The Golden Age Of Handbuilt Bicycles

I'm the kind of person who has an inverse relationship to hype: the more people say "you have to see this movie" or "this book is amazing" the more apt I am to avoid it. At a certain point a product becomes the victim of its own hype and the result is disappointment.

This said, let me be perfectly clear about something: if you have any interest in classic bicycles you absolutely must buy "The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles". This book is simply stunning and is a wonderful tribute to classic bicycles, especially those made by French constructeurs who believed that a bike is far more than the sum of its parts. The book presents 50 bikes ranging from porteur bikes capable of carrying 100 pounds to ultralight randonneur bikes. Each bike is photographed in profile along with a selection of close-up shots. Text is provided by Jan Heine, publisher of Vintage Bicycle Quarterly. Jan's expertise is clearly evident as he takes the time to not only describe the details of each bike but in many cases writes about the builders and eventual owners of the bikes presented. This puts a very human touch on the book and saves it from simply being a collection of pretty photographs.

At the back of the book are detailed notes on each of the bikes presented including a list of any non-original equipment present. What is missing would be a listing of the equipment for each bike along with the size of the bike shown. This would make some of the weights listed far more impressive.

As it stands, the book is an invaluable resource for fans of the randonneur/constructeur style of bicycle and a nice departure from similar books that only seem to focus on racing bikes.

Numbers that count

Has anyone looked at the geometry chart in the back of most bicycle catalogs and noticed some changes in recent years? No, I'm not talking about the much ballyhood lack of tire/fender clearance. Instead look at the column for fork rake - in many (most?) bike catalogs you'll see the same number for a 47cm frame as a 63cm frame. I looked at the specs for Cannondale, Trek, Bianchi USA, Novara, Merckx, Jamis, Pinarello, and Rivendell (Rambouillet/Atlantis) and only two of these brands had more than one rake dimension across their size ranges. As many of you might suspect, Rivendell was one of the two brands. The other brand was Trek - the company so many bike snobs like to pick on. Of course even these companies only offer two rake dimensions.

Am I the only one who finds this a bit odd? I mean maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt that a 47cm frame should have the same amount of rake as a 63cm frame. Call me kooky.

I've been thinking about this a lot while riding my Soma Smoothie ES. The bike is great but it still rides more like a racing bike than a bike suited for comfortable, all-day rides. A loaded handlebar bag really makes this apparent. Some people claim the bag is the culprit and maintain that heavily loaded handlebar bags are a bad idea because they put too much weight at too high of a height. Having seen plenty of French built randonneur bikes with downright huge front bags I am inclined to doubt this. I suspect instead that too many product managers are simply ordering cookie cutter frames from Taiwanese factories and/or are simply not thinking about geometry. Jan Heine wrote what is probably the single best article I've ever read on front end geometry and anyone with an interest in this subject should read the article published in Vintage Bike Quarterly (Vol. 3/No. 3)

Later in the new year I plan to have the steel fork on my Soma re-raked and will compare how it rides to the "standard" rake carbon fork I'm currently on.

SOMA Smoothie ES update

I've passed the 2000km mark on the SOMA Smoothie ES which is remarkable considering it feels like I barely have time to ride these days. Here's an updated review:

The good:
The bike handles great unloaded and while carrying a large saddlebag. Stability is excellent and I can easily ride no-hands down to 10-15kmh. At higher speeds (50+ kmh) the bike remanins shimmy free. Ride quality is quite nice. It would be easy to say the smooth ride is due to the forgiving nature of steel tubing or the result of the carbon fork. Of course then I'd be spouting the same garbage as the big bike magazines. The bike does glide over rough asphalt but that has much, MUCH more to do with 28mm tires at 95psi than anything else. The frame fits and the handling is such that you can just hop on it and ride without having to pay attention to the bike. Really this is about as good as it gets. With a retail price of under $600 it's a hard bike not to like. It's a blue collar bike: rugged, cheap, and dependable.

The bad:
Mounting fenders on this bike isn't as easy as it should be. The bike is designed around standard (57mm) reach brakes and is sold as having fender clearance. However the frame/fork only include fender mounts at the dropouts. There are no fender mounts at the brake and chainstay bridges forcing me to use clips or zip ties. Problem with this is that it results in rattling over rough roads. Very annoying. I'm contemplating adding a riv-nut to the chainstay bridge. Not sure if I can safely drill and tap the brake bridge. I can't imagine it would cost that much more for them to make this change in future production runs.

Fender clearance when using the carbon fork is pretty scant. I'm running 28mm SOMA tires and they barely clear under the crown and brake. The fenders I'm using are SKS plastic fenders and when I hit a hard bump or jump out of the saddle the tire buzzes the underside of the fender. A fender boss on the underside of the fork would probably help as it would allow the fender to be pulled up closer to the crown. Plan to replace the SKS fenders with more solid Berthoud models in the new year. Hopefully that will solve some of the problems. Also plan to switch to slightly narrower tires.

Handling is fine when the bike is unloaded but suffers (as most bikes do) when the bike is fitted with a loaded handlebar bag. I suspect more offset/less trail in the fork would help and early in the new year I plan to have the steel fork re-raked.

Safety in numbers

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So sue me....

These are probably NOT the words to say around a certain 7 time Tour winner because he will, in all likelihood, do just that. Such is the fate of Skidstrong. Skidstrong, now Fisso, was the brainchild of Gary Boulanger the owner of Cycles Gaansari in Dayton, Ohio. I met Gary when he was in town for the Seattle bike expo and have exchanged e-mails with him over the years. He is without a doubt one of the nicest people in the bike business. Cycles Gaansari produce some stunning looking frames and his site is a thing of beauty. He started Skidstrong as a way to promote fixed gear riding while also giving money to the Bicycle Messenger Emergency Fund. The BMEF was established to help bike messengers - who typically make less than your average burger flipper - with medical bills that frequently come with the job. All was good for a few brief weeks and then Lance's legal team apparently thought that the general public might somehow actually think an obscure bike brand in Ohio might get confused with a 7 time Tour winner. Oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I respect the need to protect copyrights and frequently find myself in the position of protecting the copyrights of the company I work for. That said, Lance's people should have taken a step back and thought twice about what they were doing. I suspect the damage done to Lance's reputation is now greater than any damage that would have been the result of copyright infringement.

