Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Road Rage Doctor Guilty
Thank god, a precedent has hopefully been set, hopefully this will help make roads safer for all cyclists, commuters and racers alike!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Beer
One of those days again. Cold, rainy, a real man-maker. Work on top of that. Celebrate the weekend!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Lovely Michigan Weather
Ah yes, the wonder that is fall in Michigan. Sometimes it's beautiful, with all the leaves changing color, a slight chill to the air. I don't even mind if it's a bit grey, it adds to the feel a little bit. Days like today, however, are no fun to deal with.
Weather like this is very difficult to dress for. Rain isn't bad in the summer. Special care must be taken to make sure your bike doesn't turn to a pile of rust, but otherwise you can get away with a light rain jacket. Your legs will get wet, sure, but it's somewhat warm outside and your legs are hot from riding anyways. It'll feel nice to cool them down. Plus the water kicked up by your tires isn't too cold either.
The cold is even easier to dress for, in my opinion. It's all about layering. In the winter I'll wear wool socks, full length bibtights, overshoes, baselayer, jacket, maybe a balaclava if it's windy and some gloves. Some embrocation too, if it's especially chilly, I put a bit on my feet and hands, and of course, on my legs. Mad Alchemy is the best for this. Smells great too.
But days like today are hard. It's raining, but its almost freezing. Not cold enough to snow, so the flakes just blow past you as you ride by, but soaking rain. Hypothermia is a definite possibility. But days like today, when done right, can make you tough. You'll learn things about yourself that you never knew. You'll learn how your bike moves when conditions are tough. And maybe, if you're lucky, for that brief moment on a remote dirt road, dodging potholes while the rain pours, you'll be transported to another world.
I love days like these.
Weather like this is very difficult to dress for. Rain isn't bad in the summer. Special care must be taken to make sure your bike doesn't turn to a pile of rust, but otherwise you can get away with a light rain jacket. Your legs will get wet, sure, but it's somewhat warm outside and your legs are hot from riding anyways. It'll feel nice to cool them down. Plus the water kicked up by your tires isn't too cold either.The cold is even easier to dress for, in my opinion. It's all about layering. In the winter I'll wear wool socks, full length bibtights, overshoes, baselayer, jacket, maybe a balaclava if it's windy and some gloves. Some embrocation too, if it's especially chilly, I put a bit on my feet and hands, and of course, on my legs. Mad Alchemy is the best for this. Smells great too.
But days like today are hard. It's raining, but its almost freezing. Not cold enough to snow, so the flakes just blow past you as you ride by, but soaking rain. Hypothermia is a definite possibility. But days like today, when done right, can make you tough. You'll learn things about yourself that you never knew. You'll learn how your bike moves when conditions are tough. And maybe, if you're lucky, for that brief moment on a remote dirt road, dodging potholes while the rain pours, you'll be transported to another world.
I love days like these.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Cheap Tubular Wheels
Ah yes, tubular tires, the wonder of cycling. Even with all the advancements made with clinchers and the advent of the tubeless tire system, tubulars are still what pretty much every pro is rockin these days, be it cyclocross or road cycling. Yes I'm sure you can find outliers in there, so-and-so won x-race on clinchers, but by and far tubulars are winning everything. Why you ask? I think a lot of it has to do with tradition. Tubulars have been a tried and true technology and change doesn't come very easily in some Euro sports. Just look at soccer (or football, depending on where you're from). God forbid that a team use an alternate color jersey for their change strip or build a new stadium that is nicer than the older, more tradition-filled one down the road. Or even the thought of using instant replay to determine whether or not a goal truly was a goal, or even more importantly to determine whether or not a foul was real or just some Shakespearean acting...I'm talking to you Cristiano Ronaldo...
