Ellsworth-y

It's Thursday all ready, isn't it. I tell you, this week is flying by. I meant to have this up yesterday, but, alas, it was not to be.

Anyway, backing up a few days, Tuesday I ventured North to Vancouver, WA, to visit the Ellsworth factory, meet the folks there, talk to Tony and--most importantly--ride. It was a busy day.

Now, this wasn't the first time that I had visited a factory before. I met the nice folks at Fox Racing Shox a couple of years ago, and I've met with the good people behind Rolf Prima Wheels. But, this was a frame building operation, so I was interested to see what Ellsworth did and what they farmed out. Turns out, they do pretty much everything but the anodizing in house.


The photo above doesn't show all of the factory, but quite a bit of it. Here they bend the tubes (the tubes arrive externally and internally tapered) to the desired shapes; make the gussets; machine the head tubes; machine the linkages; make the swing arms; acid dip, anneal and heat treat the welded frames prior to anodizing them; and weld the frames.


Here, Troy is showing a before and after tube. This tube is shaped from round to oval. After they've made it oval, it'll be bent into a more interesting shape. This is a two step process.

For each shape and size of tube, they have a two-piece steel form that attaches to the press behind Troy. Once the tube is in place, they squeeze it with around 2300psi. This is done before heat treating the tube, naturally.

All of the frames--once welded up--get placed in this holder for acid dipping and heat treating.

This holder helps keep the frames aligned during the heat treating. After this is done, all of the frames are checked for alignment using a single swing arm. The swing arms are checked out on their own using the jig shown below.

This is a very good thing for two reasons: 1) every swing arm will work on every frame. If they aligned the frame with the swing arm, one or both of them could be off and if you needed a replacement swing arm, it might not be aligned with the frame. 2) If you notice during the final build that something isn't quite right, it's easier to track down the culprit. Seeing this made the engineer in me very happy.

Overall, in talking to Troy and David--thanks for showing me around, guys--I got an overall feeling of craftsmanship. These guys are passionate about making the best frame that they can. If something goes wrong with a frame, they want to know why so it doesn't happen again.

Ellsworth builds about 2000 frames each year. That puts them in no man's land--bigger than a custom frame shop, but much smaller than the big bike houses. They are a boutique brand. You'll end up paying more for your frame, but you'll know that your frame was checked our prior to shipping out. They don't check a random number of frames, they check them all. If they were bigger, they couldn't do that.

Tony, Troy and David, thanks for showing me around. It was a pleasure to meet you and see how the bikes are made.

Oh, and the ride was a blast as well.

Evolve'd

Let me get this off my chest... I don't buy into the hype of the 29er wheels. For one thing, I'm not all that tall--I'm 5'8" on a good day. If I stretch.

For another, they move the largest chunk of rotational mass further away from the axis of rotation. Look at this equation for the rotational inertia of a hoop:

'I' is the rotational inertia, 'M' is the mass of the hoop--I'm simplifying here, you understand--and 'R' is the radius or distance that M sits from the axis of rotation. Now, if we are comparing a 29" wheel to a 26" wheel, we can ignore the contribution of the hub--it's the same for both wheels--and mostly ignore the spokes--they do contribute, but very little. Let's also assume that the tires and tubes and rims weigh the same. They don't, the 29er Rim/Tube/Tire combo weighs more, but it helps simplify things here a little.

Now, we've reduced the equation to just looking at the contribution of 'R'. If a 26" wheel has an Effective Radius of 13.25" and a 29er wheel has an Effective Radius of 14.25", the smaller wheel will only have approximately 85% of the rotational inertia of the larger wheel.

"That's great" you say, but what does it all mean? I means that you will expend less energy--roughly 15% less--to spin up the smaller wheel. A different equation shows that turning the smaller wheel requires less energy, as well.

This was a very long way of saying that with my short legs, and the slower feeling wheels, I've never been interested in riding a 29er for any length of time. On shorter rides I've always felt like I was perched way up high on top of the bike, rather sitting in the bike, if you catch my meaning.

Then I got a call from Tony Ellsworth. He's roughly my size and rides an Evolve--their version of a 29er. He gave me my choice of reviewing an Epiphany--5.25" of travel, 26" wheels--or an Evolve--4" of travel, 29" wheels. I chose the Evolve.