Welcome back...

Swobo is back! Oh hell yeah!!! Swobo is hands-down my favorite cycling clothing company. They were one of the only companies that seemed to know how to make wool jerseys that actually fit normal human beings. Most other companies seem to think wool jerseys should hang down around your knees with sleeves that end 3-4 inches from your wrist. Don't know why this is but I've had jerseys from numerous companies that fit this way. Odd thing is several of these companies also make plastic bike clothes that fit normally. Go figure. Anyhooo...Swobo are back in business under the ownership of founder Tim Parr. Right now the selection is kind of thin (short sleeve jerseys in November?) but hopefully that will change. Go to: http://www.swobo.com/ and commit acts of commerce NOW!!

Dynohub

Finally got the chance to commute to work on the Smoothie. Nice rolling 30 mile ride early in the AM.

This was my first extended ride on my Shimano dynohub and Lumotec light. Conditions for the ride were probably ideal for testing a dynohub: several sections of streets without lights, sketchy pavement, and sporadic rain. Overall, this system doesn't put out nearly as much light as my old Niterider. At first, it took some getting used to but now I'm convinced that having less light is probably better. With the supernova light of some systems the contrast between what the beam illuminates and the surrounding environment is so great that all you can see is what the beam is shining on. With the toned down lighting of the Shimano/Lumotec system I was better able to see my surrounding environment. I think the battery powered systems still have a place - especially off-road - but for most road riding I think the dynohub system is the way to go. I think the only conditions under which the system might be inadequate would be high speed descents on unfamiliar roads.

Mounting the lights was a bit of an ordeal. I tried using the metal bracket that mounts the light above the brake caliper. Problem was the mount was too narrow. It's got a U shape to it and was too narrow to fit around the brake washer. I tried to modify it with a Dremel tool but wound up weakening it causing it to fail after just a few short rides. Finally, I was able to use a part of a plastic mount originally intended for mounting a blinky light to a seatpost. I used the part of the mount that attaches to the blink and mounted the Lumotec lamp to the top of my SKS fender. I was worried that the fender would be too flimsy and that the light would vibrate/shake too much. This turned out not to be a problem. For now it seems to be working.

It's all about the customer...or at least it should be!

David Pogue has a great article in the Technology section of the NY Times last week. The article was titled "10 Ways to Please Us, the Customers" and it's aimed at electronics consumers. It got me to thinking about customer service (or the lack thereof) in the bicycle industry. This isn't going to be the most original entry but, as Oscar Wilde once said: "Talent borrows, genius steals!" Here's my list of ways our industry can better serve our customers:

1) Bike companies need to send bikes properly pre-assembled. If Sony and Samsung can ship 50" plasma TVs halfway across the planet Hodaka and Giant should be able to ship an assembled bike. Labor costs are killing the LBS and this in turn is ultimately bad for the consumer.

2) Create a real owner's manual. Most seem to have been written by lawyers and seem to be preoccupied with keeping the manufacturer from being sued. Seeing "...may result in serious injury or death" every other paragraph doesn't exactly instill confidence in the consumer. Terrifying your customers usually isn't good for business.

3) Create a real catalog. The 1993-1995 Bridgestone catalogs are considered collectors items for a reason. In addition to describing the bikes they contained a wealth of interesting information. Most catalogs are little more than a few race shots, some marketing hyperbole and a spreadsheet of statistics. While we're at it list the weight for your bikes. If your carboscandanium is really that light why not list the weight? True, it really doesn't matter but a lot of people want to know.

4) Return phone calls and e-mails. I'm amazed at the number of e-mails I've sent to various companies that have never been replied to. Whether it's a question about product availability or a technical issue it seems many vendors don't bother to reply. I guess it's because they don't want my money.

5) Sell bikes people actually will want to ride. Most people don't race so why do most road bikes come with the same gears as those used by professionals? Do you really think some 35 year old dentist is capable of pushing the same 53x12 as the pros? On the whole, tires need to have more air volume, saddles need to be wider, bars need to be higher, and gears need to be lower. You can do all of this and still have a slick looking bike. A few companies seem to have clued into this and hopefully more will follow.

6) Don't treat saddles as an afterthought. It's the primary point of contact with the bike. Be willing to spend more than $3 on it. While we're at it, stop speccing skinny ass-hatchet saddles. Those are great for skinny-assed racers but lousy for the remaining 99% of the riding public. Of course saddle makers may scream at the impact this will have on sales but that basically proves product managers are doing a terrible job when it comes to saddles.

7) Don't hire racers to drive your marketing. These people are used to getting gear for free so what in the world makes you think they understand the first thing about how consumers make purchasing decisions? Hire marketing professionals who know what they're doing.

8) Stop giving away your merchandise. Microsoft didn't give me an X-Box because I like playing Rallisport so why should Bike Company X give someone a bike to race on the weekends? It's shocking how many people are riding on stuff they got for free or at a steep discount. Bike racing for the vast majority of people is a hobby and hobbies are things you pay to do. I don't know of any other hobby that gives away so much product. This is especially true for Masters since most of them make more than enough money to afford to finance their hobby.

9) Drop the "dude" mentality. Could you imagine what it would be like if bankers, mortgage brokers, or car salesmen acted the way your typical bike shop employee acted? Yikes. Of course it doesn't help when the typical bike shop employee makes less than the typical Starbuck's barrista.

