Sunday Ride

Ouch.

4 1/2 hours with team bi-atch. 

Left the house at quarter after twelve, sped down the hill and marvelled at the supersuit.  I've had it for two years and it still astounds me that I can go out in 25 degree cloudy windy weather and be completely warm in just tights, base layer, jersey, gloves & hat.

Picked up James and Jake and headed up to the shogren's lair.  Met up there with Gunnar, Betsy, and Chris and rode to bakers to meet the rest of the Sunday ride.  15 set off and hilarity and muddiness ensued.  After everyone else left, we did a couple more laps, fixed chains and flats, had a beer, and dove over the hill behind the new University High School on mysterious logging roads until good ol' Legs of Fire spat us out on the rail trail.

Bonked at the base of the final climb up to the house.  Had to stop and eat a granola bar.  made it. Great ride.  Check out fatboybikes or team-bi-atch blogs for photos and/or more involved ride reports.

Goal for this week:  Ride again before Sunday!

Rubber side down, mostly

~Rolo

Tech Talk Tuesdays: Glue Your Tubies!!!!

So, you've decided to purchase expensive wheels with glued on tires to "feel pro" and "maybe be able to win a race or something or at least not suck as much" because "this isn't near as effective a performance enhancer as getting a personal coach and/or just riding more, yet it is more expensive." Now what do you do next?

Read all instructions twice before mounting tires. I've been riding, gluing, and repairing tubulars off and on for the last 10 years. This is my method for gluing.

Robbie's Tubular Gluing Guide:

Things you need:

2 tubular tires with any valve extenders or sealant installed.

2 tubes glue. One is usually not quite enough, so it's nice to have an extra tube just in case. Note that at maximum you will need 1.5 tubes of glue, so 3 tubes should do two wheelsets.

Toothbrush for easy glue application. Don't use your good one as this will be it's last brushing.

Rubber/latex/nitrile gloves to keep your hands clean.

Acetone for safe rim prep and cleanup.

A week before you plan on using them.

Step 1: Stretching

Mount your tire onto your rim and inflate to 125 psi. Leave it there for at least a day, preferably a week. This stretches the tire out and makes mounting it with glue way way way easier. Note to see if there are any lumps or bulges in the tire. You may have to slightly widen the valve hole (not recommended for carbon) to get the valve to sit properly. Make sure to carefully inspect the tire because the warranty period ends when the tire is glued.

Step 2: Rim prep

This is an optional but highly recommended step. Dab a bit of acetone on a clean rag and clean the gluing surface of the rim. This assures a clean surface for proper adhesion. If you're extra paranoid about using glued on tires, you can rough the surface with emery paper (1000+ grit sand paper) and then clean with acetone.

Step 3: Gluing

Put your gloves on and get your toothbrush ready. You'll be applying a total of 5 coats of glue. Coats of glue need to be very thin. You don't want the glue on the rim any thicker than .5 millimeter. Glue needs time to set up between coats. I recommend a minimum of 8 hours between coats of glue, and prefer to let them sit for 24 between
coats.

Tire: 2 coats. Deflate the tire and roll inside out and hang on the back of a chair or similar. Be sure to protect whatever is around you because the tubular glue is tough to clean off fabrics (and, well, just about anything else too). Use your toothbrush to apply a thin coat covering the entire base tape. Let tire dry in a safe clean place, being careful not to contaminate the glue. After glue has dried, apply second coat in the same manner and let dry.

Wheels: 3 coats. Mount the wheel in a truing stand or on your upside down bicycle. Use your toothbrush to apply a thin coat of glue to the rim all the way around, being careful not to get any glue on the sidewall. Wipe off any glue on the sidewall with a clean rag with a dab of acetone on it. After the first coat dries, apply a second coat in the same manner and let dry.

Step 4: Mounting. This is the hard part.

Apply the third coat of glue to the rim and let sit for 15-30 minutes to let the glue get good and tacky before mounting the tire.

Wet your hands with water. This will keep the glue from sticking to your hands while you mount the tire.