I figured that he can ride any bike he wants--it's his company after all--and he rides a 29er. And, if I was going to bash 29" wheels, then I better use them on my trails, the same ones that I ride my own mountain bike.

I received the bike yesterday and, after putting it together, took it out last night on a ride that had quite a bit of up and down. In short, I had a blast. Now, riding a new bike is always fun, so after I log more miles I'll share some more thoughts about it. But, needless to say, I might, might, be... not wrong so much, but... well, missing something that doesn't fit into the math.

We'll see. And, hey, if I'm wrong, I'll admit to it publicly. Total transparency here, folks.

Prime Riding

After what seems to be many, many false starts, Summer is here in Oregon. Sure, the local peak still has some snow on it--odd for a 4000 ft mountain in the end of June--so the local trails aren't all open, but most of them are and are in fantastic shape.

Add to this that the increase of bicycle traffic has led to slightly more considerate drivers--so it appears, anyway--and even road riding is more appealing.

What does all this mean? For one, it means that I have more trouble keeping my mind on the task at hand at work. My office window looks out on that aforementioned peak and I find my self staring out thinking about the trails there, or the very good roads between here and there.

This is also giving me motivation to get my sorry butt out of bed in the morning and actually get a decent ride in, rather than just slog straight in to work.

Yesterday, I rode in off road. I used to do this quite a bit, but life intervened--as it is wont to do--and demanded that extra time that that particular route takes be used elsewhere. Yesterday, though, I made the time. I got up extra early and headed into the hills. Birds were singing and the hills were alive... wait, no. This isn't a musical. What I really heard, more than anything, was the crunch of the gravel under my tires and my labored breathing on the climbs and the crunch of the gravel and the wind whistling in the ears on the descents.

I rode on gravel roads. I rode on Single Track. I didn't deal with traffic for the first half of my ride to work.

After work, I had to run errands... something that I am loathe to do on the bike for the simple reason that I don't like to lock it up outside. You see, I am of the opinion that there is not a lock made that can't be broken. If you like your bike, don't leave it outside. But I digress.

I ran my errands, keeping them as brief as possible, and just enjoyed being outside. It was fantastic.

I'll have to not let a little thing like Time get in my way again. Or errands. It seems that my bike was safe enough for the short time I left it. Who knows, I might even put a rack on it!*








*not really.

Results and Tips

First off, a big thanks to those of you who participated in the The Quiz. It turns out, as you'll see, that most of you know how make the ever tricky left hand turn. The results were as follows:

88% use the left turn lane if the light is red.
86% use the left turn lane if the light is green--though some of you that used the turn lane when the light was red, didn't when it was green.
8% didn't use the turn lane when the light was red, but had an explanation--though some didn't leave a comment explaining what that explanation was.
11% didn't use the turn lane when the light was green, but had an explanation--again, some of you didn't actually say what the explanation was, though I suspect the explanation was similar to the comments that were made.
3% of you go against the flow of traffic, whether the light is red or green.

Due to rounding errors, all numbers are +/- 0.5%.

Frankly, I expected fewer to use the lane, based on my observations, but happily I am wrong.

In preparation for this post--so I don't look like an idiot, really--I grabbed the Oregon Bicyclist Manual from the local DMV. I wanted to verify that the proper way to make the left is using the turn lane. This is what they said, via an image:

Granted, in this illustration, there is no dedicated left turn lane, but as you can see, there are three acceptable methods. The first is the answer I was looking for with my quiz. The second is one that many of you use and commented on. The third is just fine, but the cyclist must yield to any pedestrians. I did not know that either #2 or #3 were ok in the eyes of john law.

Next up, choosing lanes:

Here, they show that the preferred method is using the left turn lane. But they use this disclaimer: "If you can't make it across traffic to the correct lane, use the crosswalk instead." So, once again, the crosswalk is perfectly legal.

Finally, if you do use the lane, triggering the signals can be tricky at times. Here in Oregon we use an induction loop system. The manual offers these tips. First position your bike like this:

If that fails to trip the light, lean the bike over like this:


Usually, I find that just positioning the bike correctly will work. I've only had to do the lean a handful of times.

By the way, if any of you are wondering what the results look like, Google just plops them into a spreadsheet. I get, in this case, three columns. The first column is a time and date stamp, the second column is the answer given to question 1 and the third column is the answer given to question 2. No other information is gathered, so I don't know who you are or even where you are. It's all pretty anonymous.

I might have to do more in the future!