10) Think outside the box. Why do so many bikes end up looking the same? Every year it seems someone designates a hip color and all the companies come out with a bike in that color. One year it's orange, the next year it's flames. Stop playing "me too" in the graphics department. Again, it might help to hire people from outside the industry.

Riding lessons

It seems like I'm seeing more and more cyclists failing to follow proper protocol while out on the road. In the interest of public service let me offer up the following lessons on how to be a proper cyclist:

1) Always make sure you wear matching shorts and jersey. Having a plain colored jersey devoid of logos and solid black shorts proves you don't know how to ride. Real riders wear the logos of their "sponsors". If you're not "sponsored" you're a nobody and shouldn't be riding on the road.

2) Make sure your bike is coordinated. Tire tread color must match handlebar color. Handlebar, stem, and seatpost must be of the same brand. Ideally these items will be of the same brand as the "sponsor" on your jersey. Also the bike must be spotless - bikes owned by real riders will show no signs of every having been ridden. Absolutely under no circumstance are you allowed to mix Campy and Shimano! Wheels may not have more than 24 spokes and must be aerodynamic so as not to slow you down. Finally, at least 5 parts on your bike MUST be carbon fiber.

3) No old parts. You're riding 9 speed?? That's OK only on your "retro" bike that you ride when it rains. Real riders are using 10 speed for their primary bike. And don't even think of riding unless your bars are made from carbon fiber and your saddle weighs less than 300 grams. Steel frames are only acceptable if they're made by a craftsman who studied for 50 years in Italy, then built frames for a Tour champion (who had to race them with sponsor decals) and now has a 30 year waiting list. Even then you must refer to this as your "retro bike" that you just ride "for fun".

4) Obsess about weight. Real riders need to have the lightest gear possible. A 14.96lb bike might be OK for the pros who are forced to ride whatever junk they're given but real riders will cherry pick only the best parts for their bike. It's especially important to cut weight on such vital components as bottle cages, handlebars, tires and saddles. Durability isn't important since you'll replace the parts with next year's new stuff (see rule #3)

5) Run a 53 tooth big ring and 12 tooth cog. Real riders are strong riders. So strong that they need to have the exact same gears as the professionals. 48 and 50 tooth rings are for freds. Real riders are turning over the same 53x12 as Hincapie, Boonen, etc. So what if Eddy Merckx never needed a 53 tooth ring - he was forced to ride a STEEL bike. Your carboscandalloy bike is so light, stiff and aerodynamic it'll be no problem for a real rider to push a bigger gear than Eddy.

6) Run 23mm tires at 120+ psi. Traction and comfort are not important. All that matters is speed. Besides, that carbon fiber seatpost will magically absorb all the road shock.

7) Always ride with a group and always make sure you dress the same. This is vital to team cohesion which will later prove critical during such epic non-races as the Around The Lake Loop, Annual Century, and Tour de Charity Ride. Also be sure to silently pass by pedestrians as fast as possible. By terrifying the shit out of them you'll be sure to impress them with you're riding prowess. Remember: bells are for freds!

8) Bring plenty of gels, energy bars and drinks with you. You're training and it's essential that your highly tuned Adonis-like body be fueled by equally highly refined chemicals. Regular food is entirely incapable of providing the energy needed for your high intensity 2 hour ride. You wouldn't put plain unleaded gas into a Formula One race car!

9) Where "technical" clothing even when you're off the bike. Regular wool and cotton will cause you to simultaneously overheat, freeze to death and suffocate. You need to keep your highly tuned engine cocooned in petro-chemical fabrics designed to breath, stretch, massage and caress your athletic physique.

10) Demand a discount for all of your bike gear. You're a serious rider and serious riders shouldn't have to pay retail. Only newbies pay retail. You're special and shops need to recognize this buy giving you a discount. Since they mark everything up 100% this won't hurt them plus when people see you riding with the gear it'll drive up the shop's sales so you're doing them a favor with all the free advertising you're giving them.

Of sheep and the French...

OK, this won't be as sick as the tag line suggests (but it got you to look!)

First up, I picked up the new Novara wool sweater. About the only thing that's cycling specific about it is that it say "Novara Bicycles" across the back. It's a nice coffee brown stylish piece though not really something you'd wear riding. It's not cut for cycling, lacks pockets, and the fit is kind of funny. I got a medium and it's crazy long. OK, that seems to be pretty much par for the course with wool. Don't know why it is but every wool cycling top I try seems to be way too long in the torso and too short in the sleeves. I've tried tops from Swobo, Kucharik, Castelli, and a few others.

On the French front it appears the frogs took a dig at Lance during the presentation of the 2006 Tour route. Why is anyone surprised by this? While it's easy to write off as yet another example of the French being French I'm not show sure us Americans are any better. How do you think we'd react if a French team won the Super Bowl? Or a German team won the World Series? Of course we'll never know because the "World" Series is only open to American teams (Toronto doesn't count - I doubt anyone in their line-up is actually Candadian!) as is the Super Bowl. It's pretty easy to say you're the best in the world when you don't allow the rest of the world to play. Hell the good old US of A baseball team didn't even qualify for the Olympics! Probably just as well since chances are none of the top American players could pass an IOC drug test. Bitch all you want about the French ripping on Lance but face up to the fact that we're no better. Actually, we're probably worse - at least the French let foreign teams enter their race!

It's a material world

Was in a bike shop the other day and heard a sales person tell a potential customer that they shouldn't buy a Cannondale because "aluminum is stiff and will beat you up."

You hear and read this a lot in the bike business. Too bad it's not true. It amazes me how much misinformation is propagated by ignorant bike shop employees and bike magazines. I guess this is what happens when companies are run by marketing people instead of engineers. Like "waterproof breathable rain gear" this is yet another example of where marketing people seem to act in complete defiance of the laws of physics and most consumers are too ignorant to know any better.