Start at the valve. Install the valve and vigorously stretch the tire onto the rim, slowly working your way around the wheel evenly. When you get to the last few inches of the tire, you'll suddenly appreciate your patience in letting the tire stretch for as long as you did. Use your thumbs to lift the last bit of tire onto the rim. If you didn't stretch the tire vigorously enough when you started mounting, this will be impossible, or nearly so. You may have to start over a few times before you get the tire all the way onto the rim. Clean any glue off the braking surface with acetone.

Step 5: Centering

Once you have the tire on the rim, inflate the tire with just enough air for it to hold its shape. Use your truing stand or your brakes to center the tire on the rim. You need to make sure that the tire is centered and not twisted. You can use the base tape as a reference point, but don't rely on it as it may not be strait. Also make sure that the tire doesn't have any lumps or bulges and sits in the tire track all the way around.

Step 6: Waiting

Inflate the tire to 125 psi. Let sit for at least 48 hours before riding. This is to allow the glue to fully bond. The pros let glue
sit for a week usually. Skipping or skimping on any of these steps can result in a weak tire/rim bond and when a tire rolls off a rim, it isn't pretty. Just youtube Joseba Beloki's crash on stage 9 of the 2003 Tour de France.

Notes on tubular tires:

Just 'cause the max psi is really high doesn't mean you should run the max pressure. On anything. Ever.
The extra supple casing on the tubulars will allow you to ride slightly higher pressure than you might with a clincher, but I would recommend only going up maybe 10 or so psi. You want your tires to roll over little tiny obstacles, not bounce over them. 125 psi should be the max pressure for a big guy riding tubulars. I'm a small guy and I usually run 100 psi. It's more comfortable and there is a lot of evidence that it has lower rolling resistance than higher pressure.

The glue melts at high temperature. Don't leave your fancy carbon wheels in the back of a car on a hot day without cover. Don't do this for your fancy frame either actually. Also, your fancy carbon wheels don't dissipate heat like the old alu ones, which means you'll have to get better at descending. Dragging your breaks all the way down a long descent can result in glue softening and bond failure. You don't want that.

I don't have personal experience with the tubular tire tape, which is a dual sided tape made specivically for tubular tire installation made by Tufo. It saves you the trouble and mess of gluing your tires. It also elimintates the wait; they say you actually need to ride them directly after installation (which is quick and easy) to let the glue to bond properly. The advantages are that it is very quick and easy and seems to work just fine. The disadvantages are that it is difficult to replace a tire out on the road (as to say, change a flat tire. You have to carry the spare tire around with you), and is difficult to replace a tire in the shop without completely cleaning up the rim and tire and starting fresh. Doesn't sound too bad for most of you who will only ever race on tubulars and wouldn't repair your old tires anyway, which may someday be the topic of another post.

If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to respond to this post.

Rock on

~Rolo

Shut up, Craig

Why is it that every american cycling comentator sounds like a dweeb?  Take Craig Hummer (I like to call him "Humsies") on versus.  He seems to have learned a lot about cycling (and about commentating) since last year, demonstrating his prowess with such incites as "He's not here to compete. He's here to win" and, "Still to come, more action from the Tour of California".  Oh gee, I thought that the race was over in the middle!  I was going to leave, but now I'll stay!  The best part about watching Humsies is that if you stay tuned to OLN, err, Versus, you can see him commenting on everything from fishing to bull riding.   yeehaw

I would say that it's just because he's a professional commentator, not a professional cycling commentator.  But then what about Bobke, who commentates in kph and unapolagetically talkes with his hands?  And what'shisname, the guy who sounds like he lost his voice from an all night screamfest at a Metallica concert.  They know cycling inside and out, but they sound like total dufuses when they try to explain it to people.  

I blame it on the American educational system.  I think it's because they try to dumb it down too much to try to make it appeal to the average Amerrkan.  Add in an olympic level of sob-stories and you have a recipe for success.  Right?  Or maybe it's because we're used to Brits talking down to us, so it doesn't phase us that when Paul and Phil speak down to us in their charming accents, whereas it is still offensive from our countrypersons.  Thank you British colonial society. 