A Quiz or Two

I know that there are many of you who commute by bicycle. Our ranks are swelling, driven in part by higher fuel prices. This time of year, though, at least here in Oregon, there is always an upsurge in bicycle commuters. The weather is nice, it's a good way to get exercise, and it provides another platform for smugness. It's all win!

However, there seems to be a lack of understanding when it comes to maneuvering in traffic. It seems that many cyclists are stuck in "pedestrian mode" while riding, and this is not a good thing. To illustrate my point, I've come up with a handy diagram and a quiz.

Disclaimer: I'm putting the quiz in here because I really, really wanted to try out Google Docs new forms function. Originally I had planned on telling you the answer, but now you'll have to wait until Friday.

The question revolves around negotiating a left hand turn at an intersection. The intersection is shown below, thanks to the wonders of MS Paint.

The bike lanes are represented by this symbol:

Here is the scenario: You are riding North-bound along B Street at position #1. You want to turn left on to A Street, into position #4. The light for your current direction of travel is red, as is the left turn light. Traffic traveling on A Street has the green.

Here's the first question: What do you normally do in the situation? I'm not asking for what you should do, but what do you really do.

Now, take that same scenario--you traveling North on B Street wanting to head west on A Street--only this time B Street traffic has the green light. Now what do you do? And is it different that the first question?

The quiz is below.

I'll be back on Friday to discuss the results and let you know what I do and what I've observed of late.

New Trail

I've been riding bicycles for quite some time now. I ride them off road. I ride them on road. I ride both on and off road on the same ride. I ride often--though not as often, or as long, as I'd like. In short, I am like many/most of you.

Sometimes though, all the riding around my house seems... well, stale. You know the feeling. "Let's ride off road," you say, and then proceed to hum and haw about where to ride. You've ridden them all so often. Ok, you capitulate and decide that maybe a road ride is in order. But you've ridden the local roads so often that it seems like you know every square inch of asphalt and chip seal.

You start wishing, even, longing for someplace different. Someplace new.

Now, there are two types of New Trail, if you will. The first, is rediscovering trails that you haven't ridden in years. I did this on Wednesday. I took some Boy Scouts riding and they wanted to shuttle. The only place near here that you can drive to the top of the trail is currently under snow--this is June right?--so that was out. Fortunately I remembered an off-road motorcycle area that has a decent network of roads. Good enough that we could get within a quarter mile of the top.

I hadn't ridden there for more than 4 years.

I had a blast. I remembered why I liked riding there in the first place. The trails were technical, abundant and fast! I'll be returning.

The second, and more important, type of new trail is trail that is entirely new to you. You have never ridden it. In fact, chances are you just became aware of it. It might be local, or it might be a short drive. It might even be a long drive. The point is, this will be dirt that you have never before put a knobby tire.

Tomorrow, I hope--if the planets align and the gods are smiling down--to ride a new trail. This new trail will be about 20 miles long, placing it in the ball park length of the highly esteemed McKenzie River trail (26 miles) and the fun Waldo Lake trail (23 miles). I am giddy with anticipation.

I'll take pictures. I'll report back. I might not be able to wipe the grin from my face for the rest of June.

A Word from Our Sponsor

Ok, it's not really a word from our sponsor... it's just me again.

BUT, one of our advertisers, Backcountry.com, launched a new site. As you may have noticed from their ad over there in the right hand column, they now carry bike stuff in a much more obvious manner than they have in the past. Backcountry are also the folks behind SteepAndCheap.com, a one deal at a time site. Now, they've added Chainlove.com to their family of sites.

Now, before you go clicking that link, a word of caution, put your credit card far away. You've been warned.

The idea is this, there is one deeply discounted item to buy at any one time. The item stays there until it's gone. Once it's gone, you, my fence sitting friend, are out of luck. Here's an example from today:

Chainlove is just bike stuff, whereas Steepandcheap is more for general outdoor equipment, but might still have the occasional bike-related gear for sale.

I know where I am, and it doesn't help

Last week some friends and I decided to try and find a new--to us--mountain bike route to the top of one of our favorite trails. The trail in question is a very, very fun route down but there doesn't seem to be an enjoyable route up. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually like climbing, so that's not the issue here. I still need to gain the elevation. Rather, I'd like a route that was more interesting. The currently available routes are either short and steep, or slightly longer and made out of HUGE gravel. They're OK once in a while, but we've riding this particular trail quite a bit--it's very, very fun, you know--so the climbing routes are getting a tad... old.

