help to find more information on the Pinarello, the opinion of many folks from online cycling forums is that the eyelets on this frame were for attaching fenders. A couple members confirmed that they owned or had seen eyelets on vintage Pinarello bicycles, but at first no one was specific about which model it may have been. Another person suggested that the bicycle was a repaint and the eyelets could have been a custom add-on when the bike was stripped.

   Europeans traditionally preferred the utilitarian bicycle with various frame mounts and the use of fenders/racks, and Americans during the '80s fitness cycling craze really influenced manufacturers in eliminating such features as a weight-saving measure. Until the recent fixie/urban movement and (finally) a push for bicycles as an alternative mode of transportation, the selection of road bikes available here in the States has been dominated by the lightweight, racing bicycle variety. 

   I would very much like for someone to say, “Ooooh, I really want that bike” and offer to take it in the current condition, saving me from having to sink money into another major restoration project. I might also be able to just upgrade the parts (or at least match them) enough to make it more attractive for purchase. Maybe, now with a little more information about the Pinarello’s identity, I will be able to properly gauge the interest in such a bike and decide how much work I want to put into it.

Giro di Jersey

   I don’t intend to write too much this week, since I’m down at the shore relaxing, but I’ll probably start rambling, as usual. While my memories are still fresh, I want to detail my annual (I guess you can call it that, now that I’ve done it for two consecutive years) ride to Stone Harbor. I started off last Friday morning as some overnight rain clouds were clearing, and the trip went tremendously well.

   I can attribute much of the success to my top-level conditioning, due to the longer rides I’ve been doing the past few weeks. However the favorable wind direction played a large part in reducing the fatigue that had set in fairly early during last year’s trip when gusts were hitting me directly in the face. I was amazed this time around to even have the wind at my back coming down the causeway onto 7-mile Island - a HUGE plus coming “down the homestretch”. I bet that only happens for me once or twice a whole summer when I’m riding down here!

   Not happy with last year’s route, which crossed through plenty of South Jersey farmland and left me exposed to the buffeting winds, as well as the baking sun, I plotted a course a bit further east, putting me more immediately into the shelter of the forested regions. I also thought I would enjoy the ride more if I shaved off some miles/reduced the saddle time, so I parked at my brother-in-law’s place in West Conshohocken then took Septa Regional Rail to Temple University and started from there. I ended up totaling just over 80 miles, compared to last year’s 90.

   Overall I found that the road conditions on this route were a great improvement as well, although I still couldn’t avoid the nasty conditions through the greater Camden area. The old concrete slab paving in and around the city was cracked or had shifted into wide gaps that were treacherous for my narrow road tires! Several bad sections had “temporary” (actually seemed to have been there for years) steel sheets anchored into the road, which proved dangerous not only because the thickness of the joints threatened pinch flats, but the surface was worn to shiny smoothness. I just assumed the steel lacked any kind of traction and tried to weave around them, although some of these sheets covered the whole lane!

   For the most part I took smaller county roads (as pictured on right) and avoided the larger highways, but I was pleased to find short sections of Route 73 and the Black Horse Pike that I had to traverse were quite pleasant. Besides having super-smooth paving, each highway featured enormous shoulders, often a full lane or more wide, which makes you forget the cars and trucks whizzing by at 55+ mph. AND the streets were completely free of the usual roadside debris. I’m not sure what steps the state is taking to make this wonderful condition a reality, but Pennsylvania really needs to use Jersey as an example on this one!

   The average bicycle-tourist wanting a flat shore ride probably would not have liked the stiff climb I included just south of Clementon to the aptly-named area of Pine Hill, but much like my other South Jersey ride this spring, I enjoyed the break in monotony and getting out of the saddle a bit. Speaking of which, I made a habit of occasionally switching into a bigger gear and doing “slow sprints”, standing on the pedals to flex the muscles and give my backside some blood flow!

   Unfortunately, no matter how many times I tried to keep loose by shaking my arms out to my sides or sat back and stretched them over my head or rolled my shoulders up to my ears or twisted my elbows across my body, I could not prevent my neck and shoulders from becoming numb from about the three-quarter-mark of the ride, onward. I have some issues for which I’ve had physical therapy treatments in the past, and I think it’s time for a repeat session!