More important though, is fashion.

For instance, while I've been a Tyler Hamilton fan for a long time when he's in his R&R kit with his GIGANTIC sunglasses, I feel like punching a kitten.  He used to just be a nice boy.  Innocence lost, no?.  Could he look more like a poser?  And speaking of things that once were, I miss Dave Z's mustache.  Funny how he really only had it for a few months, but now I barely recognize him.  Which brings me to my next point.  Mohawks.

I think it must be spring.  I can tell because I've spotted more Mohawks in the last 2 weeks than I've seen over the last several months.  I've prepared a graph to help you see this trend:

 

As you can see, there are big spikes in Mohawks per capita in the spring and fall.  I attribute this to those being the times when most breakups happen.  Goes something like this:

Guy:  This relationship is so great!

Girl:  We're so over.

Guy:  Damnit!  I'm gonna get a mohawk 'cause I always wanted one and now I don't have to worry about you being all up in my business about it!

Girl:   . . .  don't care.

Guy:  *gets mohawk*  Hell yeah!  Now I'm a Badass!

2 weeks go by...

Guy:  This actually does look stupid and I'll never get laid like this.  *goes back to generic land*

There's a similar trend with girls and  shortish bob-type haircuts and/or gym memberships.  The difference is that when a girl undergoes something like this, she does something to improve her look, whereas with guys, it's generally the opposite.

In personal news, I've signed up for fantasy cycling on Versus.  This'll be my first fantasy sport experience.  We've started a little league down at the pathfinder.  I'll keep you updated on any ownzing that goes on.  If you think you're tough enough to take us on, let me know and I'll let you in.  

In the mean time, go ride your bike.  

~Rolo

Suck it up and go ride

Facial winterization!

Another fine winter day for a ride.  The temperature as I left the house at 12:40 p.m. was reading steady at 19F.  That's well above my "no long rides under 15F" rule, though that had to be confirmed with a call to James:

me:  "It is effing cold outside"

James:  "You're not wimping out are you?"

me:  "I am almost wimping out"

James:  "really?"

*moment of silence*

me:  "No, I'll be at your house in 10"  and I hung up before I could change my mind.  Under 20 is still infinitely better than 34 and raining.  

It was surely effing cold though.  Especially always starting at the top of the hill.  I picked up the James at the bottom of the hill and we headed to bakers.  When we got there we ran into WVU team member Bob all by his lonesome, but it wasn't long before we ran into the MonBikeClub crew led by Mega-Man Matt Kettering and Gary "Not the ride A-hole" Rodosta.  Steve "the animal" Rowand and Josh "Wildebeast" Chapman were there representing 2/3 of team RowMan.  RowMan strongman Jeremy was aparrently on girlfriend duty out shoe shopping and could not enjoy the day with the rest of us.

And enjoy it we did.  I was again pleased with my decision of two years ago to sell my trainer.  Disgusted with riding indoors and inspired by the incredibles, I used the proceeds to buy my super suit.  With the always perfect cold weather baselayer, it is always the right thing to wear.  Tights, baselayer, jacket, gloves, wintershoes, headband--this what I wear between 10 and 50 degrees and I am always comfortable.  Look for reviews on all these items in future posts.

After we found the group, we did a nice few loops on top, then tacked spagetti trail, 7 logs trail, a few others that I still haven't learned the name monbikeclub name of, and finished off with turbo (or do they call it rooster?).  After that and some other random loopage, James, Bob, Jake and I headed out over riddle and home for a solid 2:45 of winter fun.