But, I've got that nifty Edge 705 from Garmin, and it's got maps! What can go wrong, right?

The idea was simple. We start the ride by climbing some trail--actually a disused road that is overgrown down to a single trail--cross a creek then hit the gravel road. The climb will be longer, but that's not all bad. The longer the climb, the less steep it is. So far all is going well. The roads we are on are shown on the gps's screen and we are on our way.

At the first planned turn, we move out of the known area--according to the gps--but we still know where we are heading and shortly we'd be hitting a "known" road again. Sure enough we hit the road as shown on the small screen and make the turn we were expecting. Now we were back on the maps and climbing a nice road.

So far, things have been going well. But as we look around, it dawns on us that we aren't where we think we are. Sure, we're climbing at night, but we do enough night riding that this isn't anything new, and besides, we'd know the road we were looking for day or night. And this wasn't it.

After riding for a little longer, C. asks if any of us knows where we are. My reply is that I knew exactly where we were, to within 3ft, but that this wasn't any help. You see, I knew where I was in the absolute sense. C. wanted to know where we were in a relative sense. E.g., we want to be at the top of that great trail--it's really, really fun, by the way--how close are we? While all I knew is that we were on an unnamed road and at position 44.xxxx lattitude and some longitude on planet Earth. Which was nice, I suppose, since we were in fact looking for a trail on planet Earth and not on, say, Mars. But it didn't really help us get to the top of the really, really fun trail.

So, I zoomed out. I found the road we needed--which was not the road we were on--and found a way to get there. Once again, we started climbing. It was a nice climb, really.

Fairly soon, we started seeing intersections we knew. The lay of the land was looking mighty familiar. We were not where we wanted to be. We were near a tough climb that is not near the really, really fun trail. OK, no problem, we do this climb, get to the really, really fun trail and never come this way again. Piece of cake.

As we neared the top of the climb, we were on the lookout for a particular turn, a road--or trail--off to the right, followed by a second turn to the right. We wanted the first one. It didn't exist. As near as I can tell it has never existed. The second right hander did exist... as a single track trail. And we definitely did not want to take it.

We were done. Stumped.

Down the road we went, retracing our route until we reached the point that our off map route of earlier hooked back up with the mapped roads. We continued down the mapped road and in less than 1/4 mile we hit the road we were looking for... below the hill we were trying to avoid.

Ah well.

Sometimes, it pays to have more up to date maps.

Or a guide.

Ritchey Break-Away: Now on DVD!

As I practice unpacking and packing the Ritchey Break-Away I have on test, I am often stumped by small things throughout the process. For instance, how much torque should I use when tightening the foam padding around the tubes before travel? Sure, they included a torque wrench specific to the stem bolts, but that's not the only thing I'm tightening in this process.


Luckily for me, they included a video wherein a woman, in a hotel room, demonstrates the finer points of packing and unpacking the Break-Away. There's also a brief part where she demonstrates riding in the drops, but I won't dwell on that part in this post.

This video, while enjoyable to watch on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and an arm around your significant other, left me with a few questions.

• Where are the extras? I've never had a DVD that didn't come with extras. I mean, at least a blooper reel or something. Like the scene you had to cut where she put the seat on backwards and didn't notice it until getting on the road?
• Where was Tom? Not only was Tom not in it, but there wasn't a single person with a mustache in it, either. Even the woman demonstrating the process.
• How are they keeping the chain so clean that, though they warn you about greasy pedal threads, they just flop the chain right down on the floor? (I suppose it is a hotel and all, but still, she had no grease on her hands! None! I want to re-film this thing--this time with a little more accuracy!)
• When are they going to come out with an HD version? Blu-Ray?

Remember, you, too can have this video simply by purchasing a new Ritchey Break-Away frame or bicycle. Of course, you could also follow this link and watch them for yourself.

Official

I like racing. Particularly I like road racing. Not to participate, mind you, but to follow. Sure, I'm saddened by the doping, et al, but I really don't let that get in the way. But, and I'm being brutally honest here, I could train like a mad man--sacrificing family and career, such as it is--and never bust into the domestic pro ranks. I might, if I worked really hard, race at Cat 2 or 1, heck, maybe even semi-pro, but I'm just not Pro material. So, the question is, how do I participate if I'm not racing?