Didn't any of these people stay awake during science class in high school? Heck, let's put down the textbook for a second and just focus on the bike world and ask ourselves a couple of simple questions:
1) If aluminum is stiffer than steel why are track handlebars (where stiffness is of paramount importance) preferred over aluminum?
2) If aluminum is stiffer than steel why don't we have aluminum ball bearings, hub axles, BB axles, etc?
3) If aluminum is stiffer than steel why were the aluminum Alan and Vitus frames of the 90's criticized for being too flexible?

The reality is aluminum is softer and more flexible than steel (assuming same dimensions). That's not an opinion but rather a fact of science. This also explains why it's lighter. A lighter material has a lower density. A lower density means lower weight. You can see the pecking order by busting out the periodic table of the elements (yeah, the one from the high school chemistry class that most marketing people seem to have slept through):
Iron (the main component of steel) is # 26
Titanium is # 22
Aluminum is # 13
Carbon is # 6

The lower the number, the lighter and less dense the material. The lowest numbers on the periodic table are the gases hydrogen (# 1) and helium (#2) - which have both been used in balloons and blimps because they're actually lighter than air. At the other end of the scale you have tungsten (# 74) and uranium (# 92) which are used to make the armor piercing rounds fired by tank cannons. Anti-tank armor piercing rounds actually have no explosives in them, they're simply solid darts of tungsten or depleted uranium that rely on their high density and extreme velocity to penetrate the armor plating of their target (I spent several years as a M-60A3 and M1-A1 Abrams tank crewman). Gold, well know for its heft is also pretty low down on the list at # 79.

What makes most (though certainly not all) aluminum bikes so stiff isn't the aluminum at all. Rather it's the diameter of the tube. In a nutshell, the larger the diameter the more resistant to twisting. A great example of this is to ride a Klein or Cannondale and an old Vitus or Alan. All four are made from aluminum but the Klein and Cannondale feature massively oversized tubes while the Vitus and Alan feature tubes not much larger than conventional steel tubes. As a result the Klein and Cannondale are almost impervious to flex making them excellent bikes for climbing and sprinting at the expense of comfort. The Vitus and Alan on the other hand are notoriously flexible and were prized for their smooth ride and all day comfort.

The next time someone in a bike shop or bike magazine tries to tell you aluminum is stiffer than steel tell them to go back to school and learn some basic science.

Apple

How does Apple do it? Unless you've been under a rock, you're no doubt aware that Apple has launched a version of the iPod that will allow for the playback of video. This isn't a new concept and several other vendors have had portable video devices on the market for sometime now. However, to look at the press you'd think the introduction of the new iPod was the second coming! How does Apple manage to get so much press? Apple fans will say it's because they deliver groundbreaking and well designed products. Unfortunately, history says otherwise. Apple was not the first to come to market with MP3 players, portable video devices, or all-in-one compact computers. Truth is many of their much-hyped products have been duds: the iPod Photo, the Power Mac G4 Cube, the Newton, etc., etc. This failure rate is probably no greater than that of most other consumer electronics companies. The difference was when was the last time a new MP3 player from Sony or Creative made front page news? I wonder how well the Mac Mini is selling. It sports a slow processor, weak video card and paltry hard drive. But who cares, it looks cool!

Don't get me wrong, I think Apple has the lead in design. I can't imagine living without my iPod and iTunes and I'd love to see Apple purchase Tivo (fat chance, I know). I just don't get how every time they introduce something it's treated as a groundbreaking event even though in most cases they're not the first to have come out with such a product.

Update: Two days after I posted this what should arrive in my mail box? The latest issue of Time magazine. The cover photo: Steve jobs holding an iPod Nano while standing in front of an iMac. Never mind devastating earthquakes, floods, storms, wars, political shenanigans or the economy. Apple coming out with revisions of two already existing products (both in categories Apple didn't invent) was apparently the most important story the editors at Time could come up with. Amazing.

Interloc B-57 brake review

I chose the Interloc B-57 brake for my Soma for a couple of reasons. For starters, they're less expensive than the Shimano long-reach brake. Also I've always like Interloc - they're a smaller company doing some really nice parts at some really nice prices. My old shop had a good relationship with them and they took one of my ideas and made it happen (a long drop cable hanger for cross bikes)

Still, this doesn't give them a free ride. When I pulled the brakes out of the box the first thing that struck me was the finish. The calipers are very nicely polished. Much nicer than the finish on the Shimano long reach brake. These brakes wouldn't look at all out of place on an otherwise all DuraAce or Record bike. Even the caliper quick release is a faux chrome plastic.

The only glitch I had with installation was with the fork crown fixing bolt. Between the thick crown on the carbon/alloy fork, the fender tab, and the light mount the stock bolt was a tad too short. Fortunately, I had a spare longer bolt in my parts bin. Ideally, they should spec a longer bolt since many people choose to run 57mm reach brakes so they can also mount fenders which often attach to the brake. Brake pads are of the cartridge variety ensuring a long life of easy maintenance. The cable adjuster is a two piece design. The actual screw is the part you turn to make adjustments while the washer with the rubber o-ring is used as a locknut to hold the adjustment. This two step approach is a little different than the method used by Shimano but it works great and even allows for finer adjustments.

Out on the road the brakes worked just as well as anything from Shimano. That's pretty high praise. Plenty of power and plenty of modulation. Really not much more to say.

With a retail price of $85-90/pair (about $20-30 less than the Shimano brakes) the Interloc B-57 should be your first choice in 57mm brakes.

