Cycle Camp Summer, Tandemania and Busting My Thud

With the kids in NY I have had an ongoing "cycling camp" for the last month. It started with way
too many rides and miles, I got tired. Now the pattern has been 3-4 road rides a week and a MTB ride on Sunday, plus a Tandem ride with Barb.

Every summer we get the Tandem out, and find it never quite works. A little too small for me, a bit too big for Barb, squished, bad saddles, poor shifting, annoying brakes - its just not the tuned machine I've
come to expect and maintain. SO the shopping or fixing starts, summer is over and we forget about it until the next summer.

This year the strategy is "strategic upgrades" - find the easy things that annoy and seek to fix. For me its stem and handlebars, so we are adapting the quill to aheadset and slapping on a big carbon wing bar on closeout from Neuvation. Of course the first quill was too big to fit the fork, waiting for the second.

Cane Creek levers will replace the current roady levers, and so the evil little pulleys on the V-brakes go away. Barb has one new saddle so far and seems to like it, her new suspension post also too big for the 26.8 mm hole on the stoker. Getting her partial toe clips to hold her feet in, will try again on the post.

Speaking of seatposts, I got a Thudbuster ST for the MTB and took it for a break in ride at Camp Tamarancho. It felt good, and despite feeling tired I bested my previous 2 laps early in the summer, in
large part to a higher heart rate aided by me sitting in the saddle and pushing more. Only mishap was the bolt coming loose on the saddle tie-down, resulting in a freaky vibration sound when I was out of the saddle. Tightened right up. Good, subtle product, should keep me out of the bike shop for a few months :)

Waiting for the quill adapter to kick off the serious Tandem overhaul, but found a C-Dale MT800 L/S that could at least work with Zeb. Must resist!

Garmined

And while we are catching up on the fleet news, I also have a Garmin 500 and way too much data. Club has a Strava deal too so I might go with the paid service for that too. Floyd thinks this will inevitably lead to training, he's one to talk ;)

KaiBo's New Ride

A couple weeks before the 6th BD, a new bike showed up. Its transitional, to gain more confidence before going to 20" - this is 16" wheels. Vroom!

Spoke Week!

On the way down Grizzly Peak Monday morning, I broke a spoke on the Fulcrum 3 Racing wheel on the Focus. It broke on the drive side at the hub, with the spoke flapping around at the wheel. To get home I broke the spoke off at the nipple, loosened the brakes and went down Centennial carefully on the remaining 20. Yes, the wheel had 21 spokes.

At home I did not find the pack of spare spokes I assumed the wheel came with - turns out this is a Neuvation service. In fact, I hadn't a clue how to fix the Fulcrum 3 Racing, and the website was full
of warnings and notions of proprietary greatness. I sent the Fulcrum US distributor an email asking for a local shop recommendation, have not heard back. While Internetting, I ordered a $120 Shimano wheel from Neuvation, with a $30 service plan, ground shipping.

I rode the old Pinarello today in all its old yet clean/well maintained glory. Up the second rise on Euclid and BOING, spoke #2 for the week. Very odd since I don't ride the bike much, and it has 24 whole spokes. In my collection of Neuvation spoke kits I found a non-matching black double butted spoke
of the proper dimension and set it aside for a bike-shop-day.

Also today, in the afternoon the Neuvation wheel arrived. I unpacked the wheel, zip-tied it to my messenger bag and rode it home. That bike-shop-day was this evening.

Fulcrum wheel was stripped of cassette, tire and tubes which were put onto the Neuvation. Removing the cassette from the Fulcrum revealed its not so difficult to work on, we just need the perfect, straight headed spoke. The  Neuvation M28A is "the strongest wheel we sell" according to John Neugent. But it only has 20 spokes, not enough. Neuvation has nice small logos now, and is silent as it spins. Glad I bought the wheel plan and that it only takes a day to get a new wheel in.

Pulled the silver Neuvation off the Pinarello, removed tire and cassette, put in black spoke and a nipple
from the drawer. Re-assembled, looks weird if you are looking for something, otherwise the other 23 spokes hide the black-sheep. A little truing with the spoke wrench and we are up 2 bikes again, with
confidence in finding a spoke for the Fulcrum vs finding a Fulcrum shoppe.