Why, using a motor, of course. I am currently training to be one of these guys:

Tonight I am heading up to Portland to attend a USA Cycling Motoref clinic. This last weekend I was able--thanks to USA Cycling getting me the material, post haste--to get my Official C license, a prerequisite to attending the Motoref clinic. That's right, I'm offic... er... I'm an official. One of many. I won't let my power go to my head, honest.

Go ahead, try and cross that double yellow.

The idea for this was hatched about a month ago. I was out on the motorcycle and T. was racing in a local road race. The courses aren't closed, so I thought I'd see if I could spot him*. What I discovered was that this was a great way to see the race, to see the tactics and see how it's unfolding. As an official, you have to pay attention to where the racers are--both on the course and in relation to each other--but that is what you pretty much do as an avid spectator, too. That got my wheels turning and when the clinic was announced--and close too!--I contacted USA Cycling to see what I needed to do in order to attend. They sent me the material, I took a test and passed. Oddly, though, I missed some easy ones and got most of the harder questions. Hmmm.

Whether the officiating from the back of motorbike is fun or not, this whole process is interesting. Who knows how it'll play out, but I'm hanging on for the ride.



*I did spot him... on the sidelines. Rough day for T., that one.

Trusty Steed

I used to refer to my bike as my "Trusty Steed". Of course, there were a couple of problems with this.

1) I always did the work. Now, I'm not a horse rider, but I get the impression that between a horse and his rider, the horse is doing most of the work.

2) It wasn't actually trusty. In fact, most of my memories growing up in Oregon and riding in the nearby hills/mountains are also full of the memory of me coaxing the chain from gear to gear. I can't remember it ever actually working the way it was supposed to.

But, with all that--being my only bike at the time--it was the most trusty of my "steeds".

As many of you with multiple bikes will understand, now that I have a few bikes, there are some that are in disrepair more often than others. My road bike almost always needs a little air in one of the tires, but that's the only maintenance I really am forced to do on it. Very trusty. (Of course, for the most part, all road bikes fit into this category if you stay out of bad weather and stick to paved roads.) My full-suspension mountain bike, on the other hand, is in constant disrepair.

This is probably one of the largest factors in my move to riding on the road more and more. I mean, my time is limited and precious to me. If I ride on the road bike, I get more time to actually ride. On my full-squish mountain bike, I'll spend some time both getting angry and getting my hands greasy (somehow I always get my hands greasy--whether I change a tire, or mount a water-bottle cage--always).

Currently, I think I need a little more air in my rear shock. Also, my front brake needs bleeding.

With the fairly recent acquisition of my dad's old Cannondale F4000, I now have a trusty steed for mountain biking again. First off, it has no rear shock. Then there's the fact that it uses rim brakes (nothing to bleed--ever). Also, the front fork is an enclosed HeadShock system--about as maintenance free as any front suspension. It rides well and always shifts when I push or pull on the appropriate levers.

Now, whenever I'm in the mood for a ride--and I don't have time to work on my bikes--I can grab the Trusty Steed and head out. It's always good to have one in your stable.

Playing in Traffic

Let me be totally frank, I do not live in a large city. There are about 50,000 people who live here--a little more when school in session, a little less in Summer, it seems--so take what I say here with a grain of salt. Manhattan it is not.

That being said, I love riding traffic. I love dodging cars. I enjoy--odd as it sounds--being very close to the iron beasts that could take me out with their inattentive drivers. Heck, the likely don't know that I'm there until I am past. Maybe not even then. Clearly it's not the safest thing to do, so why do I like it?

I think it's because I don't live in a large city. If this is what it was like every time I got on the bike, I would likely be using this space to decry the having to deal with traffic all the time. As it is, this is only about a mile, or so, of my 12 mile commute. The rest of it is either primary roads with very large shoulders or secondary roads with little traffic. Yeah, I've got it good.

And, if I choose, I can avoid dodging cars downtown altogether. So really, the fact that I get to decide whether or not I race from stoplight to stoplight increases the fun. It makes for great sprinting exercise, besides.

Then, once it's done, I get to settle in and cruise the countryside. Or hills.

It's good to be on a bike.

Clearing Out Cobwebs

There are many reasons why I ride. The first is because I like it. A lot. Really. The second is because, frankly, I like to eat and so this gives me an excuse to burn of those extra calories. Sometimes, though, neither of those reasons are what gets me out pedaling. Sometimes, I just need to clear my head--you know the causes, stress at work and the like getting to you. This is usually when I have so much going on that I can't focus on any one thing well. It's like I have cobwebs in my head.