(Photo courtesy http://www.interlocracing.com)

First flight

Well I finally took the Soma out for it's inaugural ride on Saturday morning. Nothing too fancy but a good 75 km shakedown ride. For Puget Sounders my route started at my place in Ravenna, along the Burke to Fremont, south to downtown, along Boeing Field to the Interurban, took the trail to Tukwila, over to Renton, up Rainier then MLK and finally to Montlake and back onto the Burke for the last leg home. The route had a couple of hills and some pretty bumpy roads at points. The new bike handled it all very nicely. Just a little rattling from the SKS fenders.

Conditions for the ride were pretty wet throughout and I was quite happy I had fenders mounted. On the final leg I saw some cyclists on racer/poser bikes who didn't have fenders and they looked pretty toasty wearing rain jackets to deal with the spray even though it had stopped raining and was quite sunny. Fenders and a saddlebag are really great for rides like this.

This ride also gave me a chance to wear my new REI Conversion jacket/vest and REI wool zip top. I wore the wool top as a base with a short sleeve D'Allesandro wool jersey over it and the Conversion jacket over that. This turned out to be pretty much perfect for light rain and temps in the 50's/60's. The zip off sleeve/shoulder panel on the Conversion jacket is especially nice.

Lost Wages

So this week is Interbike and thanks to the glories of the internet and digital cameras there's little need to waste your time and money heading out to Las Vegas. I've been surfing around looking at what's on show and for the most part there's nothing really Earth shattering. More carbon, more suspension, more yawns. Have seen a few things that really caught my attention:

1. Park Tools: The boys in blue always come out with something nice and this year is no exception. My faves: a lighter repair stand, a Mavic truing tool that will fit the slots on most case pallets, and a backpack for carrying tools. All welcome new to race/event mechanics everywhere! Details already posted on the Park site.
2. Cannondale Lefty tool: Cannondale has come with a nifty multi-tool that slides into the empty headtube. Yeah, the French did this years ago but nobody has done it recently. It's a good idea and one I've already been tinkering with.
3. Rivendell/QBP Bleriot: An affordable 650b bike. Rivendell style, QBP availability. What's not to like? Hope it sells like hotcakes at lumberjack camp.
   
4. Jeff Jones: This guy makes the most fantastic titanium bikes out there and also the best off-road handlebar.
5. Reynolds 953: Steel's not dead! Yeah!
6. Wool: The marketing people are finally embracing it which means soon the sheep (consumers) will be wearing real sheep.
7. FSA: Finally someone has pulled their head out of their backside and realized that most people don't ride fast enough to gain any real benefit from aero wheels but could benefit from reduced bearing friction. VeloNews said it best: "Remember when we used to care about bearings and how freely our wheels and drivetrains spun?" Ahmen! Sealed bearings are great for mechanics - when they get cruchy you just punch 'em out and replace them. Unfortunately, all those seals create quite a bit of drag. FSA has gone ceramic and apparently the results are impressive.
8. LED lights: They're getting brigher and smaller. Who really needs a HID system on the road? Seriously, unless you're trying to signal the space shuttle it's overkill. It's also annoying as all get out on bike trails where you end up blinding anyone heading in the opposite direction. Also nice to see dynamo hubs coming back into fashion.
9. Surly Pugsley: If you thought the Karate Monkey was a niche frame just take a gander at this beast! 3.7" tires and as little as 5 psi could make this the ultimate winter trail bike. Kudos to the Surly crew!
   

Another shot

Here's what I'll be looking at as I ride. Makes me happy I spend the big bucks on the lugged stem.

Show and tell time!

Here's a side shot of the bike. Specs:

• DuraAce cranks w/ 48-38 rings
• 105 front derailleur and BB
• Ultegra 10s rear derailleur and chain
• DuraAce 10s downtube shifters
• DuraAce seatpost with Rondine saddle
• Rivendell stem, Nitto Noodle bars, bar-end lights, Specialized BarPhat tape/pads (I don't like wearing gloves)
• Eggbeater pedals
• Mavic Cosmos wheels with 28mm SOMA steel bead tires
• Campy carbon brake levers
• IRD B-57 brakes
• FSA headset
• Delta stainless bottle cages
• SKS fenders
• VDO computer

Weight is a hair under 20.5 pounds. Not bad considering it has steel bead tires and fenders!

Rivendell Reader #36

Got my first Reader since renewing my loooong lapsed membership. Highlights:

• Photos of Nigel Smythe bags. Not sure how I feel about plaid bags.
• Ritchey Breakaway review
• A "the French invented it first" type article from Jan Heine with some great pictures of obscure parts.
• Details of an inexpensive 650b bike. Availability is early next year, made in Taiwan, and lugged. Grant writes that it's "designed within half an inch of where I'm sitting now". He doesn't say where that's at but it kind of sounds like it might not be a Rivendell offering.
• Richard Schwinn interview.

All in all, another fine reader.

What are we buying?

I work for a major outdoor goods retailer. I'm not going to say who but suffice it to say we're best known for our initials. Today we were given the opportunity to purchase some of our house brand gear for next to nothing prices. They do this twice a year both as a thank-you to the employees and also because they know it's a great way to sell more gear (employees in any industry sell more of what they personally use)

I'm looking through the mini-catalog they sent out announcing this sale and one thing that stands out in regards to the clothing is the heavy use of words to describe clothing that I would not normally associate with clothing. Words like "technical", "performance", "laminate" and "welded". Just what am I buying: a jacket or a racing car?

Since when did a jacket need to "perform" and why does it need to be "technical"? Correct me if I'm wrong but we're still talking about fabric. Granted, the fibers are different as are the production techniques but at the end of the day it's still a series of strands woven together into a sheet that is then cut and assembled into a completed garment. It's certainly not technical on the same level as say an iPod, jet engine, or camera so why pretend it is? Maybe I'm getting old (highly unlikely) or way out of touch with the Average American (very likely) but when I'm looking at a jacket I'm more interested in words like "warm", "cozy", "dry", "comfortable". Have we become so dependent on technology and gadgets that these words are no longer appealing?