Chasing Fast Freddie's Wheel From Danville

I started this log to document my bicycle maintenance, but had to document this event as it relates to maintenance and just was a great day on the bike.

The Focus has been noisy lately, trying to tighten the front sprockets helped a little, but really
its the chain and freewheel - lack of cleaning, number of miles and passing of time. Had the bike for
over a year and over 4-6K miles, wear happens.

SO thinking I'd take it easy and need some anchorage to slow me down, I chose the big steel Pinarello for the day's ride. It seemed a fine, "retro" sort of choice, until Floyd (aka Fast Floyd now) coaxed me to
hammer down Danville Blvd to Peets Coffee. Feeling worn but okay, got my coffee and noticed Fast Freddie Rodriguez in line before me. Floyd is Fred's neighbor, and I sorta know Freddie/he recognized me, or he's just polite. Anyway I mention to Freddie that Floyd's sporting Freddie's PROOFF kit more than Freddie is (he had a more subtle one on actually) so he goes over to Floyd and starts gabbing.

Floyd is in a hurry to get home, and it turns out Freddie is too, they agree to ride together. Riding with Freddie is more an issue of hanging on rather than "riding with" and Floyd suggested I go along. Er, okay. I start fumbling for Strava realizing this could be a quick ride home. Before even leaving Peets, Freddie gets a flat tire. Sorta tried to help, couldn't help feel bad for a pro having to change his own flat. He used my keys to push out a big staple embedded in the tread, slapped in the tube, Floyd and I helped best we could. The BBC group had taken off meantime.

After a few polite words, FF tucked in and hit some gears. I heard Floyd say behind me "now it begins". In mild terror, I caught and hold the wheel of FF, staring at the neon green derailleur and noticing the svelt power meter on his wheel. Prototypes no doubt. A few choice stoplights helped, but the big rolling flat and FF cutting wind let us catch the BBC group before the turnoff. 28 mph or so. I boldly led out the sprint, the BBCers inspired and behind me at 30, not enough. Back at the stoplight I caught FF's wheel again (no on was fighting me for it) past Olympic and over to the bikepath we went, low level flight.

On the bikepath at 20-24 mph (amazing itself) I learned the most - FF uses the force to move people,
strollers, dogs, other riders aside. "Bikers!" in polite but stern tone, with a sharp whistle, timed perfectly
every time. I try this, I get yelled at, ignored, etc. But we have the pro leading us on. Floyd is still on, lets me know we are down to 4 - me, Floyd, yellow guy, and Freddie. 22mph plus, bikepath. Holding on, we cross streets, cars bowing before FF stopping as if he's magic and as if they all know him. Uphill we go to St Mary's on the bikepath, I'm actually holding in there, literally holding that wheel like my life depended on it and realizing like life, I will only loose and die trying in the end.

Suddenly we are in Moraga. Floyd and Brian (yellow guy) buzzing along behind, I am hogging FF's wheel. 25 plus that whole stretch. We are in the Canyon, and hit the hill. FF slow's to a suddenly reasonable pace - hurray he's on a program!! I actually recover a bit while climbing! Back to it, we
buzz the Canyon to Pinehurst, again FF is kind, or seemingly so, up. I even see sub 10 mph some parts! I actually make jokes, or try to, suggesting the "Fast Floyd" line of clothes for the avid, non-pro cyclist, with big pockets. Need reflectors too.

At the top of Pinehurst, I see 172bpm but feel relaxed and elated to be able to have held on this long with FF, able to smalltalk, etc, and to have blown lots of "rust" out of the system.

I thanked FF and FFloyd, took leave of them on Tunnel (there was no way I wanted to follow FF downhill, FFloyd is scary fast enough), feeling happy, grateful and accomplished. I still got something going, yet was grateful for the "training", health, mileage that led up to this day to allow me to even hold FF's wheel, despite the maintenance issue that required I had my heaviest bicycle along for the tow.

Still happy and trying to enjoy the moment, I had Barbara take some awful pictures of me and the rig of the day to mark the occasion. Strava did its thing too, I broke all my records EXCEPT for those on Pinehurst itself, only 3rd best splits there.