  Perhaps my most memorable moment (for pure entertainment value) during the journey was provided by some nutty college kids stopped at an intersection, leaning out of their car windows. They hooted and yelled, insisting that I high-five them as I rode by, then repeatedly honked their horn and waved frantically as they went back past me. However, my two favorite segments of the ride included a 7-mile stretch on Atlantic Avenue along the former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line, through several small communities, such as Audubon, Haddon Heights and Magnolia (photo left), that have beautifully restored/maintained their railroad stations. The other was an 18-mile portion of Route 50, most of which was newly paved! 

   Among “best moments” I might have considered the two Wawa stops along the way to fill my bottles with cool water, but those occasions weren’t exactly on the road.

Better With Wheels On the Ground

   I had been looking forward to checking out the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, a 70-mile linear park that starts in Millstone, New Jersey, runs southeast to Trenton and then bends northeast to finish in New Brunswick. The trip started off fairly well, but a series of unfortunate events turned things into a bit of a nightmare.

   I started in Lambertville, just across the Delaware River from its totally overblown (and overrated, in my opinion) cousin, New Hope, Pennsylvania, and rode northeast on streets. The plan was to complete a 65-mile triangular loop by entering the park at Millstone and returning via the trails, which lie mostly on the towpaths of the two old canals. Both waterways are mostly still intact, although their operation as commercial navigation routes ceased in 1932. The canals now see plenty of kayak and canoe travel and are also used as a municipal water source for the area.

   Before setting out on my trip, I had jotted down some directions on a card and attached it conveniently to my handlebar stem with a neat clip I received as a “door prize” from a previous club ride. Unfortunately I was quickly frustrated by intersections that only had street signs marked for the secondary roads. That’s fine if you are on the larger county roads, seeking the minor intersecting streets, but I was doing it the other way around, looking for points of reference as I made my way across some of the less-auto-traveled roads.

   I stopped to confirm that I was heading in the right direction a couple of times, and during one friendly encounter, I realized that there was some type of biting/stinging insect inside my cycling jersey. I found out quickly that it wasn’t a bee, because it got me FOUR TIMES, as my acquaintance looked on with sympathy (and a bit of amusement, I think). With an awkward reach behind my right shoulder, I was able to find the little buzzing lump and give it a vindictive squishing pinch between my fingers.

   Although I will get the requisite welts inflicted by wasps and spiders, I generally don’t react badly to bites/stings, so I almost completely forgot about the incident. In fact, when I looked in a mirror hours later, I could find no evidence that anything had happened at all. Maybe my body decided it couldn’t be bothered with such minor swelling and was more concerned with the other damage the trip inflicted, but I’ll get back to that.

   For obvious reasons the ride along the Delaware & Raritan reminded me very much of the C&O Canal, except without the elevation changes. Because it is MUCH less geographically isolated - and as a result, more frequently used - I found the D&R to be better maintained. The surface was fairly consistent, mostly a combination of fine, yellowish pea gravel and sand, with an occasional section of newer cinder construction mixed in.

   Recent rain had left me to do some swerving around puddles and muddy low spots, but in general the trails had drained well, and I was left with a more compliant riding surface. The rains had also cut down on the dust that would have been kicked up, so I didn’t feel completely filthy, as I often do after spring/summer trail rides!

   Although it wasn’t overpoweringly warm the day I rode, I was pleased to find the route was shaded around 80% of the whole route. At one point I was nearing a blue heron, and he mistakenly took off towards the trail instead of out over the water. It unfortunately couldn’t find a way out through the thick foliage that created a tunnel around the towpath. I rode closely behind as the bird glided low over the ground for a few hundred yards, until it found a clearing and banked his huge wingspan out over the canal - these amazing creatures really are modern day Pteranodons!

   Plenty of wildlife was viewed along the way, but I could have done without the company of the Canada geese, since their poop piles were like a minefield in some sections. The birds weren’t too happy to share the trail, either. Several of them had goslings in tow and supplied a threatening hiss and a flap of wings when I passed by. “Well maybe if you went to the other side of the canal where there is no towpath, you wouldn’t have a problem!” You’d think the birds would have figured this out by now.

   And now the “fun” begins.  Somehow a thorn (of all things!) lodged into my front tire and created a very slow leak. Because my cyclocross tires are relatively low pressure (72 PSI), and I was riding on a soft surface in practically a straight line, I didn’t even notice the situation until I approached a pedestrian/bicycle overpass at Rt. 1. As I stood on the pedals to accelerate up the ramp, I could tell something was wrong and immediately let off the gas, but not soon enough to safely negotiate a curve right at the base of the incline. In the middle of the turn, the mushy tire rolled right off of the rim and down I went onto the concrete.