Fortunately, there is hope. Turn one page from the jacket with the subtitle "Technical fabrics combine for peak performance" is....WOOL! Nice, 18 micron Merino wool at that. The subtitle for the wool top reads "A natural way to add warmth, wick moisture" Now you tell me, which of those descriptions sounds more inviting?

Wish List

First, let me start by saying I think the bike industry is, on the whole, doing a better job of serving a greater variety of cycling interests than at any time I can recall (and I've been at this since the early 80's)

That said, there are some things I'd love to see brought to market or resurrected. Here's a short list, in no particular order:

1) Hite-Rite.
Anyone remember these? A simple spring designed to help off-road riders quickly raise/lower their seats. Useless for fire road riding in Marin but mighty handy on twisty, up and down singletrack. I did see someone is offering a seatpost that can be adjusted with a remote switch. Same concept but way more expensive, complicated and heavier. I can't figure out why more trail riders haven't resurrected this one.

2) 110/74 bcd aluminum crankset for modern bottom brackets.
Interloc is working on this but no promises of when it will arrive. Rivendell is also trying to import the Sugino Alpino. Sugino already makes a great 110/74 crank - the XD - but it's square taper. Shimano is coming out with a 110 crank but it's a double only and uses their outboard bearings. Plus the current generation Shimano cranks look too much like spaceships and not enough like crankst, IMHO.

3) Cinelli Unicanitor.
A plastic shell attached to the rails. Like a Brooks, the comfort comes from the shell flexing rather than from padding. Simple and cheap. Also impervious to wet weather making it a winner for rainy day commuters and cyclocrossers alike. With titanium rails it would be very light.

4) A Brooks saddle that works.
Every Brooks saddle I've ever seen on a reasonably modern bike is shoved as far back as possible. Even then they're often still too far forward. Why Brooks has their saddle rails in a totally different configuration to the rest of the industry is a mystery. John at Rivendell says a solution is in the works but can't give a date. Keep your fingers crossed on this one.

5) Good looking yet affordable bags.
Cycling bags fall into two categories: handsome hand-made models that cost more than a set of wheels or affordable models that look like cheap plastic. Why can't someone take nice materials (canvas and leather) and have them made in Taiwan? How hard can this be? OK, it probably is hard.

6) Lightweight bags.
Why are all good quality panniers so overbuilt? Most cyclotourists are not traveling for months on end through third world countries but you'd never know it from their over built gear. People have hiked the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails using ultralight sil-nylon backpacks. Why can't someone make sil-nylon panniers for people to use for light and fast trips? While purists may sneer down on the credit card touring crowd there is no denying they exist.

7) Loops on saddles and saddle bags.
Every non-racing saddle should have saddle loops and every bike bag maker should make a saddlebag. Period. A large saddlebag easily beats a set of panniers for commuting, centuries and credit card touring while also allowing you to quickly strip the bike down for speedy, short weekend rides. With panniers you still have a big ugly rack on the bike when you remove them. Not a look.

8) Affordable aluminum fenders.
Honjo fenders are striking in both appearance and price. Much of this is probably due to the high labor costs in Japan. Why not make them in Taiwan? While we're at it, make them as easy to install as SKS and Zefal fenders.

9) A brake/shift lever in which the brake lever and shifter are separate parts.
True, Campy Ergo be rebuilt but realistically the number of man hours it takes makes it impractical. Instead I'm thinking of a shift pod that attaches to the brake lever. This would make upgrading from 9 to 10 to 11 speeds more affordable. Would also be great for cross racers. Modolo attempted this a few years back but didn't quite pull it off.

10) Wool jerseys that fit Americans.
Is it just me or does it seem like most wool jerseys are made for tall skinny guys with no shoulders?? I've got woolies from several makers and most of them are too long in back and have sleeves that are too short. Really odd thing is some of them come from companies that also make plastic jerseys that don't have these fit issues. What's up with that??

Yippeee....

The last piece for my Soma arrived. Spent the night finishing the bike off. It's still not 100% where I want it to be and there are several parts I'm hoping to get such as Honjo fenders, different wheels, and Rolly-Polly tires. Still, it's together and can be ridden. Going to snap some pics tonight and try to post them on this page.

My beef with Brooks

So my Soma Smoothie ES is coming together nicely. Went to mount the Brooks B-17 saddle only to discover that it won't work. I'm using a DuraAce seatpost which has a pretty fair amount of setback and yet even with the saddle slammed all the way back in the clamp it's still a good 10-15mm too close to the bottom bracket. Yes, I could simply use a longer stem but that's a really poor way to compensate. Rule 1 of bike fit is to not tinker with the relationship of the saddle to the bottom bracket. You don't compensate for reach by moving the saddle forward/backward which is basically what I'd be doing by mounting the Brooks. I took off the Brooks and put on my Fizik Rondine. The Rondine fit just fine with the seatpost clamping the rails more less smack dab in the middle. Tried a few other saddles and they all fit more or less in the center of the rails. It's definitely the Brooks. A seatpost with more setback might help but I'm not aware of any seatpost that has at least 10mm more setback than the DuraAce post.

So my question is this: why has Brooks chosen to ignore the changes in frame geometry that have occurred in the past several decades? The rails on the Brooks are perfect if your bike has a 70-72 degree seat tube angle. If your bike has a 74 degree seat tube angle (as most bikes do these days) it's more than likely you won't be able to achieve the proper amount of setback because of the peculiar design of the Brooks' rails.

There's really no excuse for this. Brooks has introduced new models in the past decade and also produced titanium rail saddles. This gave them ample opportunity to modify their design to better accommodate today's frame geometries. So why haven't they? I've e-mailed Brooks and hope they will respond.

