SB Nation User Blog: Mr Van P

Techs-Mechs: The Race of Truth

Mr Van P — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:26:01 -0000

Very few events are as exciting to me as the 60km time trial. There is no where to hide and it's time for the cream to rise. That being said, tomorrow's ITT will have climbs at 10% grade and some fast descents. Aerodynamics are important of course, but not if you have to dump your speed at every sharp turn.

CN has done a couple pieces this week featuring the TT rigs of Ivan Basso (Cannondale) and Lance (Trek of course). Both pure crono rigs with a premium on aerodynamics. However, I am hearing talk that there may be a trend toward more modified road bikes tomorrow. I can't help but think of the prologue of the '95 TdF when Chris Boardman rode his super aero Lotus TT rig that looked like it was designed for an hour record attempt. It was pouring rain, and Boardman's Tour ended with a broken ankle after about 2 miles. Reining champ, Big Mig left the Espade in the team van and hopped on his standard road bike. He didn't win the stage, but he kept it close and most importantly stayed upright.

I look forward to seeing what Levi, Menchov, the Killer and the other favorites will be on. I predict Levi will stick with a TT rig, but more tradional deep section rims. Killer will need to capitalize on the downhills and will ride a more tradional road bike. Just a hunch.

Anyone have any insight on tomorrows machines?

Techs-Mechs: Holy week, final thoughts

Mr Van P — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:39:49 -0000

Ardennes week is almost here, which means it's time to replace those 46t chain rings with the 39t. And there's no need for the heavy duty frames, canti's, 27mm tires, box rim 36 spoke wheels and all the other tidbits that made the previous week so much fun (ok fun to tech nerds..). Now the racers will be back on their 15lb super quick race machines, with carbon everywhere imaginable and skinny tires again. Durability and comfort over nasty cobbles is no longer a concern.

What did I learn last weekend? In the end, despite all the fun talk about modified cross bikes (and there were plenty of those out there), it was a guy (Boonen) on a fairly standard road bike (Ok, the Specialized Roubaix is not exactly your average road bike, but it's no cross bike either) with bigger tires took the prize. The rest of the podium included Pippo on his fairly standard Ridley with carbon rims and 23mm tires. I haven't seen third place finisher Thor's bike, but I suspect he was on a Cervelo R3 or maybe the RS with Zipp 303's. It just goes to show what advances have been made in carbon fiber technology in a relatively short time.

Boonen took chances, handled his 18.3 lb bike brilliantly, stayed out of trouble and eventually won going away. He IS that good, but the last 2 P-R's were won on the Roubaix and Tommeke seemed to just get stronger as the race progressed. The last 4 P-R's were won on carbon bikes designed to dampen vibrations (the R3 with it's pencil-thin seat stays and the Roubaix with it's Zertz inserts). Coincidence? Perhaps, but it sure was a fun race watching the equipment tested to the extreme.

Now back to those boring old climbers bikes....

It's here! Paris-Roubaix: Live Coverage (1st thread)

Mr Van P — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 11:14:18 -0000

Good morning all. The day of my favorite race of the year is finally here. Brew up some coffee, find your most suitable webcast and enjoy.

Happy Easter too.

Techs-Mechs: On the eve of Roubaix

Mr Van P — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:11:39 -0000

Just some final thoughts before tomorrow's big race:

Garmin Slipstream riders and others are reportedly using DA 7800 over the new flagship 7900. The heavier forged alloy parts are apparently more durable. I am not reading too much into this.

Speedplay has a special cobble designed pedal, which essentially looks like someone took a jigsaw to their favorite pair of Zero's. The design is to allow for shedding mud better. I can see weightweenies worldwide texting speedplay in droves to get their hands on these to shave those 5-6 pesky grams of plastic platform.

The new Zipp 303 will be out in full force. Not sure if it will outnumber box rims, but the wider design is here to stay (maybe).

I suspect we will see some cross bikes out there as well. Honestly though, with the advances in frame designs/materials, why aren't there more cyclocross bikes out there, with beefy road tires? There seems to be a lot of modifications to road bikes, to make them more like cross bikes anyway. Better clearance, more durable, longer more comfy wheel base.. It just seems to make sense.

Anyhow, enjoy. I'm sure we'll have some tech failures to discuss Sunday night.

Techs-Mechs: Holy Week, for wrenches..

Mr Van P — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:12:30 -0000

Don't get me wrong, this is the pinnacle of the year for me, but not exactly for the same reasons as Chris (but I do enjoy the races). This is the time of year that the barely-UCI legal all carbon climbing machines stay in the trucks in favor of the cobble machines.

Carbon fiber wheels were more common at Flanders this year than in years past, thanks in part to a redesigned Zipp 303 with a wider rim to accomodate the larger tubulars used by the top pros on the cobbles (24-27mm). The 303 was also notiably beefier than the standard model. There where still plenty of alloy box rims out there (and I'm sure they wil be in full force at PR), but the new Zipps would make a nice Christmas gift (hint..Chris). I liked seeing a rim designed with larger tubulars in mind (cyclocross anyone?).