   Since I was travelling relatively slowly, the damage wasn’t too bad: some “road rash” near my right elbow and on my lower leg, a little chunk taken out of one of my knuckles and a bruised hip. I was probably most angry about the chewed up pair of BRAND NEW cycling shorts! But for some scrapes to the right pedal and handlebar end cap, my bike came away pretty cleanly, the most important result in these low-speed accidents. Our scrapes and bumps heal, but…

   I made a repair to the tiny hole, and then stretched a little before starting up again. This “forced break” probably wasn’t the preferred situation, but it definitely could have been worse, so I shook it off fairly well. I laughed to myself thinking about the possibility of landing in the canal instead! 

   As I entered Trenton, I took the opportunity to snack on a fruit/nut bar and try to recharge myself for the remaining 12 miles or so. I found that the trail needs some improvement through the city, as the towpath segments are a bit broken and access points are not always well-marked as the canal remnants become mixed with streets. Knowing that the river was always on my left, I kept in the general northwest direction until I linked back up with the Delaware Canal segment.

   A few miles later I neared Washington Crossing State Park and thought I would top off my water supply for the handful of miles I had left. As I made my way cautiously down a ramp to the park restroom building, I noticed the righthand side of the walkway was overgrown with weeds and overhanging bushes so I moved over to avoid getting snagged. Little did I know the walkway would end abruptly just around the corner on a small wedge of sidewalk, with the curb drop-off to my left, weeds on my right and nowhere to click out of my pedals!

   Had I not already had 60 miles of riding (and a crash) already in my system, I may have been able to bunnyhop the bike out of the awkward situation, but my fatigued body could only manage to drop the front wheel down to the pavement below. Unfortunately there was one of those concrete parking bumpers in the way, and when my wheel stopped abruptly, I nearly launched myself head-over-heels. In the slow-motion instant replay, I somehow managed to kick my left foot out of the pedal down to the pavement and got clear of the bicycle as it spun violently out to the right.

   I somehow kept hold of the handlebar with my left hand to prevent it from smashing to the concrete, and later when I took off my cycling glove, I found that I had a strange bruise on my palm just above the wrist. I suppose that this was from the bar end smacking into it when the bike was twisting from my grip.

   I was really tempted to toss my bike into the river, which was only about 50 feet behind the restrooms, and hitch a ride back to Lambertville – so close to the finish and here I was, having to change another flat tire! I sat on a park bench taking sips of water and just shaking my head for a couple of minutes then sadly reached into my back pockets for the tire levers and spare tube.

About forty minutes later, I was thinking that I had never been so happy to see the car!

Tapering?

   I had been putting in the miles in preparation for a 65-mile ride organized by the South Jersey Wheelmen, and with just a couple of weeks before the event, I was feeling fantastic. I did a particularly challenging loop of 50 miles that started in Phoenixville and headed out into the hills towards Downingtown, where I would then make connections with several paved rail trails to work my way back. I was amazed at the pace I was able to hold, even over the final stretch of miles!

   Unfortunately, just a couple of days later I was hit by a sinus congestion/nasal drip problem that unfortunately got into my lungs. Riding became impossible when I found that I was unable to take full breaths without severe coughing spells.

   After a few days of recuperation, I did a couple shorter rides and my legs still felt pretty strong, but my breathing was understandably a bit rough. When I tried to bump up the miles, I was shocked that after about 25 miles my legs would just go dead. I thought maybe this was simply a case of having to back off the pace during the ride until I recovered, but it just wasn’t happening. I tried a shorter ride next time out, but my legs felt just as bad, and with a little over a week until the event, I was thinking the south Jersey ride was not going to happen this year.

   As it turned out, most of that week ended up having miserably cool, wet weather I decided to take a complete rest to see how my body would respond. I only did a light, half-hour session on the wind trainer one of those days, just because I was bored sitting around!

   It must have done the trick, because I tested myself on one of my most challenging regular routes which is packed with short, steep climbs, and I performed better than I ever had. Knowing that the double loop course of the south Jersey ride would conveniently allow me to bail, should I end up feeling like crap, I decided to give it shot.

   I tried to pace myself initially, keeping last year’s ride in mind when I went out way too fast and was fairly shattered in the last ten miles. I also recalled the return leg of the route, riding into westerly headwinds, which seem to always kick up in the flat lands in southern New Jersey and Delaware.