At times like these, I just head out--usually off road so I don't have to deal with drivers--and just sort of wander*. I also tend to attack all of the hills I can find. There is nothing like suffering on a difficult climb to bring things sharply into focus. Focusing on the climb, that is. All other cares drop away like so much sweat, to be dealt with later.

I also tend to not push myself too hard on the flats, rather I just ride along, soaking in nature. I let my mind wander. Usually, I think about this blog, or a review I am working on for GearReview.com, but occasionally, I think of nothing. I just ride along in a sort of state of bliss, not worrying about anything.

On the downhills I lose myself in the flow. The swooping singletrack, the little rises that turn into jumps at speed. The traction of my tires as I lean over in the corners, intent on nothing but the ride.

When I return to my chaotic world my head is clear and I can be productive once again. I suppose that this is why some people go to therapy, for me, this is all the therapy I need.




*I am using that sweet Edge 705 GPS so while I may be wandering, I am not even remotely lost. I know where I am with pinpoint accuracy.

Road Discs?

Last week I pointed you to Lennard Zinns' Next Big Thing article. Well, he's at it again with round two called More Big Things. This time, he predicts that road discs will become more mainstream, and might even be used in racing. If you've been reading this here blog for any length of time, you know that disc brakes are something I espouse. I've written about them before, including listing the pros and cons.

Lennard makes some interesting points, though. Let's take a look, shall we? One of the arguments that is often used is that the bike has a disc--the rim--that works well for stopping. There are two problems with this. One, you are wearing away at a structural component. Every time you hit the brakes, you remove metal from the rim. If you ride a lot, or know someone that does, chances are that you've seen or experienced a rim failure due to excessive wear of the braking track. Second, as Lennard points out, every time your rim gets wet, you lose braking power. Why is this acceptable? Also, aluminum is a lousy braking surface.

Lennard goes on to say that the biggest drawback is that they are heavy. The calipers are heavy, the rotors are heavy, the hubs weigh more and can't build pretty radially laced wheels and expect them to hold up. All true. However, I think that if they were more widely adopted, there would be a concerted effort to drive the weight down. As it is, road disc brakes are just mountain bike brakes adjusted to work with the leverage ratio of road brake levers. If they were road bike specific many of these arguments could be better addressed.

Lennard suggests that one weigh to reduce the weight is to use a smaller rotor--true--but that, he says, leads to more heat build up--again, true, to a point. One of the nice things about discs is that you can brake later. You don't need to drag your brakes as much, so it is possible that while the heat generated is significant, there is plenty of time to cool them down between uses. He also suggests that using different materials will help. This is true, and it's something that I think we'll see if companies like SRAM and Shimano start making road bike disc brakes, not mountain bike disc brakes adapted for road use. Where Lennard errs, though, is suggesting the use of Carbon-Carbon brakes like those used in Formula 1 racing. While they do work very, very well at elevated temperatures, they don't work well at all at more normal operating temperatures. They need to be heated up to greater than 400 degrees before they start working well. There is no way you'll be able to get a bicycle brake that hot. I've tried. It's really easy to get a car brake that hot, though. That being said, there are ways to dissipate heat--fins on the caliper, different pad materials, different rotor shapes, using MMC (metal matrix composite) rotors to help conduct the heat away from the pads--and if road bikes use smaller rotors this will have to be addressed.

I firmly believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages when it comes to disc brakes. Their overwhelming adoption among the off road crowd highlights this. When a disc brake designed from the ground up for road bike use becomes available, I'll be the first in line.

Eerily Quiet

This morning was... odd.

First, the weather. It's 54 degrees out there. Granted, today the forecast calls for rain and looking to the west, I think that they're going to be right. But, be that as it may, 54 is much warmer than what we've been seeing lately.

Second, it was quiet, too quiet. Normally there is quite a bit of traffic on the roads--everyone seems to go to work at the same time, right? Not today. It was so quiet in fact that I thought it might be Sunday and my schedule was off by one day. Man, I'd hate to think that I got up early and rode into work when I didn't need to... wait, let me rephrase that... I'd hate to think that I stopped in at work on a day I didn't need to and and didn't just keep on riding, since I was up.