The Cervelo RS was used by Roger Hammond in Flanders and may be the team bike this weekend. I have seen the RS up close, and it looks ideal for Roubaix with the compliant stays, beefy bb shell and longer head tube to allow for a more upright cobblesque position. The R3 won a couple Roubaix's already, so the RS has an excellent bloodline.

Shimano's Di2 electonic shifting will be out in full force as well, and some bikes were running an extra shift..er.. switch (for lack of a better term) below the bar tops to allow for shifting from the more comfy position. To that end, I am sure there will be more than a few bikes with cross brake levers on the bar tops.

In looking at some of the Ronde bikes, I was surprised to see a lot of metal front derailleurs. Campy bikes were using Chorus 11 front derailleurs (metal), and SRAM Red ubikes had a special all metal front derailleur as well. Personally I have been running an all alloy Record 10 on my race bike as of late (merely for asthetics), however I have noticed how crisp and stiff the shifting is. Maybe the pros already figured out that they don't need to save the 5-6 grams by using a carbon fron d cage.

I am anxiously awaiting P-R for the action, the cold Chimay and of course the tech talk.

Techs-Mechs: First ride ever on Tubies

Mr Van P — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 23:38:02 -0000

Thank you to those who commented on my piece a few days ago about gluing sew ups. I appreciated all the advice and encouragement. Today was the first day when the rubber hit the road (no pun). I took them out for a nice ride to get the feel of them. I have one word to describe the experience: Wow.

They are super light, really nimble and they really hug the road. I had an 11/23 cassette on, but stuff I usually shift in to the 25 for was easily handled in my 21. The rear wheel really spins up fast. Also, I might add that the record hubs never disapoint, and the Barcelona rims felt solid with an excellent braking surface. These will be fun to race, but now I'm thinking I want to ride them all the time.

Sew ups, where have you been all me life..?

Chimay Tripel. Any good?

Mr Van P — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 16:55:07 -0000

My anniversary was on MS-R day and traditionally Mrs Van P buys me a couple big bottles of Chimay Trappist Ale (red or blue) which I enjoy during the Ronde and P-R (She's a good sport..). This year the liquor store was out of the red and blue, so she bought me the tripel (beige label).

Will I enjoy this? It was more expensive than the blue, so I assume it's above that in the Chimay hierarchy. Should be a good race....

Glued my first tubiessssss (sorry glue stuck to the s key..)

Mr Van P — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:34:01 -0000

I have been wanting a 3rd wheelset for my 2 road bikes and have always wanted sew-ups (for reasons I can't explain). I picked up a set of Campy Barcelona rims laced to Record 10 hubs. Real beauties, and a good price. For tires I asked around an settled on Conti Sprinters. Lots of Vittoria fans out there but they are not cheap, and the couple sets of Vittoria clinchers I have owned were ok, but I prefer Vredenstein, Hutchinson and Conti's for feel and durability.

Anyhow, I prepped the rims by cleaning with alcohol and then I applied a base layer of glue to tire and rim an let sit for 24 hours. For some reason I was thinking it would brush on nice and smooth, however the cement set up pretty quickly and to say it went on gloopy would be an understatement. Some sites said to add a second base coat of glue to the rim and then the 3rd final coat, but others I talked to said 2 coats is fine. I applied the second coat to rim and tire and stretched the tire over the rim (no easy chore). I though the valve stem was perpendicular when I slid it through, but it was far from it, by the time the tire was seated. Also the base tape wasn't exactly even, but I thought it was ok. I pumped up the tires to about 130 psi and put in the old frame I was using for the job on the work stand and spun them. hop hop hop.... So I tried to rework the tires, but the glue sets up fast and that's it.

I checked with some sew up buddies and they instructed me to break the seal, and re-do. Being a perfectionist (ok being a level 5 obsessive compulsive type) I couldn't live with a shoddy job, plus round wheels are fast wheels, and these suckers weren't round. I must say with the help of a very stiff tire lever, removing the tire 18 hours later wasn't as horrendous as I thought it would be. Also, despite the dried glue residue, brushing on some fresh stuff was relatively painless too. The final grunt as you stretch the tire over the rim still, sucks, but since I only added a coat of glue to the rim, it wasn't quite as messy. Also, the first time around I used latex gloves and they created more of a problem than they prevented as they ripped easily and left refuse on the rim and tire (picked away during the second gluing). Anyhow, the tires are on, the valve stem is perpendicular, and they look to be pretty close to perfect. There is some glue on the sidewalls and he rims, but I can live with that.

What a mess, but now I feel more complete as a wrench. Hope to ride them this week and report back.

Pete

Techs Mechs-Pedal thoughts

Mr Van P — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:33:19 -0000

Sorry, I've been a little quiet lately. I have had no major bike purchases and I hate to blog about my 2006 CAAD8 or my 2004 Pinarello Opera (both with 2004-2006 Record 10), but I'm still riding and still wrenching whenever possible (loving both equally).

Last year I did my first cross racing and enjoyed it despite pretty humble results. For cross I puchased some Crank Bros Eggbeater C pedals. I found them perfect for cross since they shed mud easily, have four sided entry (which is easy to find) and the release is smooth and easy. Plus at $59 a set the price was right.