But I digress, back to tradition in cycling. Tubulars are still quality tires, handmade still by some companies, and this attention to detail will yield a high quality tire. Tubulars are also see as an advantage in road cycling due to the rounder profile leading to a more predictable curve when cornering at high speed and descending. One does not want sharp deviations when carving switchbacks at high speeds! In 'cross the advantages are far more obvious. The ability to run super low pressure without the fear of pinch flatting is the first thing that comes to mind. Lower pressure=more shock absorption=more continuous contact patch=more grip when cornering. The supple casings that are found only in the world's best tubular tires (Dugast, FMB, and Challenge, in my opinion) also help with adhering the tire to off camber sections of the course. More flexibility in the tire gives it the ability to conform to shapes more rigid tires cannot. Of course there are downsides to these tires. First, and foremost in my mind is the cost. High quality tubular tires for 'cross can cost well over $100 dollars new, per tire. Then there is the risk of puncture. With normal clincher tires, a puncture will set you back, but when training it is not much of a worry. Toss in a new tube and you're set. Tubulars not so much. There are services available to repair tubulars, such as Tire Alert, but this is time consuming and more costly. Another worry is getting the tire to stay on the rim. With a road tubular there is far more room for error because of the pressures being used in inflation. The pressure squeezing the tire to the rim added to the glue holding it in place will usually be fine unless the glue job is poorly done. With 'cross tubies, pressure is of little help, so the glue must do most of the job. Rolled tubulars suck, ruining rims and races, so methods have been devised to keep these tires stuck. The best of these is found in a fairly comprehensive guide from Embrocation Magazine, complete with pictures!
Ok, enough rambling, now to the point of this post. Not everyone can shell out $2000 for Zipp's CX edition 303's. Or get the old Euro favorite Ambrosio Nemesis' (Nemeses?), although I've heard they can be had for less. This is a guide to the cheapest (!) tubular wheels available today.
Neuvation R Tubular-$390/pair
Neuvation has been a revelation for many budget minded cyclists, and the product is not too shabby either. I own a pair of the 50mm carbon tubulars for road racing (recently commissioned into 'cross also) and they roll smoothly and quickly. My favorite part though is the crash replacement insurance. For a nominal fee (for the R Tubulars it is an extra $20 for the pair) you can have the tire completely rebuilt for just the cost of shipping and spokes. Pretty sweet! This puts my mind at ease and just allows me to race and take risks without the thought that I'm gonna be out $400 if I screw up.
Williams Cycling Cyclocross-$369/pair
Another high quality/low cost wheel company is Williams Cycling has put out and aluminum tubular specifically aimed at the CX market. Fairly lightweight, nice graphics, and low weight make these wheels another viable choice.
Sun Vista Cruiser/Sapim/Velocity Custom wheels- ~$325/pair
This post in CXmag forums somewhat spurred on my post and search for some great low cost wheels. Claimed weight is to be around 1360g, lowest of the four mentioned, and the rim has a slightly wider profile. This is helpful in both 'cross and road cycling because it gives the tire a wider contact patch both on the rim and on the ground due to a more rounded, less "light-bulb" like tire profile. The quality of the rim has been called into question, but most have found this to be a quality set-up for the budget.
Psimet Novatech-PsiX-$315/pair
Another forum-goer, builds wheels himself and sells them. Quality rims, quality hubs, low prices. Sounds good to me.
Out of all of the choices, my personal choice would have to be the custom Sun wheels. Low cost, cheap replacement of the rim, wider rim profile, and of course the light weight are all huge pluses in my book. I'll save the $70 from buying Neuvations, build a lighter wheel, and buy and extra rim and spokes just in case for around the same price.
That's all for today, and Happy Wednesday everyone!