   I was relaxed and spun a reasonably low gear, but it turns out I was still tearing it up. My legs felt fresh and the early morning weather was cloudy and cool – very energizing to me! I made sure to keep drinking and was well-fueled with the gluten-free provisions I had tucked into the back pockets of my jersey. Except for the ever-present bananas, feed zones at events like these are usually stocked with no-nos for me.

   My food actually provided a bit of humor as I attempted to eat on the fly on a slight downhill section of the ride. I had packed a half of a crunchy peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich, which I had flattened a bit (my gluten-free slices are usually a bit thicker) and wrapped in an easy to open foil package. I am very used to eating one-handed on rides, and that wasn’t an issue, but the high speed was causing my sandwich to vibrate as I lightly rested my “food hand” on the bars between bites. Because the bread lacks the binding sponginess of gluten, small chunks would occasionally loosen and break free in the wind. No one was accompanying me at the time, but he or she may have gotten an unintentional snack while riding behind!

   During my son’s graduation party on Sunday, I was talking to a friend who had been a cross-country runner about my recent strange swing in performance. He suggested that the rest was probably just what I needed before the club ride, and he made a reference to top-level athletes “tapering”, or gradually backing off the intensity of their workouts going into big events in order to be well-rested and able give their all-out best performance. He also theorized that I had been pushing so hard for an extended time with inadequate rest in between, and my body was starting to send messages to slow down.

   I took a very short, moderately paced ride Monday, just to work out some of the fatigue in my legs, as I was planning another fairly long ride this week. I also intend to do a ride down to the shore in a couple of weeks, but I will be sure to schedule some down time around those two occasions. I’m going to be more aware of my body’s need for rest in the future, and recognize the signs that I may be overdoing it.

   Just a quick update on the Saeco-Cannondale bicycle project – some decals arrived in the mail with which I could more closely match the team’s color scheme. Before and after shots:

I also purchased a nice used Dura-Ace 9 speed group on eBay (below). Once everything arrives, I will be just about set for completion – if only that Cinelli Alter stem would get here!  

Molto pazzo?

…well maybe not very insane, but perhaps slightly “touched”.

   During my search for a nine-speed group to accompany the set of Campagnolo Vento wheels I intended to put on the Saeco-Cannondale bicycle, I began to rethink the point of this project and how to really make this build the most desirable for re-sale. I also stumbled upon a “donor bike” on eBay that had mostly 9-speed Dura-Ace components (as the Saeco-Cannondale team used) AND a set of Spinergy Rev-X wheels!

   Now, I know these wheels have a bit of a bad reputation, but as I read about some frightening incidents that occurred with them, I found it really was a specific batch of the Rev-X wheels that were flawed. The UCI rules eventually banned the use of such radical designs, which had as much to do with Spinergy discontinuing production of the Rev-X as did any fears about the product’s reliability.

   I figure if there are sets of the wheels still around after a decade of usage, this particular model of the Rev-X obviously has adequate durability. I think the real attraction of this build is how close it will replicate the team’s actual bike, and if the eventual owner wishes to ride a more “safe” wheel, that would be his choice!

   Another factor in my change of heart was that the carbon wheels on my Pinarello have developed an annoying clicking sound from which I have had no luck determining a cause. I thought hanging onto the Vento wheels a bit longer would be a wise decision, should the noise be a sign of a serious problem.

   The bicycle I purchased is a Guerciotti (gwair-chee-OH-tee), put together as a bit of a “Frankenbike” with Dura-Ace components mismatched with a few less expensive (and lower quality) fill-in parts. The frame has an interesting paint job that has some issues, but I thought I might recruit my airbrush artist friend for some help.

   I’m not sure if I will make this frame a build project, as I might set it aside until the winter or even just resell it after having the paint touched up. Other than taking care of repair jobs or the odd build for a customer during the spring and summer, my intent was always to leave my own projects for the “indoor months”. A couple of late -season ventures were hanging on too long, waiting for completion, but I’ve finally gotten out from under them and made a couple of sales!

   I picked up a very nice yellow Selle Italia ProLink saddle from a craigslist-er in New Jersey, but will have a longer wait for the Cinelli Alter stem purchased a couple of weeks ago from an eBay seller in Poland. I also purchased a black Cannondale seatpost and some yellow Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick III tires. With the Dura-Ace group and Spinergy wheels, I expect to achieve a very close replica to Cipollini's 2000 ride.