Finally, even though I rode hills today, they didn't hurt like they have been. Frankly I think that E. was taking it easy on me, but nevertheless, it felt good. Maybe increasing the regularity of riding the hillier route is helping. Maybe the stars were aligned, everyone overslept and there was a warm mass ahead of a vicious storm that made everything just right. And that's fine with me.

Since this morning was so good, I'm going to push my luck and make one request to the weather gods: I don't mind the rain during the day--heck, I'm stuck inside at work anyway--but can I please have a nice tail wind on the way home? That would make today's oddities complete.

To Remove Excess Weight

I love my full suspension Cannondale Jekyll. I know that Cannondale has since moved on to other designs, but It rides well and, thanks to a Manitou SPV rear shock, pedals pretty well--at least for a 4-year old 5" travel bike.

When I'm on my light-weight hard-tail, though, I keep thinking about how light it is. And when I get back on the Jekyll, it seems like such a beast. A smooth beast, but a beast nonetheless.

Now, I'm not a great mechanic, but I've decided to take matters into my own hands and take some steps towards making it lighter. I'm pleased to say that, after some tweaking and such, I think I've taken my Jekyll to what I consider to be a very nice weight. All told, I think I managed to shave somewhere between 5 and 8 lbs off the bike.

As all of my modifications are not specific to the bike, I'll post my methods here. Remember, if you don't feel comfortable making drastic changes to your bike, take it in to a good local bike shop and pony up for them to do it.

For this, you'll need a 4, 5, 6 mm allen keys. Also, you'll need a chain whip and cassette puller. Depending on your crank type, you'll need one or more of the following: External bearing bottom bracket tool, crank puller/extractor, traditional bottom bracket wrench. Unless you're running a chain (like a SRAM) with a quick-connect link/master link, you'll also need a chain tool.

1. Remove your front and rear shifters.
2. Remove your derailleur cables.
3. Remove your front and rear derailleurs.
4. Take off your rear wheel and remove your cassette.
5. Remove your chain. 
6. Pull your crank and remove your bottom bracket.

At this point, you might want to take the time to clean all those areas of the bike you normally can't really get to with all those extra parts installed.

And that's it! Stand back and admire your work (or the work of a fully qualified bike mechanic). Also, make sure to pick your bike up and feel the difference. The next time you're out on a ride (if you actually get your bike to move forward and somehow keep it that way), you'll really appreciate the difference several pounds can make.

In fact, I'm not sure I even have the heart to put the new parts on.

Three Ways to Use a GPS

As you know, I've been playing with GPS's lately, and it occurred to me that they make excellent bicycle computers* for a few reasons... well, three reasons, actually.

Display of Information:

Let's face it, most cycling computers are a compromise. They have small screens and can display only a limited amount of information at any one time. Often, there is much button pressing to see various aspects of your ride. The GPS, on the other hand, is not small. Because it's not small it has room for a nice large screen, which may or may not be color. This allows it to display all the information you want right there on the same screen. The Edge 705 can display up to eight items. That's the other thing, most of the GPS's out there let you decide what to display. If you've got a heart rate monitor, show your heart rate, but if not, turn off that display and show something else. Nice.

Logging Information:

The second way that GPS's rock is that they log the ride stats for retrieval later. Most also connect to a PC so you can upload your rides to different websites--like MotionBased, a Garmin-owned site--so you can share your ride with others, or just keep a training log of where your rode and what the ride statistics were--e.g., where you rode, how fast you averaged, how far you rode, etc. Many of these websites allow you to view or download your route in Google Earth format--it'll be a .kml file.

This allows you to review your ride and take a look at the terrain. Frankly, I find it fun to look at the topography after a ride and see what the hills really look like.

Routing:

This is the one feature that to date I have not needed to use on my bicycle, but intend to anyway. The Edge 705, and others, will enable you to select a destination and then it will determine the route, based on select criteria that you input. You decide whether or not to allow routing on primary roads, or limit it's road selection to secondary roads. You also tell it your mode of travel. It calculates the distance and takes a stab at predicting your arrival time. The Garmins that I've used with this feature predict arrival time with an amazing amount of accuracy.

Now, the reason why I have not used this feature much on the bicycle is that when I ride I rarely have a destination. Usually, I'm out for the ride itself, but if I was touring, or riding in a strange city, that might the feature I'd rely on the most. As it is, I tend to use the other two--information display and logging--the most.