I decided to use them this winter with my road bike for both the trainer (rollers) and the road. I normally use Speedplay X2's as my road pedals and have always liked (if not loved) them for their float and easy release. I do have the following complaints about Speedplays however. 1) the cleat is very sensitive to dirt, sand, snow, ice, chewing gum (when it happens, you'll understand) and anything else I might step in between my basement door and the road. 2) There aren't alot of options for the pedal wrench. They don't offer a 6mm hex option inside the spindle like some pedals, and the tiny slots for a pedal wrench make it hard to get any real torque, and the stainless steel spindle of the X2 is very soft and can strip easily if you aren't careful. 3) clipping in seems to be fussy. You have to line the cleat and pedal up and apply force. Sometimes you get a positive "click" other times you don't. 4) the cleats are expensive and you can't really walk in them without the cleat covers.

While using the eggbeaters all winter I have discovered that the entry/release is very easy. The float is adequate and although self centering, it feels like a speedplay. Also there are no issues with snow or ice or anything else I step in. The cleats are easy to clean off, just by rubbing them against the pedal once. Winter rides are shortish so even though I have experienced no "hotspots" this winter, I can't say this wouldn't be an issue with a mid July century.

The biggest surprise though is that a nagging soreness in my knees that I have just seemed to learn to live with has dissapeared. It could be that my miles are down a bit, but I tend to think the eggbeaters are lining up my knee better and some think that the loose float of the Speedplays can cause knee pain. In fairness most will say the free float eliminates pain, however in my case the eggbeaters seem to do the trick.

Anyone using Eggbeaters as their road pedals? Any reason why they don't make good road pedals? I understand they can chew up the soles a bit, but couldn't you use the quattro cleat or the Look adapter plate to protect the soles? I am giving serious consideration to using Eggbeater SL's as my road pedals while rotating out the Speedplays this season, but would appreciate any advice you can provide. Thanx

Pete

Techs-Mechs: Rollers

Mr Van P — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:52:43 -0000

Massachusetts has resembled Minnesota this winter. I have been out a bit on th weekends, but the snow and cold have limited any real road work, and I just couldn't bear another winter on the resistance trainer. Besides, Mrs Van P has been using her MTB on it religiously and I don't want to upset her set up every night. So I decided to try something new.

Drew was telling me about a set of rollers he got for Christmas and I was instantly intriqued. After exchanging a few emails with him as well as some with my other cycling buddies, I decided it was something I wanted to try. I did some research, and Kreitler is apparantly the gold-standard, but $400 on something that is an experiment, just wasn't going to fly. Instead I picked up a set of Performance Travel Trac Technique Pro Alloy Rollers. On sale from $179 down to $134, I took advantage of an online coupon and for a grand total of $132 they were at my door in 4 days. The Perfomance model is well mad (all alloy) and I have had good luck with my Performance stationary trainer, so I felt good about trying their rollers.

I have had them about a week and the first try was just a few minutes to get the feel of them. To compare them to riding a bike on a giant sphere of ice, would grossly understate how slippery they feel. I think I squeezed the doorframe I practiced in so tight I left a mark in the wood. But even on the first try I could immediately see their value. I'm a grinder with a propensity toward pushing down on a big gear. I have been working over the past few years to smooth out my pedal stroke, but it's still rough. Rollers interested me since I heard they will instantly punish any choppiness and really force you to pedal in nice smooth circles. I have always thought of myself as a good bike handler, but you could always be better, and rollers will force you to have excellent balance. Any steering motions need to be very subtle. For you MTB'ers, think about soft peadling over a tight section of single track while keeping the upper body loose and still. Over-turn and you will ride off them.

So far I can do about 5-6 minutes at a time without touching a wall. This is a breakhrough from my first couple rides where a few seconds of holding the bar was all I could muster. A couple things I have learned:

Be smooth no matter what the cadence is the key. I am using my cross bike with road tires which has a compact 46/36 crankset and I'm in a 17 in the back. I like the extra clearance of the cross bike as I'm just getting comfy on these, but will probably switch to the road bike before to long. My first couple attempts I was in the 36/21 which was just not enough of a gear. the 36/17 and I'm guessing the 16 or 15 will be just right.

Look forward. Don't look at the front wheel. It's hard not to, but it's better to look ahead, since looking down makes you always want to adjust. The rollers are wide enough, just trust it.

Just enjoy the feel. No need to worry about HR or cadence. It will take care of itself. these aren't for power training, but you will get an excellent workout and develop excellent balance and smooth stroke.

I've only had these a week, but I'm already looking forward to my next session on them, which I can't ever say I felt about the mag trainer. My current set up is at the base of the basement steps. I can reach the rail easily if I'm falling and there is a step I can use to step on and off. the step is a little close though and I have to avoid catching it with my pedal, but my basement floor isn't perfect, so I need to find a level spot and the one next to the steps is almost perfect. Still experimenting though.

I would appreciate any training tips anyone can offer as well as how you are using them.