I followed it up with some stretching (back an knees feel good, which is a major improvement over this time last year.  Thank you Robbie Acciavatti) and a snack of pbbj (peanut butter, butter, jelley) on a whole wheat english muffin and a chocolate milk and then a hot shower.  A+  Thanks to James for not letting me wimp out, and for Tracy last week who "didn't believe that [I] would show up to the ride."  Ha, where were you today?  

poem for the week

away with me to the woods of old
where the stories grow taller each time they are told
where the wind blows soft and the roots of the trees
form the floor of the forest and one only sees
his life ahead in the road behind
what lies in front is the place where we'll find
camaraderie, friendship, and experiences of a lifetime





I'm gone to the forest, be back in six days.
Go ride your bikes, eat turkey, and laze.

I am the calcamus

Calculus is not like riding a bike, turns out. Who-duh-thunk?

But I can always make myself feel better by watching Johnny Math miscalculate these barriers (it's at the end).

Today's how to:

How to convince yourself to ride when it is 34 and raining! A crucial winter riding skill here in morgantown.

Actually, I have no idea how to do that. I recommend that you pray that it gets colder and turns into snow so you can actually go do something. Drink some tea. Do some yoga. Play video games.

That is winter training.

Carrera De Los Muertos

The Thrilla at Marilla!!

When we last left our heroes, they had just eliminated the threat of, making sure that the city was safe for another day...

And what a day the first of November would turn out to be. A day after which, the city would never be the same again. A mysterious event called Marilla Cross was about to take place, and take the town by storm...

The excitement started early, as our heroes met at the secret "blue house" lair for coffee and power wafers, trying their best to recover from the previous night's festivities. Both agreed that the best idea was to quaff the caffeine and count on energy from the previous evenings luxurious allotment of libations.

"Jumpin Jack Daniel's, Batman, I'm HTFO!" exclaimed Robin.

"Now isn't the time, Robin." I said. "We must rally. News is out on the bat radio that there is something quickly developing at Marilla Park. We must go!"

Our heroes took the bat dog out, loaded her in the car, and meandered down to the park to investigate the goings on. They found cat-woman and bat girl already on the scene dressed as pumpkins.

Carrera De Los Muertos they called it.

The race of the dead. I didn't like the sound of it one bit. As the "Bee Men" began to swarm around the park, we made our way around the scene to collect some information and stay out of danger.

We found Lovely Laurie and asked for an update. "This course is a tough one!" she exclaimed, not taking the time to slow down as she passed. Probably best that way. Meetings with informants should be brief, concise, and inconspicuous. I understood what she meant though. The course of action we needed to take wouldn't be easy. But in the fight for justice, it never is.

We moved on. As the Bee-Men and also the Aw-Omen field flew about, all around us, we caught sight of another of our friends on the scene. She's known as 'The Moment'. No one quite understands why. Today she was decked out and ready to make some trouble.

She told us that this was some sort of "race." At least on the surface. However, Robin and I could see that there was more afoot than cleats and barriers. Curious individuals were all around. Some good, some bad. We booted up the bat-car's computer and started to search for identities.

Of course, how could we miss it! All the baddies in town were here. There wasy Gary, "The Promotor"; Mark "Mr. Glass" Glass; Aaron "LB" Yevuta, the head of the shady operations of the WV Night Club; Johnny "Blaze" Martin; Gunnar "The Gunner" Shogren "The Shogun"; Chris "The Baker"; The Brothers "Beardy Steve" and "Lanky J One Legger". Robin and I knew what we had to do. We had to defeat these evil-doers in shoulder to shoulder racing, in the name of justice, in the name of all that is right and good.

We registered ourselves just as the Bees had finished swarming. Matt the pirate put on a good show, narrowly losing position to "BirdMan" but holding off a strong charge from the Don and the Lion of Flanders.

We took to the line and sized up the competition.

Through the course of the race, we waged epic battle, and though we didn't cross the line first, we took the Victory in the name of Justice, successfully ousting a number of evildoers, getting help from many in the process. Gunnar made good on that closet full of stars and stripes jerseys by letting 2 other former national champions by (plus one other guy for good measure). Annon the Cannon took on Beardy Steve, and One-Legger J cruised to just miss the top 5. A glorious day for the forces of Good and Cyclocross.

results

Later, a rail jam, and previously, an adventure!