But none of it works if you forget to plug it in and charge the battery.



*This assumes that you are using one with either a wheel pick up for speed/distance, or are using a newer GPS with better reception. If you are not, then it'll just be frustrating. Seriously.

Small Parts

I am not a clean man. I mean, not that I'm not clean now. That is, I took a shower this morning, and everything. What I'm trying to say is, I'm unorganized and messy.

Right off the bat, the road cyclists in you are saying things like, "Typical mountain biker." C'mon, though, that's just not fair. I've met quite a few mountain bikers (well, one or two, at least) that clean their bikes from time to time. Moreover, I know a number of road cyclists (well, me, anyway) who like having a road bike because they (I) never need to clean it. No mud = no cleaning.

Anyway, being messy means I have various cardboard boxes in my garage with random assortments of parts. Some parts I'll never use again. Others will be critical to me the next time I decide to change things up in my stable of bikes.

The problem, though, is knowing which is which.

The last time I really cleaned out my garage and decided to get rid of everything I was never going to use again, I got rid of something that was absolutely necessary for me about 6 months later. I cursed my one-time clean ways.

But, I started to notice, the other day, a specific part that seems to be everywhere. EVERYWHERE, I tell you. And, I almost never want it. It's very small. I get new ones all the time, though not by choice. The only time these are even remotely useful is in really muddy rides which, as I believe I've mentioned before, I try to avoid.

The part: Presta Valve Stem Cap

I've found these little buggers:

1. laundry room
2. dresser drawer
3. coin drawer/ash tray of car
4. glove compartment of car
5. door compartment of car
6. trunk of car
7. seat-pack(s)
8. hydration pack(s)
9. together with spare cleat-bolts and other assorted items in an empty 35mm film canister
10. zippered jersey pocket
11. tool box
12. every one of my random cardboard boxes full of parts which fill up my garage.

And yet, I can't seem to bring myself to throw them away when I find them.

A note to inner-tube manufacturers: Thanks, but I'm good with this part. I've had my fill. For life. I don't believe I will ever need any more of these. Ever.

Features

In my post last week about the Edge 705, Where am I, ark commented that he was disappointed that temperature wasn't one of the many things that the Edge could display. So am I.

Here's why.

The other day I was in Bi-Mart--those of you living in the Pacific Northwest might be familiar with that store--and, since I needed to kill some time, I was perusing the bicycle aisle. I do that from time to time to see what accessories are available and what they are selling for. All of the accessories on the pegs were either Bell branded or Slime branded. I looked at the computers--there were two, both Bell branded--and they were approximately $12 for the wired version and approximately $20 for the wireless. And they both had temperature! Seriously, why isn't temperature something that is available on every bike computer?

Now, I'm not saying that these computers are any better that what bike shops have. Frankly, I'd be shocked--shocked !--if they survived a single ride in the rain, but the fact remains that temperature is a very inexpensive feature to add. If you, the manufacturer, are already throwing in the kitchen sink, why not add one more item?

Ugh... Mornings

Let me just cut to the chase... I am not a morning person. This is the hardest part about commuting by bicycle, to me. I have to get up, get on the bike--no breakfast before riding--and face the elements, traffic, etc. It seems to take me forever to get warmed up, too.

Take this morning for example.

I have not been bicycle commuting for about 2 weeks now. I've managed to make excuses every day why I needed a vehicle in town. I've been riding, mind you, just not to work and back. I have also only been riding in the evenings or at night. Today, however, I decided that it was time to get back in the saddle, to not let anything stand in my way. Today, I was commuting by bike, come hell or high water.

Today, as I was riding, I remembered something I've learned in the past... and one reason why I dislike racing. If you want to ride at a particular time--morning, night, etc.--you have to train at that time. You need to condition your body to ride at certain times of the day, just like you have to condition your body to ride for a certain length of time, or a certain distance. And, just like any other conditioning, if you fail to keep up with it you lose it. What does this have to do with racing? Most races start in the morning.

I am not keeping up with my morning ride conditioning. To make matters worse, we rode hills this morning, so it was a slow struggle to summit the small climbs. Of course, once out of the hills, I was finally warmed up. Too bad the hills don't come last.

I have got to be more consistent with my commuting. This now and again commuting is too painful. My hat's off to you who manage to ride every day, regardless of distance or weather or other obligations. You are my inspiration.