Park PRS-15 Repair Stand Review

So my 10+ year old Ultimate repair stand finally bit the dust. It had a long, hard life and served me well through more events/races than I can remember. It will be missed.

I searched around for a replacement and finally settled on the Park PRS-15. Really, it came down to two models: The Park PRS-15 Professional Race Stand and the Park PRS-20 Team Race Stand. The PRS-20 is a Euro-style stand the holds the frame by the front or rear dropout and bottom bracket. This is much more stable and also saves you from having to clamp around potentially fragile carbon seatposts. Downside is you have to remove a wheel to mount the bike. At a mass ride where you may perform dozens of repairs a day that extra step could get to be a real pain so I opted for the more conventional style Park PRS-15. Plus at 'cross races you can quickly hang the bike from the clamp arm by the saddle nose while you hose it down between laps - something you can't do with the PRS-20.

Overall, this stand weighs a fair bit more than my old Ultimate. Set-up was a bit more involved than with the Ultimate. With the Ultimate the three legs are connected together and spread out simultaneously. On the Park stand you have 4 legs that are not connected which makes it a tad more difficult to unfold and set up. Mind you, I'm not saying it's hard to set-up, just saying it's less easy. Once in place the Park stand does feel much more solid thanks to the 4 footed base. 4 feet are always more stable than 3 feet - this explains why goats, mountain lions, and other critters tend to be quadruped. Also the two rear feet have adjusting knobs to help maintain stability on uneven ground.

The main mast of the Park is a hefty chunk of airfoil shaped metal. This is much better than round mast on the Ultimate which could rotate under pressure. Like the Ultimate it can be raised or lowered by the flick of a quick release.

The clamp has nicely padded and narrow jaws that shouldn't have a problem clamping onto most seatposts even when a seatbag is fitted - no need to modifgy them with a hacksaw. One nice feature is the quick release mechanism. You unwind the main clamp handle a copuple turns and then hold down on the quick release and slide the clamps open. Very quick, very simple.

Overall, the Park is a professional level piece of equipment that no race mechanic should be without. It is an improvement over the Ultimate stand and I haven't seen any other stands on the market that feature this much stability and portability. There are other stands that are more stable (the Pedro's Rockstand being the current champ) but they're not nearly as portable. Many other stands are lighter and more portable but I wouldn't feel secure cranking on a bottom bracket cup with them. Is it expensive? Absolutely, but so is any piece of professional equipment. They're not throwing the word "Professional" into the name for nothing. Home mechanics should stick to a less expensive stand (like the PC-9). Park did everything right on this stand which is exactly what we've come to expect from them. My Ultimate stand lasted more than 10 years and I suspect this Park stand will last even longer than that.

Ripping on the Big S...

So why do people so passionately dislike Shimano? I got to thinking about this while I was installing my DuraAce 10 speed downtube shifters. Sure they come out with new and improved products every 2-3 years and keep switching standards but Campy does the same thing. Yet people adore Campy and loathe Shimano.

Traditionalists seem especially hostile to Shimano which doesn't make much sense. Shimano is currently the only major component company producing downtube shifters. Campy has dropped theirs. Shimano also still producers bar-end shifters in both 9 and 10 speed models. Campy now only makes 10 speed. Furthermore, Shimano's bar-end and downtube shifters both still have a friction option which Campy lacks. If you're building a traditional style bike Shimano is the only major company still cranking out shifters.

Then there's the issue of spare parts. People like to claim that Campy is superior because you can rebuild their Ergo shifters. This is a hollow claim. Yes, technically it is possible to rebuild the shifters. However, as a practical matter it's so time consuming that having a shop do it would probably cost you more money in man hours than simply buying a new shifter. There's also the issue of spare parts availability. I was recently looking for some Cane Creek/Tektro brake levers and was calling several local shops to track them down. While I was at it I also decided to see which was easier to find spare parts for: Campy or Shimano. I asked stores if they had Shimano and Campy spare chains, chainrings, and cassettes. Of the 6 shops I called all had Shimano spares while only one had spare Campy parts (and they cost twice as much as Shimano!) Mind you, these are common spare parts that need to be replaced on a regular basis, assuming you actually ride your bike.

By no means am I picking on Campy. In many ways I still prefer many Campy items. The hoods on the Campy Ergo shifter are far more comfortable for my mitts than the STI levers. I also believe Campy has a much better range of cassettes and especially like their century-friendly 13x29 cassette. Shimano only goes down to a 27 tooth cog and there are times when us non-racing types could go for a lower gear. Campagnolo also beat Shimano in recognizing the validity of compact gearing in the front and even created a compact specific front derailleur.

I just don't understand the whole anti-Shimano mindset. I think much of it is simply because Shimano is the biggest kid on the block and there are certain people who will always hate the biggest kid on the block no matter what. I really don't get that mentality.

Rivendell Lugged Stem

The Rivendell Lugged Stem arrived! This is easily the best way to class up your bike for under $100. When I pulled it out of the wrapper I actually thought it was the wrong size. I'm so used to looking at aluminum threadless stems that the thin walls of the steer clamp actually made the stem look like it was for a 1" steer. This stem just screams elegant (assuming something can scream while still being elegant!) I know some might think "Lugged steel? That must weigh a ton!" I put the stem on the scale and it clocked in at 180 grams for a 95mm. As $80 stems go that's considerably heavier but then again most $80 stems are made for racing and won't last nearly as long as this stem nor do they look nearly as nice. Basically, it weighs about 2 ounces more than a high-end aluminum stem. 2 ounces isn't a whole lot and you could probably save that much by chopping off excess seatpost length. Plus it's a real safe bet that this stem is considerably stiffer than any 120 gram aluminum stem and stiffness can be just as important in climbing as lightweight. There's no reason you couldn't mount this on a race bike. If anything it would probably be a good choice for cyclocross and criteriums where crashes and sprinting are more frequent.