But I digress, back to tradition in cycling. Tubulars are still quality tires, handmade still by some companies, and this attention to detail will yield a high quality tire. Tubulars are also see as an advantage in road cycling due to the rounder profile leading to a more predictable curve when cornering at high speed and descending. One does not want sharp deviations when carving switchbacks at high speeds! In 'cross the advantages are far more obvious. The ability to run super low pressure without the fear of pinch flatting is the first thing that comes to mind. Lower pressure=more shock absorption=more continuous contact patch=more grip when cornering. The supple casings that are found only in the world's best tubular tires (Dugast, FMB, and Challenge, in my opinion) also help with adhering the tire to off camber sections of the course. More flexibility in the tire gives it the ability to conform to shapes more rigid tires cannot. Of course there are downsides to these tires. First, and foremost in my mind is the cost. High quality tubular tires for 'cross can cost well over $100 dollars new, per tire. Then there is the risk of puncture. With normal clincher tires, a puncture will set you back, but when training it is not much of a worry. Toss in a new tube and you're set. Tubulars not so much. There are services available to repair tubulars, such as Tire Alert, but this is time consuming and more costly. Another worry is getting the tire to stay on the rim. With a road tubular there is far more room for error because of the pressures being used in inflation. The pressure squeezing the tire to the rim added to the glue holding it in place will usually be fine unless the glue job is poorly done. With 'cross tubies, pressure is of little help, so the glue must do most of the job. Rolled tubulars suck, ruining rims and races, so methods have been devised to keep these tires stuck. The best of these is found in a fairly comprehensive guide from Embrocation Magazine, complete with pictures!
Ok, enough rambling, now to the point of this post. Not everyone can shell out $2000 for Zipp's CX edition 303's. Or get the old Euro favorite Ambrosio Nemesis' (Nemeses?), although I've heard they can be had for less. This is a guide to the cheapest (!) tubular wheels available today.
Neuvation R Tubular-$390/pair
Neuvation has been a revelation for many budget minded cyclists, and the product is not too shabby either. I own a pair of the 50mm carbon tubulars for road racing (recently commissioned into 'cross also) and they roll smoothly and quickly. My favorite part though is the crash replacement insurance. For a nominal fee (for the R Tubulars it is an extra $20 for the pair) you can have the tire completely rebuilt for just the cost of shipping and spokes. Pretty sweet! This puts my mind at ease and just allows me to race and take risks without the thought that I'm gonna be out $400 if I screw up.
Williams Cycling Cyclocross-$369/pair
Another high quality/low cost wheel company is Williams Cycling has put out and aluminum tubular specifically aimed at the CX market. Fairly lightweight, nice graphics, and low weight make these wheels another viable choice.
Sun Vista Cruiser/Sapim/Velocity Custom wheels- ~$325/pair
This post in CXmag forums somewhat spurred on my post and search for some great low cost wheels. Claimed weight is to be around 1360g, lowest of the four mentioned, and the rim has a slightly wider profile. This is helpful in both 'cross and road cycling because it gives the tire a wider contact patch both on the rim and on the ground due to a more rounded, less "light-bulb" like tire profile. The quality of the rim has been called into question, but most have found this to be a quality set-up for the budget.
Psimet Novatech-PsiX-$315/pair
Another forum-goer, builds wheels himself and sells them. Quality rims, quality hubs, low prices. Sounds good to me.
Out of all of the choices, my personal choice would have to be the custom Sun wheels. Low cost, cheap replacement of the rim, wider rim profile, and of course the light weight are all huge pluses in my book. I'll save the $70 from buying Neuvations, build a lighter wheel, and buy and extra rim and spokes just in case for around the same price.
That's all for today, and Happy Wednesday everyone!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Question answered
For all you aspiring cyclists such as myself I posed a question to Mr. Joe Parkin of 6 Years In A Rain Cape. Parkin was one of the first American cyclists to test the European peloton and has some great stories. I suggest reading through the blog if you have a chance, and if you enjoy what you see there, pick up a copy of his book A Dog in a Hat. Anyways, here's a direct link to the question and answer
Monday, October 19, 2009
Lower Huron CX
Well, today is my first blog entry, so I might as well start it off on a good note. Yesterday was the fourth race in the Tailwind CX series for the state of Michigan, and I was racing C-Men 39 & under. I was questioned at the line if I was in the 39-under category, and the questioning fellow received a funny look from yours truly. Apparently he thought I was lining up for the Junior's race...damn these boyish good looks. Anyways, I backed into the start line to get front row like I always do, looking for a good position going into the holeshot.