MTB With Brian Leads to Shopping = Flatbar and Dominator 5's

I've been experiencing a "President's Day Training Camp Weekend" with the family away. Today was the finale after 132 road miles, a mountain bike ride with Brian in the Oakland Hills. As with the last ride, the elevated handlebars were impacting my slow reflexes, causing at least 1 near crash. Like with my last ride in December, I was speed limited by my eyeballs bouncing in my head - age or lack of practice?

After the ride we headed down for coffee, and promptly sheared the bicycles off Brian's roofrack as we turned into a parking lot - another story, the rack seemed to have a series of intentional sacrificial fuses that thankfully preserved the bikes and car. My armwarmers held the rear wheels to the car, Brian dropped me off, and I proceeded to hose, soap and brush the bike down. 

While drying the bike, the caffiene kicked in and I got antsy for a bit more riding,

and pondered shopping for a cheap flatbar in downtown Berkeley to get the bike dry and address the nagging geometry imperfection. I rode first to Mike Bikes - closed until 11am, then to Missing Link, also 11am start time, then finally as last ditch, Performance Bikes now located on University Ave in the old Pier 1. They were open, I literally rode the bike inside and leaned it against the register.

I found exactly what I needed, a "cheap" alloy flat bar, even on sale for $9.99! (Much cheaper than the carbon one on order that won't show until end of March)

Then I noticed the shoes on sale, and started trying them on. Unsatisfied with the mushy feel, this led me to the not-on-sale Sidi Dominator 5's that fit relatively great and felt like boards under my feet (good!) "Don't tell my wife!" I mocked, turning over the cheap bar and pricey shoes to the clerk. The wife is actually supportive of the cycling habit (to a point), and given I sold the Porsche and life I get out of the shoes and and whatever justification I just wanted them they will be great. Besides being fun, these MTB rides are sorta pricey - Nuti got me on new shocks, now Brian the shoes.

Rode home, started some bike-shop action in the garage, installed the bars and tweaked them to fit. Pipe cutter to shorten, only about 1" each side, what a great deal. Bars almost seem low now, I can always rotate the stem back up. Can't wait until the next ride - gosh, I hope before June ;)

Mangled XtraCycle Upgrades, Little M's Bike Fixed and He's a Biker Now!

I was in a hurry to get home in the dark, rainy night, and managed to cross the chain on the commuter bike, the old Diamondback Apex + Xtracycle, and when this happens the chain is short and the cranks wedge up and stop moving. Rather than taking the time to stop and properly loosen the wheel or whatever it takes, I pushed hard. It seemed to work, and off I rode in the rain. I noticed something dragging, seemed to be brakes, but the light in the garage revealed damage:

1. 1. 2 broken spokes
2. 2. bent & twisted rear derailler
3. 3. bent rim (7 speed 1994? LX from B's Gary Fisher, Shraeder valve)
4. 4. flattened bearings/axle issues

Clearly, I AM HUGE! But destructive when lazy. Fortunately, the box of spare parts is deep in the fleet.

1. Put spare rear Neuvation MTB wheel onto the MTB finally, moved XT hubbed Mavic SUP rim to the rear of the commuter.
2. Moved the white industries hubbed Mavic front to the front of the commuter - all Presta now! Finally!
3. Found the Ultegra long cage and slapped it on to replace the mangledSimano Alvus POS
4. SLIME presta tubes have been waiting for this moment
5. some tuning on the rear and front deraillers was necessary
6. slapped on large reflectors that came with the Focus  - if not here then where.

Considered were 10 speed shift pods and using the 10 speed 28t cassette. I love Shimano, near-Lego Like cross compatibility sometimes. OR upgrading the MTB to 10 speed, but that would take new shifers and then brakes.

Project 2 was more rewarding, as it already has results. My Little M is riding on 2 wheels like a big guy!
Little M did some fancy skidding in Golden Gate park a few weeks back, on training wheels, and somehow wore through the tire and tube, causing a flat a distance from the car. SO new 12.5" x 2.25" tires were acquired, with smooth treads and new tubes with an angled Shraeder Valves - just when I thought I was done with them, Shraeder keeps on coming.

M sort of helped put it all together, but doing his own thing as he does, the nuts to the training wheels were misplaced. A few backbreaking (my back) test rides holding him up in the driveway expanded to a trip to the school playground, and shortly after that, M was buzzing around on the smooth tires by himself! Very exciting. This little bike has launched both kids now, both kids due for an upgrade!