There are some very minor quibbles that potential buyers might want to be aware of. First, some of the finish work around the lugs is just a teeny-tiny bit rough. It's on par with what you saw on Japanese lugged steel frames back in the 80's. If you're looking for or expecting the crisp lines of someone like Richard Sachs or Vanilla look elsewhere. Of course this stem costs less than 1/2-1/3 what many customer builders charge for a lugged stem so it's more than worth the tradeoff. Finally, the polished finish is almost too polished as finger prints readily show up when you handle the stem.

Overall, I'm so happy I popped the extra $40 and picked this stem. It's worth every penny. My day job allows me to order direct from Quality Bicycle Products and many other bike vendors. While a great perk it's also a bit of a necessity since people in the outdoor retail industry make substantially less money than people in other industries. Anytime you see someone in the industry pay full retail for a product you know it's got to be great.

My brake lever hunt has been a bust. Tried several local shops and nobody has the Cane Creek/Tektro levers in silver. QBP is out of the Tektro models but do have the Cane Creek version in "pewter" which sounds too grey for me. Rivendell is also out of stock. I could use some Shimano levers I have but I really don't like the way the Shimano levers feel in my hands. Looks like I'm going to have to "settle" for using the Campy Record carbon brake levers. They might be black but at least they're Campy. Plus I suppose they will nicely match the carbon blades on the fork.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Actually it's looking more like Hanukkah: new gifts everyday for a week!

Today saw the arrival of a 12x27 Ultegra 10 speed cassette, Ultegra 10 speed rear derailleur, Ultegra chain and DuraAce 10 speed shifters. I know what you're thinking: "I thought you were going the traditional route?" Well, I am. The DuraAce shifters are downtube shifters! Yes, Shimano still make downtube shifters. It's funny how people like to rip on Shimano because they keep changing things and yet Shimano is the only major company still doing downtube shifters. Campy appears to have dropped theirs from the lineup. Furthermore, Shimano downtube and bar-end shifters still feature a friction option. I chose them simply to be different and also to go old school. As crisp as DuraAce STI shifters are they don't come close to the precise, snappy feel of downtube shifters. The one odd thing is that the front shift lever doesn't rotate all the way forward. Tradtional downtube front shifters would lay flush with the downtube when you shifted into the small ring. The Shimano models stop about 30 degrees above the downtube. Shimano claims this improves operation of the lever. Odd thing is the right lever for the rear derailleur still lies flush with the downtube. Go figure.

Another day, another part

One of my goals in building the bike was to maintain a relatively traditional appearance and a big part of that is using silver parts. As you may have noticed, these days it's getting really hard to find silver seatposts, stems and cranksets. While carbon fiber parts are naturally black aluminum parts are not. Companies paint aluminum parts black for one very simple reason: it's cheap! Polishing a crank arm, stem or post is time consuming and time is money. I was able to narrow down my stem choices to a few options:
1) Interloc. Interloc offers two silver stems. Both are reasonably priced and well made. The Prestige model is the more expensive ($80) but also the lightest at 120 grams. Normally I'd be leery of something that light but it's made by Tange and I trust them.
2) Oval Concepts. Biggest selling point on these stems is the reverse threading on the stem cap. The removable cap is threaded and the bolts go in backwards. Overtighten and strip some threads and all you have to do is replace a cheap cap instead of the whole stem. A very clever design and one of those "why didn't I think of that" things.
3) Rivendell lugged threadless. Heavy, wildly expensive ($80), and a single bolt clamp which makes it extremely difficult to change stems or bars. Also by far and away the best looking.
4) Nitto UI-5GX. Very rare but reasonably priced ($55). Weight is claimed at 170 grams which is in the light-but-sane category.

After much pondering I finally decided on the Rivendell. I can't believe I'm paying $80 for a stem! I work in the industry and can order direct from a number of vendors. People think this is a great perk but that's because they don't know how little the bike business pays! If it wasn't for pro-deals most industry folk could never afford bike parts. Also helps that Grant is one of the nicest people in the bike biz so I'm always happy to send my hard earned dollars his way.

It's here.....

The SOMA Smoothie ES arrived today from my old shop in San Francisco (American Cyclery). Yeee-haaaaa!!! The frame clocked in at 4.6 pounds for a 56cm. While not light by today's standards that's still a very respectable weight. I doubt anything Eddy raced weighed much less!

Also included in the box were a pair of Interloc B-57 brakes and an Interloc headset. Brad was also kind enough to toss in some American Cyclery bottles and t-shirts for old times sake. The Interloc brakes are easily on par with Shimano's long reach brakes. Might actually be better finished. The headset is made by Tange for Interloc and it's hard not to like anything from Tange.

Also arriving was a set of 46cm Nitto Noodle bars and some yellow cloth tape. The Noodle bar bends just right in all the right places. Even off the bike I can see why people like this bar. The tape is a nice shade of yellow. Somewhere between mustard and Homer Simpson yellow. I plan to wrap it over some Specialized Bar Phat pads. This will give me the grip and looks of of cloth but with enough padding so I don't have to wear gloves. Plus I have big hands and like the way thicker tape feels.

Still waiting on parts from QBP. Tonight I need to measure the frame and figure out what size stem to order. Still have many decisions to make. Do I go for the sleek, light polished Interloc stem or the artistic boat anchor Rivendell stem? Hammerton Honjo fenders, carbon Berthoud fenders or stainless Berthoud fenders? Do I spurge and get the lighter Schmidt dynamo hub or do I save $150 and get the heavier and less expensive Shimano model that probably works just as well? Just happy these are the sort of tough questions I'm burdened with! Life could be a whole lot worse.