Got off to a good start, quickly encountering a set of two barriers and a volleyball pit. Picked up a few spots through the sand but, naturally, had trouble clipping in as I always seem to do with my Crank Bros. Candy pedals. After the race it was suggested that I switch over to the Egg Beater variety, so if anyone has extra's please let me know because I am quite the starving college student. Anyways, finally get clipped in after losing a few spots and we encounter a slightly tricky chicane with the first turn being off-camber. Got through that section without going down, a feat that I was quite pleased with due to the frosty conditions of our 10am start time. Continued to roll through the course until we get to my favorite part of 'cross: steep run-ups. Now many cyclists dread using their legs for running, but with my background it is a definite part of my strategy that I use on race-day.
I picked up another spot on the run-up and now was sitting pretty around 3rd place going through the finish line for the first time. I moved up into second due to another rider's mechanical (dropped chain) and fought with the leader for about a lap until he finally got away from me. I partially blame this on my stupid pedals, but I have to give credit to Brian, he's for sure a strong racer.
The third lap went similiarly, albeit more lonely as I had 30 seconds in between the people in front and behind me. The last lap I took cautiously, knowing that I wasn't going to pick up any places, but I could very well lose some with an untimely crash. In the finishing straight I decided to give in to the race announcer's pleads and give it a sprint.
I ended up in 2nd place, about 30 seconds behind the winner and 15 seconds ahead of third, a fairly comfortable margin.
I moved up three spots in the series standings to one point out of second place, sitting a steady third place. I still have 36 points to make up on first place, but with five races left I should have plenty of time to close the gap. Next race is the two-day Veterans Park race in Ann Arbor Halloween weekend which will include costume-required race for charity. Sounds like a great weekend to me!
(L to R) Shawn Minard, Alex Mettler, Brian Wachlarz, Me, Shawn Schaffert
Got off to a good start, quickly encountering a set of two barriers and a volleyball pit. Picked up a few spots through the sand but, naturally, had trouble clipping in as I always seem to do with my Crank Bros. Candy pedals. After the race it was suggested that I switch over to the Egg Beater variety, so if anyone has extra's please let me know because I am quite the starving college student. Anyways, finally get clipped in after losing a few spots and we encounter a slightly tricky chicane with the first turn being off-camber. Got through that section without going down, a feat that I was quite pleased with due to the frosty conditions of our 10am start time. Continued to roll through the course until we get to my favorite part of 'cross: steep run-ups. Now many cyclists dread using their legs for running, but with my background it is a definite part of my strategy that I use on race-day.
I picked up another spot on the run-up and now was sitting pretty around 3rd place going through the finish line for the first time. I moved up into second due to another rider's mechanical (dropped chain) and fought with the leader for about a lap until he finally got away from me. I partially blame this on my stupid pedals, but I have to give credit to Brian, he's for sure a strong racer.
The third lap went similiarly, albeit more lonely as I had 30 seconds in between the people in front and behind me. The last lap I took cautiously, knowing that I wasn't going to pick up any places, but I could very well lose some with an untimely crash. In the finishing straight I decided to give in to the race announcer's pleads and give it a sprint.
I ended up in 2nd place, about 30 seconds behind the winner and 15 seconds ahead of third, a fairly comfortable margin.
I moved up three spots in the series standings to one point out of second place, sitting a steady third place. I still have 36 points to make up on first place, but with five races left I should have plenty of time to close the gap. Next race is the two-day Veterans Park race in Ann Arbor Halloween weekend which will include costume-required race for charity. Sounds like a great weekend to me!
(L to R) Shawn Minard, Alex Mettler, Brian Wachlarz, Me, Shawn Schaffert
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